By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The U.S. government says routine visa services in Abuja and 24 other African cities will end on August 1.

“Effective August 1, 2026, the Department of State will realign routine visa services in Antananarivo, Abuja, Asmara, Bamako, Banjul, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Conakry, Cotonou, Durban, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Juba, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Maputo, Maseru, Mbabane, N’Djamena, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, and Windhoek to a regional visa hub,” the agency stated.

It noted that citizens and residents of the affected countries who wish to apply for a visa on or after August 1, 2026, must schedule an appointment and pay the required visa fee at the appropriate designated non-immigrant visa locations or designated immigrant visa locations.

From August 1, Nigerians who want to process a U.S. visa would have to travel to the U.S. consulate in Lagos.

According to a statement on July 23 by the agency, the move is “realigning visa operations in Africa to regional hubs, part of a long-standing Department practice that strengthens national security by promoting more uniform screening, vetting, and adjudication standards, as well as improves efficiency”.

Last June, reports had it that Abuja was missing from President Donald Trump administration’s shortlist of 20 African cities where foreigners seeking to travel to the U.S. can process visa applications.

The U.S. currently has around 50 embassies and consulates across Africa that process visa applications, but the new move by the State Department will slash that number to 20 amid Mr Trump’s crackdown on immigration.

The National Youth Wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded the immediate resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, and National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, over allegations of injustice and bias in party affairs.

The youths made the demand during a press conference addressed by the ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufa’i.

They accused the leadership of Mark and Aregbesola of failing to uphold fairness and internal democracy. According to them, the party leadership has resorted to favoritism by dropping candidates who won primaries and substituting them with individuals who did not participate in the process.

They said the problem is most visible in Kano State a key political state in Nigeria.

As examples, the youths cited Ambassador Abdurrahman Mai Nasara Salga, the ADC House of Representatives candidate for Dala Federal Constituency. They said Salga worked hard, invested resources, and mobilized support for the party in Kano, won the primary election, but was later removed from the party’s candidate list by the national leadership.

They also cited the case of the National Youth Leader himself, Balarabe Rufa’i, who is the ADC senatorial candidate for Kano Central. Rufa’i won the party’s primary, but his name is yet to be forwarded to INEC as the party’s official candidate.

The youths further alleged that in several Local Government Areas in Kano where primaries were conducted for House of Representatives candidates, a prominent ADC figure, Naja’atu Bala, unilaterally removed the names of the winners. She claimed that no elections were held and left those constituencies vacant on the list submitted to INEC.

They accused Naja’atu of deliberately sabotaging the growth of the ADC in Kano State.

Because of this, the youths called on the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and other critical stakeholders who genuinely want the party to succeed to intervene urgently.

They said Kano is a political hub and central to the ADC’s acceptability nationwide. If the injustice in the state is not addressed, it will damage the gains the party has made and affect its chances in the 2027 elections.

The youths described the development as a gross failure of leadership on the part of David Mark and Aregbesola. They warned that continuing to replace legitimate candidates with handpicked ones will lead to the party’s defeat in the coming elections.

“To save the ADC and restore justice, we are calling on Senator David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola to step down immediately,” the youths declared.

“We will not sit and watch the sacrifices of those who built this party be wiped out. If you cannot provide fair leadership, then step aside for those who can,” the statement concluded.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

In a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 governorship election, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has officially nominated the Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service (KADIRS), Jerry Adams, as his new running mate.

The announcement, made on Tuesday via a personally signed statement, effectively signals the end of the ticket with the current Deputy Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, who also served as Deputy to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai during his second term.

Governor Sani framed the decision as more than a political calculation, describing it as a “reaffirmation” of his administration’s core philosophy of inclusive governance.

“This decision is far greater than the selection of a deputy governorship candidate. It is a reaffirmation of the values that have guided our administration since I took the oath of office on 29 May 2023; the values of inclusion, justice, fairness, equity and the unwavering conviction that every citizen of Kaduna State deserves a genuine sense of belonging,” the Governor stated.

Addressing the state’s complex socio-political landscape, Sani noted that Kaduna’s rich diversity in ethnicity, religion, and culture should be a source of strength rather than division. He reflected on the state’s history, emphasizing the need to learn from past conflicts.

“Our history has taught us difficult lessons about the heavy cost of division, mistrust and exclusion. Yet it has also shown us that when we choose dialogue over discord, inclusion over alienation and justice over prejudice, our people achieve extraordinary things together,” he added.

The Governor touted his administration’s track record over the last three years as evidence of this commitment, citing equitable distribution of developmental projects across the state’s 23 local government areas. Key sectors highlighted include road infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, water supply, rural development, and social protection programs.

The nomination of Jerry Adams, who currently oversees the state’s revenue generation, signals a potential shift in the administration’s focus toward economic consolidation and fiscal expansion as it prepares for the 2027 electoral contest.