At Investopia, UAE Eyes Over $10bn Investments in Nigeria’s Infrastructure,
Agriculture, Tech Sectors
Oduwole: Nigeria offers strong gateway to AfCFTA markets Sanwo-Olu woos investors, says Lagos international financial centre will unlock funding
Dike Onwuamaeze The Minister of Investment, United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Mr. Mohamed H. Alsuwaidi, has projected that the government and private sector of
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would invest over $10 billion into the Nigerian economy within the coming years. This comes as Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said the
FG Arraigns Nine over Yelwata Killings ... Page 19
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David Mark: APC’s Vicious Policies Exposing Nigerians to Untold Hardship, Poverty
Insists Nigerians desperately seeking credible alternative
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
African Democratic Congress (ADC) said the ruling All
Progressives Congress (APC) had initiated “needless vicious policies” under President Bola Tinubu, which had exposed
Nigerians to untold hardship and poverty. National Chairman of ADC and former Senate President,
Senator David Mark, made the allega-tion yesterday in Abuja. Mark regretted that while the APC government continued to aggravate citizen’s tax burdens, insecurity relentlessly disrupted their social and economic lives. Mark spoke while inaugurat-
Tinubu Brokers Peace Again, Asks Wike to Halt Impeachment of Fubara
Rivers governor to recognise FCT minister as ‘political leader’ Issue of Fubara’s second term premature, Tinubu tells feuding parties Wike’s candidates to be recognised in state Assembly by-elections
DAY OF PRAISE IN CELEBRATION OF 50TH BIRTHDAY OF MR. TONLAGHA...
L-R: Founder, Esther Matthew Tonlagha Foundation, Dr. Esther Tonlagha; Chairman, Maton Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr. Matthew Tonlagha; and Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, during a Day of Praise in celebration of the 50th birthday of Mr. Tonlagha in Warri, Monday
WORLD BANK MANAGING DIRECTOR, ANNIE BJERDE MEETS SANWO-OLU...
Managing Director of Operations, World Bank, Annie Bjerde (left) receiving the Lagos State government plaque from the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a courtesy visit at Lagos House, Marina on Sunday
NIGERIA-UAE INVESTMENT FORUM...
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (right) presenting the State plaque to United Arab Emirates, UAE Minister of Investment, H.E Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi during a meeting at the Nigeria-UAE investment forum tagged “Investopia Global Africa”, organised by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, held in Victoria Island, Lagos, ... yesterday
In Key Milestone, Nigeria Hands Over Africa Energy Bank Headquarters to APPO
$5bn financial institution set for official takeoff before June Development marks key step to achieving Africa’s economic sovereignty
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria yesterday marked a major milestone in Africa’s push for energy financing as it formally handed over the headquarters of the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) to the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), setting the stage for the takeoff of the $5 billion financial institution before mid-year.
The symbolic handover ceremony, held in Abuja, brought together government officials and key continental stakeholders, underscoring Nigeria’s central role in birthing the bank, which is expected to plug Africa’s long-standing financing gaps in oil and gas development.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, said Nigeria had fulfilled all its obligations as host country, describing the handover of the fully furnished headquarters as the final outstanding commitment required for the bank to commence operations.
Lokpobiri said the journey to securing a suitable headquarters had not been straightforward, noting that two earlier locations were rejected due to size and location concerns before the current premises were finally agreed upon. He stressed that the building had been procured, paid for and furnished entirely by Nigeria in line with its host country responsibilities.
“Today, we are formally here to report to you as President of
APPO that Nigeria has made all our commitments. And the last commitment was this bank. And like I said, by way of background, this is about the third one.
“First one, it was too big, and then second one, also the location was an issue, and eventually, we’re happy that we got this one, which is furnished, paid for, and Nigeria is formally very happy today to hand over this furnished Africa Energy Bank building premises to APPO and Afreximbank that are the enablers of the AEB,” Lokpobiri stressed.
He added that with the headquarters issue resolved, all delays that had slowed the bank’s takeoff had been cleared, paving the way for operations to begin as early as the end of April. According to him, the bank’s commencement was of strategic importance to oil and gas investment across the continent at a time when access to international financing had become increasingly constrained.
Lokpobiri said the bank was a response to what he described as the weaponisation of finance against Africa’s development. He argued that despite contributing minimally to global emissions, African countries were often pressured to halt the development of their fossil fuel resources, even as energy poverty persisted across the continent.
He noted that the global narrative was shifting, with proponents of rapid energy transition now acknowledging the continued dominance of fossil
fuels in the global energy mix and the need for sustained investment running into hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Africa, he said, is richly endowed with oil and gas resources but remained hamstrung by lack of access to finance, making the establishment of the bank imperative.
“Nigeria has made all our obligations financially and also physically with this situation. Africa is facing a challenge in finance…We are victims of global emissions. But every time they campaign that Africa stops exploring God-given resources,” Lokpobiri stated.
Apart from member countries, the minister explained that the bank will service the entire continent, explaining
that the required procedures will be strictly followed to ensure that things are properly done.
“This bank will service not just APPO member countries, which are about 18, but the entire African continent,” Lokpobiri said, adding that the institution would follow standard governance procedures, including shareholder meetings, appointment of management and board members, and recruitment of staff once operations begin.
In his remarks, the Ivorian Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, who is also the President of APPO for 2026, described the handover as a critical milestone in the long journey
to establishing the bank. Sangafowa-Coulibaly praised Nigeria for delivering a functional and well-designed headquarters, saying the availability of a permanent office removed one of the last practical obstacles to launching the institution.
He said APPO was fully committed to ensuring the bank takes off no later than June, with the possibility of an earlier launch.
“To allow this bank to take off, we needed a headquarters and we now have it,” he said. “What remains is to go to the General Assembly and formally launch the bank. We are all committed to making this happen as soon as possible,” he added.
He also highlighted the
partnership with Afreximbank, describing it as a major strength for the new institution. According to him, Afreximbank’s experience in running a continental financial institution would be invaluable as the Africa Energy Bank begins operations, with APPO providing strategic direction focused on the energy needs of member states and the wider continent. Also speaking, the APPO Secretary General, Farid Ghezali, described the event as the realisation of a vision that many once thought was unattainable. He said the focus must now shift from infrastructure and symbolism to delivery and tangible results for Africans.
FG Reaffirms Resolve to Reposition Livestock Sector, Inaugurates Technical Sub-Committee
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, yesterday inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) Technical Sub-Committee on Livestock Development, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to repositioning the livestock sector as a key driver of economic growth, food security, and national cohesion.
Bagudu explained that the
sub-committee was established to harmonise existing policy frameworks and accelerate the development of an actionable roadmap for consideration and adoption by the National Economic Council.
He recalled that NEC had previously established a high-level committee on livestock development chaired by the Governor of Kebbi State, Dr. Nasir Idris, with governors from the six geopolitical zones, relevant ministers, and the
NSE President Calls for Engineering-based Solutions to Nigeria’s Insecurity
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ali Rabiu, has urged Nigerian engineers to deploy innovation, systems thinking and technology-driven methodologies in supporting government efforts to address Nigeria’s persistent insecurity. Rabiu made the statement at the inauguration of the 17th National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE),
Dr. Babagana Modu Tella, which held in Abuja.
He described the ceremony’s theme: “Insecurity in Nigeria: Engineering Approach for Effective and Efficient Solutions for National Development,” as a practical framework for professional intervention, noting that mechanical engineering particularly, and engineering discipline as a whole, is central to industrial growth, infrastructure resilience and national security systems.
The NSE President emphasised that insecurity should be treated as a complex system requiring multidisciplinary engineering solutions, including data analytics, surveillance technologies, local manufacturing capacity, logistics optimisation and sustainable infrastructure development.
“Engineering is fundamentally about problem-solving. Our engagement must be rooted in logic, structure, modelling and
evidence-based reasoning to deliver sustainable solutions to complex security challenges,” he said.
The keynote speaker, DirectorGeneral of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), Maj. Gen. Babatunde Alaya, highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen indigenous defence manufacturing and optimise the deployment of military and paramilitary resources to ensure a secure environment for economic activities.
co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development as members.
Bagudu who chairs the subcommittee, Bagudu explained that, given the urgency of the task and the tight schedules of state governors, the NEC approved the formation of a technical subcommittee under his chairmanship to oversee the process effectively.
He said, “Our task is not to reinvent the wheel. A substantial body of work already exists. What is required now is to distil these reports into a clear, practical implementation roadmap that the National Economic Council can adopt without delay.”
He noted President Bola Tinubu’s strong personal dedication to livestock development, calling it a strategic change in Nigeria’s economic and agricultural policy. According to him, “Mr President has consistently emphasised that livestock is not a marginal activity but a central economic driver for food security, agricultural productivity, and inclusive growth. His decision to personally
chair the Presidential Committee on Livestock Development reflects this clarity of purpose.”
He further noted that establishing a stand-alone Ministry of Livestock Development emphasised the administration’s commitment to treating livestock as a strategic economic sector rather than a subsidiary function.
The minister stated that the President’s active engagement with the National Economic Council aligns with Nigeria’s constitutional federal structure, which assigns responsibility for agriculture and food security — including livestock development — to the federal, state, and local governments. He said, “Livestock development requires collaboration across all tiers of government. As the institution mandated to coordinate national development planning, this ministry acts as the secretariat of our federal system, ensuring that national plans, budgets, and programmes are aligned, mutually reinforcing, and implemented collaboratively rather than in isolation.”
James Emejo in Abuja
NASC SEEKS NEW LEGISLATIVE QUARTERS FOR SENATORS, REPS...
L-R: Member representing the North West Zone in the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Hon. Yusuf Tabuka; Senator Binos Yaroe; Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Mr. Cyril Fasuyi; Deputy Senate President, Mr. Jibrin Barau; President of the Senate, Mr. Godswill Akpabio; Chairman, NASC, Dr. Saviour Enyiekere; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo, during a courtesy call on the senate president by the commission, over the weekend
FAAC Disburses N1.969trn to FG, States, LGs as December Revenue Hits N2.585tn
Francis
The three tiers of government yesterday received a total sum of N1.969 trillion as Federation
Account Revenue for December 2025, as the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) held its first monthly meeting for 2026, in Abuja.
The disbursed amount of N1.969 trillion indicated about N41 billion increase over the N1 928 trillion shared in the preceding month of November 2025.
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) confirmed the disbursement via a statement issued by its Director, Press and Public
CBN Mulls Unified Regulatory Framework to Boost Fintech Expansion
Nume
Ekeghe
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is considering sweeping regulatory changes aimed at reducing compliance burdens for fintech operators, encouraging regional expansion, and strengthening financial inclusion, as operators contend with escalating costs and prolonged approval processes.
The apex bank’s 2025 Fintech Report, posted on its website, reiterated that it was exploring a Single Regulatory Window that would harmonise licensing and supervisory requirements across multiple regulatory agencies. The initiative is expected to significantly cut approval timelines and accelerate the launch of new digital financial products.
Data from the report shows that regulatory processes remain a major constraint on innovation, with 62.5 per cent of surveyed fintech firms stating that regulatory timelines materially affect product rollouts. More than one-third said it took over 12 months to bring a new product to the market, largely due to compliance-related delays.
On potential pathways, 2025 Fintech Report suggested, “Establishing a permanent CBN–Fintech Engagement Forum (meeting quarterly or biannually), as envi¬sioned under PSV2025, to enable candid and con¬structive dialogue as well as timely coordination on market developments, innovation pilots, and supervi¬sory concerns.
“Exploring models for a Single Regulatory Window to simplify
multi-agency compliance processes and reduce time-to-market. Reviewing approval timelines and operational guide¬lines to address industry feedback on delays and ambiguity.”
The report stated that compliance costs remained a major drag on sector growth, with 87.5 per cent of respondents reporting that the cost of meeting regulatory and risk requirements significantly impacts their capacity to innovate.
“These obligations stem from internationally benchmarked AML, cybersecurity and risk management frameworks,” the report said, adding that while such rules are critical for safeguarding system integrity, they have placed disproportionate pressure on smaller and fast-scaling firms.
Azikel Group CEO Gets St.Kitts and Nevis’ Highest Diplomatic Status
Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
President of Azikel Group, Dr. Azibapu Eruani, has received the highest Diplomatic Status in the Caribbean Countries of the Americas as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The ceremony and investiture held on January 27, 2026, s statement said, had in attendance senior government officials and cabinet ministers at the Government Headquarters, church streets, Bassetterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.
At the official ceremony, Dr. Terrence Drew, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kitts and Nevis, conferred Eruani with the official diplomatic passport together with his spouse.
The prime minister said that Eruani had made significant
contributions towards the growth of industries in Nigeria, Africa and across the globe, eco-prosperity and energy sustainability, explaining that the bestowal is the highest diplomatic role in the country.
Drew submitted that the Caribbean countries of the Americas need to stimulate industrialisation and development, and that Eruani would lead its economic diplomacy, investment promotion, development/ industrialisation and in promoting sustainable development and diplomacy.
He posited that the bilateral ties would be beneficial to the Republic of Kitts and Nevis and the Caribbean countries of the Americas with a projected increase in foreign investment, capital inflows, which will culminate in economic growth, job creation, diversification of the economy into technology, renewable
energy and manufacturing.
Drew said that the benefits also include stronger diplomatic ties, advocacy in international and regional forums, strengthened policy formation and institutional capacity through external collaboration, as well as strategic partnerships and alliances with countries and international organizations.
He expressed his appreciation and lauded Eruani for the notable success made in several business developments and his accomplishments in leading the new industrialisation and economic prosperity of Nigeria and Africa.
Responding, Eruani assured the prime minister of his resolve to commit his personality, achievements, business acumen and his international network in ensuring that the goals and objectives assigned to him are achieved.
To ease the burden, the central bank disclosed that it was considering shared regulatory infrastructure, including a Compliance as a Service model, which would reduce duplicative reporting, lower costs for regulated fintechs, and enhance supervisory visibility.
Beyond domestic reforms, CBN revealed that it was exploring regulatory passporting arrangements to support Nigerian fintech firms seeking to scale across borders.
The report showed that 62.5 per cent of surveyed fintechs currently operated or planned to expand into other African markets, with strong support for mutual recognition of licences among peer regulators.
“Stakeholders proposed piloting this model with peer regulators in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Senegal,” the report said, describing bilateral pilots as a more realistic short-term route to regional integration.
Relations, Bawa Mokwa, citing a communique from the FAAC meeting.
According to the statement, the N1.969 trillion total distributable revenue comprised statutory revenue of N1.084 trillion, Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N846.507 billion, and Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N38.110 billion.
While the sum of N1.969 trillion was shared to the various tiers, the gross revenue for the reference month was N2.585 trillion, with total deduction for cost of collection standing at N104.697 billion, while total transfers, refunds, and savings totalled N511.585 billion.
From the N1.969 trillion total distributable revenue in the month, the federal government received the sum of N653.500 billion, the state governments shared N706.469 billion, the local governments received N513.272 billion, while the sum of N96.083 billion, being 13 per cent of mineral revenue, was shared with the benefiting state as derivation revenue.
Gross statutory revenue collected for the month was N1.631 trillion, which was N105.202 billion lower than the sum of N1.736 trillion generated in November 2025.
A gross revenue of N913.957 billion was also generated from VAT, which was higher than the N563.042 billion raked in from the
revenue source in the preceding month by N350.915 billion.
On the N1.084 trillion distributable statutory revenue, Mokwa stated that the federal government got N520.807 billion, the state governments and local governments shared N264.160 billion and N203.656 billion respectively, while the sum of N96.083 billion was distributed to minerals-producing states as 13 per cent of mineral revenue.
Also, from the N846.507 billion distributable VAT revenue, the federal government received N126.976 billion, state governments got N423.254 billion, while N296.277 billion was distributed to the local governments
The federal government received N5.717 billion shared from the N38.110 billion Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), the state governments got N19.055 billion and the local government, N13.338 billion.
In the month under review, revenues generated from Companies Income Tax (CIT)/CGT and STD, Import Duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) significantly increased while Oil and Gas Royalty, CET Levies and Fees marginally increased.
The FAAC reported that Excise Duty, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT)/ Hydrocarbon Tax (HT) and Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) considerably declined in December 2025.
Stakeholders Seek Credit, Infrastructure Support for Young Food Vendors to Boost Livelihoods, Jobs
Stakeholders have called on the government to support budding food vendors, particularly youths, with financing, market access, and infrastructure to boost job creation and livelihoods across the country. They made the call at the maiden edition of Al Fresco food exhibition with the theme, “Support Small Businesses and Discover Local Talent,” in Abuja.
The fair witnessed young talented and innovative food entrepreneurs, who were determined to carve a niche for themselves in the food value-chain with local delicacies.
Stakeholders further urged the
government to create market visibility and an enabling environment for the operators to help them to be competitive. They sought power and policy safeguards to support the operators.
Speaking at the fair, Chairperson, Better Life Programme for African Rural Woman (BLPARW), Hajiya
Aisha Babanginda, said, “I think visibility is one thing, you know, giving them credit because the sector is filled with a lot of people that have been in business for well over 10 years.
“And so, a creature of old habits, you know, we want to just stick with them. So, visibility is very important, promotion, access to
some sort of funding to elevate their businesses.
“Power is a challenge as well because you can see some of them are into cooking, baking, so they need power, infrastructure, and policies to safeguard their businesses.” She commended the Founder/ Convener of Al Fresco Food Fair, Fatima Babangida Mohammed, for the laudable initiative to showcase new businesses, particularly food vendors, and promote them.
She said, “And as you know, I do a lot of entrepreneurships with women as well. So, this I’m particularly interested in and I’m sure it’ll go well a long way to give them support.
James Emejo in Abuja
Ndubuisi
in Abuja
PUBLIC PRESENTATION OF A BOOK TITLED ‘FINTIRI – THE MAN THEY COULD NOT STOP’...
of
Pate: With Investment in Research, Africa Can Become Global Health Solution Hub
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof Ali Pate has expressed optimism that Nigeria and the rest of Africa would emerge as key destination for innovative solutions in the health sector if adequate investment and effort are channeled into science and research.
Speaking at the opening of a 5-Day SPARK Translational Research Boot Camp conference in Abuja yesterday, Pate said Africa needs to do something to improve its contribution to global science research and innovation.
He said there was a need for a decisive shift from basic scientific discovery to real-world health solutions, which can turn the continent into a health solutions hub.
He said despite her large population with its attendant problems, the continent has continued to lag behind in research efforts aimed at finding solutions to the challenges.
The minister said poor investment in research would have negative impact on the gains currently being made in promoting healthcare in the country.
“The context is also presently a paradox, the paradox of us being 1.4 billion, yet accounting for a very significant portion of the global trade, global economy, 1.4 billion, with lots of problems, and yet very Little of the scientific inquiry. Doctor
Abdul Muktara mentioned less than, I believe, one percent, two percent, I think that’s optimistic.
“I would say very little spending on research to find the solutions to the problems, and even where those solutions are being invested upon, they are funded by others, not domestically, within the continent, not within the industry,” he said.
While reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Pate noted that pandemics historically altered the course of human civilisation and argued that the world was still grappling with the aftershocks of COVID-19 in politics, economies, and global supply chains.
He said, “Nigeria and Africa are navigating multiple transitions at once, including demographic, epidemiological, economic, technological, and political shifts.
“While infectious diseases remain a challenge, Pate said non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular illnesses now account for a growing share of illness and death.
“We may not be very conscious of it, but there are changes that are happening in the world since the disruption of COVID,” he said, adding that many economic imbalances could be traced to pandemic-era spending.
Pate warned that technology, if poorly governed, could undermine
public trust in science, citing the rise of misinformation, anti-science, and anti-vaccine movements.
He urged scientists to pay closer attention to how research findings are communicated.
According Pate, “the benefit of the scientific enterprise may be left on the table if we don’t communicate well enough.”
In a significant stride towards healthcare innovation and self-reliance across Africa and in many parts of the developing world, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) is collaborating with SPARK GLOBAL to train and educate African scientists
to directly address the health needs of the continent.
Director General of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr. Obi Adigwe, said poor funding of research undermines efforts at research and innovation.
He said translational research was critical in closing the gap that exists between basic scientific discoveries in the laboratory and their practical applications in the clinical setting. He also said advancing research findings into effective treatment and Interventions would improve the well-being of humans.
Speaking on what he described
as “character assassination and threats to scientists,” Adigwe said such treatment creates a chilling effect, discouraging young minds from entering the field.
“If we do not act decisively, the torch of science may be extinguished, and humanity will stumble into darkness. Yet there is hope. Science has always triumphed over adversity.
“Underfunding science is not an act of prudence but of recklessness.
Investing in science is the most patriotic act a government can undertake, for it secures the future of its people,” he said.
Leveraging the respective institutional experience and cognate
expertise, Adigwe said the Nigerian government, through NIPRD, was partnering with SPARK GLOBAL to host the annual SPARK translational Research Boot camp and conference in Abuja this month, including the launch of SPARK Nigeria Programme. He said the Boot camp conference would bring together scientists from across African Universities and research institutes for training and collaboration using the SPARK translational research model, offering opportunities for education, interaction, and collaboration to enable and empower local researchers to develop local capacity using translational research principles.
Tariffs Increase Threaten Air Freight of N220bn Agro Exports from Nigeria
As Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) kicked-off implementation of cargo levy increase from N7 per kilo to N25 per kilo yesterday, exporters said it would further hike the cost of agricultural produce from Nigeria, which were already being rejected in the international market due to high cost.
In 2024, Nigeria exported by air farm produce, known as perishables, worth about N220 billion, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). But the volume reduced because of the high cost of export, which also pushed up costs in the glossary and other shops abroad.
Exporters said FAAN tariff
Business Club Ikeja Celebrates 30 Years of Empowering Business Excellence
Mary Nnah
The Business Club Ikeja (BCI) recently marked a significant milestone, celebrating 30 years of supporting business excellence and community growth.
The occasion was marked with a grand ceremony at the BCI House in Ikeja, Lagos, where professionals, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders gathered to commemorate the club’s achievements and look forward to the future.
The club’s theme for the celebration, “New Year, New Heights,” reflected its commitment to rising above challenges and achieving greater heights.
Despite economic uncertainties and regulatory changes, BCI members have continued to thrive, adapt, and innovate. The club’s resilience and determination come from its mission to promote business excellence and community growth, and its commitment to creating a platform
for businesses to come together and share experiences.
In his keynote address, Ambassador Kola Aderibigbe, MD/CEO of KSP Shipping and Logistics Limited and Vice President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), emphasised the importance of proactivity, capacity building, and positive thinking in achieving success. He said, “30 is a very unique number. Success is when you prepare yourself for opportunity.”
He also highlighted the need for business leaders to be open to new opportunities and experiences, and to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Aderibigbe further elaborated on the seven laws for success, which include being proactive, developing capacity, staying positive, being persistent, and being open to opportunities and new experiences.
increase had added to other levies charged by airlines, handling companies, and other government agencies at the airports. They said these had driven up the cost of Nigerian perishables and made them uncompetitive, as similar produce come from other countries at cheaper prices.
An exporter at the Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (MMIA), who desired anonymity, told THISDAY by telephone yesterday that DHL, a renowned freighting and courier company, Air France, other airlines freighting cargo from Nigeria, handling companies, Nigeria Customs Service, Quarantine Service and other security operatives increased levies at intervals, with all adding to the high cost of freighting perishables out of Nigeria.
The exporter stated, “We are no more competitive. Our banana, crayfish, palm oil, pepper, vegetables are organic but the prices of the produce have increased, which made them uncompetitive. Recently the levies increased the price of export of the produce from
$3 per kilo to $14 per kilo.
“So, we are pricing ourselves out of the market. The price is too much for the shipping. The cost of our produce abroad is higher than that of other countries.
“If FAAN increases tariff, it is the importer or exporter that will pay the price. The clearing agent is not suffering. FAAN, handling companies and airlines make arguments that they want to generate more revenue, but their action has ripple effect on the price of the produce exported.
“So, the exporter, for example, will reduce his exports from 10 tons to 5 tons so that he will be able to pay for them. This reduces the volume of what Nigeria exports to the international market.”
Meanwhile, cargo agents at the Lagos airport petitioned Inspector General of Police (IGP), Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA), and other relevant security agencies and manufacturers’ associations over a threat by FAAN to demolish their secretariats because of their refusal to accept the new tariff on cargo.
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Chinedu Eze
L-R: Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Mohammed; APC National Vice Chairman, Comrade Salihu Mustapha; Adamawa State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Fintiri; and former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, at the public presentation
a book titled ‘Fintiri – The Man They Could Not Stop’ in Yola, yesterday
2025 Budget: FG Generated N20.7tn, Applied N13.69tn to Debt
Service, N8.10tn Capital Projects, N31.89tn Expenditure as at October
FG banks on new tax laws, oil, gas sector reforms to boost 2026 performance Mandates heads of government-owned enterprises to meet targets Tanimu Yakubu: Effective MDA engagement key to securing funding, improved budget execution, value-for-money, others, says previous multiple running budgets consolidated
James Emejo in Abuja
Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation (BoF), Tanimu Yakubu, yesterday, disclosed that the federal government generated N20.7 trillion in revenue, representing 61 per cent of its target, and applied N13.69 trillion to debt service as of October 2025.
Giving an update on the 2025 budget performance, Yakubu said N7.09 trillion was spent on personnel and pensions, while N31.89 trillion covered expenditure in the review period.
He stated that N8.10 trillion was spent on capital projects between January and September 2025, adding that following the extension of 2024 capital budget execution to December 2025, a total
of N2.23 trillion was released for 2024 capital projects implementation as at June 2025.
Represented by Director, Social Expenditure, BoF, Mr. Yusuf Muhammed, Yakubu, stated that while fiscal challenges persisted, the government met its key obligations.
He said budget execution discipline will be greater in 2026, adding that it will be implemented strictly in line with the appropriated details and timelines.
The director-general budget also said the federal government sought to improve revenue performance through the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, (NTAA) 2025.
He said ongoing oil and gas sector reforms will also help to shore up funding for the 2026 budget and future spending plan.
He said amid the tight fiscal space and attendant risks, the 2026–2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) will help to make informed trade-offs, prioritising high-impact programmes, and ensuring that medium-term commitments remain consistent with available resources.
Yakubu said Heads of all Government-owned Enterprises (GOEs) were required to meet assigned revenue targets, which will form core components of their performance evaluations and institutional scorecards.
He further reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to full funding of MDA budgets in this year, stating that budget execution discipline will be stronger.
Yakubu also affirmed the consolidation of all previous multiple running budgets, adding that the appropriated budget for the year must be implemented thoroughly and better.
Yakubu stressed that understanding the 2026-2028 MTFF and FSP remained essential for translating government policy objectives into budgets that were credible, affordable, and results-oriented.
He stated that effective MDA engagement with the framework was not optional but central to securing funding, improving budget execution, and demonstrating value-for-money.
He said the training sought to deepen understanding of the 2026-2028 MTEF and FSP and the role of MDAs in achieving
macro-fiscal objectives of the government, as well as enhance understanding of the context of the 2026 budget among others.
According to him, failure to link policy, planning, and budgeting is a major factor contributing to poor budgeting outcomes, particularly failure to direct resources to policy priorities of the government.
Yakubu decried the situation where, “Budgeting is treated as an annual funding exercise, not a policy-based exercise”.
He pointed out that preparation of the FGN medium-term fiscal framework was a mandatory requirement by Section 11 (1) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
He said Section 14(1) of the FRA 2007 requires the framework to be reviewed and approved by the
the National Assembly, with any modifications deemed necessary.
TINUBU BROKERS PEACE AGAIN, ASKS WIKE TO HALT IMPEACHMENT OF FUBARA
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has, again, intervened to halt the escalating feud between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike.
The peace deal came after months of failed settlements that had pushed the state to the brink of governorship impeachment, legislative paralysis, and prolonged instability.
The president had previously intervened in the rift between Fubara and Wike in December 2023, when he brokered a fragile peace, which broke down soon after, leading the declaration of a six-month emergency rule in the state on March 18, 2025 by Tinubu and suspension of the governor.
However, in the fresh push to defuse one of the country’s most combustible political disagreements
at its headquarters in Abuja.
The committee, which comprised several eminent Nigerians, had former APC National Chairman and erstwhile Governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, as Chairman.
The former senate president stated, “Nigerians are suffering today, perhaps more than any other time in our history. Poverty stares us in the face.
“Yes, poverty and hardship have always existed but the hardship and poverty that Nigerians are experiencing under the APC administration has gotten worse.
“This situation has been brought about and compounded by government needlessly vicious policies. What Nigerians are, therefore, desperately looking for are credible alternative ideas, actions and policies.
“They want policies that would improve their lives today and lay a solid foundation on which they can improve their future. They want policies that show compassion.
“Nigerians are not looking for clever arguments. They want policies and actions that show that government understands what they are going through and is prepared to act with clarity, courage and most importantly with compassion.
in recent times, Tinubu ordered an immediate suspension of any impeachment moves against Fubara, but with very strict conditions.
Multiple highly placed sources familiar with the issue told THISDAY that Tinubu, who acted just before departing for an official trip to Türkiye on January 26, laid down the political terms aimed at restoring peace between the two key political actors in Rivers State, a state seen as critical to the president’s re-election in 2027.
Tinubu’s intervention came with a blunt message to Fubara: Wike remains the undisputed political leader of the party, whether APC or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, and he must be respected in that regard.
THISDAY was told that the president, visibly displeased by the depth of the rift, despite his efforts in the past, warned that continued hostilities would
“This is what the African Democratic Congress represents, a party that puts the people first.”
The ADC national chairman made it clear that a country that could not secure its people will not be able to grow the economy, no matter how impressive its plans appeared on paper.
He stressed that Nigeria did not need rhetoric, “She needs honest thinking and workable solutions. Across the country,
Area (AfCFTA).
Also, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urged local and international investors to invest in the State, saying it is ready and willing to partner with them. They all spoke yesterday during the first “Investopia Global Africa” that was cohosted by Nigeria and the UAE in Lagos, Nigeria.
Alsuwaidi said he was slightly disappointed in terms of the smallness of investment both countries have recorded in their close to 50 years of bilateral commercial trade relations.
He added: “Reflecting on Nigeria and the potential that is here, I am surprised that we have not deployed significantly much (investments).
“And I think that with this government (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration), we see a window where our size of
undermine governance in the state and lead to instability, a situation Tinubu said he was not ready to condone.
Tinubu was said to have clearly told Wike to back off any impeachment plots against Fubara and allow governance in the state.
Fubara and his predecessor, Wike, have had a cat and mouse relationship just within months of the governor’s swearing into office in May 2023. What is now out in the open is that Wike, who personally engineered Fubara’s emergence as his successor, has sought to control the levers of power from Abuja, while the governor has resisted what many see as the FCT minister’s chokehold on him.
The relationship began to fracture within months of Fubara’s inauguration, as the governor quietly sought to assert his independence, with political actors in the state
families are working harder and earning lesser and lesser. Food prices rise faster than wages, salaries and incomes can cope.
“Power supply remains epileptic even as tariffs increase astronomically. Strangely, the APC government continue to aggravate the citizen’s tax burdens. Insecurity continues to disrupt the peoples social and economic.”
Mark stressed that Nigerians
investment should be in the tens of billion dollars hopefully in the coming years.”
Alsuwaidi said the UAE sees endless opportunities in Nigeria across industries, infrastructure, entertainment, financial services, agricultural lands for export of products, public transport, utilities, power, mining, warehousing, and wastewater recycling, depending on legal frameworks.
“I see a lot of opportunities. But translating them depends on getting information to make the right decisions and being able to find either a private sector or government partner.
“I do not think trust is an issue. But understanding the market is an issue. That is why I said that this event can be the most crucial because we have hundreds of businesses in the room to exchange
immediately taking sides. Notably, in the ongoing fight, almost all the state lawmakers align with Wike.
Subsequently, attempts to impeach Fubara emerged from the pro-Wike group in the House of Assembly. Although the governor has tried to wriggle out of the situation several times, the shadows of impeachment continue to haunt him every time there is a disagreement with the minister. Several efforts have been made to resolve the crisis, all of which failed to produce lasting peace. The failure of one of the peace meetings eventually led to the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state, which lasted six months.
While Wike’s camp continues to accuse Fubara of betrayal and political ingratitude, the governor’s allies argue that Rivers State cannot be run from outside the state by a former governor now serving
were not looking for who to blame for their suffering as they already knew who was responsible.
According to him, “They (Nigerians) are looking for who will ease the pains. They want real, practical solutions that address the challenges of today, not policies that expect them to continue to give and
Continued on page 21
cards with and make some friends,” he added.
He, however, indicated that he would prefer that the investments should be private sector-driven by building deeper business-to-business relationships between the UAE and Nigeria.
According to him, “I am not against government working. But I think that there are more deals to be done at the private sector level.
“The UAE investors want to work with the government but they also want to work with the private sector.”
He remarked that the most important path to success is transparency, adding that the UAE would focus on quick wins.
“There are great projects that take years to develop. But there are low hanging fruits, which could be executed.
as the FCT minister.
Still on the latest attempt to seek an end to the prolonged imbroglio, one insider recounted the president’s thinking, drawing a parallel with Lagos State, where Sanwo-Olu is the leader of the party.
Tinubu was said to have stated, “Is Babajide Sanwo-Olu my leader in Lagos, or was Babatunde Fashola my leader when he was governor?”, according to a source.
The president was equally said to have stated that Fubara should respect elders, saying Wike is an elder statesman in Rivers politics and should be regarded as such. Tinubu, one of the sources added, made it clear that political seniority could not be wished away because of personal disagreements.
As part of the peace deal, the president directed Wike and his camp to immediately halt all impeachment-related actions against Fubara, citing his overriding concern about stability in Rivers State.
In return, Fubara was instructed to make significant concessions. Chief among them was the formal recognition of Wike as the “political leader” in Rivers State, with final authority on party matters.
Sources said Tinubu stressed that all internal party disputes in the state must ultimately defer to Wike.
However, the complexity of Wike’s case is that he is not a card-carrying member of APC in Rivers State. Officially, he remains a member of the struggling op-
“So, I will say let us focus on those low-hanging fruit. Let us try and build bridges with the private sector. And on mega projects, let us be transparent.”
In her remarks, Oduwole said Nigeria has numerous investment opportunities, including 44 solid minerals in commercial quantities across the country, agri-business, AI, technology, data centres, critical networth infrastructure, and financial services.
Other investment opportunities in Nigeria, she said, included tourism, real estate development along the Coastal Road, infrastructure, oil and gas, aviation, and Free Economic Zones that we are repurposing with regulations.
Oduwole said: “I will say that Nigeria is a strong board landing to access the AfCFTA.
“So the UAE’s investors should
position PDP, although he is a top minister under the ruling APC government - A position he has used to weaken his party, the PDP. Besides, the understanding covered the upcoming state House of Assembly bye-elections in Rivers State. Tinubu directed that candidates loyal to Wike should be recognised by the APC leadership for the two vacant assembly seats. “It was explicitly stated that Wike has two candidates for the by-elections and that those candidates are to be recognised by the APC party structure,” one source said.
Already, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 21, 2026 for the contentious by-elections into Ahoada East II and Khana II State Constituencies of the state.
THISDAY learnt that while the Ahoada-East II seat became vacant following the resignation of its former occupant, Edison Ehie, who was appointed Chief of Staff (CoS) to Governor Fubara, the Khana II seat was vacant since the death of its lawmaker, Dinebari Loolo, in September 2023. Notably, the sensitive issue of Fubara’s second term ambition also came up for deliberation, the source said, but was deliberately side-lined, with the president alleged to have said such discussions were too early for now. One source said Tinubu described any talk about the 2027 governorship in the state as still premature.
feel free to look at Nigeria as a hub to enter the African region,” adding that “we are welcoming new friends and strategic old friends across the world to join us to taking this economy to a $1 trillion economy.”
She said the UAE and the Gulf region have capital but with small populations and investment space.
“But I see spaces in Africa, particularly in Nigeria with higher returns.
“Your capital will be safe here. We have taken time to build the legal framework. We have taken time to ensure that there is G2G (government-to-government) trust that has grown over the last few years.
“We are here for you and to take the capital. Every challenge
DAVID MARK: APC’S VICIOUS POLICIES EXPOSING NIGERIANS TO UNTOLD HARDSHIP, POVERTY
Federal Executive Council (FEC), while Section 11(2) requires the framework to be considered and approved by resolution of each chamber of
Tanimu Yakubu
INSPECTION TOUR OF THE DIGITAL BRIDGE INSTITUTE...
L-R: Member, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Board, Princess Oforitsenere Emiko; Member, NCC Board, Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede; Head, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Lagos Campus, Mr. Akin Ogunlade; Member, NCC Board, Hon. Chris Okorie; Chairman, NCC Board, Chief Idris Olorunnimbe; Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO, NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida; and Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, NCC, Ms. Rimini Makama, during an inspection tour of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Oshodi, Lagos State, Friday
Financial Inclusion and Literacy: FG Signs MoU with ICAN, CIBN, Four Other Professional Bodies to Train 10m Nigerians
Nigeria’ll reap from its demographic dividend if youths, women are prioritised, equipped with skills, says Shettima than a system.”
The federal government on Monday flagged off a free nationwide training exercise for 10 million Nigerians on financial inclusion and literacy.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria could reap bountifully from its demographic dividend only if young Nigerians and women were equipped with the needed skills and ethical grounding required for a speedily progressing digital economy.
The training being undertaken by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), chaired by Vice Shettima,
is designed to equip Nigerians, particularly women and youths, with essential financial skills, investment knowledge, and digital competencies for sustainable wealth creation.
The Office of the Vice President, through PreCEFI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with six professional bodies to jointly design training programmes, certification pathways, digital skills initiatives, and mentorship platforms that would strengthen Nigeria’s financial and enterprise workforce.
The professional bodies included Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers
(CIS); National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA); Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI); and Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).
Speaking during the official launch of the nationwide training, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, at State House, Abuja, the vice president stated that the signing of the MoU between the federal government and six of Nigeria’s foremost professional bodies was more than a formal agreement.
“It is a strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure which is the human, institutional, and ethical foundations upon which inclusive growth must rest,” he stated.
Shettima said the Aso Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion, which PreCEFI was mandated to implement, recognised the fact that “financial inclusion is not achieved by access alone, but by competence, trust, and capability”.
According to him, the nation “cannot build a one-trillion-dollar economy on weak skills, fragmented standards, or disconnected professional ecosystems.”
Said he: “This MoU therefore establishes a working framework to harness the collective expertise of ICAN, CIBN, CIS, CRMI, NICA, and NIIE to advance inclusion through capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and support for
small and medium practitioners. “It establishes a structured mechanism for joint training programmes, policy dialogue, digital skills development, and professional standards that align market practice with national inclusion goals.”
The Vice President pointed out that while capacity building is financial inclusion, “without accountants who understand MSME formalisation, credit administrators who can assess risk beyond collateral, bankers who embed consumer protection, risk professionals who anticipate digital threats, and innovators who translate ideas into enterprises, inclusion remains a slogan rather
Wema Bank Unveils ‘Evolution of Love’ Valentine Campaign
Wema Bank has launched its 2026 Valentine’s Day campaign as part of activities marking the rollout of new features on its digital banking platform, ALAT.
The campaign, themed “Evolution of Love, powered by Wema Bank,” was inspired by the recent upgrade of the ALAT app and was designed to recognise and celebrate the different forms love takes over time, extending beyond romantic relationships to include self-love, friendship and family bonds.
According to a statement, the
initiative was structured to engage customers across four broad categories: singles, friends, married couples and couples planning to wed in February.
Participants are required to create a “Love Goal” on the ALAT app and share a one-minute video on social media describing how their love journey has evolved.
Selected participants are expected to receive gifts ranging from cash rewards and lifestyle vouchers to short vacations, while one couple getting married in February is to enjoy a celebrity performance at their wedding.
Speaking on the initiative, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, said the campaign reflects the institution’s customer-focused approach and its desire to connect with users beyond traditional banking services.
He explained that the decision to broaden the scope of Valentine’s celebrations was informed by the diverse experiences of the bank’s customers.
Oseni noted that the campaign aims to promote self-worth and friendship among singles, strengthen bonds among families and married couples,
Fintiri: My 2023 Electoral Battle Experience ‘Embarrassing Assault’ on Our Democracy
Daji Sani in Yola
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has described the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state as one of the most dangerous assaults on Nigeria’s democracy, revealing that the electoral battle exposed treachery, moral compromise, and desperate opportunism among the political elite.
Speaking at Muna Hotel in Yola, at the unveiling and public presentation of a book, “Fintiri: The Man They
Could Not Stop” and written by Journalist Solomon Kumangar, the governor reflected on what he called an orchestrated attempt to undermine the will of the Adamawa people through electoral manipulation.
“In 2023, we saw treachery. We saw assault. We saw moral compromise of a bankrupt elite masked as patriots,” Fintiri told a gathering of dignitaries at the event.
The governor, who confessed he had not read the book despite his name and face appearing on the cover,
endorsed Kumangar’s journalistic account while acknowledging its limitations.
The book focuses on the controversial 2023 Adamawa gubernatorial election, which saw dramatic scenes when suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, illegally declared the APC candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, winner before collation was complete, a move swiftly nullified by the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
and mark important milestones for couples preparing for marriage.
He added that the overall objective was to ensure customers feel appreciated and included during the Valentine season.
According to him, “Love is central to the delivery of true customer-centric service, and as a bank that prides itself on being customer-centric, this is reflected in the thought, intentionality and commitment we put into all we
do at Wema Bank.
“It has always been clear how much we care about our customers and this year, we decided to celebrate the journey of love across different categories that reflect the different experiences and realities of our customers, from friends and couples who have grown together over the years to lovers taking the bold step of marriage and even singles because self-love is crucial.
Maintaining that the training programme must prioritise young Nigerians and women, Shettima said, “Importantly, this collaboration prioritises women and youth inclusion and digital transformation, recognising that Nigeria’s demographic dividend will only materialise if young people are equipped with relevant skills and ethical grounding for a fastevolving digital economy.”
He charged the PreCEFI and the professional bodies not to treat the MoU as a mere document, but as a living platform for execution. Shettima stated, “Accordingly, on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, I hereby flag off the free training of 10 million Nigerians with priority for women and youth across the country,”
Earlier, President of ICAN, Mallam Haruna Yahaya, applauded the administration of Tinubu for its bold economic reforms that had culminated in the flag off of the financial inclusion free training programme for 10 million women and youths in Nigeria.
Yahaya said the decision to embark on the project was prompted by visible improvements in the economy as a result of the gains of the federal government’s policy reforms.
NLNG: Nigeria Prizes Open for Entries
The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) annual prizes competition has officially kicked off, yesterday, with call for entries for the 2026 cycle.
It was disclosed this year’s edition focuses on Artificial Intelligence and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation; Poetry for The Nigeria Prize for Literature; and Documentary Filmmaking for the newly introduced The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.
In a statement by Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, said the prizes remain
Nigeria’s foremost platform for rewarding excellence in science and innovation, literature, and the creative arts.
The statement revealed this year’s The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation retain the theme “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development” following a “no winner” verdict of the 2025 cycle.
Speaking on the commencement of the prizes cycle, the NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, emphasised the relevance of the selected themes in a rapidly evolving global context.
She noted that extensive research has demonstrated the immense potential of ICT, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies in reshaping industries and societies.
“The themes for the 2026 cycle reflect the realities of a world being reshaped by digital intelligence and creative expression. Through The Nigeria Prizes, NLNG continues to reinforce its commitment to innovative ideas and talents that are rigorous, relevant, and capable of shaping long-term national outcomes.
The introduction of the Creative Arts Prize further strengthens this commitment by recognising creativity as a critical component of development”.
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
Bennett Oghifo
Deji Elumoye in Abuja
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL RIGHTS 2026...
L-R: Executive Director, Space for Change, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaerie; Executive Secretary National Human Rights Commission NHRC, Tony Ojokwu; Country Director, Avocats Sans Frontieres Franse, Nigeria (ASF), Angela Iwuchukwu and Program Manager Civil Society, Youth and Human Rights, European Union Delegation, Wynyfred Achu - Egbuson, during the national conference on Digital Rights 2026 in Abuja ... yesterday
At Last, Soludo Ends Sit-at-home on Mondays, Shops at Onitsha Main Market
HURIWA commends traders, Soludo for victory
David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, seems to have ended the perennial sit-at- home exercise by traders, as markets across the state opened for business on Monday.
There was a huge attendance at the market yesterday by traders and customers who, about 12 noon, opened their shops fully for normal businesses, contrary to fears that there may be attacks on traders.
The order by the governor for markets to open for Monday business was thought by many to have aggravated the fragile security in Anambra State.
As early as 6am, streets in parts of Anambra State were deserted with zero vehicular movements, while school buses were without pupils, as most feared attacks.
In most parts of Onitsha Main Market, shops were under lock and key, while entire areas were deserted. But in other parts, while shops were locked, the traders milled around, apparently afraid of opening their shops for possible attacks.
However, about 12 noon, traders picked up courage and opened their
shops for business.
A trader who spoke to our correspondent in Lagos Line, Onitsha Main Market, stated that traders signed attendance register with clock in time, to show their attendance as ordered by Soludo.
A trader at Emeka Offor plaza, Mrs. Chinyere, who deals on phone accessories, said, “We are happy that Monday trading has commenced. We thank Soludo for making it happen. How can people be trading in other parts of South-east, but here in Anambra we cannot do same.
We are happy with Soludo.”
There was a high presence of security in and around the markets as police and military vans patrolled round the areas.
Soludo arrived the markett around 2pm, with the traders cheering him for defeating their fears and ending the sit-at-home exercise. He also shopped in the market, moving from shop to shop to patronise traders.
He said, “We have ended sit-athome in Onitsha. For the first time in five years, Onitsha is opened for business. We are happy, and I want to declare that those of you who came out today are the original Anambra people. I’m going to
shop in main market today. I’m an original Onitsha boy, don’t be surprised if I haggle with you on prices of items.”
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) praised traders of Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State for opening their shops on Monday.
HURIWA, in a press statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, also praised
Soludo for the courage to end what it called the perennial sit-at-home on Mondays.
Onwubiko said, “We congratulate the traders of Onitsha Main Market for opening their shops today, and we also want to thank the Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for the courage to end this perennial sit at home.
“Ending the sit-at-home in the entire South-east of Nigeria would
significantly lead to the eventual resuscitation of the economy of Igboland that has suffered prolonged disturbances and killings by armed terrorists.”
The group also lamented the resurfacing of dreaded IPOB commander, Mr. Ifeanyi Okorienta Eze, also known as Gentle de Yahoo, who had been declared captured by the Nigerian Army.
It “advocated the demonstration
by heads of the security forces of the capacity to end the insecurity in Nigeria and for the government officials to be honest in their public dealings with the members of the public”.
Onwubiko stated, “Defence Headquarters must transparently resolve the controversy surrounding the appearance of the notorious terrorist mastermind in Imo State ‘Gentle de Yahoo’.
Plateau Government Declares Anti Snake Venom Free, Fully Available Across State
Yemi Kosoko in Jos
The Plateau State Government has announced that Echitab Polyvalent Anti Snake Venom (ASV) is now fully available, widely distributed, and provided at no cost to all snakebite victims across the state. In a statement issued by Pharm. Kim Jerry Bot, Director General of the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency (PS DMCMA), the government reaffirmed its commitment to treating
Zuid Energies: Why We Deployed First Electric Powered Vehicles in Major Airports
A new-energy mobility and infrastructure company, Zuid Energies Limited, Monday revealed it partnered the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to deploy electric taxi services across major international airports to boost transport efficiency and improve Nigeria’s zero emission efforts.
The Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zuid Energies Limited, Ogochukwu Abiakam, who made the disclosure to Newsmen in Abuja, said the collaboration covers deployment of Electric Vehicles ride-hailing and
executive airport taxis, alongside development of Electric Vehicles charging infrastructure.
Abiaka noted the pilot phase is starting with Abuja and Lagos, after which the model will be expanded to other FAAN airports nationwide.
According to him, “Our longterm plan is to operate across all FAAN-owned airports, with Abuja and Lagos serving as pilot locations. Deployment numbers will scale in phases based on passenger demand, infrastructure readiness, and operational performance from the pilot phase.”
Speaking on the modality of operations, Abiakam noted
that Zuid Energies operates a digital-first booking system using a WhatsApp booking bot and dispatch platform.
“Passengers request rides via WhatsApp, and vehicles are dispatched either: From airport staging areas, or from city charging hubs. Operations are done in partnership with FAAN and aligned with airport transport regulations.
“Our goal is accessibility.
EV technology helps stabilize pricing long term because operating costs are lower than fuel vehicles and we intend to work collaboratively with existing airport taxi operators.
snakebite as a medical emergency, stressing that no resident should lose their life due to lack of access, affordability, or treatment delays.
According to the statement, the state has established a robust and well coordinated supply chain that ensures adequate quantities of Echitab ASV are stocked in strategic hospitals, general hospitals, and designated treatment centres.
This distribution network is designed to guarantee prompt treatment for victims in both rural communities and urban centres, eliminating any financial burden on patients or their families.
Pharm. Bot noted that sufficient stock of the anti venom is currently
available, with ongoing distribution to all 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and accredited treatment facilities. Health workers across the state have been directed to administer the ASV immediately upon diagnosis to prevent avoidable complications or fatalities.
The agency issued a stern warning to any health facility, staff member, or individual who withholds, diverts, or attempts to charge for the life saving medication, stating that decisive action will be taken against offenders. “The lives of Plateau citizens are priceless,” the statement emphasized.
The initiative has been widely commended as a reflection of
the compassionate and people centred leadership of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
By making Echitab ASV free, the Governor has reinforced the principle that healthcare in Plateau State “is not a privilege — it is a right.”
The government said Plateau is positioning itself as a national model, demonstrating that “leadership with conscience delivers real results.” Health facilities yet to receive their allocation of ASV have been directed to collect supplies from the PS DMCMA Pharmagrade Warehouse, with a reminder to bring appropriate cold chain equipment to ensure proper storage.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has uncovered an alleged human trafficking operation following a coordinated raid on a popular hotel in the 33 Area of Onitsha, Anambra State, resulting in the arrest of six suspects and the rescue of 17 victims.
The operation, which was carried out with the support of military
personnel, led to the arrest of four suspected traffickers at the hotel, while two other suspects believed to be involved in the buying and selling of babies within the SouthEast region were apprehended during related operations.
NAPTIP disclosed that four of the rescued victims were diagnosed with HIV and are currently receiving counselling and medical support from the agency, alongside volunteers from the Anambra State
AIDS Control Agency (ANSACA). According to the agency, the raid was triggered by credible intelligence from a non-state actor in Anambra State, which indicated the presence of underage girls allegedly being exploited within the facility. The intelligence also revealed concerns about the health conditions of the victims, prompting voluntary medical screening after proper counselling.
PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN
Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Implementing
1. Introduction
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has received nancing from the Wor ld Bank in the amount of US$500 million toward the cost of the Nigeria Human Capital Oppor tunities for Prosperity and Equity – Governance (HOPE-GOV) Program, of whic h US$20
m
assistance, program coordination, duciary suppor t, verication, monitoring and evaluation.
This General Procurement Notice is issued in accordance with the Wo r l d B a n k P ro c u r e
(September 2025).
2. Program Scope
The HOPE-GOV Program suppor ts the Federal Gover nment of Nigeria to strengthen some institutional and gover nance systems in basic education and primary healthcare sectors. These include:
· Financial mana gement;
· Human r esource mana gement, including recr uitment, deployment and payroll integrity
· Transpar ency & accountability in sector nancing;
· Planning, budgeting and r epor ting systems at federal and state levels.
The PforR component suppor ts system-wide refor ms through Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs), while the IPF component n a n c e s t e c h n i c a l a s s
functions.
3. Procur ement Under the IPF Component
Procurement of goods, consulting and non-consulting ser vices, t r a i n i n g , w
component will follow Wor ld Bank Procur ement Re gula tions for IPF Bor rowers (September, 2025). The total amount to be procured under the IPF component is nanced 100% by IDA (US$20 million).
Anticipa ted Procur ement Packa ges
A. Consulting Ser vices
1. Independent Verica tion Agent (IVA) for disbursement linked results (DLR) verication and repor ting.
2. Te c h n i c a l A
g
4. Procurement capacity development consultants 5. C o
open-gover nment specialists . B. Non-Consulting Ser vices
1. Wo r k s h o p s, t ra
lear ning events
2. ICT platfor m upgrades to suppor t budgeting, repor ting, and data management.
C. Goods
Strengthening planning, budgeting and PFM systems; and Development of nancial/perfor mance audit manuals;
3. Institutional capacity building at federal and state levels.
1. ICT equipment (computers, scanners, ser vers) to suppor t M & E , n a n
program coordination.
4. Procur ement Method
Procurement will be carried out using methods allowed under Wor ld Bank Regulations, including: Quality & Cost - Based S e
(CQS); Individual Consultants (IC); Request for Bids (RFB) for goods; and Request for Quota tions (RFQ) for low - value purc hases. National procurement procedures may apply where consistent with the Wor ld Bank's requirements.
5. Implementing Agency
Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP) H
(The NPCU ser ves as the central coordination and duciary unit.)
6. Procur ement Plan
The Project Procur ement Stra te gy for Development (PPSD) and the Procurement Plan for the rst 18 months have been prepared and will be updated throughout implementation.
Specic procurement notices for Request for Bids (RFB), Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI), or Request for Quotations (RFQ) will be published as they become available on: FMBEP ofcial website; UNDB online; and Wor ld Bank Procur ement Por tal (STEP)
7. Contact Infor ma tion
Na tional Program Coordina tor
National Program Coordination Unit (NPCU)
Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning
Email: assad.hassan@nationalplanning.gov.ng
Phone: 08036410739
LAWYER
‘Lagos is a Pacesetter in
‘Lagos is a Pacessetter in
Justice Administration’
Justice Administration’
Lagos State attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SaN
Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN
LAWYER
Quotable
‘….The problem is, Nigeria is more complex than a State, because of the fact that not all of us have the same notion about what we want for Nigeria….The economy is being fixed. And, we hope that by the time the President is leaving in 2031, he would have put Nigeria where all of us will be proud of.’ - His Royal Highness, Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja, Arusa I, 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland
Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN
Igbo Marginalisation and Misguided Fingerpointing
Party Primaries
The season of Party Primaries, is upon us. But, as we prepare for the eighth general elections in this Fourth Republic, scheduled to hold early in 2027, it shows that 27 years on, our Politicians do not intend to make any significant changes, as sadly, we are still having the same old debates without any outcomes - more or less, moving on the same spot without any traction. Nigerians are still debating about true Federalism and devolution of powers, State Police, State creation and so on. Why? For State Police, for instance, all that is required is the amendment of Section 214(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(as amended) (the Constitution), instead of this fruitless, never-ending debate on its pros and cons.
Admittedly, there has been traction in respect of the Local Government Councils (LGC), with the plethora of decisions that Governors cannot just wake up, dissolve LGCs at will and replace them with Caretaker Committees - see APC & Ors v Enugu SIEC & Ors (2021) LPELR55337(SC) per John Inyang Okoro, JSC; and more recently, what the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi. SAN coined as the “Local Government Emancipation Judgement”, AGF v AG Abia & 35 Ors (2024) LPELR-62576 (SC) per Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, JSC where it was held thus: “The State Government not being a democratically elected local government council, cannot exercise the power of such Council by retaining, controlling and managing local government allocations from the Federation Account. In the light of the foregoing, I hold that the States' retention and use of money standing to the credit of local governments from the Federation Account paid to it for the benefit of Local Government Councils, is unconstitutional and illegal”. This decision freed up LGC funds to go directly to LGCs, thereby recognising them as a truly independent tier of Government, as envisaged by Section 7 of the Constitution.
Even though the Constitution has had six alterations so far, aside from making some changes here and there, which appear to be of more benefit to the Politicians and not necessarily to Nigerians generally, there haven’t been significant amendments or a comprehensive remaking of the Constitution, to cover most of the gaps that have been identified over the years; all we have are incessant debates on the same issues! It appears that whether majority of the Legislators are new or returning in any election cycle, they all, more or less, have the same ideology - self-interest, self-centredness and self-preservation, with an occasional overlap with the interest of Nigerians. Party primaries are one of the most pivotal ingredients of any democratic process, as party members/ delegates choose or vote for the candidates who will represent the party in the elections, for all elective positions. Nigerians hope that this time around, Politicians will let internal democracy reign and make better choices at the primaries, which will hopefully translate to good governance. Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 (EA) provides for several methods to conduct primaries to select candidates - Direct and Indirect Primaries, and Consensus Candidates. See APC v Sheriff & Ors (2023) LPELR-59953 (SC) per Adamu Jauro, JSC (Dissenting), where his Lordship stated thus: “It is political parties that provide the platform for citizens of this country, to select their leaders at the general election. It is therefore, essential that political parties practice internal democracy, and act by democratic ideals within their parties”. I concur.
Marginalisation of the Igbos: Real or Imagined?
This is the time to address this Igbo question of marginalisation frontally, because if they handle themselves better than they did in the 2022 primaries, they will become stronger as a group. Since President Bola Tinubu, GCFR won the 2023 Presidential election, the complaints about the Igbos being marginalised, has become louder. But, if the allegation of marginalisation is true, is it the making of the Tinubu administration or a combination of factors?
1) Igbo Politicians
During the 2022 Party Primaries, the APC zoned the Presidency to the South, while the PDP made it a free for all race. In the APC, South Easterner, Senator Orji Kalu, even before the primaries, declared his support for Senator Ahmad Lawan for Presidency. His excuse was that, if the APC wasn’t micro-zoning the Presidency to the South East, he would support Lawan from the North East,
onikepo braithwaite
onIkepo BraIThwaITe
onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive. com onikepob@yahoo.com
“During the 2022 Party Primaries…. Out of a total of about 285 South East Delegates, David Umahi got the highest number, 38! The other two got one vote each - probably self-votes!…who did the other 245 delegates vote for? Non-Igbo aspirants…. the aspirations of the Igbo people, are not in alignment with those of their so-called politician representatives…..The Igbos cannot continue to blame the Tinubu or previous administrations for marginalising them, while ignoring the omissions of their own politicians/representatives, and not apportioning any blame to them. The administration that created less States in the South East, and Sections 3(1) & 8(1) of the Constitution designed to maintain this status quo, must also be fingered as big culprits in this matter”
a zone that also hadn’t had the Presidency in the Fourth Republic. He didn’t support his fellow South Easterners like Ogbonnaya Onu, David Umahi or Emeka Nwajiuba. Uju Ohaneye also stepped down for President Bola Tinubu, and not any of her fellow Igbo candidates. Out of a total of about 285 South East Delegates, David Umahi got the highest number, 38! The other two got one vote each - probably self-votes! Assuming that the 40 or so paltry votes secured by the APC South East aspirants was out of their own 285 votes, who did the other 245 delegates vote for? Non-Igbo aspirants. Can anybody then say that these delegates of the ruling APC, were serious about realising an Igbo Presidency? I think not. They weren’t even willing to take the first step, towards achieving the goal.
Similarly, in the PDP Primaries, South East Presidential Aspirants, Senator Pius Anyim and Sam Ohuabunwa scored 14 votes and 1 vote each, respectively, to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s 371 votes and Nyesom Wike’s 237 votes. Dr Bukola Saraki, Udom Emmanuel and Governor Bala Mohammed, also beat all the South East aspirants.
My point? Even if the 285 South East delegate votes in the APC Primaries couldn’t have won the primary election, if all the votes had been given to David Umahi for instance, who was the South Easterner that scored the highest, he would have secured the third and not the sixth position in the primaries, an indication that the Igbos are seriously committed to their quest to clinch the Presidency. Similarly, if the 100 PDP South East votes had gone to Senator Pius Anyim, he would probably
have come third in the primaries. This type of cohesion would make the South East bloc stronger and formidable. However, in the case of Peter Obi who secured the Labour Party ticket, the South East voted en masse for him. This shows that the aspirations of the Igbo people, are not in alignment with those of their so-called politician representatives who pick the candidates in the party primaries that will run for elections. For example, despite Imo State having an APC Governor, Hope Uzodinma, the Igbo candidate, Peter Obi, then of the Labour Party, had a landslide victory of almost 353,000 votes, while President Tinubu of the APC came a distant second with just over 66,000 votes. After Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in November 2025, I saw a video on instagram in which a few Igbo men who reside in the US, were celebrating that Nigeria has been so designated by President Trump. They couldn’t hide their immense joy. And, I thought to myself that, such energy would be much better channeled into infiltrating the major political parties and the non-Igbo electorate to secure their buy-in into their agenda. Meanwhile, it appears that the South East Governors aren’t even looking in that direction for 2027. They all seem to have pledged their support, for President Tinubu’s second term bid.
The sum and substance of this is that, if Politicians continue to be selfish and selfcentred, also allowing “cash to be king” in party primaries, the highest bidder will
always emerge as candidate. Despite Section 121 of the EA criminalising bribery and corruption in the nomination of candidates and elections, if money and everything else but internal democracy are prioritised, we will never have the best outcomes. Can this then said to be marginalisation, or the choice of a group of politicians who aren’t necessarily in sync with the people they represent? Unfortunately, in the type of democracy Nigeria is practising today, the electorate only get to vote at the polls for the candidates who emerge from the primaries, they don’t really have a say on who emerges. It’s time good, decent people who have the mindset of “what can I do for my country?”, and not “what can my country do for me?”, flood all the major political parties as members. If not, we may not see the change we desire.
2) Constitution and Policy
Section 3(1) of the Constitution provides for 36 States in Nigeria, and even though the geographical zones are not mentioned in the Constitution, for administrative, developmental and political purposes, Nigeria is divided into 6 geopolitical zones. The idea of geographical zones were extracted from proposals made by former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr Alex Ekwueme, GCON, during the 1995 Constitutional Conference under the military regime of General Sani Abacha, and this geographical zone initiative was implemented around 1995/1996.
The Northern States ended up with an unfair advantage, as North West has 7 States, and if the Federal Capital Territory is lumped with the North Central zone, that also makes 7. The 3 other zones, North East, South South, South West have 6 States each, while the South East zone, the ‘Igbo States’ has only 5 States. The South East zone is obviously the most disadvantaged, as it has the least number of States, which translates to the least number of representatives in the National Assembly, the least number of State Houses of Assembly and the least number of Ministerial appointments. This is an indisputable fact. Unfortunately, it is possibly more difficult to create a new State under Section 8(1) of the Constitution which provides for State creation, than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle! To this extent, the marginalisation of the South East appears to be real, not imagined, as this amounts to discrimination against the South East with the least number of States, which is contrary to Section 42(1)(a) of the Constitution. In Lafia Local Government v Government of Nasarawa State & Ors (2012) LPELR-20602(SC) per Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC, the Apex Court held inter alia thus: “Section 42 of the Constitution guarantees to every citizen of Nigeria, freedom from discrimination on the basis of belonging to a particular community, ethnic group, place of origin, sex, religion or political opinion. The discrimination complained about must emanate from a law in force in Nigeria, or any executive or administrative action of the Government. This includes laws made by the legislative Houses and legislation made by Local Governments, and this includes policy statements. The rights are enforceable against the State, and not against individuals”. This marginalisation is a creation of the Constitution, and Government policy.
3)
Ministerial and Other Appointments
It goes without saying that even though Section 14(3) of the Constitution provides that appointments must reflect Federal character, if one Minister were to be picked per State, the South East would have the least number of Ministers. But, the proviso in Section 147(3) of the Constitution provides for ‘at least’ one Minister per State, meaning that the President can decide to appoint more Ministers from the South East, to put them on the same standing as the other zones. Ditto for other appointments.
Conclusion
The approach of a new election cycle, is the best time to take stock and strategise as to how best to proceed. The Igbos cannot continue to blame the Tinubu or previous administrations for marginalising them, while ignoring the omissions of their own politicians/representatives, and not apportioning any blame to them. Sections 3(1) & 8(1) of the Constitution, must also be fingered as big culprits in this matter. The administration that created less States in the South East, and Sections 3(1) & 8(1) of the Constitution designed to maintain this status quo, must also be fingered as big culprits in this matter.
Duty of Care of University Authority to its Students
Fact
s The Appellant was a Mechanical Engineering student in the Faculty of Engineering at the 1st Respondent University. The Appellant complained about the cumulative grade points average (CGPA) awarded to him by the 1st Respondent, which he insisted was not reflective of his true scores which would have qualified him for an award of a Second Class (Upper Division) degree in Mechanical Engineering. He posited that the Respondents erroneously awarded him Second Class (Lower Division); and thereby, requested his papers be re-marked by independent assessors and thereafter, his transcripts and certificate be given to him. Upon failure of the Respondents to comply with his requests, the Appellant commenced a suit against the Respondents vide Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim dated 4th August, 2011, alleging that the Respondents abandoned their duty of care owed to him by failing to investigate how he came about the low scores in some of his scripts, or re-mark his examination scripts in the courses in dispute. He prayed the court to direct a re-assessment/ re-mark of the scripts in the courses he offered during his degree programme, and to release his transcript and certificate. He also sought special and general damages for loss of earnings, frustration, mental and emotional stress he suffered owing to the Respondents’ action/ inaction.
At the trial, the Appellant testified for himself and tendered several documents. The documents were marked Exhibits “A” to “R”. Thereafter, the trial court expunged Exhibits “A”, “B”, “E”, “F”, “H”, “I”, “J”, “K”, “L” and “O”, as inadmissible. The Respondents called a witness who testified on their behalf, and tendered documents admitted in evidence. Afterwards, the trial court delivered judgement in September 2017, granting some of the reliefs claimed by the Appellant. The court had directed the Respondents to re-mark the Appellant’s scripts by external examiners in ten courses taken by the Appellant, and issue a final result and transcripts reflecting the results of the Appellant. General damages in the sum of N500,000.00, was awarded in favour of the Appellant against the Respondents.
The Respondents unsuccessfully challenged the appeal, at the Court of Appeal. The Appellant’s Cross-appeal at the lower court, succeeded in part. The Court of Appeal set aside the decision of the trial court which expunged some documents tendered by the Appellant, on the ground that some of those documents are private documents which do not require to be certified true copies for their admissibility, contrary to the decision of the trial court that the said documents were public documents. The Court of Appeal also invoked the provisions of Section 167(d) of the Evidence Act against the Respondents, for the documents which they were given notice to produce, but which they failed to produce. The appellate court, however, did not review the amount awarded as damages, but awarded the sum of N250,000.00 as costs in favour of the Appellant.
Further dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeal, the Respondents filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, while the Appellant filed a Cross-appeal. The Respondents’ appeal was heard, withdrawn and dismissed on 21st June, 2022. They filed a notice of compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court in SC/1022/2019, which contained documents detailing the academic transcripts of the Appellant with his re-marked scripts by external examiners and degree award of Bachelors of Engineering (B.Eng) with Second Class (Hons) Upper Division, and evidence of payment of the sum of N500,000.00 and N250,000.00 for damages and costs. The Respondents subsequently delivered the certificate and transcripts of the Appellant to him in court, leaving only the Cross-appeal (mainly on the quantum of damages and costs awarded by the lower courts) for determination of the Supreme Court.
Issues for Determination
1. Whether in the circumstances of this case,
Honourable Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju, JSC
In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at abuja
On Friday, the 12th day of december, 2025
Before their lordships John Inyang Okoro Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju Festus Obande Ogbuinya Stephen Jonah adah abubakar Sadiq umar Justices, Supreme Court
SC/CV/819/2022
Between
MR adeBayO aFOLaBI VICTOR aPPeLLaNT
And
1. FedeRaL uNIVeRSITy OF TeCHNOLOGy aKuRe
2. THe ReGISTRaR, FedeRaL uNIVeRSITy OF TeCHNOLOGy aKuRe ReSPONdeNTS
(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju, JSC)
the lower court was right to affirm the award of the sum of N500,000.00 as general damages against the Respondents, and if the said amount is not extremely low as compensation for losses, constitutional breaches, and health effects suffered by the Appellant.
2. Whether the lower courts were right to have refused the claim of the Appellant for special damages for loss of earnings at the rate of N150,000.00 per month from October, 2010 until judgement is delivered in the suit, with accrued interests thereon.
3. Given the facts of this case, whether the sum of N50,000 and N200,000 awarded as costs of litigation are adequate in the circumstance.
Arguments
The Appellant submitted on the issues that the general damages and costs of
“The duty of care of a University authority to its students over their academic studies, refers to the legal and ethical responsibility the University owes to ensure that students are treated fairly, supported appropriately, and not subjected to foreseeable harm including academic, psychological, or procedural harm during their studies. The scope of the duty of care include academic, administrative, and pastoral”
ment of the University, they will intervene where the University’s conduct amounts to underhand arbitrariness, incompetence, neglect or breach of standards that the law expects of a responsible academic institution. The University which admitted the Appellant as a student into a programme of study, has a correlative legal obligation or duty to evaluate the student objectively, through procedures that are credible, transparent and fair. The duty of care of a University authority to its students over their academic studies, refers to the legal and ethical responsibility the University owes to ensure that students are treated fairly, supported appropriately, and not subjected to foreseeable harm including academic, psychological, or procedural harm during their studies. The scope of the duty of care include academic, administrative, and pastoral. These duties have been recognised by courts in Nigeria, as espoused in the following cases – MAUTECH v YARAI (2020) 15 NWLR (PT. 1748) 395; UNILORIN v DUNMADE (2013) LPELR-21383(CA); UNILORIN v AKINOLA (2014) LPELR-23275(SC); UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT v NWUZOR (2024) LPELR-62382(SC).
In this case, the Appellant had claimed special damages in the sum of N150,000.00 per month from October 2010 to August 2011 when he commenced the suit, as loss of earnings for the period he would have been gainfully employed if he had been given an appropriate academic grade, and continuing until judgement is delivered. The Supreme Court agreed with the courts below, that the Appellant did not adequately prove the claim for special damages.
On the claim for general damages, however, the Supreme Court, however, held that the Appellant is entitled to general damages, as pecuniary compensation obtainable as a result of his success in the action for the wrong done to him by the Respondents’ refusal, for several years, to re-mark his script, issue him transcripts and certificate to secure gainful employment, and for the pain, stress and hardship he suffered. This includes his inability to access the opportunity for a fully funded scholarship for his master’s degree programme in the United Kingdom, as pleaded by him.
litigation awarded by the courts below were inadequate, considering the breaches alleged against the Respondents, and the pain, humiliation, and hardship he suffered by the breach of the Respondents’ duty of care owed to him. He urged the court to review the damages to adequately compensate him for the injury suffered, and based on the principle of restitutio in integrum.
Court’s Judgement and Rationale Deciding the issues, the Supreme Court enunciated on the purports of damages and principles guiding the award of damages. Reiterating the trite position of law on award of damages in tort, Their Lordships held that with respect to a breach of duty in tort as in this case, and not in contract, the quantum or measure of damages is generally to place the Claimant in the position he or she would have been had the tort not taken place. This could be in terms of general or/and special damages
– AGBANELO v UNION BANK PLC (2000) FWLR (PT. 13) 2197(SC); (2000) LPELR-234(SC). Before a court begins a meaningful assessment of damages, it must be sure of the nature of the claim. This is because in tort, it would be necessary to ascertain tortious conduct occasioning personal injury, economic loss or other social losses or a combination of the losses. While the courts will not wander into the exclusive domain of academic judge-
Further, in 2017, when the award of the sum of N500,000.00 as general damages was made in favour of the Appellant, the Appellant had suffered the breach of duty of care for about 10 years. Quantum of general damages need not be pleaded and proved. It is a reasonable person’s consideration of what is adequate compensation for the loss, suffering or inconvenience flowing naturally as generally presumed by law from the act of the Defendant – ROCKONOH PROPERTY CO. LTD. v NITEL PLC & ANOR. (2001) FWLR (PT. 67) 885 AT 900 (SC); (2001) 14 NWLR (PT. 733) 468. The award of damages in the circumstance of this case cannot be merely perfunctory, but must be compensatory.
In view of the foregoing, the Apex Court held that the amount awarded as general damages is inadequate to fully assuage the emotional and physical suffering occasioned to the Appellant by the Respondents, who abandoned their duty of care to the Appellant. The court, thereby, awarded the sum of N18,000,000.00 to the Appellant against the Respondents, as damages for breach of their duty of care to the Appellant, and the resultant emotional and physical stress caused to him since 2007, when he completed his course of study at the University and his results were not released to him. A further sum of N2,000,000.00 was awarded in favour of the Appellant as costs of litigation, with a direction that the earlier aggregate sum of N750,000.00 awarded should be deducted from the cumulative sum of N20,000,000.00 awarded to the Appellant by the Supreme Court, against the Respondents.
Cross-Appeal Allowed in Part.
Representation
Adebayo A. Victor, for himself, the Appellant. Ighedosa Imadegbelo with A. Imadegbelo and Samuel Okosun for the Respondents.
Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)(An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)
Addressing Issues in Nigeria’s Tax Reforms
Stories by Steve Aya
The Office of the Advancement and the Board of Trustees of the Lagos State Professorial Chair in Tax and Fiscal Matters, in collaboration with the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, held a public lecture last Tuesday to examine the complex issues on Nigeria’s tax policies.
The lecture which was delivered by the Dean of the Law Faculty, University of Lagos, Prof Abiola Sanni, SAN was titled ‘Navigating Nigeria’s Tax Reform: Implications for Fiscal Federalism and State Autonomy’.
The event which held at Tayo Aderinokun Hall, University of Lagos was chaired by the Pro-Chancellor of the University, Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN,
In his lecture, Prof Abiola Sanni, SAN, pointed out that when it comes to tax reform, the work shouldn’t be left solely in the hands of policy
makers. He further stated that there can’t be any meaningful reforms at the national level, commensurate reform at the subnational level.
In the lecture he gave a comprehensive overview of the 2025 Tax Law.
He posited that ‘in practical terms, tax reforms may include:-
• Simplifying complex tax
law laws.
• Adjusting tax rates (either upward or downward).
• Expanding the categories of taxable persons, income, or goods and services.
• Closing loopholes that encourage evasion or avoidance.
• Strengthening tax administration and enforcement, and
• Aligning taxation with
broader economic, social or political objectives (eg, growth, redistribution, or fiscal federalism)’.
Prof Sanni further pointed out that, ‘Tax Reform is not a mere amendment of tax laws. It entails a significant review of policy, law and administration, in order to make a quantum leap. Tax reform will always lead to
significant revenue yield, among other desirable goals’.
Form a historical perspective, Prof Sanni gave an overview of th 2025 Tax Reform.
He itemised the laws as:-
• Nigeria Tax Administration Act
• Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
• Nigeria Revenue Service
(Establishment) Act, 2025 Prof Abiola dissected the concept of Intergovernmental Tax Immunity and the Fiscal Cost of Governance in Nigeria, Value Added Tax and the Limits of Federal Taxing Powers under the 1999 Constitution, Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Original Jurisdiction of State High Courts in Nigeria.
Lagos CJ Approves Courtroom Reallocation
The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba, has approved a fresh allocation of courts and chambers within the Lagos Judicial Division, directing several Judges to relocate to new courtrooms, as part of ongoing administrative reforms.
Under the directive, all Judges currently sitting in the Lagos Criminal Division at the TBS Complex, including
Justices Y.A. Adesanya, I.O. Harrison, S.I. Sonaike and A.T. Muyideen are to move to the JIC Taylor Courthouse in Igbosere, Lagos.
Also affected by the relocation are Justices A.A. Oyebanji, K.O. Dawodu, O.O. Ogungbesan, E.I. Alakija and O.O. Ogunjobi, who are likewise sitting at the TBS Complex and have been reassigned to the JIC Taylor Courthouse.
The directive further
Court Order Ignored as Lagos Demolishes Jakande/ Ilasan Estate
Residents of the Jakande/ Ilasan Low-Cost Housing Estate in Lagos, have accused the Lagos State Government of carrying out demolition activities in defiance of a valid and subsisting order of the High Court of Lagos State restraining such action.
The affected residents, who are largely low-income earners, were originally displaced from the Maroko community in Victoria Island during the late 1980s and early 1990s, amid rapid urban development under the administration of then Military Governor, Col. Raji Rasaki.
Following their displacement, the Lagos State Government, through the Committee on the Resettlement of Displaced Persons of Maroko, relocated them to the Jakande/Ilasan Low-Cost Housing Estate as a permanent resettlement scheme aimed at providing stability, dignity, and secure housing.
For more than 30 years,
the residents have lived peacefully in the estate, contributing to the social and economic life of Lagos State, while meeting their civic responsibilities to the Government.
Trouble arose recently, when the State Government indicated plans to redevelop the estate as part of a proposed mega city project.
While the residents say they do not oppose development, they insist that any redevelopment must comply with the law and include fair and adequate compensation.
According to the residents’ Counsel, demolition activities commenced without compensation, prompting them to approach the High Court, which granted an interim order restraining the Governor of Lagos State, the Attorney-General, and relevant agencies from demolishing the properties pending the determination of the suit.
Despite the court order, agencies including the
Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), the Ministry of Environment, the Environmental Sanitation Corps, and the Office of E-GIS & Urban Development reportedly proceeded with demolition, a move the residents describe as a violation of their constitutional rights, and a threat to their dignity and livelihood.
stipulates that Judges moving into the JIC Taylor Courthouse are to select their courts and chambers based strictly on order of precedence, in line with established judicial protocol. Meanwhile, specific reassignments have been approved, at the Osborne Foreshore Complex. Justice A.O. Opesanwo has been
assigned to the former court and chambers of Justice O.O. Pedro, while Justice A.A. George will take over the former chambers of Justice L.A. Okunnu. Justice O.O. Ojuromi has also been reassigned to the former court and chambers of Justice R.O. Olukolu.
All affected Judges have been advised that only their
personal belongings and books are to be moved during the relocation. Judiciaryowned furniture, equipment and fittings are to remain in their current locations, as inventories will be conducted by designated officers. Judges are also to liaise with the Office of the Chief Registrar, to collect approved relocation allowances.
EFCC Arraigns Man Over Stolen iPhone
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, on Thursday, January 29, 2026, arraigned one Philip Patrick Jordan before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over allegations of stealing and unlawful dealing with forfeited property.
Jordan is facing a twocount charge bordering on stealing and dealing with property subject to forfeiture without due authorisation, offences said to be contrary
to
Section 32(1) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.
According to the charge, the Defendant allegedly dealt with an iPhone 14 Pro, which was under a final forfeiture order to the Federal Government of Nigeria, without authorisation from the EFCC, on October 15, 2025, within Lagos.
The second count further alleged that Jordan dishonestly took the same iPhone 14 Pro, property of the Federal Government of Nigeria, for his personal use
on the same date and within the court’s jurisdiction. In her opening address, Prosecution Counsel, Zeenat Atiku, told the court that the Defendant had visited the EFCC office on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, on an errand and allegedly stole the device from the Exhibit room. She added that Jordan initially denied the allegation, until CCTV footage showing him committing the act was played to him, after which the investigation was concluded.
Court Freezes Alerzo Assets in N4.38bn Loan Dispute
The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted Moniepoint Microfinance Bank Limited, a Mareva injunction against Alerzo Limited and its associates, restraining financial institutions from releasing funds linked to the Defendants pending the resolution of a debt recovery suit valued at N4,381,662,054.47.
The Bank instituted the action against Alerzo Limited, its Managing Director, Opaleye Adewale Adesina, three guarantors Opaleye Bukola Modinat, Dauda Hakeem
Omotayo Taiwo and Alerzo PTE Limited, a Singapore based entity. The suit arises from an alleged default on a N5 billion loan facility granted in 2025. Court documents reveal that Alerzo Limited applied for the loan through a board resolution dated January 20, 2025, to meet working capital requirements. Moniepoint approved the facility for 18 months, with provisions allowing immediate recall in the event of default.
Despite a demand letter issued on November 18, 2025,
the Defendants allegedly failed to liquidate their indebtedness.
As of December 3, 2025, the outstanding balance stood at ₦4.38 billion, with interest charges continuing to accrue.
The Bank further alleged difficulties in serving court processes on the guarantors, noting that they were inaccessible at their known addresses. The fifth Defendant, Alerzo PTE Limited, was traced to Singapore, requiring leave of court for substituted service by courier.
Justice Daniel Osiagor,
presiding over the matter, granted Moniepoint’s application. The order restrains banks from releasing funds or assets belonging to the Defendants up to the value of the claim, and directs financial institutions to disclose balances in the Defendants’ accounts within seven days. The court also authorised substituted service of originating processes on the guarantors, by pasting notices at their last known addresses, and service on the Singapore-based Defendant via courier.
Chief Judge of Lagos State, Kazeem Alogba
Guest Lecturer, Prof. Abiola Sanni, SAN; Chairman of the occasion, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN; Vice Chancellor, Unilag, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola; Executive Chairman. LIRS/Representative of Lagos State Governr, Ayodele Subair
Background
In 1999, Nigerians rejoiced at the seeming exit of the military from power, after annulling and desecrating all our democratic institutions for years. But, when General Olusegun Obasanjo, a retired military officer, emerged as the winner of the Presidential election, we all waited with bated breath, on the fate of democracy under such a setting. We didn’t have to wait too long though, as all subsequent elections became a do or die affair, and those who were trusted with power became so drunk with it that they were plotting to extend even their second tenure. Things have never been the same ever since, and all that we now see are snippets of that infamous era. The Military has not really relinquished power; they are in the National Assembly, they form the shadow government of every regime in power, they have cornered all the important contracts, they influence Government policies and decisions, they sit on the board of many private companies, they own land in the choicest locations across the country and they are politically very active.
What do the Military want from Nigeria?
President Umaru Yar’adua who emerged as the next civilian President did not stay long in office, and even the person who concluded his tenure was eventually chased out of office for another Military General to cling to power. What do the Military want from Nigeria?
Obasanjo served his term as Nigeria’s Head of State to the fullest, came back as President and also served his two terms. Buhari took over the reins of power as Head of State, and like Obasanjo, he returned as President and served his uneventful two terms. Against all odds, a civilian democrat emerged President in 2023 with the mantra of the Renewed Hope Agenda. This new President had been in the trenches as he was instrumental to the exit of the military, in a way. He was an activist and a Federalist, so that you didn’t need to campaign for him on the values of democracy, devolution of powers, State Police, good governance and true Federalism, with him in charge as President. You would almost go to sleep with your two eyes closed, hoping to wake up with a truly restructured Nigeria.
In March 2025, a civilian coup was imposed upon the people of Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole, when the activist President unilaterally declared a state of emergency on the State, suspended democratically elected officials of the State, including the Governor, the Deputy Governor and all members of the State House of Assembly. A retired military officer was imposed, as the sole administrator. This didn’t come so much as a surprise, given the ambition of the President to remain in office by all means possible. Rivers State was too precious to toy with, for both its economic and electoral values.
A lot has changed from the days of the President’s activism, as a member of the dreaded National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a campaigner for fiscal Federalism, resource control and the rule of law. The only option left for the people was to run to the last hope of the common man, the Judiciary. Several cases were filed in court, especially in Port Harcourt, but they were all transferred to Abuja in very controversial circumstances, leading to strident protests by some of the Plaintiffs in those cases. Eventually, all the cases were thrown out on technical grounds of lack of locus standi, absence of jurisdiction, etc.
Rivers Supreme Court Case
But, there was one of the cases pending before the Supreme Court, begging for a definitive judicial pronouncement on the issue of state of emergency. Although the case was filed early enough, it took Nigerians practically crawling on their bent knees for it to be fixed for hearing. And this was after the sole administrator had conveniently concluded his presidential assignment in the oil-rich State. Eventually, the Supreme Court delivered its judgement in the case recently, declining jurisdiction to entertain the case filed by eleven States of the Federation.
“Jurisdiction is the life-blood of adjudication. It is the authority conferred on a court to hear and determine a matter, and without it, any proceedings conducted or judgement delivered are a nullity, no matter how well reasoned. In determining whether it has jurisdiction, the Court is guided strictly by the Plaintiffs' originating processes, particularly the originating summons and supporting affidavits, since it is the Plaintiffs' claim that defines the scope of the Court's jurisdiction. Section 232(1) of the Constitution confers original jurisdiction on this Court in disputes between the Federation and a State or between States, provided the dispute involves a question on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends… .
“Upon a careful examination of the Plaintiffs' ques-
The Dangers of Legalising Civilian Dictatorship
This article by learned Senior advocate, ebun-Olu adegboruwa, using the Rivers state of emergency case recently decided by the Supreme Court as a case study, concludes that the Military hasn’t relinquished power in Nigeria, as we appear to now be in a civilian dictatorship, particularly as this Fourth Republic has had two former Military Heads of State as President, who have spent a total of 16 years in office out of the 26 and a half years of democracy since 1999
tions and reliefs, it is clear that their grievance arose principally from the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, the suspension of the Governor, Deputy Governor and House of Assembly of that State, and the appointment of a Sole Administrator. However, none of the Plaintiffs represents Rivers State, and neither did they establish any authority to litigate on its behalf, nor was there any deposition showing that a state of emergency had been declared in any of the Plaintiffs' States. The Plaintiffs also relied on an alleged statement made by the Attorney-General of the Federation during a media briefing, which they construed as a threat to their respective States. Such a statement, standing alone, cannot constitute an actionable conduct of the Federation itself, for the purpose of invoking Section 232(1). Complaints directed against individual officials or functionaries of the Federal Government, even when acting in their official capacities, do not amount to disputes between the Federation and a State, within the contemplation of the Constitution.
In the circumstances, the Plaintiffs failed to disclose any reasonable or justiciable dispute between them and the Federation, capable of invoking the original jurisdiction of this Court.
The absence of a competent cause of action is fatal, and deprives this Court of jurisdiction. Consequently, the suit is incompetent and must be struck out.”
The matter should have ended at this point, as the absence of jurisdiction deprives the court of the power of further judicial intervention in the case. In my humble view, the ugly example of the
“The Military has not really relinquished power; they are in the National Assembly, they form the shadow government of every regime in power, they have cornered all the important contracts, they influence Government policies and decisions, they sit on the board of many private companies, they own land in the choicest locations across the country and they are politically very active”
state of emergency in Rivers State was enough cause of action for any other State that seeks protection from the Court, from arbitrariness and dictatorship of the civilian. Since the President did not consult with or seek the consent of the people of Rivers State before making the declaration, any State within the Federation should possess the requisite locus standi to seek a judicial determination of Section 305.
To my mind, the ugly precedent already laid in Rivers State, serves enough caution to all other States of the Federation. After declining jurisdiction, the Supreme Court then went into what it termed a ‘considered discussion’ of Section 305 in respect of the scope and exercise of the powers conferred on the President when declaring a state of emergency. Let us hear the Apex Court.
“The Nigerian Constitution adopts a markedly different approach. Section 305 authorises the President to proclaim a state of emergency under specific conditions, including war, imminent danger of invasion, actual or threatened breakdown of public order and safety, or other public danger threatening the existence of the Federation. However, unlike the Constitutions of India and Pakistan, Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution does not expressly confer power on the President, to assume or temporarily displace the executive or legislative institutions of a State. This omission is deliberate, and reflects Nigeria's constitutional commitment to Federalism and the autonomy of State Governments. In interpreting Section 305, this Court is guided by settled principles of constitutional interpretation, as restated in the cases of SKYE BANK PLC v IWU (2017) LPELR-42595 (SC); NAFIU RABIU v STATE (1980) 8 9 SC 130; A. G. FEDERATION v ABUBAKAR (2007) 10 NWLR (PT. 1041) 1 and SARAKI v F. R. N. (2016) 3 NWLR (PT. 1500) 531. Applying these principles, Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution is clear in its grant of power to proclaim a state of emergency, but silent on the precise content of the "extraordinary measures" that may follow. This silence is intentional. Emergencies are inherently situational, varying in scope, intensity, and threat. The Constitution therefore, entrusts the President with discretion to determine the measures required to restore peace and security, subject always to constitutional
limits, proportionality, legislative oversight, and judicial review.”
The ‘considered discussions’ embarked upon by the Court invariably cemented the discretionary powers of the President in relation to declaration of a state of emergency, if one is not permitted to interpret the reasonings and conclusions of the Court as encouraging these arbitrary powers. Curiously, the Court did not review or discuss the facts and circumstances that the President claimed to have actuated the capricious exercise of power, whether there was sufficient threat of war, an outbreak of any natural disaster of such magnitude as to prevent governance, or whether the events in Rivers State at the time qualify for such declaration. Contrasting the cases of Plateau, Ekiti, Adamawa and Yobe States landed the court on the proverbial fence, trying to maintain judicial neutrality in the face of a monumental constitutional aberration. In those flowery sophistry that characterised the decision of the Supreme Court on this national embarrassment, it unconsciously rubber-stamped the decision of the President, leaving him even with wider discretion to repeat the anomaly, and with guidelines on how to perfect it.
We all live in very troubled times. One day, like a movie, a President woke up and decided to remove the Chief Justice of Nigeria through an ex-parte application filed at the Code of Conduct Bureau, and proceeded to swear in another Justice of the Supreme Court in his place. The Judiciary danced around it until it became too academic to decide the point, whilst the Acting CJN was confirmed and served out his tenure. Another President has suspended a Governor, his deputy and all members of the House of Assembly of a State. The Judiciary kept blowing the smoke until the fire in the case was completely extinguished, and the sole administrator served out his controversial tenure. The Supreme Court concluded this matter in the following words. Please read between the lines, and make your own meaning out of them.
“Nevertheless, the President's discretion under Section 305 is not unfettered. Emergency measures must be temporary, corrective, and proportionate. They must be directed towards restoring constitutional governance, not extinguishing it. Any permanent displacement or abrogation of democratically elected institutions, would constitute a constitutional aberration. Outside a validly declared state of emergency, the President possesses no power whatsoever to interfere with State executive or legislative institutions.”
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN
Human rights lawyer, ebun-Olu adegboruwa, SaN
The University of Lagos Law Faculty played host to distinguished personalities last Tuesday during a public lecture delivered by Prof Abiola Sanni, SAN titled NAVIGATING NIGERIA'S TAX REFORM: IMPLICATIONS FOR FISCAL FEDERALISM AND STATE AUTONOMY. Here are some of the eminent personalities who graced the event
PHOTOS: KOL A ALLI
L-R: Prof Sanni, SAN; Chairman, LIRS/ Representative of Lagos State Governor, Ayodele Subair; Chairman of the Occasion & Pro Chancellor, University of Lagos, Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN; Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, OON and Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule
Prof Folashade Ogunsola (left) presenting a Plaque to Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN
Prof Adewale Olawoyin, SAN (left) presenting a Plaque to Ayodele Subair
L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Adeniran Kasali; Prof Modupeola Omoegan and Rasheedat Daranijo
L-R: Sola Ojutalayo, SAN; Toyin Bashorun, SAN; Otunba Folabi Akanni-Allimi and President, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Mr Innocent Ohagwa
Prof Folasade Ogunsola, OON
L-R: Princess Adepeju Ogunleye; Princess Olushola Sanni; Otunba Femi Pedro; and Mike Igbokwe, SAN
Sir Olukayode Adeluola, SAN (left) and Editor, This Day Lawyer, Onikepo Braithwaite
Prof Abiola Sanni, SAN, Guest Lecturer; Dean, Law Faculty, University of Lagos
L-R: Oluwakemi Kalesanwo; Tawakalitu Idowu; Ranti Fadipe and Mahmud Hassan
With over 20 million citizens, Lagos is unarguably the most populous State in Nigeria. With this comes, the inevitable challenges of administering justice. From petty crimes to capital offences, the wheels of justice keep running as smoothly as many would not expect, in such a cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse State. In the first interview of 2026 with onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, Lagos State Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, fondly called “Peddy”, affirmed that he is undaunted in spite of these humongous challenges. He also spoke about the humble strides he has achieved in the past two and a half years, in the areas of access to justice, law review, digitalisation, and the welfare of judicial officers. He also took time to clarify some misconceptions about the recent demolition of properties in some parts of the State, particularly Makoko
Kindly, give us a brief overview of the agenda you set for yourself and your Ministry, in terms of improving justice delivery in Lagos State, when you assumed the position of Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. What have you achieved so far, in this regard? Lagos has always been seen as a pace setter in the administration of justice sector, how have you lived up to this reputation?
When I assumed office as Attorney-
General and Commissioner for Justice, my agenda was firmly anchored on strengthening the rule of law, improving access to justice, modernising justice delivery, and positioning the justice sector as a catalyst for governance, security, and economic growth, in alignment with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu's THEMES+ Agenda, particularly the Governance and Security pillar. My agenda is classified into 5 pillars as follows:
• P- Promote the rule of law
“My agenda was firmly anchored on strengthening the rule of law, improving access to justice, modernising justice delivery, and positioning the justice sector as a catalyst for governance, security, and economic growth, in alignment with Governor Babajide Olusola SanwoOlu's THEMES+ Agenda, particularly the Governance and Security pillar”
and access to justice
• E- Enforcement of laws and regulations
• D- Decongestion of Custodial and Correctional Facilities
• D- Delivery of quality civil and criminal justice system
• Y- Youths engagement with law and order
What I did was to recognise Lagos State’s complex, populous, and commercially vibrant megacity status and therefore, adopted a sector-wide reform approach. This culminated in the Lagos Justice Sector Reform Summit, themed "Enhancing the Administration of Justice for Economic Growth, Investment Protection and Security".
The Summit produced actionable recommendations across civil justice, criminal justice, law enforcement, and property rights, which are now being implemented through a dedicated Reform Implementation Committee.
Key achievements include:
• Completion and deployment of the Lagos State Criminal Information
System (LSCIS), for real-time tracking of inmates and criminal cases.
• Introduction of the Administration of Civil Justice Bill, now in the House of Assembly for passage into law. The objective is aimed at having civil cases concluded, within 12-18 months.
• Introduction of amendment to the Tenancy Law of Lagos State. Tho PO ii Bill is also pending in the House of Assembly. The objective is to encourage real estate investment in housing development, while balancing landlord-tenant rights as well as having tenancy matters concluded in our courts within 3-6 months.
• Expansion of court infrastructure, including the new Commercial Court at Tapa and renovation of the J.I.C. Taylor Court Complex with 22 courtrooms.
• Passage and enforcement of critical laws on consumer protection, organ harvesting, witness protection, enforcement training, institute fire and rescue services, among others.
• Significant expansion of accessto-justice institutions such as OPD, CMC, and DCR.
Lagos State Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN
‘Lagos is a Pacesetter in Justice Administration’
These reforms collectively reinforce Lagos' reputation, as a pacesetter in justice administration.
What innovations have you introduced? For one, the Lagos State DNA Lab, which had a high European Standard rating, but was unfortunately destroyed during the 2020 #EndSARS Protest, has the Lab been rebuilt?
Innovation remains central, to my reform agenda. I have prioritised technology, data-driven decision-making, and institutional strengthening. On forensic capacity, the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, originally established in 2017 and rated European standards, was unfortunately vandalised during the 2020 #EndSARS protests, with damages exceeding $7 Million. While the main facility is undergoing phased restoration, we have put in place a stop-gap operational solution by renovating and converting the canteen of the facility, to ensure continuity of minor forensic services and collection of samples for onward transmission abroad. This ensures that criminal investigations, prosecutions, and judicial processes are not stalled
What have you done regarding access to justice for the common man, legal aid, law reform, codifying and updating Lagos State laws?
My idea is to treat access to justice as a fundamental right, and not a privilege. It is in this light that the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) and Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) were upgraded to a full-fledged Bureau with a Permanent Secretary to the head of each Bureau. I must thank the Head of Service of Lagos State, Mr Bode Agoro and Mr. Governor, Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, for their approval and support. The Bureau of Public Defendant (BPD) has increased its scope of pro-bono services to indigents and vulnerable members of the public, to access justice. The Citizens Mediation Bureau (CMB) has also increased mediation services in all the Divisions of the State thereby, reducing the number of disputes that would have found their way to the courts.
With respect to updating Lagos State laws. The last update by way of compilation of Laws of Lagos State, was in 2015. Presently, through the Lagos State Law Reform Commission (LAWRECOM), I have embarked on updating the Laws of Lagos State, particularly from 2016 to 2025. In addition, the Laws of Lagos State 2015 which were out of stock, has been re-printed for sale to members of the Public, while the online version is available on the website of LAWRECOM. About 70 of the Laws have recently been translated to Yoruba Language, to deepen legal literacy. Both the Hard copies and on line version, will be made public this year. What are you doing to improve the welfare and conditions of service of judicial officers in your State? Should Judges be given
judicial/clerical assistants to ease their work and research? How can this be attained?
The use of judicial and research assistants, is globally recognised as best practice. I can confirm to you that Judges in Lagos State have judicial assistants, and same has been extended to the Magistracy. Judicial officers’ welfare, is fundamental to their independence and efficiency. While respecting constitutional boundaries, Lagos State continues to support the Judiciary through:
• Court infrastructure development and renovation.
• Judicial housing and logistics.
• Technology deployment for research, case management, and virtual proceedings.
There has a gale of property demolitions in various parts of Lagos in the past few months spreading sorrow, tears and blood. There were the Mende and Oworonsoki demolitions, then the most recent, Makoko, rendering many families homeless. It has been said that Lagos State Government paid little or inadequate compensation. What informed or necessitated these chain of events, especially if
“Innovation remains central, to my reform agenda….My idea is to treat access to justice as a fundamental right, and not a privilege….On the issue of open grazing in Lagos State, this is not permissible and not encouraged, in the interest of public safety, order, and peaceful coexistence”
the owners of these properties claimed they didn't violate any laws?
Lagos State operates strictly under the rule of law, and respect for the human rights of the citizens. Rule of law, in my view, is where everyone ensures voluntary compliance with Laws, Regulations and due process, and this includes the government and the governed. In addition, where there is breach or violation of a law, regulation or due process sanction must follow by efficient and effective enforcement. Without enforcement, laws and regulation are meaningless, and we begin to lose our value as people.
However, in the process of enforcement of laws and regulations in the State, one disturbing trend I have observed is that some members of the public, NGOs and even media resort to sentiments, emotion, ethnicity and sometimes blackmail, to prevent Government officials from the enforcement of the law of the State. You will agree with me that, government has the responsibility and duty to balance private interests with public interest, public safety, environmental sustainability, and urban order. Sentiments cannot override legality. I can assure you that any demolition of property or structure in Lagos State, complied with law and regulations. And, anyone who feels otherwise is at liberty to challenge the validity of the demolition and seek damages, instead of protest and demonstration on the streets, to the prejudice of other citizens’ fundamental and economic rights.
The Urban and Regional Planning Law and Regulations of the State, requires any one intending to construct a building or structure to
obtaining building permit or approval before construction from appropriate Agency of the State, and failure to do so would render the construction illegal and liable to be removed. I therefore, wonder why enforcement of the law attracts condemnation of Government, as if it is right for any person to wake up one day and construct building on any land including drainage alignments, on water ways, and road set backs without approval.
The Makoko demolition was done after necessary statutory notices were served, and as stated by Mr Governor, the place was cleared for the benefits of the inhabitants. The illegal structures were under the power line, which constitutes a very great danger to the people. Furthermore, the entire environment is not fit for human habitation, as there is no provision for waste management. That means our water is polluted and marine lives impacted, to the detriment of the wellbeing of other citizens. Removal or demolitions of illegal structures or development especially on road setbacks, waterways, and unsafe locations, do not attract compensation under the law. Payment of compensation to the owners of such property, would amount to Government encouraging illegality. However, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu, in his magnanimity has directed payment of money to some people affected by demolition on compassionate grounds, and not as of right or entitlement.
The notorious issue of the DPP's advice being awaited, has been accused of being responsible for the seemingly endless delays in criminal prosecutions in Lagos
Lagos State Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN
‘Lagos is a Pacesetter in Justice Administration’
State. Is this really the case, or are there other reasons? You have been Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice. Now as A-G, what have you done to improve on this, to reduce delays?
That is not correct, most of the time, the DPP's Legal Advice is said to be or being awaited, the Police Case file which contains the report of investigation to be advised on,,may not have been transferred to DPP's Office.
Since my assumption of office, I have made it a policy that Police duplicate case files are promptly transferred from the Police, and on receipt, they are given utmost priority by Counsel in the Directorate of Public Prosecution. The threshold is a maximum of two weeks - expect there is need for further information from the Police or any other law enforcement agency responsible for the investigation of the crime. More so, through the Lagos Criminal Information System (LCIS) issuance of legal advice can be monitored by the Magistrate.
Therefore, other factors are responsible for the delay in criminal trials, such as non-availability of witnesses particularly Police investigators, lack of legal representation for the Defendants, logistics and manpower constraints, which are already being addressed
Many genuine and bonafide property owners in Lagos State have expressed frustration over the long and interminable period it takes for them to get a Certificate of Occupancy. Since your office is responsible for issuing them, what have you done to improve the process?
Let me make a clarification, my office is not responsible for processing and issuance of C of O, that is the duty of the Lands Bureau. It is only at the end of the process that the C of O will be brought to my table for my signature, and this I do on behalf of the Governor of the State who delegated his power to me as the Attorney-General of the State. But, this delegation is restricted to private C of Os on private land as the Governor retains his power in respect of C of O for State land. I agree that delay in the issuance of C of O in the State is frustrating to the people, but the causes are now being addressed frontally.
Lagos is unarguably the most populous State in Nigeria. She therefore, comes with her unique challenges, with the expectant high rate of crimes and other vices. As the Chief Law Officer of the State, how prepared are you with your prosecutorial machinery in battling crime? What is the success rate of convictions?
The Lagos State Ministry of Justice, has the largest prosecutorial machinery in Nigeria. The administration of
criminal justice system in the State is efficient and affective, despite the huge number of criminal cases filed everyday in courts. Last year alone, 4,477 criminal informations were filed in the High Court and 1,403 judgements were obtained during the same period, including plea bargains. These judgements include, high-profile cases of murder, rape, other sexual offences, kidnapping and Police brutality. Our focus is justice, not just convictions, ensuring due process, victim protection, and public confidence.
Why is it that Lagos State does not seem to be a part of the Àmòtèkun initiative of the South West Governors? Is open grazing allowed in Lagos State?
For the record, before the advent of the Àmòtèkun, in the South Western States, Lagos State has adopted a security architecture suited to its urban reality, focusing on intelligence-driven policing, neighbourhood safety structures, and inter-agency collaboration by the establishment of Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps. It should be noted that, Lagos State, though part of South West, is unique and different from other States and therefore, requires a different local security outfit, but ever willing to share intelligence reports with other South West States.
On the issue of open grazing in Lagos State, this is not permissible and not encouraged, in the interest of public safety, order, and peaceful coexistence.
Mobile Courts became quite handy in the administration of
“The Makoko demolition….However, in the process of enforcement of laws and regulations in the State, one disturbing trend I have observed is that some members of the public, NGOs and even media resort to sentiments, emotion, ethnicity and sometimes blackmail, to prevent Government officials from the enforcement of the law of the State….Furthermore, the entire environment is not fit for human habitation, as there is no provision for waste management…..”
justice in Lagos; but, in recent times, their impact is not being felt. Not much is heard about mobile courts anymore, and they are hardly seen around now. What happened?
Mobile courts remain operational in the State, but have been repositioned for effectiveness in the trial of special offences. Perhaps, the increasing population in the State, made its impact less. In the last year alone:
• Over 71,000 offenders were tried and sanctioned for traffic and environmental offences.
• Most of whom were sentenced to perform community service, thereby reducing the number of convicts that would have been sent to correctional facilities.
The emphasis has shifted to structured enforcement, restorative justice, and compliance.
The Office of the Lagos State Attorney-General is the largest in the country, and it is on record to have the highest number of Lawyers spread over many departments and directorates. Most visibly are the Office of the Public Defender and Citizens Rights Centre. Kindly, share with us the thrust of the work of these departments, and how you manage to coordinate and harmonise their operations?
We have a reporting channel in the Ministry of Justice, which is administratively headed by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary who reports to me. I equally have capable hands, that support the office of the AttorneyGeneral. Coordination of activities of directorates, departments, agencies and units under the Ministry is achieved through:
• Clear mandates and reporting structures.
•Regular inter-departmental reviews.
• Digital workflow systems (EDMS).
• Policy harmonisation under a unified justice reform framework.
Each unit retains autonomy with respect to its core mandate, while aligning with common objectives
of the Ministry What is your take on the ongoing debate on whether the office of the Attorney-General should be split from that of the Commissioner for Justice?
This is a constitutional and policy issue. While separation may have theoretical merits, Lagos has demonstrated that a unified office can function effectively where professionalism, institutional safeguards, and accountability are strong.
With fast advancement in Information Technology, Lagos is said to be gradually moving towards e-filing of cases and electronic recording by Judges. How prepared is your Ministry for these advancements in technology, and its concomitant challenges?
In Lagos State, I can confirm that we have established e-filing of cases and electronic recording of proceedings, in most of our courts. The Ministry is also fully committed to digital transformation through:
• EDMS deployment. This has been done in Commercial Department, and our Directorate of Advisory Services. • Support for e-filing and virtual hearings. The Directorate of Public Prosecution has, for the past 4 years, been actively filing its processes electronically and has also been conducting virtual hearings. Already, we have a template in the Ministry of Justice, and moving forward, plans are in motion to have a fully equipped virtual hearings rooms in the Ministry.
Has the landmark Supreme Court decision regarding Local Government funds, been implemented in Lagos? If so, how is it working?
The decision of the Supreme Court, is a reinforcement of the process already in place in Lagos State. Therefore, the State supports financial autonomy of local governments. Lagos State has always operated strictly within constitutional parameters, and will continue to engage stakeholders to ensure lawful, orderly, and sustainable compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court
Thank you Honourable AttorneyGeneral.
Lagos State Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN
FEaturEs
How Wale Tinubu Redefined Success for a New Generation of Graduates
At a defining moment for a new generation of graduates, where he was recently conferred with an honourary doctorate degree by the University of Lagos, energy executive Wale Tinubu chose to challenge the mythology of seamless success. Drawing on a career shaped by risk, reversals and reinvention, he made the case that failure is not a mark of disgrace but a necessary discipline, the raw material from which resilience, innovation and even national progress are forged. Uzoma Mba writes
The University of Lagos auditorium was recently alive with a quiet electricity, the kind that only surfaces when a room senses that it is about to witness something more than ceremonial ritual.
On that humid January morning in Akoka, convocation had all the familiar pageantry: the measured sweep of academic gowns, proud families balancing cameras and toddlers, and the murmur of ambition threading through the crowd. Yet what happened next shifted the morning into the extraordinary.
A name rang out — more familiar to oil trading floors, boardrooms and global investment forums than to lecture halls: Dr Jubril Adewale “Wale” Tinubu (CON), Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc.
As he rose, adjusted his gown and stepped across the stage to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Business (Honoris Causa), the air seemed to pulse with recognition. Decades of enterprise, risk, reinvention, controversy and nation-building condensed into a single walk. It was not just a ceremony; it was a symbol.
For UNILAG, founded in 1962 on the premise that intellectual capital could anchor a newly independent nation, the honour was a deliberate signal. Tinubu’s life, with its bold gambles and occasional turbulence, reflected Nigeria itself: a country negotiating ambition, adversity and possibility.
For Tinubu, the recognition carried personal weight. “It is not merely a celebration of past achievements,” he told the audience, “but a renewed call to service.” And service, he would argue, demands embracing failure.
Failure as Fuel for Success
If there was a single idea Tinubu wanted graduates to carry into an uncertain world, it was this: failure is not an indictment, it is instruction. Standing before a hall filled with academic gowns and anxious ambition, he did not offer the usual script of effortless success. Instead, he delivered a harder, more durable truth.
Progress, whether personal or national, is built on missteps properly studied, not shamefully buried. Societies that move forward are not those that avoid falling;
they are those that learn how to rise with better balance each time.
In a country where public discourse often swings between brittle optimism and weary cynicism, his message struck a different note, pragmatic hope. Not the kind that denies difficulty, but the kind that insists difficulty can be used.
“We learn from our failures, and we get it right,” he told the audience. The statement was not rhetorical flourish. It was a summary of a life spent operating in industries where the margin for error is thin and the consequences of hesitation are steep.
From Law to Oil: Opportunity in Disorder
Flo Tinubu’s early path appeared conventional. Trained as a lawyer in the United Kingdom and called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990, he could have settled into a respectable legal career.
But careers, like nations, often pivot on inconvenient encounters. For him, that
encounter came in the form of stranded oil tankers, logistical headaches tangled in bureaucracy, finance and risk. Most professionals saw complexity and stayed away. He saw a gap in the system that someone bold — or naïve — enough might turn into opportunity.
At the time, he had no imposing office, no corporate pedigree and little capital. What he had was a willingness to step into a problem others preferred to avoid.
Negotiation by negotiation, deal by deal, he began building relationships in a sector that rewards nerve as much as knowledge. That episode became foundational to his worldview: perfect conditions are a myth. Waiting for them is a luxury few successful people ever had.
Building Oando: High-Stakes Growth
In 1993, that early instinct for opportunity coalesced into something larger: the founding of Ocean and
Oil Group. It began modestly, trading and shipping petroleum products in a market dominated by established global players. But Tinubu’s strategy was never about staying small and comfortable. It was about leverage, using each foothold to reach for a higher ledge.
The turning point came at the dawn of a new millennium. Ocean and Oil acquired a controlling stake in UniPetrol Plc, a publicly quoted Nigerian company. Two years later came an even more audacious move: UniPetrol’s acquisition of Agip Nigeria Plc, at the time one of the largest takeovers of a listed Nigerian firm. The combined entity would later be rebranded as Oando Plc.
These were not incremental expansions. They were high-stakes bets made in an environment where capital was expensive, regulation complex and market shocks frequent. Deals of that magnitude rarely proceed without turbulence, and Oando’s journey proved.
Stakeholders Call for Urgent Education Reforms to Tackle Youth Unemployment at disrupTED EduKate Africa Summit
Uzoma Mba
Over the weekend, some key stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector called for urgent and scalable reforms to address the country’s rising youth unemployment.
They also stressed the need to strengthen technical education and deepen collaboration with the private sector to bridge widening skills gaps.
The call was made at the disrupTED EduKate Africa Summit 2026, a one-day leadership forum held at the University of Lagos, where participants examined the growing disconnect between educational outcomes and labour market demands.
The summit brought together education leaders, private sector operators and development advocates to promote adaptive learning, practical skills acquisition and innovative financing models for Africa’s education ecosystem.
Experts at the forum strongly advocated increased investment in technical and vocational education, noting that training
programmes must be aligned with current industry realities and the evolving needs of the labour market.
They emphasised that Nigeria’s education system, particularly at the tertiary level, must urgently transition from certificate-driven learning to skills-based and experiential education that reflects global best practices.
Speakers at the summit included Ms Deby Okoh, Regional Manager at Brunel University of London; Mr Ashley Immanuel, Chief Operating Officer of Semicolon; Ms Olapeju Ibekwe, Chief Executive Officer of Sterling One Foundation; and education advocate, Mr Adetomi Soyinka.
The speakers underscored the importance of continuous learning, teacher retraining and comprehensive curriculum reform to prepare young people for an increasingly technologydriven global economy.
They stressed that apprenticeship schemes, internships and hands-on training should be fully integrated
into academic curricula, warning that over-reliance on theoretical qualifications has continued to widen the employability gap among graduates.
In his remarks, Mr Tosin Adebisi, Director of EduKate Africa and convener of the summit, said the forum was designed to challenge what he described as the education sector’s rigid attachment to outdated methods.
According to him, innovation must remain central to education reform, noting that stakeholders must rethink teaching methods, learning processes and approaches to addressing persistent challenges such as access to education, financing and graduate employability.
Adebisi expressed confidence that sustainable solutions could be achieved through stronger collaboration among education institutions, the private sector and development organisations.
He added that the summit, coconvened with Mr. Francis Omorojie,
was aimed at connecting stakeholders across sectors to close existing skills and opportunity gaps for young people.
Participants at the summit also urged parents and educators to promote lifelong learning, critical thinking and adaptability among youths, stressing that education systems must continue to evolve in line with global economic trends.
No fewer than 200 students from the University of Lagos, Lagos State University, Ojo, and other tertiary institutions participated in the summit, which was initially expected to host the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa. In a welcome address, Prof. Olufemi Oloyede of the University of Lagos emphasised the need to shape young minds through innovation and positive thinking.
He noted that Africa’s development depends largely on the strategic use of its human and natural resources, as well as a shift towards creativity and innovation among its youth.
L-R: Minister of Education, Dr. Maria Olatunji Alausa; Dr. Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Iyalode of Lagos, Mrs. Bintu-Fatima Tinubu; and Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, at the 56th Convocation Ceremony of the University of Lagos, where Dr. Adewale Tinubu was conferred an honourary doctorate degree in Lagos
Polaris Bank Strengthens MSMEs Export Ecosystem at NAHCO, NACCIMA Programme
Oriarehu Bonny
Polaris Bank has reaffirmed its strategic commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s non-oil export ecosystem and empowering micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) at the NAHCO and NACCIMA Export Group Programme themed, “Breaking Barriers: Helping SMEs Navigate Export Procedures for Agro Products and Other Commodities.”
Speaking at the programme, Polaris Bank’s Executive Director, Chris Ofikulu, underscored the national importance of export diversification and the central role of SMEs in building a resilient economy. He noted that reducing Nigeria’s dependence on oil revenues requires coordinated action across the public and private sectors to strengthen nonoil exports, particularly within agro-exports and commodity trade.
“Expanding non-oil
exports is not optional; it is a strategic imperative for building a resilient, inclusive and competitive Nigerian economy. SMEs, particularly in agro-exports and commodity trade, hold the key to unlocking our true comparative advantage. Polaris Bank remains committed to providing the finance, advisory support and partnerships required to help them scale confidently and compete globally,” Ofikulu said.
Also addressing stakeholders,Team Lead, Trade Services, Polaris Bank, Olaleye Arinola, highlighted the importance of removing trade and payment bottlenecks that limit exporter competitiveness and cash flow. He emphasized the Bank’s focus on building confidence and certainty into the export process through practical financial and advisory support.
“Exports cannot grow if finance and payments remain obstacles. At Polaris Bank, our focus
Unilever Nigeria Grows Profit
Kayode Tokede
Unilever Nigeria Plc in its unaudited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025 declared N30.74 billion profit after tax, about 103 per cent increase over N15.14billion posted in the audited year ended December 31, 2024.
The company announced profit before tax to N51.8 billion in 2025, representing an increase of 129 per cent from N22.65billion in 2024.
Significant revenue generation and cost effectiveness management played a critical role in the
is on removing friction from international trade by ensuring SMEs get paid faster, safer and with greater certainty through efficient trade finance, secure crossborder payments and hands-on guidance across documentation, FX and compliance,” Arinola said.
As part of its partnership with the business and trade community, Polaris Bank unveiled a Dedicated Help Desk for NACCIMA members, designed to provide direct access to trade finance and payment support, fast-track resolution of export-related enquiries, and personalized advisory services on FX documentation and regulatory compliance.
Polaris Bank reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with NAHCO, NACCIMA and other stakeholders to strengthen exporter capacity, promote value addition across agroexports and commodities, and unlock sustainable growth opportunities for Nigerian businesses in regional and global markets.
by 103% to N30.74bn in 2025
company’s profit generation last year.
Unilever Nigeria declared N214.7billion in 2025, about 44 per cent growth from N149.5billion in 2024 as finance cost stood at N1.19 billion in 2025, a drop of 53.3 per cent from N2.54billion in 2024.
Speaking on the results, the Managing Director, Tobi Adeniyi in a statement said, “ Our fourth quarter performance and strong full year outcome reflect the continued momentum from our route-to-market expansion, increasingly agile, well-optimised operational structure, and the robust demand we are
seeing across our iconic brands, including Knorr, Close Up, Pepsodent, Vaseline, and Rexona.
“We have delivered consistent quarter-on-quarter topline growth that remains competitive, profitable, and sustainable.”
He added that, “With a proud heritage of more than 100 years of manufacturing in Nigeria, every product and every experience reflects our legacy of innovation and our unwavering commitment to quality. Through our trusted brands, we continue to Brighten Everyday Life for All.”
Junior Chambers International (JCI), Victoria Island, has launched its 2026 corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda with a target of reaching at least 100 beneficiaries through a series of communityfocused projects across Lagos.
The organisation disclosed this at its first General Assembly for the 2026 operational year, held yesterday in Lagos, where members and stakeholders gathered to outline priorities and strategies for the year ahead.
President of JCI Victoria Island, Ms. Christiana
Alao, said the 2026 agenda reflects the organisation’s commitment to combining professional development with intentional social impact, in line with its national theme, AMPLIFY.
According to her, JCI Victoria Island will execute three flagship projects during the year: the Economic Outlook Conference, the International Women’s Day Conference, and the Adetola Akinola School Projects, all aimed at promoting economic awareness, gender inclusion and educational development.
“As we embark on this journey in 2026, we must remember that leadership is not just a title but an action, and
service is not a task but a responsibility,” Alao said, calling for support from corporate organisations, public institutions and well-meaning individuals to help scale the impact of the projects.
Also speaking, the Charter President of JCI Victoria Island, Mrs. Adetola Akinola, said the organisation remains committed to social service and community development, noting that while government accountability is important, civic organisations must also take initiative in addressing societal needs.
“As much as we hold government accountable, we do not believe that everything has to be done by government.
DAILY BASKET PRICE As AT 24TH n OV e M be R , 2025
The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $63.14 a barrel on Monday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.
The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following:
Saharan Blend (Algeria), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).
Stock Market Commence February on Positive Note as Market Cap Adds N9bn
Kayode Tokede
The Nigerian stock market yesterday commenced February 2026 trading activities on a positive note, as the major bench appreciated by 0.01 per cent.
The Nigerian Exchange Limited All Share Index
(NGX ASI) gained by 14.24 basis points or 0.01 per
cent to close at 165,384.64 basis points. Also, market capitalisation rose by N9 billion to close at N106.162 trillion.
Sectoral performance was broadly negative as the NGX Insurance was down by two per cent, NGX Banking Index dropped by 0.6per cent, NGX Consumer Goods dipped by 0.4per cent and NGX Industrial Goods declined
by 0.1 per cent, while the NGX Oil & Gas advanced by two per cent.
Meanwhile, market breadth was bearish, with 44 declining stocks overshadowing 29 advancing stocks. Premier Paints and Universal Insurance recorded the highest price gain of 10 per cent each to close at N11.00 and N1.32 respectively, while Daar
Communications followed with a gain of 9.93 per cent to close at N1.55, per share
R.T. Briscoe (Nigeria) up by 9.92 per cent to close at N8.64, while Morison Industries rose by 9.91 per cent to close at N10.98, per share.
On the other hand, Omatek Ventures led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N2.70, per share. AXA
Mansard followed with a decline of 9.94 per cent to close at N14.31, while DEAP Capital Management & Trust declined by 9.90 per cent to close at N8.46, per share.
C & I Leasing depreciated by 9.80 per cent to close at N6.90, while Royal Exchange declined by 9.63 per cent to close at N1.97, per share.
Also, the total volume traded increased by 10.96 per
cent to 762.751 million units, valued at N18.409 billion, and exchanged in 55,374 deals. Transactions in the shares of Tantalizer topped the activity chart with 88.489 million shares valued at N329.387 million. Zenith Bank followed with 40.188 million shares worth N2.873 billion, while Veritas Kapital Assurance traded 39.211 million shares valued at N92.110 million.
OKPEBHOLO’S PATH TO ECONOMIC REVIVAL
JOHN MAYAKI writes that Edo is on infrastructure renewal drive
THE GATEWAY TO NIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT
YUSUPH OLANIYONU celebrates Ogun State at 50
CHIDI ANSELM ODINKALU argues the need for Judges to be independent
IN THE HOUSE OF ‘MY LORD’, THERE ARE JUDGMENTS
Abdul Leigh Balogun became a judge of the High Court of Lagos State in 1976. In a career as a trial judge spanning 17 years and three different decades, the man better known as A.L. Balogun earned a deserved reputation as one of the most knowledgeable trial judges to adorn the Nigerian judiciary. His reputation for fairness was unquestioned. That ultimately saved his judicial career.
On 9 March 1979, Justice Balogun delivered judgment in a land matter originally filed in 1975, the year before he became a judge. His judgment decided the case against the original claimants. The following day, on 10 March, Abdul Balogun showed up at the law office of the counsel to the claimants. It was a Saturday. The claimants, who had lost the case, were in consultation with their lawyers when the judge visited.
At the visit, Justice Balogun invited the claimant’s lawyers to attend court the next working day. On Monday, 12 March 1979, the court proposed to hear submissions from lawyers as it considered the “recall” of its earlier judgment of 10 March to correct errors he had spotted in the judgment.
On the appointed day, the lawyers for the claimants did not attend court. The defendants, who had won the case, were represented and addressed the court through their lawyers. The judge had also invited them.
Thereafter, Justice Balogun delivered a lengthy and well researched judgment in which he claimed an inherent jurisdiction to correct errors he said he had identified in his original judgment but his original verdict remained unchanged. So, in two separate judgments over two working days, the claimants lost twice. They had good reason to be irate.
The claimants appealed, asking the appellate courts to nullify both judgments of 9 and 12 March 1979 and order a retrial. When it decided the appeal seven years later on 17 June 1986, the Supreme Court was at pains to point out that the motive of the judge in this case was not bias but what it called the “laudable aspiration” of perfection. However, Supreme Court described the conduct of a judge choosing to go to the law office of counsel involved in litigation before him as both “reproachable and irregular” and justified its decision on the ground that this caused “erosion of confidence in the judicial process.” The court warned that “a trial judge ought to know that he is on trial for any improper conduct during the trial of a case before him and immediately thereafter.”
In the judicial traditions of those days, the idea of extra-judicial mingling or intercourse between litigants or their counsel on the one hand and appellate judges on the other was unheard of.
So, the court was content to confine its admonition to trial judges. Today, the ethics of judging in Nigeria appear to know of no such distinctions anymore.
Justice Balogun recovered from this case and went on to have a stellar career on the High Court of Lagos, from where he retired in 1993. He lived for another 20 years thereafter, before he died in August 2013. Six months before his death, in February 2013, the National Judicial Council, (NJC) terminated the judicial career of Thomas Naron, a judge of the High Court of Plateau State, because “there were constant and regular voice calls and exchange of mms and sms (text) messages between Hon. Justice Naron and one of the lead counsel for one of the parties to the suit in the Osun State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal, contrary to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
In the wake of an unprecedented operation by the State Security Service (SSS) against some senior judges across the country in October 2016, a serving Justice of the Supreme Court, Inyang Okoro, was reported to have informed the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mahmud Mohammed, in February of the same year of a nocturnal visit to his home by then Transport Minister and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.
At the visit, Mr. Amaechi reportedly claimed that his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), had “mandated him to inform (the judge) that they must win their election appeals in Rivers State, Akwa Ibom and Abia State at all costs.”
Mr. Amaechi’s media spokespersons publicly denied these claims in colourful language. Despite the best efforts of civil society advocates to ensure a transparent investigation, the allegations appear to have subsequently been swept under the proverbial carpet.
The latest public disclosure of extrajudicial dalliance involving senior judges and litigants before them came last week from that most durable phenomenon in contemporary Kano politics, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In March 2019, the contest for the governorship of Kano State pitted then incumbent, Abdullahi Gabduje of the APC against Kwankwaso’s protégé, Abba
Kabir Yusuf, of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). With about 100,000 votes left to harvest, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the contest inconclusive. At that point, Yusuf was ahead with 26,655 votes. When INEC concluded the supplementary vote, it awarded 45,876 votes to Ganduje and 10,239 votes to Yusuf, enabling it to declare the latter the loser with a margin of just 8,982 votes out of 2,242,396 votes cast. The contest ultimately ended in January 2020 when the Supreme Court affirmed Ganduje as duly elected.
In the wake of last week’s feckless embrace by Kabir Abba Yusuf of his former nemesis, Abdullahi Ganduje, a heart-broken Kwankwaso disclosed that in the struggle for what they believed to be their mandate in 2019, he went with Abba Yusuf “to the homes of all the supreme court judges in Nigeria to beg them…. in their villages and towns.”
Muhammad Dattijo, who memorably retired from the Supreme Court in 2023 and was on the Court in 2019, promptly issued a rebuttal challenging Kwankwaso’s claim and denying ever having met him or Abba Yusuf. He has also rightly challenged Kwankwaso to disclose the names of the Justices of the Supreme Court whom he claims to have met. The Supreme Court chooses to maintain eloquent silence.
Judges, according to the United Nations Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary, “shall decide matters before them impartially, on the basis of facts and in accordance with the law, without any restrictions, improper influences, inducements, pressures, threats or interferences, direct or indirect, from any quarter or for any reason.”
In June 2023, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa confessed on the floor of Nigeria’s Senate that indeed, some important cases may have been decided in the bedroom that he shared with his wife, Zainab, who was President of the Court of Appeal for over six years until 2020. It would be surprising if this species of concupiscent jurisprudence was brewed exclusively chez Bulkachuwa.
A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu
YUSUPH OLANIYONU celebrates Ogun State at 50
THE GATEWAY TO NIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT
Even as Nigeria’s stature in the global community has diminished due to its economic and security crisis, an international visitor to the country will want to meet two global figures who reside here. Both men live in the same town, and they are from the same state, even though they are not the best of friends.
Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, is home to President Olusegun Obasanjo, who remains the longest-serving Nigerian leader, having been in office as both a military ruler and elected President for a combined period of 11 years, 7 months, and 16 days. It is also the home of Africa’s first Nobel laureate, Prof. Oluwole Akinwande Soyinka. Both men live in their respective private estates, occupying large tracts of land in different parts of the ancient town, which will be worth a tourist's precious time to explore.
While Obasanjo owns the well-arranged Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Africa’s only morgue of that sort, and a museum documenting his life in prison located, among other edifices, Soyinka’s Ijegba forest home has a museum, art gallery and perhaps one of the finest and original works of art expressed through different media.
The presence of Obasanjo and Soyinka, who are indigenes, symbolises another significance of Ogun State, which today marks the 50th anniversary of its creation. Ten years ago, I wrote a piece celebrating the 40th anniversary of the State's creation. From my personal experience over the last decade and the various developments in the state during that period, I believe we all have reasons to celebrate yet another landmark in the history of the state. Today, February 3rd, 2026, is the state’s golden jubilee.
From the merger of two provinces, Ijebu and Egba, carved out of the old Western State, which itself had been part of the First Republic’s Western Region, Ogun State was one of the 19 created by the Murtala-Obasanjo regime on February 3rd, 1976. While the country has moved from the 19-state structure to 36, in addition to the new Federal Capital Territory, Ogun State remains one of the two states in the 1976 set that have not been tampered with. There has been no addition, subtraction, or division in its territory. Lagos State has also remained untouched, but its existence preceded the 1976 state creation exercise. The other 17 states - Oyo, Ondo, Bendel, Niger, Plateau, Benue, Anambra, Imo, Borno, Gongola, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Bauchi, Kwara, Cross River, and Rivers Statehave all been divided into more than one state.
In my 2016 article, I wrote about the joyous atmosphere in Abeokuta, where I was a primary four pupil looking forward to my tenth birthday, when the late General Murtala Muhammed announced the creation of new states before he was assassinated ten days later. In 1976, the areas that constituted Ogun State were a
rustic, traditional society. Today, the situation has changed. Ogun State has since become a giant among the sub-nationals in Nigeria. It is arguably the most industrialised state in the country. According to a source, while Lagos State remains “the primary economic hub, leading in finance, tech, entertainment, manufacturing, and trade”, today’s 50 year old entity is a significant manufacturing centre, home to large estates like Agbara Industrial Estate, the Sagamu, and Lagos - Ibadan Expressway Industrial corridors, “attracting global companies and benefitting from its connection to Lagos”. The source continued that “Ogun and Lagos generate over half of Nigeria’s industrial output. While Lagos is the economic powerhouse, Ogun provides the expansive space and infrastructure for large-scale manufacturing, making them a formidable duo”.
In the Nigerian configuration, Ogun State is to Lagos what New Jersey is to New York. It is a better place to work, live, and have leisure. That status is one of the achievements that the state has recorded in the last 50 years. That is why I believe that different administrations in the state, including the present one, ought to pay more attention to infrastructure development in industrial areas such as Agbara, Ota, Sagamu, Mowe, and the Ibafo axis.
Some years back, the state missed a massive opportunity in the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway property corridor that would have led to the emergence of high-profile real estate development and the creation of a new, well-structured, urban town whose value would compare with the best in Lagos. If there had been foresight, that area would have become a new, well planned town, housing high-profile people fleeing the crazy congestion in Lagos. We would have had something similar to the new Cairo and 6th of October towns, developed to ease population pressure on the Egyptian capital.
Ogun’s economic significance is not only due to its proximity to Lagos, but the state also hosts the border that links the country to the Republic of Benin and the rest of West Africa.
Olaniyonu writes from Abuja
JOHN MAYAKI writes that Edo is on infrastructure renewal drive
OKPEBHOLO’S PATH TO ECONOMIC REVIVAL
The news from Edo State is good. This has been further validated by several videos that emerged on the internet by Edo citizens who travelled home during the Yuletide and most especially repeated inspection of the state governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo to project sites. This optimism is largely driven by the multiple construction sites spread across the state, which have ignited economic activities and accelerated infrastructural development.
Just recently, the governor approved Ukpenu-Emuhi-Ugiamen-Ehor Road for construction in addition to IruekpenOzalla-Sabo road.
Already, and at a strategic junction along the Benin-Auchi and Benin-Asaba expressways is the ongoing construction of the first-ever flyover bridge being constructed by the Edo State government. It is situated at Ramat Park in Benin City corridor. Also, two more flyovers are to be built; one at Dawson Road Junction and another at Sapele Road/Adesuwa Road Junction which is already ongoing.
Okpebholo’s infrastructure push also encompasses reconstruction and rehabilitation of critical routes such as Benin-Sapele-Warri, Benin-AgborAsaba corridors, Ekpoma-Uromi-Ubiaja stretches, Uromi-Onewa-UdomiIbhiolulu-Afuda-Idumoza Road, and urban thoroughfares like Upper Mission Road and portions of the Benin-Auchi Road.
Work is also nearing completion on the Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo Road, where more than 45 failed portions are being fixed to improve travel through Akoko-Edo Local Government and link to neighbouring states.
Within Benin and its environs, projects include Catholic Charismatic Renewal Church Road with erosion control works, reconstruction of Palace Road off Upper Mission Extension, and rehabilitation of Boundary Road. Long-standing thoroughfares such as the Benin-SapeleWarri Road are being reconstructed with reinforced concrete pavement, and the governor has personally inspected and pushed for completion of sections like the Old Sapele Road and Ogheghe Road off Sapele Road to ensure timely delivery.
How did Okpebholo get the state out of its infrastructure deficit? What strategies is he deploying to leverage the economy through massive job creation and employment?
The answer lies in the implementation of well-thought-out social and economic policies and programmes designed to empower the people and stimulate economic growth.
Simply put, Okpebholo is pumping money into Edo’s economy through sustained investment in infrastructure. It would interest you to note that increased government spending has a direct impact on the people, making a significant difference by legitimately distributing
wealth across urban and grassroots communities.
Once an economy is boosted through massive spending on productive activities, positive change becomes inevitable.
For instance, a typical road construction project provides employment for a wide spectrum of people ranging from skilled and unskilled labourers to vendors and service providers who earn income on a daily or weekly basis.
From Akoko-Edo to Etsako, from Owan to Esan, and down to the state capital, Edo state is dotted with massive construction sites. These projects impact communities directly, driven by the huge resources that have been deployed for road and drainage construction. This is Okpebholo’s deliberate pathway to economic stimulation.
Local content also plays a critical role. The increased use of locally sourced materials such as cement, stone, and concrete is designed to strengthen the local economy. The same applies to local contractors, local bitumen production, and indigenous service providers within the construction ecosystem.
Beyond this, significant growth is expected in quarrying, mineral production, cement manufacturing, and allied construction industries. Sustained construction activity remains a proven pathway to economic recovery; a path the Okpebholo administration is clearly charting.
In a bid to ensure more labour-intensive road construction, the Okpebholo administration has introduced concrete pavement alongside bitumen in the construction industry. This policy not only creates more jobs but also increases the use of locally available materials, thereby improving economic productivity.
Road infrastructure also leads to capital appreciation. These projects increase land value and stimulate the supply chain including food vendors, lubricant suppliers, laterite dealers, cement distributors, steel reinforcement suppliers, water vendors, and diesel suppliers across Edo South, Edo Central, and Edo North.
Mayaki is a Journalist and Diplomat
Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA
Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
KATSINA’S ROMANCE WITH BANDITS
Peace deals with criminals are counterproductive
Early last month, the Katsina State government approved the release of 70 convicted bandits in exchange for about 1000 victims said to have been earlier freed under a community-driven peace arrangement. The move however triggered concerns over the implications of such action in a state already heaving with criminality and general insecurity. Though it is uncertain if the bandits have been released, the government action is coming amid renewed wave of violence across the state. Besides, there are concerns that similar efforts in the past to pacify bandits only emboldened them.
In recent weeks, there have been reported fresh onslaughts on communities resulting in killings, maiming, and abductions. Attacks on Dandume, Kankara, Faskari, Jibia, Funtua, Malumfashi, Kurfi and Dutsin-ma Local government areas are frequent and relentless, despite the rapprochement between the hoodlums and residents of the affected areas. At Kankara, for instance, the bandits recently attacked a wedding motorcade in Unguwar Nagunda community, killed two farmers, abducted some guests and left the bride and many others with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. Another coordinated attacks on several communities in Dandume local government areas left about eight people dead.
a peace accord with these bandits. Apparently concerned, the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa (rtd), has warned state governments to immediately stop engaging in peace deals with bandits because such arrangements are not only harmful but also counterproductive. “We have advised all levels of government not to take that route because these bandits are not truthful and will not abide by any agreement. It only makes the fight against insurgency more difficult,” he said.
In the last five years, more than 1500 innocent men, women and children have been reported killed in Katsina despite some form of peace arrangements between the state and the bandits
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
Indeed, in the last five years, more than 1500 innocent men, women and children have been reported killed in Katsina despite some form of peace arrangements between the state and the bandits. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), fatalities have risen sharply in the last two years with 495 civilian deaths recorded in 2024 and 533 in 2025. In the face of heightened insecurity, villages are abandoned, farms are laid waste, thousands are displaced while schools and health facilities are shut down.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 20 out of the 34 local government areas in the State have reportedly entered into
T H I S D AY N E
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA
GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU
DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE
Indeed, over the years many have continued to question the sincerity and effectiveness of peace deal with bandits. According to a recent report, peace talks and amnesty deals in states including Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi were leverages for armed groups rather than avenues to disarmament. Bandit leaders often use negotiations to secure safe passage, regain freedom of detained members or create space to rearm, while retaining their weapons and operational capacity. Their leaders publicly declare repentance, release captives in staged ceremonies and surrendered a small quantity of arms, only for attacks to resume within weeks. That perhaps explains why former Governor Aminu Masari who held sessions with the bandits later expressed regret at what he described as wasted efforts.
We are not surprised at what is happening to the so-called peace accords with the bandits which boldly advertised government’s helplessness. We warned in this space then that it would be impossible to hold a group of outlaws to any form of agreement. With many sophisticated guns in their possession, what will they do if they run out of cash? But the scale of banditry and criminality in the northwest region and beyond is a replication of the general insecurity across the country for which the authorities must find a more enduring solution. The security agencies must live up to their responsibilities of protecting the people while the states should ensure good use of resources within their domains by providing the enabling environment for job creation and entrepreneurship.
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.
IFUNANYA’S UNFORTUNATE DEATH FROM SNAKE BITE
The death of Ifunanya Nwangene, a 25-year-old Abuja-based classical, jazz, RnB, and soul singer popularly known by her stage name, Nanyah, is not only unfortunate but deeply sad and clearly preventable. A young woman full of promise and talent has been lost, not because her condition was untreatable, but because the system failed her at the most critical moment.
Ifunanya was reportedly bitten by a snake in her home in Abuja. In a desperate attempt to save her life, she took herself to two different hospitals within the nation’s capital. Shockingly, she was allegedly turned away by both facilities due to the absence of anti-snake venom. She later died on Saturday, a death that raises painful questions about the state of emergency care in Nigeria. This incident calls for an immediate and transparent investigation. How is it possible that two hospitals in Abuja could lack anti-snake venom, a basic and life-saving emergency drug? Who is responsible for ensuring its
availability, and why was that responsibility neglected? These are questions that must not be brushed aside.
Nigeria carries one of the highest snakebite burdens in Africa, yet the country lacks functional local production facilities for antivenom. This is not a new problem, and the risks are well documented. Snakebite envenoming remains a public health threat, particularly in rural and farming communities, but increasingly even urban residents are not spared.
Ironically, locally developed antivenoms such as EchiTabG exist. However, they are neither widely produced nor readily available. This failure is largely due to inadequate government funding and a troubling lack of commitment by those entrusted with managing public health systems. The science exists; the political will does not.
Instead, government reportedly spends between $10 million and $12 million annually on imported antiven-
om. Yet despite these huge allocations, public hospitals continue to lack these critical drugs. The question Nigerians must ask is simple: where does the money go, and why do patients still die from treatable conditions?
If Ifunanya could die in Abuja, the seat of power and supposedly the best-served city in the country, one can only imagine how many silent deaths occur daily in rural communities. Many of these deaths go unreported, uninvestigated, and unacknowledged, making the tragedy even more disturbing.
Beyond the absence of anti-snake venom, most public hospitals lack basic facilities required for emergency response and resuscitation. Essential equipment, trained personnel, and functional systems are missing in many centres. This is unacceptable in a country of Nigeria’s size and resources.
Tochukwu Jimo Obi, Obosi Anambra state.
BUSINESS WORLD
RATES AS AT J A nu AR y 26, 2026
Discos Collects over N208bn from Consumers Despite Incessant Power Failures
Stories by Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria’s Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) have collected more than N208.78 billion from electricity consumers in just one month despite persistent power outages in the country, one of the highest revenue received by the power utilities in recent times.
Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) covering November 2025, indicated that Discos got electricity valued at N342.29 billion during the period, but billed customers N269.43
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has described the ongoing 350MW NNPC’s Abuja Gas Independent Power Project (IPP) as a vital step toward achieving the national target of 8,500MW grid generation capacity by the end of 2026.
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Mohammed Bello, spoke during an on-site assessment visit to the project location,
billion, and collected over N200 billion of that amount.
This came as complaints about load shedding, transformer failures, weak voltage and prolonged blackouts remained widespread across the country.
In the sector, estimated billing, irregular meter readings, and charges during prolonged outages have remained key points of contention. Consumer advocacy groups have argued that the ability of Discos to collect such large sums in a month characterised by unstable supply raises serious questions about billing practices and regulatory
a statement in Abuja from the agency said.
Leading a high-level management delegation, he evaluated the current stage of construction and identified key areas for enhanced collaboration to accelerate project completion and timely commissioning.
The visit also included an inspection of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) implementation
enforcement.
However, from the operators’ perspective, the argument has always been that the revenue collected is still insufficient to cover the full cost of power. Discos insist that high technical and commercial losses, poor remittances from some customer segments, energy theft and tariffs that do not fully reflect costs continue to undermine financial sustainability.
According to the regulator, actual collections stood at N208.78 billion for the month, representing an efficiency of about 77 per cent. When measured against the total cost of power supplied, however,
site at the Gwagwalada transmission substation.
The team expressed confidence that before the end of 2026, the full electricity value chain, from generation through transmission to distribution will be integrated into a unified SCADA platform, enabling real-time visibility, improved grid monitoring, and enhanced system reliability and stability.
the companies recovered 72.48 per cent, leaving a significant shortfall that continues to strain the electricity value chain.
But NERC’s data showed that the average recoverable tariff for the month stood at N124.30 per kilowatthour, while the actual average collection was N90.09 per kilowatt-hour. This gap indicated both under-collection and unpaid bills, but also highlighted that consumers continued to make substantial payments even when power supply fell short of expectations.
Billing efficiency data further underscored the contradiction between
Meanwhile, NISO has been formally admitted into the West African Power Pool (WAPP), at the 20th Session of the WAPP General Assembly, marking a major milestone in Nigeria’s electricity sector reform and regional power integration efforts.
The admission took place in Togo, during the statutory General Assembly of WAPP, which convened electricity
collections and service quality. While the sectorwide billing efficiency stood at 78.72 per cent, meaning over N73 billion worth of electricity was never billed, some Discos billed less than two-thirds of the energy received. Yet, even with these losses and widespread outages, total cash collections still crossed the N200 billion mark.
Last year, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, took a swipe at the Discos operating in the country, maintaining that they have not only disappointed Nigerians, but have become the weakest link in the power supply value chain.
sector leaders, system operators and policymakers from across West Africa.
NISO’s participation was led by its management team under the leadership of Bello, who was present for the inauguration and formal admission proceedings, a statement by NISO stated.
“The decision to admit NISO reflects recognition of its mandate as Nigeria’s independent system and
Adelabu also decried the continued low remittances from the power distributors, especially the Discos from the northern part of Nigeria, revealing that they only paid 30 per cent of the expected revenues last year.
“We need to get tough with the Discos, as they can easily frustrate all the gains we have made. They have disappointed us in performance expectations. Whatever we do in generation does not mean anything to consumers if it is frustrated at the distribution points,” he said at a meeting in Ikot-Ekpene in Akwa Ibom.
market operator, responsible for ensuring reliability, transparency and efficiency in the operation of the national electricity grid and electricity market. As a WAPP member, NISO will contribute to regional grid coordination, information sharing, system planning and the development of a competitive regional electricity market.
OPSN: Bank Will Unlock Manufacturing Sector’s Capacity, Stimulate Job Creation
The members of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) has declared that the establishment of the proposed OPSN Bank would unlock the Nigerian manufacturing sector’s capacity, deepen value chains, and stimulate job creation.
This view was expressed during the weekend at a strategic meeting in Lagos by the Chairman of the OPSN, Mr. Jani Ibrahim, who advocated for reforms that would ease business entry and formalisation, achieve faster turnaround times at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and affordable intellectual
property protection.
Ibrahim said: “The proposed OPSN Bank, designed to provide single-digit interest financing, could unlock manufacturing capacity, deepen value chains, and stimulate job creation.”
He decried domestic credit to the private sector that is currently below 15 per cent of GDP asfar lower than what are obtainable in peer economies.
He described high lending rates as inimical to long-term investment.
He also urged the federal government to treat private sector’s survival and growth as a national priority.
The OPSN stated that cumbersome business
NECA Inaugurates ESG Advisory Board
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has successfully inaugurated its ESG Advisory Board, marking a significant milestone in advancing sustainable business practices, responsible governance, and long-term enterprise value across Nigeria’s private sector.
The Advisory Board brings together experienced professionals and industry leaders to provide strategic guidance, thought leadership,
and practical insights on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues affecting businesses in Nigeria.
The Board comprises representatives from Access Bank Plc, Nigeria Bottling Company Plc, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Nestle Nigeria Plc, Sterling One Foundation, Dangote Industries Limited, Bank of Industry, Unilever Plc, IHS (Nigeria) Limited, Andersen in Nigeria, OLAM Agri, Seven Up Bottling Company and Bureau Veritas.
Group
Deputy
Comms/e-Business
Asst.
Asst.
Nume
Correspondents
KayodeTokede
Ebere
Reporter
The Board is chaired by Mr. Femi Jaiyeola, Chief Risk Officer of Access Bank Plc, with Dr. Soromidayo George, Director, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability, Nigeria Bottling Company serving as Vice Chairman.
The inauguration was honoured by the presence of Julie Kazagui, Senior Specialist, Employers’ Activities Bureau for Employers representing the International Labour Organization (ILO), underscoring the importance of collaboration between employers, international institutions, and key stakeholders in promoting responsible and sustainable business practices.
registration processes, high cost of finance, and regulatory overlaps have continued to undermine enterprise development in Nigeria.
Ibrahim , who is also the national president of Nigerian
Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) criticised regulatory excesses, including overlapping inspections and duplicative compliance demands, which
he said escalate operating costs, particularly for manufacturers and SMEs.
On climate policy, Ibrahim canvassed for a realistic and context-sensitive green transition, noting that ESG
compliance and carbon market readiness required “capacity building, access to green finance, and policy clarity to prevent Nigerian businesses from being edged out of global value chains.”
NJI Lauds NERC on Power Sector Capacity Building for Judiciary
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Babatunde Adejumo (retd), has commended the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for its sustained efforts in providing capacity-building programmes for judges on policies,
regulations and reforms in the power sector.
Adejumo explained that the initiative has significantly improved the resolution of electricity-related disputes, a statement from the power sector regulator said.
Speaking during a visit to NERC in Abuja, the NJI administrator reaffirmed the institute’s commitment
to continuous collaboration with NERC, describing the partnership as critical to ensuring informed and effective adjudication of power sector litigations.
“At the NJI, we are always there to partner with you on capacity building. We seek to deepen this collaboration so that it yields tangible results by ensuring that the courts
are well-guided in resolving litigations within the power sector,” he said.
Chairman of NERC, Dr. Musiliu Oseni received the NJI team, along with NERC Vice Chairman, Dr Yusuf Ali; NERC Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Mr. Dafe Akpeneye, and some senior management officials of NERC.
NLNG-sponsored Nigeria Prizes Open for Entries with Focus on AI, Others
The Nigeria Prizes competition officially kicked off on Sunday with Call for Entries for the 2026 cycle.
This year’s edition focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation.
It also includes Poetry for The Nigeria Prize for Literature; and Documentary Filmmaking for the newly introduced The Nigeria Prize for Creative Arts.
The Prizes remain Nigeria’s foremost platform for rewarding excellence in science and innovation, literature, and the creative arts, a statement signed by NLNG’s Manager,
Corporate Communication and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, said.
This year, The Nigeria Prize for Science and Innovation retain the theme: “Innovations in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Technologies for Development” following a
“no winner” verdict of the 2025 cycle. Speaking on the commencement of the prizes cycle, NLNG’s General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall, emphasised the relevance of the selected themes in a rapidly evolving global context.
Nigeria, Saudi Arabia Deepen Cooperation on Housing Devt
Addeh in Abuja
As part of Nigeria’s investor engagement on the sidelines of the 2026 Real Estate Future Forum (RFF 2026) in Riyadh, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has held a highlevel bilateral meeting with the Saudi Arabian Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs
and Housing (MOMRAH), Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, alongside senior officials of the ministry.
During the meeting, Dangiwa presented Nigeria’s flagship Renewed Hope Housing Programme, highlighting its scale, structured delivery architecture, and strong alignment with private capital, a statement from the ministry
stressed.
He also showcased the federal government’s building materials manufacturing hubs initiative, aimed at accelerating local production, reducing construction costs, creating jobs, and strengthening Nigeria’s construction value chain.
“Nigeria is positioning housing not just as a
social good, but as a major driver of economic growth, industrialisation, and investment,” Dangiwa said. “Under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme, we are delivering homes at scale across income segments, supported by clear policies, bankable public, private partnership frameworks, and strong demand fundamentals.
SIFAX Marine Targets Asset-Led Growth in 2026
SIFAX Marine Services Limited has announced a far-reaching expansion strategy for 2026 aimed at driving asset-led growth and repositioning the company as a stronger contender in Nigeria’s offshore and oil and gas marine services market.
According to Afolabi Olayinka, Executive Director of SIFAX Marine, the plan
marks a decisive shift from revenue growth driven mainly by rate increases to a more sustainable and scalable model built on vessel ownership and fleet expansion.
He said: “Our experience over the past year has made one thing very clear, sustainable and exponential growth will only come
from deliberate investment in marine assets that we own and control. While rate adjustments supported revenue performance in the last financial year, the future of SIFAX Marine lies in building a strong owned fleet that gives us capacity, resilience, and long-term competitive advantage.”
To translate this vision
into action, SIFAX Marine plans to acquire additional sea-going barges, creek vessels, and offshore support vessels. These assets are expected to significantly boost operational capacity, deepen market reach, and unlock higher-value contracts, particularly within the oil and gas sector.
Dike Onwuamaeze
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Emmanuel
Politics
Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE
Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com
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As APC Prepares for March, 2026 National Convention...
The ruling all Progressives Congress has commenced preparation for the forthcoming congresses and national convention of the party scheduled to hold in March, 2026. Adedayo Akinwale reports.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) last Wednesday reviewed and endorsed the proposed timetable and institutional framework as approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming Ward, Local Government, State, Zonal Congresses, and the National Convention.
It would be recalled that the ruling party announced that its national convention would be held between 27th and 28th March, 2026.
However, at the 183rd meeting of the National Working Committee of the party, the ruling party, however, made changes and adjustments to the Congress schedule.
It said the Ward Congresses will now hold on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, with the National Convention taking place from March 27th to 28th, 2026.
Surprisingly, APC said Osun, Ekiti, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory, would be excluded from the upcoming Congress.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka while briefing newsmen said: “With respect to the exceptions for those states, Osun, Ekiti, FCT, and Rivers, there are two explanations. One, Ekiti, Osun, and FCT have upcoming elections. So we are exempting them in order for the elections to hold, and then congresses will then be scheduled in those states subsequently.
“With respect to Rivers, you will recall that we had congresses, off-season, offcycle congresses in Rivers state last year. The tenure of that executive that was elected at that congress is still subsisting,
and therefore we must wait for that tenure to conclude before we then schedule fresh congresses in River state.
The ruling party added that zonal congresses are scheduled to hold on March 18 across the zones, while appeals would be held on March 23.
The congresses and the national convention are in pursuant to the provisions of Article 11: A(i-xiii), and Article 17(i) of the party’s constitution.
With the governors of the party giving their greenlight for the congresses and national convention to hold as scheduled, the question on the lips of many is how the party intends to manage the outcome of the congresses and convention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The Forum reviewed and endorsed the proposed timetable and institutional framework as approved by NEC for the forthcoming Ward, Local Government,
State, Zonal Congresses, and the National Convention,” the chairman of Progressive Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma said.
Concerned APC Stakeholders Forum has, however, called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, and party elders to uphold the existing zoning arrangement in the interest of unity, equity, and justice ahead of the 2026 national convention.
Its Convener, Dr. Dominic Alancha said the stakeholders considered it patriotic, and timely to clearly state its collective position on key issues that would foster stability, unity, and seamless electoral success for the APC.
To this end, Alancha also called on the leadership in various geo-political zones to look into micro zoning arrangements on the basis of balance and equity in order to strengthen the party in the state.
His words: “The Concerned APC Stakeholders Forum unequivocally advocates the retention of the current zoning formula as adopted and practiced by our party.
With the governors of the party giving their greenlight for the congresses and national convention to hold as scheduled, the question on the lips of many is how the party intends to manage the outcome of the congresses and convention ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Zoning has remained a stabilising mechanism that promotes inclusiveness, fairness, national balance, and a sense of belonging among the diverse components of our party and the federation.
“At a time when national cohesion is of utmost importance, abandoning or altering this formula may generate unnecessary tension and weaken internal harmony. We therefore call on the National Executive Committee (NEC), President Bola Tinubu, party elders, and all stakeholders to uphold the existing zoning arrangement in the interest of unity, equity, and justice.”
The Forum also endorsed the current National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda for continuity.
It explained that under his leadership, the party has recorded notable stability, progress in internal party reconciliation, party administration and membership drive, and strategic repositioning for future election success.
The Forum pointed out that continuity would enable the National Chairman to consolidate on existing reforms and policies to stabilise the party, strengthen institutional memory and discipline, enhance preparedness for upcoming electoral challenges.
“It is our firm belief that retaining experienced leadership at the head of our party will clearly give exemplary visibility to the APC as the leading progressive political party in Nigeria,” it said.
As it stands, it has not been determined whether the party will stick to the current zoning arrangement for party offices to create less rancour ahead of the 2027 elections or it will throw up another zoning formula entirely.
Tinubu
yilwatda
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STRATEGIC MEETING BETWEEN LAGOS MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND CANADA DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE...
L-R: Permanent Secretary, Citizen Mediation Bureau, Mrs. Aderinsola Olanrewaju; Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Lagos State, Mr. Hameed Oyenuga; Co-Director, Canada-Nigeria Justice Cooperation Project, Department of Justice Canada, Ms. Geneiveve Westrope; Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN); and another Co-Director of Department of Justice, Canada, Ms. Sarah Gold, during a strategic meeting between Lagos Ministry of Justice and representatives of the Department of Justice, Canada held in Lagos, yesterday
FG, UK Funded Programme Strengthens Early Warning Systems as Plateau Stakeholders Push for Community-led Security
The programme, implemented by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) under the UK funded SPRiNG Programme, is part of the National Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System (NCEWERS) Project, which is running simultaneously in Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, and Plateau States.
The initiative targets 200 stake-
A national initiative to improve Nigeria’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging conflicts is underway in Plateau State, where government agencies, security actors, community groups, and civil society organisations have begun a week long capacity building workshop aimed at strengthening early warning and early response mechanisms.
holders across the four states and focuses on conflict sensitivity, early warning data validation, climate risk analysis, and coordinated responses to farmer–herder clashes, banditry, communal disputes, and climate related threats.
Speaking during the Plateau State session, Dr. Mang Chaimang, a consultant with the Conflict Research Network West Africa
(ConWest Africa), said the project was designed to close long standing gaps in how communities and institutions respond to early signs of violence.
“The objective is to strengthen the capacity of different response groups. The programme has created a network and a platform that enables stakeholders to respond promptly whenever there are conflict
Olanipekun, Oyedele Urge South-West to Harness Tinubu’s Presidency for Devt
Fidelis David in Akure
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Prof. Taiwo Oyedele, have called on governors and political leaders of the South-West to seize what they described as a rare political opportunity presented by the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fast-track the development of the region.
The duo made the call on Monday in Akure during a public lecture organised as part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of Ondo State, warning that such a strategic advantage might not present itself again after the completion of President Tinubu’s second term in office.
Speaking as chairman of the Golden
Jubilee commemorative lecture titled “Ondo State: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Agenda Setting for the Next 50 Years,” Olanipekun said the South-West must act with unity and vision to maximise federal opportunities for infrastructure, industrialisation and economic reforms.
His words: Tinubu will not be there forever. He will only be there till 2031. Let’s put ourselves together, be united. There should be cohesion, there should be unity, there should be love, there should be respect, there should be thoughtfulness, otherwise, Olanipekun said.
The legal luminary stressed that if the South-West fails to organise itself, articulate a common economic agenda and engage the federal government constructively it may not have another opportunity of this magnitude after President Tinubu’s tenure.
Olanipekun stressed that regional development should rise above partisan politics, urging governors in the zone to collaborate on rail transport, ports, agriculture, mineral resources among others
In his keynote lecture, Prof. Oyedele traced the historical evolution of Ondo State and described the state’s founding ideals as rooted in education, integrity and collective progress, noting that the state’s investment in human capital has remained its strongest asset.
Oyedele who is also from the state noted that despite having one of the smallest budgets among Nigerian states, Ondo State currently has the lowest proportion of people living in multidimensional poverty.
“This is not because we are the richest state, but because we invested in what truly matters – education,
Second Batch of 92 Ebonyi Scholarship Awardees Depart For
Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki
The second batch of 92 Ebonyi State Scholarship beneficiaries have departed the state for the United Kingdom in pursuit of postgraduate studies in ivy league universities.
The historic event held at the Chuba Okadigbo International Airport, Ezza, became another milestone of the state government towards the implementation of the human capital component of the
People’s Charter of Needs Agenda. 285 indigenes of the state were airlifted last year, with many already having their Master Degrees.
At the departure ceremony on Monday, Governor Francis Nwifuru, charged the beneficiaries to live up to the moral philosophy behind the award of the scholarship. He stressed the need for discipline, studiousness and decorum, reminding them many wished for
UK
the gesture, but were eluded by it.
Nwifuru said: “I am sure you are aware that Ebonyians are not loafers, hard work should be your constant companion”.
“Remember that every naira spent on this scholarship is the collective sacrifice of our people, farmers, traders, civil servants, and artisans who believe that your success will one day translate into a stronger, more prosperous Ebonyi State”.
health and dignity,” he said, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
On the future of the state, Oyedele outlined a long-term development blueprint tagged Agenda 2076, which he said should focus on industrialisation, technology, security, youth empowerment and institutional governance.
“The next 50 years must be about value creation, not dependence on federation allocations. Ondo State must move from cocoa to chocolate, from crude extraction to industrial processing, and from subsistence farming to agro-industrial production,” he said.
indicators or when conflict occurs in any community,” he said.
Chaimang noted that although the programme began in 2024, the dynamic nature of conflict in Nigeria means that insecurity persists in many states. Even so, he argued that the intervention has prevented several crises from escalating.
“If this programme had not been in place, we would likely have seen more severe incidents than what we have experienced so far. To a large extent, through this intervention, we have been able to nip some conflicts in the bud before they fully manifested,” he added.
For many participants, the workshop highlights a deeper structural problem: the disconnect between communities where violence occurs and the institutions deployed to intervene.
Dr. Oboshi Agyieno, Programme Coordinator of the Peace Initiative, said security responses often fail because agencies lack contextual understanding of the communities they are sent to protect.
“Most times, security agencies are deployed to a community to resolve a problem, but they do not understand the context of that community. This is one of the reasons why the call for state policing or community policing is
getting louder,” he said.
Agyieno argued that Nigeria must adopt a whole of society approach to security, one that empowers communities, strengthens local government administration, and gives traditional rulers clearer constitutional roles.
“There is no way one person or one organisation can handle the level of insecurity we currently face. Government must come down to the people, rather than remaining aloof from what communities are going through,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Plateau State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Rebecca Keisha Shaseet, described the workshop as timely, especially for institutions working with women, children, and other vulnerable groups who are often the most affected during crises.
“It has given us a platform to address one of the major challenges in most conflicts: early warning. How do we detect the signals in time? With this engagement, our early warning response is being strengthened, as well as how we manage information and tackle conflict effectively,” she said. For persons with disabilities, early warning is not just a technical tool but a matter of survival.
Lawyer Seeks Police, DSS Intervention over Alleged Abduction, Attempted Murder in Imo Community
Sunday Ehigiator
A legal practitioner in Imo State, Barrister Clement Chinaka, has petitioned the Imo State Police Command and the Department of State Services (DSS) over the alleged abduction and attempted murder of two of his clients in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of the state.
The victims, Mr. Matthew Chigbu and Mr. Benjamin Chigbu, were reportedly attacked in separate incidents on December 30, 2025, and January 10, 2026, by suspected thugs allegedly acting on behalf of a relative, Mr. Clifford Chigbu. Chinaka also petitioned the Ngor-
Okpala Local Government Council through its Chairman, Hon. Chika Ibekwe, urging urgent intervention to prevent further violence and a possible breakdown of law and order in the community.
Speaking to journalists at the weekend, Chinaka said the lives of his clients were in grave danger following what he described as a coordinated and violent attack.
“My clients are currently battling for their lives at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, after being brutally assaulted and abducted,” he said.
The incidents reportedly occurred at the residence of the late Daniel Nkwo Chigbu in Uvuru Ntu community, Ngor-Okpala Local
Government Area. According to Chinaka, available information suggests the attacks were planned and executed by hired thugs allegedly acting under the direction of Mr. Clifford Chigbu, who is said to be based in the United States. He further alleged that Clifford worked through close collaborators, including Bartholomew Chigbu and his children, Chinonso and Chibuzo, whom he described as prime suspects in the attacks. Chinaka said the dispute stemmed from an alleged attempt to unlawfully evict his clients from their ancestral home following the death of the family patriarch and matriarch.
Uzodimma chairs APC 2026 national convention central coordination committee Defection doesn’t guarantee APC’s electoral success, declares Bala Na’Allah
and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the growing strength of the ruling party across the country is driven by grassroots acceptance, inclusive governance, and visible economic reforms, not merely the defection of governors.
Yilwatda spoke yesterday during an extensive interview on national television, where he addressed key political developments, economic reforms and preparations for forthcoming elections.
The chairman, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, stressed that the party remained firmly focused on national development and consolidation of democracy.
Yilwatda pointed out that while the media often highlighted the defection of governors, the real story lay in the mass movement of ordinary Nigerians, including the youth, farmers, women, professionals, and
artisans, who were daily aligning with APC because of the impact of government policies.
“We are riding on a highway. We don’t take anyone for granted, and we pay attention to every detail. What is happening across the country goes far beyond governors. People are seeing value and the difference this administration is making,” he stated.
Yilwatda cited recent by-elections where the APC performed strongly even in states where governors were not aligned with the party, adding that Kano State is steadily tilting towards APC due to the palpable enthusiasm among the people.
The APC national chairman highlighted major economic gains under the President Bola Tinubu administration, stating that governors are now better positioned to deliver development due to improved fiscal policies.
“Before now, workers went on strike, pensioners barricaded governors from their offices. Today, that era is gone,” he said.
He disclosed that trillions of naira were now shared monthly from the
Federation Account, significantly increasing state revenues, by more than five times in some cases, thereby reducing the need for borrowing.
Yilwatda revealed that inflation was on a downward trend, adding that World Bank statistics project Nigeria as the only African country expected to contribute to global GDP growth this year.
He emphasised that APCled governance was rooted in responsiveness, adding that when Nigerians complained about rising food prices and airline challenges, the government took decisive steps to address them.
Reacting to allegations of Nigeria drifting towards a one-party state, the APC chairman dismissed the claims as baseless, saying, “Our legal framework does not support a one-party state, and APC will never promote that.”
APC appointed Governor of Imo State and Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Senator Hope Uzodimma, Chairman of the 73-member Central Coordination Committee for the 2026 National
APC: Allegations By ADC that Civil Servants Were Forced to Register Nonsensical, Baseless
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed allegations by African Democratic Congress (ADC) that civil servants were being pressured to participate in APC’s e-registration exercise.
National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, in a statement, said the claim was entirely false and baseless
Morka said the allegation only sought to cast a shadow over the cutting-edge and path breaking
digitisation of APC’s membership register.
APC stated, “Terrified by massive
All Progressives Congress (APC) membership registration in the ongoing electronic-registration exercise, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has spewed a nonsensical allegation that civil servants were being pressured to participate in our party’s e-registration exercise.
“It is a part of ADC’s disinformation campaign that included the fabrication and circulation of a fake “APC membership slip”,
purporting that a notorious terrorist had registered as a member of APC.”
Inspired by visible gains and impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda, Morka revealed that millions of Nigerians had registered and continued to register, voluntarily and enthusiastically, as members of the party.
The spokesperson said it was against this background that the leadership of the party was compelled to yield to popular demand to extend the period of registration from January 31 to February 8, 2026.
Convention of the party.
National Secretary of APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, in a notice, said Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, would serve as Vice Chairman of the committee, while Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, was named Secretary.
Senator Bala Na’Allah said recent defections to All Progressives Congress (APC) would not automatically translate into electoral success for the party, insisting that performance and public trust remain the decisive factors ahead of future elections.
Na’Allah, a founding member
of APC, made the remarks while on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, while reacting to the growing wave of defections from opposition parties into the ruling party across several states.
According to him, while defections may attract attention, they cannot by themselves determine the outcome of elections.
He stated that many of those defecting to APC were influential political figures with strong structures and followership in their states, a development that often created the impression of the party’s growing strength.
However, Na’Allah stressed that such movements should not be mistaken for guaranteed electoral victory.
He stated, “It is not in all cases that defections determine the success of a political party. These defections
were made by people, who hold large authority in their various states.
‘’It is not in politics that defection would determine the success of a party. In Nigeria, you can conveniently say that while local people whom you believe are not satisfied by the APC are registering with the APC, it does not determine success in the coming election.
“The APC still has to work and convince the people that it is working to position the country to a greater future.”
Na’Allah explained that despite the ongoing influx of politicians into APC, the party must earn Nigerians’ confidence through good governance and tangible results.
He emphasised that the ruling party had a responsibility to convince citizens that it was genuinely working to secure a better future for the country.
FG Arraigns Nine over Yelwata Killings
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The federal government, yesterday, arraigned nine persons over their alleged involvement in the terrorists’ attacks that resulted in the deaths of over 200 persons in Yelwata community in Benue State, last June.
The nine defendants were arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 57-count amended charge bordering on terrorism.
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, led the prosecution, to demonstrate the seriousness the government attached to the trial.
Fagbemi was supported by Director of Public Prosecution of the
Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), with three other lawyers.
When the matter was called, Fagbemi informed the court of the filing of a 57-count amended charge against the defendants.
Although 10 defendants were earlier listed in the amended charge, Fagbemi requested the court to strike out the name of the 6th defendant, Yakubu Mamman, from the charge.
The request was not opposed by defendants’ lawyers, including Ibrahim Angulu, SAN, A. I. Kaura, and Adamu Abdullahi, following which Mamman’s name was struck out from the charge.
Fagbemi also applied that the initial charge dated September 9, 2025, but filed September 10, 2025, where eight defendants were listed
be substituted for the amended charge dated January 19, but filed January 20, and marked: FHC/ABJ/ CR/471/2025.
As the defence did not object to the application, the judge struck out the earlier charge. The AGF then applied that the 57 counts be read to the defendants to take their plea. The defendants were Ardo Lawal Mohammed, Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Muhammed Musa, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Saleh Mohammed, Bako Jibrin.
The defendants were alleged to have carried out an attack on June 13, 2025, where many houses were burnt down and about 150 people were massacred, while others sustained various degree of injuries.
Chuks Okocha
NMDPRA, Mr. Saidu Aliyu Mohammed with Founder, TEXEMUK, Dr. Alim Abubakre, during Abubakre’s courtesy visit to NMDPRA … recently
COURTESY VISIT BY REA MANAGING DIRECTOR TO VSOLARIS FACTORY...
L–R: Group CEO, Vsolaris, Chantelle Abdul; Managing Director, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliu; and Chairman, Mojec Group, Mrs Mojisola Abdul, during the visit of the REA Managing Director to the Vsolaris office and factory in Lagos...yesterday.
Obi: I’ll Run as Presidential Candidate in 2027
Says no nation succeeds with recklessness *Slams Tinubu over multiple budgets
Chuks Okocha
Presidential hopeful, Mr. Peter Obi, has, again, declared that he would contest the 2027 presidential election, as the leading candidate, insisting that he has no intention of playing a secondary role.
Obi made the declaration while campaigning for the candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).
The former Anambra State
governor recently left Labour Party for ADC, a coalition platform under which he has intensified consultations ahead of the 2027 polls.
His supporters, including members of the Obidient Movement, have been urging the leadership of ADC to present Obi as the party’s presidential candidate. Many of them have openly insisted on an “Obi or nothing” position.
The stance prompted ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, to caution supporters against inflammatory rhetoric, urging them to prioritise party unity.
There have also been speculations that some political leaders were working towards presenting an Obi-Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso presidential ticket on the platform of ADC, with an alternative plan to adopt another party should the pairing fail to dislodge former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was considered the favourite for the ADC ticket.
Kwankwaso’s refusal to join All Progressives Congress (APC) had been interpreted by some political observers as lending weight to the speculation of an emerging
AT INVESTOPIA, UAE EYES OVER $10BN INVESTMENTS IN NIGERIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE, AGRICULTURE, TECH SECTORS
is an opportunity. The business environment is ready to take you.
“I am committing personally, on behalf of my President and the Nigerian private sector, that we will facilitate these deals to make sure they are done properly,” Oduwole said.
Sanwo-Olu, urged local and international investors to invest in the State, saying it was ready and willing to partner with them.
He assured them of his administration’s commitment to providing infrastructure and a secure and safe environment for businesses in the State.
According to Sanwo-Olu, Lagos, in the last six and a half years of his administration, has provided infrastructure across the State in different sectors and was willing to partner with investors to do more for the people.
“Lagos is positioning itself, leading the Nigerian conversation, and we are getting tremendous support from the federal government because, at the end of the day, all of those investments sit at the sub-national.
“I want to assure all of our local and international investors that Lagos is indeed a willing and ready partner. Whatever the red tapes there are, we are removing them. We also want to step back and let the businesses run for themselves. The security environment is safe, sound, and secure.
“Lagos State made an investment in the Lekki Port, which is the biggest deep port in the country. We are also making an actual
investment in the Badagry Port. It is all about partnerships and creating an enabling environment.
“Lagos State is planning, with the support of the federal government, to build another international airport. That is also forward-looking.
“Lagos State is also planning to build the largest logistics hub that will ensure that all of the markets that are in the agribusiness can sit in Lagos and work well, “ he added.
Sanwo-Olu also spoke about his administration’s commitment to boosting the State and national economy through the Lagos International Financial Center (LIFC), which is a joint initiative of the Lagos State Government and EnterpriseNGR.
He said: “We have had extensive conversations around the path of the Lagos International Financial Centre (LIFC). We started this journey in 2023. We still have another eight months to a year to finally unveil it. The beauty of it is the amount of global support that we are receiving.
“We are trying to learn from various regions to bring about a model that will be a true African model that will work for everyone but will also be a Nigerian model.
“We are actually thinking globally. We are thinking about how to remain competitive, resilient, and able to play on the same level of platforms with other big cities and other big markets in the world.
“The Lagos International Financial Centre we are talking about is not just about Lagos; it is really a conversation about Nigeria, but
it has to be in a city and a place where it can also be attractive and be ready to unlock the investment,” he added.
In his welcome address, the Chief Executive of Investopia, Dr. Jean Fares, said Nigeria was the first African country to host Investopia that connect global capital to the UAE economy.
Fares said: “All our gatherings are to deepen the global dialogues and to transmit dialogues to partnerships and partnerships into investments.
“This is our first Investopia in Africa. We wanted it to take place in Nigeria, and we wanted it to take place at the beginning of the year.”
He said the occasion was focused on infrastructure, logistics and financial systems capable of mobilising capital in scale and a resilient supply chain for the hanging global economy.
The Permanent Secretary of FMITI, Ambassador Nura Abba Rimi, said that the economic reform of Tinubu’s administration has created an enabling investment environment.
“We are confident that the conversations and engagements that will take place today will contribute meaningfully to the strengthening of our countries’ economies and bilateral relationship,” Rimi said.
The event also witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding signing announcement between the Founder and Managing Partner of Digital Energy, UAE, and the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of First E&P, Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero.
Obi-Kwankwaso alliance.
At the same time, supporters of Atiku renewed calls on Obi and his followers to consider accepting a vice presidential slot, similar to the arrangement reached in 2019. However, in a viral video, Obi appeared to dismiss such suggestions, telling supporters that he was contesting the next election as the principal candidate.
Urging them to vote for his preferred candidate in the AMAC poll, Obi said their support was crucial to his political journey.
He said, “You see this coming election, support us in AMAC; it will help me. Your support in AMAC is critical to our journey. I am involved
and contesting the coming election as number one. When I come back, you will see. I assure you.”
Obi also criticised the federal government for “fiscal recklessness” in the management of Nigeria’s national budgets.
In a statement posted on X, Obi questioned which budget Nigeria was operating, ahead of the expected approval of the 2026 national budget by Senate on March 17.
He stated that since 2023, Nigeria had been implementing budget items from multiple fiscal years simultaneously, describing the practice as abnormal and harmful to public finance management.
According to Obi, Tinubu inherited
a N21.83 trillion budget in 2023, but later introduced a N2.17 trillion supplementary budget, which he said prioritised benefits for public office holders, despite widespread economic hardship.
Obi stated that the pattern continued, with the approval of N35.06 trillion for 2024 and N54.99 trillion for 2025, bringing total appropriations under the current administration to over N114 trillion in less than three years.
Obi expressed concern that despite the massive spending, budget implementation remained below 50 per cent, leading to what he described as a crisis of credibility in public finance.
Police Urge NLC to Shelve Planned Protest in FCT as CSO Counters Advisory
FCTA workers resume duty in defiance of labour order
Olawale Ajimotokan and Linus Aleke in Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has appealed to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), FCT Council, to shelve its planned solidarity protest scheduled for today, February 3, 2026, citing security concerns within the nation’s capital.
In a statement, the command confirmed awareness of the proposed protest and reiterated its respect for the constitutional right of citizens to peaceful assembly and expression.
It also assured residents of its commitment to providing adequate security for all lawful activities in the FCT.
However, the police disclosed that intelligence reports available to the command suggested plans by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest.
According to the command, such developments could pose serious threats to public peace, safety, and security.
On the basis of these concerns, the police appealed to the organisers to consider rescheduling the protest to a later date.
The command explained that the appeal was made in the overriding interest of public safety, to prevent a potential breakdown of law and order, and to safeguard the rights of other residents to safety, freedom of movement, and the uninterrupted conduct of lawful daily activities.
Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has countered the police advisory, urging the command to refrain from actions or statements that might discourage or delay lawful protests.
RULAAC called on the police to engage constructively with the NLC to agree on appropriate security arrangements, deploy adequate personnel to protect protesters, other residents, and public infrastructure, and ensure that policing of the protest—if it proceeded—was professional, restrained, and compliant with human rights standards.
In a statement, RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, said the organisation had reviewed the police advisory urging the NLC to reschedule its planned protest on the grounds of alleged security concerns.
While acknowledging the duty
of the police to protect lives and property, he expressed concern that the advisory, despite its conciliatory tone, amounted to a prior restraint on the constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceful assembly.
In another development, many workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, yesterday, resumed work in spite of the threat by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and some of its affiliates, including the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) to embark on mass protest today.
THISDAY observed that workers turned up at their duty posts in critical FCTA departments, including the Abuja Geographical System (AGIS), the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the Treasury Department and Minister’s Block among others, without yielding to a statement by the NLC Chairman, FCT Chapter, Comrade Stephen Knabayi, ordering all Union/affiliate in the FCT to turn up for a mass protests on Tuesday February 3, 2026. Some of the workers, said they decided to work in deference to the ruling of the Industrial court that ordered them to report to duties while discussion between the administration and the union was ongoing.
in Abuja
SIGNING OF MOUS WITH 6 PROFESSIONAL BODIES TO JOINTLY TRAIN NIGERIA’S FINANCIAL AND ENTERPRISE WORKFORCE...
Obasanjo, Osoba, Monarchs, Others Celebrate Ogun at 50
James Sowole in Abeokuta
Activities marking the 50th anniversary of the creation of Ogun State continued yesterday, with an interfaith thanksgiving and prayer session held at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The event drew a distinguished audience, including former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Governor Chief Olusegun Osoba, past military administrators, traditional rulers, and other eminent sons and daughters of the state.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Dapo Abiodun said Ogun State had recorded remarkable progress over the past five decades, particularly in education, housing, healthcare, agriculture, and other key sectors of the economy.
According to him, Ogun was now one of the fastest-growing economies in Nigeria, with an estimated value of N17 trillion.
He said, “Recent reports rank Ogun as the second-largest economy
in Nigeria, after Lagos. Our state has attained an unprecedented level of prominence and excellence. Abiodun noted that Ogun has become the gateway to Nigeria’s prosperity, driven by multimodal transportation infrastructure, a world-class airport, and an extensive road network.
He added that the state led in education across all levels, delivered an unprecedented number of affordable housing units, strengthened its healthcare system, and supported productive farmers, thus reinforcing its status as Nigeria’s industrial capital.
The governor also paid tribute to notable sons and daughters of the state, including Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and Chief MKO Abiola, whose legacies laid a strong foundation for Ogun’s development.
In his remarks, Obasanjo commended past leaders of the state for their vision and dedication, noting that Ogun had made significant
contributions to national development through its people.
He urged the current administration to further leverage the state’s proximity to Lagos by strengthening infrastructure and attracting more investments.
Osoba recalled Ogun’s historic role in producing the first Chief Judge of the Federation and
highlighted the contributions of key figures to the creation of the state, saying the present administration was effectively building on the foundation laid by previous governments.
Speaking on behalf of former military administrators, Commodore Kayode Olofinmoyin (rtd.) described Ogun as fortunate to have an edu-
cated and enlightened population, as well as leaders committed to the welfare of the people.
The Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas and the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, urged the governor to remain focused on delivering the dividends of democracy, noting that various parts of the state, including Yewa-
land, had benefited from ongoing development projects. Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council and a pioneer civil servant in the state, Pa Olu Okuboyejo, reflected on the challenges at the time of Ogun’s creation in 1976 and expressed gratitude to God for the progress recorded over the past five decades.
Wike’s PDP Faction Fixes National Convention for Abuja March 28-29
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Nyesom Wike faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdulrahman Muhammed, has announced that its National Convention would be held in Abuja on March 28-29, 2026.
The faction that has the backing of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike,
DAVID MARK: APC’S VICIOUS POLICIES EXPOSING NIGERIANS TO UNTOLD HARDSHIP, POVERTY
announced this yesterday after an extensive deliberation of its National Executive Committee (NEC) held Life Camp, Abuja.
The communique, signed by the National Chairman National Caretaker Working Committee, Hon. Abdulrahman Muhammed, and the National Secretary National Caretaker Working Committee, Samuel Anyanwu, said the National Convention was for the purpose of electing members of the National Working Committee and other statutory organs of the Party.
It stated that the Ward Congresses and the Local government congresses would hold in February while the congress wouldfollow in March.
The NEC also directed the National Caretaker Committee, in collaboration with the National Organising Secretary and relevant organs of the party, to issue detailed guidelines, notices, and modalities for the conduct of the congresses in strict compliance with the PDP Constitution, INEC Regulations, and judicial directives.
the tenure of the National Caretaker Working Committee (NCWC), and others affected caretaker committees of the State and Zonal Chapters pending the conduct of the National Convention, State and Zonal Congresses respectively.
“One thing I have noticed over the years and I am sure most of you can attest to is that Nigeria does not suffer from shortage of ideas. What we suffer from is a failure to connect ideas to reality. Too often, policy in this country has been an academic exercise detached from the very people it is meant to serve.
“Documents are produced, committees are set up, reports are written, white papers are produced, yet nothing changes in the lives of the people which is what matters most.”
Marked stated, “Policy is not about sounding intelligent. It is not about volume or complexity. You must resist the temptation to treat symptoms while ignoring causes.
‘’You must think outside of
the box. You must ask hard questions about why things are not working in this country.
This is the burden before you.
“In recent years, government has continued to regale us with statistics about increased revenue, economic growth, and GDP performance. These figures are meaningless when they do not positively affect the lives of the people.
“A growing economy that leaves the majority behind in poverty is fundamentally flawed. Economic progress must be measured by its impact on people’s lives, not by statistics alone.”
Responding on behalf of the committee, Odigie-Oyegun assured party members that his committee would develop policies that will help the party
come out with a manifesto that would make everyone happy.
He said, “We are going to, through your leadership and the message you have so eloquently passed on to us today, do our very best to ensure that the path that you have now clearly enunciated will become the mantra of this party
“That will bring the entire nation to know, finally, that yes, they are watching us. Are they serious? Are they going to be different from the others who, some of them, are the same faces?
“But I think that with the manifesto, we hope the party will finally adopt, in a language that the ordinary man can understand and see how he himself fits into it, will change the dynamics of politics in this nation.”
Pursuant to its constitutional responsibilities and in line with preparations for a smooth transition to an elected leadership, the NEC also approved and confirmed a new schedule for party’s congresses nationwide.
The NEC reiterated that the National Caretaker Committee was the only lawful national administrative organ of the party, fully empowered to act as the National Working Committee (NWC) pending the conduct of the National Convention.
It also affirmed the extension of
The NEC also mandated the National Caretaker Committee to immediately activate Convention Sub-Committees and Commence full logistical, all administrative, and consultative preparations to ensure a transparent, inclusive, and credible Convention.
L-R: Mr. Emanuel Lennox, CEO, WAWU Africa; Mrs. Fiona Ahimie, 1st Vice President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers; Mrs. Queensley Sofuratu Seghosime, 1st Vice President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); Mr. Oluropo Dada, President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers; Prof. Pius Deji Olanrewaju FCIB, President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); Vice President, Mr. Kashim Shettima; Dr. Makie Idowu, President, National Institute of Credit Administration; Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President; Mr. Kevin Ugwuoke, President, Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria; Alh. Lawal Kankia Ibrahim, President, Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion; and Dr. Tope Fasua, Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, during the signing of MOUs with six professional bodies to jointly train and strengthen Nigeria’s financial and enterprise workforce at the Presidential Villa, Abuja … recently give and give.
It urged all members of the party at all levels to remain united, disciplined, and loyal to the PDP, eschew actions capable of undermining party cohesion, and place the collective interest of the party above personal considerations.
Ortom Assures PDP Members Party’ll Nominate Candidates for All Offices in 2027
George Okoh in Makurdi
A former Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has assured members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the will of the people would prevail in nominating candidates for the party ahead of the 2027 general election at all levels. Leader of the Benue State Strategic Partnership group stated
this when all former appointees and government officials, who served under him visited his Makurdi residence to pledge their total loyalty to him ahead of the next general elections. In his words, Ortom said as leader of the PDP in Benue State, he would allow the will of the people to prevail in the choice of candidates for elective positions in
the forthcoming elections, while also calling for sustained prayers for leaders at all levels to succeed. Speaking on the involvement of traditional rulers in partisan politics, Ortom said the law prohibited such participation, warning that the consequences of such actions had previously led to crises, including the Atem Tyo incidents of the 1960s.
Steer Clear, We’re Constitutionally Autonomous to Manage our Councils, Osun LG Chairmen Fire Back at Speaker
yinka
Kolawole in Osogbo
The Forum of the Council Chairmen in Osun State, under the umbrella of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), has warned members of the Osun State House of Assembly, led by Hon. Wale Egbedun, to steer clear of the local government administration in the state.
The local government council chairmen reaffirmed their constitutional autonomy to manage their councils without interference, warning the state government. particularly the members of the state House
of Assembly, to come to term with the reality in respect of the Supreme Court judgment on the Local Government Financial Autonomy.
The chairmen debunked all the spurious allegations levelled against them by the state Assembly, maintaining that no constitutional infraction was committed as their actions and inactions had been governed and backed by the law.
This is even as the council chairmen warned Governor Ademola Adeleke’s government to desist from pettiness in dragging ex-state Governor, Gboyega Oyetola’s name into
his ‘self-inflicted failure’ recorded in the last 37 months of being at the helm of affairs.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of the council chairmen yesterday at the APC State Secretariat in Osogbo, the state ALGON Chairman, Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, lampooned the state House of Assembly for meddling into the issues already settled by the Supreme Court on the finances of the local governments, noting that no number of rants, hues and cries from the Assembly can stop the full implementation of the Supreme Court judgment.
UNICEF Pushes for Better Hygiene in Kano, Jigawa Institutions
ahmad sorondinki in Kano
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),, in collaboration witthe h Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation,, has intensified efforts to improve hygiene practices in schools and health centres in Kano and Jigawa States.
A media dialogue was organised by the two organizations yesterday for selected journalists in Kano and Jigawa States, which was aimed at promoting proper handwashing habits among students, patients, and staff in hospitals and schools.
In her remarks, the UNICEF’s Officer-in-Charge of Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships in Nigeria,
Ms. Susan Akila, said the initiative was aimed to set milestones for achieving 100 percent access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in schools and healthcare facilities by 2030.
“This ambitious goal aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which seeks to ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation,” she said.
Disunity Can Cost Ogun West Guber Dream, Senate Leader Warns
James sowoleinabeokuta
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has warned stakeholders in Ogun West senatorial district to unite and work towards internal coherence to achieve their long-held desire to produce the next governor of the state for the first time in 2027
The Senate Leader said that it is quite unfortunate that Ogun West senatorial district has been unable to occupy the governorship seat of the state,
unlike other two senatorial districts of Ogun East and Central, since its establishment 50 years ago.
According to Bamidele, the failure of the district should be blamed on the inability of the people of the zone to speak with one voice and present a consensus gubernatorial candidate over the years.
The senator cited the examples of 2019 and 2023 when two strong political candidates from the zone were presented on the
platform of two different political parties, saying that such divisive politics would always stand in the way of the zone to achieve their long-held dream.
He stated that though he knew of other eminently qualified indigenes from the senatorial district who are also eyeing the governorship seat in 2027, he has been able to find out the groundswell support for Senator Solomon Adeola, who represents the senatorial district at the Senate.
Adelabu: Ikere Gorge Dam Concession to Create 25,000 Jobs
The federal government, through the Ministry of Power, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, has formally handed over the 6-Megawatt Ikere Gorge hydropower plant in Iseyin, Oyo State, to a concessionaire, Quaint Power and Infrastructure Nigeria Limited.
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, while
performing the handover at the weekend in Ikere community under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, said the concession of the plant would generate over 25,000 direct and indirect jobs as well as boost the power supply in Oyo and neighbouring states.
This was just as the DirectorGeneral of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, described the handover as a
defining moment in Nigeria’s infra-structure journey, noting that it reflects a deliberate effort to convert long-dormant public assets into productive drivers of the national development through public-private partnerships.
The Ikere George Dam, initiated in the 1980s, is a major earth-fill dam located on the Ogun River near Iseyin in Oyo State, and was designed for hydropower generation, water supply, and irrigation.
Ardova Launches AP Supermax Motor Oil
Ardova Plc has launched AP Supermax Motor Oil, a new affordable lubricant brand aimed at serving older engines and everyday users, as the company seeks to deepen market penetration and grow its customer base amid challenging economic conditions.
Speaking at the official unveiling in Lagos, the Deputy Managing Director of Ardova, Dr. Abiola Babatunde Ojo, described the launch as a major
milestone for the company, noting that while Ardova has long been associated with premium lubricant brands, market realities now demand high-quality products that remain accessible to a broader segment of consumers.
She explained that AP Supermax was deliberately positioned as a “fighter brand” to compete in the highly price-sensitive segment of the lubricant market.
According to her, the product is expected not only to meet the needs of existing customers
50TH ANNIVERSARY FELICITATION MESSAGE
but also to attract new users, expand Ardova’s footprint, and strengthen earnings over the medium term.
Ojo expressed optimism about the outlook for the oil and gas sector in 2026, saying early signs point to better alignment among stakeholders across the value chain.
She noted improved collaboration with refineries and a renewed industry-wide willingness to work together, which he said should deliver better outcomes than those recorded in 2025.
His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (CON)
Kauran Daular Usmaniyya Executive Gover nor of Bauc hi State
The Management of TRIACTA congratulates His Excellency, Sen.
Bala A. Mohammed, CON, Kauran Bauc hi, the Gover nment of Bauc hi State, and the good people of Bauc hi State on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee, 50 years of the creation of Bauc hi State
Since 1976, Bauc hi State has jour neyed through decades mar ked by resilience, faith, unity, and steady progress It has been a long and remar kable path, one sustained by grace, sacrice, and the collective d e t e
coexistence. Bauc hi people are known for uncommon resilience, tremendous zeal, and a patriotism wor thy of em ulation.
We are par ticular ly blessed in this historic moment to be led by a tr ue son of the soil; His Excellency, Sen. Bala A. Mohammed, whose commitment to the advancement of Bauc hi State spans over two decades of meritorious ser vice in various positions of responsibility. Beyond recognizing the signicance of this Golden Jubilee, His E
development, and stability of the state through visionary leadership and people-centered gover nance.
On this auspicious occasion, the management join millions of citizens at home and in the diaspora to celebrate this historic milestone, praying for greater unity, sustained peace, and accelerated development for our dear state in the years ahead.
Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
Kayode Tokede
Lookman Sets Record as First English-born Player to Feature in Europe’s
Says ‘thank you’ to Atalanta fans for
Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report
Following Atletico Madrid’s confirmation that they have signed Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, from Atalanta, the 2024 African Player of the Year has become the first English-born player to have played in the Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga.
The deal is reportedly worth €40 million (€35 million plus five million euros in add-ons). Lookman himself will earn around €10 million over the four years deal.
According to BBC, only 21 players have done so, while only threeChristian Poulsen, Justin Kluivert and Stevan Jovetic - have featured in all of Europe’s “big five” leagues,
which also includes France’s Ligue 1.
The London-born 28-year-old has played in Serie A since 2022, scoring 55 times and making 27 assists following a move from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig.
His goals included a hat-trick in the Europa League finalagainst Bayer Leverkusen in 2024, which secured the club’s first European trophy.
In 2024, he was named African Footballer of the Yearand was also the only African player on the men’s Ballon d’Or shortlist that year, finishing 14th.
He represented England at youth level, winning the Under-20 World Cup in 2017, before making his debut for Nigeria in 2022. Atletico, who are third in Spain’s top flight and trail leaders Barcelona
by ten points, announced they had agreed a deal with Atalanta on Monday before confirming that Lookman has signed until June 2030 on transfer deadline day.
He began his career at Charlton Athletic, playing his first game in 2015, before moving to Everton two years later, where he scored on his Premier League debut. Following a successful loan spell, he then moved permanently to Leipzig in July 2019.
He then had season-long loans with Fulham and Leicester City before making the switch to Italy. Meanwhile, Lookman has said goodbye to Atalanta after he signed for Spanish club Atletico Madrid yesterday.
The Super Eagles star said the
‘Big Four’ Leagues
making him “the best version of myself”
Italian team welcomed him warmly and pushed him to be “the best version of myself”.
He also highlighted the Europa League conquest in 2023, the first major trophy of Atalanta in 61 years and scoring a hat-trick on “a night none of us will ever forget” as well as being crowned African Player of the Year in 2024 as an Atalanta player.
He reserved special praise for the Atalanta fans.
NPFL
Barau 1-0 Ikorodu
Kwara Utd 2-1 W’Wolves
Remo Stars 1-2 Plateau Utd
*Elkanemi v Kun Khalifa
(Not played)
endorsing the papers on behalf of the Spanish La Liga club...yesterday in the city of Madrid, Spain
Lagos STL, Art Hotel, Shoreline Dominate Opening Week of
Three proud champions dominated by Lagos-based teams have emerged in the opening week of the 2026 Lagos International Polo Tournament. The foremost polo fiesta has moved to higher gears in the second week the event’ biggest prize, the Majekodunmi Cup on the centre stage.
Lagos Art Hotel, Lagos STL and Lagos Shoreline/ A1 teams swept through the crowded opening week to earn the Chapel Hill Denham Cup, the Adedapo Ojora Cup and the revered Oba of Lagos Cup, respectively.
The Seyi Tinubu-powered STL opened the floodgate of victories for the homers, turning back arch rival, Lagos Shoreline/A1, in a hotly contested final game, to clinch the Adedapo Ojora Cup. STL eased past their opponents 10- 5 in a five chukkas encounter.
STL parading Yasin Amusan, Alfie Hyde, Chris Makenzie and Tayo Ojora, jumped to the driving seat of the final game and remained ahead till the final chukka of the game despite spirited fight back
by the quartet of A1/ Shoreline that boosted the likes of Olumide Agboola, Sule Musa, Isa Kwame and Manuel Crespo.
Tayo Ojora who received the trophy named after his father during the Prize Presentation Ceremony was full of praises for his teammates for their commitment throughout the crucial game that gave him the opportunity to win the cup that is very close to his heart and the entire Ojora family for obvious reasons.
A1 Shoreline made up for their slow start in the race for the Dapo Ojora Cup played in memory of the
Lagos Int’l Polo
late Captain of the Lagos Polo Club, defeating visiting Wilttten Aviation team from Port Harcourt 8-5 to clinch the traditional Oba of Lagos Cup in a final game watched by a full house that included the full complement of the Lagos Traditional Council from the Oba’s Palace.
The opening week of the biggest polo tournament in Africa ended in a sensational way on Sunday when Art Hotel polo team came from 2-6 goals deficit in the third chukka of the final, to steal a dramatic victory, edging hot favourites, STL 13-12 to clinch their first Chapel Hill Denham
Cup title.
Art Hotel team featuring Baba Dantata, Folarin Kuku, Segundo Liorente and Bauti Panelo started the Chapel Hill Denham Cup final on a shaky foot, dropping to a massive four goals mountain to climb with just two chukkas left to play. Next came the duo of Segundo and Panelo who was plying his first tournament in Africa. The duo marshalled Kuku and Dantata to turn an obvious deficit on its head and gifted the Art Hotel their biggest victory yet, carting home the second most wanted polo prize of Lagos polo tournament.
“To the fans, your passion, your belief, your energy meant everything,” he commended.
“From day one, you stood by me and by this team through every moment. Your passion, your voices, your belief never faded and together we achieved.
“Every cheer, every banner, every away trip meant something. Thank you for making Bergamo feel like home and for giving me memories I’ll carry forever,” Lookman concluded in his goodbye message to Atalanta fans posted on social media on Monday evening.
Nigeria to Host Uzbekistan in 2026 Davis Cup World Group II Playoff
Team Nigeria will take on Uzbekistan in the World Group II Playoffs of the 2026 Davis Cup, scheduled for February 7 and 8 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club 1895 in Lagos.
The Nigerian team, made up of Adeleye Daniel, Emmanuel Michael, Bulus Christopher, Abua Canice, and Alafia Ayeni, will compete in both the men’s singles and doubles events as they seek a historic victory on home soil.
Nigeria secured the playoff berth following a convincing outing at the African Group III tournament in Zimbabwe, where they finished among the top teams alongside Namibia and Senegal. Their impressive performance earned them promotion and a place in the highly competitive World Group II Playoffs.
Following Nigeria’s qualification, the International Tennis Federation
(ITF) officially confirmed Nigeria’s hosting rights, giving the country the advantage of playing before a home crowd in Lagos.
A win against Uzbekistan would see Team Nigeria advance to World Group II, and potentially World Group I, bringing them closer to the elite stage of global tennis and the possibility of featuring at the Davis Cup World Finals.
Reacting to the development, President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Victor Ochei, expressed confidence in both the team’s readiness and the country’s capacity to host a successful tournament.
“We are optimistic that Nigeria will not only host a successful Davis Cup playoff but will also overcome Uzbekistan and return the country to the global spotlight in tennis,” Ochei said.
NIS, EFFA Management Partner to Drive Renewed Hope Sports Economy
The National Institute for Sports (NIS) has reiterated the Institute’s mandate to align with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Renewed Hope Agenda in order to diversify the sports economy.
Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Sports, Comrade Philip Shaibu, re-echoed this during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NIS and EFFA Management Ltd at the NIS Building, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
In his address, the DG/CEO, NIS, Comrade Shaibu explained that was imperative to partner the private sector following the keen interest of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in sports through the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He stated that the diversification of the sports economy will not be achieved if the NIS relies solely on the government of which funding is already scarce.
”So today, in line with the mandate given to us by the president, we should go to NIS and breathe in the Renewed Hope Agenda and make sure it wakes up NIS to its core mandate
”We decided that we should also bring in the private sector because government funding as far as NIS is concerned is at the lowest point. We have to bring the private sector in to help us actualize this mandate. And the only way it can be actualized is for us to show what government role is as far as our mandates of bringing Renewed Hope in the NIS.
“And we’ve been having conversations with other agencies and other private partners in different fields. Some in terms of facility upgrades, while others in terms of maintenance. We are also engaging others in terms of curriculum, to be able to have that partnership that works, that will not only bring Renew Hope into our sport ecosystem, but sustain it, because sustainability is the issue,” stressed Comrade Shaibu.
Over 1000 Athletes Storm Abuja for NOGIG 2026
All is now set for the 2026 Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG 2026) which is holding from February 8 to 14 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium (Package B), Abuja. Already, teams representing the participating companies have started arriving Abuja and training ahead
of the games.
According to the Chairman of the Media and Publicity sub-committee, Simon Nweke, contingents are officially expected to start arriving Abuja from February 4, 5th and 6th. “Arrival depends on individual companies but we expect that from 4th till 6th of February, all
the contingents will be in Abuja.,” Nweke said, adding, “As we speak, I know some teams are already camping in Abuja, training hard ahead of the games. Every team want to attain a podium finish, so we expect to see very competitive games and the best from our athletes.”
He further informed that over 1000 athletes representing the 15 participating companies will be on parade for the week-long multi-sports event which will feature sports like Chess, Scrabble, Snooker, Volleyball, Basketball, Badminton, Swimming, Tennis, Table Tennis, Football finals, Athletics, among others. The participating organisations include PTI, NNPCL, NUPRC, NMDPR, and NCDMB. Others are Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, OANDO, TotalEnergies, ND Western, Aradel Holdings, ExxonMobil, Shell (SNEPCO), Seplat, Chevron and NLNG.
Ademola Lookman signing the contract papers while Atlético Madrid’s CEO, Miguel Angel Gil, also
IFC’S VISIT TO LAGOS FREE ZONE...
L-R: Director, Finance and Operations, Lagos Free Zone, Ashish Khemka; Director, Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa, The International Finance Corporation (IFC), Dahlia Khalifa; Vice President for Africa, IFC, Ethiopis Tafara, and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Adesuwa Ladoja, during a courtesy visit of IFC team to Lagos Free Zone at the weekend.
TUESDAY WITH REUBEN ABATI
Tinubu’s Many Travels And The Critics
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned to Nigeria on Saturday after a state visit to Turkey during which Nigeria and Turkey signed a total of nine agreements covering defence, energy, military training, intelligence sharing, health, education and a shared target of trade investment valued at about $5 billion. It is not enough to sign bilateral agreements, it is what follows after, the accruing benefits and advantages that matter. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, successive governments must have signed so many agreements of understanding, or cooperation, or collaboration, bilateral, multilateral and whatever such that any storage room we may have for these would be filled to the brim, due in part to the absence of institutional memory or lack of capacity to clothe agreements with action in the overall best interest of the nation. Too often, the Nigerian government enjoys the ceremonies and rituals of diplomacy, and the tourism on the sidelines, without the seriousness that the commitments require. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has focused heavily on economic diplomacy, and he has sustained the tradition, even with greater determination, of selling Nigeria to the world as a most preferred destination for foreign investment. It is good to see this. Tinubu is an apostle of optimism, and a strong believer in the Nigerian potential. What is not clear is how much advantage the country has gained from his many trips abroad, beyond presence and voice.
Curiously, the country has consistently held the shortest end of the stick in international partnerships. Turkey is a strategic country, even if it is not yet a member of the European Union, but it is a strategically located, transnational country: the gateway between Europe and Asia, its capital, Istanbul being the only city in the world that is in two continents, a melting point of history, cultures and civilizations. Turkey may have high inflation, but it is a global powerhouse, a major manufacturing hub defined by productivity on a high, transformative scale, and a leading tourist destination. Without President Recep Erdogan’s human rights record, Nigeria indeed has a lot to learn from Turkey, a country with which it established diplomatic relations in 1960, and shares the membership of the Organization of Islamic Countries and the D-8. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Nigeria on October 19, 2017 when President Buhari was Nigeria’s President. President Tinubu has also now visited Turkey in further pursuance of strong relations between both countries. Under President Goodluck Jonathan, there were at least three visits between both countries. Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, in an article entitled “Nigeria: Why Turkiye?” (ThisDay, January 27) has already made a strong argument for Nigeria-Turkey relations. But the big question as always is: what is in it for Nigeria? The Turkish have businesses in Nigeria including the Turkish Eye and Specialist Hospital, Turkish Airlines, and about 48 other companies in manufacturing, energy, and road construction. How many Nigerian companies are
doing business in Turkey? How can Nigerian businesses benefit more from the Nigeria-Turkey Business Council, and the additional agreements that have been signed? Nigeria has an obligation to draw the best possible benefits from the partnership agreements it signs with other countries. Useful and worthy as Nigeria-Turkey bilateral relations may be, rhetoric is not enough. It would be sad if what comes out of this is just Turkish companies getting more contracts from the Nigerian government, and a minority group of ten per centers smiling at our expense!
Unfortunately, the conversation about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Turkey has been coloured more, not by the substance of the trip, but sheer mockery and partisanship. In the view of the cynics, the Turkey trip would be remembered more for the story about President Tinubu’s stumble during the welcome ceremony. The snide and silly comments that this has generated should be deprecated. We are all human. We are not a nation of sadists and we should not keep projecting ourselves to the outside world as a people who are losing a sense of how to be human. The President places a foot wrong, stumbles, and that becomes an occasion for derisive commentary? How sad. But I blame the President’s protocol team. They did not do their home-work well enough, and that was glaring enough. For a Nigerian President or any President at all going abroad for a visit, there are basic steps: accepting the invitation, preparing for the trip which would entail an agreement with the host country on every detail of the programme, and then a careful review of the trip – a session during which the President will go over every speech that he has to make, talking points if necessary, and specific briefings by departments and state officials relevant to the trip, with proper liaison with the Nigerian Mission in the other country. Everything is done to prepare the President. Every detail is worked out. Then an advance team comprising security, liaison officers, state house media,
protocol officers, chefs and medical personnel is sent ahead to await the President’s arrival.
A major part of the trip is the arrival ceremony. The format differs from one country to another. In some countries, there is no saluting dais, as in the recent case in Turkey. When the visiting President arrives, diplomatic courtesy requires him to bow to the host country’s flag and pay respect. In the recent visit to Turkey, President Tinubu’s protocol dropped the ball. How come he did not know about showing respect to the flag, until his host directed him to where the flag was? We saw President Erdogan almost physically turning our President towards the Turkish flag. Where was Nigeria’s State Chief of Protocol? His advance team would ordinarily be on ground and they would have briefed him. The other part of the receiving ceremony is the greeting line. The State Chief of Protocol goes in front and guides the President. It is unacceptable for the President to miss any name. And then when the greetings are done, and the President moves to the next venue, the State Chief of Protocol still goes in front leading the President and he himself is guided by the Protocol Liaison Officer (PLO) who would have been part of the RECCE team. If the Protocol team were alive to their duty, either the PLO or the SCOP would have noticed if there was a bump ahead, or any rumpled carpet, and they would have guided the Principal accordingly all the way to his seat. President Tinubu was left alone, and he tripped. This is a serious matter. Now that the President is back home, there must be an in-house review of what happened in Turkey. Persons who travel with the President must realise they are on duty as Nigerian representatives not as spectators. It all depends though on how confident the SCOP is.
The other fallout from the Turkey trip is the widespread complaint spear-headed by opposition party chieftains of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who last Sunday alerted Nigerians to the fact that President Tinubu spent 23 days out of 31 days in January away from the country. Daily Trust newspaper puts the tally at 22 days in January 2026. The days of absence could even have been longer if President Tinubu had added the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland to his itinerary. He went from Europe (which later turned out to be France) for 10 days, from there to the United Arab Emirates (to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit), for seven days. He returned to Nigeria briefly and then off he went to Turkey on a state visit for six days. In 2025, the President travelled to 10 countries. The publishers of Sahara Reporters newspaper report that President Tinubu has spent N1. 5 billion on foreign trips in the last six months, and that he and his Vice President intend to spend N7.4 billion on foreign trips in 2026. The Punch Newspaper says the Presidency has actually spent N34 billion on foreign trips in two years, with the bulk of that spent on foreign exchange purchases. In a country where the middle class is having a serious mid-life crisis and the
poor are already overburdened by government-enabled afflictions, to hear that a group of privileged persons spend billions to travel around the world, at the people’s expense can be disturbing. In 2025, the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA) spent N39 billion to renovate the International Conference Centre in Abuja. Nigerians wonder what could have been achieved with N34 billion in terms of infrastructure in the last two years and they shudder. Hence, Mr. Peter Obi of the ADC complains that President Tinubu prioritises foreign trips and when he returns, it is to welcome defectors to his ruling APC party at a time the country is passing through a distressing phase: killings, kidnappings, national grid collapse, closure of schools. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC says the challenges in Nigeria “do not allow for a visiting President.” Others share the view that the President is now a visiting President. The spokesperson of the PDP, Ini Ememobong asks that the President should pay more attention to his work at home because his frequent trips are “not helpful.” The ruling party has since fought back in like measure. Professor Nentawe Yiltwada, Chairman of the APC insists that the President is making a sacrifice for us all, in “the national interest” and so does not deserve to be treated in an unfair manner by the opposition and the media. Ambassador-designate Femi Fani-Kayode, an APC chieftain, has also pushed back against those he calls “The Enemy Within” in a robust piece in ThisDay newspaper (Sunday, February 1 at pages 14 -15). There is no doubt that the President is the chief image maker of the country, and so his various trips abroad align with the foreign policy functions of his office. But to the extent that domestic policy drives foreign policy, he must also be seen to be attentive to the needs of his people. He has promised Nigerians a renewal of hope in a season of consolidation. The best way he can work hard on that task of consolidation is to be seen actively improving the people’s condition at home. Frequent travels abroad convey a different impression. Nigerians are becoming uncomfortable with his trips to France in particular. Ini Ememobong of the PDP says “Nigerians deserve to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth”. While that is important in the spirit of transparency and accountability, politicians must also moderate their tone. Nigeria must survive for all to realise their ambitions, not by taking political advantage of every situation. When the country faces critical challenges, all Nigerians must come together, irrespective of our differences. Ten years ago, when the extremist group, Al Shabab attacked the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya killing 71 persons, with 200 injured, the whole of Kenya came together, including opposition party leaders to support their country. One of the major problems in Nigeria is that politics is now so much in the way, everything has become political and conditional. The ruling elite must learn to work towards a basic consensus when national interest is involved.
