Wikki Times

By Abdulbasid Dantsoho On the edge of the IBBI River in Taraba State, a stretch of concrete pillars juts into space, which signals that a vital link was meant to begin. The bridge, conceived as a strategic means to connect parts of the North West and North Central to parts of the North East, and extend access toward the South East and South-South, now stands as a monument to a promise unfulfilled.

As independent journalism in Africa faces mounting financial, political, and institutional pressure, conversations about collaboration, sustainability, and editorial independence are more urgent than ever. At the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC), WikkiTimes spoke with Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, one of Africa’s finest investigative journalists and Managing Editor of Ghana Business News, about the future of journalism on the continent.

A development expert and the MacArthur Foundation’s Africa Director, Dr. Kole Shettima, has decades of experience supporting governance, civil society, and independent media across the continent. In this interview with WikkiTimes’ Haruna Mohammed Salisu and Hafsah Ibrahim at the Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Kole reflects on the shifting global funding landscape and its implications for accountability journalism in Nigeria and the Global South.

The Kano State Government says it has cleared ₦15.67 billion in outstanding allowances owed to former local government councillors, settling arrears that accumulated over a decade. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa, said the latest payment of ₦8.26 billion was disbursed to 1,371 councillors who served between 2021 and 2024. The payment marks the final phase of a staggered settlement programme initiated earlier in the year.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has graduated 10 new Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operators, strengthening the country’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities amid ongoing security challenges. The officers completed the Operational Conversion Training Course 4/2025 at the 109 Combat Reconnaissance Group, NAF Base, Kaduna. The graduation ceremony was held at the 233 Wing Hangar.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of two nominees to the Senate for confirmation as chief executives of Nigeria’s petroleum sector regulators following the resignation of their current heads.

Dr Nuhu Bile, the State Epidemiologist, Gombe State Ministry of Health, on Tuesday, said no fewer than 54 snake bite-related deaths have been recorded in the state in 2025. Bile stated this in Gombe during the State Public Health Emergency Management Committee (S-PHEMC) meeting in the state. The meeting which was supported by UNICEF was chaired by Mr Manassah Jatau, the State Deputy Governor who is  the Chairman of the PHEMC in the state.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night met with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at the State House, Abuja, in last-minute efforts to halt the union’s proposed nationwide protest over insecurity. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NLC had declared a nationwide protest for Dec. 17, citing what it described as the country’s “degenerating security situation.” The President of the NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero, led the labour leaders to the closed-door meeting.

The U.S. Embassy in Abuja has warned Nigerians against engaging in any form of fraud in the process of obtaining United States visas, saying offenders risk permanent bans. The warning is contained in a statement posted on the embassy’s official X handle, which stressed that applicants who provide false information or fake documents could face lifelong ineligibility under U.S. immigration law.

Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, on Tuesday signed the state’s 2026 Appropriation Bill of N642.9 billion into law, following its passage by the State House of Assembly. The governor assented to the budget at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi after it was presented by the Speaker of the Assembly, Usman Muhammad-Zuru.