News
Turkey stops 50 million citizens from using Instagram

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Turkey on Friday blocked access to the Instagram social media network, the national communications authority said without explanation.
This is coming after censorship accusations against the United States-based company by a high-ranking Turkish official.
The BTK communications authority said in a post on its website that “instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the date of 02/08/2024,” without adding further details.
Many users living in Turkey complained on the X platform that they couldn’t refresh their Instagram feeds, an issue verified by AFP journalists.
The Turkish presidency’s communications director Fahrettin Altun on Wednesday hit out at Meta-owned Instagram, accusing the platform of “impeding people from publishing messages of condolence for the martyr Haniyeh.”
Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of the armed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday in an attack blamed on Israel.
“This is a very clear and obvious attempt at censure,” Altun said on X.
According to Turkish media, there are more than 50 million users signed up to Instagram in Turkey, out of a population of 85 million.
The decision sparked mockery on other social media networks such as X.
A meme showing a congested metro station with the tagline: “X when Turks wake up to find that Instagram is blocked,” began trending on the platform.
“Instagram is blocked in Turkey, life is over,” wrote user tweeting as #CringeOfMaster alongside a picture of a grieving man.
Others mockingly asked Instagram users where they could see their doctored images now.
This is not the first time that Turkish authorities have blocked access to social media sites.
Wikipedia was blocked between April 2017 and January 2020 over two articles that alleged a link between the presidency and extremism.
That caused shock in a country where Erdogan’s government is often accused of attacking civil freedoms due to the amount of online information that became inaccessible.
In April, Facebook owner, Meta, suspended its Threads social network in Turkey following a decision by authorities to prevent it from sharing information with Instagram.
News
Nigeria Congratulates Qatar on National Day

By Gloria Ikibah
The Federal Government of Nigeria has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the State of Qatar on the occasion of its National Day, celebrated on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.
In a statement signed by the Acting Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, Nigeria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, conveyed fraternal greetings to Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
The statement highlighted Qatar’s commitment to promoting global peace and its significant contributions to humanitarian services worldwide.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria commends the commitment and strategic efforts made by the State of Qatar in the promotion of global peace; and more so, the excellent contributions to humanitarian services in different parts of the world,” it read.
Ambassador Tuggar emphasised the strong and growing relations between Nigeria and Qatar, expressing satisfaction with the collaborative efforts to strengthen ties for the mutual benefit of their citizens.
He wished Qatar peace, prosperity, and progress, reaffirming Nigeria’s enduring friendship and support.
This underscores Nigeria’s recognition of its diplomatic relationship with Qatar and its shared commitment to global cooperation and development.
News
Reps Recommends Delisting NECO, UI, Labour Ministry, 21 Others From 2025 Budget

By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called for the removal of the National Examination Council (NECO), University of Ibadan (UI), Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and 21 other federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) from the 2025 budget.
This recommendation follows their repeated failure to account for previous allocations and internally generated revenue.
During an extraordinary session on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the Committee resolved that these MDAs should be excluded from the budget until they comply with its directives.
Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, stressed: “The Financial Regulation empowers the National Assembly to exclude any Ministry, Department, or Agency (MDA) that fails to account for their previous appropriations. As such, the listed MDAs should be excluded from the 2025 budget until they appear before this constitutional committee.”
The decision was prompted by the consistent non-compliance of these MDAs despite multiple summons issued by the Committee to scrutinize their financial operations.
Prominent institutions among those recommended for delisting include hospitals, universities, and federal development agencies. Some of the affected MDAs are:
- Federal Medical Centre, Bida
- Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment
- Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria
- Nigeria Police Force: Department of Information and Communication Technology
- Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba
- Federal College of Education, Yola
- Federal Polytechnic Ekowe, Bayelsa State
- Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi
- Federal University of Technology, Minna
- Cross River Basin Development Authority
- Nigeria Office for Trade Negotiation
- National Examination Council (NECO)
- Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil
- Presidential Amnesty Programme
- Galaxy Backbone
- Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals
Others include the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority, National Space Research and Development Agency, Federal Cooperative College (Ibadan), Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, and Federal School of Survey, Oyo State.
The Committee unanimously recommended that the MDAs in question be delisted from the 2025 budget until they comply with the request for documentation and provide necessary financial clarifications.
News
Reps Call for Revival of NAPAC to Boost Transparency, Accountability

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