Saudi Arabia authorities have denied issuing a viral memo notifying travellers of visa restrictions and an entry ban.

The memo named Egypt, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, and Algeria among the countries facing the restrictions.

Nigeria, Jordan, Sudan, Iraq, Indonesia, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh were also listed as restricted from applying for new short-term Saudi visas, including visas for business, visits (single/multi-entry), tourism, and family visits.

The restrictions are scheduled to take effect April 13, the memo claimed.

The document added that citizens from the listed countries would not be permitted to enter Saudi Arabia from the effective date even if they hold valid visas.

“Non-compliance may result in a 5-year ban from entering KSA,” the statement said.

However, the Saudi Tourism Centre debunked the document as unofficial when contacted by TheCable.

The agency told TheCable that the only circular issued by the Saudi authorities were guidelines around hajj travels.

“Anyone holding a Tourist visa is not permitted to perform Hajj, enter or stay inside Makkah during 01 Thul Quda to 14 Thul Hijjah 1446 AH (29 April to 11 June 2025 AD),” the Saudi agency said on Thursday.

The Saudi hajj visa is granted exclusively for the hajj pilgrimage and is valid only during the Muslim holy period.

Muslims seeking to visit Saudi Arabia are required to apply for a hajj visa other than a tourist visa.

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio has dismissed claims that he is in support of a planned rally purported to be in support of him slated to hold today 4th April 2025.

The rally is said to be organised by an association tagged, Progressive Peoples’ Resolution (PPR) and led by one Ubong Idemudo, a known controversial character.

However, speaking via a statement signed on Thursday by his Special Assistant, Media, Jackson Udom, the Senate President called on the Police and other security agencies in the state to ensure that such a satanic rally was not allowed to hold, as such did not get his approval.

The statement is titled, ”Disregard any rally in Akwa Ibom purported to be in support of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, GCON.”

The statement read, “The attention of the office of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has been drawn to a planned rally purported to be in support of the Senate President and organised by an unknown association by name; Progressive Peoples’ Resolution (PPR) and led by one Ubong Idemudo, a known controversial character, slated for tomorrow 4th April, 2025.

“The President of the Senate is not aware of any rally organised in his support at any venue in Akwa Ibom and therefore urges his supporters and the peace loving people of Akwa Ibom State to disregard such rally and go about their lawful duties.

“The planned rally, from information pieced together, is the handiwork of fifth columnists trying to use the name of the Senate President to achieve their devilish goal.

“The Police and other security agencies in the state are by this statement directed to ensure that such satanic rally is not allowed to hold, as such has no approval of the Senate President.”

The Edo chapter of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has extended the service of some corps members by 90 days.

The punishment, TheCable understands, was approved by Frances Ben-Ushie, the Edo state coordinator of NYSC.

The affected corps members were penalised for protesting their unpaid N77,000 allowance in a social media group.

 

The NYSC management in Edo sanctioned the corps members with a 90-day service extension without pay.

The sanctioned corps members, it is understood, were originally scheduled to complete their service year on March 17, 2025.

However, the punishment has drawn criticism from social media users, with many arguing that the penalty does not match the offense.

Among the critics is Omoyele Sowore, the 2023 presidential candidate under African Action Congress (AAC), who said the action is “unacceptable and therefore, will not stand”.

“NYSC in Edo is punishing corps members with a 90-day extension—without pay—for simply demanding their rightful ₦77,000 allowance?” a user of the microblogging site X asked.

“Instead of addressing the non-payment, they resort to oppression. This is exploitation, not service to the nation! Unacceptable!”

Another user argued that the corps members deserved to be punished for their actions.

“Well, it serves them right. But I 100% know the new @officialnyscng, as a regular will temper justice with mercy by releasing them,” the post read.

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has maintained that its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, won the 2024 Edo State governorship election.

This is as the party rejected the verdict of the Edo governorship tribunal, which upheld the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP, in a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the verdict of the tribunal is a violation of judicial impartiality and a betrayal of the trust of Nigerians in the judiciary.

The PDP said it came to the conclusion after a thorough review of the tribunal’s verdict.

The statement added that despite the verdict, the PDP and its candidate are proceeding to the Appeal Court and believe the higher court would deliver justice.

“The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after a thorough review of the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal asserts that the verdict is an absolute miscarriage of justice and a complete betrayal of the trust Nigerians, particularly the people of Edo State invested in the Election Tribunal.

“The PDP insists that with the avalanche of evidence as properly presented and also duly admitted by the Tribunal, it was clear that its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo won the September 21, 2024 Edo State Governorship election, having scored the highest number of valid votes cast in the election.

“It is very disturbing that despite the overwhelming evidence and findings by the Tribunal that the PDP was robbed of its clear victory at the election through manipulations including wrongful allocation of votes to the All Progressives Congress (APC), arbitrary and illegal cancellation of valid votes won by the PDP, the Election Tribunal contradicted itself by coming to a conclusion that is at variance with its own findings.

“More distressing is that this judgment by the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal constitutes a major threat to the confidence Nigerians have in democracy and adjudication of electoral matters.

“It is instructive to note that democracy can only thrive in an atmosphere of adherence to the Rule of Law and adjudication of issues which can only be accepted by the people when indeed a tribunal of such nature impartially apply the law, the facts and body of evidence made available to it at proceedings

“However, consistent with PDP’s avowed belief in the capacity of the judiciary to, in appropriate cases, ensure that justice is done, our Party and candidate Dr. Asue Ighodalo are proceeding to the Court of Appeal where we believe that there will be a conscientious judicial review of the matter to give justice to the people of Edo State.

“In the meantime, the PDP calls on the people of Edo State to remain resolute and not allow the verdict of the Election Tribunal to dampen their confidence in the institution of the Judiciary and democracy in Nigeria as they await the restoration of the mandate they freely gave to our Party and candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo at the election,” the statement read.

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, Femi Otedola, chairman of First HoldCo, and four other Nigerians, have been named among the World’s Black Billionaires for 2025 by Forbes Magazine.

In its annual World’s Billionaires list released recently,  Forbes said out of 3,028 billionaires around the world, only 23 are Blacks.

“Twenty-three of them are Black—just 0.8% of the list—but they’re a wealthy and impressive bunch,” the report said.

“Overall, these 23 have amassed $96.2 billion in wealth, mainly from the finance, energy, and technology sectors.”

Forbes said out of the 23 billionaires, only six of them are Nigerians.

Based on the magazine’s ranking, Dangote, chairman of Dangote Group, topped the list with a net worth of $23.9 billion.

Forbes said the billionaire’s fortune skyrocketed after the Dangote refinery finally began operating in early 2024, boosting businessman’s fortune by $10.5 billion since last year’s list.

With $6.8 billion net worth, Forbes said Mike Adenuga, owner of Globacom, a telecommunications firm, is the second Nigerian, ranking fifth on the list.

Abdulsamad Rabiu, founder of BUA Group, is ranked sixth on the publication’s world Black billionaire list. With $5.1 billion net worth, the billionaire is the third Nigerian on the list.

Another Nigerian on the list is Adebayo Ogunlesi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) with $2.2 billion net worth.

In October 2024, GIP was acquired by BlackRock for $12.5 billion in cash and shares. Ogunlesi is said to be the 11th Black billionaire in the world according Forbes.

Following closely in the 12th position is Otedola, chairman of Geregu, with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Forbes said the billionaire “made his first fortune in commodities before selling his shares in Forte Oil to invest in the energy business”.

“Today, he is the chairman and majority owner of Geregu Power, a power generation business whose other investors include the Nigerian government and the State Grid Corporation of China,” Forbes said.

The last Nigerian on the World’s Black Billionaires 2025 list is Tope Awotona. 

Forbes said Awotona in 2013, founded Calendly, a scheduling software startup, which private investors valued at $3 billion in 2021.

The media company said Awotona, ranking 14th on the list, has a net worth of $1.4 billion

A private hospital located in Iwerekun 1, Ibeju/Lekki, Lagos, As Salam Convalescent Centre, has denied claims that it demanded an upfront payment of ₦500,000 before treating a pregnant woman, Kemi, who later died from complications related to her pregnancy.

Kemi’s husband, Akinbobola Folajimi, made the allegations in a viral video, accusing the hospital of refusing to provide medical treatment to his wife due to his inability to make the upfront payment. In the video, Folajimi is seen desperately trying to keep his wife conscious as she lay weak inside a car.

In his emotional post, Folajimi recounted the tragic events that led to his wife’s death. He claimed that after being turned away by the private hospital, they were referred to a general hospital in Epe, where Kemi passed away.

He stated, “The doctor told me to deposit ₦500,000, and I begged him to start doing whatever was needed to save my wife while I ran around for the money. But they drove us out like they didn’t care. Unfortunately, they blindly rejected us and asked me to take her to the General Hospital at Epe, even though the doctor knew that Epe from Lakwe is way too far for her condition. Before we rushed her to Epe, she was gone.”

Folajimi’s emotional video sparked widespread condemnation, with many demanding reforms to ensure medical institutions are held accountable for such alleged neglect.

However, in a telephone interview with Punch on Thursday, the founder of As Salam Convalescent Centre, Rauf Salami, denied the allegations. He stated that the hospital never demanded any payment and that the primary concern was the patient’s critical condition.

Salami explained, “On the day in question, a pregnant woman was brought to our centre. My colleague on duty reported that she had convulsed twice at home before arrival. Upon examination, it was clear that she required immediate blood transfusion and surgical attention. Given the complexity of the case, we advised the husband to take her to the Epe General Hospital, which is better equipped to handle such emergencies.”

Salami further clarified that Kemi was not a registered patient at the hospital and had never visited the facility before the day of the incident.

“We referred her to a more suitable facility immediately after she was brought in, without even transferring her from the wheelchair used to bring her in,” Salami stated.

He also expressed his frustration over the false claims made by the woman’s husband on social media, particularly on TikTok.

Addressing the backlash, Salami expressed frustration over the allegations, stating, “Going by the reactions to what happened, it may frustrate one to the point of contemplating suicide because it was deeply frustrating. But that notwithstanding, people have been telling me to sue him. I could do that because I have my evidence.”

He reiterated that Kemi’s condition was critical upon arrival and that the hospital lacked the resources to handle her case.

Salami said, “The woman was not registered in the hospital. We didn’t know her. When they brought her in, we discovered it was something we could not handle. If we had given her just one drip that day, she could have died because there was no blood left in her body.”

Salami speculated that Kemi might not have been receiving proper antenatal care before the incident, stating, “I don’t think the woman was registered in any hospital because if she had been receiving treatment during her antenatal period, she wouldn’t have been in that condition.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the incident, Salami concluded by placing his trust in God, saying, “I am a Muslim, and whatever comes a Muslim’s way, the best thing to say is ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un’ (Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return).”

He also expressed confidence that the community members who have used his hospital’s services will help restore his integrity.

Nollywood actress, Omotunde Adebowale David, popularly known as Lolo 1, has stated that Nigerians facing difficulties abroad would rather continue with the hardship than return to Nigeria.

Sharing her concern in a recent interview on News Central, Lolo 1 emphasised how Nigerians are willing to endure hardships in foreign countries due to the lack of basic amenities and opportunities in their home country.

The thespian lamented that despite difficult living conditions abroad, Nigerians prefer to stay due to access to reliable electricity, good roads and functional transportation systems, which are often lacking in Nigeria.

She criticised leaders for failing to provide a better quality of life for its citizens, forcing them to seek alternatives abroad.

Lolo 1 highlighted the irony of Nigerians contributing to the development of foreign countries while struggling on their own.

She wrote: “I feel bad for Nigerians, I feel bad because are the facts not glaring? I don’t know much about data but the data is literally in your face. It shows that we are making the lives of foreign countries easier.

“People would rather suffer there and pay high school fees than be here and have relative ease. There are some people abroad that whose living conditions are so terrible and degrading but they would rather stay there managing because at least they are managing where there is constant electricity.

“They are managing but the roads are pliable. They are managing but at least they can still find transportation. But look at us here, if you enter a bus and people see you, they attribute your life to poverty and that’s not true. I don’t want to drive every day, but look at what is happening in the county. Even feeding is expensive here”.

The naira continued appreciating against the dollar on Wednesday at the official foreign exchange market after the Eid-el-Fitr holidays.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s data showed that the naira strengthened to N1,531.25 per dollar on Wednesday from N1,536.82 recorded last Friday.

This means that the naira gained N5.57 per dollar on a day-to-day basis.

Meanwhile, on the black market, the naira depreciated to N1,555 per dollar on Wednesday from N1,550 traded on Friday before the Eid-el-Fitr holidays.

DAILY POST reports that over the weekend, the Central Bank of Nigeria announced that the Net Foreign Exchange Reserve, NFER, stood at $23.11 billion, the highest level in over three years.

Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2024 Edo governorship election, has rejected the ruling of the election petition tribunal.

The tribunal on Wednesday upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo as governor of the state while dismissing Ighodalo’s petition.

In a statement, Ighodalo said while he respects the judiciary, he remains steadfast in his belief that the right of the Edo people to elect their leaders through a credible process must not be compromised.

“Our pursuit of justice in this regard is an affirmation of our firm belief that the right of the good people of Edo State to freely choose their leaders through a credible, free and fair electoral process must never be compromised,” the statement reads.

“As an avowed democrat, I respect the judiciary as the last hope of the common man, and I urge all of you, our dear good people of Edo State, to remain peaceful, calm and law-abiding in the aftermath of this Judgement.

“However, let it be clear: this is not the end of our journey, but the beginning of a greater struggle for justice, democracy, and the sanctity of the people’s mandate freely conferred on my running mate, Barr. Osarodion Ogie and I on the platform of our great Party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).”

Ighodalo said his legal team has been instructed to challenge the judgment at the court of appeal.

“I have, therefore, instructed my legal team to proceed to the Court of Appeal to challenge this decision which we consider a huge travesty of justice,” he added.

“This is not about me or any single individual; it is about the very essence of democracy, the preservation of our collective right to freely determine our future, and the legacy we leave for generations unborn.

“We remain resolute. We remain committed. And we shall not waver in our pursuit of truth and justice.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disowned a circular claiming that the financial regulator has introduced N5,000 and N10,000 notes.

The circular, purportedly from the CBN, has been widely shared on WhatsApp.

According to the fake circular, the new notes are to be circulated from May 1.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the CBN clarified that the circular did not originate from the bank.

The apex bank also said the claim was fake.

“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has officially announced the introduction of two new denominations – N5,000 and N10,000 bankrotes; as part of ongoing efforts to streamline cash transactions and improve liquidity management,” the circular reads.

“According to the Deputy CBN Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir Jr., the move is aimed at reducing cash-handling costs and providing Nigerians with more efficient means of conducting large transactions.”

The apex bank urged the public to refer only to the official CBN website (cbn.gov.ng) for authentic information.

“The content is not from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Kindly note that the official website of the CBN is cbn.gov.ng,” the financial regulator said.

In 2023, there were controversies over the redesigning of the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes.

On February 6, 2023, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) said CBN should have introduced a N5,000 note rather than embarking on a currency redesign.

Sola Obadimu, former director-general of NACCIMA, said there would have been less pressure on Nigerians if the naira redesign policy was implemented differently.

Obadimu had said the creation of N5,000 note would have mopped up the money in circulation without creating discomfort.

He said the CBN would have also spent less money on printing new notes.

On November 29, 2023, the supreme court ruled that the new notes — N200, N500 and N1,000 — were to coexist with the old notes as legal tender.

On December 13, 2024, CBN reassured the public that both the old and redesigned naira notes will continue to serve as legal tender without any deadline.