The Federal Government of Nigeria has condoled with Iran following an explosion that claimed 28 lives and left over 800 people injured.

Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, conveyed the condolences in a statement issued on Sunday by Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Recall that the explosion occurred at Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Iran, near the Strait of Hormuz, on Saturday.

The blast, according to officials, said was probably caused by chemical materials.

Tuggar stated, “The government extends its deepest condolences to the Government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran following the devastating explosion.

“Nigeria stands in solidarity with Iran during this difficult time and shares the grief of families who lost loved ones in the unfortunate incident.

“We commend the swift response of emergency services and encourage continued efforts to assist the injured and affected communities.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the entire nation of Iran,” he said.

Nigeria has been elected to host the 3rd Edition of the Forum of African Defence and War Colleges’ Commandants (FADWCC) next year.

Spokesman of the National Defence College Nigeria (NDC) Navy Captain Mohammed Tukur Mohammed, who dropped the hint yesterday, said the hosting right was announced by the Director of the Royal College of Higher Military Studies (CREMS), Col.-Maj. Lahcen El-Hajjami, at the recently concluded 2nd Edition of the forum in Kenitra, Morocco.

The NDC spokesman said the announcement was sequel to a unanimous vote by member-countries in attendance.

According to him, with the hosting right, Nigeria becomes the second host and first Anglophone country to play host to the Forum.

He said: “The FADWCC was conceptualized in 2024 to forge partnerships among the defence and war colleges aimed at proffering solutions to common problems facing African nations in addition to enhancing collaborations in higher professional military education.

“The leader of Nigeria’s delegation and Commandant of NDC Nigeria, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Morakinyo Olotu, accepted the hosting right on behalf of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and received the symbolic hosting flag from his Moroccan counterpart.”

Navy Captain Tukur said the 2025 FADWCC with the theme, “Artificial Intelligence and Defence”, was attended by commandants of defence and war colleges from 14 African nations.

The countries, according to him, include Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia. Others are Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, and Zambia.

He said: “The attendance this year is a remarkable increase from 8 in the maiden edition in 2024.

“It is expected that the 3rd Edition in Abuja in 2026 would witness attendance by more commandants of defence and war colleges across Africa.

“The Nigerian delegation also had the commandants of the Army, Navy and Air Force War Colleges and their spouses as well as some academic staff members from the four colleges,” he added.

Rea Admiral Olotu expressed Nigeria’s readiness to host a befitting Forum in Abuja come 2026.

He said the Commandant thanked his colleagues for the confidence reposed in Nigeria to host the next edition of the Forum with a promise to surpass the high standard set by Morocco.

Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, made this known on Wednesday. He emphasized that while the commission is committed to expanding voter access through technology, any change must be aligned with legal provisions.

This follows comments made by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in December 2024 during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners. Yakubu had suggested that the exclusive use of PVCs for accreditation should be reconsidered.

“The commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed,” Yakubu said.

He noted that voters could, in the future, use slips generated by INEC or downloaded from its website for accreditation — a move that would cut costs, ease logistics, and curb voter card-related malpractice.

“Those who already have the PVCs can still use them to vote, but going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation,” he added.
Oyekanmi clarified that INEC supports the idea, but stressed,
“It is
not our stand-alone that is important. Equally critical is what the subsisting law says… the law needs to be amended to reflect it.”

The proposal, if passed into law, could mark a major shift in Nigeria’s electoral process by making voter participation more accessible and technology-driven.