The Sahara Group Foundation (SGF) has expanded its waste management network and recycling infrastructure in Northern Nigeria with the commissioning of two Sahara Go Recycling hubs in Jigawa and Kaduna States.

This was detailed in a statement from the Foundation on Sunday, which had it that the hubs, located at Gidan Hakimi in Shuwarin Local Government Area of Jigawa State and Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are the Foundation’s 21st and 22nd recycling hubs nationwide and its second and third in Northern Nigeria.

According to a statement, the Jigawa hub was delivered with the support of the King’s Council, Shuwarin, while the Kaduna hub was established in collaboration with Asharami Synergy.

The Foundation said the initiative is designed to convert waste into income-generating opportunities for households. The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, said the hubs demonstrate the organisation’s approach to expanding practical sustainability initiatives through partnerships.

“By partnering with institutions and sister companies that understand local needs and realities, we are building a recycling ecosystem that communities can own, sustain, and benefit from over the long term,” she said.

ALSO READ: NCDMB, Renaissance Build Oil, Gas Capacity for 300 Graduates

The commissioning ceremonies were attended by members of the King’s Council, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Doka, the Chairman of Shuwarin Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Balago, the vice chairman, community leaders and residents in Jigawa, as well as Asharami Synergy’s leadership and the Filling Station Manager in Kaduna.

Speaking at the Jigawa event, Alhaji Bashir Abdullahi, Sarkin Gabas and Hakimin Shuwarin, said the facility addresses a longstanding waste management challenge in the community.

“For years, our people have had no organised way to deal with waste beyond burning or dumping it by the roadside,” he said. “This hub gives our young people and our women a way to earn from something that used to just pollute our surroundings.”

At the Kaduna event, the Filling Station Manager of Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Aliyu Abdullahi Mabai, said the recycling hub complements the station’s operations.

“We are glad to host this recycling hub on our premises,” he said. “It gives our customers and neighbours a simple way to recycle, and fits with what Asharami Synergy stands for as a responsible business.”

The Foundation also disclosed plans to commission another recycling hub in Kano State in the coming weeks following a recent engagement with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who expressed interest in the initiative.

According to the Foundation, Sahara Go Recycling has supported the recycling of more than 1,000 tonnes of materials since its launch and has directly or indirectly impacted more than 2,000 livelihoods nationwide.

Andy Burnham has officially been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British politics.

Burnham assumed office on Monday after outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally resigned during an audience with the King. Following Starmer’s departure, King Charles III invited Burnham to form a new government, which he accepted.

SEE MORE: UK PM Keir Starmer Resigns

The 56-year-old becomes Britain’s sixth prime minister in the past 10 years, taking office amid mounting economic pressures, political uncertainty and a lingering cost-of-living crisis.

In his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer reflected on his two years in office, insisting his government had left Britain in a stronger position.

“I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” Starmer said.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.

Burnham is expected to use his first address as prime minister to outline his vision for restoring public confidence in government while prioritising economic growth, easing the cost-of-living crisis and devolving more powers to regional communities.

Speaking in an interview with The Times before taking office, Burnham signalled a break from recent policies.

“What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. That’s the way I see it,” he said.
“I am going to try and do things in a different way.”

The new prime minister inherits a series of pressing challenges, including slow economic growth, rising government borrowing costs, a growing welfare bill and continued irregular migration across the English Channel.

He has also pledged a different approach to public spending, promising greater investment in prevention and long-term economic development.

“A different approach to public spending and to running the economy — more focused on early investment, early intervention, setting people up for success and much less paying for failure,” Burnham said.

As one of his first policy decisions, Burnham scrapped the nationwide digital ID scheme introduced under Starmer’s administration, saying the estimated £1.8 billion earmarked for the project would instead be redirected toward helping families cope with the rising cost of living.

A former Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham previously served as a Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2017 and held ministerial roles under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

He returned to Parliament only weeks ago before emerging as Labour’s new leader following Starmer’s resignation.

Burnham now has less than three years to deliver on his promises before the next general election, expected in 2029, as Labour seeks to fend off growing support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.

Addressing supporters after securing the Labour leadership, Burnham described the moment as Labour’s “last chance” to regain the confidence of British voters, insisting that his government has a clear plan to steer the country in a new direction.

The embattled Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, Prince Adeyemi Matthew Adeniyi, has claimed that he personally lobbied officials at the Budget Office, leading to the inclusion of the controversial agency in the 2026 Federal Government budget.

Adeniyi made the claims during an interview with social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, following his arrest over allegations of operating a fictitious government agency.

ALSO READ: Oduah’s PhD certificate is fake –U.S. Education Agency

The agency, which the Federal Government has repeatedly described as non-existent, was allocated about ₦1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act, sparking public outrage and calls for a thorough investigation into Nigeria’s budget process.

During the interview, Adeniyi absolved the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, of any involvement, insisting he had never met him physically.

According to him, he first approached the Budget Office in December 2024 to seek the agency’s inclusion in the 2025 budget but was informed that the appropriation process had already closed.

“I went to that Budget Office for the 2025 budget. I submitted the letter and everything that I wanted, but I was told it was already late,” he said.

He explained that officials later advised him to pursue the proposal for the 2026 budget.

“When the 2025 budget came out and I didn’t see this budget, those people that I went to then said it would now be for the 2026 budget. We kept in touch because they said it would be considered later,” he said.

Adeniyi further alleged that a female official helped him gain access to the Director-General of the Budget Office, who later referred him to another senior official.

“She helped me to see the oga. Oga now said, ‘Where is my shini?’ I said I don’t have any shini. He later asked me to meet one director,” he claimed.

According to him, the director informed him that although the proposal could not be accommodated in the 2025 budget, efforts would continue ahead of the 2026 appropriation.

When asked whether he paid officials to facilitate the process, Adeniyi denied offering bribes.

“Honestly, I did not pay any money. I didn’t pay anybody. The only thing I promised was that if I started employing people, I could help them with employment opportunities.

“That was the favour I promised them. I did not give anybody money. It was just a promise that if they had people, I could employ them.”

Adeniyi said his arrest brought an end to every effort surrounding the budget proposal and that he was surprised when he later discovered the agency had been included in the 2026 budget.

“Immediately, there was a problem; everything stopped. Even the woman that wanted to help was calling because she couldn’t reach me because she was scared. I told her to let everything stop.

“I didn’t even know until they said it was inside the budget. I had already left the office. Where would I still pursue the budget again when I was already facing court?” he said.

Asked whether Budget Office officials could have inserted the agency into the budget after his arrest, he responded: “I don’t know because once that problem started, everything stopped. Why would I still pursue the budget when I was already in trouble?”

Adeniyi also addressed allegations that he paid ₦400 million to secure his purported appointment, claiming the money was delivered in United States dollars through his late associate, Dolapo Tanimola.

“Dollars,” he replied when asked the currency of the payment.

Asked who received the money, he answered:
“Dolapo.”

He maintained that he never met Gbajabiamila before or after his purported appointment.

“I never met Gbajabiamila physically before and after he was appointed. Dolapo Tanimola handled everything for me.”

Meanwhile, VeryDarkMan, in the caption accompanying the interview, called for a comprehensive investigation into the Budget Office and other government institutions, arguing that Adeniyi should not be the only person held accountable if his allegations are proven true.

However, the allegations made by Adeniyi have not been independently verified, and the officials and institutions mentioned have not publicly responded to the latest claims.

Adeniyi is facing charges including forgery and impersonation after allegedly operating the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja using forged government documents.

The Presidency has consistently maintained that the council has no legal existence and has described Adeniyi as an impostor, distancing the Federal Government from the alleged organisation despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a ₦1.3 billion allocation.