Chinedu Eze
the accident investigation body of the United
Obi says labour of Nigeria’s founders in vain Flays double standard of protesters under Jonathan Ohanaeze Ndigbo: Keeping Nigeria united requires deliberate efforts
$2bn Upstream FID expected this quarter Lokpobiri bemoans unnecessary summoning of IOCs, independents by N’Assembly
Peter Uzoho in Houston, Texas
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (NMDGIF) has so far accumulated to about $400 million as concerns around the implementation of the Decade of Gas (DoG) policy continues to swell, THISDAY learnt yesterday.
This was just as a Final Investment Decision (FID) on an upstream gas project was expected to take place this quarter to give an impetus to the realisation of the decade-long programme.
The DoG declared by the immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2021, seeks to power Nigeria’s economy and industrialise the country by using the country’s abundant gas resources as an enabler by the end of 2030.
Providing updates on the policy during the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) Luncheon at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, USA, Coordinator of the Decade of Gas Secretariat, Mr. Ed Ubong, revealed that the NMDGIF, which is one of the vehicles for the actualisation of the DoG had accumulated about $300 million to $400 million.
At the session which centred on the theme: “Harnessing Nigeria’s Gas Potential for Domestic Utilisation and Global Market,” Ubong said about N122 billion had been disbursed from the NMDGIF fund to fund
some critical infrastructure projects in partnership with project promoters
“Remember that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) also established the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund. At the last count, when we sort of looked at it, there was maybe about $300 or $400 million sitting in that fund.
“That is an equity fund where government is saying, if you want to build infrastructure, we may not have money to fully fund it. But we are willing to put some seed equity into it to provide for you investor comfort to move ahead. As at last year, that fund had disbursed about N122 billion,” he disclosed.
He expressed confidence that another batch of disbursements would be carried out before the middle of the year to fund more projects.
According to him, these are projects that play in the midstream and downstream to help close the infrastructure gap such as pipelines, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), mini Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) among others.
Ubong, however, admitted that Nigeria’s gas sector had been plagued by legacy issues, adding that the most important demand customer for the sector is power, with about 70 per cent, apart from the export market.
He argued that the power sector has struggled on the gas side because the power plants owed gas producers significant amounts of money.
As part of the solution, Ubong noted that in spite of the financial challenges existing in the federal budget, President Bola Tinubu in his magnanimity, had on April 4, 2024 approved the settlement of all reconciled gas to power areas
He said the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas) was working to start the deductions and draw on that base.
He pointed out that investors needed that kind of confidence that endures that the gas they put into the power plants will be paid for.
“If we don’t do it, we can sit here and hold OTC as many times as possible. Investors will be looking
for where they can put gas and get paid.
“So that’s something that needs to happen and it’s happening. And that’s why I said the president is leading the way in enabling gas”, he said.
On the DoG programme, Ubong said progress had been recorded regardless of the perception that it had stagnated, adding that a lot had changed in the gas landscape between 2020 to 2025.
He mentioned the signing of the FID for the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7, the passage of the PIA, which for the first time provided clear sections that addressed
gas issues, particularly gas fiscals and all others.
He also mentioned the FID on the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project, which has been under construction.
“So we sat down with this same group of people. All the resource holders said, what is holding you from bringing additional volumes to the surface? And how much can you bring?”
During engagements with operators in a bid to actualise the policy, Ubong said they identified 21 projects that would bring 4.7 billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas per day to the surface
from the supply side. That, he said, represented about a 50 per cent growth from the current production position.
He further explained, “69 items were identified as the bottlenecks. We called them things that needed to be unlocked. As of today, 45 of those have been fully addressed. “We have begun to see some of the benefits. You’ve heard about the FID for Iseni. Total took FID on Ubeta. “This quarter, we expect a $2 billion FID. Because of confidentiality, I can’t sort of announce it, but we expect another $2 billion FID to sort of happen.”
Peter Uzoho in Houston,Texas
With a significant rise in its gas reserves and production after the acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) from Exxon Mobil, Nigeria’s major indigenous energy company, Seplat Energy Plc is aiming to start exporting gas to enable it boost foreign exchange (FX) earnings and maximise value to stakeholders.
The Managing Director of Seplat Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU), Mr. Dotun Isiaka, disclosed this during a panel session organised by the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) on the sidelines
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has launched Nigeria’s National Mass Fatality Response Plan, aimed at enhancing the country’s capacity for effective and coordinated response to mass fatality incidents.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of NEMA, Mrs. Zubaida Umar, described the framework as a testament to the agency’s commitment to strengthening national preparedness and response mechanisms.
“In recent years, Nigeria has witnessed numerous mass fatalities caused by disasters such as explosions, floods, building collapses, epidemics, and other tragic emergencies. These events have left families grieving
and communities devastated. Too often, the pain is compounded by the absence of a coordinated and compassionate response. This plan is our collective resolve to change that narrative,” Umar disclosed.
She explained that the plan was developed through a rigorous, consultative, and evidence-based process involving key stakeholders.
“Our goal is not only operational efficiency but also to uphold the dignity and identity of every life lost,” she added.
According to the DG NEMA, the plan will significantly boost national capacity to manage mass fatalities by improving inter-agency coordination, promoting transparency and accountability, and most importantly, restoring dignity to victims while
providing comfort to their families.
She urged stakeholders to ensure the plan becomes a living document that actively guides operations, training, and response at all levels.
In his welcome remarks, NEMA’s Director of Planning, Research, and Forecasting, Onimode Bandele, commended the DG and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for their sustained support and determination, leading to the successful completion of the plan — a process that began seven years ago.
Also speaking, Ms. Nourane Houas, Project Coordinator for ICRC Nigeria, expressed optimism that the plan will be swiftly operationalised, enhancing preparedness, coordination, and dignity in mass fatality response efforts.
of the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2025 in Houston, Texas, USA.
The session’s moderator and Executive Chairman of AA Holdings, Mr. Austin Avuru had asked Isiaka to talk about Seplat’s future plan in the Nigerian gas business, having acquired MPNU, that has substantial gas reserves that could serve both export and domestic supply.
In response, Isiaka stated, “The answer is really simple. It’s both. But let me make an overarching statement that Seplat believes in energy for all in the country. We believe that gas should be the primary source to power the economy.”
He expressed Seplat’s belief that indigenous participation was needed, noting that there needs to be indigenous leadership, and that the company believes that the expertise
should come from within the country.
According to him, Seplat was front and center, playing a leadership role, stressing that a lot of collaboration would be required across the entire value chain to make it happen.
In terms of specifics around the company’s gas reserves and output, the SEPNU boss said, “I’ll start with the onshore. It’s true, as of today, we have a combined capacity between Oben and Sapele gas plant of around 550 million cubic feet per day. And in terms of what we are pushing through that system, it’s about 200 million short.
“There needs to be some effort to get additional gas from suppliers in that area. There is ANOH gas plants, 300 million cubic feet per day. It’s almost complete. It’s essentially complete.
“That’s another 300. Primarily, we
wanted to go into the domestic market. But in the near term, we would have to make some stopgap arrangements to take it to energy.”
Referring to SEPNU, Isiaka said there are tremendous potential in the asset as well, saying the volume was approximately 14 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas.
He said the gas is close to existing infrastructure, adding that the company has three compression hubs in its offshore assets and a combined capacity of 1700 million cubic feet per day.
“So the 14 TCs is close to existing infrastructure. What needs to happen there is upstream expenses to bring the molecules to those compression facilities and then the pipeline to take it to shore. And we can play in both domestic market and in the export market.
Africa cannot afford to remain fragmented in the face of global trade uncertainties, Flutterwave’s Founder and CEO, Olugbenga Agboola has said.
A statement disclosed that Agboola, made the remarks while speaking at the Semafor World Economic Summit.
Semafor organised its annual World Economic Summit in Washington, D.C., amidst heightened global economic uncertainties. The event gathered leading voices from both the public and
private sectors across the world.
Speaking with Payoneer’s CEO, John Caplan, in a fireside chat moderated by Semafor’s Yinka Adegoke, Agboola stressed the urgent need to continue building infrastructure and developing initiatives to boost Africa’s crossborder trade amid geopolitical shifts.
“In a time when global trade is becoming more unpredictable, Africa cannot afford to remain fragmented, a statement quoted Agboola to have said.
While acknowledging that cross-border payment growth in the continent was not limited to the “big four” fintech markets, he expressed concerns that, “the share of overall trade within Africa is still low.”
“The momentum in trade between countries like Nigeria and Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, Rwanda and Ghana shows intraAfrican trade is happening and we’re building an infrastructure to drive that growth even more aggressively,” he added.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo(left), and Brazilian Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, during a meeting to discuss ways to improve business relations between both countries in Brasilia on Tuesday
The global trade in counterfeit goods has remained a major threat to economies, consumers and supply chains worldwide, reaching $467 billion, according to a new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and European Union Intellectual Property Office (OECD–EUIPO) report.
The new report warned that this poses risks to consumer safety and may compromise intellectual property.
According to the report released yesterday, based on the latest available data, counterfeit goods accounted for an estimated $467 billion in global trade in 2021.
It noted that since then, the same underlying patterns and risks have continued to drive the global counterfeit trade.
Titled, ‘Mapping Global Trade in Fakes 2025: Global Trends and Enforcement Challenges,’ the fourth joint study by the OECD and EUIPO, provides a detailed picture of the global counterfeit trade and offers practical guidance for policymakers to protect consumers, support legitimate businesses, and uphold the integrity of international trade.
counterfeit goods.
“At the same time, the report finds that counterfeiters are expanding into new sectors reaching nearly every aspect of daily life. Hazardous fakes, including automotive parts, medicines, cosmetics, toys and food were increasingly prevalent, posing serious risks to consumer health and safety,” the report stated.
Commenting, the OECD SecretaryGeneral Mathias Cormann said, “Illicit trade threatens public safety, undermines intellectual property rights and hampers economic growth, and the risks could increase as counterfeiters leverage new technologies and techniques to avoid detection.
“The OECD’s continued monitoring and mapping of the global trade in fakes shows the need for authorities to adopt new tools and step up their cooperation and information sharing.”
Also, the study acknowledged that while China remains the dominant source of counterfeit goods, accounting for 45 percent of all reported seizures in 2021, other countries from Asia, the Middle East and Latin America are also involved in counterfeit trade.
According to the study, clothing, footwear, and leather goods among the most affected sectors, accounting jointly for 62 percent of seized
The report also highlighted how trade routes were evolving as counterfeiters were increasingly using international waterways and adopting localisation strategies, shipping unassembled parts or packaging
to assemble fake products closer to end markets, further complicating detection.
“Counterfeiters are becoming savvy at quickly producing fake versions of in-demand products, advertising online, and taking
advantage of less scrutinised shipping methods; around 65 percent of seizures involve small parcels and mail, showing a shift toward distribution channels that offer speed, convenience, and lower risk of inspection.
“To tackle this worldwide threat, the report calls for continued monitoring and more coordinated responses, including real-time information sharing among customs, police, financial intelligence units, and market surveillance authorities.
“Stronger cooperation and exchange of best practices among trade intermediaries, postal and shipping services, free trade zones, and logistics firms, is essential in preventing the misuse of their networks”, the report stated.
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Prominent Nigerians, including President Bola Tinubu, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio as well as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, are expected to grace the opening ceremony of the 55th Annual Conference of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) today in Abuja.
During the programme which formally kicked off on Monday, the Nigerian president, the organisation said yesterday, shall be conferred with the honour of the Grand Patron of the Institution.
President of the group, Victor Alonge, told journalists that also mEEting
Kasim sumaina in Abuja
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, Wednesday hailed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approving the country’s first-ever National Marine and Blue Economy Policy. He hinted that Nigeria has taken a bold step toward unlocking the full potential of its marine and coastal resources, adding that the landmark approval marks a watershed moment in Nigeria’s economic and environmental trajectory. Oyetola, expressed strong optimism that the policy will lay the foundation for sustainable prosperity for the country even as he described the policy as a visionary framework for national development.
The Blue Economy Minister in a
statement by his Media and Communication Adviser, Bolaji Akinola, said: “The decision by FEC is timely and transformative. The new policy will serve as a strategic guide for the development of the marine and blue economy sector over the next ten years, helping Nigeria harness the full value of its oceans, seas, rivers, and inland waterways.
“The document provides not just policy direction, but a long-term implementation plan that aligns environmental protection with inclusive economic growth. This is a defining moment for our nation,” Oyetola said shortly after the policy’s approval.”
He further added, “The Federal Executive Council’s endorsement of this visionary policy signals a new dawn for Nigeria’s engagement with
its marine and aquatic resources. It is not just a policy document — it is a bold declaration of intent.”
He emphasised that the policy is designed to function as a living document, adaptable over time and responsive to global advancements, domestic realities, and sectoral innovation.
Oyetola explained that the policy was developed through a rigorous, inclusive process involving multilevel consultations with critical stakeholders across the country.
He underscored the importance of that collaborative approach, noting that it lends both credibility and practicality to the final product. “This is not a top-down document. It is the outcome of patient dialogue, expert input, and stakeholder consensus. That is why we are confident in its impact,” he said.
expected the Guest Speaker on the occasion will be the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr Zaccheaus Adedeji.
“We shall be having President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as Special Guest of Honour at the opening ceremony on Thursday, during which he shall be conferred with the honour of the Grand Patron of the Institution. The constitution of our institution gives room for the conferment of Grand Patron on the President, and State Governors as Patrons.
“Senate President, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, and Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives will be Guests of Honour, while the Guest Speaker is Dr Zaccheaus Adedeji, Special Adviser to the President on Revenue & Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“Top government officials at the federal and state levels, captains of industries and stakeholders in the real estate sector are also expected to attend the conference,” Alonge added.
At the end of the conference, he stated that the institution would avail the government and policy makers of its resolutions, actionable solutions and suggestions to enable them come up with policy thrusts that would
enhance national development.
“We shall also make the document available to relevant stakeholders for the purpose of using the conclusions for re-appraisal and aligning of real estate practices, strategies and operations with the best global practices,” he added.
According to Alonge, it will also provide a platform for NIESV members across the globe, stakeholders in the real estate industry, government functionaries and policy makers, operators and regulators of the real estate practice and members of the academia to brainstorm on strategic issues of national importance.
James Emejo in Abuja
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, yesterday said the autonomy of local governments should act as vehicle for transformation of the rural economy.
Speaking at the 18th Community of Practice (CoP) meeting in Umuahia, Abia State, the minister said local governments should transform into inclusive economic growth and development centers.
He also strongly advocated deepening local administration by creating governance structures at the ward level.
The CoP includes the Commissioners of Budget and Economic Planning from the 36 states of the federation. The platform serves as a mechanism to support national economic coordination, enhance intergovernmental cooperation, and ensure that development objectives are aligned across
federal, state, and local government structures.
Bagudu, while addressing the meeting with the theme, “Local Government Autonomy: Imperative for Good Governance and Sustainable National Development,” argued that rapid national development would remain stunted unless local administration, particularly at the ward level, was structured to become a true engine of planning, investment, and transformation, where change is not just promised but made real.
He stated that the real question was not whether autonomy existed but how local governance could be effective within the existing framework.
The minister said, “Rather than fixating on the control debate, we must focus on functionality. Autonomy should not be seen as an end; it should be a vehicle for development, a platform for service delivery, and a pathway to citizen empowerment.”
He urged the commissioners to redefine autonomy not as detachment but as empowered interdependence. “It challenges us to think differently, plan with intent, and act purposefully.” Bagudu said, “True development does not trickle down—it must rise from the ground up. If we are serious about transformative change, it must begin at the very base of our society: the ward level.”
He noted that although the ward was the most foundational unit of the nation’s governance architecture, it was paradoxically the most overlooked, explaining that Nigeria must begin at that level to undergo real and lasting transformation.
According to him, “The ward is where the realities of poverty are most acutely felt—and where the impact of progress will be most visible and meaningful. Each ward in Nigeria mirrors the broader economy in miniature.
Obinna Chima
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has removed Nigeria from its list of debtor-countries.
In a report, titled, “Total IMF Credit Outstanding – Movement from May 01, 2025 to May 06, 2025,” obtained on the multilateral institution’s website yesterday, Nigeria was not listed among the debtors, which had 91 developing and least developed countries owing the fund a total of $117,797,656,224 as at May 6, 2025.
Total IMF credit outstanding refers to the total amount of unpaid and outstanding principal due to the fund from its member countries. This includes both outstanding loans under current arrangements and those that have expired.
When contacted on the development yesterday, a top IMF official in Washington DC, who pleaded to remain anonymous, told THISDAY, “We are trying to confirm the reports. Nigeria borrowed
during the pandemic. It was a rapid finance loan, and we are trying to confirm whether it has now been fully repaid.”
However, StatiSense, a data company, which also confirmed on its X handle yesterday that Nigeria was no longer listed on the list of countries indebted to IMF, revealed that as at July 28, 2023, Nigeria owed the fund $1.61 billion.
StatiSense said the debt was reduced to $1.37 billion as at January 5, 2024; $933.03 million as at July 10, 2024; $472.06 million as at January 8, 2025, before it was finally settled this month.
It was learnt that the value was converted from Special Drawing Rights (SDR), an international reserve asset created by IMF to supplement the official reserves of its member countries, to US dollars.
In a post on his X handle, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Engagement, Strategy, and New Media, O’tega Ogra, said the develop-
F INA llY, Se NAT e pASS e S T W
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The senate passed two of the tax reform bills, namely the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025 and the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill 2025, at plenary yesterday.
The passage of the bills followed the presentation and consideration of the report of the Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa.
After the clause-by-clause consideration of the two bills, the red chamber retained the 7.5 per cent being collected by the federal government from consumers of goods and services as Value Added Tax (VAT).
It approved that the federal government should be entitled to 10 per cent of the total revenue collected as taxes, while the states and local governments get 55 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively.
The proposed legislation defined
derivation as the place of consumption of products and services.
It clarified that states where any product was consumed would be the beneficiary of the VAT collected on such item.
Besides, the senate okayed the establishment of Tax Appeal Tribunal.
It approved the renaming of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
Similarly, the upper chamber approved the constitution of a board of directors for the proposed NRS, with a non-executive Chairman heading the board of the agency, while the chief executive officer would be addressed as Executive Vice Chairman.
The senate okayed a two per cent cost of production for the proposed NRS from the funds collected from the oil and non-oil sectors.
It explained that the Tax Appeal Tribunal shall be funded through the Consolidated Revenue Fund, as
W I g W e’ S Hel I cop T er c r ASH Due To Negl I ge N ce, pI loT ’ S e rror, NTSB r eve A l S
flight under visual flight rules (VFR) despite encountering instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
The reports stated that this decision led to the pilot becoming spatially disoriented and ultimately losing control of the aircraft, which crashed into the terrain.
According to the NTSB, the pilot was likely to have been affected by spatial disorientation, which occurs when the pilot’s sense of direction was compromised due to limited visibility, commonly resulting in a loss of control.
The report emphasised that the pilot’s inability to navigate effectively in these conditions was a significant factor in the fatal accident.
In addition to the pilot’s decision, the report also cited severe deficiencies in the company’s oversight and safety management processes.
The NTSB found that the helicopter company failed to ensure pilots followed essential safety procedures, including the accurate completion and updating of flight risk assessments and the proper logging of maintenance discrepancies.
Further details from the report revealed that during the flight, the pilot had communicated with the company’s Director of Maintenance (DOM) about an issue with the radar altimeter, which remained non-functional despite attempts to fix it.
The NTSB also revealed that after arriving at the airport to pick up the passengers, the pilot and a company flight follower engaged in a phone conversation but failed to discuss
the status of the radar altimeter or the current weather conditions, both of which could have impacted the flight’s safety.
The report stated: “The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight into IMC, which led to spatial disorientation and the loss of control of the aircraft.
“Contributing factors include the company’s inadequate oversight of safety management, failure to ensure proper documentation, and the non-functioning radar altimeter.
“During the return flight, the pilot texted the director of maintenance (DOM) about the issue. After arriving at the company’s flight operations base, the pilot discussed the issue with the company flight follower (who was also the company’s president).
“A company mechanic performed some troubleshooting on the radar altimeter; however, he was unable to rectify the issue, and the radar altimeter remained non-functional.
“The mechanic reported that the pilot and the DOM were aware that the radar altimeter was not functioning, yet they departed at 1822 on the positioning flight to pick up the passengers.
“About 40 minutes later, the positioning flight landed at the airport to pick up the charter passengers. After arrival, the pilot and flight follower had a phone conversation and exchanged text messages, but they did not discuss the status of the radar altimeter or weather conditions.”
ment was a sign of discipline, reform, and strategic reset by the Tinubu administration in restructuring “our finances to enable us to be better placed for a prosperous future”.
Ogra added, “As Nigeria closes the chapter on these legacy debt obligations, we are better placed to strengthen our fiscal credibility and show the world, and ourselves that Nigeria is serious about managing our economy with responsibility and vision.
“Does this mean no more business with the IMF or other foreign lenders? No! Nigeria still remains a member of the IMF and can approach it at any time if the situation demands. This is definitely not a door slammed shut.
“Why? Because, global partnerships, like the IMF, remain valuable allies, especially in a world defined by volatility and uncertainty. The difference now is that any future engagement will be proactive, not reactive, and will also be based on
may be appropriated by the National Assembly, towards the execution of its functions under the Act.
It also provided a clearer, more structured, and professional qualification standard for Tax Appeal Commissioners, promoting efficiency and credibility in tax dispute resolution.
The bill expanded the tribunal’s jurisdiction to cover all federal and state tax laws and amended it to restrict it to tax disputes and not controversies.
It said the tax appeal commissioners shall be paid salaries and allowances to be determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. This was done to provide for emoluments.
Furthermore, the senate approved the establishment of Office of the Tax Ombud, which shall be funded from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, as may be appropriated by the National Assembly.
The senate rejected the recommendation of the finance committee, which stated, “Except as otherwise provided under this Act, any other law or any enabling agreement or arrangement or as otherwise authorised by the Board or the Executive Secretary, any person who discloses institutional information, communication, document or internal, shall on conviction, be liable to a fine of N5,000,000.00.”
The red chamber deleted the clause as being draconian, autocratic,
the system, it was carefully and meticulously designed to meet certain national objectives.
The former president stated that the issue of Nigeria slipping to a single-party state has been dominating the news in recent times, noting that it was important that he (Jonathan) contributed to the national discourse.
“When you listen to the news or go through social media, that is one thing that on an occasion like this, one needs to talk about. Yes, countries have practiced a one-party system. It may not be evil after all.
“But Julius Nyerere of Tanzania used one party state to stabilise the country in their early days of independence. His country, just like Nigeria, has many tribes and tongues and two principal religions, Christianity and Islam.
“If he had not done that, some parties would toe the line of region, some on the basis of tribes and unity would be difficult. But it was properly planned. It was not by accident. If we must as a nation go the one party route, it must be designed. It must be planned by experts and we must know what we are going into.
“But if we go through the
O’tega Ogra
partnership, not dependence. Debt clearance today, reform momentum tomorrow.
“President Bola Tinubu will continue to prioritise long-term reforms with sound financial management for the benefit of our country and generations yet unborn. Nigeria is rising with clarity, capacity, and credibility,
obnoxious and self-serving.
Justifying the establishment of NRS, the senate agreed with its committee that it was to “provide for a legal, institutional and regulatory framework for the administration of taxes and revenue accruable to the government of the federation, as prescribed by the National Assembly”.
The bill said NRS would assess persons, including corporations, companies and individuals chargeable with tax, other than individuals resident in any state of the federation or the Federal Capital Territory.
The bill empowered NRS, in collaboration with the relevant ministries and agencies of government, subject to the approval of the senate, to review the tax regimes and promote the use of taxation to develop, stimulate, and grow economic activities.
NRS will also adopt measures to identify, trace, freeze, confiscate, or seize proceeds derived from tax fraud or evasion, in line with the provisions of the bill.
The bill added, “The Chairman of the Board who shall be appointed by the President; and (b) Executive Vice Chairman who shall be the head of the Revenue Service and subject to confirmation of the Senate.”
It said, “The Secretary shall be a lawyer, or a chartered accountant or a chartered secretary who shall not be less than the rank of a Deputy
backdoor by political manipulations, then we will be going into a crisis.
So, I will advise that probably in a country like Nigeria, we allow the system to stay as it is, which is a multi-party system. But if we for some reason must go one-party, it should not be an accident,” he posited.
Jonathan spoke against the backdrop of the increasing number of defections from the opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which civil society organisations have said won’t augur well for Nigeria’s democracy.
Besides, Jonathan urged the Clark’s family to institute an annual memorial lecture in honour of the late nationalist, saying it would help sustain his vision for a united, equitable, and prosperous Nigeria.
In his intervention at the event, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, argued that the sacrifices made by Nigeria’s founding fathers and nationalists like Edwin Clark were in vain, given the situation of the country today.
Obi criticised those who protested for the reversal of the removal of fuel
and this is why you should take a #BetOnNigeria.”
IMF recently commended Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms, describing them as bold measures that had helped stabilise the economy and lay the groundwork for future growth.
In its recent 2025 Article IV
Director.
“Executive directors should be appointed to the Board of the Service. We propose that the relevant clause be amended as follows.
“The President shall appoint six Executive Directors for the Service, each representing a geopolitical zone on rotational basis among the states in the zone in alphabetical order, provided that the Executive Vice Chairman and an Executive Director shall not come from the same state
“The timeline for reporting by the service should not exceed three months after the end of the preceding year.
“The amount of VAT revenue standing to the credit of states and local governments shall be distributed among them on the following basis:
“State Governments: Equality – 50 per cent; Population -20 per cent; Place of consumption -30 per cent; Local Governments -70 per cent; Equality -30 per cent.
“Change the word ‘Derivation’ to ‘place of consumption’ to provide clarity.
“Penalties for the following offences were amended as follows: Clause 100 – Failure to register: (a) N100,000.00 in the first month in which the failure occurs; and (b) N50,000.00 for each subsequent month in which the failure continues.
“Clause 101 – Failure to file returns:(a) N200,000.00 in the first month in which the failure oc-
subsidy under Jonathan, but have suddenly become silent under the current administration, lamenting the state of insecurity, poverty and rising cost of living nationwide.
“I am happy that General (Yakubu) Gowon is here and I am happy that former president Goodluck Jonathan is here. But I can tell you that their sacrifice is in vain. They sacrificed for nothing. We were in this country when people were protesting when there was no need to protest under Jonathan.
“Where are those protesters? Have they died? Jonathan raised the price of fuel from N87 to N120 per litre in this country and people were protesting and when it was N900, they were not protesting. Are they dead? Why are we saying it’s not in vain?”, he asked.
Also speaking, former Head of State, Gowon, who chaired the occasion, highlighted the importance of unity in the country. “Nigeria can only make progress when national interest is placed above personal ambition,” he pointed out.
Also, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, called for unity, jus-
Consultation Mission to Nigeria last month by a team led by Axel Schimmelpfennig, IMF had stated, “The Nigerian authorities have taken important steps to stabilise the economy, enhance resilience, and support growth. These reforms have put Nigeria in a better position to navigate the external environment.
“The macroeconomic outlook is marked by significant uncertainty. Elevated global risk sentiment and lower oil prices impact the Nigerian economy.
“Macroeconomic policies need to further strengthen buffers and resilience, reduce inflation, and support private sector-led growth.”
Schimmelpfennig, in the statement, noticed that the cessation of deficit financing by CentraL Bank of Nigeria (CBN), removal of costly fuel subsidies, and improvements in the foreign exchange market were major policy shifts that signalled a commitment to reform.
curs: and (b) N50,000.00 for each subsequent month in which the failure continues.
“Clause 102 – Failure to keep books: (b) on request by the relevant tax authority, fails to provide any record or book prescribed in this Act shall be liable to pay an administrative penalty of: in the case of a person other than a company, N10,000.00, and in the case of a company, NI00,000.00.
“Clause 107 – Failure to remit tax deducted at source or self-account: A person who fails to comply with subsections (1) and (2), shall on conviction for any of the offences under this section, in addition to the administrative penalty, be liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding three years.
“Development Levy: Retain the funding of TETFUND, NASENI, NITDA, Cyber Security and NELFUND from the Development levy using the following sharing formula: “Tertiary Education Trust Fund 50 per cent; Nigerian Education Loan Fund 15 per cent; National Information Technology Development Fund – 10 per cent; and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure 10 per cent. Others are, the National Cybersecurity Funds – five per cent and the Defence Security Funds – 10 per cent. Retain the VAT rate at 7.5 per cent and Company Income Tax rate 30 per cent.”
tice, and greater state control of resources in Nigeria, stressing that such measures were essential to ensuring equity and a sense of belonging for all citizens.
President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, who lauded the legacy of the departed leader, described him as a beacon of justice and environmental advocacy.
“His life was a testament to his commitment to the struggle for justice and environmental sustainability. His unwavering determination to address the systemic underdevelopment and poverty that have plagued the region for decades is a legacy that inspires us all to continue the fight for justice, equity, and unity,” he noted.
While highlighting the importance of national cohesion, the Igbo leader reiterated that Nigeria’s diversity should be seen as a strength rather than a weakness, noting that deliberate efforts must be made to foster and maintain unity among the country’s various ethnic groups. “Our diversity is a strength, not a weakness. However, it requires deliberate efforts to maintain our nation’s unity,” he opined.
In a move to strengthen post-service reintegration and economic self-reliance among military personnel, the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), in partnership with EMPRETEC Nigeria Foundation, has graduated 31 officers from its Entrepreneurship and Management Training Course. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the intensive six-week programme focused on equipping senior and mid-level officers with practical skills in business development, leadership, and agriculture for life after service
The Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), in collaboration with the EMPRETEC Nigeria Foundation, has graduated 31 senior and mid-level officers from its Entrepreneurship and Management Training Course (14/2025), marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to empower military personnel with life-changing business skills.
Held at the Centre’s Resource Complex in Oshodi, Lagos, the six-week intensive course equipped officers with entrepreneurial, vocational and leadership competencies to aid their transition into civilian life.
The programme included a visit to Songhai Farms in Port Novo, Benin Republic, to underscore the role of agriculture in sustainable business.
Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bashir Rimi Mamman, Commandant of NAFRC, described the training as a “strategic initiative to boost productivity, self-reliance, and post-service reintegration.”
“You have been empowered to shape the future, turn visions into realities, and contribute to national development,” he told the graduates. “Leadership is not just about authority—it is about empowering others.”
The graduates consisted of 17 officers from the Major to Lieutenant Colonel ranks and 14 officers in the Colonel to Major General cadre, alongside four NAFRC personnel. AVM Mamman praised their dedication and noted the Centre’s intention to hold the course quarterly to reach more officers.
“As entrepreneurs and managers, be reminded that you are engines of growth, creators of
wealth and drivers of innovation in a rapidly evolving world,” he said.
He added that the curriculum had been reviewed to meet the high standards expected of senior officers and highlighted agriculture as a key area for sustainable post-service ventures.
Beyond training, NAFRC has taken further steps to support the officers by facilitating business registration. AVM Mamman announced that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) will visit the
Centre in June to assist graduates in formalising their ventures.
“As part of efforts toward ensuring that participants register their businesses with ease, the Centre has invited the CAC to facilitate the process of business registration for participants,” he said.
The graduation ceremony was chaired by H.E. Donald Duke, former Cross River State Governor and Chairman of the EMPRETEC Nigeria Foundation.
Representing the Foundation’s founder, his wife Mrs Onari Duke, he lauded the officers and the NAFRC training team for their efforts.
“As ‘Empretecos,’ I urge you to embrace innovation, effective management, and social responsibility,” Duke said. “The entrepreneurial mindset you’ve developed here will drive positive change in our society.”
Mrs Duke, in her remarks delivered by her husband, stressed the significance of the new skills acquired.“Innovation and risktaking drive entrepreneurial success, and effective management fuels organisational growth,” she said. “Your new skills can positively impact your communities.”
Director of Training, Brigadier General I.O. Olatunji, disclosed that 30 participants completed the course out of the 85 expected, citing their discipline and commitment. He described the programme as a testament to the Centre’s dedication to the long-term welfare of military personnel.
Certificates were awarded by AVM Mamman, with special recognition given to outstanding performers. The event highlighted the deepening role of NAFRC in building bridges between military service and civilian enterprise. With Nigeria’s increasing focus on job creation, productivity and innovation, the NAFRC-EMPRETEC collaboration stands out as a forward-looking model. It offers officers not just a soft landing from military service, but a springboard into a new life of leadership, entrepreneurship and national contribution.
Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the recent partnership between the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), and Bras Marine and Yacht Services Ltd, targets public education, stricter enforcement, multi-stakeholder collaboration and safer transport systems in the new campaign, while promoting a culture of responsibility among boat operators, passengers, and regulators alike
In a powerful display of public-private collaboration, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), and Bras Marine and Yacht Services
Ltd have joined forces to launch a sweeping safety campaign aimed at tackling the perennial risks associated with water transportation in Lagos. With boat mishaps claiming lives annually, the campaign places urgent focus on safety education, stricter enforcement, and multi-stakeholder collaborations.
The campaign also seeks to heighten public awareness on water travel best practices and promote a culture of responsibility among boat operators, passengers, and regulators alike.
“For us at NIWA, this partnership represents a critical turning point,” declared Engr. Sarat Buraimo, NIWA’s Area Manager, during a press conference in Lagos. “Our goal is simple: to reduce accidents on our waterways to the barest minimum. We want every passenger and every operator to understand that safety is non-negotiable. Whether you are boarding a ferry in Lagos or crossing a river in another state, we want Nigerians to know they can trust the system.”
Buraimo noted that while public education is vital, enforcement is key to long-term change. “We are not just here to sensitise the public; we are here to strengthen enforcement. Operators who flout safety regulations—overloading, lack of life jackets and poor maintenance—must know that we are watching. We will not hesitate to apply sanctions where necessary,” she stated.
She also announced that NIWA will introduce certification programmes to ensure operators are formally trained. “We need to start with the operators, many of whom have never received formal training. We will be rolling out new operator certification
programmes to make sure they understand basic safety procedures, navigation rules, and passenger responsibility,” she said.
Also speaking, LASWA General Manager, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel stressed the importance of partnership in improving safety standards.
“We need the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders. For me, the key element here is collaboration—and we are witnessing that today.
The government cannot do it alone. In terms of safety and awareness, we need the support of private sector organisations,” he said. He referenced a previous donation of 2,500 life jackets by Total Nigeria Limited, noting its positive impact. “Lagos is surrounded by water, and we want to ensure that we can optimise water transportation safely. While we’re doing well, the reward for hard work is even more
work. We need to do more,” Emmanuel added. He called on other Nigerian states to develop their waterways, noting that 28 of the 36 states have yet to fully utilise this resource.
Bras Marine Services Chairman, Prince Yomi Sonuga, echoed the need for improved safety compliance, especially regarding overcrowding and equipment failures. “Safety is a great concern we all should take seriously because casualties from boat accidents are devastating.
“We remember the number of people that died when 360 passengers were packed on a 90-passenger boat,” he said. “This happens everywhere, not just in Nigeria, when there’s overcrowding or when authorities fail to enforce regulations.”
He argued that operators must take greater responsibility and not prioritise profit over human life. “The operators have to take responsibility. They cannot just be counting naira; they need to consider that life is important. Anything we can do to assist you as operators—that’s why we’re here,” Sonuga said.
He proposed Bras Marine’s support could include discounted safety equipment and spare parts rather than just life jacket donations. He also revealed a significant tourism opportunity on the horizon.
“One of the world’s largest cruise companies is considering Lagos as a hub. Imagine hundreds of millions of dollars coming into Lagos when these cruise ships start arriving. Apart from transportation, this will boost tourism and create business opportunities across Epe, Badagry and beyond,” he said.
The initiative signals a united front to create a safer, more regulated waterway system in Lagos, with the hope that other regions across Nigeria will follow suit.
www.thisdaylive.com
Thursday
opinion@thisdaylive.com
A governor must know when to talk, and when to act, argues TAJUDEEN KAREEM
See page 21
Though a better alternative to petrol, TAYO OGUNBIYI argues the need to establish more CNG stations across the country
See page 21
The increasing inter-party migrations in Nigeria are undermining democratic ideals and practices, MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE warns
Bring it on, Nigerian politicians! What else can they do now to shock those who know them well? They have become so predictable in their self-centeredness that most of the citizens they claim to serve have resigned to a fate they most probably never anticipated at the commencement of the fourth republic in 1999. The latest bug is defection, an exercise that is by no means new but now assumes more cancerous dimensions. At the last count, some members of Edo State House of Assembly, including the speaker, have just moved from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But that action has lesser implications for regional and national politics than the one that occurred in Delta State a fortnight ago.
The significance of what Vice President Kashim Shettima described in Asaba as “a political tsunami of unimaginable proportions that had never happened in the history of the South-South sub-region and the history of Nigeria” is still unfolding. As expected, the sheer magnitude of the operation, number and calibre of the dramatis personae have brought joy to the top APC hierarchy whose governmental incumbency sits pretty atop an increasingly linear, monopolistic polity. As for the deflated PDP, it remains to be seen how what is left of its bravado can salvage anything to keep it afloat, relevant and competitive in what appears to be a looming contest between an all-conquering APC and its cowered, disjointed opponents.
I’m still trying to digest that melodrama in Delta being condemned by some as betrayal and opportunism but hailed by others as bold and visionary. Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, immediate past governor of the state who, only two years ago, canvassed for votes around the federation as vice presidential candidate of PDP, made a consequential statement of his political career the other day: “It was not about me; it was not about the governor, but about the fact that there is a need for us to connect to Abuja. That goodwill that is in Abuja, that resource that is in Abuja - of which Delta State is a large contributor - there was a need to connect to it. I was governor for eight years. I was in opposition. I did my best, but we lost a lot. As the governor is doing a lot for us, he also needs to connect to the greater source of power, resources, and goodwill in Abuja.
“It is time for us to embrace each otherour brothers and sisters who were already in the APC and those of us that have come into the family. We need to embrace each other and work with oneness of heart. It is time for us to stand together in great support for Mr President and Mr Governor because together we can truly dominate the politics in Delta State. I believe there will be no other party, with this move that we have made.”
That sounds altruistic, no doubt, but it hasn’t doused the overwhelming views that Okowa did what he did for narrow, selfish reasons, especially in relation to his pending cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). But does that
even matter now? Survival instinct has always been on man’s priority list. And members of the Nigerian political class are not known to disguise theirs often. Sadly, Okowa is yet another reminder that there are many of his kind in critical positions who act without qualms about the larger consequences of their actions.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s comment the day he led the decampees into the opposing side is equally indicative of our politicians’ tendency to weaponise half-truths in efforts to make certain doubtful steps look agreeable. His words: “What you have seen here today is a movement, not a defection. We have consulted stakeholders at all levels. Mr President has shown us love. We cannot face him in 2027 to work against him. When you consult widely, you can see that the love is organic.”
The cynics who once scoffed at Oborevwori’s capacity to command English language well in public must now, at least, recognise his ability to muster one or two quotable quotes of his own, especially on august occasions. Just see the way he threw love - delight, liking, fondness and adoration - into the less sublime mix of muscular politics on display in Nigeria today. What shall we say then? For Tinubu so loved Delta State that the Sheriff could not but hand the political soul of the place to him?
The ways of Nigerian politicians are truly past finding out!
To further roughen an already challenged atmosphere, few days after the Delta experience, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, threw the party that brought him to power in 2023 under the bus, hinting at his imminent departure from it. And he did that with a biting imagery. Imagine this: “If you wanted to travel with Ibom Airline and, on the verge of taking off, it developed a fault that won’t enable it to fly, won’t you board the next available plane to take you to your destination?”
Haba, man of God! Has it now come to this?
You’re supposed to be among the highestranking functionaries of the party that ran the present democratic dispensation from nascency to adolescence and later handed power over successfully. No matter the current state of that organisation, you should have been more circumspect in speaking against it. Sadly, you’re indeed not alone. You’re actually in a large company of less tactful position seekers and occupants.
A commissioner in Delta gave a similar analogy earlier. But, in comparing PDP to palm wine that loses its taste, he unwittingly accused his co-travellers of being motivated by their own appetites, thereby suggesting that any talk about pursuing general interest is merely academic. It’s obvious that political parties in the country mainly serve as vehicles for power grabbing and furthering of private aggrandisements. Even at that, we may have underrated the extent to which this mindset has degenerated.
I am not a PDP apologist. And no plans to become one. It’s on record, however, that but for the maturity and selflessness of PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan who accepted his defeat by APC’s President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 despite his own party’s dream of ruling for 60 years, the history of democracy and, possibly, the country itself would have turned out differently. So, instead of the unfortunate gloating by some of its erstwhile pillars, PDP’s rapidly dwindling fortunes ought to sober everyone. Because of its nationwide spread and historic advantage, the party, more than the rest rivals of APC, still possesses the potential to provide the much-needed strong opposition. The ongoing attempts to forge a coalition that can checkmate APC are better spearheaded by PDP chieftains for the same reasons.
Let’s be clear. Moving from one political party to another in itself isn’t an aberration. It’s a global phenomenon. On a good day, it could even signify a healthy political environment in which members are free to make choices that do not have to be in agreement with the mainstream. Besides, cross-carpeting has been with us since the 1950s when 20 members of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) defected to Action Group (AG) to enhance the chances of Chief Obafemi Awolowo to become the premier of western Nigeria to the disadvantage of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. The second republic also witnessed its share of political desertions. But what we have now is unprecedented both in character and volume. Who will tell our politicians that the nation’s hard-won democracy mustn’t be taken for granted? How would they know that the repercussions for their rascality can also consume them?
Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board
A governor must know when to talk, and when to act, argues TAJUDEEN KAREEM
There has been lots of furore on a brief comment made by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mallam Mohammed Idris regarding the security situation in the North East, and precisely in Borno State after the commotion created by Governor Baba Gana Zulum.
Let us be clear from the beginning that the minister had a duty to defend the Tinubu Administration. Let us also concede that the governor knows where the shoe pinches. So, Prof Zulum was right to raise the alarm when insurgents started to regroup and started menacing his territories.
What exactly did the minister say to warrant a vitriolic response from the Zulum camp? This is the response of Mallam Idris to the alarm raised by Zulum: “Yes, security is indeed improving in many parts of the country even if acts of violence have not been completely eradicated. Security agencies are working round the clock to ensure that the situation in some parts of Borno State and other areas is brought under control.
“The synergy we have seen in the operations of security agencies especially in the last two years and the massive investment in hardware and other equipment indicates the seriousness which the federal government attaches to this issue. The Tinubu administration is committed to eradicating acts of banditry and terrorism across the country.
“The successes achieved by the security agencies in the last 18 months is an indication that indeed Nigeria is gradually returning to normalcy. Government calls on all especially the subnational governments to join hands to ensure rapid eradication of the remaining pockets of criminal elements wherever they may be.”
Nothing in the minister’s response contradicted the assertions of the governor. There was no attempt to diminish the seriousness of the situation painted by Zulum. There was even no attempt to exonerate the federal government from its responsibilities!
The Tinubu administration is committed to eradicating acts of banditry and terrorism across the country, the minister reiterated. So, where did he go wrong?
It can be assumed that Zulum did not have sufficient time to thoroughly understand media messages before responding to the minister. More likely, some overzealous media aides, more political than the one elected by the people, must have misled Governor Zulum to criticise the minister openly and unjustly.
Commentators have criticized Zulum's initial response without acknowledging that State Governors should have more information and better understand government operations.
Let us recall that the office of the Minister made attempts to elucidate on the issue. Mallam Rabiu Ibrahim, special assistant, issued a statement and wrote, inter alia: “A misleading caption by an online publication suggesting that the Minister, Mohammed Idris dismissed the recent concerns raised by the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, regarding the se-
curity situation in the state is categorically false and a gross distortion of the Minister’s remarks.
“At no time did the Minister say ‘Ignore Zulum, Boko Haram is not taking over Borno.’ Such a headline is not only sensational but deliberately crafted to stoke public misunderstanding and distract from the serious work the federal government is doing to address security challenges.
“In his response to media inquiries on Governor Zulum’s remarks, the Minister clearly acknowledged that while the federal government has made considerable progress in restoring peace and security across many parts of the country, some areas continue to face security challenges.
“He emphasized the ongoing efforts by the military and security forces, the sustained investments in security hardware and intelligence, and the federal government’s unwavering commitment to eradicating terrorism and banditry under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The Minister further called on all stakeholders, including state governments, to continue partnering with the federal government to bring lasting peace to affected communities.
“His comments were intended to provide context on the progress made, not to dismiss or downplay legitimate concerns.”
The minister himself, a public relations expert, has urged public officers to equip themselves with media and information literacy to avoid being vulnerable to misleading content or easily swayed by falsehoods and biased narratives.
At the second spokespersons Summit organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in Abuja, Idris emphasized that in today’s media-saturated world - where everyone, from PR professionals to CEOs, functions as a spokesperson, the ability to decipher, analyse, and evaluate information is no longer optional but essential.
“Today, in a world where everyone is a spokesperson, it becomes ever more paramount, to equip individuals with the tools to decipher, analyse and evaluate messages conveyed through various media channels, enabling the latitude to make informed decisions and engage with media content responsibly.
“Lately, due in effect to the lack of media literacy – the inability to analyse and contextualize media content in order to verify authenticity – public officers, and indeed the general public, have become prone to the cankerworm of fake news, misinformation and disinformation,” he said.
As often said by President Bola Tinubu, state governors must learn to provide good governance to their people rather than run to Abuja looking for solution to all ailments.
“Let the people be at the heart of your programmes. Your hard work and concrete achievements will answer any criticism. Ignore distractions — your results will speak for you,” Tinubu stated during the commissioning of major infrastructure projects during his recent visit to Katsina State. Kareem is a public relations practitioner in Abuja.
Though a better alternative to petrol, TAYO OGUNBIYI argues the need to establish more CNG stations across the country
One of the major policy pronouncements of President Bola Tinubu upon his inauguration was the termination of the controversial fuel subsidy regime.
I can still vividly recollect how Mr. President looked into the excited crowd at the Eagle Square and screamed, “Fuel subsidy is gone!”
If the crowd did not fully understand the import of the rather weighty pronouncement, they surely did by the following morning, as the fuel pump price astronomically moved from around N180 to over N1200.
Thus began a hyperinflation regime that suddenly shot up the prices of many items. Most affected, however, was the price of food items, as pepper, tomato, yam, rice, garri, and beans, among others, became prized items.
This, coupled with the high cost of transportation, made life quite unbearable for the average compatriot. Suddenly, the street became cold and quiet. This is no joke, the street simply stopped smiling. Perhaps, the most badly hit were the operatives of the informal sector who rely heavily on spending from middlelevel income earners to survive. Sadly, the middle-level income earners were not finding things easy either.
To say that yours sincerely also felt the heat would be an understatement. For me, most hit was the cost of fueling my car. Before the cancellation of the fuel subsidy regime, I was hardly spending close to N40,000 on fuel for my car every month. However, with the “fuel subsidy is gone” assertion, it shot up by more than 300%. I was spending close to N300,000 per month on fuel. It got so bad that I became nervous each time I gazed at the fuel gauge and discovered I needed to urgently refuel. By now, a few guys have abandoned their cars, opting for commercial vehicles. The road had become lighter with limited vehicles moving around.
It was a time that truly tested the much-talked-about resilient spirit of Nigerians. Considering the impolite, lousy, and uncouth nature of the typical Lagos driver and bus conductor, for me, going through commercial buses was never an alluring option.
So, I opted to carry my cross and sulk in silence. Meanwhile, the high cost of fuel was driving me crazy. Still, I chose to go by the hard way, which, as James Hardly Chase says, is the only way.
But then, I was soon to discover that the hard way, in this regard, was not the only way!
On a fateful day, I received a call from a good friend of mine, Ayoade, who lives in the highbrow part of the metropolis. After exchanging pleasantries, I teased him about the fuel situation, “I am sure you guys with fat pay care less about the high cost of fuel. As they say, man pass man”.
“Who says?” he asked.
“For your information, I have not taken my SUV out for about one year now. Fuelling it costs a fortune. So, what I do is to make use of my corolla car. Comparatively, it’s cheaper to fuel that”, he said.
Then, all of a sudden, he changed the gear of the conversation.
“Well, I have since moved on”, he said.
“How do you mean?”, I asked rather curiously.
“I have converted my SUV to CNG. I cannot come and die?”, he replied.
To douse my inquisitiveness, Ayoade went on to lecture me on CNG and the process involved en route conversion. By the average guy’s standard, he spent quite a fortune to make his SUV CNG compliant.
That, in his words, was a saving grace. Ever since, he said he has stopped wasting so much on fuelling.
He said, “That’s the way to go now, my brother. Do not listen to the lies on social media. It’s safe, convenient, and cost-effective to use CNG. I have been using it for about a year now, and I can tell you that I have no regrets”.
Encouraged by Ayoade’s sincere analysis and advice, I also decided to have a go at the CNG experience. With his guidance, I was able to convert my car at a lesser cost because of it's limited engine capacity. That was in November 2024.
Making that decision is a lifesaver. Indeed, that was
probably the wisest financial decision that I made in 2014. Swiftly, my finances improved, and my blood pressure stabilized! From spending close to N300,000 a month on fuel, my expenses dropped dramatically to a little below N30,000 monthly. Yes, you heard me right!
It was like magic! It was too good to be true. The first time I visited the gas station to fill my tank, and I saw the cost on the meter, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“What did you say, sir?” I asked the attendant.
“Your money is N2,800, sir”, he repeated. I cleared my eyes, looked at the meter, made the payment, and quickly zoomed off before he changed his mind.
That was how I was liberated from the shackles of the high cost of fuel.
I have been driving my CNG-powered car since November 2024, and I can confidently attest to the fact that it is a better option, especially for middleincome earners.
I had traveled from Lagos to Osogbo, in Osun State, spending less than N5000 on gas. I had traveled from Lagos to Ibadan in Oyo State, spending a mere N3800 on gas. I had traveled from Lagos to Abeokuta, spending less than N3000 on gas. For the average car user, the CNG is nothing but an economic liberator.
However, in the typical Naija fashion, these days, it is increasingly becoming tough and arduous to get one’s car filled up. Many Nigerians, especially operatives of Danfo, Marwa, and Korope, have also jasi (become compliant).
Only God knows how!
But the truth is that a lot of the commercial bus operators now use CNG. As a result of this, getting one’s car filled up with gas is now like the proverbial eye of the needle.
It is becoming increasingly strenuous, stressful, and irritating. These days, one spends close to two hours waiting to get a refill. It’s as bad as that. If not for its immense economic benefits, it’s almost becoming a frustrating experience.
One finds it rather incredible that in the whole of Lagos, there are not up to eight functional CNG stations. I stand to be corrected, anyway! In the whole of Oyo and Osun States, as I write this piece, the functional CNG stations are not up to three. With the high rate at which many are converting to CNG, it is quite clear that the number of CNG stations across the country needs to be increased urgently and rapidly.
The promoters of CNG did a lot to convince the people to make the shift, so they need to do more to retain them. The government and all stakeholders need to do more to fully entrench the CNG culture into our transport system. It is good to have options, and it is a better option!
Considering the relief that it brings to the people, especially car users, the only way the government could show that it cares about the welfare of the people is to encourage more investment in the whole CNG system.
Ogunbiyi
is Director, Features, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA
Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
The court ruling is in order
The Lagos Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) driver, Andrew Ominikoron, arrested in the March 2022 murder of Oluwabamise Ayanwola was last Friday sentenced to death by the Lagos State High Court. In her judgment on the tragic case that raises serious questions about the safety of public transportation, Justice Sherifat Sonaike held that the Lagos State Government had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt before prescribing the maximum penalty of death sentence for Ominikoron. The deceased, 22, was abducted after boarding a BRT in Lagos but was found dead nine days later in circumstances that suggested rape and murder. Ominikoron was arraigned on a five-count charge in connection with the girl’s death, as well as the sexual assault and rape of two other victims, Anosike Victoria and Maryland Ojiezelu.
escalation of worsening security and a tightening of the noose, metaphorically speaking, for residents in a transportation system characterised by inadequacies and risks.
In major cities in the country today, far too many Nigerians are falling prey to criminal activities inside public transport
While we once again commiserate with the family of the late Ayanwola, it is good that there is a closure on this tragic incident that speaks to the growing violence and lawlessness across the country. A promising young woman had boarded a Lagos government BRT before her untimely death in gory circumstances. According to reports, before her body was dumped, the young lady had been raped with some parts of her body taken away, presumably for ritual purposes. The fact that such things could happen on a government-owned public transport system made the tragedy even more egregious.
The murder was significant because BRT buses are considered one of the safest means of commuting within Lagos State. They were not previously associated with the “one chance” phenomenon in which robbers and ritual killers lure victims into vehicles for their nefarious activities. The tragedy therefore represented an
T H I S D AY
EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU
DEPUTY EDITOR WALE OLALEYE
MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO
DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU
CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI
EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA
GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU
DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE
DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI
SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI
CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI
DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO
TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com
Meanwhile, as we noted in a previous editorial, the incident has thrown up the issue of public safety. If riding in a state-owned vehicle is deadly, which one is safe? Besides, concerned authorities did not treat the tragedy with the urgency and seriousness it deserved. Elder brother to the deceased, James Joel, who spoke on behalf of the family at the time, said it took 10 days before the Police could disclose that the body had been found, whereas it was found the same day she boarded the bus. The Lagos State government was also lackadaisical in their initial response, raising questions as to whether the murder would not have attracted more attention if the family of the victim had been people of high status in the society. Now that the court has established what happened with punishment for the culprit, the Lagos State government must ensure that all BRT employees are made to go through rigorous background checks and their addresses and that of their sponsors verified. Also, CCTV cameras should be installed in all buses to monitor the drivers and commuters. Lastly, all the BRT buses should be fitted with alarm systems, which a passenger could press when in danger. The alarm system should also be remotely connected to the BRT terminus (a kind of command and coordinating centre) such that any alarm raised from any BRT bus can be seen and the location identified for immediate response.
It is also our hope that authorities across the country will use this tragedy to investigate the issue of ‘one chance’ and how to address the menace. In major cities in the country today, far too many Nigerians are falling prey to criminal activities inside public transport.
Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.
Blame keeps us trapped in the past, pointing fingers instead of finding answers. Progress begins when we trade blame for responsibility, empathy, and a commitment to move forward together.
I once taught a young girl who was quite brilliant; she was curious, hardworking, and full of promise. But at home, her dreams were interrupted. Her parents didn’t believe academic success was worth encouraging for her at that age.
Instead, they gave her rules that pulled her away from her books. Chores were usually timed during her study hours, no light for night reading, and constant discouragement. She came to school almost every day with incomplete home work accompanied with one excuse or the other. Watching her struggle in silence broke my heart. She had so much potential, yet her environment did everything to dim her light.
Stories like hers are more common than we’d like to admit, and they reflect deeper issues within our education system.
The recently released JAMB results once again brings this reality to the surface. The outcomes are not just numbers; rather, they’re a mirror showing us the consequences of years of neglect and misplaced priorities.
Education, which should be the foundation of national growth, has
suffered deeply.
Another trend that worries me is the pressure some parents place on schools for double promotions.
While the intent may be good as they perceived, skipping foundational learning stages often leaves children struggling in higher classes, unprepared and overwhelmed.
Learning is not a race. Every child deserves the chance to grasp each level thoroughly before moving on.
Even more concerning is the hidden and sometimes open support for exam malpractice. Lobbying for children to pass at all costs sends the wrong message, that integrity and hard work don’t matter. In trying to help, we may be doing more harm than good. It’s time we rethink our collective approach.
Let’s support learning, not shortcuts.
Let’s build an education system where every child, regardless of background, can truly thrive.The future we want starts with the education we give today.
Grace Ehi Ekainu, an educator and creative writer, Kano State
Like many people, I have been in a cell at Alcatraz Island but escaped. It's a lot easier when you are a tourist.
Now President Trump wants to reopen it as a working prison for the worst. Prisoners have previously escaped from cells but died crossing the bay, we presume. There are surely enough, secure jails already and if not, building and running prisons is very profitable. Basically it's probably another attention distracting stunt rather than wiping out an interesting tourist spot. However, he might be looking at converting it to a luxurious venue given the number of previous attempts to jail him.
The Regional Executive, West Africa at Africa Data Centres, Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, speaks about the growth opportunities in the Nigeria data centre market, and the need for capacity sharing to accelerate data centre adoption in Africa. Emma Okonji presents the excerpts:
How did the 2024 global economic challenges affect the tech industry, particularly from your perspective in Africa?
2024, a year of significant uncertainty across the globe, also had its share of challenges for Africa. However, we chose to take these challenges as learning opportunities—making the necessary adjustments and finding ways to adapt and move forward. In the tech industry, change is constant; each day brings something new. We saw the rise of Nvidia and AI, and now, overnight, we are discussing Deepseek. As a tech professional, it’s crucial to stay adaptable and embrace global changes while exploring how to apply them locally and regionally.
Technology continues to evolve daily, infiltrating our personal lives and promising more advancement throughout the year. These developments are likely to create significant employment opportunities across various sectors.
What strategic priorities should the tech industry focus on in 2025 to stay competitive?
In the midst of a rapidly changing technological landscape, companies are navigating the transformative power of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). A striking 85% of businesses report that adopting AI has already improved productivity. McKinsey notes that companies using AI extensively can increase their cash flow by 122% over a five-year period. These innovations are reshaping industry frameworks and altering competitive dynamics—startups leveraging blockchain technology are disrupting financial services and attracting substantial funding. This shift compels established players to rethink strategies, invest in digital transformation, and adapt to new consumer expectations driven by rapid technological advancements.
Looking at 2025, AI is at the centre of global conversations, supported by big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, which play a critical role in the tech ecosystem.
What trends are shaping data centre adoption in Africa amid the rise of cloud and AI?
As the drive to develop artificial intelligence and related technologies grows, so does the demand for data processing capacity—fuelling a data centre boom across Africa, despite infrastructure challenges.
In recent years, investment in African data centres has increased, though not at the same scale as more established economies. Since 2022, new carrier-neutral data centres have been commissioned, with more in the pipeline. Key construction activity is underway in Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa. These developments are supported by efforts to improve regulatory frameworks, energy infrastructure, and connectivity—while also promoting digital transformation, cloud adoption, and addressing the skills gap. However, the continent still lags behind
global benchmarks, accounting for less than two per cent of the world’s co-location data centre supply. Notably, more than half of this capacity is concentrated in South Africa, according to the Africa Data Centres Association.
Currently, cloud services for Africa are largely served from South Africa and Europe. As demand rises, we’re seeing the emergence of local cloud regions in Nigeria and Kenya, with further expansion expected in Morocco, Egypt, and other countries.
What are the best ways for industry stakeholders to collaborate and accelerate data centre adoption in Africa?
Among African data centre operators, we have five to six key players. Collaboration should focus on capacity sharing across locations and real-time communication regarding available resources. Initiatives like the Africa Data Centres
Association (ADCA) are gaining traction, and we expect greater clarity on collaborative strategies moving forward.
We also need to prioritise human capacity building and enhanced network connectivity between data centres. This will simplify client operations across multiple providers and drive a more integrated infrastructure ecosystem.
What role should governments play in accelerating Africa’s data centre expansion?
Take Nigeria as an example—regulatory bodies like the NDPC and NITDA play pivotal roles in driving data centre growth. When governments advocate for digitalisation and data localisation, the local cloud and data centre industries benefit significantly.
A major opportunity lies in repatriating African government data—over 75% is currently hosted outside the continent. Bringing this data back home would be a substantial driver for local industry, demonstrating leadership from the front. Additionally, governments should consider reducing customs tariffs on data centre- related imports. While free zones exist, most are located outside city limits—areas where clients typically prefer data centres to be.
Do you see a substantial market opportunity for data centres in Nigeria?
The Nigerian data centre market presents significant growth opportunities, driven by increasing cloud adoption, digitalisation, and the need for secure and scalable data storage. The market size is estimated at 136.7 MW in 2025 and is expected to reach 279.4 MW by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 15.37 per cent.
Additionally, colocation revenue is projected to increase from USD 251.1 million in 2025 to USD 578.1 million by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 18.15 per cent. Data localisation initiatives and digital transformation efforts are driving profound changes in the Nigerian data centre market, with government emphasis on local data hosting leading to increased domestic investments.
CEO, Ellarose Interiors and Custom Rugs, Kehinde Fadahunsi, speaks about the importance of creativity and technology innovation in local manufacturing and the need for government support through sustainable policies, reports Agnes Ekebuike. Excerpts:
Technology is evolving and fast driving business growth across all sectors of the economy. How are you leveraging technology to drive your business?
We are leveraging the power of technology to boost our business. We understand the power of social media platforms in driving sales and access and we are using the various social media platforms to enhance the business.
Another area of technology that will help to further drive our kind of business is technology automation. We are looking at how we can use robotics technology to produce rugs and reduce human interface, which will cut down on our cost of production, even though we are not planning to cut down on our staff strength.
It’s all about business upgrade and cost cutting.
Now if we go into the machine-made rugs that everybody can afford, those machine-made rugs will replicate designs that will not be tailored to a particular customer.
What is your view about patronage of madein-Nigeria products like your products, and what should government do to encourage patronage?
As entrepreneur that produces locally for internal consumption and for export, we need government policies that will encourage local patronage. Our quality is good and Nigerians should be able to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods instead of foreign goods. So government, at all levels, need to create more awareness about support for locally manufactured products, to encourage competition.
In as much as we need fair competition, there will be no need for any government policy to restrict importation of certain products.
Once customers understand that we have quality products in Nigeria, they will always find us.
Given the impact you have made in the interior design sector of the Nigerian economy, how can you describe your journey in the sector so far and what actually inspired you into interior design business?
Yes, I have contributed a lot to the growth of interior design in Nigeria and I was inspired into the business by my innate ability and love for aesthetics.
At a point in time when I was finding my purpose in life, I started talking to a lot of people on what I could do best to support myself and the Nigerian economy. At that time, I had plans to quit the paid job I was into because I was heavily pregnant with a baby and I knew I wasn’t going back to the job after my maternity leave, so I needed to find exactly what I wanted to do before my maternity leave was over.
Speaking to a couple of people that knew me very well, some advised me to think about what keeps me busy and happy, and that was how the thought of interior design flashed back in my memory, and I am someone that likes interior designs a lot. But because I did not
have all the monies to begin the interior design business in a big way, I was advised by my friends to start with the little capital I had, since I do not need to have all the monies in the world before I could begin the business. So that was how I was inspired to begin the interior design business some years ago.
I was in America for the delivery of my baby and after delivery, I started going to stores to see things that were unique that I could add to the interior design business plan that I had in mind, and I was deliberately looking for products that Nigerians will like, which were not sold in Nigeria. So I started posting unique products on my social media platforms and people liked them and started commenting on them and that was how interior designers in Nigeria and around the world started searching for me online and started doing business with me online.
I returned to Nigeria and continued with the online business. Later I ventured into the rug making business and people liked it. Then I started digging into the different materials of rugs in terms of quality and six months down the line, I got my first bulk order of rugs. After that, we were able to open our showroom and clients started finding us. That was how I started my business as a material designer and rug maker.
What were the initial challenges that you faced when starting your custom rug business? Because custom rug is a niche market, there are lots of challenges, and one of the major challenges is about hiring the right artisans and training them. When we started hiring artisans, all of them didn’t know what they were coming to do as rug makers. They didn’t have the knowledge, experience, or background. It was so challenging training them. We didn’t only train them on skills, we also had to train their mindsets to look out for the details. Another challenge we faced was in the area of sourcing raw materials. Our rugs are made from wool yarn, acrylic yarn, and all the other kinds of yarns that you can imagine, and we work with hundreds of colours, but in Nigeria, we don’t have the luxury of colours. As a matter of fact, I’ve gone to a factory that produces yarn. They’ve been in Nigeria for 30 years, but they only have 30 colours and we need hundreds of colours to get the best of rugs.
How has the social media platforms helped in promoting your kind of business?
Social media is a very effective tool to promote any kind of business, and my business has received tremendous support from social media platforms in the last eight years. All my clients were able to find and reach me through the social media platforms and I am happy about how technology is driving businesses on the social media platforms.
Kayode Tokede
The Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and some capital market stakeholders, yesterday gathered to honour late financial icon and President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), Dr Pascal Dozie.
Dozie, who was also the founder of Diamond Bank passed away on April 8, 2025 at aged 85.
The event, with the theme “An Afternoon of Tribute and Closing Gong Ceremony,” celebrated Dozie’s enduring legacy and visionary leadership.
In his opening remarks, the NGX Group Chairman, Umaru Kwairanga, lauded Dozie’s impact on Nigeria’s capital market, describing him as a leader of unmatched humility.
“Today, we celebrate a life of integrity, purpose, and service,” said Kwairanga, encouraging others to mirror Dozie’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Speaking for the family, Uzoma Dozie appreciated the NGX Group for the honour and described his father as a servant leader.
“He was a hustler and a servant—always working so others could rise. His story is of resilience and reinvention.
Pascal Dozie is remembered not just as a banker, but as a builder of futures, economies, and hope,” Uzoma said.
The MTN Nigeria Chairman, Dr Ernest Ndukwe hailed Dozie’s strategic leadership, which catalysed innovation and broadened market participation.
He praised Dozie’s economic insight and philanthropy in
healthcare, education, and community development.
“His influence at MTN was stabilising and profound. Nigeria must now carry his torch,” Ndukwe urged.
The Chairman, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Idahosa, described Dozie as a steward of institutions whose leadership transcended borders.
Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Chairman, Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, noted Dozie’s founding role in the Summit Group, driving transformative economic dialogue since 1993.
The group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Futureview Financial Services, Mrs Elizabeth Ebi called Dozie a mentor and praised his ground breaking Exchange leadership.
Emma Okonji
MTN Nigeria Communications has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, which underscores MTN Nigeria’s continued commitment to sustainability, transparency, and shared value creation through strategic Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration and responsible business practices.
The report, which was signed by the Company’s Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, and now in its sixth consecutive year, reflects adherence to other key global
and local frameworks, including the GRI Standards, SASB, UN Global Compact Principles, NGX Sustainability Disclosure Guidelines, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Sustainable Finance Principles.
Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr. Karl Toriola, said: “We are proud to once again demonstrate our resolve to operate responsibly, innovate for inclusive progress, and lead the conversation around sustainability in the telecommunications space. Sustainability is at the core of our
strategy, and our 2024 Sustainability Report demonstrates how we are strengthening our business resilience, mitigating risks, and unlocking opportunities for long-term value creation.”
Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Nigeria, Tobe Okigbo, said: “We believe in Doing for Tomorrow, Today. Our focus remains clear—embedding ESG across our business ecosystem, empowering our people, and aligning our strategy to deliver measurable, net-positive outcomes.”
West Africa Container TerminalAPM Terminals Nigeria marked a significant milestone in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment with the groundbreaking ceremony of a 713-metre flood drainage project at Onne Community, Eleme Local Government Area, Rivers State, on Monday.
WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria said the project addresses two of the four core areas of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) interventions namely Health & Environment, and Infrastructure Development.
The drainage system, once completed, will address longstanding issues of flooding, water stagnation and sanitation concerns in the community. This project also underscores the company’s dedication to being a responsible and supportive partner to its host communities by investing in essential infrastructure that directly improves the lives of the residents in the community.
The Managing Director, WACT-APM Terminals Nigeria, Jeethu Jose, expressed enthusiasm for the project and its positive impact on the community. He further cited examples of past projects in the community which are all geared towards the continuous improvement of the community.
“As of today, we have carried out the following: scholarship and internship opportunities for students; 50 students from Onne are currently on university scholarship, and we are scaling up by offering 30 more students this year with the award coming up later this month.
“Provision of 10KVA solar power system for the Model Primary Health Care Centre, training of over 300 students and women in Onne in the production of eco-friendly reuseable diapers and sanitary pads, training of over 200 women and youths in WACTPRENEUR (a small business management training
programme), and agricultural development programme for over 300 persons in Onne on cultivation and the value chain of orange fleshed sweet potatoes,” said Jose.
“By the choice of the people, WACT accepted to execute a drainage system that will keep the community decent, healthy, good to look at, and well to patrol. It’s a well-deserved day for us, the Onne people. My people say that if anything we are doing, we do with clear heart, the reward will also be of clear heart to any person who does that. You have come to open ground today for the purpose of giving us life, good life, healthy life, because we all know the dangers of flooding in any community. It brings carriers of various sicknesses and there is no peace, it affects the financial situation of families,” said the Paramount Ruler of Onne, HRH King Sunday Njijor Jiala, One-eh Onne.
Kayode Tokede
In a bold step to advance the Nigerian capital market penetration, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), has announced the launch of *7270#, its Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code service. The USSD, according to CSCS, is set to go live this week.
The USSD code service is an innovative solution
designed to enhance the ease and accessibility of investment services for all users.
This service leverages the network capabilities of MTN Nigeria to bring unparalleled convenience to investors.
Driven by a relentless commitment to innovation, CSCS aims to revolutionize information access within the Nigerian capital market through this USSD code service. As the Central Securities Depository (CSD),
CSCS focuses on enhancing investor experiences and providing deeper market insights with unparalleled convenience.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CSCS, Haruna Jalo-Waziri in a statement said, “We are excited to launch the *7270# USSD code service, a significant step in leveraging mobile technology to democratize access to account and portfolio information.
Thisday Afrinvest 40 index rose 0.8% to print at 5,415.47 points due to price appreciation in GTCO(+3.8%), ZENITH (+2.1%), and WAPCO (+0.3%). Cumulatively, these stocks account for 16.7% of the index.
Yesterday, renewed optimism in banking stocks led by GTCO (+3.9%), ETI (+9.9%), and ZENITH (+2.1%) pushed the local bourse up 50bps to 108,849.83 points. Consequently, YTD return rose to 5.8% (previously 5.3%), while market capitalisation gained 50bps to ₦68.4tn. Likewise, activity level improved as volume and value traded rose by 23.6% and 34.1% to 587.5m units and ₦18.7bn, respectively.
Across our coverage sectors, performance was bullish as three indices gained, two lost, while the AFR ICT index closed flat. The Banking and Consumer Goods indices gained 2.1% apiece due to price appreciation in GTCO (+3.9%), ETI (+9.9%), NB (+3.5%), and INTBREW (+6.4%). Following, the Industrial Goods index rose 0.1% due to buy interest in BETAGLASS (+10.0%) and WAPCO (+0.3%). Conversely, losses in OANDO ( 2.3%), VERITASK ( 9.1%), and LINKASSURE ( 6.6%) dragged the Oil & Gas and Insurance indices lower by 0.2% and 0.1% respectively.
Investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth, improved to 0.83x from 0.29x in the previous session as 60 stocks advanced, 25 declined, while 42 closed flat. Today, we expect the bourse to trade in similar territory buoyed by bargain hunting activities.
Blessing Ibunge reports that in commemoration with the World Immunisation Week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Rivers State Primary Health Centre and others, held a five-day sensitisation and immunisation exercise for children in communities across various Local Government Areas of Rivers State
Eighteen-year-old Happiness Tombari, a single mother of a 10-month-old son, was scared and confused about how to handle her child’s ill health at a fishing port settlement in Akpajo community in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, when health personnel from a Primary Health Care Centre on a special free immunisation outreach arrived, sensitising and inviting parents to bring their children for vaccination. Initially hesitant, Happiness decided to comply after seeing her son’s condition.
The health personnel observed that the child, now 10 months old, had never been immunised. Though they attempted to vaccinate him, the presence of rashes led the team to advise a doctor’s diagnosis. Accompanied by THISDAY’s correspondent and a health consultant, Sandra James, the mother was persuaded to visit the health centre for a proper assessment. The attending doctor made some recommendations, after which the baby received his first BCG vaccine and other doses for disease prevention.
Dispelling Myths Through Community Champions
Like Happiness, many mothers were sceptical about immunisation due to myths circulating in their neighbourhoods. But Mrs Philomena Bassey, a resident of Sand-Fill in Eleme, stood out. Though her children are beyond the age of routine immunisation, she goes around her community encouraging neighbours to bring their children for vaccination.
According to Mrs Bassey, “Constant immunisation in the past made my children to be very healthy. When I give birth to my children, two days after I give them BCG, and I never missed the dates for a follow-up vaccination on them.
“Though some of my neighbours do not understand the importance of the immunisation, I make efforts to personally take their children for vaccination at the health centre. Some of the mothers that refused to take their children for the immunisation, have their children suffered from various health conditions; like cough, measles, serious fever and other diseases.”
Vaccines Offered
Community health worker, Blessing Okanje, disclosed that the children were being given measles, rotavirus, polio and other vaccines.
“We are giving them measles vaccine, rotavirus; a vaccine that protects a child from diarrhoea. We also give them polio vaccine; it protects a child under five years from paralysis. Now we are in the outreach, we call the reached and unreached to embrace the free immunisation. Many people out of ignorance lost their children to disease that
could have been prevented if they were immunised. Last week when we were going out for outreach at Ekporika, we met a child of five years that has not received even tuberculosis vaccine, which helps to control such disease. So the vaccine is free and safe,” she added.
On compliance, she said that after much sensitisation, mothers were now participating in the exercise. She, however, frowned at some faith-based organisations in the area that refused access to immunise their children on Sunday, April 27, 2025.
Expanding Outreach Across LGAs
THISDAY observed that the same immunisation campaign took place in Gokana, Khana, Obio/Akpor, and Ahoada East LGAs of the state.
The Local Immunisation Officer (LIO) for Eleme LGA, Mrs Rose Owate, told THISDAY that “The African Vaccination Week started on April 25th of this year and they gave Eleme five teams. We have done the flag-off and we have started the programme since the 25th and today (April 28th) is the fourth day.
“The programme is moving smoothly; people are coming out. They have been receiving the vaccines, there is no complain. We went round communities in the LGA to tell the people to come out, bring their babies, that immunisation is a key that can prevent diseases, which we have been doing. UNICEF is trying, they have been helping, they have been assisting, they have been providing logistics, they come out to do supportive supervision, so they are doing well,” she added.
WHO: Time to Close Immunisation Gaps
Earlier during the flag-off of the African Vaccination Week held at the Primary Health Care Centre, Rumuigbo in Obio/Akpor LGA, and in commemoration with World Vaccination Week, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the event renewed partners’ collective commitment to achieving equitable access to life-saving vaccines for every child in every community in Rivers State.
Ihekweazu noted that “Vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years, reducing infant mortality by 40% and protecting people from more than 30 deadly diseases. In 2024, the global community celebrated 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. This milestone was a reminder of the extraordinary progress made and the work that remains.”
She said that despite the advances, far too many people in Africa still lack access to essential vaccines, stressing that one in five children in Africa remain under-vaccinated.
“In 2023 alone, 6.7 million children received no vaccines at all—so-called ‘zero-dose’ children. Measles outbreaks persist, while vaccine-derived poliovirus continues to pose a threat.”
Immunisation Agenda 2030: The Midpoint
The WHO Regional Director for Africa explained that this year also marks the midway point of Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030), a global commitment to achieving equitable vaccine access by 2030, noting that now is the time to accelerate progress, expand coverage and close immunity gaps.
She added that WHO and its partners are working closely with countries to identify and reach zero-dose children, integrate immunisation into primary health care, and build stronger, more resilient health systems.
To sustain and build on this progress, she called on governments at all levels to increase domestic investment and secure sustainable immunisation financing; health systems to integrate vaccines into essential services and expand access, while urging communities to stand against misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
Rivers State: Continuing the Momentum
On his part, Rivers State Immunisation Officer (SIO), Dr Joseph Urang, said every immunisation is free. He stated, “The successes of immunisation is what we are celebrating, that doesn’t mean we are going to stop immunisation. We are already moving on with the activities. All immunisation activities are going on but in the name of marking the African Vaccination Week, that’s why we selected five LGAs and WHO sponsored outreach teams and they have gone out to the field to vaccinate more children.
“We have not stopped vaccination activities. All vaccinations activities will go on. We have our fixed post, we have our outreach activities going on in all local government areas, but in the name of marking this activity, we selected five LGAs to showcase that this is one of the successes we are achieving.”
Targeting High-Risk LGAs
On the criteria used in selecting the five LGAs, Dr Urang said, “we looked at the vaccination preventable diseases occurrence, that’s what we used in these Local Governments that are not funded by WHO and we sorted out these five LGAs that have the highest occurrence of vaccine preventable diseases. What this means is that, there are places where these diseases are multiplying. We need to find a way to get to those places and get the children vaccinated.”
Rebuilding Trust After COVID-19 Rivers State Health Educator, Dr Babbo Diana, encouraged partners to continue
collaborating to ensure that children in Rivers State are vaccinated. “We also try to encourage our mothers to not lose hope or courage in the fight towards immunising their children.
“We know that after COVID-19, we started finding a dwindling of the statistics of people taking immunisation. So, we saw that it was kind of a trust issue. The confidence in the system and trust in vaccinations per se and we saw the numbers dropping.
“This is like six years post-COVID-19 and we are still having mothers reluctant to bring out children for vaccination and we want to remind ourselves that we have won so far because we are immunising our children, and if we drop our oars now, we will start seeing all the illnesses coming back and we don’t want that to happen.”
On challenges, Dr Diana stated, “we are having non-compliances, we are having hesitancy towards vaccination, we are under-immunised, we are having no immunisation or unimmunised, we are having incomplete immunisation. So, we need to create the awareness once again, we need to bring that thing up once again and say this thing is good, this thing is safe, it’s effective and besides we are not charging money for it, it’s free.”
It would be recalled that during a two-day multi-zonal media dialogue to commemorate the 2025 World Immunisation Week (WIW) with the theme, “Immunisation For All Is Humanly Possible”, last week, the Chief of Field Office at UNICEF’s Enugu office, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, revealed that an extensive immunisation exercise would be carried out across 12 targeted states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Cross River, Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Imo and Rivers.
Chiluwe stated that in line with the objective of this year’s World Immunisation Week, “it is essential to underscore the continued relevance of this global observance,” adding that medical and health practitioners, as well as members of the media, are duty-bound to ensure the promotion of “the feasibility and necessity of protecting everyone, from newborns to the elderly, against vaccine-preventable diseases, through inclusive and equitable immunisation services.”
She urged the government and other UNICEF partners to continue strengthening and advancing the momentum of progress recorded over the years through meaningful budgetary provisions, to ensure that every child gets immunised with life-saving vaccines so that children can survive and reach their full potential in life.
In the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, a remarkable story of medical excellence is unfolding. Kelina Hospital, a pioneering institution in minimally invasive surgery, has been pushing the boundaries of healthcare innovation for over a decade. With a steadfast commitment to delivering world-class medical care, the hospital has achieved a groundbreaking milestone that is redefining the Nigerian healthcare landscape. The story of Kelina Hospital’s journey to 6,000 surgical operations is a demonstration of the power of passion, expertise, and innovation in transforming lives.
In a remarkable feat, Kelina Hospital, a specialist hospital in minimally invasive surgery based in Lagos, has marked a significant milestone of 6,000 surgical operations since its inception in 2008. This achievement is proof of the hospital’s unwavering commitment to providing world-class medical care in Nigeria, setting a new standard for healthcare excellence in the country.
The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Celsus Undie, attributed this success to the team’s dedication to excellence and the use of cutting-edge technology.
At a press conference in Lagos recently, Dr. Undie said, “We offer comparable, if not superior, care with advanced technology right here in Nigeria.”
This commitment to innovation has enabled Kelina Hospital to establish itself as a leader in prostate surgery, having performed over 500 Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) surgeries.
Pioneering Prostate Surgery Expertise
Kelina Hospital’s Centre for Prostate Surgery has been a game-changer in the medical landscape. The hospital’s urologists have demonstrated their expertise in Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy, a keyhole surgery for prostate cancer, with impressive results.
HoLEP is a minimally invasive procedure that offers several advantages over traditional methods, including less blood loss, faster recovery, and reduced time spent on catheters.
The hospital’s expertise in prostate surgery has been recognised nationally and internationally, with partnerships with renowned surgeons, including Dr. Mahesh Desai, President of the World Association of Urological Surgeons (SIU). These partnerships have enabled Kelina Hospital to stay at the forefront of medical innovation and provide patients with access to cutting-edge treatments.
Embracing Innovative Technology
Kelina Hospital is committed to staying at the forefront of medical innovation, continually investing in cutting-edge technology to enhance patient care.
The hospital has recently welcomed Dr. Bertin Njinou, a renowned robotic surgeon, to its team. Dr. Njinou will spearhead the introduction of Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) to the hospital’s services, further solidifying its expertise
in minimally invasive prostate cancer surgery.
The introduction of RARP will enable Kelina Hospital to offer patients even more advanced treatment options, with improved precision and accuracy.
This commitment to innovation has enabled the hospital to maintain its position as a leader in prostate surgery and provide patients with access to the latest treatments.
A Track Record of Excellence
Dr. Undie highlighted the hospital’s commitment to patient care, saying, “This May, 2023 is a milestone in the life of Kelina Hospital as we mark five thousand (5,000) surgical operations on 5,000 citizens without a single mortality inside our theatre”. Although the hospital has now surpassed this milestone, reaching 6,000 surgeries, this achievement underscores its dedication to delivering
high-quality medical care.
Reducing Medical Tourism
Kelina Hospital’s goal is to provide world-class medical care in Nigeria, reducing the need for medical tourism.
With Nigerians spending an estimated $1.6 billion annually seeking medical treatment abroad, Kelina Hospital’s achievements serve as a beacon of hope for Nigeria’s healthcare system. By offering high-quality medical care locally, the hospital is poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of healthcare in Nigeria.
Dr. Undie emphasised the importance of Nigerians taking treatment at home, rather than traveling abroad for routine procedures. “Many patients return from overseas with complications, including infections, after minor procedures,” he said.
Kelina Hospital’s commitment to
providing world-class medical care locally is aimed at reducing these risks and improving patient outcomes. Kelina Hospital’s achievements mark a new era in Nigerian healthcare. By providing world-class medical care locally, the hospital is reducing the need for medical tourism, promoting the country’s healthcare system, and potentially saving lives and healthcare costs. The hospital’s commitment to excellence and patient care serves as a shining example of what can be achieved with dedication and innovation.
As the country continues to grapple with the challenges of medical tourism, Kelina Hospital’s commitment to excellence and patient care serves as a beacon of hope for Nigeria’s healthcare system. With its team of experts, cutting-edge technologies, and commitment to innovation, Kelina Hospital is revolutionising the healthcare landscape in Nigeria.
As part of its sustainedefforts to digitalise Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem, Interswitch, one of Africa’s leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, through its health-tech subsidiary, Interswitch eClat, has launched eClinic, its Electronic Medical Records (EMR) solution at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu (NOHE). Commissioned by the Honourable Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the launch marks the fourth deployment of the eClinic solution in federal health institutions, following earlier rollouts in Osun, Ogun, and Edo States.
This milestone represents another significant step in the Federal Ministry of Health’s drive
to modernise healthcare delivery through digital innovation, and builds on Interswitch’s commitment to healthcare innovation, following its recent partnership with the Lagos State Government on the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP). Built to streamline clinical workflows, enhance care coordination, and improve patient outcomes, Interswitch’s eClinic offers healthcare professionals real-time access to comprehensive and centralised patient records. It also supports a broad range of hospital functions, including patient registration, diagnostics tracking, pharmacy management, and administrative reporting. Designed with Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure realities in
mind, the platform operates in both online and offline modes, ensuring continuous uptime and uninterrupted service delivery.
The Minister of State for Health emphasised that the deployment of the EMR in Enugu aligns with the Ministry’s broader vision of modernising healthcare services and building a healthier Nigeria. He noted that the Federal Government remains committed to fostering meaningful collaborations with the private sector to deliver measurable impact for Nigerians.
According to him, digital systems like the Interswitch’s eClinicenable federal hospitals to deliver more accurate, efficient, and patient-focused care. By reducing administrative burdens, improving
record-keeping, and supplying real-time data for planning and evaluation, these tools are empowering healthcare workers and strengthening service delivery across the board.
Speaking at the event, Babatunde Fadeyi, Vice President, Health Ecosystem (Public Sector), Interswitch, reiterated the company’s commitment to innovation, strategic partnership, and improving health outcomes nationwide. He stated:
“Interswitch’s collaboration with key stakeholders, including government institutions, reflects our dedication to drive digital transformation across critical sectors such as healthcare. With eClinic, our EMR solution, we are empowering healthcare professionals to work more efficiently and deliver improved
outcomes for patients across the country.”
Interswitch’s approach to deployment has been fuelled by deep stakeholder engagement and continuous learning. Each rollout is adapted to the specific needs of the host hospital, ensuring the solution is both technically sound, customisable, and user-friendly. From needs assessments to user interface testing and staff training, healthcare workers have played an essential role in shaping the platform and providing feedback that has guidedcontinuous improvements.
With the successful launch in Enugu, Interswitch is set to expand the eClinic platform to more federal and state health institutions nationwide. Future enhancements will introduce
AI-powered diagnostic support, health insurance integration, and improved supply chain visibility, all contributing to a more responsive, connected, and data-driven health ecosystem. Through its strategic interventions and technology-driven solutions, Interswitch continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare in Nigeria, advancing digital inclusion, and setting new standards in health service delivery. As Interswitch deepens its investment in healthtech innovation, the company is helping to shape a smarter, more inclusive healthcare future for Nigeria, one where digitalised systemsdrive quality, accessibility, and efficiency across all levels of care.
L–R: Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, SAN; Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Abiodun Tobun; Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade AmbroseMedebem; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry (BOI), Dr. Olasupo Olusi; and Executive Director, Commercial and Institutional Banking, Sterling Bank, Mr. Tunde Adeola, during the unveiling of the Lagos State Government (LASG)-Bank of Industry (BOI)-Sterling Bank MSME Fund and signing of the MoU between LASG and BOI, at the Adeyemi Bero Multipurpose Hall, Alausa, Ikeja, yesterday
Nume Ekeghe
In a major boost for small businesses in Lagos, the state government has teamed up with the Bank of Industry (BOI) and Sterling Bank to launch a funding programme that will offer Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) loans at just 9 percent interest - well below the market rate.
The initiative known as the Lagos State MSME Access to Finance Scheme or LASMECO was formally launched yesterday during a signing ceremony coordinated by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment.
The scheme is expected to support entrepreneurs with affordable loans of up to N10 million, and create no fewer than 10,000 jobs across critical sectors of the economy.
Speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that the MoU is a living example of synergy public-private collaboration at its finest, aimed at one of the most important goals: empowering our MSMEs.
He said: “Today, we proudly unveil the Lagos State Access to Finance Programme for MSMEs Through Cooperatives, a tri-partite partnership between the Lagos State government, the Bank of Industry (BOI), and Sterling Bank. In simpler terms, we launch the LASG-BOISterling MSME Fund, an initiative Lagosians will come to know by the name LASMECO.
“This programme is the first-ofits-kind in our state: a public-private financing platform deliberately designed to break the barriers that have long stifled our small businesses.
Early Detection Can Offer Permanent Cure for Cancer, Says Physician
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
A gynaecologist at Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja, Dr. Mary Clement, underscored the importance of early clinical judgment.
As strategy to encourage more Nigerians to embrace early cancer screening, Clement appealed to federal and state governments to subsidize the cost.
The physician stated this during the OncoSeek Cancer Training for journalists, an initiative aimed at deepening media understanding of cancer diagnostics.
Clement said that biopsy and imaging, such as MRI scans, when used in early detection of cancer can help in ensuring prompt treatment and possible cure of the aliment.
“Before you tell a patient they have cancer, it takes a constellation of investigations. Early detection is powerful, not just for diagnosis but for cure.
“Some cervical and breast cancers can be completely treated if caught early, sometimes without chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
“I want to tell the general public that if you test early and cancer is detected early, there are chances for total cure for some of the cancer varieties,” she said Regarding the low response of the public to cancer screening, Cement said: “I want say that if government can subsidize the cost of cancer screening, it will be of help.
“For instance, a woman frying
akara by the roadside may afford to spend N10,000 at the hospital for cancer screening but government declares screening, slot of people will troop out to have the test”.
She shared a case where a woman, who came in for a routine check was found to have precancerous lesions on her cervix. A simple loop excision cured her without further treatment.
“That woman didn’t even know anything was wrong. She came in healthy. That’s the power of early screening,” she said.
She advised women who are about to go into menopause and young female who experience frequent bleeding to go for screening test.
“She lamented that there is no oncology unit in most of the General Hospitals in the FCT but a quality pathologist.
According to her, “what is being done is that when a patient is screened and it is cancer, we will immediately refer them to the National Hospital for treatment.
She used the opportunity to plead with the minister of FCT minister to consider building cancer centre in the FCT, Abuja.
One of facilitators of the training from Excellion International, organisers of the training, Salomey Eferemo, said the organization decided to hold the interactive session with health reporters because of the key role they play in awareness creation about cancer.
“What does this mean in practical terms? Allow me to highlight why LASMECO is a game-changer. For the first time, thousands of entrepreneurs in Lagos will have access to loans of up to N10 million at a remarkably low interest rate of just 9 per cent per annum.
“To put that in perspective, many MSMEs today face lending rates in the high teens or twenties a burden that can crush a fledgling enterprise. By offering single-digit interest, we are effectively lifting a huge weight off the shoulders of our business owners, giving them room to breathe, grow, and thrive.”
On his part, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Industry, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, said the initiative was built to unlock the
creativity, energy, and resilience of Lagos-based MSMEs. According to him, the programme will use technology to streamline the application and disbursement process, and 50 per cent of the loan portfolio will be backed by a bank guarantee to reduce risk and give lenders more confidence.
He said: “At the Bank of Industry, we believe MSMEs are the engine of economic growth driving innovation, creating jobs, and expanding opportunities. However, we also know that without access to finance, their potential remains limited.
“This is why the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is focused on delivering access to finance to the MSME segment of Nigerian enterprises. This programme
is designed to change that. It targets key sectors that are central to Lagos State’s development including Healthcare to strengthen systems and spark medical innovation; Manufacturing boosts local production and industrial capacity; Agribusiness to improve food security and rural livelihoods; Creative industries to grow our cultural and artistic economy, and digital economy to unlock youth-led innovation and enterprise.”
Olusi said that but beyond where the funding goes is how it works and that’s what truly sets this programme apart.
His words: “It’s not just what we’re financing; it’s the way we’re doing it. First, it is fully technology-driven, from application
to disbursement, ensuring speed, transparency, and real-time impact tracking. Second, up to 50 per cent of the fund is backed by a bank guarantee, therefore de-risking the lending process and building stakeholder confidence.
“Thirdly, access to the funds will be facilitated through certified cooperatives, which will ensure structure, trust, and accountability. And finally, there’s an accelerator programme, offering MSMEs mentorship, training, and digital tools to help them grow and compete. This is not just finance’ it’s a full ecosystem built for success.
“And at the heart of it all is accessibility. Under this scheme, MSMEs can access up to N10 million at a single-digit interest rate of 9 per cent per annum, without collateral.”
Fixes Saturday 10th May, 2025 for exercise
Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
The Etsako East Local Government Council has officially directed the Okpella Traditional Council and kingmakers to commence the process of selecting a new Okuokpellagbe of Okpella following the dethronement of the former king, Engr. Lukeman Akemokue.
In a letter addressed to the Most Senior Village Head (Daudu) in Okpella and the Okpella Traditional Council, the local government confirmed that the Edo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy
Affairs had mandated the commencement of the selection process to fill the empty vacuum with immediate effect.
According to the letter signed by the Executive Chairman, Solomon Oghuma, the Okpella Traditional Council had already held a meeting on Saturday, April 3, 2025, and fixed Saturday, May 10, 2025, as the date for the selection/election of the new traditional ruler.
The process will take place at the Imiokhewa Village Town Hall, Ogute-Oke Ruling Branch of Okpella Clan, in Etsako East Local
Government Area.
The council also stated that a government representative would be present to witness the proceedings, ensuring compliance with the law.
The letter emphasized that this directive supersedes any previous instructions on the matter.
The former Okuokpellagbe, Engr. Lukeman Akemokue, was dethroned following an official revocation of his appointment by the state government on the ground of non-compliance with the existing law and traditions.
When contacted, one of the Kingmakers who does not want
his name in print, commended the governor for taking a bold step in line with the law of chieftaincy to avoid any vacuum. Meanwhile, some members of the community are of the opinion for a longer period, majority of the kingmakers are of the view that the proper step has been taken, hence the issue should be dealt with once and for all.
According to the statement, all interested aspirants from the Oteku Clan are to converge on Ogute for the exercise, tentatively fixed for Saturday, 10th May, 2025.
The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has broadened its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts with the second phase of its “Back to School Storm” initiative, reaching four public primary schools in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
The Agency visited Methodist Primary School, Igbogbo; Anglican Primary School, Igbogbo; Etunrenren Primary School; and Muslim Primary School, Ikorodu distributing essential school supplies to pupils.
The donated items included environmentally-conscious school bags crafted from repurposed advertising banners, alongside exercise books
and writing materials.
The initiative underscores LASAA’s commitment to both educational advancement and environmental sustainability, a vision championed by its Managing Director, Prince Fatiu Akiolu.
The programme aligns with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Plus agenda, which prioritises education and social development across the state.
Key LASAA management figures, including the Director of Administration and Human Resource, Mr. Gbolahan Oloko; Head of Operations and Innovation, Mr. Adegbolahan Dixon; Head of Corporate Commu-
nications and Strategy, Mrs. Atinuke da-Silva-Osadjere; and the Head of Legal Department, Mrs. Titilope Raheem were present at the outreach.
The CSR initiative is a collaborative effort with the Omo Daada Foundation, led by Honourable Omoniyi Dada, who also participated in the distribution events.
Dufil Prima Foods, a key sponsor, actively contributed by providing additional school items and nutritious lunches for the pupils at each school, adding a significant humanitarian aspect to the programme.
Reaffirming LASAA’s long-term commitment, Prince Fatiu Akiolu pledged to extend the initiative to
more public schools across Lagos, aiming to cultivate academic excellence and empower future leaders. Honourable Sesan Daini, Chairman of Igbogbo Bayeku Local Council Development Area, expressed his profound gratitude for LASAA’s benevolence and encouraged sustained support for the children. Further bolstering the initiative, Honourable Gbolahan Ogunleye, Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ikorodu I and Chairman of the House Committee on Sustainable Development Goals and Overseas Investment donated table tennis equipment to promote sports and extracurricular activities.
L–R: Principal, Trade Products, West Africa Cluster, Standard Chartered Bank, Mr. Simon Umegbu; Head, Trade, Indorama Eleme Petrochemical, Mr. Afeez Rabiu; Head, Sales, Transaction Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms. Ojinika Shote; Head of Global Partnerships, Veefin Solutions, Mr. Ullas Puntambekar; and Global Director, Solution Consulting, Surecomp, Mr. Arjo Haksteen, at the 2025 Global Trade Review (GTR) West Africa Conference held in Lagos, yesterday
Olawale Ajimotokan,
The federal government said the groups terrorising the country had not acquired sophisticated air capabilities, as some had insinuated, but were only using improvised civilian drones without lethal capabilities. Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, stated this at the seventh edition of the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing Series, held at the National Press Centre, Radio House, Abuja.
At the same time, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, appealed to media professionals to refrain from granting undue publicity to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements threatening the peace and security of the country.
That was as communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State raised the alarm over invasions by armed herdsmen attacks.
He said troops of the armed forces of Nigeria deployed in various operational theatres killed no fewer than 13,543 terrorists in the past 21 months, while 124,208 others surrendered to troops within the period under review.
Responding to questions on the
Speaking at the media briefing, Abubakar stated that Nigerian troops had apprehended 17,469 felons and rescued 9,821 hostages within 21 months.
Juliet Akoje in Abuja and Okon Bassey in Uyo
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act, by expanding its mandate through the establishment of specialised training institutions across the federation to deepen national agricultural productivity capacity and ensure innovation is not confined to a few urban centres.
In another related development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Foundation has renewed its commitment to ensuring food security in the country.
Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, Managing Director, NNPC Foundation said this on Wednesday during the training of vulnerable farmers in Akwa Ibom, affirming that 6,000 farmers across the country would be trained on modern farming methods and market access strategies to boost food production
in the country.
Meanwhile, the proposed legislation titled, “Bill for an Act to Amend the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria Act, Cap. A12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, to Provide for the Establishment of Certain Specialised Colleges; and for Other Related Matters,” was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu and 6 other lawmakers.
Leading the debate on its general principles at the plenary on Wednesday, the Deputy Speaker noted that agriculture remains a vital part of Nigeria’s economy and a key driver of rural development, job creation, food security, and national GDP.
He however said that the nation continues to face glaring gaps in research and innovation, especially in regions where unique agricultural potential remains untapped due to the absence of tailored educational institutions.
He therefore said that the Bill seeks to bridge this glaring gap as the amendment will not simply be adding institutions, but will serve as an investment in untapped potential, and empowerment of those whose hands feed the nation.
Kalu expressed optimism that when the bill becomes law, it will lead to stronger agricultural research ecosystem; more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Nigerians; greater food security and overall economic growth.
He said: “This is not merely to introduce a legislative proposal, but to lay before this Peoples House a vision — a vision to take agricultural education into the fabric of our national development strategy and effort.
“A vision that recognises that research and innovation must not remain in silos or city centres, but must live where the land is tilled, where the livestock roam, where the
Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia
The family of Nnamdi Kanu has called for livestreaming of his ongoing trial before Justice James Omotosho, saying it would enhance transparency and eliminate distortion of court proceedings.
Spokesman of the family, Emmanuel Kanu, made the call in a statement, following concern over “deliberate misinformation emanating from this trial (which) underscores the urgent need for transparency.”
He said members of Kanu’s
family were unhappy with the skewed reports of what transpired during the court hearing on Tuesday where it was reported in the media that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) admitted to calling for the killing of police officers.
Emmanuel decried “the media’s complicity in spreading lies, such as the baseless claim that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu admitted to inciting violence, saying it was the true eeflection of what actually happened in court.”
According to him, the alleged biased reporting “is indicative of
the pressure exerted on journalists to serve as mouthpieces for the government’s agenda.
“This case, which carries global interest and significance, demands real-time access to counter the propaganda and falsehoods peddled by government-controlled media,” he said.
The Kanu family spokesman said though Justice Omotosho had demonstrated commendable impartiality in the trial, “the prosecution’s desperation to distort facts and manipulate public perception” remained a major threat.
rivers run.
“Through this amendment, we are not simply adding institutions — we are answering a national call -a call to invest where there is untapped potential, to empower those whose hands feed the nation, and to deepen our national agricultural productivity capacity by expanding the mandate and reach of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria through the establishment of specialised training institutions in various parts of our great nation by establishing certain specialized agricultural colleges in strategic locations across the six geo-political zones.
air power of the terrorist groups, the defence minister said, “From where did they get armed drones? What we have seen is normal, small civilian drones.
“They just tie drone bombs to them to improvise and drop them on their targets. It is not a sophisticated drone, and it is not an armed drone with strategic guidance; it is an improvised system.
“That is what we have seen so far, and we are building up our intelligence. That is why we have arrested so many arms traffickers, and that is why we are monitoring the use of civilian drones in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“The drones they use for attacks are just small drones that even the media use, but with the capacity to carry 1 or 2 kg of explosives that they can detonate.
“That is what they have for now. But we are doubling our intelligence efforts both internally and internationally with our partners to ensure that we track the source and nip it in the bud.”
On the progress made so far in manufacturing military munitions locally, Abubakar stated, “On the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), we are working to see if we can resuscitate a session in Ajaokuta that will help us in our quest to make DICON more productive.
“The president has signed the DICON bill, with which I believe you are all conversant. As of today, 53 companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with us, and most of them are in different stages of construction in their factories. “About 10 of them have started production, including some light drones, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPVs), Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), and many other equipment, like helmets, safety vests, and others.
“We target that by the end of the year, we will have 20 producing, and by next year, God willing, we will start to export. If you visit the DICON office in Kaduna, the ammunition factory is functioning, and we are producing a lot of arms for our use.”
Responding to a question on the government’s effort to liberate communities and local government areas still under the grip of terrorists and bandits, especially in the Northwest operational theatre, the minister said, “You mentioned your visit to Faskari and the situation in Safana; we are not unaware of it. I did not tell you it is all over; I said we have achieved success, and you attested to it yourself.
“So, slow but sure, we will deal with this and nip it in the bud, and Safana will be free. We are moving, and we will get Safana and other communities that are facing difficulties also liberated.
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has urged stakeholders to support its efforts in the ongoing Ogoni cleanup exercise.
This came as the agency has also urged regulators, asset owners and other stakeholders to remain resolute in their support, assuring international standard practice in the remediation of the polluted Ogoniland in Rivers State.
The Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, made the call in his welcome address, at the 2025 first quarterly key stakeholders meeting held in Port Harcourt, State capital.
Prof. Zabbey explained that the meeting platform remains instrumental in providing a structured avenue for regulators, asset owners, and implementation partners to offer feedback to HYPREP on project
performance and deliberate on ideas that move the project forward.
He stated that the meeting enables the stakeholders to strengthen collaboration, deepen synergy, and reinforce collective responsibility in the project.
Zabbey who recalled that the “UNEP’s 2011 Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland provided a comprehensive blueprint for the clean-up and sustainable management of hydrocarbon pollution in the region. The Report also made recommendations which are being given due attention”, said the work on several fronts of the project is progressing steadily.
He told the stakeholders that “As key project partners, your insights and shared experiences have always enriched our operations, and as we look ahead, such cohesion remains critical to the success of HYPREP’s mandate”.
Drawing from the Renewed Hope National Agenda which emphasises the acceleration of the Ogoni Clean-Up, the HYPREP coordinator said “the policy thrust for 2025 is clear”, stressing that they are intensifying efforts to complete various ongoing projects including remediation works and mangrove restoration, potable water facilities, Ogoni Specialist Hospital and many others projects.
Zabbey told the stakeholders that the agency will soon commence a new set of shoreline cleanup, mangrove restoration, water, and livelihood training projects to sustain the momentum of implementing the Ogoni Cleanup. Also, he revealed that HYPREP has concluded plan to conduct detailed site characterisation of the high-risk, complex sites leading to remediation execution works at the sites.
entertainment and cultural centre in Lagos…yesterday
and Chief
The Governing Council Chairmen of Federal Colleges of Education have bemoaned government neglect for capacity building of education stakeholders, inadequate funding and poor infrastructures in the schools.
They have therefore attributed this to lack of operational
effectiveness, and inadequate learning resources which hampers the delivery of the core mandates of the colleges, and non-compliance with extant rules.
Rising from a two day workshop attended by no fewer than 120 participants, they however applauded the federal government’s appointment of qualified individuals to
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Foundation has restated its commitment to ensuring food security in the country.
Managing Director, NNPC Foundation, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe, stated this yesterday during the training of vulnerable farmers in Akwa Ibom.
Arukwe said 6, 000 farmers across the country would be trained on modern farming methods and market access strategies to boost
food production in the country.
Represented by Executive Director, Programme Development and Coordinator, NNPC Foundation, Dr. Bala David, Arukwe said the foundation was dedicated to implementing impactful programmes that align with national priorities.
According to her, more than 500 farmers in Akwa Ibom were trained by the NNPC Ltd Agricultural Training Initiative for Vulnerable Farmers on modern methods and strategies to boost food production.
The Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abdulwasiu Omogbolahan Lawal, Abisogun II, yesterday visited Terra Kulture in Lagos as part of activities lined up to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his coronation.
The visit is one of several institutional engagements scheduled in the lead-up to the anniversary, which holds on June 7, 2025.
According to a statement, Oba Lawal acknowledged the contributions of cultural, healthcare, financial and other key institutions
to the development of Iruland and Nigeria at large.
He said the visit was aimed at showing appreciation to stakeholders who have consistently supported the kingdom’s development agenda, known as the #LeGIT vision — an acronym for “Let’s Grow Iru Together.”
He said the LeGIT framework is anchored on eight pillars: tourism and culture, education and empowerment, healthcare, environment, security, welfare, infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement.
Immediate past Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police in charge of Operations, Mohammed Ali Ari(rtd), has indicated interest to contest for Senatorial position in 2027 election.
DIG Ari, who was Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Police Command, comprising Lagos and Ogun states, is contesting for the Nasarawa South Senatorial District, which covers five local government areas on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ari, in a statement, expressed confidence of defeating his opponents.
“l don’t have any strong rival. My people want me because they believe in me. They believe that l will represent their interest adequately at the Senate. I am very sure of winning the primary and the election proper,” he said.
While he was AIG in charge of Zone 2 Police Command, Ari’s exemplary performances were highly commended by Lagosians and Ogun State residents.
Governing Councils of Federal Colleges of Education in the country but asked for the sustenance of the policy. A communique at the end
of the workshop which was made available to journalists in Minna, Niger State, yesterday said the Governing Councils urged the government
to develop policies that could enhance effective leadership, improvements and sustainability in the institutions and also effectively use government extant rules and regulations to promote good governance and industrial harmony in the colleges.
The Nigeria Police have apprehended two internationally wanted fugitives, Felix Omoregie, a suspected ring leader of a human trafficking syndicate wanted by Belgian authorities, and Okwudili Ezeje, a key member of a Dubaibased armed robbery gang.
A statement by the Force
Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, noted that Felix Omoregie, the alleged mastermind of a large-scale human trafficking operation, had been declared wanted by the Belgian authorities through an INTERPOL Red Notice issued on 19 December 2023, and was arrested in Benin, Edo State, following diligent intelligence and enforcement efforts by police operatives. Adejobi revealed that the suspected human trafficker is scheduled to be arraigned at the Federal High Court in Benin.
The Force Spokesperson revealed that Omoregie is accused of trafficking young Nigerian women, including minors, to Italy and subsequently dispersing them across Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. According to Adejobi, “Victims were subjected to voodoo-based oaths and psychological coercion, with fabricated debts ranging between €20,000 and €50,000 used to manipulate and control them. His criminal network involved handlers in Brussels and France who managed the victims’ activities and remitted proceeds to him.
Emma Okonji and agnes Ekebuike
A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Prince Collins Eselemo, has warned against the recent defection of the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori and others to the party.
Eselemo who spoke yesterday
during an interview on ARISE News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, said the defection of prominent members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State into the APC fold, should not be accepted without scrutiny and accountability.
Eselemo, a longstanding APC loyalist and veteran of Nigeria’s
pro-democracy struggles, described the influx of PDP members into the APC as a “transition from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of fragile democracy,” but warned that many of the new entrants carry heavy political baggage.
“They are coming to APC like an octopus. We cannot determine their political bearing,” he said, urging that those who have previously undermined the APC must not be granted blanket acceptance.
Citing personal grievances, Eselemo accused Governor Oborevwori of targeting APC members during his tenure as a PDP leader. “Our lands were grabbed, compensation not paid, properties demolished,” he alleged.
david-Chyddy Eleke in awka
An 18-year-old randy boy has impregnated no fewer than 10 girls in Anambra State
The state Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a social media video, saying that the matter was brought before her last Tuesday.
Two of the pregnant girls are his master’s daughter and sales girl, while the eight others were impregnated just two months after staying in the village, after his boss sent him packing.
According to Obinabo in a live video she shared on social media seeking advice, she said, “I want
advice from the public because this one is beyond my capacity.
“This boy was sent to learn trade at the age of 18 and three months of apprenticeship, he impregnated his Oga (master’s) daughter and his sales girl. He was sent packing. Two months after that, he impregnated eight others in the village. “The mother reported the matter to my office, saying, anytime she sees a girl coming towards her house nowadays, her heart would jump, and that she needs help.
“This matter is beyond me, and that is the reason I want the public to help me come up with solution. Is it spiritual?
Hammed shittu in Ilorin
A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday admitted 16 exhibits against the alleged killer (Abraham Bello) of a final year student, Hafsat Lawal, in the state. Hafsat Lawal was murdered in Ilorin in February this year when her boyfriend she met
on Facebook, Abraham Bello, murdered her during her visit to his rented apartment in Offa garage area of Ilorin.
Some of the 16 items admitted as exhibits include a cutlass, centre table stained with blood, axe, knife, keg containing human blood, a wooden box containing black soap, lady’s slippers, two earrings, one Tecno phone, one
James sowole in abeokuta
The General Manager(GM) of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dr Babatunde Ajayi, has said that six communities had been wiped out on the shores of the coast of Lagos.
SR iPhone, one itel A50 phone and another iPhone, a bag containing charms, including animal horns and one exercise book containing account of charm.
Also admitted as exhibits were two hands of the deceased, among other human parts said to have been recovered at a dumpsite, as well as the
deceased’s broken beads. At the commencement of the hearing of the murder case yesterday, the two police witnesses also presented human parts, being items recovered in the house of the alleged killer of a final year student, Hafsat Lawal, in court before Justice Hannah Ajayi and father of the deceased.
The situation, according to the GM, was caused by ocean surge resulting from climate change. The LASEPA boss revealed the situation while speaking as a guest speaker on Climate Investment, which was a sub topic at the second annual symposium organised by the
Department of Finance, School of Management of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State.
The symposium with the theme “Public-Private Partnerships in Climate Finance: The Role of Governments and Impact Investors,” was held within
the university’s campus, has the President of the Chatered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Prof Deji Olanrewaju as Special Guest and the Unit Head Consumers Proposition, Access Bank Plc, Mrs Adaeze Ume and Dr Femi Ademola were other guest speakers at the event.
Arsenal’s bid to win the Champions League for the first time is over after they suffered a 2-1 second-leg defeat to Paris St Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Mikel Arteta’s players were already one goal down in the semi-final first leg, and, despite a strong start, they were two behind in the tie when
UCL
PSG 2-1 Arsenal (PSG 3-1 agg.)
U20 AFCON
Nigeria 2-2 Kenya (F’Eagles for Q’finals)
Tunisia 1-3 Morocco (Morocco for Q’finals)
EUROPA LEAGUE
Man Utd v Bilbao
Bodo/Glimt v Tottenham
EUROPA CONFERENCE
Chelsea v Djurgarden
Fiorentina v Betis
Fabian Ruiz struck for PSG after 27 minutes.
Vitinha missed a penalty – after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have handled the ball following a contentious VAR review – before
Achraf Hakimi put the match out of sight in the 72nd minute.
But it is PSG, who have now beaten three Premier League sides in a row, with Arsenal following Liverpool and Aston Villa in succumbing to
the French champions, that will play Inter Milan in the final on May 31 after a 3-1 aggregate success.
Arsenal’s sole appearance in a Champions League final came here in Paris in 2006 where they suffered a late defeat to Barcelona, and the French capital was the scene of yet more heartbreak for the north Londoners.
Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
The Edo State Government yesterday received the Torch of Unity for the 22nd National Sports Festival, an event slated to take place in Ogun from May 16th to 30th, 2025.
Governor Monday Okpebholo who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Dennis Idahosa, received the torch from the team leader of the National Sports Commission delegation, Mbora Ikana, at the Samuel Ogbemudia
Stadium, Benin City.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the deputy governor, Friday Aghedo, stated that while receiving the torch, Idahosa commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for transforming the country’s sports sector, uniting the people, and rekindling hopes amongst the Nigerian youths.
Idahosa further expressed optimism on the outcome of the National Sports Festival, noting that
with the magnitude of investment and commitment by the Senator Monday Okpebholo-led administration in revamping the sports sector of Edo State, he was sure that the Edo team would make Edo people proud.
“I want to thank the President, His Excellency, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for using sports to bring all the youths of Edo State and across the country together.
“For us in Edo, we are ready to support the Edo State Sports
Commission to win medals and we are very sure that they are going to come home top position,” Idahosa enthused.
In his address, the Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Desmond Amadin, commended the laudable impact of Governor Okpebholo in equipping and transforming the sports sector of the state.
The NSC team was led to Benin City by Mrs Mbora Ikana.
Chidera Ezeakor who won the 100m event at MTN CHAMPS Benin and finished 2nd to Favour Ashe at the Lagos leg, raced to the overall fastest time of 10.35s, a new Personal Best (PB), in the Senior men’s preliminaries, ahead of Glory Olokpa (10.44s) and Lucky Daje (10.47s) on the Day 2 of the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final inside the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
There were numerous athletes with Persona Best (PBS) this second day of the grand finale. In the women’s race, Kate Odumoso bettered her PB from MTN CHAMPS Benin by fivehundredths of a second to emerge as the fastest overall qualifier in the prelims in 11.55s, over Cynthia Chioma who also smashed her PB from 11.65s to 11.56s, and Sophia Efetobore (11.65s).
The Junior men’s category witnessed Williams Stephen stop the timer in a PB of 10.77s to outpace all competitors in the qualification round. Team MTN’s Alvin Onyeama
won his heat in an easy 10.89s while Olerirume Righteous rounded up the top three finishers. It was a spree of PBs in the Junior women’s 100m class as Team MVP’s Ejiro Peter blasted to a new lifetime best of 11.89s, improving from her previous PB of 12.17 to lead all the heats. Not far behind was her teammate Ufuoma Merit who registered a PB of 11.90s to win her heat ahead of Perezide Sigah who also ran a PB of 11.94s. Emmanuel Salubi was the winner of the men’s 400m hurdles. Nsikak Okon Francis took 2nd while Moses Eze 3rd. Possible Daniel won the junior category, placing above Endurance Favour and Goodluck Kabowei.
More than 2,000 athletes from 136 secondary schools and 93 junior and senior teams are vying for honours at the MTN CHAMPS Grand Final, which enters its third day on Thursday, May 8, and wraps up on May 9, when six team trophies will be awarded.
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Nigeria reached the quarter finals of the ongoing CAF U20 Championship in Egypt yesterday despite having to force Kenya’s Rising Stars to a 2-2 draw in the last match of Group B.
In the event, the Flying Eagles finished second on the table with five points, two behind group leaders Morocco who drilled Tunisia 3-1 in the other match of the pool and will remain in Cairo for the quarter finals, against the second-placed team in Group A.
Group A is made up of hosts Egypt, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zambia and Tanzania.
Seven-time champions Nigeria will now have to make the trip to Ismailia for their quarter-final game on Monday, against the second-placed team in Group C. Group C is made up of titleholders Senegal, bitter-rivals Ghana, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Kenya’s Rising Stars made the game difficult for the Flying Eagles, as the wards of Aliyu Zubairu had to come from behind twice
to salvage the encounter.
Kevin Wangaya put the Rising Stars ahead after only five minutes, scoring from the penalty spot after a Nigerian defender stopped the ball with his hand in the box.
Nigeria restored parity seven minutes later, after Kparobo Arierhi waltzed his way through the defence to place the ball firmly beyond the reach of the opposition goal-tender.
The East Africans were back in front in the 68th minute, as the Flying Eagles’ rearguard ballwatched a freekick from the left and allowed William to blast the ball past goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt from Lawrence’s in-swinger. Five minutes later, Nigeria were level again, with captain Daniel Bameyi sending the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot after substitute Mendos Rickson was upended in the box.
The Flying Eagles’ match on Monday will be the first quarterfinal, starting at 3pm Egypt time (1pm Nigeria time) in Ismailia.
Ange Postecoglou has said that “Spurs does crazy things to people” in response to Arsene Wenger’s suggestion that the winners of the Europa League should not qualify for the Champions League.
Former Arsenal manager Wenger, now FIFA’s chief of global football development, has questioned why the winners of the Europa League qualify for next year’s Champions League.
Postecoglou’s Tottenham have a 3-1 lead going into Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg at Bodo/Glimt’s Aspmyra Stadion.
But they are 16th in the Premier League table, while Manchester United - who have a 3-0 lead over Athletic Club in the other last-four tie - are a point ahead in 15th. The winners will face each other in Bilbao on 21 May.
The pair will not qualify for
Europe through the league but Postecoglou does not understand Wenger’s argument.
“It’s a debate that’s been raging for years, at least the last eight days…I’ve never heard it before,” said the Australian in Norway. “Spurs does crazy things to people.
“You put that club into any sentence or any issue and invariably they all come out and try to diminish it as much as they can.
“It’s Spurs mate, they love it.
“It’s competition rules. Why wasn’t it an issue before and is it an issue now? What’s the difference? Last year fifth (in the Premier League) didn’t get you into the Champions League, this year it does. What does that mean?” UEFA amended its rules in 2014 to allow the Europa League winners to qualify for the following season’s Champions League tournament, but Wenger disagreed with the policy.
As part of its commitment to provide its consumers and Nigerian football fans with unmatched experiences and memories, Guinness™ Nigeria, in partnership with the Premier League™, yesterday announced that it is bringing the prestigious English Premier League trophy to Nigeria.
This visit will see the trophy visit Enugu on May 16th and Lagos on May 17th & 18th; providing football fans the opportunity to interact up close and personal, with the ultimate prize of the best football league in the world.
The three-day, two-city tour will provide football fans around
the world with a chance to be in proximity of the iconic Premier League™ Trophy and the heroes of the game. Both iconic cities- will also host Guinness™ MatchDay events; an elevated football viewing experience featuring multiple viewing screens to ensure fans don’t miss a moment, a replay and highlight corners with noise cancellation headsets. Also, an iconic 360-degree Guinness™ bar will be serving an array of Guinness™ inspired cocktails, on-site customization of football jerseys, and other wonderful experiences that puts fans at the center of the football action.
pERfoRmAncE DELiVERy on ThEiR minDS...
Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head, CRDCU, Hadiza Bala Usman, with the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor of Jigawa State and Head of the newly established Jigawa State Performance Delivery Coordinating Unit (PDCU), Adamu G. Muhammad, during PDCU’s “learning” visit to the CRDCU in Abuja ... yesterday
In a landmark judgement that could deal with those who lend themselves to electoral malpractices in Nigeria, the Court of Appeal in Calabar last week upheld the conviction of Peter Ogban. The professor of soil science at the University of Calabar was the returning officer in the 2019 Akwa Ibom North West senatorial election, which he attempted to rig in favour of the man who is now our Senate President: Godswill Akpabio. But we must first commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the quiet way it has been prosecuting otherwise respected academics who were hired on an ad hoc basis for elections which they ended up compromising. Three months ago, Ignatius Uduk, another professor of Human Kinetics at the University of Uyo, was also successfully prosecuted by INEC for his misconduct during the Essien Udim state constituency election where he served as the returning officer in 2019.
Now to the Ogban matter. Akpabio, we all recall, was governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015 on the platform of the then ruling (but now main opposition) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After his gubernatorial tenure ended in 2015, he contested for Senate on the platform of the same PDP and won. At the Senate, Akpabio became the Minority Leader. Two years later, he ditched the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on which ticket he contested the 2019 senatorial election against 10 other candidates, including Christopher Ekpenyong, a former Akwa Ibom State deputy governor, who ran on the PDP platform. At the end, Ekpenyong won with 118,215 votes while Akpabio polled 83,158 votes.
However, before that declaration at the INEC state office in Uyo by Ogban, there had been some unsavoury developments at the Ikot Ekpene senato- rial collation centre that led to the intervention of the then Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Mike Igini. The details are in the 25th March 2021 judgement of Justice Augustine D. Odokwo of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Ikot Ekpene Division—the same judgement affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Calabar last week. In 32 pages and 13788 words, Justice Odokwo laid bare the failed attempt by Ogban to thwart the will of the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial electorate.
With the INEC as complainant, Ogban was arraigned on 15th December 2020 on a two-count charge of fraudulent manipulation of polling results and announcement of fake election results, both punishable under section 123 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended). The summary of the case is that in the process of collating results on 24th February 2019, during which the collation/ returning officer for each local government would publicly announce and then tender original copy, Ogban (as Senatorial Collation/Returning Officer) deliberately wrote results that were different from what were announced and at variance with the documents submitted to him for Etim Ekpo and Oruk Anam local government areas. During the trial, the INEC principal witnesses who served as returning officers/collation officers in the two contentious local government areas
are both lecturers at the University of Uyo: Dr. John Udoidem, who is currently the Head of the Department of Banking and Finance, and Dr. Itemobong Ekaidem, a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Pathology. In his testimony, Udoidem said he was announcing the scores in the EC8C (1) form to Ogban in a loud voice, digit after digit in the presence of so many people, including agents of all parties. “In my Form – Exhibit 2, APC had a total vote of 10,534 while PDP had 25,123. The difference noted is that in Exhibit 3, the accused person recorded for APC – 15,534, an increase of 5,000. For PDP, the accused person recorded 20,123. The figure there was reduced by 5,000,” Udoidem said.
Although Ogban claimed to have recorded the figures he heard as against what was in the documents submitted to him, Justice Odokwo found his defence unbelievable: “…matching the figures of votes recorded by the APC in exhibit 2 which is 10,534 with the figure 15,534 as per exhibit 3, I will not require the aid of any magnifying glasses to see and come to the irresistible conclusion that the votes for APC was inflated with 5000 votes as against what was originally recorded in exhibit 2 by the Local Government Collation Officer, Dr. John Udoidem, the PW1.”
Another INEC witness, Ekaidem, had a similar problem with Ogban. What he called out as results for Etim Ekpo local government area were, ‘APC – 2,671, PDP – 6,603’ but the professor, who argued on the point that vowel/pronunciation could be misunderstood, recorded 5,671 for the APC and 3,306 for the PDP. “I read out the scores to the public and also to the Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Collation Officer (and) at the end of it, I submitted the copy I was reading to the accused person,” Ekaidem said while testifying against Ogban.
In his judgement, which has been affirmed by the appeal court, Justice Odokwo asked a pertinent question: “Can a reasonable man confronted with the kind of response given by the accused person
that he did not compare the figures before filling exhibit 3 say the accused person as a professor acted diligently?” The judge answered his own question: “I would certainly not think so… this court cannot accept the evidence of the accused person as that of a credible witness given his position as a professor in the academic field.” And then this: “How can the accused be comfortable relying on what he heard rather than what is in a document, especially as it touches and concern figures?”
The subtext of the story is that Igini, as then REC in Akwa Ibom State, played a central role in eventually holding the erring INEC ad hoc staff accountable. However, even though he would have been the beneficiary had Ogban succeeded with his manipulation, Akpabio has consistently disowned the professor who pleaded for mercy when convicted in 2021. “This is an eye-opener for anyone who participated in local, state or national activities to do so with dexterity and not take anything for granted,” Ogban had told Justice Odokwo four years ago following his conviction. “I plead that you grant me 100 per cent mercy and allow me to go and continue with my responsibilities. If I lose my source of income, it means all the dependants I have mentioned will suffer, especially the condition of my aged mother.”
Meanwhile, it is true that Akpabio challenged the declaration of Ekpenyong as winner of the election, and a rerun was ordered in one local government by the Court of Appeal in Calabar. But let’s examine the facts. On that fateful election night on 24th February 2019, Ekpenyong was leading comfortably after results of nine local governments had been declared. The only outstanding result was from one local government: Essien Udim local government area where Akpabio hails from. When that result eventually arrived, Akpabio had 61,399 votes—enough to give him overall victory. That is ‘Rigging 101’ in the manual of how-to-game elections in Nigeria!
That night in Ikot Ekpene collation centre, it was the intervention of Igini that prevented what could have been a violent crisis. He ordered a suspension of the process and directed all the electoral officers to Uyo, the state capital. After cancelling results from several wards in Essien Udim local government that were considered not genuine, INEC called the election in favour of Ekpenyong. As returning officer for the senatorial district, it was Ogban who was saddled with the responsibility of announcing the result. But by then, the professor was already battling for his reputation over Etim Ekpo and Oruk Anam local governments results.
Akpabio, of course, mounted a fierce legal challenge against INEC, alleging manipulation of the results for which he accused Igini. He failed in his bid. Both the tribunal and appellate court upheld INEC’s claim that only 19,455 voters were accredited in Essien Udim local government. And with that, the 61,399 votes recorded in favour of Akpabio which the commission rejected were considered as lacking credibility. However, on grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), Justice Tanko Husseini ordered a rerun
in Akpabio’s local government of Essien Udim before a winner could be announced. When the rerun election eventually held in January 2020 and the final figures were tallied, Ekpenyong won with 134,717 votes to 83,820 votes by Akpabio. Following the appeal court judgement in No- vember 2019, INEC Public Affairs Officer in Akwa Ibom State, Don Etukudo, said the commission had been vindicated in its position that the Essien Udim election was characterised by “massive rigging and manipulations that culminated in the dubious award of 61,329 votes to Senator Akpabio alone in the LGA.” Etukudo argued that what INEC thwarted was the plot to use a fraudulent result from one local government to neutralise results from nine other LGAs in the senatorial district. “Thugs had gone on the rampage in most parts of the LGA as soon as the polls were open,” Etokudo recounted. “They snatched and stuffed ballot boxes, foreclosed the use of Smart Card Readers, brutalised INEC ad hoc personnel and prevented voters from exercising their franchise.” With the conviction of Professor Ogban, there are important lessons for all stakeholders in the electoral process. I have observed elections in numerous countries, including within the continent, and I never witness the kind of desperation I see in Nigeria where almost every actor is attempting to game the exercise. The challenge is now on how we can resolve a problem that is both systemic and pervasive. Why should our elections be conducted almost like war? Closure of borders, shutdown of businesses and offices, restrictions of movement, deployment of a disproportionate number of police and security personnel as well as military troops etc. There are so many issues we need to deal with, including how long and difficult it is to prosecute electoral offenders. This case started six years ago and may still reach the Supreme Court. In the immediate, to restore integrity to the ballot box, we must ensure that there are consequences for bad behaviour. The watchword here is accountability. The moment electoral officers know that ‘lending a helping hand’ to politicians can land them in jail, they will think twice before getting involved in such malpractices.
s Koyinsola Olukoya, a director with Kapital Communications, will be 50 on Saturday. Perhaps so that we would not eat Jollof rice, she decided to ‘Japa’ out of Abuja. Koyinsola has been the biggest supporter of my wife’s Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI) School which provides free education for more than a hundred underserved children in Abuja. She pays the tuition fees for the NFI extension students in secondary schools and also visits them. I wish ‘Momo Mayowa’ happy birthday, long life and good health.