News
EU prepares for climate month
By Francesca Hangeior
The European Union (EU) has commenced a series of strategic events to mark its Climate Month ahead of COP29 taking place in in Baku, Azerbaijan, next month.
The organisation said the events are part of efforts to foster sustainability through climate action.
The EU Climate Month, with the theme “Opportunities for Growing Green Together,” features a series of impactful events aimed at highlighting the importance of collaboration between the EU, Nigeria, and other key stakeholders in promoting sustainable development.
Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS Massimo De Luca said these events, organised within the framework of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, showcase how the EU is creating opportunities for innovation, green growth, and shared climate responsibility.
Senior representatives of European investors and Nigerian public and private entities already active or about to enter the green bond market recently gathered in Abuja to deepen understanding of opportunities in the Nigerian Market, ahead of the imminent launch of the EU Global Green Bonds Initiative, anticipated to spur green investments totalling up to €15-20 billion.
De Luca said: “EU Climate Month reflects our deep commitment to driving sustainable solutions in partnership with Nigeria.
“Each event is an opportunity not only to share knowledge and best practices but also to inspire innovation in tackling climate challenges. Our goal is to foster lasting, impactful change through collaboration, empowering both Nigeria and the EU to grow green together.
“This initiative is part of the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy, which focuses on investing in sustainable infrastructure globally. Through these efforts, we aim to support green growth, particularly in key sectors like energy, climate-smart agriculture, and digitalisation, contributing to Nigeria’s sustainable development goals.”
De Luca added: “In this context, the EU-Nigeria Climate and Energy Dialogue revolved around Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Energy Transition and access, carbon pricing, monitoring and reporting of emissions, and the upcoming 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29).
“The recently launched Nigeria Methane Emissions Reduction Programme will focus on building the capacity of stakeholders for measuring and monitoring emissions from the oil & gas sector, agriculture and waste. This October, it will bring together the stakeholders of the oil and gas sector, including international oil companies (IOCs), indigenous oil companies, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and others, to reduce methane emissions. Methane contributes to ozone layer depletion, negatively impacts climate change, and poses health risks to communities.
“The training of Nigeria’s climate negotiators for COP29 aims to enhance the knowledge and negotiation skills of climate leaders and advocates.
“The Nigeria Energy Support Programme (NESP) III event will mark the launch of the third phase of this flagship project providing 360 degrees support to the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector in Nigeria. It will be held together with the latest novel initiative brought to Nigeria by the EU, Get.Invest, which will develop the renewable energy investment pipeline.
“The support for sustainable aviation fuel programme will focus on decarbonising the aviation sector by promoting the use of sustainable fuels, such as biofuels (plant-based), instead of conventional crude oil-derived fuels. This event is part of a bigger EU multi-country intervention, for which Nigeria was prioritised.
“The Global Gateway is an EU strategy to invest in sustainable infrastructure projects worldwide. In Nigeria, the initiative is focusing on sectors such as energy, transport, digitalisation, agriculture/climate smart value chains, as well as health and education.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Umrah, business, and family visit visas for citizens of 14 countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, and India, as part of preparations for the upcoming Hajj season.
Officials speaking to ARY News said, “The suspension of Umrah, business, and family visit visas is aimed at preventing unregistered individuals from attempting to perform the pilgrimage.”
The move comes amid concerns over the rising number of pilgrims attempting to join Hajj without official permits. In recent years, many visitors have overstayed their visas, contributing to overcrowding and serious safety risks.
Authorities also expressed concern over the misuse of business or family visit visas by individuals who enter the Kingdom and work illegally, a violation that “disrupts the labour market and breaches visa conditions.”
The Saudi foreign ministry stated that the new measures were implemented “to streamline travel procedures and enhance safety during Hajj.
It added, “Individuals found to be staying in the Kingdom illegally may face a five-year entry ban.”
The countries affected by the ban are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Jordan, Algeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Yemen, and Morocco.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Federal Government through the Minister of Youth, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has urged the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) management to revise its program to ensure that corps members receive adequate rest during their 21-day orientation camp.
Olawande made this appeal during the 2025 annual management conference titled ‘Transforming the NYSC Scheme to Address the Needs of Modern Nigerian Graduates and Society,’ which took place in Abuja on Monday.
He suggested that delaying the start of camp drills to around 7:00 am, instead of the current 4:00 am schedule, would enhance prospective corps members’ engagement and activity levels.
The minister indicated that he has already begun discussions to implement this change, emphasizing his commitment to the well-being of Nigerian youth.
He said, “The NYSC members should be allowed to start their drilling by 7:00 am and not 4:00 am.
“Is drilling the purpose for us to do things? Of what purpose is drilling to us? We are not saying drilling should not be there. Drilling should be there. But we talk about unity in diversity. We are bringing them together in unity, and that is the major purpose.
“So how can we still stay on the purpose of bringing new innovation? When you are active, when you are doing research, when you are doing things differently, when you are making up in life and all that within three weeks, how can you be lazy? You can’t be lazy.
“What we are saying is to recharge the brain and make the brain work from what we have now, so that you can have the job market.
“Since when we’ve been drilling, are we viable in the job market? We can’t continue to be putting people out every year, 480,000 [every year] and no improvement.
“See, there’s nothing. There’s no job, there is no house, there is no institution that you keep on doing the same thing every time, and if you want a different result, you cannot have it.
So that is why we are saying we are looking beyond. We want to even think outside the bus, so that we can get it and that is why you see all these directors. I can tell you, they have the energy. Now, the energy is back, and they want to do the right thing, not that they were not doing the right thing before, but he wants to do it more.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A peaceful protest in Abuja turned chaotic on Monday after police fired teargas at demonstrators calling for the repeal of the Cybercrime Act and relief from economic hardship.
The protest, organised by the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society groups, was part of a nationwide action against what participants described as growing authoritarianism under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Ativists, including Bosede Imanah and social critic Flagboy, were among those arrested during the crackdown
Demonstrators had gathered in the Federal Capital Territory, displaying placards with messages such as “Stop the Repression” and “Let Us Breathe” before security operatives attacked, leading to injuries and a chaotic stampede.
It was observed the violent dispersal and reported that several protesters were wounded while trying to flee.
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, who was present at the scene, condemned the police action and reiterated support for the protest.
He tweeted, “The ignoble @PoliceNG officers were deployed and they attacked us during today’s #RepealTheCyberCrimeAct protest in Abuja. #EgbetokinMustGo #RevolutionNow”
The Take-It-Back Movement insisted the protest would go on as planned, describing it as a stand against the misuse of the Cybercrime Act, worsening economic hardship, and what they called a “state of emergency” in Rivers State.
The protest is tagged, “Nationwide Protest Against Bad Governance and Suppression of Free Speech.”
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