An explosion has been heard over the northwest of Isfahan, a city in central Iran, the Iranian semi-official FARS news agency reported early Friday morning, citing local sources. The cause of this explosion is still unknown. Flight tracking website, Flight Radar 24 showed that multiple flights were diverted over Iranian airspace early Friday.   Videos reportedly from Isfahan appeared to show Iranian air defenses activated in the skies over the area. The Iranian semi-official Fars News Agency reported that an explosion was heard in Qahjavarestan, east of Isfahan and near the Isfahan International Airport.

  Umar Damagum has retained his position as the acting charman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On Thursday, the PDP conducted its 98th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the party’s secretariat in Abuja. In a communique issued after the meeting, Debo Ologunagba, national publicity secretary of the party, said the NEC urged all members of the party to continue to work together for the success of the PDP for the benefit of Nigerians. On Wednesday, the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP passed a vote of confidence in Damagum. “NEC charges all Organs, leaders, critical stakeholders and indeed all members of the PDP to close ranks, put aside every personal or group interests and work together in the overall effort to reposition and return the PDP to power at the center in the interest of the Nigerian people,” Ologunagba said. “Consequently, NEC received and approved the Timetable for Party Congresses across the country. “NEC also approved the Reconstitution of the Party Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committees to further ensure the stability of the Party. “Similarly, NEC approved the extension of the life of the Party Constitution Amendment Committee to allow it to receive new amendment proposals for inclusion in its deliberation and final report for consideration by NEC. “NEC commended the efforts of the National Working Committee in its effort towards rebranding the Party including the new look PDP Logo which is widely accepted by Party members and Nigerians in general. “NEC charges all Party members to continue to work together for the success of the PDP for the benefit of Nigerians and sustenance of Democracy in our country.”

  No fewer than 16 persons were feared dead and 20 others injured when a commercial vehicle plying the Baga -Kukawa Road in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State drove over an Improvised Explosive Device suspected to have been planted by ISWAP terrorist group. Credible military intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, that the incident occurred on Wednesday, April 17. Although Makama reported 10 feared dead, credible sources told The PUNCH they were no fewer than 16. 7Div spokesman, Lt Col Ajemusu Jingina, said, “I will not comment on the incident, as the location falls under the jurisdiction of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, which is headquartered in Ndjamena, Chad Republic.” However, a resident of Baga, Bukar Wakil, told The PUNCH on the phone, “We heard that the IED was planted with the intent of killing troops, but the unfortunate commercial vehicle drove over it before any military vehicle did, killing about 16 people and injuring about 20, mainly passers-by.” A Maiduguri-based security expert, Abdullahi Abubakar, raised concern over the resurgence of sporadic attacks by ISWAP across the Lake Chad basin. “You should look at the current resurgence of attacks from three angles,” he told The PUNCH. He explained, “One, troops have claimed degrading Boko Haram to virtual non-existence; two, ISWAP, a rival of Boko Haram, have invaded the Chad basin, not only unleashing terror but attempting to crush Boko Haram in incessant battles for supremacy; and three, ISWAP wants to show the Nigerian military that they are very much around and are very much uncrushable.” He remarked, “Until troops completely crush ISWAP, the terrorist group will never, in my view, allow Chad Basin to rest. “This explains the sporadic attacks, especially in Northern Borno.”

  President Bola Tinubu has approved system-wide policies to comprehensively overhaul the education sector to improve learning and skill development, increase enrolment, and ensure the academic security of the nation’s children. One of the policies will take care of a census for all schools in Nigeria, from basic to tertiary level. A statement issued on Thursday, April 18, by special adviser to the president on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said the approved policies are captured as DOTS, an acronym representing: Data Repository, Out-of-School Children Education, Teacher Training & Development, and Skill Development & Acquisition. On Data Repository, it said currently, there is a paucity of coordinated, verifiable, and authentic data on all aspects of the education sector in Nigeria, which is critical for planning. Consequently, the president has approved the conduct of an extensive census of the following all schools in Nigeria from primary to tertiary level, their conditions and live-in facilities, proximity to one another, educational infrastructure, etc. A census will also be conducted of all teachers in Nigeria, their qualifications, training support received, etc., as well as all pupils and students in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, gender, exam grades, etc. According to the statement, this information will guide federal and state interventions for teachers’ training and development as well as overall support. It will also provide data on gender ratio (boys and girls), their specific learning needs, and who is in school or who has dropped out based on daily monitoring with year-by-year reporting. The statement said there will be a dedicated portal/dashboard in the Federal Ministry of Education, offices of state governors, and local government chairpersons, which will host and disseminate this information for the federal government, states, and local governments to monitor in real-time. According to the statement, this new data-tracking architecture will enable the government to track the progress of students, thus having a clear data-driven mechanism for interventions, especially concerning out-of-school children, girls, and those with specific learning disabilities, among others. On Out-of-school children’s education and training, the statement pointed out that the Federal Ministry of Education is already implementing the government’s policy through the activities of four of its agencies. “Already, there are about two million beneficiaries. The system-wide policy will further enhance the education and training of the nation’s out-of-school children,” it affirmed. Under Teachers’ Development and support, it said the Federal Ministry of Education will support and train teachers in digital skills to facilitate the use of technology in classrooms, noting that this is expected to bring technology and digitization to teachers and learners at all levels of education. For Skill development and acquisition for all levels, the statement added: “In his determined effort to enhance skill diversity in the education sector to effectively equip Nigerian students with the requisite skills, knowledge, and values to become functional and productive members of society, the President has also approved the National Skills Framework. “The framework is designed to provide the appropriate skills for each level of education that will result in the empowering of generations of Nigerians with the required aptitude for the evolving needs of the global economy of the 21st century. “This framework is expected to address skill gaps, quality of education, and unemployment concerns as students will acquire certain skill sets, in addition to general knowledge. “It is expected that once fully implemented, these programmes will succeed in resetting learning and connecting the ‘DOTS’ for significant improvement of the overall education system in Nigeria, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu”, the statement said.

  The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed 4U Supermarket in Abuja. It was sealed on Thursday over unfair practices by its management. FCCPC officials took the action during an enforcement exercise in parts of the nation’s capital. Officials of FCCPC were at several supermarkets in Abuja to initiate a campaign to enforce price display and quantity compliance. The move is a direct response to concerns raised by consumers about the rising costs of goods which go against the recent strengthening of the naira against major currencies. The Commission said price discrepancies remain a significant issue.