A bill seeking to create an agency to document and protect domestic workers and their employers scaled second reading in the Senate. This followed the presentation of the bill sponsored by Senator Babangida Hussaini (representing Jigawa North-West) on Wednesday’s plenary, where he stated most domestic workers were unregistered, not engaged in accordance with labor laws and do not have unions to speak for them, therefore making them vulnerable and helpless.

The Rivers State Chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of sitting on funds meant for the 23 LGAs in the state, thereby restricting them from carrying out functions in the administration. Speaking on behalf of the group during a news briefing in Port Harcourt, the Chairman of Port Harcourt LGA, Allwell Ihunda, accused the governor of withholding allocations meant for the LGAs since April, and March in the case of Emohua. He further alleged that the governor intended to dip his hands into the LGA funds. They called on President Tinubu to call Governor Fubara to order, to forestall a total breakdown of law and order in Rivers State.

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC has directed the State House of Assembly to immediately commence the process for impeaching the State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara.

Scientists have created a vaccine that has the potential to protect against a broad range of coronaviruses, including varieties that are not yet known. The scientists from the University of Canbridge, the University of Oxford, and Caltech in the US are developing a novel approach called "proactive vaccinology" which aims to train the body's immune system to recognise several different coronaviruses. The vaccine is made by attaching harmless proteins from different coronaviruses to minuscule nanoparticles that are then injected to prime the body’s defences to fight the viruses should they ever invade. Because the vaccine trains the immune system to target proteins that are shared across many different types of coronavirus, the protection it induces is extremely broad, making it effective against known and unknown viruses in the same family.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, and other development partners are set to optimise innovative HIV prevention and strategies for increased domestic funding towards community ownership and sustainability of HIV. The event which will be held between 7 and 9 May in Abuja, was contained in a statement issued on Friday and signed by the agency's public relations officer, Toyin Aderibige. The conference tagged "Accelerating HIV Prevention to End AIDS through Innovations and Community Engagement," aims at opening dialogue on optimistic innovative HIV prevention approaches towards achieving HIV epidemic control. It will also showcase a diverse array of sessions including dedicated tracks on youth empowerment, community engagement sessions, leadership discussions, plenary sessions, sponsored sessions, and special sessions.

The federal government has instructed all chief medical directors and medical directors of federal tertiary hospitals to procure needles and syringes solely from NAFDAC-approved local manufacturers. The new directive was stated in a circular addressed to all medical directors signed by the Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, on Friday.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has rejected plans by the federal government to impose a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions by commercial banks. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had directed banks to implement the 0.5 percent cyber security levy on electronic transactions with effect from May 20.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered banks to stop charges on cash deposits until September 30, 2024 which was made known in a circular signed by CBN, Director of Banking and Supervision, Adetona Adedeji. Customers of some banks expressed their concern that banks have begun collecting processing fees for cash deposits as of May 1, 2024.

International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria could inject up to 50 per cent of their oil and gas export proceeds in the Nigerian foreign exchange (forex) market through direct sales and settlement of several domestic financial obligations. In an update to its forex management policies, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday permitted IOCs to use 50 per cent of their oil and gas export proceeds to settle specified local transactions and for sale to the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).

The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed claims made by Binance, that it was asked to pay a $150 million bribe by unidentified government officials. On Wednesday 8th May 2024, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, in a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Rabiu Ibrahim disclosed that the government is aware of Binance's attempt to improve its tarnished reputation as a company that does not follow the rules and regulations governing business practices in sovereign nations.

Google has rolled out Android's Circle to Search for iPhone users. The move harnesses the power of Google Lens and iOS Shortcuts, making it possible for iPhone users to enjoy the same functionality previously exclusive to Android. Earlier this year, Google launched the Circle to Search feature for Android that takes a screenshot and lets you select what to look up. Google has highlighted that Circle to Search differs from Google Lens primarily in accessibility, as it is universally available on Android devices with a simple long-press, both features share the same search and OCR technology. Circle to Search stands out for its capability to circle or lasso items for selection instead of merely tapping.

Meta has now surpassed three (3) billion daily active users across its apps, showing a 7% increase year-over-year. The biggest surge was seen in Instagram's "Threads", which has now reached over 150 million monthly active users, up from 130 million in February.

Kelechi Iheanacho has sparked off a hot chase by Premier League clubs after he refused to renew his contract with newly promoted Leicester City. According to popular sports publication, Football Insider, Iheanacho is now a target for Premier League clubs Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

 Brentford, an English Premier League club, has signed Nigerian U20 defender Benjamin Fredrick to a four-year contract. Fredrick is a product of Simoiben Football Club, Moses Simon’s academy, in Kaduna State. 

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has signed up the former Super Eagles winger, Finidi George as the Head Coach of the senior national football team, Super Eagles.

The Jamaican government has expressed interest to pursue a collaborative effort with the Nigerian entertainment industry especially on film and animation. This was made known by the Jamaican envoy to Nigeria, Mr Lincoln Downer during his courtesy visit to the Nigerian Minister of Art and Culture, Hanatu Musawa in Abuja. Downer revealed that his country has a keen interest in collaborating with the Nigerian entertainment industry as they are one of the leading industries in Africa, and therefore his country will be interested in the joint effort.

Nigerian singer Iyanya has slammed a fan on a social media after the fan downplayed his musical achievements in the industry while explaining the reason Wizkid is “hated” in the music industry. A social media user with the X handle @itzbasito took to his page and said: “Wizkid’s only crime is surpassing the benchmark set for him and becoming the benchmark himself” to which another user @Xperience_Snr reposted, saying expectations for Wizkid is for him to end up like Iyanya and Samklef. 

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has stated that media freedoms, freedom of expression and access to public information are crucial to democracy.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was sworn into office for an unprecedented fifth term at a grand Kremlin ceremony. The 71-year-old has been serving as Russia's president or prime minister since 1999. During his inauguration speech, he expressed his confidence that Russia would emerge victorious from the current "difficult" period and become stronger than ever before.

The United Kingdom (UK) government has reissued a new statement, giving the go-ahead to international students pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program as the only eligible immigrants to bring in dependants via the study route. Dr. Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner Nigeria made this known in an interview with the Newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. He noted that earlier this year, there was a change in the educational system aimed to reduce the influx of foreign students bringing dependants into the UK.

According to reports from Chad, an attack took place on a polling station in the city of Moundou, south of N'Djamena during the presidential election on Monday. Unknown gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, resulting in the death of a 65-year-old voter who had just cast his ballot. The election was supposed to mark the end of military rule in Chad. The shooter was among a group of people demanding the right to vote in the election.