Aisha Abubakar

The Federal Government has unveiled a $7.1bn 10-year investment programme to raise Nigeria’s annual sugar production above two million metric tonnes, save $2.1bn in foreign exchange annually and create 110,000 direct and indirect jobs. Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, Kamar Bakrin, disclosed this at a press briefing with the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association […]

The Federal Government has advised state governments to align their budgets with national development plans particularly in priority areas like basic education and primary healthcare services. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Deborah Odoh, stated this at a technical capacity-building workshop on Disbursement-Linked Indicator 2 of the Human Capital Opportunities for […]

The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Tuesday, referred a bill to establish the College of Post-Basic Nursing Sciences, Rigasa to the relevant committee for in-depth study and presentation of report. The bill, contained in a communication from Gov. Uba Sani, was referred for in-depth study by the Deputy Speaker, Henry Magaji who presided over […]

Nigeria’s foreign exchange market recorded a sharp rebound in trading activity in the week ended 9 October, with dollar transactions rising to $3.37 billion from $1.70 billion in the preceding week. According to data from FMDQ, spot deals accounted for almost all the increase. READ ALSO Zenith Bank loses N376 million to fraud in six […]

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has begun a five-day training for 100 Federal Government officials to strengthen Nigeria’s preparations for its third-round mutual evaluation on financial crime prevention. This is contained in a statement issued by Hafsat Bakari, the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, on Wednesday in Abuja. READ ALSO NNPC remits N9.48 […]

The ongoing strike by health professionals has disrupted services at public hospitals in Katsina State, leaving patients and caregivers anxious over access to medical care. The strike impacted services at the Turai Yar’adua Maternal and Child Hospital, Katsina, on Saturday as only a few patients were seen around the surgical ward, while caregivers struggled with […]

The Kwara State Coordinator of Arewa 4 Asiwaju, Malam Nurudeen Imam, accompanied by members of his State Executive Committee and Hon. Anas Galadima (Zam Zam), on Saturday joined other leaders and stakeholders at the official unveiling of the movement’s National Headquarters in Abuja. Members of the executive committee who attended include Malam Ibrahim Bashar, Director […]

The World Bank has said Nigeria must achieve satisfactory progress on agreed economic reforms, including measures to strengthen the business environment, improve public revenue and reduce trade barriers, to access a $500 million loan under the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration (NAIJA) Development Policy Financing programme. READ ALSO Deutsche Bank adds Nigeria […]

Natural river sand is becoming scarce and harmful to the environment due to excessive mining and consumption in the built environment. Quarry dust is obtained from crushing stones and is often treated as waste, but it can be used to replace natural river sand in concrete. The research focuses on examining the effects of quarry dust particle sizes on the microstructural and mechanical properties of concrete. This study examines the effects of different quarry dust particle-size fractions obtained through sieve classification, with sieve sizes of 2.36 mm, 1.18 mm, 600 μm, 300 μm and 150 μm, on the mechanical and microstructural properties of concrete. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the microscopic properties of the specimens. Some preliminary tests were also carried out including extracting different particle sizes and specific gravity. This study also tested the strength of the concrete to see how well it performs at different curing times of 7days, 14days and 28days. The results show that quarry dust with a particle size of 600 μm produced the highest compressive strength and dry density, indicating better particle packing and improved bonding. Microstructural tests also confirmed the presence of hydration-related compounds and more compact internal structure in this sample. This study concludes that quarry dust is a sustainable alternative to natural river sand, and that its particle size significantly influences the strength and internal structure of concrete.

Nigeria’s net foreign exchange flows have risen to $22.50 billion in the second quarter of 2026. This is the highest level it has risen to since the final quarter of 2019. READ ALSO Nigeria’s remittance inflows hit $1.57 billion FG commissions 616MW electricity projects in Kano, Katsina Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Q2 […]