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Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has married a fourth wife, Hiqma, in a ceremony held over the weekend in Abuja.

The private event was attended by close friends and family members. Confirmation of the marriage came through an Instagram post by Bello’s third wife, Hafiza Yahaya Bello, who publicly welcomed Hiqma to the family.

“Our family just got a little bigger and more loving,” she wrote, expressing gratitude and praying for peace and blessings in their home.

Bello, who governed Kogi State from 2016 to 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC), was previously married to Amina Oyiza Bello, Rashida Yahaya Bello, and Hafiza Bello.

Known for his low-profile personal life, Bello has largely kept his family affairs out of the spotlight. His latest marriage adds a new chapter to his private life following the conclusion of his gubernatorial tenure.

He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Business Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Watch video below:

AmiLoaded

The Israeli government has expressed regret over civilian casualties and damage to religious infrastructure following a recent strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, while denying that religious sites are deliberately targeted.

In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Israel conveyed “deep sorrow over the damage [to the church] and over any civilian casualty,” following reports that multiple people were injured in the attack, including four seriously.

“Israel never targets churches or religious sites and regrets any harm to a religious site or to uninvolved civilians,” the ministry said, stating that a formal investigation into the incident has been launched.

“The IDF is examining this incident, the circumstances of which are still unclear, and the results of the investigation will be published transparently,” it added.

While the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not officially confirmed responsibility for the strike, the blast reportedly hit the compound of Gaza’s only Catholic church.

A spokesperson for the Protecting Holy Land Christians campaign noted that eight people were wounded in the blast, four seriously and four with minor injuries

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The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, says the agency is developing a centralised job portal to give beneficiaries early access to employment opportunities in Nigeria and abroad, although it does not guarantee jobs.

The Managing Director, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr made this known during a media engagement series in Abuja on Thursday to mark one year since the scheme’s launch.

Sawyerr said the portal would aggregate listings from the public and private sectors, as well as international employers interested in recruiting Nigerians.

“We don’t just give a loan and leave students on their own. This job portal is our way of supporting their journey toward economic stability,” he said.

He emphasised that students would only begin repayment after securing employment, stressing that this would begin after their National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

“If you don’t have a job, you don’t pay. And when you eventually get a job, your repayment starts fresh.

“Once employed, 10 per cent of the beneficiary’s monthly income is deducted automatically by the employer and remitted to NELFUND, following verification through the NELFUND employment register.

“If an employee is laid off or resigns, the deductions stop. And in the event of death, the loan is written off. The family is not harassed,” Sawyerr added.

Speaking on non-refund of fees to students who had paid before NELFUND disbursed to their institutions, the managing director appealed to institutions to return the fees to students.

According to him, schools have a moral and professional duty to return these funds to students.

“We’ve received multiple petitions from students who paid under duress only to find their fees had also been paid by NELFUND.

“Institutions must refund this money. It’s disappointing that some schools have ignored this responsibility,” he said.

He noted that investigative bodies like the ICPC and EFCC have stepped in to question certain institutions over delays or refusals to refund.

“If an institution cannot refund directly to the student, they can pay the money back to us and we will ensure it gets to the rightful student,” Sawyerr stated.

Speaking on the agency’s projection in the coming years, the Executive Director, Operations at NELFUND, Mustapha Iyal, said the Fund is currently managing over 3.2 million student records in its system.

Iyal, however, said the Fund is projecting one million new applications by the end of 2025.

While he said the figure was not compulsory, adding that the Fund aimed to ensure no student drops out due to financial hardship.

“Basically, our projection right now, we have about 3.2 million data students in our system.

“What we’re looking at this year, from now to the end of the year, we’re looking at about 1 million applications. We’re not pushing. We’re not saying that it’s compulsory.

“But we’re looking at how we can support 1 million applications to make sure that no one is dropping out of school,” he said

Daily Post

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, says the agency is developing a centralised job portal to give beneficiaries early access to employment opportunities in Nigeria and abroad, although it does not guarantee jobs.

The Managing Director, NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr made this known during a media engagement series in Abuja on Thursday to mark one year since the scheme’s launch.

Sawyerr said the portal would aggregate listings from the public and private sectors, as well as international employers interested in recruiting Nigerians.

“We don’t just give a loan and leave students on their own. This job portal is our way of supporting their journey toward economic stability,” he said.

He emphasised that students would only begin repayment after securing employment, stressing that this would begin after their National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

“If you don’t have a job, you don’t pay. And when you eventually get a job, your repayment starts fresh.

“Once employed, 10 per cent of the beneficiary’s monthly income is deducted automatically by the employer and remitted to NELFUND, following verification through the NELFUND employment register.

“If an employee is laid off or resigns, the deductions stop. And in the event of death, the loan is written off. The family is not harassed,” Sawyerr added.

Speaking on non-refund of fees to students who had paid before NELFUND disbursed to their institutions, the managing director appealed to institutions to return the fees to students.

According to him, schools have a moral and professional duty to return these funds to students.

“We’ve received multiple petitions from students who paid under duress only to find their fees had also been paid by NELFUND.

“Institutions must refund this money. It’s disappointing that some schools have ignored this responsibility,” he said.

He noted that investigative bodies like the ICPC and EFCC have stepped in to question certain institutions over delays or refusals to refund.

“If an institution cannot refund directly to the student, they can pay the money back to us and we will ensure it gets to the rightful student,” Sawyerr stated.

Speaking on the agency’s projection in the coming years, the Executive Director, Operations at NELFUND, Mustapha Iyal, said the Fund is currently managing over 3.2 million student records in its system.

Iyal, however, said the Fund is projecting one million new applications by the end of 2025.

While he said the figure was not compulsory, adding that the Fund aimed to ensure no student drops out due to financial hardship.

“Basically, our projection right now, we have about 3.2 million data students in our system.

“What we’re looking at this year, from now to the end of the year, we’re looking at about 1 million applications. We’re not pushing. We’re not saying that it’s compulsory.

“But we’re looking at how we can support 1 million applications to make sure that no one is dropping out of school,” he said

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has extended the continuous voter registration.

This decision was reached during its regular weekly meeting on Thursday.

The meeting reviewed the ongoing preparation for the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State and further update on applications for registration by new political parties.

The Commission said it is pleased with the turnout of registrants in Anambra State and the peaceful conduct of the CVR in all the 326 registration centres in the State.

It revealed that as of yesterday, Wednesday 16th July 2025, 96,085 new voters have successfully registered in nine days.

On average, the Commission said it registered over 10,600 voters per day, adding that in addition to that 12,595 voters applied for transfer of their registration both within and outside the State while 7,061 persons applied for the update of their records or the replacement of their damaged or lost Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).

The CVR in Anambra State was suppposed to end on Thursday, however, in response to appeal from citizens, the Commission said it extended the exercise for three more days. “It will now end on Sunday 20th July 2025,” the Commission said as quoted by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee.

“Thereafter, the Commission will display the register for claims and objections by citizens as provided by law, followed by a further clean-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

“Subsequently, the detailed breakdown of the new registrants by age, gender, occupation and disability will be published for public information.

“At this preliminary stage, 56,017 (58%) of new registrants are female while 50,429 (52.48%) are young people between the ages of 18 and 34.”

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