X-RAY NEWS

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has reiterated its commitment to value reorientation, civic education, and national identity building, while calling for stronger collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) ahead of the next general elections. The Director-General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, made the call during a courtesy visit by NAWOJ, describing the engagement as timely and strategic to national development and democratic consolidation. He said effective nation-building requires sustained partnerships between institutions responsible for public communication and citizen engagement, noting that NOA—established from the former MAMSER framework—maintains a robust grassroots structure with over 800 offices nationwide. Issa-Onilu highlighted the Agency’s unique mandate to manage information and civic orientation, while commending women journalists for their patriotism and contributions to national development through ethical journalism and voluntary...

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has thrown its weight behind the newly inaugurated Forum of Southeast former governors, describing it as a strategic platform for regional coordination and development engagement with the Federal Government. Recall that the forum, led by former Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, was inaugurated in Enugu as a non-partisan body aimed at strengthening collaboration between past and serving governors in the Southeast. In a statement issued by the organisation and signed by its Deputy President General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, and National Spokesman, Chief Thompson Ohia, Ohanaeze described the initiative as a timely intervention in addressing the region’s long-standing infrastructure and economic challenges. Ohanaeze noted that sustained cooperation with the Federal Government would help accelerate development across the Southeast. The group said the forum presents an opportunity to deepen engagement on critical issues...

As Steel Sector Attracts Over $2.2bn FDI Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria's Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has signed an Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU)with the Indian conglomerate, Rashmi Metaliks Group in Kolkata, India,  This is in a landmark investment drive, for a projected investment of $1 billion over a three-year period. The landmark achievement followed the Minister’s tour of the Rashmi Metaliks Steel Plant in Kolkata, where he commended the scale of the operations and advanced technology deployed at the facility.  Prince Shuaibu lauded the company’s integrated operations — spanning Direct Reduced Iron (DRI), pig iron, billets and finished ductile iron pipes — describing them as a strong example of industrial efficiency and excellence in modern steel production. According to the Minister, Nigeria’s proactive investment drive is already attracting significant global capital.  He noted that the MoU sig...

Following a high-level discussions with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja, ExxonMobil has signalled plans to take a final investment decision (FID) on its $7bn–$8bn Owowo deepwater project as early as next year.  in a statement by Eniola Akinkuotu, Head Media and Corporate Communications, he stated that indication emerged during a visit by ExxonMobil executives to the Commission’s headquarters, where the company briefed regulators on its renewed multi-billion-dollar investment pipeline in Nigeria’s offshore sector. Speaking during the engagement, ExxonMobil’s Senior Vice President, Deepwater, Hunter Farris, said the company’s confidence in Nigeria had been strengthened by improvements in the country’s investment climate, prompting a strategic recommitment to upstream operations. Farris disclosed that the Owowo field, estimated to hold about one billion barrels of recoverable resources, is progressing toward an FID timeline targeted for early nex...

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, has inaugurated the Technical Working Group, to strategize measures in the fight against Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP) in Nigeria. The Technical Working Group was inaugurated by the Minister of Federal Ministry Livestock Development, Dr. Idi Mukhtar Maiha,, in Abuja. According to the Minister, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia remains endemic in Nigeria and continues to challenge our aspirations for a productive, resilient, and globally competitive livestock sector.  With an estimated cattle population of about 54.5 million, he said, Nigeria holds one of the largest herds on the African continent, and this places a significant responsibility on us to ensure that animal health risks are effectively managed.  Maiha further said that, the epidemiological situation in year 20253, clearly underscores the urgency of this task and that at least 17 states have reported outbreaks of CBPP, with the disease now cutting across all...

To drive educational sustainability in State and promote excellence amongst students, the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL)/Seplat Energy Joint Venture has commissioned two Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) laboratories built at the Ogbe and Uselu Secondary Schools in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha Local Government Areas of Edo State The laboratories was commissioned on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 in Benin, the Edo State Capital. Speaking at the commissioning, Mrs. Chioma Afe, Director, External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy Plc, said the Joint Venture has so far built and commissioned nine STEAM Laboratories in the state; thus increasing the numbers of STEAM laboratories so far established in Edo and Delta State to 14. She said the STEAM Labs were part of the organization's commitment to sustaining education in Edo and Delta States, whilst assuring that the same development would soon be extended to other states where the company opera...

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) in Abuja, signaling a decisive push to transform Nigeria’s commodity markets and accelerate the country’s shift toward a non-oil, trade-driven economy. The inauguration, led by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, brings renewed focus to strengthening export competitiveness, formalising commodity trade, and unlocking value across agriculture and solid minerals.  The move aligns with the Federal Government’s broader economic reform agenda anchored on diversification, job creation, and food security. Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the development as a major step in repositioning Nigeria within regional and global markets, noting that the country’s vast resource base and access to over 1.4 billion consumers under the African Continental Free Trade Area present significant opportu...

The Federal Government of Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the NESTLE Nigeria PLC, for the establishment of the Nestle Dairy Technical Skills Development Centre in the FCT, aimed at improving dairy production in Nigeria. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha,  disclosed this today in Abuja. The Minister explained that the partnership is not just a ceremonial agreement, but rather a bold and decisive intervention designed to address one of the most critical bottlenecks hindering the growth of the dairy industry in Nigeria with the huge glaring gap in technical capacity and practical farm management skills. Maiha further explained that , Nigeria's dairy sector has been caught in a paradox of immense potential and stark underperformance, despite the huge population  of livestock production in the country. " The reality is that our traditional pastoral systems, currently yields an average of merely one to two litres of milk per cow da...

The Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, has used the Easter season to call on Nigerians to imbibe the values of love, tolerance, and unity in their relationship with one another. Invoking the spirit of Easter as a season of sacrifice, reconciliation, and renewed hope, Issa-Onilu urged Nigerians to imbibe these values in their daily interactions with one another, transcending the barriers of faith, ethnicity, and political affiliation. He described the current moment as a critical period in the nation's history, stressing that Nigeria's strength lies in the diversity of its people and the collective will to forge a united and prosperous country out of that diversity. The DG, however, warned that terrorists and other criminal elements remain the greatest enemies of the Nigerian state, cautioning that Nigerians must not allow these destructive forces to succeed in their sinister agenda to destabilise the unity of the country.  He poi...

The Federal Government has called on stakeholders across the health sector to adopt a unified approach in addressing both human and animal diseases through the One Health framework. This forms part of ongoing efforts to conduct a comprehensive One Health Situational Analysis and initiate the review of Nigeria’s One Health Strategic Plan 2.0 (2024–2029), alongside the development of a more coordinated and robust national response. Speaking on behalf of the Federal Government, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, made this known in her opening remarks at the High-Level Opening of the First National One Health Workshop held in Abuja on Tuesday, 31st March 2026. Dr. Akujobi noted that the workshop is designed to achieve consensus on strategic priorities, identify key investment opportunities, and establish an effective coordination framework for timely and sustained action.  She stressed the importance of extending One Health impl...

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Nigeria’s livestock sector into a $74 billion economic powerhouse, following the unveiling of a $50 billion investment initiative by the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) to drive sector growth. Speaking at the National Stakeholders Roundtable on Transforming the Livestock Sector in Abuja on Tuesday 31st March 2026, the Honourable Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, described the initiative as a timely and strategic move that aligns with the Federal Government’s National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS). The Minister commended the President of NACCIMA, Jani Ibrahim, for spearheading a private sector-driven approach to repositioning the livestock industry, noting that sustainable growth in the sector would depend largely on private investment, innovation, and strong collaboration with government. "Governme...