Today’s Headlines: Jihadists Kill 17 Soldiers In Niger, Tinubu To Swear In New Ministers On Monday

At least 17 soldiers died in a jihadist ambush in Niger, the government said, in a reminder of the nation’s deep security crisis as the military rulers face off against neighbours determined to reverse last month’s coup.

An army detachment was “the victim of a terrorist ambush near the town of Koutougou” in the Tillaberi region near Burkina Faso on Tuesday, said a defence ministry statement.

In the heaviest losses since the July 26 coup, another 20 soldiers had been wounded, six seriously, with all the casualties evacuated to the capital Niamey.

More than 100 assailants riding motorbikes, were “neutralised” during their retreat, the army said.A jihadist insurgency has plagued Africa’s Sahel region for more than a decade, breaking out in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading to neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso in 2015.

The so-called “three borders” area between the three countries is regularly the scene of attacks by rebels affiliated with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda.

President Bola Tinubu will on Monday swear in the new ministers who have just been assigned portfolios.

According to a statement by the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the ceremony will take place in the conference room of the State House at 10 am.

William Bassey, the director of information in the office of the SGF, who signed the statement, said the ministers are to come with two guests each.

Earlier, the presidency released the list containing the names of the new ministers and their portfolios.

In the list, Nyesom Wike is appointed as the minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Wike is the second southerner to head the FCT after Ajose Adeogun, the only person from the region, who was appointed in 1976.

The president appointed Gboyega Oyetola, former governor of Osun, as the minister of transportation.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated former military head of state Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.) on the occasion of his 82nd birthday.

Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Wednesday, celebrated the former military president whose birthday falls on August 17.

The statement noted that Babangida had served in many capacities in the Nigerian army with distinction and reached the peak of his career as Chief of Army Staff with indelible legacies for his gallant defence of our nationhood during the Nigerian Civil War.

Food security: Makinde pledges partnership with IITA

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has reiterated the commitment of his administration to partner and collaborate with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in a bid to ensure food security in the state.

He gave the assurance on Wednesday while receiving the director-general of the IITA and CGIAR regional director, Continental Africa, Simeon Ehui and his team at the courtesy room of the Governor’s Office.

The governor, who appreciated the Institute for its collaborative efforts with the state since he took office in 2019, said he would partner with the Institute to address the challenges of food insecurity and that by doing so, the state would have solved the poverty problem by a half.

He maintained that his government is determined to tackle the challenge of food insecurity, saying: “As a country, we are going through challenges right now, in the economy, they have removed the lid on the exchange rates, and also PMS subsidy has been removed, so these have brought in quite a bit of hardship on the people.

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