Japan has tightened its permanent residency (PR) rules for foreign workers, increasing the required visa duration from three years to five years before an individual can apply for PR. The change, announced by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, is already in effect. Previously, a three-year visa allowed many foreign residents to seek permanent residency, but that pathway is now closed to new applicants. First-time applicants will now be granted a maximum visa duration of two years. The three-year visa option is only available as a transitional measure for those already holding this status, with decisions made by March…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
Nigerian students are increasingly turning to the United Kingdom for higher education, with 30,204 study visas granted in the year ending December 2025, a sharp 59 per cent increase compared to 2024. The latest Home Office report on UK visa applications and outcomes places Nigeria among the fastest-growing nationalities for UK study visas in 2025, just behind Pakistan, which recorded 30,781 grants. Indian nationals received the highest number of sponsored study visas at 95,231 (23% of the total), followed by Chinese students with 89,019 visas, though this represented a 15 per cent decline from 2024 and 34 per cent…
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unveiled Invest Lagos 3.0, the Lagos State Government’s flagship international investment platform for 2026, aimed at accelerating structured capital mobilisation and expanding cross-border trade. The governor announced the summit on Thursday during a press conference at Lagos House, Marina. The third edition of the summit will hold from June 9 to June 10, 2026, and is expected to convene at least 500 high-level delegates, including sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, multilateral agencies and senior public sector leaders from across the Commonwealth. Sanwo-Olu said Invest Lagos 3.0 marks a deliberate shift from dialogue to execution. “Invest…
Kogi State has secured a Declaration License from the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) for the Ajaokuta Economic City Free Trade Zone, formally clearing the path for the launch of one of Nigeria’s most ambitious industrial corridors. The development was announced on Thursday by Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, in Lokoja, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. The license was presented to Governor Ahmed Ododo at NEPZA’s headquarters in Abuja, marking what state officials described as a significant milestone in Kogi’s economic transformation drive. Fanwo said the Ajaokuta Economic City Free Trade Zone…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has earmarked N12.29 billion for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and N500 million for hand sanitisers as part of its proposed N873.78 billion budget for the 2027 general elections. The commission presented the budget proposal on February 12 before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters in Abuja, outlining projected costs for election operations, technology, logistics and administrative expenses. According to a breakdown of the estimates, N12,292,700,300.26 is allocated specifically for printing PVCs for eligible Nigerians registering or updating their records under the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.…
The Federal Government’s decision to extend the ban on raw shea nut exports until February 2027 has reignited debate about Nigeria’s industrialisation strategy. At its core, the policy reflects a familiar ambition: move Nigeria away from exporting raw commodities and toward processing and manufacturing higher-value products at home. The question, however, is whether the country is structurally prepared to make that leap, or whether the ban risks unintended economic consequences. Nigeria is one of the largest producers of shea nuts globally. Yet much of the value chain remains outside its borders. Raw nuts are exported, processed abroad into shea…
The Federal Government has extended its ban on the export of raw shea nuts by one year, shifting the deadline from February 26, 2026, to February 25, 2027, in a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s domestic processing industry and increasing value addition. The decision, approved by President Bola Tinubu, was announced on Wednesday, just hours before the initial six-month emergency ban, introduced on August 26, 2025, was set to expire. According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the extension aligns with the administration’s “Renewed Hope” Agenda, which seeks to reposition Nigeria from a…
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has completed a digital capacity-building programme for staff of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), reinforcing efforts to modernise public institutions and promote data-driven governance. The initiative included the donation of 35 laptops and specialised training aimed at transitioning the Commission from largely manual processes to a more technology-enabled oversight system. The programme was implemented under NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All (DL4All) initiative, which is designed to enhance digital competencies across government institutions and align with the Federal Government’s broader reform agenda focused on economic transformation and improved service delivery. The training, conducted at…
Global Internet use surged in 2025, with more than six billion people, about three-quarters of the world’s population, now online, according to the Facts and Figures 2025 report released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The figure marks an increase of over 240 million new users compared to 2024, when global Internet users stood at 5.8 billion. However, despite steady progress, 2.2 billion people remain offline, only slightly down from 2.3 billion the previous year. While connectivity continues to expand, the ITU warns that digital divides are increasingly defined not just by access but by quality, affordability, and skills. “In…
Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, Chairman of the Telecom Group and former Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, has called on the Federal Government to establish a dedicated Science, Technology and Innovation Trust Fund to accelerate Nigeria’s advancement in space science and frontier technologies. Ekuwem made the appeal on Tuesday while delivering a lecture at the 4th Adigun Ade Abiodun Public Lecture held at the University of Lagos. He argued that sustained, targeted funding is essential to unlock Nigeria’s innovation potential and strengthen its position in the global technology landscape. According to him, a specialised innovation fund would stimulate research-driven enterprises,…