A Nigerian nursing college's attempt to punish a student for viral anti-government chants has backfired, exposing the rising unpopularity of President Bola Tinubu's administration amid worsening economic conditions that are hitting students and poor Nigerians hardest.

The Viral Protest That Embarrassed the Government

During First Lady Remi Tinubu's visit to Delta College of Nursing Sciences on March 25, students defiantly rejected a ceremonial song proclaiming her as their "mother."

A lead singer began: "Na our mama be dis-oo, we no get anoda one" (This is our mother, we have no other). But instead of echoing the praise, the students chanted back: "Na YOUR mama be dis-oo!"* (This is YOUR mother!), making it clear they did not accept her as a figure of care.

The clip went viral, sparking widespread debate. The college initially issued a query to student Osato Edobor for posting the video to social media but was forced to retract it after public backlash.

Tinubu Government Faces Backlash Over Economic Suffering

The protest highlights growing frustration with the Tinubu administration, particularly among students and low-income Nigerians struggling with:

- Soaring food prices (inflation at 31.7%)

- Skyrocketing fuel costs after subsidy removal

- Naira devaluation, making education more expensive

- Massive student loan delays despite government promises

"How can they call her our mother when the government’s policies are starving us?" one student, who asked to remain anonymous, told journalists.

Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong condemned the college’s attempt to punish the protest:

"Instead of addressing the suffering of students, they’re issuing silly queries. The provost should be disciplined for this intimidation."

Damage Control: First Lady Downplays Incident

In a carefully worded statement, Remi Tinubu’s office dismissed the protest as a "spontaneous and playful twist." But analysts say the incident reveals deep-seated anger that can’t be easily smoothed over.

"This wasn’t just a joke—it was a political statement,"* said Lagos-based political analyst Tunde Bakare. "Students are bearing the brunt of this administration’s harsh policies, and they’re no longer afraid to show it."

Despite being declared piracy-free since 2021, Nigeria has paid a staggering $1.5 billion in War Risk Insurance (WRI) premiums over the past three years—a cost that shipping experts and government officials say is no longer justified.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) revealed the figures in a statement on Friday, calling the continued imposition of WRI surcharges on Nigeria-bound cargo an unfair financial burden that harms the nation’s economy.

Why Are Nigerian Importers Still Paying War Risk Premiums?

War Risk Insurance covers losses from acts of war, piracy, and insurrection. It was introduced during the peak of Niger Delta militancy and Gulf of Guinea piracy, but NIMASA argues that the security situation has dramatically improved.

- No piracy incidents in over three years

- Removed from International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) piracy list in 2021

- Delisted as high-risk by the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) in 2023

- Deep Blue Project has secured waters for 30+ months

Yet, shipping giants like Maersk still impose:

- $445,000 per voyage for crude carriers

- $525,000 per voyage for new container ships

- $40–$50 per 20-foot container in war risk surcharges

NIMASA’s Fight to Scrap the Premiums

NIMASA, under Dayo Mobereola, has launched an aggressive global campaign to abolish WRI charges, which could save Nigeria $400 million annually.

Osagie Edward, NIMASA’s spokesman, said: "The security concerns that justified these premiums no longer exist. Nigeria has not recorded a single piracy attack in three years. Why are we still paying?"

The agency is engaging Lloyd’s of London, the UN, and global maritime bodies to recognize Nigeria’s progress and drop the premiums.

Shipowners and Importers Push Back

Industry operators argue that Nigeria is not a war zone and should not be subjected to WRI charges.

"Nigeria is not Ukraine or Somalia. Why are we paying war risk premiums when our waters are safe?" asked a Lagos-based shipowner.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Special Report, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk and his team pulled back the curtain on their mission to slash federal waste—revealing shocking examples of mismanagement, including a nearly $1 billion government survey that could have instead provided free homes for 4,000 homeless veterans.

Musk, alongside DOGE members Steve Davis, Joe Gebbia, Aram Moghaddassi, Brad Smith, Anthony Armstrong, Tom Krause, and Tyler Hassen, detailed their aggressive cost-cutting efforts, which have already saved taxpayers $130 billion — roughly $807.45 per taxpayer — since the department’s launch.

"The government is not efficient, and there's a lot of waste and fraud, Musk told host Bret Baier. "We want to reduce spending by 15%, which seems really quite achievable without affecting critical services."

The $1 billion Survey Scandal

When asked about the most astonishing discovery DOGE had uncovered, Musk pointed to a 10-question survey — something that could have been done for $10,000 using a platform like SurveyMonkey—for which the government paid nearly $1 billion.

"It was a simple online survey—'Do you like the national park?'—with no feedback loop. The results went nowhere," Musk said. "For that same amount, we could have housed 4,000 homeless veterans."

The revelation underscores what Musk calls "mind-blowing" waste. With the Department of Veterans Affairs estimating 33,000 homeless veterans in early 2024—and the average starter home costing $250,000 — the squandered funds represent a staggering missed opportunity.

DOGE’s Cost-Cutting Revolution

Beyond the survey scandal, the DOGE team highlighted other reforms:

- Eliminating duplicate programs and redundant agencies.

- Canceling wasteful contracts, including underused federal building leases and DEI initiatives.

- Auditing federal credit cards —discovering 4.6 million cards for just 2.3 million employees. "Clearly, there should not be more credit cards than people," Musk quipped.

Despite criticism from opponents who claim DOGE oversteps its authority, Musk defended the department’s approach: "We measure twice, if not thrice, and cut once. When we make mistakes, we correct them fast."

A "Revolution" in Government

Musk framed DOGE’s work as historic: "This might be the biggest revolution in government since the original revolution. America's going to be in much better shape."

While Republicans largely support the effort, Democratic critics remain skeptical, questioning DOGE’s sweeping authority. Yet Musk fired back: "When they attack us, they never point to specific cuts they disagree with."

With 18 months to fulfill President Trump’s mandate, DOGE’s mission is clear: root out waste, stop fraud, and ensure taxpayer dollars serve Americans—not bureaucrats.

"It’s going to be a fantastic future," Musk promised.

Israel conducts first strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since truce

Israel on Friday carried out its first major airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in months, retaliating for an earlier rocket launch from Lebanon in the most serious test of a shaky ceasefire deal agreed in November.

The strike targeted a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh, that Israel said was a drone storage facility belonging to the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim militant group.

The ceasefire has looked increasingly flimsy in recent weeks. Israel delayed a promised troop withdrawal in January and said last week it had intercepted rockets fired on March 22, which led it to bombard targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the rocket firing.

Israel is also renewing its military campaign in Gaza after the collapse of a January ceasefire with Hamas - a resumption of major warfare that has set the wider region back on edge.

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The south Beirut airstrike was heard across the Lebanese capital and produced a large column of black smoke. It followed an evacuation order by Israel's military for the neighbourhood, and three smaller targeted drone strikes on the building intended as warning shots, security sources told Reuters.

The evacuation directive sent residents of the area into a panic. They rushed to escape on foot as traffic clogged the streets out of the area, Reuters reporters in the area said.

Beirut's southern suburbs were pounded last year by Israeli airstrikes that killed many of Hezbollah's top leaders, including its powerful long-time chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a September air attack.

In south Lebanon, smoke rose from Israeli artillery strikes against targets in the hills just across the border.

The truce in November halted the fighting and mandated that southern Lebanon be free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops deploy to the area and that Israeli ground troops withdraw from the zone. But each side accuses the other of not entirely living up to those terms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday Israel would continue to attack anywhere in Lebanon to counter threats and enforce the ceasefire accord.

"Whoever has not yet internalised the new situation in Lebanon, has (today) received an additional reminder of our determination," he said. "We will not allow firing at our communities, not even a trickle."

No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. The Lebanese army said it was able to locate the launch site of Friday's rocket attacks and had begun an investigation to identify those responsible.

CRITICISM

Israeli ministers have vowed to ensure that the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes in border areas when Hezbollah began bombarding the area in 2023 would be able to return safely.

But with more Israeli military units deployed around Gaza, where 19 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday, according to local health authorities, it remained unclear whether Israel was prepared for any wider intervention.

Hezbollah denied any role in the rocket fire on March 22 and on Friday. President Joseph Aoun said a Lebanese investigation into last week's attack did not point to Hezbollah and called Friday's strike on Beirut unjustified.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government helped mediate the ceasefire in November, criticised Israel for what he called "unacceptable strikes on Beirut" that he said did not respect the ceasefire and played into Hezbollah's hands.

"The Israeli army must withdraw as quickly as possible from the five positions it continues to occupy in Lebanese territory," he said, adding he would speak with both Israeli and U.S. leaders.

Israel's statement confirming its air raid on Dahiyeh said that the Friday morning rocket fire amounted to "a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel."

It added that the Lebanese state bears responsibility for upholding the agreement.

Israel has vowed a strong response to any threats to its security, stirring fears that last year's conflict - which displaced more than 1.3 million people in Lebanon and destroyed much of the country's south - could resume.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the firing across the southern border on Friday was "deeply concerning."

"Any exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs," she said in a written statement.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia will ‘finish off’ Kiev’s forces – Putin

President Vladimir Putin has declared that Russian forces are gaining momentum across the entire line of contact and could soon “finish off” Ukraine’s military, while commenting on attempts by Kiev’s European backers to derail a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.

The Russian president made the remarks on Thursday during a meeting with the crew of the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, which is equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles. Putin reiterated that Moscow has always sought to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means but was met with deception and obstruction from the West – first with the failed Minsk Agreements and then during the 2022 Istanbul peace talks.

“Their European handlers… convinced the Ukrainian leadership that they had to continue armed resistance, essentially to the last Ukrainian, with the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia,”he said.

Putin accused Western leaders – specifically former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – of underestimating Russia’s resolve, and warned that the country’s military capabilities should not be taken lightly.

“He must have forgotten that there are people like you – and weapons like your submarine,”Putin told the naval crew. “Apparently, he forgot, or maybe they simply do not understand what the Russian people are made of.”

The Russian president said the conflict is reaching a turning point and expressed confidence in the outcome, noting that “across the entire line of combat engagement, our troops hold the strategic initiative.”

Not long ago I said, ‘We’ll squeeze them.’ Now there’s reason to believe we’ll finish them off. Then, I think a moment of realization must come to the Ukrainian people themselves.

Despite his hardline tone, Putin reiterated that Russia remains open to peace negotiations – as long as the core causes of the conflict are addressed.

“We are in favor of resolving these issues by peaceful means… But the root causes must be eliminated. We must ensure Russia’s security for the long historical perspective,” he said.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peace talks, but insists that a true settlement of the conflict requires a permanent and legally-binding solution. Moscow opposes any NATO presence on Ukrainian soil and has demanded that Kiev demilitarize, denazify, adhere to a position of neutrality, and recognize the territorial “realities on the ground.”

On March 18, the Russian military was ordered to refrain from attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure under a deal agreed upon by President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump.

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense has since reported multiple Ukrainian violations, which it described as attempts to undermine Trump’s mediation efforts.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Months after first incursion, Ukrainian troops fighting in second Russian region

Just as Ukrainian forces are losing their grip on the pocket of Russia's Kursk region they captured last year, they have staged a little-publicised incursion into the adjacent Belgorod region, according to Russian military bloggers.

Several Russian military correspondents said on Friday that Ukrainian troops were inside Belgorod and fighting battles with Russian forces there.

Neither Kyiv nor Moscow has confirmed the reports, though Russia's Defence Ministry said 10 days ago its forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border in Belgorod.

Ukraine's military has not commented on any thrust into Belgorod region, though that could be for operational security reasons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressing reporters in Kyiv, said Ukrainian forces had taken "certain steps" in Russia outside the Kursk region to ease pressure on Ukrainian troops in the area.

Zelenskiy said the action was intended to "reduce the accumulation" of Russian troops and had occurred "a little below the Kursk region." He did not elaborate.

Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Defence and Security Council, suggested in a March 18 statement that Ukrainian forces could act in the Belgorod region, "neutralising threats" from Russian forces that might mass near the border.

Rybar, a Russian military blog with 1.3 million subscribers, said there had been heavy clashes in a settlement called Popovka and each side was hitting the other with drones. Another Telegram account, Two Majors, said Russian forces were conducting "defensive operations."

"There are constant strikes on concentrations of Ukrainian Armed Forces, but the enemy still has serious offensive potential for this direction and has not abandoned plans for further breakthroughs, including in new areas of the front," it said.

A third military blog, Arkhangel Spetsnaza, reported fighting in a village called Demidovka and said some Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded there.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts.

The Ukrainian operation may be an attempt to distract Russian forces as they try to drive out the last Ukrainian forces from neighbouring Kursk. One of the Russian blogs, Rybar, said Russia had moved reinforcements to Belgorod from Goptarovka in the Kursk region.

Emil Kastehelmi, a military analyst with the Finnish-based Black Bird Group, said Ukrainian forces had penetrated the first Russian defences and advanced most likely to a depth of three to four km (1.9 to 2.5 miles).

But he said it was unlikely they could stage a serious breakthrough and threaten any important Russian logistical routes or cities.

"The Ukrainians can, in theory, take some more villages from the border area, but that's not what a breakthrough means - it'd be a small tactical success, but there's very little to be achieved in the Demidovka direction at operational or strategic level," he told Reuters.

"There's no proper element of surprise, and the Russian presence in the area is strong enough to at least conduct mostly successful defensive operations."

In Kursk, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday its forces had recaptured the village of Gogolevka, one of only a handful of settlements still held by Ukraine out of around 100 that it seized last August.

Ukraine's General Staff said its military had stopped 18 Russian assaults in Kursk region over the past day.

Open source mapping from Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian military blogging resource, showed Russian forces in control of some but not all of Gogolevka, and indicated Kyiv's troops still controlled just under 80 sq km (31 sq miles) of Kursk.

President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk this month in a sign of increasing confidence that Russia will shortly win it back, depriving Ukraine of a bargaining chip in future peace talks.

RT/Reuters

Of all the bizarre dynamics at play in the third season of “The White Lotus” — kissing brothers, potentially murderous May-December romances, a rogue gun — the one I’ve found most captivating is the girls’ trip. Three childhood best friends who take pride in the longevity of their relationship quickly find out they might not have much in common anymore. 

Perhaps the reason this storyline monopolizes my attention is because it’s all too familiar. Group trips are notoriously effective at straining relationships. Even my deepest, most candid friendships probably couldn’t survive a week abroad. 

To find out why this is such a universal experience, and how to avoid it, I talked to therapists and travel experts. 

Many of the guardrails that everyday life provides disappear when you travel, therapist Eman Almusawi told me. Routines help us manage our emotions and, as a result, protect our relationships.

“Friendships rely on a balance of closeness and personal space,” Almusawi says. “When that balance is thrown off, especially on vacation, people might respond in ways that catch us off guard.” 

The easiest way to ensure your trip doesn’t end with broken bonds is to do some vetting beforehand, travel experts say.

Be sure that discussions about money go deeper than the overall cost of your trip, notes Elaine Glusac, author of The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler column. “Talk about how you’d like to allocate the budget across variables like dining and entertainment,” she says.

Have honest conversations about how much time each of you is comfortable spending alone. “You can agree to do things at a different rate and meet up later for a meal, but you should both be content on your own, which you should hash out prior,” Glusac says.

And, of course, be sure your interests align. You don’t want to be in the position of convincing someone that a museum is worth their time or money. And you don’t want to be dragged out to a historical site you have no interest in seeing.

I’m not sure taking these precautions will guarantee a frictionless trip, but they will hopefully result in one that is more harmonious than what’s playing out in “The White Lotus.”

CNBC

A 23-year-old Kazakh man recently became the first person in his country to use ChatGPT to successfully challenge a traffic violation ticket in a court of law.

In December of 2024, Kenzhebek Ismailov was driving his mother to the hospital in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, when the car in front of them stopped for no apparent reason and blocked the entire lane, which happened to be the only car lane on that particular street. The only solutions he could think of were to bypass the stalled car through the bus lane on the right, or simply wait behind the car and hold up the entire lane. He chose the first option, but his maneuver was picked up by surveillance cameras, and he soon received a ticket in the mail. The young motorist tried contesting the ticket and explaining the situation, but his complaint was rejected, so his only other course of action was to go to court. And that’s where the world’s favorite AI model, ChatGPT, comes into play.

Unfamiliar with the subtleties of court and unwilling to spend money on a lawyer to contest a 5,800 tenge ($11) traffic fine, Ismailov turned to ChatGPT for legal assistance. After typing his situation into ChatGPT and mentioning that there was video evidence of his maneuver on the national traffic authority website, the AI tool advised him to challenge the ticket in a court of law and even redacted the paperwork needed to file his case.

Detailing his experience on X (Twitter), Kenzhebek Ismailov said that traffic authority personnel were initially very rude, rejecting his complaint outright and claiming that his decision to pay the fine was essentially an addition of guilt. However, as in many other countries, paying a fine in a certain period of time carries a 50% discount, so even if one plans to contest the fine in court, if they lose, they end up paying only half.

Things changed after Ismailov filed his case in court, and he was contacted by the traffic authority to settle the case by simply deleting the fine from their database and returning the money to him. However, ChatGPT advised him against dropping the lawsuit, so he went to court instead. During a 10-minute hearing where he was asked multiple questions by a judge, the 23-year-old used the speech synthesis function to have ChatGPT answer instead. It did so well that the judge had no choice but to cancel the fine.

“This is probably the first trial in Kazakhstan that was 99% conducted with the help of ChatGPT,” Ismailov said. “During the hearing, I turned on the speech synthesis, and it immediately prompted me how to respond.”

Now, the young motorist, who claims to have only challenged the traffic violation out of principle, because he knew he was right, now plans to use ChatGPT to file a civil lawsuit against the police, demanding compensation for the time he wasted contesting the fine.

Oddity Central

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) is in the "final" stages of preparing for its initial public offering (IPO), company officials confirmed on Thursday. The state-owned oil company is moving forward with plans to list its shares on the stock market, in compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

Olugbenga Oluwaniyi, the Chief Finance and Investor Relations Officer (CFIO), revealed that NNPC is currently conducting an "IPO Beauty Parade" to engage with prospective partners. The company is seeking investor relations executives, IPO readiness advisers, and investment bank partners, with the best offers to be selected for each category.

The IPO represents a significant milestone for NNPC, which transformed from a state-run entity to a commercially oriented, profit-driven company in July 2022. This transition was a key provision of the Petroleum Industry Act, officially changing NNPC from a corporation to a limited liability company with government bodies remaining as shareholders.

Originally, the oil industry law required NNPC to list its shares within six months of the law's passage in 2021. However, the company has taken additional time to prepare for the public offering. In February 2023, NNPC completed its legal transition by officially taking over its assets after 46 years of operations as a corporation.

The company now operates independently of state funds and must raise financing on its own. NNPC currently holds joint ventures with major oil companies that produce more than half of Nigeria's oil output. The upcoming IPO will be conducted in line with capital market regulations and the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 1990.

While an exact timeline for the IPO remains unspecified, the company's officials indicate they are in the final preparatory stages. The public offering will allow investors to purchase shares in what was previously a fully state-owned enterprise, marking a significant shift in Nigeria's oil industry governance.

The Federal Government of Nigeria raised N1.94 trillion from bond investors in the first quarter of 2025, according to an analysis of Debt Management Office (DMO) auction results. This amount was significantly lower than the N2.52 trillion raised in the same period last year, reflecting a more measured borrowing approach.

The government initially planned to offer N1.10 trillion in bonds but ultimately allotted N1.94 trillion due to strong investor demand. Total subscriptions reached N2.83 trillion, with more than 70 percent of bids accepted.

Monthly Breakdown:

- January 2025: Offered N450 billion, with bids totaling N669.94 billion

- February 2025: Offered N350 billion, with demand surging to N1.63 trillion

- March 2025: Offered N300 billion, with subscriptions of N530.31 billion

The bond auctions revealed notable market trends. Marginal rates showed significant fluctuation, starting at 21.79 to 22.60 percent in January — a sharp increase from the 15.00 to 16.50 percent range in January 2024. By March, rates had moderated to between 19.00 and 19.99 percent.

Institutional investors demonstrated a strong preference for 7-year and 10-year bonds, typically favored by pension funds and insurance companies due to their long-term liability matching.

The DMO's 2025 strategy marked a shift towards a more targeted approach. Instead of offering multiple bond instruments, the government focused on deepening liquidity in existing bonds and maintaining key benchmark instruments across different tenors.

This conservative borrowing strategy comes amid high interest rates, with the government carefully managing its domestic debt profile. The reduced offer volume and more selective allotment approach suggest a deliberate effort to balance market demand with fiscal prudence.

The bond auctions, which target institutional and high-net-worth investors, do not include the government's separate savings bond programme for retail investors.