Many Nigerians have welcomed the US-Nigeria strikes on militants as a boost to long-running counterterrorism efforts, even as concerns persist over possible collateral damage.
Monday, December 29, 2025
Video - Nigerians react to surprise US strikes on militants
Many Nigerians have welcomed the US-Nigeria strikes on militants as a boost to long-running counterterrorism efforts, even as concerns persist over possible collateral damage.
AFCON 2025: Nigeria beat Tunisia 3-2 win to seal knockout spot
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Saturday defeated the Tunisian national team 3-2 in the second match in Group C at the knockout stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
In the thrilling encounter, held at the Complexe Sportif de Fes, Morocco, Nigerian leading striker, Victor Osimhen opened scoring on the stroke of half-time, heading home Ademola Lookman’s perfect cross after the Super Eagles missed several scoring chances earlier in the game.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi doubled Nigeria’s lead five minutes into the second half, when he nodded home Lookman’s in swinging corner to score his team’s second goal.
With two assists in the game, Lookman capped his brilliant display with Nigeria’s 3rd goal in the 67th minute after an assist from Osimhen to put the Super Eagles firmly in control of the game.
Tunisia pulled one goal back in the 74th minute through Montassar Talbi’s header, before Ali Abdi converted a late penalty to set up a tense finish.
The Super Eagles, however, held on for their second consecutive win of the tournament, confirming their place in the AFCON 2025 round of 16.
The Super Eagles had in their first match of the tournament defeated Tanzania 2-1. The Nigerian team has 6 points from two matches and will play with Uganda on Tuesday for the third match in the knockout stage of the tournament.
In the thrilling encounter, held at the Complexe Sportif de Fes, Morocco, Nigerian leading striker, Victor Osimhen opened scoring on the stroke of half-time, heading home Ademola Lookman’s perfect cross after the Super Eagles missed several scoring chances earlier in the game.
Captain Wilfred Ndidi doubled Nigeria’s lead five minutes into the second half, when he nodded home Lookman’s in swinging corner to score his team’s second goal.
With two assists in the game, Lookman capped his brilliant display with Nigeria’s 3rd goal in the 67th minute after an assist from Osimhen to put the Super Eagles firmly in control of the game.
Tunisia pulled one goal back in the 74th minute through Montassar Talbi’s header, before Ali Abdi converted a late penalty to set up a tense finish.
The Super Eagles, however, held on for their second consecutive win of the tournament, confirming their place in the AFCON 2025 round of 16.
The Super Eagles had in their first match of the tournament defeated Tanzania 2-1. The Nigerian team has 6 points from two matches and will play with Uganda on Tuesday for the third match in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Nigeria's NNPC targets industrial boom in country's north as gas pipeline nears completion
Nigeria’s state oil company is betting on a long-delayed gas pipeline to ignite an industrial revolution in the country’s north, its chief executive said after briefing President Bola Tinubu on Sunday.
Bashir Ojulari, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd, told reporters that the company has completed welding the main line of the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, including the critical River Niger crossing - a feat that has stalled progress for years. The milestone clears the way for connecting the pipeline early next year, a move Ojulari says will “bring gas in its full form into the northern part of Nigeria.”
“This is not just about energy,” Ojulari said. “It’s about industrialisation - fertiliser plants, power generation, and gas-based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and Ajaokuta. We expect to see industrial parks spring up.”
The AKK pipeline, first conceived in 2008, is central to Nigeria’s ambition to leverage its vast gas reserves for economic growth. Its completion could transform the north, where chronic power shortages and a lack of energy infrastructure have stifled manufacturing for decades.
Ojulari also revealed NNPC’s production targets: oil output is expected to rise to 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, up from about 1.7 million this year, while gas production will continue to climb. He credited structural reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act for enabling NNPC to operate as a profit-driven company, no longer reliant on federal allocations.
Ojulari said PresidentTinubu reaffirmed his push for $30 billion in new investments by 2030 and oil output of 2 million barrels per day by 2027.
By Camillus Eboh, Reuters
Bashir Ojulari, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd, told reporters that the company has completed welding the main line of the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, including the critical River Niger crossing - a feat that has stalled progress for years. The milestone clears the way for connecting the pipeline early next year, a move Ojulari says will “bring gas in its full form into the northern part of Nigeria.”
“This is not just about energy,” Ojulari said. “It’s about industrialisation - fertiliser plants, power generation, and gas-based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, and Ajaokuta. We expect to see industrial parks spring up.”
The AKK pipeline, first conceived in 2008, is central to Nigeria’s ambition to leverage its vast gas reserves for economic growth. Its completion could transform the north, where chronic power shortages and a lack of energy infrastructure have stifled manufacturing for decades.
Ojulari also revealed NNPC’s production targets: oil output is expected to rise to 1.8 million barrels per day in 2026, up from about 1.7 million this year, while gas production will continue to climb. He credited structural reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act for enabling NNPC to operate as a profit-driven company, no longer reliant on federal allocations.
Ojulari said PresidentTinubu reaffirmed his push for $30 billion in new investments by 2030 and oil output of 2 million barrels per day by 2027.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Video - At least five killed in Mosque blast in Nigeria’s Maiduguri
Police say a suspected suicide bomber is behind the Wednesday evening incident. Authorities have increased security at places of worship in Borno State and urged heightened vigilance during the festive season in response.
Nigeria provided US with intelligence for strikes on Islamist militants, says foreign minister
Nigeria provided the US with intelligence on jihadists before the strikes that took place in the country on Christmas Day, its foreign ministry said on Friday.
On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump, said the US military had carried out strikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said: “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.”
Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he was on the phone with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and that Nigeria “provided” the intelligence.
“We spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,” Tuggar said.
He added that they spoke “extensively” and that President Bola Tinubu gave “the go-ahead” to launch the strikes.
Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an “ongoing process” that would also involve other countries.
In an interview with the BBC, Tuggar insisted the strikes had “nothing to do with a particular religion”. He said the operation did not have “anything to do with Christmas, it could be any other day - it is to do with attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians”.
Trump has previously said he would launch a “guns-a-blazing” US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the country’s government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians by Islamist groups.
On Thursday, the US president, Donald Trump, said the US military had carried out strikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president said: “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.”
Now, Nigerian foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, has told broadcaster ChannelsTV that he was on the phone with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and that Nigeria “provided” the intelligence.
“We spoke twice. We spoke for 19 minutes before the strike and then we spoke again for another five minutes before it went on,” Tuggar said.
He added that they spoke “extensively” and that President Bola Tinubu gave “the go-ahead” to launch the strikes.
Tuggar did not rule out further strikes, describing them as an “ongoing process” that would also involve other countries.
In an interview with the BBC, Tuggar insisted the strikes had “nothing to do with a particular religion”. He said the operation did not have “anything to do with Christmas, it could be any other day - it is to do with attacking terrorists who have been killing Nigerians”.
Trump has previously said he would launch a “guns-a-blazing” US military intervention in Nigeria, claiming that the country’s government has been inadequate in its efforts to prevent attacks on Christians by Islamist groups.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)