Gov Yusuf Renames Two Institutions To Honour 22 Kano Athletes Killed In Crash

Published

2 months ago

June 29, 2025

Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State has renamed two key institutions in the state in honour of its 22 athletes who died in a motor accident while returning from the National Sports Festival in May.

Yusuf made the announcement on Sunday in Kano, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mustapha Muhammed.

It would be recalled that the accident occurred within 5 kilometers from Kano, as the state contingent returned to the state from Ogun.

He said that the state would forever remember the athletes.

“The athletes made the state proud and will be remembered for their sacrifices towards sports development in the state.

“The Kano State Sports Institute has been renamed Kano State 22 Athletes Sports Institute, while the Kano State Sports Commission will now be known as Kano State 22 Athletes Sports Commission.

“The young athletes are heroes of Kano who fought for the successes we recorded in the National Sports Festival.

“The state government will cater for the education of their children and engage their widows in empowerment programmes.

“The parents of those who were unmarried would also be considered in our empowerment plans,” the statement read.

The governor commended Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, for donating N110million to the deceased families, to cushion the effects of their losses.

FirstBank’s Digital Banking Channels Suffers Downtime

Published

1 minute ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

FirstBank has suffered a temporary disruption to its major digital banking channels, which will prevent some customers from completing transactions.

In a notice issued on Thursday, the bank said the downtime is affecting services on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and its *894# USSD platforms.

“Please be informed that we are currently experiencing some downtime affecting transactions to other banks on FirstMobile, FirstOnline, and USSD platforms. Customers may therefore experience delayed or declined transactions,” the circular read.

The bank apologised for the inconvenience and assured customers that its technical team, working with partner service providers, is making every effort to restore full services as quickly as possible.

The disruption occurred less than two months after FirstBank introduced facial biometric authentication on its FirstMobile app, designed to enhance the customer experience and security.

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JUST IN: Tinubu Begins 10-day Vacation, Departs Abuja For Europe

Published

1 hour ago

September 4, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday commenced a 10-day vacation as part of his 2025 annual leave, the Presidency announced.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President will spend the 10-working-day vacation between France and the United Kingdom, after which he will return to Nigeria.

Onanuga said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe, as part of his 2025 annual leave.

“The vacation will last 10 working days.

“President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return to the country.”

Details later…

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NYSC Pays Arrears After Two-month Break

Published

15 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The National Youth Service Corps resumed payments for arrears on Wednesday, marking the first disbursement since the last payment on June 3, following a two-month break.

This payment relates to the new N77,000 monthly allowance recently approved by the Federal Government.

Recall that on April 5th, the Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, assured that corps members who recently completed their service will receive the new N77,000 monthly allowance approved by the Federal Government.

Speaking during the Batch A 2025 Pre-Mobilisation Workshop in Abuja, Nafiu said, “Once funds are released to us to offset the arrears, we will pay them. Even our corps members who passed out recently will benefit. We have their bank details.”

He emphasised the government’s commitment, adding, “Nigerians should not fret about that because the government is both responsible and responsive to their needs.”

This development was confirmed by PUNCH, by a previously serving corps member who chose to remain anonymous, who said, “After waiting for two months, I didn’t expect to see another payment alert. But honestly, it’s not just about the money; it’s about feeling like our efforts actually count.

The payment of arrears, covering the period from July 2024 to March 2025, follows widespread frustration over delayed implementation after the Federal Government approved the allowance increase as part of its commitment to easing economic hardship for Nigerian youth.