Entertainment News September 28, 2026 JUST IN: Spontaneous Abuja-Based Female Comedian, Senior Man, Set to Host First Major Show in FCT

An influential female comedian in Abuja, Okoye Florence Chisom popularly known as Senior Man, is set to host her first major comedy show in the Federal Capital Territory, with expectations already high among comedy lovers and entertainment enthusiasts.

The show, tagged “Shades of Senior Man,” is scheduled to hold on November 15, 2026, at 6pm at 3Js Hotel, Jabi, Abuja.

Known for her engaging stage presence, rich comedy content and distinctive style of delivery, Senior Man who has started comedy since 2022  has continued to attract the attention of audiences whenever she mounts the stage. 

Her ability to connect with her audience through relatable humour and energetic delivery has earned her growing recognition within Abuja’s entertainment circuit.

The forthcoming show is expected to provide an opportunity for fans and other entertainment lovers to experience her comedy in a full-length production.

The Enugu born comedian has also taken her craft beyond Abuja, having performed on the same stage with veteran entertainers in major Nigerian cities, including Lagos and Port Harcourt. 

These appearances have further contributed to her growing profile as a female comedian capable of holding her own in the competitive Nigerian comedy industry.

With top celebrities expected to attend and participate in the event, anticipation is building ahead of the November 15 show. 

Their confirmed attendance is expected to add further excitement and star power to an evening designed around comedy, entertainment and live performances.

Business News September 27, 2026 Dollar to Naira exchange rate today, September 28, 2026

The dollar-to-naira exchange rate opened the new trading week on Monday, September 28, 2026, with market participants monitoring movements in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and the parallel market.

The official exchange rate reflects transactions in Nigeria’s formal foreign exchange market, while the parallel market rate is determined by demand and supply among currency dealers outside the official market.

As of early trading on Monday, the latest available indicative data puts the official dollar exchange rate at approximately ₦1,327.16 per dollar. The parallel market rate is yet to be independently confirmed for September 28.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) calculates the official NFEM rate using a volume-weighted average of transactions in the market. The closing rate is determined by trading activity for the day.

In the parallel market, the dollar was last quoted at approximately ₦1,385 on Friday, September 25, according to BusinessDay, which reported that the rate remained stable during the week.

The parallel market rate on Monday may differ from Friday’s quotation, depending on dollar supply, demand and individual Bureau De Change operators.

The naira ended the previous trading week broadly stable across the official and parallel markets, supported by stronger external reserves.

The official NFEM closing rate and updated parallel market quotations may change as trading progresses.

News Politics September 27, 2026 Only God can settle conflict between Tinubu, Aregbesola — Adeyeye

Former Osun Central Senator, Olusola Adeyeye, has said only President Bola Tinubu and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, can forgive each other and resolve their lingering differences.

Adeyeye spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics while responding to questions on whether there was anyone capable of reconciling the President and the former governor.

“I don’t know; only God knows. When things get to be like this, only the two of them can forgive each other,” he said.

Adeyeye, who is the South-West Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign council, said he wanted the two political figures brought together because he believed their reconciliation would benefit the APC and Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

“My wish would be for my party and for the president, because I want the president to win, and if he must, we must bring everybody together,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that Aregbesola’s current political position could make such a reunion difficult.

Asked whether the reconciliation should include the former Osun governor, Adeyeye said Aregbesola’s position in the opposition African Democratic Congress would make it difficult for him to abandon the party.

“It won’t look good to his admirers, especially those who follow him to that party,” he said.

Adeyeye also expressed confidence that Tinubu would retain the South-West in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the APC’s chances would be strengthened if the party remained united in the region.

“I make bold: anyone from any party who thinks the next election will be easy for it is suffering self-delusion. We in the APC, we work very hard to win, and I want to assure you that we will win,” he said.

“I also want to assure you. We will win big. I care that we win the South-West, and we’re going to shock everybody.”

The former senator dismissed suggestions that Aregbesola’s association with the ADC posed a major threat to the APC in Osun.

He questioned the ADC’s performance in the August 15, 2026 governorship election, particularly in Ilesa and Osun Central, while noting that Aregbesola was not a candidate in the poll.

“How did the ADC perform, even in Ilesa? How did Aregbesola perform in Osun Central, where I come from?” he asked.

Adeyeye, however, acknowledged Aregbesola’s popularity in the state, saying the former governor could pose a significant challenge if he were personally contesting an election.

“If Aregbesola is the candidate, it’s a different matter,” he said.

“The truth is he’s still a magnificent person, much loved. If he were a candidate, believe you me, anybody would be hard-pressed to beat him in Osun,” Adeyeye added.

He nevertheless argued that Aregbesola’s personal popularity should not automatically translate into support for another candidate.

“Where he’s not the candidate, even he must not deceive himself that he can automatically take the affection for him to another person,” he said.

 

News Politics September 27, 2026 Gov. Yusuf backs rotational presidency between North and South

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has called for the continued rotation of presidential power between the northern and southern parts of Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement by Sanusi Bature, the media aide to Gov. Abba Yusuf, on Sunday in Kano.

Governor Yusuf made the call on Sunday at the Government House, Kano, while unveiling 50 vehicles donated by Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to support APC campaign mobilisation in Kano ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said his position was based on the principle that presidential power should rotate between the North and South, with each region given the opportunity to produce a president for two consecutive terms.

According to Governor Yusuf, allowing each region to complete two terms would provide sufficient time for an administration to implement major policies, programmes and development projects.

He therefore called for support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete a second term, arguing that this would allow the South to complete its two-term cycle before power returns to the North.

Governor Yusuf urged political stakeholders, particularly in the North, to exercise patience and allow the current political arrangement to run its course, saying power would return to the North after the completion of the southern region’s two-term cycle in 2031.

He said rotational presidency should be viewed as a means of promoting fairness, national cohesion, mutual trust and a sense of belonging among Nigerians from different parts of the country.

The governor also urged politicians and political parties to conduct peaceful and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He called on political actors to focus on policies, programmes and development plans rather than personal attacks, inflammatory rhetoric or actions capable of undermining peace.

Governor Yusuf reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to peaceful democratic engagement and urged all stakeholders to place the unity, peace and development of Kano State and Nigeria above partisan differences.

Crime News September 27, 2026 Police arrest man over alleged killing of 80-year-old father in Katsina

The Police Command in Katsina State has arrested a 27-year-old man, Sada Tambai, over the alleged killing of his 80-year-old father.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Katsina.

Sadiq-Aliyu said the incident occurred on Sept. 21 at Mundadu Village in Bindawa Local Government Area (LGA).

He said the police received a distress call from the District Head of Bindawa, Dan Yusufan Katsina, reporting the incident.

According to him, the district head said Adamu Tambai, a former Ward Head of Mundadu, was found lying motionless outside his residence.

Sadiq-Aliyu said detectives were immediately deployed to the scene, while the victim was taken to the nearest hospital.

He said the attending medical doctor, however, pronounced the victim dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The police spokesman said preliminary investigations led to the arrest of the deceased’s son, Sada Tambai.

He said the suspect allegedly confessed during interrogation to hitting his father on the head with a stick.

According to him, the injuries allegedly sustained from the attack resulted in the victim’s death.

Sadiq-Aliyu said the Commissioner of Police, Ali Umar-Fage, directed the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).

He said the directive was aimed at ensuring a discreet and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The PPRO said the suspect would be arraigned before a court after completion of the investigation.

The command expressed condolences to the bereaved family and assured residents of its commitment to ensuring justice in accordance with the law. (NAN)

News September 27, 2026 FG seeks fresh $1.5bn World Bank loan

The Federal Government has opened discussions with the World Bank for three new loans totalling $1.5bn, even as Nigeria’s public debt climbed to a record N166.79tn at the end of June 2026.

Documents obtained from the World Bank show that the proposed financing comprises three separate $500m facilities for climate resilience, social protection and early childhood development.

The most immediate is a proposed $500m additional financing for the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project, known as ACReSAL. The World Bank has fixed October 29, 2026, as the estimated date for consideration by its board. The borrower is the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while the Federal Ministry of Environment is the implementing agency.

The financing would raise the size of ACReSAL from its previously approved $700m to $1.2bn, entirely financed through the International Development Association, the World Bank’s concessional financing arm.

The document said, “The Government of Nigeria has requested AF of $500m to scale up demonstrated project results and strengthen the institutional, operational and financing arrangements needed to sustain integrated landscape management.”

The additional financing is expected to support landscape restoration, watershed rehabilitation, erosion and flood management, irrigation and drainage, water harvesting and storage, reforestation and other climate-resilient interventions.

Of the additional $500m, $310m is proposed for dryland management, $165m for community climate resilience and $25m for institutional strengthening and project management.

ACReSAL currently operates across 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory and is targeted at land degradation, water insecurity, climate vulnerability and declining agricultural productivity.

The World Bank said desertification and land degradation affected an estimated 43 per cent of Nigeria’s land area, while failure to address climate change could reduce gross domestic product by about 2.6 per cent annually by 2030 and as much as 6.7 per cent by 2050.

The second proposed loan is another $500m IDA credit for the Household Prosperity and Empowerment-Social Protection Project.

Unlike the ACReSAL facility, the HOPE-SP project is at an earlier stage of preparation. Its technical design review is expected on October 30, 2026, while the World Bank has tentatively fixed March 16, 2027, as its approval date. The Federal Ministry of Finance is listed as the borrower, while the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction will implement the programme.

The project has an estimated cost of $500m, comprising a $420m results-based programme and an $80m investment project financing component, with the entire financing expected from IDA.

It is designed to establish regular social assistance for poor and vulnerable households, while gradually shifting financing responsibility towards federal and state budgets.

The World Bank document said the programme would establish “a sustainable social assistance to poor and vulnerable households, financed increasingly from federal and state budgets and delivered through strengthened state and local government systems.”

The proposed programme would finance targeted unconditional and conditional cash transfers, modernise the social registry, integrate the National Identification Number into the social protection information system and strengthen implementation at federal, state and local government levels.

The lender said Nigeria spent only 0.14 per cent of GDP on social safety-net programmes in 2021, compared with a global average of 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent among lower-middle-income countries.

The bank also painted a grim picture of household welfare, estimating that the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty had increased from 40 per cent in 2019 to 56 per cent in 2023 and could reach 62.5 per cent in 2026. It attributed the deterioration to several factors, including the pandemic, inflation, natural disasters and conflict, while noting that fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate reforms worsened living costs in the short term.

The third proposed $500m facility is for the Nigeria Early Childhood Development programme, with an estimated approval date of March 15, 2027, a day before the proposed HOPE-SP approval. Its technical design review is also scheduled for October 30, 2026.

The Federal Ministry of Finance is the borrower, while the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning is expected to implement the programme.

The project would cover all 36 states and the FCT and seek to improve access to an integrated package of health, nutrition, early learning, childcare, water and sanitation, and other services for children aged zero to five.

It would be financed through $500m IDA credit, consisting of a $400m programme-for-results component and $100m investment project financing component.

The World Bank said the intervention had become necessary because “40 percent of children under five are stunted, fewer than half are developmentally on track, 36 percent of children aged 36 to 59 months attend organised early learning,” with poor rural households carrying much of the burden.

PUNCH

News September 27, 2026 ”Tinubu does not need to be physically present in Abuja to carry out his duties”- Presidency

The Presidency has assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu is “hale and hearty,” dismissing concerns over his absence from Abuja and the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

According to a statement by his Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on X on Sunday, Tinubu is currently on his annual vacation but remains engaged with official duties and activities.

“President Tinubu is hale and hearty,” the statement said, adding that the President is “perfectly entitled” to take a working vacation.

The Presidency argued that advances in technology mean the President does not necessarily have to be physically present in Abuja to carry out his responsibilities.

“In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023,” it said.

It further cited Tinubu’s reported meetings with investors in France as evidence that he has continued to work while away from Nigeria.

The statement also referred to the proposed $7 billion deep-sea port project in Ogun Waterside, describing it as an initiative of the Ogun State Government that Tinubu had recently helped facilitate.

Addressing criticism over Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly, the Presidency noted that other African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, were also not present in New York.

“Two other important African leaders were not in New York for the UNGA,” the statement said, noting that Tinubu had announced his annual vacation and delegated Nigeria’s representation to Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The Presidency also criticised former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts.

“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts,” it said.

The statement said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria this week ahead of the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

It added that the President is expected to honour the memory of the late businessman and democracy campaigner, MKO Abiola, by attending the premiere of a movie about his life in Lagos.