• Lagos police deploy personnel, restrict movement ahead of LG elections
• Nigeria, US discuss new visa policies in Abuja meeting
• Nigeria secures $747m loan for Lagos-Calabar coastal highway
• UK to roll out e-visas for Nigerian study and work applicants from July 15
• Canada raises minimum settlement funds for immigrants

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

Lagos police deploy personnel, restrict movement ahead of LG elections

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has ordered the massive deployment of security personnel across the state to ensure a peaceful local government election scheduled for Saturday, July 12.

Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Wednesday, said vehicular movement would be restricted from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. on election day, affecting all roads and waterways.

Hundeyin added that comprehensive security measures have been implemented, warning that police escorts, covered number plates, and sirens near polling units and collation centres are prohibited.

Nigeria, US discuss new visa policies in Abuja meeting

Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, met with United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, on Wednesday in Abuja to discuss recent visa policy changes affecting Nigerian nationals.

The meeting, also attended by Nigeria Immigration Service Comptroller-General Kemi Nanna Nandap and Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Magdalene Ajani, focused on aligning visa protocols and enhancing cooperation.

Tunji-Ojo said the U.S. ambassador offered key insights into the revised American visa procedures, while praising Nigeria’s new e-visa system as a forward-thinking move to improve travel application processes.

Nigeria secures $747m loan for Lagos-Calabar coastal highway

Nigeria has secured a $747 million syndicated loan to fund Phase 1, Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, covering the 47.47km stretch from Victoria Island to Eleko Village in Lagos.

According to a statement by Mohammed Manga, director of information at the Ministry of Finance, the loan represents Nigeria’s largest syndicated infrastructure financing to date, signaling strong global investor confidence in the country’s economic reforms and infrastructure plans.

Deutsche Bank led the financing as global coordinator and bookrunner, joined by other regional and international lenders.

UK to roll out e-visas for Nigerian study and work applicants from July 15

The United Kingdom will begin issuing electronic visas (e-visas) to most Nigerian applicants for study and work permits starting July 15, 2025. Successful applicants will no longer receive a physical visa vignette in their passports but will instead get a secure digital immigration status record.

Gill Lever, chargé d’affaires at the British High Commission in Abuja, described the transition as a key step in the UK’s move to fully digitise its immigration system, calling it “more secure, efficient, and convenient.”

However, physical visa stickers will still be issued to dependents of students and workers, as well as visitor visa applicants, at least for now. The change applies to all eligible applications submitted on or after July 15.

Canada raises minimum settlement funds for immigrants

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the minimum settlement fund requirements for immigrants, with the new threshold set at CAD $15,262 (approximately ₦17.1 million) for a single applicant.

Effective July 7, 2025, a two-person family must now show proof of CAD $19,001 (over ₦21.2 million), up from the previous CAD $14,690. This adjustment is part of IRCC’s annual review, which bases the figures on 50% of the low-income cut-off totals set by Statistics Canada.

The updated requirement applies to new applicants under economic immigration programs and those awaiting decisions on pending applications.