Africa · Regional desk

West Africa

Current reporting, analysis and cultural coverage from across West Africa, with direct country access.

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Official portrait of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu wearing a light-blue agbada before the national flag

Nigeria · Politics · Transport policy · CNG

Tinubu sets October 1 test for cheaper transport as states scale CNG fleets

President Bola Tinubu wants state governments and transport operators to turn cheaper gas and electric mobility into measurable fare reductions from October 1. The Presidency points to savings on selected routes, but the promise will be judged by the prices commuters actually pay.

20 Sept 2026, 01:53 WAT

Patience Ozokwor, right, seated with Chioma Toplis and Rita Edochie on a movie set in 2008

Nigeria · Nollywood · Birthday tribute · Appreciation

Happy birthday, Mama G: celebrating Patience Ozokwor, a general of Nollywood

At 68, Patience Ozokwor deserves her flowers for decades of unforgettable acting, a lasting example to younger performers and the joy she has brought to viewers—including our publisher, Young O. Akpasubi.

19 Sept 2026, 16:18 WAT

AI-created conceptual image of mining helmets and boots outside a closed institutional door near an open-pit mine

Nigeria · Breaking · Breaking news

Tinubu orders full Minna custody-deaths probe as curfew and mining suspension take effect

The president directed investigators to examine arrests, cell conditions and medical care after 37 deaths. Niger State imposed a curfew and halted mining, while survivors’ allegations and the medical cause remain unproven.

Updated 18 Sept 2026, 23:05 WAT

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AI-created symbolic editorial image of an empty courtroom bench, a closed case file and empty classroom desks beyond glass

Nigeria · Courts · Court testimony

Oriire abduction witness says she saw three defendants in forest camps; trial moves to October

Five men deny seven terrorism-related counts over the Oyo school abduction. Under cross-examination, a protected witness said she saw three defendants during captivity—but did not witness the killing of two teachers or identify who carried it out.

18 Sept 2026, 21:05 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of a Nigerian women's football team celebrating together on a floodlit stadium pitch

Nigeria · Sports · World Cup

Falconets sweep England aside 3–0 to book Colombia quarter-final

Tosin Rafiu, Janet Akekoromowei and substitute Mary Mamudu scored as Nigeria eliminated England in Poland. Goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma's penalty save protected the lead before the Falconets pulled clear after half-time.

18 Sept 2026, 06:10 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of a hydroelectric dam landscape with a legal folder, engineering plan and gavel in the foreground

Nigeria · Business · Breaking news

Nigeria wins Mambilla arbitration as ICC tribunal rejects Sunrise claims

The tribunal rejected settlement-related claims and awarded Nigeria most of its legal costs. The decision removes a major dispute, but it does not mean the long-delayed hydropower project is financed, under construction or producing electricity.

18 Sept 2026, 03:10 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of tanker trucks loading beside fuel-storage tanks at a West African coastal terminal

Ghana / Burkina Faso / Mali · Business · West Africa energy

Ghana’s BOST cuts fuel exports to Burkina Faso and Mali as domestic demand rises

The state distributor says it supplied only half of Burkina Faso’s July–August request and a fraction of Mali’s additional needs. The curbs protect Ghanaian supply but expose the vulnerability of landlocked Sahel markets.

17 Sept 2026, 21:25 WAT

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Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs in a black tuxedo at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards

Nigeria · Nollywood · Obituary

Olu Jacobs dies at 84, closing a career that linked British theatre to Nollywood

His family confirmed that the actor and film executive died on 16 September. The cause was not disclosed; his five-decade body of work and investment in performance training remain central to his legacy.

17 Sept 2026, 18:10 WAT

AI-created conceptual image of unlabeled herbal-drink bottles and a sealed sample outside a rural clinic in southwestern Nigeria

Nigeria · Health · Public health

At least 48 dead in Ondo toxic-drink crisis as official totals diverge

The health commissioner’s latest AP interview put the toll at 48 deaths and 182 people affected, after an earlier briefing cited 49 deaths and about 170 affected. The suspected contaminant remains under investigation.

Updated 17 Sept 2026, 11:55 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of legislative papers, a gavel and a map of Nigeria representing a constitutional amendment sent to state assemblies

Nigeria · Politics · Constitution review

State-police amendment moves to Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies

At least 24 state legislatures must approve the proposal. The requested 30-day response period is administrative—not a constitutional deadline—and state police has not yet become law.

17 Sept 2026, 05:00 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of an empty university lecture hall with wooden desks and a blank chalkboard; not a photograph of any affected Lagos campus

Nigeria · Latest · University education

Lecturers begin indefinite strike at LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH

ASUU's Lagos joint campus group says its deadline passed without a satisfactory settlement over implementation of the 2025 agreement. The action began on 15 September; no resumption date has been announced in the reports reviewed.

16 Sept 2026, 12:05 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of a Nigerian market trader using a calculator beside baskets of tomatoes, onions, peppers, yams, grains and cooking oil

Nigeria · Business · Prices and households

Nigeria's inflation eases to 15.39%—but food prices remain 19.57% higher

The August CPI shows a marginal decline in annual headline inflation and a sharper slowdown in monthly food-price growth. It does not mean the general price level fell.

16 Sept 2026, 06:00 WAT

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AI-created conceptual view of two unmarked light helicopters parked separately in a maintenance hangar at sunset

Nigeria · Nigeria · Defence procurement

Three AW109s reach Lagos as Nigeria's five-helicopter upgrade moves toward induction

The Air Force says three AW109 Trekker B helicopters arrived on 15 September and two H125s were delivered earlier. The aircraft still require assembly, induction and readiness work before operational use.

16 Sept 2026, 02:58 WAT

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AI-created editorial scene of distinct Nigerian wedding artisans preparing lace, agbada, gele and coral beads in a Lagos atelier

Nigeria · Life Style · Weddings & culture

Before ‘I do’: the months of labour that build a Nigerian wedding

The entrance may last three minutes, but the celebration is assembled through introductions, family negotiations, fittings, food trials, rehearsals and the paid work of dozens of specialists.

15 Sept 2026, 13:06 WAT

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AI-created editorial portrait of a Nigerian couple beside distinct traditional and contemporary wedding wardrobes

Nigeria · Life Style · Wedding dress

One marriage, many wardrobes: what Nigerian wedding clothes actually say

Aso oke, coral beads, caps, wrappers, kaftans and white gowns do more than produce photographs. They identify kinship, region, faith, occasion and the terms on which two families meet.

15 Sept 2026, 13:05 WAT

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AI-created editorial scene of distinct Nigerian designers and artisans working on bridal lace, groom tailoring and handwoven cloth

Nigeria / diaspora · Life Style · Design & enterprise

Nigeria’s bridal designers are building an industry—not merely a look

From Deola Sagoe’s Komole to ATAFO’s tailoring and Veekee James’s remote fittings, bridal studios are converting cultural knowledge into skilled work, global visibility and demanding production systems.

15 Sept 2026, 13:04 WAT

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AI-created contextual view of travellers arriving at a contemporary business hotel in an Ikeja streetscape

Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria · Hospitality · Hotel guide

Ikeja hotels turn airport access into a serious Lagos advantage

Lagos Marriott, Radisson Blu and Protea Hotel Ikeja Select serve different versions of an airport-side stay. The right choice depends on terminal, meeting geography, event scale and verified transport—not star language alone.

15 Sept 2026, 13:03 WAT

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AI-created contextual view of families and business travellers arriving at a well-kept independent hotel in Ikorodu

Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria · Hospitality · Hotel guide

Ikorodu hospitality serves the journeys central Lagos often ignores

For weddings, family visits and work on Lagos’s northeastern corridor, a local hotel can be more useful than a famous Island address. Verification matters because independent-property information changes quickly.

15 Sept 2026, 13:02 WAT

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AI-created contextual view of professional travellers arriving at a contemporary mid-size hotel in Wuse 2 Abuja

Wuse 2, Abuja, Nigeria · Hospitality · Hotel guide

Wuse 2 hotels compete on time, security and business convenience

The district’s restaurants, offices and road connections make it a useful Abuja base, but travellers should compare verified room condition and daily destinations before paying for the address.

15 Sept 2026, 13:01 WAT

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AI-created conceptual view of a Nigerian financial analyst studying abstract bond-market charts in an Abuja office

Nigeria · Business · Sovereign debt

Nigeria gets 7.4% weight in J.P. Morgan frontier bond index due this month

The new GBI-EM Edge will give 16 naira-denominated federal bonds a prominent place in a nearly $330 billion benchmark. It is not a return to J.P. Morgan’s flagship index, and actual investment flows are not guaranteed.

15 Sept 2026, 06:08 WAT

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AI-created conceptual view of a coastal refinery with abstract market lines reflected on glass

Nigeria · Business · Capital markets

Dangote refinery opens ₦2.15tn public offer at ₦525 a share

The SEC-approved offer seeks subscriptions for up to 4.1 billion shares and closes on 13 October. It opens public participation in a major industrial asset, but allotment, listing and investment returns are not guaranteed.

14 Sept 2026, 11:58 WAT

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AI-created conceptual image of a fuel tanker at a filling station with refinery infrastructure in the distance

Nigeria / Africa · Business

Abuja petrol reaches ₦1,430 at surveyed outlets after Dangote wholesale increase

Checks on 13 September recorded higher prices at MRS, Mobil and NIPCO outlets in Abuja. Dangote’s ₦1,350-per-litre wholesale rate took effect a day earlier; neither figure is a uniform national pump price.

Updated 14 Sept 2026, 05:02 WAT

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Nigeria · Politics · Public-service analysis

Wike’s Abuja agenda: roads, public services and the route from graduation to work

A public-service analysis of the FCT Minister’s infrastructure programme, education support, healthcare investment and the institutions that can help young people and women build livelihoods.

14 Sept 2026, 03:20 WAT

Joshua Ishaku Musa, chairman of Bwari Area Council, wearing a traditional cap and white clothing in a photograph credited to his named Facebook account.

Nigeria · Politics · Public-service analysis

Joshua Ishaku’s Bwari agenda: better services and a clearer path to livelihoods

The council chairman’s early tenure brings an opportunity to connect major FCT projects with neighbourhood needs, stronger schools, primary healthcare and practical support for women and young graduates.

14 Sept 2026, 03:20 WAT

AI-created conceptual image of oil-terminal valves, a pressure gauge and a tanker offshore at sunrise

Nigeria · Business

Nigeria meets OPEC quota for fourth month as August oil output edges higher

Crude-only production reached 1.50019 million barrels a day, while combined crude and condensate output rose 0.4% to 1.677777 million. The two measures answer different questions—and the combined total still trails the federal budget benchmark.

13 Sept 2026, 23:50 WAT

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Nigeria / United Kingdom / United States · Hollywood

Chiwetel Ejiofor’s move behind the camera widens the meaning of a Hollywood career

His 12 Years a Slave performance earned an Academy nomination, but acting is only part of the story. Writing and directing create another route for diaspora artists to shape whose point of view governs a film.

13 Sept 2026, 12:00 WAT

AI-created symbolic image of a ceremonial flame beside Dakar's Atlantic waterfront at dusk

Senegal · Sports

Olympic flame reaches Dakar as Senegal counts down to Africa's first Games

The Youth Olympic flame has arrived before a nationwide relay through all 14 regions. Dakar 2026 will be the first Olympic sporting event staged in Africa—not the continent's first visit by an Olympic flame.

13 Sept 2026, 00:00 WAT

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AI-created symbolic image of a motorcycle helmet beside an empty wet motorway with distant emergency lights

Ghana · Politics

Ghana interdicts officer as two probes examine law student's motorway death

General Corporal Robert Koranteng has been removed from duty while homicide detectives and the police standards bureau investigate Ivan Baidoo's death. The family's account remains an allegation, not a finding of responsibility.

12 Sept 2026, 18:00 WAT

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Symbolic Nigerian and South African desk flags placed apart across an empty conference table

Nigeria / South Africa · Politics

Nigeria demands probes into two South Africa deaths as parliamentary boycott continues

Abuja has identified Bishop Taiwo Michael Fakunle and James Uchechukwu Nwankwo as the latest victims. Police involvement is alleged in one death; the motive in the other remains unknown.

Updated 12 Sept 2026, 12:01 WAT

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AI-created symbolic image of an empty conference chair, microphone, Nigerian flag and fibre-optic equipment

Nigeria · Technology

Bosun Tijani withdraws from ITU race, putting Nigeria's digital promises back in focus

Nigeria's communications minister says he will stay focused on fibre, rural connectivity, satellites and digital public infrastructure at home. The withdrawal is confirmed; delivery of those programmes remains the test.

12 Sept 2026, 09:03 WAT

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A face-down smartphone, closed unmarked folder and reading glasses on a desk overlooking a symbolic airport setting

South Africa / Nigeria / United States · Latest

South Africa plans U.S. handover of six suspects in R100m romance-fraud case

The Hawks say six Nigerian nationals arrested in 2021 are due to be handed to U.S. officers in Cape Town on 11 September. The alleged losses and criminal-network links remain accusations; completion of the transfer has not been confirmed.

11 Sept 2026, 12:05 WAT

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Ibom Air Airbus A220-300 received at Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo

Nigeria · Latest

Captain Ruth Adebanwo brings Ibom Air’s newest A220 home to Uyo

Ibom Air’s chief pilot led the delivery of the airline’s third Airbus A220-300 on 1 September. The achievement is confirmed; the viral claim that it was a national first for a woman remains an official assertion rather than an independently documented record.

10 Sept 2026, 20:10 WAT

Conceptual scene of four distinct Nigerian military officers exchanging an operations folder in a briefing room

Nigeria · Politics

Nigeria’s Army changes North-East command in wider generals’ redeployment

Major General Ibikunle Ajose takes charge of Operation Hadin Kai as 16 major generals and several brigadier generals move to new posts. The announcement changes leadership—not the security situation by itself.

10 Sept 2026, 12:18 WAT

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Editorial illustration of a handmade remote-controlled model aircraft and controller on a workshop table

Nigeria / West Africa · Technology

He made a model plane fly. The bigger story is how Musa Aliyu reached the cockpit

From watching aircraft in Zaria to building remote-controlled models in Ilorin, Musa Aliyu Damilola’s journey reveals what happens when practical curiosity meets access to training.

10 Sept 2026, 00:25 WAT

Editorial illustration of nested terracotta pots with damp sand and vegetables in a shaded courtyard

Nigeria / West Africa · Technology

No plug, no compressor: the Nigerian clay cooler that buys a harvest more time

Mohammed Bah Abba’s pot-in-pot system turned familiar earthenware into a useful preservation tool. Its value lies in a modest but consequential change: fewer vegetables lost before sale.

10 Sept 2026, 00:25 WAT

A glowing phone on a kiosk counter draws four strangers together on a northern Nigerian street at dusk.

Nigeria · Nollywood · Rediscovered

Confusion Na Wa gets a new streaming life

A September Kava listing returns Kenneth Gyang’s 2013 dark comedy to the conversation—and asks what it takes to keep Nigerian films discoverable.