The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase fees for several immigration applications from October 16, 2026, affecting asylum applicants, employment authorisation applicants, immigration parole beneficiaries and people seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The revised charges are part of an annual inflation adjustment to certain immigration fees established under H.R. 1, according to updated USCIS guidance. The increases range from $3 to $30, depending on the immigration benefit being sought. USCIS said the new fees will apply to applications postmarked on or after October 16, 2026. The annual adjustment will affect several applications commonly used by foreign nationals…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
The Federal Government has launched the National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System, introducing unique digital postcodes for addressable buildings across Nigeria. The initiative, unveiled on Thursday by Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is designed to improve how locations are identified and make it easier for individuals, businesses and government agencies to connect with services and opportunities. The system is operated by the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and is expected to support areas including e-commerce, logistics, emergency response and public service delivery by providing a standard digital reference for locations. Speaking at the launch, Tijani described the…
…Of Life and One Shot: a Letter to every young person and every parent By Tim Akano Every aeroplane that leaves the runway carries a flight plan. The pilot knows the destination, the fuel on board, and the alternate airport if the weather turns. Yet millions of young people take off into life with no destination, no fuel and no alternate, then wonder why the journey feels like turbulence. And here is the first truth no one tells you at take-off: nobody has life wholesale. You have one shot at this life. Success visits many times, but your life, your…
The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has unveiled the customised award plaque for the 2026 Lagos Public Relations Industry Gala and Awards (LaPRIGA), as it extends the deadline for entries to October 30, 2026. The chapter also announced that the LaPRIGA gala will now take place on Thursday, December 17, 2026, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos. The unveiling of the plaque marks another milestone in preparations for the inaugural edition of the industry awards, which seeks to recognise outstanding public relations campaigns, reputation management initiatives, crisis communication efforts and other notable work by…
Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc has reported a strong increase in profitability for the first half of 2026, with profit before tax (PBT) rising by 40.13 per cent to N341.57 billion. The Group’s results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, also showed a 38.20 per cent increase in profit after tax to N239.68 billion, compared with N173.43 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025. Reflecting the stronger earnings, the Board recommended an interim dividend of N4.50 per ordinary share, up 80 per cent from the N2.50 per share paid for the first half of 2025. Stanbic IBTC’s gross…
Lagos has received 20 high-capacity Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to reduce public transportation costs through the adoption of cheaper and cleaner energy alternatives. The buses, delivered under the Presidential Initiative on CNG and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV), were handed over to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The handover took place at LAMATA’s headquarters in Lagos, with IVM and TATA CNG buses among the vehicles presented. The development comes a day before the Federal Government’s October 1 target for Nigerians to begin seeing measurable reductions in…
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has reported another record profit. The headline figure of ₦7.2 trillion, however, tells only part of the story. NNPC Limited says its profit after tax rose 33 per cent in 2025, from ₦5.4 trillion in 2024 to ₦7.2 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other remittances to government increased 39 per cent to ₦22.3 trillion. At first glance, the numbers appear unequivocally strong. But beneath the headline is a more complicated picture: NNPC made more profit from substantially less revenue. Revenue fell from ₦45.1 trillion in 2024 to ₦34.5 trillion in 2025, a decline of…
…Africa Reputation Pulse unveils new intelligence dossiers on sovereign wealth funds and telecommunications companies Africa Reputation Pulse (ARP), an intelligence platform focused on institutional reputation across the continent, has released new reputation-intelligence dossiers examining some of Africa’s most economically significant institutions and business sectors. The latest publications include the Africa Sovereign Wealth Fund Reputation Intelligence Report 2026 and the Africa Telecommunications Reputation Intelligence Report 2026, providing data-driven perspectives on how major African institutions and companies are perceived within the broader economic and stakeholder environment. The new reports form part of ARP’s expanding research programme designed to examine the relationship between…
The Federal Government has declared Thursday, October 1, 2026, a public holiday to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, announced the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary of the ministry. Tunji-Ojo congratulated Nigerians at home and abroad on the anniversary, urging citizens to use the occasion to reflect on the country’s journey since independence and renew their commitment to national unity and development. The minister described Nigeria’s diversity, human capital and natural resources as significant strengths, while calling on citizens to promote peace, patriotism…
Stakeholders at the second edition of the Pivot Nigeria Conference have called for stronger collective action by citizens, government, businesses, institutions and the media to improve Nigeria’s reputation and strengthen the country’s global image. The conference, held on Tuesday at La Scala, MUSON Centre, Lagos, focused on the theme, “The Reputation Dividend: Who Pays for Nigeria’s Perception?” The event brought together professionals from the creative industry, media, communications and corporate sectors to examine the relationship between Nigeria’s reputation, public trust, economic opportunities and national development. Victoria Uwadoka, Convener of Pivot Nigeria and Lead Consultant at HighStakes PR Professionals, said reputation…