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UN shuts down air service in Nigeria over funding
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The United Nations has shut down a critical air service in Nigeria’s northeast over severe funding shortage so.
The U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), run by the WFP, ended its fixed-wing operations in the country last week after nearly a decade of flying aid workers and supplies into conflict zones.
“In 2024, UNHAS fixed-wing flights carried more than 9,000 passengers. Already this year, 4,500 humanitarian staff have relied on the service to reach affected areas.
“UNHAS cannot continue without funding: $5.4 million is needed to remain operational for the next six months. Without this funding, the humanitarian response in north-east Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve.
“For nine years, the service has transported humanitarian staff, medical supplies, and critical cargo to and from the epicentre of the crisis in Borno and Yobe states,” Dujarric told reporters. “In a country that has experienced 16 years of conflict, where road transport remains extremely dangerous, air transport is essential.”
The shutdown comes as the World Food Programme faces dire financial shortfalls.
In July, the agency warned it might be forced to suspend emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeastern Nigeria.
The closure, announced by U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in New York on Wednesday, showed the growing strain on relief efforts as donor funding declines.
It noted that the shutdown threatens to deepen the country’s most protracted humanitarian emergencies.
Margot van der Velden, WFP’s regional director for West and Central Africa, told reporters in New York that the agency urgently requires $5.4million to sustain food and nutrition operations in the region for just six months.
Although the Nigerian government has provided significant support to relief efforts in the northeast, and is now the largest financier of the emergency response, the UN said international contributions remain crucial to sustaining operations at scale.
“The humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria risks being cut off from the very people it is meant to serve,” Dujarric said, stressing that unless donors step in, critical aid pipelines will collapse.
The UN warned that consequences could be devastating.
“Without air links, humanitarian workers lose safe access to remote conflict-affected communities, where millions are already grappling with hunger, displacement, and violence.”
It added that families may be forced into desperate choices such as enduring worsening hunger, migrating in unsafe conditions, or falling prey to extremist groups that continue to exploit vulnerabilities in the region.
The U.N. appeal comes as humanitarian agencies worldwide confront shrinking donor budgets, driven by global economic pressures and competing crises from Gaza to Sudan to Ukraine.
“For Nigeria’s northeast, where insurgency and instability have already displaced millions, the loss of a vital air bridge may further isolate vulnerable populations at a time when they can least afford it,” the statement added.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ekiti State Office, on Thursday announced the extension of the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) has been extended from Friday, 12th June to Sunday, 14th June 2026.
The was contained in a statement by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi in Ado Ekiti
The statement read: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ekiti State Office, wishes to inform all registered voters in the State that the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) has been extended from Friday, 12th June to Sunday, 14th June 2026
“The extension is intended to provide an additional opportunity for eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so before the Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, 20th June 2026.
“Collection of PVCs will continue at the designated Local Government Area Offices of the Commission during official hours. Voters are advised to collect their PVCs personally, as collection by proxy will not be permitted.
INEC urges all registered voters who have not collected their PVCs to take advantage of this extension, as the PVC remains the only means of identification for voting on Election Day.
“The Commission remains committed to ensuring that every eligible voter is given the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.”
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was calling off strikes on Iran and flagged the signing of a possible deal with Tehran after top-level talks.
“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have… cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
“Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he added.
Iran Warns Of ‘Endless Quagmire’
Iran had warned Washington on Thursday that it risked wading into an “endless quagmire” of war and soaring energy prices, after Trump vowed to launch a new round of airstrikes and to seize an island oil terminal.
Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the Americans, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued his stark warning after the two sides exchanged overnight fire and Trump threatened that US forces would hit “VERY HARD TONIGHT”.
“Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years,” Ghalibaf said.
The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused under an April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have since stalled.
US forces have also, since the ceasefire, hit radar arrays and disabled Iranian ships, and Tehran has maintained a chokehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela,” Trump said, in a post on his own social media platform, referring to a Gulf island that hosts Iran’s biggest oil export terminal.
General Ali Abdollahi, head of the Iranian military’s central headquarters, warned that “if the United States once again seeks to carry out attacks against heroic Iran, it would receive a harsher response than before, and the flames of war, in addition to creating insecurity in the region, will become more widespread and far-reaching”.
The conflict has destabilised oil and gas prices, fuelling inflation and fears of recession in many economies.
On Thursday, the World Bank lowered its global growth forecast to its lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic, predicting it would drop to 2.5 percent in 2026, from 2.9 percent last year.
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Hon. Dr. Olotu Akpodiete JP, who’s vying for the Ughelli North, South and Udu Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, has sent his congratulations to Rt. Hon. Frederick Agbedi. Agbedi’s new role as Minority Leader was announced today during plenary by Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
Dr. Akpodiete said Agbedi’s emergence shows the trust and confidence his colleagues have in him. He described the new Minority Leader as dependable, strong-willed, and a politician of principle who acts on conviction rather than convenience.
Rt. Hon. Agbedi represents Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State. Before this appointment, he led the PDP Caucus in the House and also served as Bayelsa PDP chairman. He remains a committed PDP member and believes the party has a vital role as a strong opposition.
Akpodiete said he’s confident Agbedi will use his experience, competence and character to serve the House, the legislature, and Nigerians well.
Signed:
Hon. Dr. Olotu Akpodiete JP
House of Representatives Candidate Hopeful
Ughelli North, South and Udu Federal Constituency
INEC extends PVCs collection in Ekiti for 72hours
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