Index to Nigerian Newspapers

BAYELSA state Governor, Douye Diri, has said coastal communities in the state were in danger of being submerged by the Atlantic Ocean. He raised the alarm when he visited Odioama community in Brass local Government Area to assess the devastation from ocean encroachment. He raised the alarm Ocean encroachment. He stated this while addressing the Odioama council of chiefs, elders, youths and women at the community  town hall lamented the effects of costal erosion  on the community and others on the bank of the Atlantic Ocean. Diri s' spokeperson, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement, yesterday, quoted the governor as saying he decided to personally visit the community after sending a team to have a first - hand knowledge of the plight of the people.  diri, who accompanied by speaker of the house of Assembly, Abraham ingobere, senator Nimi Bariga- Amange, commissioners and other government officials, assured that the state government would embrack ona 1.5 kilometre shore protection project in order to check the ocean surge that had submerged about 250 building in the last 10years. On request for a 500 KVA electricity generator, he said solar lights would be provided instead just as he also approved the construction of a National youth service corps members lodge.

The Canadian government has pledged to strengthen its relationship with Nigeria, citing mutual economic benefits in agricultural development. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) assured the Canadian government that the current economic situation in Nigeria will be temporary due to the government's policies designed to cushion the situation and provide relief to the citizens. In 2022, Nigeria was Canada's largest bilateral trade partner in Africa, with Canadian imports totaling about $1.7bn. The SGF also recalled that in 2022, 95% of people with Boko Haram's ideology were dead in Borno.

Confusion persists over the proposed second runway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as questions grow about the Federal Government’s commitment to the project. Originally announced in 2009 at an estimated cost of N64bn, the runway was designed to accommodate large aircraft and enhance airport capacity. Although a contract was later signed with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, rising inflation and foreign exchange pressures caused the project cost to escalate to N90bn by 2023 and N532bn by 2025. Public concern intensified after only N10m was allocated to the project in the 2026 federal budget. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo explained that the token provision was intended to keep the project active while alternative funding options are pursued. He rejected the proposed cost increase as excessive but reaffirmed the government’s intention to complete the runway through non-budgetary financing mechanisms.