Participating artists want to pass the message that art ought to be accessible to everyone, not confined to indoor gallery spaces.
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Video - Lagos Street art festival transforms city into open-air gallery
Participating artists want to pass the message that art ought to be accessible to everyone, not confined to indoor gallery spaces.
U.S. revokes 85,000 visas held by Nigerians and other foreign nationals
The U.S. State Department has revoked a record 85,000 visas belonging to foreign nationals, including some Nigerians, as the Trump administration intensifies scrutiny of visitors entering the United States.
According to officials, more than 8,000 of the revoked visas were student visas, a figure that is more than double the number recorded in 2024.
Officials say the visa revocations were driven by a range of security and criminal concerns, including DUIs, assault and theft, offences that together accounted for nearly half of all cancellations over the past year.
“These are people who pose a direct threat to our communities’ safety, and we do not want to have them in our country,” a U.S. official said.
The update comes as Trump, upon assuming office, vowed to lead the largest deportation drive and crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United States.
According to officials, more than 8,000 of the revoked visas were student visas, a figure that is more than double the number recorded in 2024.
Officials say the visa revocations were driven by a range of security and criminal concerns, including DUIs, assault and theft, offences that together accounted for nearly half of all cancellations over the past year.
“These are people who pose a direct threat to our communities’ safety, and we do not want to have them in our country,” a U.S. official said.
The update comes as Trump, upon assuming office, vowed to lead the largest deportation drive and crackdown on illegal immigrants in the United States.
Criminal and security concerns
U.S. consular officers have been instructed to take a tougher approach to H-1B applications and deny visas to anyone found to have engaged in “censorship or attempted censorship” of protected speech in the United States.
In November, the Department of State cited assault, theft, and driving under the influence among the major reasons for the visa revocations.
Other reasons include terrorism, supporting terrorism, public safety threats, and overstaying visas.
The administration also moved to pause immigration from 19 countries already subject to partial or full travel restrictions.
Last week, the State Department announced a new visa-restriction policy targeting individuals accused of orchestrating anti-Christian violence in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The measure follows a series of deadly attacks in the West African nation.
U.S. consular officers have been instructed to take a tougher approach to H-1B applications and deny visas to anyone found to have engaged in “censorship or attempted censorship” of protected speech in the United States.
In November, the Department of State cited assault, theft, and driving under the influence among the major reasons for the visa revocations.
Other reasons include terrorism, supporting terrorism, public safety threats, and overstaying visas.
The administration also moved to pause immigration from 19 countries already subject to partial or full travel restrictions.
Last week, the State Department announced a new visa-restriction policy targeting individuals accused of orchestrating anti-Christian violence in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The measure follows a series of deadly attacks in the West African nation.
By Adekunle Agbetiloye, Business Insider Africa
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Dangote announces $700m education fund for Nigerians
Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, says his foundation will invest $700 million in the education of Nigerians over the next ten years.
Speaking on Sunday at the 2025 Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar, the business magnate committed to supporting over 155,000 Nigerians who will be drawn across secondary schools and universities in the country.
Dangote, during a panel session that featured Bill Dates and Sheikha Al Mayassa, discussed how innovation, philanthropy, and cultural investment are reshaping opportunity across Africa and beyond.
He said the investment is poised to reduce the number of children who are out of school in Nigeria and provide more man-power with the technical capacity to advance the economy of Nigeria.
“In Africa, we have a population of about 1.4 billion people, so partnership is important,” he said.
“Partnership also matters, that is why we partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to eradicate polio in Nigeria.
“We have a lot of children that are out of school so what we are going to launch next week is a $700 million fund to fund education.
“We will run it for ten years then we review.
“We are doing that because we have a lot of challenges in Africa, one of which is training.”
Dangote noted that the Dangote Petrochemical has trained more than 50,000 Nigerians to ensure the smooth operation of the 160,000-barrel-per-day refinery.
He said the skilled workforce will be redeployed as part of the refinery’s ongoing expansion, while his investment in education will increase talents for industries in Nigeria.
By Daniel Nnamani, The Cable
Speaking on Sunday at the 2025 Doha Forum in Doha, Qatar, the business magnate committed to supporting over 155,000 Nigerians who will be drawn across secondary schools and universities in the country.
Dangote, during a panel session that featured Bill Dates and Sheikha Al Mayassa, discussed how innovation, philanthropy, and cultural investment are reshaping opportunity across Africa and beyond.
He said the investment is poised to reduce the number of children who are out of school in Nigeria and provide more man-power with the technical capacity to advance the economy of Nigeria.
“In Africa, we have a population of about 1.4 billion people, so partnership is important,” he said.
“Partnership also matters, that is why we partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to eradicate polio in Nigeria.
“We have a lot of children that are out of school so what we are going to launch next week is a $700 million fund to fund education.
“We will run it for ten years then we review.
“We are doing that because we have a lot of challenges in Africa, one of which is training.”
Dangote noted that the Dangote Petrochemical has trained more than 50,000 Nigerians to ensure the smooth operation of the 160,000-barrel-per-day refinery.
He said the skilled workforce will be redeployed as part of the refinery’s ongoing expansion, while his investment in education will increase talents for industries in Nigeria.
Nine women shot dead during protest in Nigeria
Nigerian Army soldiers opened fire and killed nine women protesting the army's handling of communal clashes in the northeastern Adamawa state, witnesses and Amnesty International told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The women were protesting on Monday along a major road in Adamawa's local government, Lamurde, when the soldiers shot at them after being blocked from passing, witnesses and victims' relatives told the AP in detail, first reported on Tuesday. Ten others were injured in the shooting, witnesses said.
The Nigerian Army, in a statement, denied killing anyone and blamed the deaths on a local militia it said opened fire in the area.
Amnesty International's Nigeria office said the agency confirmed soldiers killed the nine protesters, citing accounts from witnesses and families of victims.
“It shows that the Nigerian military has not changed much because of its past record of human rights violations and disregard for the rule of law,” according to Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International in Nigeria.
The Associated Press could not independently verify what happened.
Such killings are common across Nigeria, where soldiers often deployed in response to protests and clashes are usually accused of excessive use of force. Protests against police brutality in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos in 2020 ended up in what a government-commissioned inquiry described as a massacre after soldiers opened fire at the protest venue.
The latest incident happened amid a curfew that authorities imposed in Lamurde following frequent clashes between Adamawa's Bachama and Chobo ethnic groups over a prolonged land dispute.
The protesters were aggrieved that security forces, including the soldiers, were not enforcing the curfew in affected areas, thereby allowing the clashes to continue, according to Lawson Ignatius, the councillor representing Lamurde in the local government parliament.
Gyele Kennedy, who said his daughter was among the protesters shot dead, lamented in anguish that “we don’t know what came over them.”
“These soldiers were leaving where the conflict happened, and they came to pass through this place. They came and met the women protesting when one of the soldiers shot his gun in the air. After that, they opened fire on the women,” said Kennedy.
The Nigerian Army, however, denied the claims, saying its soldiers only engaged a local militia in a different part of the town.
“Without equivocation, the casualties were caused by the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias who are not proficiently trained to handle such automatic weapons,” an army spokesman said.
The reported killings come as the Nigerian military is under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria's security crises and that the security forces are not doing enough to prevent the killings. Residents have told the AP that both Christians and Muslims are affected in the widespread violence plaguing Nigerian villages.
Amnesty International's Nigeria office called for the reported killings to be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.
The women were protesting on Monday along a major road in Adamawa's local government, Lamurde, when the soldiers shot at them after being blocked from passing, witnesses and victims' relatives told the AP in detail, first reported on Tuesday. Ten others were injured in the shooting, witnesses said.
The Nigerian Army, in a statement, denied killing anyone and blamed the deaths on a local militia it said opened fire in the area.
Amnesty International's Nigeria office said the agency confirmed soldiers killed the nine protesters, citing accounts from witnesses and families of victims.
“It shows that the Nigerian military has not changed much because of its past record of human rights violations and disregard for the rule of law,” according to Isa Sanusi, director of Amnesty International in Nigeria.
The Associated Press could not independently verify what happened.
Such killings are common across Nigeria, where soldiers often deployed in response to protests and clashes are usually accused of excessive use of force. Protests against police brutality in Nigeria’s economic hub of Lagos in 2020 ended up in what a government-commissioned inquiry described as a massacre after soldiers opened fire at the protest venue.
The latest incident happened amid a curfew that authorities imposed in Lamurde following frequent clashes between Adamawa's Bachama and Chobo ethnic groups over a prolonged land dispute.
The protesters were aggrieved that security forces, including the soldiers, were not enforcing the curfew in affected areas, thereby allowing the clashes to continue, according to Lawson Ignatius, the councillor representing Lamurde in the local government parliament.
Gyele Kennedy, who said his daughter was among the protesters shot dead, lamented in anguish that “we don’t know what came over them.”
“These soldiers were leaving where the conflict happened, and they came to pass through this place. They came and met the women protesting when one of the soldiers shot his gun in the air. After that, they opened fire on the women,” said Kennedy.
The Nigerian Army, however, denied the claims, saying its soldiers only engaged a local militia in a different part of the town.
“Without equivocation, the casualties were caused by the unprofessional handling of automatic weapons by the local militias who are not proficiently trained to handle such automatic weapons,” an army spokesman said.
The reported killings come as the Nigerian military is under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria's security crises and that the security forces are not doing enough to prevent the killings. Residents have told the AP that both Christians and Muslims are affected in the widespread violence plaguing Nigerian villages.
Amnesty International's Nigeria office called for the reported killings to be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.
Armed kidnappings are keeping thousands of Nigerian children out of school
Sending children to school has become too dangerous for many families in Nigeria.
Over the last decade, it has become almost routine for Nigerian schoolchildren to be abducted en masse from their classrooms and held hostage by armed gunmen.
The government has repeatedly vowed to improve security at schools to prevent these kidnappings. But after more than 300 children were taken from a Catholic school in Niger state last month, Amnesty International says parents have lost all faith that things will get better.
"They are telling us that they are scared, they are afraid, and they are not comfortable with having their children at schools," Isa Sanusi, the human rights group’s Nigeria director, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
"Many parents would rather keep their children at home, keep them away from school because they believe that will keep them safer and away from the cold hands of kidnappers."
Since last month’s kidnapping, Amnesty says 20,468 schools across seven states in Nigeria have closed their doors indefinitely.
The organization doesn’t have a tally of how many children have been pulled out of school this past month. But given that some rural schools pack as many as 100 students into a single classroom, Sanusi says the number is likely "staggering."
Even before this latest attack, the United Nations estimated Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of unschooled children in the world at 20 million, partly because parents fear kidnappings.
Over the last decade, it has become almost routine for Nigerian schoolchildren to be abducted en masse from their classrooms and held hostage by armed gunmen.
The government has repeatedly vowed to improve security at schools to prevent these kidnappings. But after more than 300 children were taken from a Catholic school in Niger state last month, Amnesty International says parents have lost all faith that things will get better.
"They are telling us that they are scared, they are afraid, and they are not comfortable with having their children at schools," Isa Sanusi, the human rights group’s Nigeria director, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal.
"Many parents would rather keep their children at home, keep them away from school because they believe that will keep them safer and away from the cold hands of kidnappers."
Since last month’s kidnapping, Amnesty says 20,468 schools across seven states in Nigeria have closed their doors indefinitely.
The organization doesn’t have a tally of how many children have been pulled out of school this past month. But given that some rural schools pack as many as 100 students into a single classroom, Sanusi says the number is likely "staggering."
Even before this latest attack, the United Nations estimated Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of unschooled children in the world at 20 million, partly because parents fear kidnappings.
100 kids reunited with their families this week
On Monday, the government of Nigeria secured the release of 100 students who were abducted from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri village on Nov. 21.
The kids arrived in armored trucks at the government house in Niger state's capital Minna before being reunited with their families.
The Christian Association of Nigeria says more than 300 students and 12 staff members were taken from St. Mary’s, and 50 managed to escape their captors.
More than 100 victims are unaccounted for, although the exact number remains unclear.
"My directive to our security forces remains that all the students and other abducted Nigerians across the country must be rescued and brought back home safely," President Bola Tinubu said. "We must account for all the victims."
The St. Mary’s attack was far from an isolated incident. School kidnappings surged over the last decade since Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls from the eastern town Chibok in 2014.
Earlier in November, gunmen attacked a government-run girls' boarding school in Kebbi state, killing the vice-principal and taking 25 students. All but one of the girls are still missing.
Activists from the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which emerged after the Chibok kidnappings, estimate that 1,800 Nigerian children have been abducted in the intervening years.
The movement's co-founder, Bukky Shonibare, says these kidnappings are part of a systemic failure spanning more than 11 years.
"Abduction of schoolchildren is not yet a national priority in Nigeria," Shonibare told As It Happens last month. "Until it is a national priority, it will not be backed by real investments, real actions, you know, and real accountability."
Nigeria’s government has not disclosed how it got the 100 St. Mary’s children back, but over the years, it has repeatedly denied paying ransom to criminal groups.
Sanusi, however, says Nigerians don’t believe it. He says gangs and militant groups target schools because it’s a profitable venture.
"They will not stop, because they are getting what they want," he said.
On Monday, the government of Nigeria secured the release of 100 students who were abducted from St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri village on Nov. 21.
The kids arrived in armored trucks at the government house in Niger state's capital Minna before being reunited with their families.
The Christian Association of Nigeria says more than 300 students and 12 staff members were taken from St. Mary’s, and 50 managed to escape their captors.
More than 100 victims are unaccounted for, although the exact number remains unclear.
"My directive to our security forces remains that all the students and other abducted Nigerians across the country must be rescued and brought back home safely," President Bola Tinubu said. "We must account for all the victims."
The St. Mary’s attack was far from an isolated incident. School kidnappings surged over the last decade since Boko Haram militants abducted 276 girls from the eastern town Chibok in 2014.
Earlier in November, gunmen attacked a government-run girls' boarding school in Kebbi state, killing the vice-principal and taking 25 students. All but one of the girls are still missing.
Activists from the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which emerged after the Chibok kidnappings, estimate that 1,800 Nigerian children have been abducted in the intervening years.
The movement's co-founder, Bukky Shonibare, says these kidnappings are part of a systemic failure spanning more than 11 years.
"Abduction of schoolchildren is not yet a national priority in Nigeria," Shonibare told As It Happens last month. "Until it is a national priority, it will not be backed by real investments, real actions, you know, and real accountability."
Nigeria’s government has not disclosed how it got the 100 St. Mary’s children back, but over the years, it has repeatedly denied paying ransom to criminal groups.
Sanusi, however, says Nigerians don’t believe it. He says gangs and militant groups target schools because it’s a profitable venture.
"They will not stop, because they are getting what they want," he said.
Boys go to work, girls get married
Sanusi says Amnesty has interviewed children who survived these abductions. They live in fear, he says, and show no interest in continuing their studies.
"It makes them feel that there is danger associated with seeking education, there is danger associated with going to school," he said.
Thirteen-year-old Stephen Samuel, one of the St. Mary’s children who escaped, told Reuters that even if all the hostages were released, he was not sure life could ever go back to normal.
"Will we be able to go to school again? Which school will we go to?" he asked. "I am thinking maybe school has ended."
Instead, Sanusi says kids are forced to take on adult roles.
"For boys, they are mostly sent to go and do hard labour to support the family," he said. "For the girls, they are mostly married underage and sent to live with their new husbands in urban areas and cities where it is safer and away from the hands of kidnappers."
The attacks, he says, have largely targeted Nigeria’s rural areas, where people are already struggling to make ends meet.
The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that 35 million people could go hungry in Nigeria in 2026, with rural farming communities facing the brunt of the economic crisis.
"So for some parents who are struggling to survive, [pulling their kids from school] comes as a relief for them economically," Sanusi said.
But he says it’s a nasty cycle that perpetuates poverty.
"A whole generation of children may end up missing out entirely on education," he said. "That this is a very serious matter for the future of the children, and the country itself."
Sanusi says Amnesty has interviewed children who survived these abductions. They live in fear, he says, and show no interest in continuing their studies.
"It makes them feel that there is danger associated with seeking education, there is danger associated with going to school," he said.
Thirteen-year-old Stephen Samuel, one of the St. Mary’s children who escaped, told Reuters that even if all the hostages were released, he was not sure life could ever go back to normal.
"Will we be able to go to school again? Which school will we go to?" he asked. "I am thinking maybe school has ended."
Instead, Sanusi says kids are forced to take on adult roles.
"For boys, they are mostly sent to go and do hard labour to support the family," he said. "For the girls, they are mostly married underage and sent to live with their new husbands in urban areas and cities where it is safer and away from the hands of kidnappers."
The attacks, he says, have largely targeted Nigeria’s rural areas, where people are already struggling to make ends meet.
The United Nations World Food Programme estimates that 35 million people could go hungry in Nigeria in 2026, with rural farming communities facing the brunt of the economic crisis.
"So for some parents who are struggling to survive, [pulling their kids from school] comes as a relief for them economically," Sanusi said.
But he says it’s a nasty cycle that perpetuates poverty.
"A whole generation of children may end up missing out entirely on education," he said. "That this is a very serious matter for the future of the children, and the country itself."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)