Latest News
Nigeria Breaks Barriers: Female Workforce Participation Soars to Record High – WEF”
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has reported that Nigeria reached its highest level of female labour force participation in 2025, marking a significant milestone in gender parity efforts.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, Nigeria’s female participation in the workforce surged to 95.6%, up from 89.9% in 2024. This growth contributed to a 3.6-point improvement in the country’s Economic Participation and Opportunity Score, offering a rare highlight in an otherwise uneven gender equality landscape.
Despite this progress, Nigeria slipped one spot to 124th globally, due to setbacks in political representation and educational parity for women.
The Global Gender Gap Index measures gender parity across four key areas: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Launched in 2006, it remains the leading benchmark for tracking global gender equality progress.
The report noted, “Nigeria, with a growing male-dominated population, has closed 64.9% of its overall gender gap in 2025—down by 1.0 percentage point and one rank from last year. However, economic indicators show promise: labour force parity improved significantly as female participation hit a record high, and income parity rose from 50.1% to 60.4%, reversing a four-year decline.”
However, Nigeria underperformed in other key areas:
-
Political Empowerment fell by 2.9 points, largely due to a drop in women’s ministerial representation from 17.6% in 2024 to 8.8% in 2025.
-
In education, while overall literacy improved, men (73.7%) outpaced women (53.3%), increasing the gender literacy gap.
-
Life expectancy also rose, but gains were greater for men than for women.
WEF Managing Director, Saadia Zahidi, emphasized the importance of closing gender gaps:
“Investing in parity helps build stronger, more resilient economies. This report aims to guide policymakers by identifying where meaningful progress is happening—and where more action is urgently needed. Change is possible, and the path forward is clear.”
Across Africa, Namibia leads the continent in gender equality, ranking 8th globally, followed by Cape Verde (30th) and South Africa (33rd). Globally, Iceland remains the top performer for the 16th consecutive year, achieving over 90% gender parity, ahead of Finland, Norway, the UK, and New Zealand.
The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began nationwide on Thursday, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The exam, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple daily sessions.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to remain highly committed and professional, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their dedication.
He gave the charge during a virtual final briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination, where he also praised staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock exam.
Oloyede said many of the issues recorded during the mock exercise were due to poor assessment of centres by some technical officials.
He further stated that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that perform exceptionally, particularly in handling exam materials and submitting timely reports.
Reiterating JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice, he warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
He also disclosed that biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to protect the integrity of the exercise.
Candidates whose biometrics cannot be verified, he added, will be rescheduled to write the exam at approved centres.
Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent monitoring proceedings at Aduvie International School, Jahi, reported that the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. began slightly behind schedule at about 8:40 a.m.
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, on Thursday inspected security deployments at Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the inspection is part of proactive measures to ensure a smooth, peaceful, and hitch-free conduct of the ongoing examinations.
The UTME is scheduled to run nationwide from April 16 to 18, 2026.
During the exercise, CP Sanusi assessed security arrangements put in place to safeguard candidates, examination officials, and CBT facilities.
He also engaged with centre supervisors, assuring them of adequate security presence throughout the examination period.
Adeh added that the CP reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order, warning that any attempt to disrupt the examinations would be met with decisive action in line with the law.
Over 700 former terrorists who have undergone deradicalisation and rehabilitation are set to be reintegrated into their communities.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The Nigerian military has also dismissed reports alleging that beneficiaries of Operation Safe Corridor are being recruited into military institutions.
According to African Independent Television, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General Yusuf Ali, made this known during a media tour of the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre in Gombe, North-East Nigeria.
He said many Nigerians still misunderstand the Federal Government’s structured counter-terrorism initiative, which is designed to restore peace in communities affected by insurgency.
Brigadier-General Ali explained that the programme focuses on rehabilitation and peaceful reintegration of repentant individuals into society.
During the tour, some of the participants also shared accounts of their involvement in offences that led to their admission into the programme.
The facility inspection was part of preparations for the graduation of over 700 clients who have completed the deradicalisation and rehabilitation process and are set for reintegration.
-
latest8 months ago“Social Media Erupts As Jim Iyke Declares Rita Dominic Nollywood’s Most Beautiful”
-
latest2 years agoEdo Political Showdown: Oshiomhole Appears At Presidential Villa As Tinubu Hands APC Gubernatorial Flag To Okpebholo (Photos & Video)
-
entertainment2 years agoLove Knows No Age American Woman Defends Marriage To Young Nigerian Man “I’m Not 70”
-
latest2 years agoOlumide Akpata Strikes Again: Drops Killer Track, Sends Edo State Into Frenzy!(Video)
-
Politics2 years agoNigerians React As Pastor Adeboye Foresees Passing Away On A Sunday After Enjoying A Satisfying Meal Of Pounded Yam
-
latest2 years agoFG Identifies 31 States At Risk Of Heavy Flooding In 2024: See Full List
-
latest2 years ago5 NYSC Corpers Perish In Fatal Road Accident Returning From Camp
-
Politics2 years agoBREAKING: Inspector-General Of Police Summons Top Police Commanders For Crucial-Security Challenges