General
1,500 Niger Delta Amnesty Beneficiaries to Get NIRSAL Loans
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) is set to extend the single-digit interest loans to 1,500 ex-agitators trained under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in the Niger Delta region.
According to a statement, Mr Milland Dikio, the Interim Administrator of PAP said the initiative is part of the efforts to raise the economic prospects of people of the region by attracting financial support for small and medium scale enterprises.
He urged the beneficiaries to judiciously use the NIRSAL loans to become successful entrepreneurs, warning them against misuse of the facility, adding that diverting the facility would create more hardship for them and the region.
NIRSAL is a Central Bank of Nigeria backed programme targeted for entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain at a concessionary interest rate of nine per cent.
The training, which took place at designated centres in Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States, was in continuation of a programme for NIRSAL loans which PAP commenced in November 2021.
Represented by the Head of Reintegration, Mr Alfred Kemepado, Mr Dikio said that the training would help the beneficiaries of the loan to grow their businesses and mitigate risks, saying that the focus was to facilitate and enhance single-digit interest loans for entrepreneurs in the region.
At the Yenagoa and Port Harcourt Centers, Mr Dikio who spoke through his Special Adviser on Projects, Mr Godwin Ekpo asked the beneficiaries to form cooperatives and focus on agriculture.
“The facilitators were very engaging and it just gives us hope and we are hopeful that once we are done with this set and we go into the next batches, the subsequent things we will do with these people will yield results.
“We have asked them to form themselves into cooperatives, look at the Agriculture value chain, production, processing, packaging and logistics end to see where they fit in.
“A lot of them have shown interest and I am hoping that maybe by tomorrow they will form themselves into different clusters in the value chain of several products.
“We are saying to everybody that cares to hear is that the Niger Delta is ready for development. Come back to the Niger Delta, come back and invest here. We are ready to receive you and we are ready to support you.” Mr Dikio said.
In Warri, through a senior Reintegration Officer in PAP, Mr Benjamin Appah, he explained how the beneficiaries were drawn across the region for the various centres.
“The names were compiled across impacted communities, PAP success stories, PAP cooperatives and the documented bonafide beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme.
“We received the names through their camp leaders, their cooperatives and the post-training units.
“We also gathered from the success stories of people who have been previously empowered by the amnesty office and are doing well in their businesses.
“So the office of the Interim Administrator thought it wise to say that since they are doing well in their businesses, why don’t we help them expand.
“This loan is a scheme organized by the Federal government of Nigeria.
“However, PAP decided to bridge that gap and facilitate training by engaging a consultant who will train beneficiaries and show them the prerequisite of accessing the loan and also guide them through getting a credible business plan.
“In a nutshell, the current PAP administration is trying to facilitate the access for the beneficiaries to benefit from the Federal Government’s single-digit collateral-free loan programme.
“All the beneficiaries have to do is come down to their training centres, receive their training, and the office is responsible for all the other expenses that qualify them,” Mr Appah said.
Certificates of participation were issued to the beneficiaries across all centres at the end of the five-day workshop.
The certificate qualified the beneficiaries for other Central Bank of Nigeria, accredited loans, grants and credit facilities.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that the latest United States airstrikes on Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) targets in northwest Nigeria were conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
According to reports, the US struck at ISWAP targets in Jabo, Sokoto State, on Christmas night.
The ministry described the operation as a product of established counterterrorism cooperation between both countries.
In a press statement issued on Friday, the Ministry said the strikes were “undertaken following formal engagement and with the full knowledge and coordination of the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
“The Government of Nigeria wishes to clarify that the airstrikes conducted by the United States against Islamic State elements in parts of northwest Nigeria were carried out at the request of Nigerian authorities and in line with existing bilateral security cooperation frameworks,” the statement said.
The Ministry stressed that Nigeria “remains firmly in control of all counterterrorism operations within its sovereign territory,” adding that international partners only provide support “where such assistance aligns with Nigeria’s national security objectives.”
According to the statement, the strikes form part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to “degrade terrorist capabilities, disrupt logistics networks, and protect civilian populations from violent extremist threats.”
The Foreign Ministry further emphasised that the federal government “will continue to work with trusted international partners to confront terrorism, banditry, and transnational criminal networks that threaten national and regional stability.”
Reacting to concerns around sovereignty, the Ministry said:
“At no time was Nigeria’s sovereignty compromised. All actions were conducted with due respect for Nigeria’s laws, institutions, and command structures.”
The statement also cautioned against mischaracterising Nigeria’s security challenges, noting that extremist violence “has affected communities across religious and ethnic lines and should not be framed in sectarian terms.”
Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to a multi-layered response combining military operations, intelligence sharing, community engagement, and socio-economic interventions, adding that counterterrorism efforts remain focused on protecting lives and restoring stability.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said the strikes were carried out in Sokoto State and that multiple militants were killed.
US President Donald Trump described the strikes as “powerful and deadly,” saying they were directed at Islamic State militants responsible for violent attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government has clearly denied that only Christians are affected by the killings, saying the terror spread across all faiths.
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that “more to come” as part of sustained efforts against extremist groups.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
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