WEDNESDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 2025 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

To Attract Fresh Investment in Oil Sector, NUPRC Announces 2025 Licensing Round

Komolafe says exercise to commence December 1, 2025 New round to accelerate FG’s additional ‘1 Million Barrels’ initiative Commission’s chief declares funding as biggest challenge in upstream sector

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) yesterday moved to attract additional investment in the oil and gas sector, with the announcement

of the commencement of the 2025 licensing round from December 1, 2025.

Commission Chief Executive (CCE) of the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, made the announce- Continued on page 9 ment at the NUPRC’s ‘Project

www.thisdaylive.com

OPENING OF THE 2025 ExECUTIVE POLICY SEMINAR OF THE CBN...

L–R: The Deputy Governor (Economic Policy), Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Muhammad Abdullahi; the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka- Anite; the CBN Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso; the Deputy Governor (Corporate Services), CBN, Ms. Emem Usoro; and Dr. Samer Matta, who represented the World Bank, Country Director, Mathew Verghis, at the opening of the 2025 Executive Policy Seminar of the CBN, in Abuja... yesterday

At Arewa House, Sanwo-Olu Boasts Nigeria Will Rout Poverty, Insecurity, Other Trials

John Shiklam in Kaduna and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos Lagos State Governor, Mr. Ba- bajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared that Nigeria would overcome all its challenges, including,

Continued on page 9

Cardoso: Economy Belongs to All, Reform Gains Must Be Protected

Says credible policies, transparent markets, sound governance have restored investor confidence in financial system

CLOSING GONG CEREMONY COMMEMORATING THE LISTING OF MOFI REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FUND...

L–R: Group MD/CEO, Vetiva, Chuka Eseka; MD/CEO, MOFI, Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang; Group CEO, ARM Holding Company, Mr. Wale Odutola; Group MD/CEO, NGX Group, Mr. Temi Popoola; Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun; Chairman, NGX, Mr. Ahonsi Unuigbe; CEO, NGX, Mr. Jude Chiemeka; Non-Executive Director, MOFI, Dr. Ike Chioke; Partner, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, Konyin Ajayi; Special Adviser to Nigeria’s President on Finance & the Economy, Sanyade Okoli; and other representatives, at the closing gong ceremony commemorating the listing of the MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund (MREIF) on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX)

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos

FG: Nigeria Exploring Diplomatic Channels

to Resolve Trump’s Military Threat

Says US data on killings cannot stand scientific scrutiny Restates over 13,000 terrorists already killed, 17,000 arrested Insists Nigeria in full control of security situation Maintains America cannot base its decisions on lobby by proscribed group

Emmanuel Addeh and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The federal government yesterday restated that Nigeria was continuing to explore diplomatic channels to resolve Donald Trump’s threat of a military intervention in Nigeria’s internal security situation, stressing that the move was already yielding the required results.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, told UK-based Sky News programme, The World With Yalda Hakim, that the data upon which the US government is acting cannot stand scientific scrutiny.

Idris maintained that the Nigerian Constitution enshrines religious freedom, stressing that Nigeria remains a multi-faith nation, with no room or tolerance for religious persecution. The security challenges the country is facing, he said, are being tackled with boldness and decisiveness.

Recently, President Trump

made public statements accusing the Nigerian government of allowing widespread killings of Christians, especially in parts of the North and Middle Belt. He claimed that the situation amounted to religious persecution and noted that if the Nigerian government under President BolaTinubu did not act decisively to stop the attacks, the United States could consider military action.

He also talked about stopping aid and possibly conducting strikes or deploying forces against groups he described as “Islamic terrorists” in Nigeria. However, Nigeria’s government has rejected Trump’s claims, insisting that the country is not persecuting Christians and that violence in Nigeria is driven by complex security factors, including banditry, insurgency, communal clashes, and criminal gangs. The nation argued that both Christians and Muslims are victims and that presenting the situation as one-sided is

inaccurate and dangerous.

Besides, Nigeria emphasised that it is a sovereign state and would not tolerate any foreign military intervention, pointing out that security forces are already working to stabilise affected regions, noting that outside threats only inflame tensions.

But during the interview, the

minister reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that diplomatic engagement is ongoing, pointing out that channels of communication had been opened between the Nigerian and US governments. He expressed the belief that the US was getting a better understanding of the situation, arguing that the information be-

ing peddled was as a result of a lack of a proper understanding of Nigeria’s diversity and the complexity of the nation’s securityAdmittingsituation. that the US government has always supported Nigeria in the fight against terror, the minister urged the Trump-led nation to partner with it once again, to help defeat terrorism

and extremism. In the same vein, Idris stated that the international community must understand the peculiarities of the Nigerian situation, emphasising that the world should have a full understanding of the diversity and the complexity of Nigeria’s challenges.

continues online

LCCI Commends FG’s Policies to Strengthen Nigeria’s Competitiveness in Global Digital Economy

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has commended the federal government’s approval of three transformative policy instruments designed to strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global digital economy and accelerate the country’s transition into a knowledge-driven and

innovation-led future.

The policies approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) are the National Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy (NIPPS), the Ratification of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade, and the National Coordination Mechanism for Services Exports, led by the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).

technology-enabled growth.

Almona said: “The approval of these policy frameworks is a better approach towards exploring the opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as opposed to our earlier approach of withholding our signatory status to the AfCFTA due to our lack of preparedness.”

outsourcing and the export of professional and creative services under the AfCFTA.

“We commend the ministries involved, led by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, in pushing these policies for Presidential approval.

“Their strategic coordination and innovation have seen the policies come to life.

Refunds During Bank Failure

NDIC Advises Nigerians to Link Alternate Accounts for Easy

The Nigeria Deposit Insur- ance Corporation (NDIC) has advised bank customers to operate alternate accounts in other financial institutions to ensure quick access to their funds when a financial institution experiences distress.

Managing Director and Chief Executive of the NDIC, Mr. Thompson Oludare Sunday, gave the advice during the Corpora- tion’s Special Day at the

2025 Lagos International Trade Fair, themed “Connecting Business, Creating Value.”

The NDIC boss, who was represented by the Director of Claims Resolution, Mr. Kazeem Sule Olawale, said the move would help depositors access their funds more efficiently while reinforcing confidence in the safety of the banking system.

Sunday said the guidance forms part of NDIC’s broader strategy to strengthen depositor

protection and reinforce public confidence in the financial system.

He added: “It is important to emphasise that the safety of bank deposits is a shared responsibility among banks, regulators, and indeed depositors. Depositors must ensure that their account information is up-to-date, including linking their Bank Verification Number (BVN) to all accounts. They must also protect their account details to prevent unau- thorised access.

The Director General of LCCI Dr Chinyere Almona, in a statement, noted that these policies marked a major milestone in Nigeria’s pursuit of inclusive,

The LCCI boss said the National Coordination Mechanism for Services Exports was expected to create over one million jobs and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s GDP through digital

“We encourage these forwardlooking initiatives in other sectors of the economy as we move towards achieving a $1 trillion economy,” Almona added.

UNODC Calls for Stricter Penalty Against Porn

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC) has called for stricter penalty for cyber-violence crime, especially revenge porn.

The UNODC Nigeria Country Representative, Cheikh Touré rallied stakeholders in the security sector to address the growing incidence of revenge pornography, at the opening

of a three-day workshop on Cybercrime and Violence Against Women Through Information and Communication Technologies, (ICT), themed ‘Cyber-Interpersonal Violence: The Challenge of Responding to Revenge Porn,’ on Tuesday in Abuja. Toure noted that cyberviolence of revenge porn is one of the most deeply personal forms of online harm that demands urgent

attention to tackle because it tramples on human dignity and inflicts life-long emotional harm on victims. Touré further said: “The non-consensual sharing of intimate images, commonly and painfully known as revenge porn is not just a technical issue, it’s not just a legal challenge, it is a profound violation of privacy, dignity, autonomy and security.

L-R: Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Donna McGowan; Deputy Director, English and School Education, Sub-Saharan Africa, British Council, Wekesa Alice; Director English Programmes, Sub-Saharan Africa, British Council, Julian Parry; Director Programmes, British Council Nigeria, Chikodi Onyemerela; during the Language in Education International Conference 2025, organised by the British Council in Abuja.... yesterday

PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

nume Ekeghe

UNVEILING THE 2025 BON AWARDS NOMINEES...

L-R: Executive Producer of BON, Feranmi Olaoye; Founder of BON, Seun Oloketuyi; Mrs. Bolanle Asuquo; Commissioner for Tourism and Culture, Lagos State, Toke

Yinka Adedayo of OMD Media; MD, Insights Communications, Mr. Ayo

UBA GMD: Africa Has Capital for Transformation, But Lacks Bankable Structures, Partnerships

The Group Managing Director (GMD) of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba, has said his financial institution believes that the capital to transform Africa exists, both within and outside continent, but lacks bankable structures and credibleAlawuba,partnerships. while delivering the keynote address at

the UAE-Chad trade and investment forum held in Abu Dhabi, with the theme ‘Financing African Competitiveness — Building Bridges, Powering Progress,’ stated that Africa was now in the era of execution.

Alawuba commended the Chadian government and the strategic partnership of the United Arab Emirates for its “bold approach” to driving national competitiveness

through the $30 billion ‘Chad connection 2030’ plan, which, he said, targets industrialisation,infrastructure, and human development.

“For too long, the narrative around Africa has been one of potential. But I stand before you today to declare that the era of potential is over. We are now in the era of execution. And what we are witnessing in Chad is a masterclass in how to make that shift.

“The $30 billion Chad Connection 2030 plan is not just a document; it is a declaration of intent. It is a detailed roadmap to move a nation from the periphery to the very heart of global economic competitiveness.

“With its 268 projects targeting industrialisation,infrastructure, and human development, it understands a fundamental truth: competitiveness is not born in

FG to Establish Agriculture Mechanisation Service Centres in Six Geopolitical Zones

As part of efforts to boost food security in the country, the federal government has concluded plan to establish agriculture mechanisation service centres in the six geopolitical zones of the country.

boardrooms; it is built on the ground,” he said.

The bank executive in questioning how to finance the $30 billion Chad Connection 2030 plan listed the understanding that a reliable power grid is the foundation of industrial growth, water access for 11 million additional people drives economic transformation, seeing the strategic value in infrastructure and building with governance that assures an investor that their capital is safe, and their project executed.

“When we finance a road, we finance market access.

mediaries, but as architects of finance,” he said.

He quoted a report by the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), that stated that Africa’s domestic financial assets are estimated to total approximately $4 trillion ($2.5 trillion in Commercial Bank Assets, $725 billion in Foreign Reserves and others, $455 billion in Pension Assets and $320 billion in Insurance Assets). However, less than 15per cent of these assets are currently channeled into productive infrastructure essential for growth.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, dropped the hint in Ilorin, Kwara State, yesterday, during the 25th international conference and 45th annual general meeting of the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers (NIAE).

The theme of the conference was “Standardisation and Promotion of Proven Technologies for Agricultural Production and Value Ad-

The government believes this would ensure the training, repairs, and coordination of agriculture technologies transfers among farmers, which would go a long way of boosting food security and food sustainability in the country.

dition in Nigeria”.

Kyari, said the federal government would set benchmarks that will govern the production and use of agricultural machinery in Nigeria for decades to come.

According to him, “Beyond acquisition, our focus remains on standardisation, local assembly and maintenance systems, ensuring that every machine deployed is fit for purpose and supported by skilled technicians.”

The minister said Nigerian farmers deserve home-

First Lady Canvasses Cooperation Between Both Genders for Nation’s Meaningful Development

Inaugurates gender and public policy studies centre in Kuru Donates N250m for renovation of NIPSS

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has declared that actual progress can be realised in the nation’s polity and other sectors when both genders stand as allies and work together.

Speaking Tuesday at the inauguration of the Oluremi Tinubu Gender and Public

Policy Studies Centre of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS in Kuru, Jos, the First Lady commended the approach of the Center to Gender Issues and Research as it has included both sexes.

Her words: “The establishment of this Gender Centre represents a bold step towards bringing gender issues to the forefront of every facet of our

society towards achieving equity.

“I am particularly pleased that the Centre’s approach includes both men and women, recognizing that inclusion must be a shared national agenda. Actual progress will come when both genders stand as allies, working together to dismantle stereotypes, open opportunities, and strengthen our collective humanity”.

grown technologies, “that are developed with a deep understanding of our soils, our crops, our scale of farming, and the labour dynamics of our rural communities.”

He, thus, encouraged collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, representing the National Centre for Ag- ricultural Mechanisation, and Tanta Motors of Egypt.

When we structure a PPP for renewable energy, we finance both climate resilience and energy independence.

When we support digital payment systems, we create the foundation for inclusive economic growth,” he added.

He, however, called on stakeholders to activate a collaborative model.

“A model where African financial institutions like UBA step up not as mere inter-

He noted that Chad’s targets of 60per cent electrification, water for 11 million people, the doubling of agricultural production are challenges not insurmountable, adding that UBA sees a portfolio of bankable projects in that.

“At UBA, our commitment is two-fold: we are both architects of national infrastructure and champions of grassroots financial inclusion. Here in Chad, this is not a promise; it is a proven track record.

Pipeline Professionals Push for Stronger Infrastructure to Power Nigeria’s Oil, Gas Sector

Seek floating of national pipeline security coordination council

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Pipeline Profes- sionals Association of Nigeria (PLAN), Geoff Onuoha, has called for a renewed national commitment to building a robust and well-maintained pipeline system capable of supporting Nigeria’s industrial, energy, and economic growth beyond the ‘Decade of Gas’.

Speaking at the Nigeria International Pipeline Technol- ogy and Security Conference (NIPITECS) in Abuja, Onu-

oha, who is also the Group Chief Executive Officer of BG Technical Limited, stressed that pipelines remain the backbone of Nigeria’s energy and industrial infrastructure, describing them as “super critical” to national development.

Onuoha noted a noticeable decline in pipeline vandalism and urged communities to continue protecting the facilities, warning that sabotage only damages local livelihoods and the environment.

He also praised engineering excellence in Nigeria, citing

the complex network of over 100 kilometres of pipelines supporting the Dangote Refinery as an example of local capability and technical innovation.

“Our goal as pipeline professionals is to ensure Nigeria develops a sturdy, safe, and efficiently maintained pipeline network from design to construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning. A robust pipeline system will drive our industries, power generation, and overall social well-being.

Benson-Awoyinfa;

Shobanjo; Laolu Ajibade of Wema Bank; Mrs. Ajibade; and Tayo Kolawole, at the event in Lagos… recently

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kayode Tokede

CLIENT ENGAGEMENT/BREAKFAST SESSION ON NIGERIA’S NEW TAX LAW...

L-R: Founder & Managing Partner, WYZE, Femi Wright; Managing Director, RMB Nigeria Asset Management, Kike Mesubi; Partner, Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie Chambers, Lolade Ososami; Associate Director & Head of Family Office & Private Clients, KPMG, Opeyemi Oduwole; Chairman, Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele (Keynote Speaker); and Head, Research, RMB Nigeria, Oluyomi Mayomi-Akinola (Moderator), during the client engagement/breakfast session themed “Navigating Opportunity: How Nigeria’s New Tax Law Reshapes Investment Strategy” hosted by RMB Nigeria Asset Management in Lagos… recently

Seplat Adds 33,000 Bpd to Crude Output after Rehabilitating 26 Oil

Ethiopia

Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian independent energy company, has stated that it has rehabilitated 33 oil wells, out of which 26 were successful, raising the company’s crude production by 33,000 barrels per day (bpd) in recent times.

The Chief Operating Officer, Seplat Energy, Samson Ezugworie, said this while giving a keynote at the opening ceremony of the 43rd Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) Annual International Conference & Exhibition in Lagos, a statement signed by the company’s Manager, Corporate Communications, Stanley Opara, said.

The Seplat Energy COO, who spoke on the conference theme: ‘Revitalising the Nigerian Petroleum Exploration and Production: Strategies for Energy Security and Sustainable Development’, stated that in the quest to build a prosperous

Nigeria, the country must target an affordable, reliable and accessible energy regime for all.

“We’ve worked on rehabilitating 33 wells and had success with 26, which are now producing about 33,000 barrels between them. That’s a step in the right direction to closing the current gap in production that could leave Nigeria with a shortfall in its

revenues. We will continue to rehabilitate wells, which isn’t costing us much, and we’re optimistic that we can get more production to help our industry reach the production targets the government has set,” the Seplat COO stated.

Speaking on energy poverty in the country, Ezugworie stated that today, more than 70 million Nigerians still lack access to

electricity, while more than 170 million rely on biomass for cooking, which he said is terrible for the environment and for households.

“And with Nigeria’s population projected to reach 237 million by 2025 and 400 million by 2050, the urgency to act is undeniable, because today’s problems will become far worse if we don’t take actions now to

solve them. We will have 160 million more people to feed and house, and we need to create 100 million new jobs.

But imagine what Nigeria can achieve if we do?

“The imperative before us is clear. We must build a prosperous Nigeria, and we can only do that with affordable and reliable energy that is accessible to all,” he argued.

According to Ezugworie, to meet these challenges, Nigeria must increase oil production — not just to boost national revenues and reduce current shortfall so our government can meet its budgetary needs, but also to drive its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth that reinforces the country’s position as the economic powerhouse of the African continent.

Shettima: Regimes of Volatile, Unpredictable Economy Over

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said the administration of President Bola Tinubu has succeeded in ending the regimes of volatility and unpredictability that once characterised Nigeria’s economy.

According to him, global economic uncertainties, “shocks, shifting alliances, and the rapid displacement of traditional jobs by emerging technologies” have compelled the administration to act daringly.

The Vice President disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja

CreditRegistry Set to Host Africa Credit Expo (ACE) 2025

As ACCA targets three million businesses by 2030

The 2025 Africa Credit Expo (ACE), organized by CreditRegistry in partnership with founding sponsor Afreximbank which gathers financial leaders, innovators, regulators, and entrepreneurs from across the continent for the ultimate financial experience is scheduled to take place Friday, 14 November 2025 at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos.

This year’s expo, themed,

“Unlocking Africa’s Finance Story,” targets empowerment of individuals and businesses by providing data driven credit access, boosting financial literacy, and fostering collaborations that bridge the gap between dreams and opportunities. This was contained in a statement made available to journalists by Dr. Jameelah ManagingSharrieff-Ayedun, Director/CEO of CreditRegistry.

when he declared open the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025, noting the ongoing reforms undertaken by the Tinubu administration are already stabilising the economy, just as they have inspired investor confidence and attracted commendation from independent observers.

Citing Fitch upgrade of Nigeria’s sovereign rating to B with a stable outlook, and Moody’s lifting of the nation’s

issuer rating to B3 with a stable outlook as instances of the global acclaims the country is getting, Shettima said: “the world is taking note of the steady course the nation is maintaining.

“What this administration has achieved is to end the regimes of volatility and unpredictability that once defined our economy. The phase before us now is to ensure that these macroeconomic gains trickle down to the people, from the

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

About 60 patients battling with cancer illness on Tuesday received financial assistance from Medicaid Foundation to help them in the treatment and management of their health condition. While presenting the package to beneficiaries at the programme in Abuja on Tuesday, President-elect of the

Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and founder of Medicaid Foundation, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, said the cost of cancer treatment has become very huge that only few patients can afford it.

She said the funds being disbursed were raised through the foundation’s annual Walk Away Cancer campaign and from other charitable donations.

The Medicaid founder called

kiosks of our neighbourhood traders to the boardrooms of our multinational corporations.

“We did what we have done because we can no longer apply 20th-century solutions to 21st-century problems,” he declared, even as he expressed delight with the conference and exhibition, saying it is an “affirmation of innovation for a sustainable digital future that accelerates growth, inclusion, and global competitiveness.”

for stronger collaboration between government, the private sector, and civil society to build a resilient health system capable of tackling cancer sustainably.

Shinkafi-Bagudu said her call had become imperative as many Nigerians continue to die undiagnosed and untreated, particularly in rural areas, due to weak systems and poor screening coverage.

She said that building on the success of previous editions, “ACE 2025” stands as a bold declaration: Africa’s financial future will be written by its people, its innovations, and its Sharrieff-Ayeduncourage. said the Expo aims to empower individuals and businesses through data-driven credit access, financial literacy, and collaboration that bridge the gap between dreams and opportunity. Says Tinubu working hard to trickle down macro-economic gains to the people Declares open Digital Nigeria international conference and exhibition 2025

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Nigeria’s Stock Market Tumbles, Loses N4.6trn in One Day

Kayode Tokede

Nigeria’s stock market yesterday suffered one of its heavy losses in one day, dropping by N4.6 trillion on investors’ profit-taking in highly capitalised listed companies on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).

Highly capitalised listed companies, such as Dangote Cement Plc, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, and BUA Cement Plc, all dropped by 10 per cent to close at N594.00,

N162.00, and N429.30 per share, respectively.

The market capitalisation of listed stock on the NGX closed yesterday at N89.885 trillion, about 4.91 per cent or N 4.6 trillion when compared to N94.526 trillion it opened for trading.Investors in Dangote Cement stock saw a drop by N1.11 trillion in one day, as BUA Cement returns was down by N609.6 billion, amid aggressive profit-taking by investors.

cA r D o S o: e conom Y Belong S T o All,

James Emejo in Abuja

Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, yesterday, declared that nobody had a monopoly of the economy, stressing that “this economy belongs to all of us”.

Cardoso stated that the progress so far achieved in the past two and a half years, amid bold reforms, must be protected.

He said the general attitude of “I am fine; others can sort themselves out”, will not sustain growth, adding that systemic weaknesses affect everyone.

Cardoso spoke at the opening of the annual CBN Executive Policy Seminar, which was held at the apex bank’s auditorium in HeAbuja.said a situation where the country had a “frightening

poverty, hunger, and insecurity.

Sanwo-Olu, who advocated stronger unity among Nigerians to surmount the country’s development issues, contended that no governor or local government chairman could complain about lack of funds in the President Bola Tinubu administration.

Sanwo-Olu spoke yesterday in Kaduna at a one-day lecture to mark Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary, organised by Arewa Think Tank.

Held at Arewa House Auditorium, Kaduna, the lecture was themed, “65th Year of Nigeria’s Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View.”

Stating that Nigerians must adopt a home-grown, local and bottom-up approach in the actualisation of state policing, local government autonomy, presidential legacy infrastructure projects, Sanwo-Olu said the president, in his politics and vision, tapped Alhaji Ahmadu Bello’s audacious foresight.

He said the vision was evident in Tinubu’s initiatives, which had been connecting cities, opening up rural areas, and addressing other difficult issues for the development of the country.

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, listed failed governance, hunger, and socio- economic marginalisation as some of the major factors driving insecurity in the country.

Ways and Means to GDP ratio should never happen again”.

He said, “We must avoid indiscriminate interventions that yield little result. We cannot sit back and assume that someone else will fix it — this economy belongs to all of us.”

Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, revealed that the federal government was currently working to establish a Unified National Framework that will bring together both monetary and fiscal instruments to drive structural transformation.

Uzoka-Anite said at the seminar that based on that understanding, the CBN and the Ministry of Finance had begun to work together with other government institutions towards a coordinated growth agenda.Cardoso said, “That is why

Sani, who recommended the Kaduna peace model for the. country, declared that peace must be cultivated, and not imposed.

The governor renewed his call for the creation of state police as part of a multi-level security architecture to tackle insecurity. He said the country’s current law enforcement manpower was grossly inadequate for its population of over 230 million people.

The event, chaired by former President of the Senate and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius, was also attended by former governors of Osun, Ogun and Kaduna states, Chief Bisi Akande, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, and Mukhtar RamalanYero,Othersrespectively. in attendance were former Governor of Jigawa State and current Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, top officials of the Kaduna State government, former and current public office holders, religious and traditional leaders, and captains of Sanwo-Olu,industry. who was Guest Speaker at the event, challenged public office holders to build on the legacies of the country’s founding fathers, like Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, and other leaders and patriots, by studying their lives

Equally, investors in MTN Nigeria Communications had their returns down by N1 trillion.

That caused a sharp five per cent drop in the NGX All-Share Index, to 141,327.30 basis points, 7,454.60 basis points or 5.01 per cent from 148,781.90 basis points, when the stock market opened for trading.

Consequently, the Month-to- Date and Year-to-Date returns settled lower at -8.3 per cent and +37.3per cent, respectively.

we hold events like this — not because we simply like to talk, but because we must continue to educate, to engage, and to ensure that we stay on course. I have no doubt that Nigeria is moving in the right direction. We will get there — but we must remain focused, disciplined, and united in our resolve.

“We must defend what is ours and safeguard the interests of future generations. This is a collective effort. We must all contribute to baking a bigger pie — expanding our GDP relative to our population.”

The CBN governor reaffirmed the apex bank’s commitment to credible policies, transparent markets, and sound governance - all of which had helped to restore investor confidence in the financial system since he assumed office in 2023.

Cardoso said price stability

and examples and learning from their successes and shortcomings.

He said, “No one is perfect, and politics and public service are not about perfection. Instead, they are about constantly improving, fine-tuning, reforming—planting trees we might not be around to enjoy, building to leave behind a better country and a better planet than the one we inherited.”

Echoing his call for stronger unity, Sanwo-Olu said, “I will close with a strong message

1MMBOPD’ Additional Production Investment Forum in London, UK, a statement by the Head, Media and Strategic Communication of the commission, Eniola Akinkuotu, stated. Apart from signalling new investment into the upstream sector, the new bid round is meant to improve government revenue, significantly shift the structure of players in the sector (as foreign oil companies continue divestment) and strengthen implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Besides, a transparent bid round will test whether the new regulatory framework under the Petroleum Industry Act can operate as promised and if well managed can boost industry confidence in the sector.

Sectoral performance mirrored the broader market downturn, with the NGX Industrial Goods Index (-8.6per cent), NGX Banking Index (-7.3per cent), NGX Oil & Gas Index (-4.6per cent), NGX Insurance Index (-4.3per cent), and NGX Consumer Goods Index (-2.2per cent) indices all closed lower. Analysts attributed the down- ward movement in the stock market to investors’ sentiment trading over President Donald Trump’s threat of military

remained central to CBN’s policy framework, anchored on inflation targeting, stating that credible inflation-targeting regime enhances predictability, guides market expectations, and anchors long-term investment.

He said, “Investors avoid uncertainty — the greater the predictability, the stronger the incentive to invest. Once you get the fundamentals right, investors naturally gravitate toward your market.

“Boosting local production and industrial competitiveness is equally crucial. Collaboration with fiscal authorities to reduce costs and incentivize production remains a key imperative.”

He said fast-tracking export growth, particularly through services and the creative industries, further highlighted the country’s emerging strength in music, film, design, and

of hope and unity for these times that we are in, against the backdrop of the challenges that we are confronting as a nation, including very controversial claims from the United States government about religious persecution and intolerance.

“We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multicultural country, where the things that bind us together are far weightier than

Continued on page 35

At the event, Komolafe added that the announcement was in line with the (PIA) following the approval of President Bola Tinubu who doubles as the Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria. He said: “We are announcing that we are ready, following the approval of the Minister of Petroleum Resources in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, to commence the 2025 licensing round beginning from December 1, 2025.”

At the forum which was attended by chief executives of oil companies, bank representatives and potential investors, the NUPRC chief said funding remained the biggest challenge in Nigeria’s upstream sector and the commission as a business enabler planned to tackle this

action in Nigeria and Federal Government’s implementation of the Capital Gains Tax (CGT).

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to “prepare for possible action” and warned of immediate suspension of U.S. aid to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and OPEC member.

President Bola Tinubu rejected Trump’s comments, calling them a misrepresentation of Nigeria’s “consistent and sincere efforts

digitalCardososervices. said, “We are proud to have supported the journey that led to the launch of the Nigeria-US Data Deal on October 1st — a major platform for our creative talents to reach globalCardosoaudiences.”pointed out that enhancing access to finance for SMEs remained a priority for the bank, and reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access through innovative credit frameworks, improved risk-sharing mechanisms, and strengthened credit infrastructure.

In addition, the CBN gover- nor said through the reforms he implemented, Nigerians would no longer need connections or personal influence to transact or get their work done at the central bank.

According to him, “When I assumed responsibility as Governor, I made a promise that Nigerians would no longer need connections or personal influence to transact or get their work done at the Central Bank. You do not need to know the Governor, a Deputy Governor, or any Director to access legitimate services.

“Yes, where issues arise, they will be addressed ap- propriately — but the era of everyday personal lobbying at the CBN is over. The economy belongs to everyone, and no one should feel they have a monopoly over it.”

by connecting interested parties. He therefore stated that the event was put together to connect all stakeholders in order to make the additional one million barrels a reality. “One of the factors that affected business is that activities were happening in silos but the NUPRC now realises the need to bring everyone together,” the CCE said, adding, “We want you all to network. Bank of America is here as well as representatives of other banks.”

Komolafe said the reforms initiated by the Tinubu-led administration had improved Nigeria’s economic metrics. He said crude oil production now averages 1.71 million barrels per day with a peak daily output of 1.83 million bpd, evidence of tangible progress.

to safeguard freedom of religion and belief for all Nigerians”.

He stated that the seminar offered yet another opportunity for introspection and refinement of policy options, and encouraged all participants to engage actively.

He stated, “The insights gath- ered here will inform our future policies and shape the next phase of reform implementation. Your collective contributions are vital to shaping Nigeria’s macroeconomic future.”

In her remarks, Uzoka-Anite said the federal government will continue to improve Nigeria’s economic competitiveness and its social and developmental impact.

She said, “Our efforts must remain aligned toward clear targets — particularly reducing the cost of energy, shortening the time required to register businesses, ensuring secure payments, and simplifying interactions with government agencies.

“As we work toward these targets, we have recognized that the challenges we face are not cyclical but structural. Traditional monetary tightening alone cannot deliver the desired results. Therefore, we must complement it with coordinated fiscal expansion that can produce lastingWhileimpact.”highlighting the various initiatives of the government to reset the economy, she said the task ahead was to grow the nation and boost revenue mobilisation.

The CCE said 46 Field Development Plans (FDPs) had been approved from January 2025 till date, representing immediate investment commitments and production growth potential, noting that the rig count had grown to over 60 out of which at least 40 are active. He therefore stated that this was the best time for existing investors to deepen their stake in HeNigeria.added: “The drive to reach and sustain 1 million barrels per day in incremental capacity and beyond will require Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units for cluster developments; Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessels for crude evacua-

Continued on page 34

AT ArewA Hou S e, S A nwo-

Temi Popoola

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 11TH LAGOS INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT...

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Hon. Olarewaju Affinni; Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr. Gaji Omobolaji; Director, Development Partnership Department, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Mobolaji Onimole; Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr. Mosopefolu George; Chief Resilience Officer, Lagos State, Dr. Folayinka Dania; Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Special Adviser on Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu; and Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite; with other delegates, during the opening ceremony of the 11th Lagos International Climate Change Summit and the launch of the policy document “Lagos State Climate Investment Opportunities Diagnostic” held in Lagos… recently

Edun Promises Fair Capital Gains Tax, Finance Ministry Unveils N1trn MOFI Fund Series 2

Kayode Tokede

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, yesterday pledged that the federal government would adopt a cautious and consultative approach in implementing the recently enacted tax reform laws, particularly the contentious capital gains tax (CGT) on securities transactions.

Edun, made the commitment in Lagos, during the official listing of the N1 trillion Series 2 of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) Real Estate Investment Fund on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), marking one of the largest real estate fund listings in the Exchange’s history.

“We have heard what you have said on capital gains tax. We will consult in a way

that gives Nigeria an optimum result. We will listen, analyse, and decide on what is best for Nigeria and for your markets,” Edun assured capital market stakeholders.

The minister said the government recognises the concerns expressed by market operators and was committed to balancing fiscal efficiency with investment growth, ensuring that new tax measures support rather than

hinder the development of Nigeria’s capital market.

Edun, accompanied by officials of the Ministry and executives of the joint issuing houses, was on the floor of the NGX for the official listing of the N1 trillion Series 2 of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) Real Estate Investment Fund on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), marking one of the largest real estate fund listings in

Maiha: West Africa, Sahelian Regions Still Face Challenge of Limited, Quality Animal Feeds

Nigeria Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar Maiha, has decried that West African countries and the entire Sahelian region are still faced with the challenge of limited and quality animal feeds.

The minister who spoke at the opening of the regional high-level workshop on the development of animal feed industry in West Africa and the Sahel on Tuesday in Abuja said a strong local feed industry in the region will not only create jobs but reduce dependence on imports and also strengthen

food sovereignty in the region.

Maiha, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Chinyere Akujobi, said the region has significant potential in terms of animal production, pastoral areas, diverse livestock, ancestral know-how of livestock farmers.

He said: “West Africa and the Sahel have significant potential in terms of animal production, pastoral areas, diverse livestock, ancestral know-how of livestock farmers, but also among all in terms of their contribution to food security, poverty reduction, and empowering national economies.

“Despite the importance of the sector, livestock development in West Africa and the Sahel still faces a major challenge, which is the limited availability and quality of animal feed. Animal feed accounts for a significant portion of animal production costs.

“The lack of industrial infrastructure, dependence on imported inputs, climate variability, and insufficient regional coordination limit the competitiveness of this sector.

“This situation also hinders the modernisation of livestock farming, increases the vulner-

Ogoni Nine Wrongfully Convicted, Executed, Global Rights Tells Federal Govt

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Global Rights, has called on the federal government to acknowledge the Ogoni Nine were wrongfully convicted and executed in 1995.

Global Rights also described as deeply troubling the recent political gestures

suggesting a pardon for the Ogoni Nine.

The organisation explained that such gestures represent a moral and legal mischaracterisation, as they imply guilt where none exists. In a strongly worded statement, the group declared: “What is due is not pardon, but complete and full-throated exoneration - an

official recognition that their convictions and executions were unjust, unlawful, and an assault on the right to dissent.”

Consequently, the CSO urged the Nigerian Government to formally exonerate the Ogoni Nine and to publicly acknowledge their wrongful conviction and execution.

ability of livestock farmers, and reduces countries’ ability to meet growing demand for foodHeproducts.” noted that Nigeria’s animal feed production policy is perfectly aligned with the current dynamic and is indeed amplified as a major focus in the National Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy, NLGAS, which is Nigeria’s livestock strategy plan for the year 2025 to the year 2035.

the Exchange’s history.

The N1 trillion MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund, with 1 billion units priced at N100 each was admitted on NGX official list for immediate trading on the floor after the Finance Minister Wale rang the traditional closing bell.

Introducing the investment fund on the floor, the joint issuing houses, Vetiva Securities Limited and Citi Investment Capital Limited, urged the NGX to admit the investment products for immediate trading.

Edun praised the NGX and its leadership for aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda and for expanding opportunities for retail investors.

He noted that the equities market has gained about 50 percent year-to-date, with total market capitalisation hovering around $100 billion in dollar terms, describing it as a reflection of investor confidence in ongoing macroeconomic and structural reforms.

“The improvements in the stock exchange index are a function of confidence — stability in government revenues,

economic growth, exchange rate, and reserves,” Edun said. He particularly commended the Exchange and the issuing houses — Vetiva Securities Limited and Citi Investment Capital Limited — for structur- ing investment products that allow ordinary Nigerians to participate in wealth creation.

Highlighting the N100-per- unit pricing of the MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund, Edun said such innovations promote financial inclusion and foster a long-term savings culture essential for national growth.

“You have made it possible for ordinary Nigerians — not just the wealthy — to invest, save for the future, and be part of the country’s growth story,” he said.

Edun disclosed that the Tax and Fiscal Policy Reform Committee has concluded its work, leading to the passage of a new tax act now at the implementation stage under the Ministry of Finance. He emphasised that the process would prioritise fairness, consultation, and economic efficiency.

House Moves to Amend Immigration Act to Fortify Border Security

The House of Representatives has hinted it might review existing laws such as the Immigration Act, the Customs and Excise Management Act, and related statutes to reflect emerging global best practices and security realities.

The Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the inaugural meeting and interactive session of the ad-hoc committee on border security.

He therefore called on all

relevant agencies to foster greater co-operation, eliminate duplication of roles, and develop unified operational frameworks to secure the country’sTajudeenborder. said the parliament remained unwavering in its commitment to strengthen Nigeria’s border governance through effective legislation, rigorous oversight, and adequate budgetary support.

He noted the House was determined to ensure that all appropriated funds meant for border security are judiciously

utilised and the principles of accountability, transparency, and efficiency upheld.

The Speaker emphasised the findings and recommendations of this Committee would guide the House in initiating legislative reforms and policy interventions to modernise border security frameworks. He stated: “The task of securing our borders is a multi- dimensional and multi-agency responsibility. It demands synergy, transparency, and patriotism from all institutions of government involved.

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

TEAM OF SSAS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT...

L-R: Senior Special Adviser to the President on Community Engagement, South West, Morenike Ojudu; SSA, Community Engagement, North West, Abdullahi

Yakassai; SSA, Community Engagement, North Central, Abiodun Essiet; and SSA, Community Engagement, South East, Chioma Nweze, addressing the State House Correspondents shortly after meeting with President

at the Presidential

Senate Threatens to Summon Former NNPCL

Chiefs Over Alleged Missing N210 Trillion

Rejects company’s explanations, declares figures ‘unjustifiable and unacceptable’

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate yesterday threatened to summon past Group Managing Directors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) after rejecting what it described as “unconvincing and contradictory” explanations from the oil company over N210 trillion alleged to be unaccounted for between 2017 and 2023.

The Red Chamber’s Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (Nasarawa West), expressed anger that NNPCL failed to appear before it despite picking the date for theThehearing.committee had earlier directed the company to explain 19 audit queries raised against it by the Of- fice of the Auditor-General of the Federation covering the six-year period.

According to the committee,

the company’s written response showed N103 trillion as “accrued expenses” and another N107 trillion as “receivables,” totaling N210 trillion, figures that the lawmakers described as “economically impossible and lacking verifiable evidence.”

Visibly irked by the company’s no-show, Senator Wadada said the committee would no longer accept any written submissions from NNPCL until its Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Engineer Bayo Ojulari, appears in person.

Wadada said, “Today, November 11, 2025, was a date chosen by NNPCL itself. It is unfortunate that none of its officials is here.”

“The public has been waiting for this. Even though we cannot conclude today in their absence, Nigerians deserve to know what we have found so far,” he said.

Wadada said the explana-

tions submitted by the oil company “raised serious red flags,” particularly the claims of N103 trillion in expenses and N107 trillion in receivables.

He said, “NNPC claimed N103 trillion as accrued expenses and N107 trillion as receivables, amounting to N210 trillion.

“On question eight, NNPC’s

COP

explanation on the N107 trillion receivables, equivalent to about $117 billion, contradicts the company’s own records. The committee is duty-bound to reject this,” he stated.

The chairman also queried how NNPC could claim to have paid N103 trillion in joint venture cash calls in 2023 alone, when the company’s

total crude oil revenue between 2017 and 2022 amounted to only N24 trillion.

“Cash call arrangements were abolished in 2016 under the Buhari administration.

How then could NNPC pay N103 trillion in one year when it only generated N24 trillion in five years? Where did NNPC get that money?”

Wadada asked. He said, “As far as this committee is concerned, that figure is unjustifiable and unacceptable. The N103 trillion must be returned to theHeTreasury.” noted that the matter would be concluded when the NNPCL management finally appears before the panel.

30: Nature Not for Sale, CAPPA, HOMEF, Others Warn Nigeria

Blessing Ibunge in Port

Environmental rights organisations advancing climate justice have condemned a recent call credited to Vice President Kashim Shettima, seeking for new finance mechanisms to “harness the economic value of nature”.

The rights groups

Insecurity: Navy Vows to Secure Nigerian Territory

CNS says he will use technology to curb oil theft, bunkering

As Nigeria grapples with various security challenges, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas has said the Navy has put measures on ground to secure the territory of the country.

He said his leadership would focus on building partnerships across security agencies and the wider society to enhance national security.

Abbas, on Tuesday led an operational familiarization

visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Navy’s Special Operations Command (SOC) located along the banks of River Benue in North Bank, Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

He said that the Navy is going to do its utmost best in securing this country.

Saying “It’s not just by ourselves but because whatever we are doing is supposed to be a whole-ofsociety approach.”

“As you can see, I have my

other colleagues from other services and security agencies here. That is what I intend to do; to work with everybody. Everybody is important, and everybody will be on board to make this country a better and greater country”, he added

On efforts to tackle oil theft, the CNS said his administration would build on the achievements of his predecessors while integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and modern technology into naval operations.

described the call as an attempt to commodify the environment.

Speaking in Belém, Brazil, ahead of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30), the vice president had allegedly urged the creation of finance systems that would monetise the nation’s natural assets.

But the groups, including Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Health of Mother Earth Foundation

(HOMEF), Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/ FoEN), Lekeh Development Foundation, and Social Action, warned that such a move undermines true climate justice.

In a joint statement, made available to journalists in Port Harcourt, yesterday, they said the proposal reflects “a concerning misinterpretation of true climate justice.”

According to them, by

suggesting that Nigeria’s forests, water bodies, land, and biodiversity should be monetised for financial gain, Nigeria is aligning with corporate and market-driven interests rather than with the rights and aspirations of its people, especially those on the front lines of climate impacts.

“We find this framing deeply troubling because it reduces nature our collective heritage and source of life to a mere economic asset.

Recovered Lagos Port 1,000kg Cocaine: NDLEA, US, UK Anti-Drug Agencies to Unravel Importation Cartel

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is working with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) to unravel the cartel behind the importation of 1,000 kilogrammes of cocaine recovered from a container at

the PTML Terminal of Tincan Island Port in Lagos.

A statement on Tuesday by the spokesman of the antinarcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, said the PTML operators had noticed the consignment in an empty container last weekend and invited port stakeholders including NDLEA, Customs and other security agencies for joint examination.

After field test by NDLEA confirmed the shipment to be cocaine, the consignment was formally transferred to NDLEA custody for further investigation on Tuesday following collaborative engagements between the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd) and the Comptroller General of Customs, Dr. Adewale Adeniyi.

Harcourt

Tanko-

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Villa, Abuja, on Monday

PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

George Okoh in Makurdi

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE

Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com

08033025611 sms only

Akpabio and the Fear of Trump

United s tates President, Donald Trump’s renewed attack on n igeria has stirred quiet panic in the leadership of the n ational a ssembly forcing President of the s enate, s enator Godswill a kpabio, to canvass calculated restraint. s unday Aborisade reports.

When Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, instructed ministerial nominee Kingsley Udeh (SAN) to “ignore any question on Trump” during his screening, it was more than parliamentary etiquette. It was a signal of anxiety. The anxiety is rooted in the surprisingly fraught interplay between Nigeria’s national sovereignty and the seismic reverberations of Donald Trump’s recent foreign-policy pronouncements.

Late last month, the U.S. President announced that Nigeria would be redesignated a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, a status reserved for nations judged by the U.S. to engage in “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom.

Trump had accused Nigeria of allowing the “mass slaughter” of Christians by “radical Islamists” and warned that U.S. aid would be cut off immediately, while military action was being “prepared” by the Pentagon. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” he wrote.

In the unfolding diplomatic storm, Nigerian Foreign Minister, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar rejected the portrayal, insisting “state-backed religious persecution” is impossible under Nigerian law, and framed the violence instead as part of a broader insurgency affecting all faiths. This is the backdrop against which Akpabio’s caution must be deciphered: what does the “fear of Trump” signal in Abuja’s corridors of power?

At Udeh’s screening, Akpabio remarked: “The only question I will urge you to ignore is commenting on Trump.” With that he moved for confirmation, smiling. On its surface, a light‐hearted moment. But once one filters the domestic–international prism, it reads like a protective manoeuvre.

Earlier last Tuesday, Akpabio, at plenary, distanced himself from a fake social-media report attributing to him a statement responding to Trump: “Who am I to reply to President Trump?” He then announced that he had petitioned the Police and DSS to trace the origin of the forged report that attempted to link the Senate presidency to a direct response to Trump.

What emerges is a dual message: one, that Nigeria’s Senate is not prepared to become the theatre for foreign policy pronouncements outside the Executive’s domain; two, that the institution fears being caught off-guard in a diplomatic face-off with the U.S.

There are several reasons why Akpabio and the National Assembly might be uneasy. Nigeria is being publicly admonished by the U.S. President with threats of aid suspension and military action. The message is no longer private diplomacy but public pressure, blunt, global and humiliating.

A direct mention of troops “on the ground or air strikes” in Nigeria by Trump heightens the alarm. For Akpabio and his colleagues, the parliamentary institution must tread carefully so as not to signal internal disunity or abdication of Nigeria’s sovereign posture.

The Senate is being cautioned not to comment, because any stray remarks could be misrepresented, domestically and internationally.

The fake report linking Akpabio to Trump’s remarks underlines this risk. When external actors frame Nigeria’s political dialogue (or mis-frame it), the Senate may become a pawn or lightning rod.

Internally, the matter of religious violence in Nigeria is viscerally charged. The CPC designation rests largely on allegations of mass killing of Christians, which Nigerian analysts describe as mis-framed or incomplete.

The regime in Abuja therefore faces a dual domestic and international credibility challenge. For Akpabio, parliamentary personnel must navigate religious fault lines and global

headlines simultaneously. Nigeria remains deeply dependent on international relationships, not only for security cooperation (counter-terrorism, insurgency) but for oil flows, capital investment, and aid. A breakdown in U.S. ties or a sanction regime will have immediate economic fallout. Hence the desire in the Senate to avoid becoming the flashpoint.

When Udeh appeared for confirmation, the question about Trump loomed, being as of that time, a serving Attorney-General of Enugu State and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. It was eventually asked by Senator Abdul Ningi of Bauchi Central but the fact that Akpabio forbade Udeh from answering it, signals the domestic shock-waves of the U.S. decision.

By this action, Akpabio achieved several things. He signalled unity and discipline within the legislative branch. He preserved the Executive’s primacy in responding to external threats as well as avoided forcing the nominee into a geo-politically explosive moment.

For Udeh, it meant his nomination proceeded without being dragged into a foreign-policy debate for which he may not have been prepared.

Understanding the CPC label gives context to why the Senate reacted as it did. A CPC under IRFA means the U.S. government identifies the country as engaging in “particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” It opens the door legally to targeted actions such as sanctions, visa restrictions, and aid suspensions. While those measures are not automatic, the designation is a strong diplomatic signal.

For Nigeria, the CPC label arrived alongside

But this caution must not become deafening silence. The s enate must play its role, not as a silent bystander, but as a constitutional actor: conducting oversight, supporting the state’s protection of citizens, and ensuring that nigeria’s foreign relations are grounded in facts, dignity and strategic advantage rather than reactive posture.

threats of military intervention, which go far beyond ceremonial criticism.

The U.S. narrative is that Nigeria is allowing or unable to prevent systematic killings of Christians by jihadists and militant groups. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” Trump had claimed.

However, Nigerian officials point out that the violence is complex: insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder clashes, communal conflict, and it affects Muslims as much as Christians. “Statebacked religious persecution is impossible under the constitution,” Tuggar, the Foreign Affairs Minister, had asserted.

What does all of this mean for Nigerian politics and Akpabio’s Senate? By formally avoiding commentary, the Senate ensures that foreign policy remains with the Executive, limiting institutional over-extension.

The fake social-media report shows how vulnerable institutions are to being dragged into external rows. Ensuring a clear “no comment” stance enables damage control. At the same time, Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin insisted publicly, “I said I’m not scared of Trump … we are a sovereign nation.” This tension between caution and assertion, is likely to feature in days ahead.

If sanctions or military rhetoric from the U.S. gain traction, the government may face increased pressure from Nigerians who fear for economic consequences, and from legislators keen to defend national dignity. Nigeria’s global image, as a rising African power, oil exporter and regional anchor, takes a hit when foreign governments publicly paint it as failing its citizens. The Senate’s silence may partly reflect a desire to shield that image.

Akpabio has already indicated that the Senate has not yet formally discussed Trump’s remarks in plenary but that it will.

It means the institution is likely to hold a measured debate, rather than rush into an off-the-cuff response that could backfire. What should the Senate consider? Beyond the U.S. narrative, Nigeria must assess internal evidence on religious violence, its root causes, and how it intersects with insurgency, ethnicity and climate.

Discussions with the Presidency, Foreign Affairs Ministry and Defence must chart a unified response. Any public Senate comment must align with executive diplomacy.

NOTE:

Akpabio

Trump

FEaturEs World Security Report and Its Spotlight on Nigeria’s Evolving Corporate Security Landscape

The latest World Security Report, commissioned by Allied Universal® and its international business G4S, offers one of the clearest portraits yet of Nigeria’s fast-changing corporate security landscape, a picture defined by economic turbulence, social strain and a growing commitment to resilience.

Based on a rigorous global survey of 2,352 Chief Security Officers (CSOs) from major corporations across 31 countries, together with 200 institutional investors managing over $1 trillion in assets, the report underscores a hard truth: financially motivated threats now dominate Nigeria’s risk horizon.

As the country navigates inflationary pressures, weak consumer confidence and pockets of unrest, its business leaders are bracing for a volatile 2026, but also investing heavily in smarter, technology-driven protection.

Financial Pressures Driving Threats

Nearly half of Nigerian CSOs, just about 47 per cent, believe that economic instability will have a significant impact on corporate security in 2026, up from 40 per cent in 2024. This sentiment mirrors the regional pattern across Sub-Saharan Africa, where economic turbulence tops the list of hazards that could disrupt business operations.

The report shows that fraud remains the most anticipated external threat, with 30 per cent of global CSOs predicting its impact will grow, up from 25 per cent in 2023. In Nigeria, this trend is amplified: half of the security leaders surveyed expect external fraud incidents, while 41 per cent fear insider fraud, both higher than any other region.

It’s not hard to see why. The combination of currency pressures, staff financial dissatisfaction and rising living costs has created fertile ground for opportunistic and insider-driven crimes.

“Fraud remains the dominant challenge, but investment in smart security infrastructure and AI-powered surveillance shows that African businesses are preparing to stay ahead of emerging risks,” says Christo Terblanche, Regional President of G4S Africa.

Inside the Workforce: Dissatisfaction and Debt

If fraud is the external menace, then financial dissatisfaction among staff is the internal spark. The report highlights that 55 per cent of Nigerian CSOs identify low pay and the absence of incentives as the top driver of insider threats, a figure that outpaces every other global region.

Globally, 37 per cent of CSOs attribute insider risk to financial stress or personal debt, and 36 per cent to low pay or poor motivation. The trend is unmistakable: economic hardship is eroding employee loyalty and feeding risk from within.

“Misinformation and external radicalisation are emerging new triggers,” the report warns, noting that 39 per cent of CSOs worldwide cite social-media-fuelled misinformation as a factor in insider behaviour.

Activist Risks and Civil Unrest on the Rise

Nigeria’s volatile socio-economic backdrop is also shaping its threat matrix in less predictable ways. According to the World Security Report 2025, 86 per cent of Nigerian CSOs now cite activist groups and civil unrest as growing security threats, echoing investor sentiment that the continent’s protest movements increasingly pose physical risks to executives and assets.

Globally, 85 per cent of institutional investors agree that activist movements are a major source of physical security concern. The link between economic hardship, online mobilisation and social agitation has become unmistakable.

“Misinformation and disinformation motivate at least half of the threat actors targeting businesses,” the report notes.

Across the world, 73 per cent of companies say they have already been targeted by such campaigns, often igniting unrest or reputational harm in real time.

In a country where politics and policy debates play out as passionately on the streets as online, corporate leaders are discovering that security now means managing both physical vulnerabilities and digital narratives.

The Executive Protection Imperative

The threat to senior company executives has increased sharply, both globally and in Africa. Forty-two per cent of CSOs worldwide report a rise in violence towards company leaders, while 97 per cent of institutional investors say they expect firms they invest in to provide physical protection for executives.

strengthened executive security procedures; 45 per cent now conduct pre-event or travel risk assessments; and 44 per cent routinely monitor online threats.

Investors view these precautions as directly linked to market value. The report warns that a significant security breach, internal or external, could reduce a publicly listed company’s valuation by an average of 32 per cent, up from 29 per cent in 2023.

Budget Surge: Nigeria Leads Global Spending Plans

Amid all this volatility, Nigerian companies are distinguishing themselves for their proactive stance. While the global average of CSOs expecting to increase their physical security budgets stands at 66 per cent, a striking 90 per cent of Nigerian security chiefs plan to raise spending in 2026.

This reflects both necessity and strategic intent. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, fraud, theft and supply-chain attacks are the biggest budget drivers, influencing more than 60 per cent of spending decisions.

Globally, companies lost an average of $9 million in revenue following security incidents last year, and 26 per cent of firms reported measurable financial losses after internal or external breaches.

Security investment priorities are also shifting. Forty-seven per cent of CSOs plan to channel funds into new security technology and infrastructure, 45 per cent into employee training and upskilling, and 44 per cent into advanced risk assessments and threat intelligence.

reveals that 71 per cent of CSOs globally already use artificial intelligence for surveillance and monitoring, and 69 per cent employ AI-driven tools for access control and identity verification.

Looking ahead, 45 per cent rank AI-powered video surveillance and analytics as their top priority for investment, followed closely by AI-driven threat detection and perimeter security (44 per cent).

For Nigerian businesses grappling with resource constraints, such technologies offer the promise of scalability, delivering 24-hour vigilance while reducing dependency on manpower.

Yet, the report cautions, AI is not a replacement for human expertise. As one security executive notes: “You can have all the technology in the world, but if you don’t have the correct processes and skilled people, your execution will fail.”

Allied Universal’s own analysis aligns with that sentiment. Despite the rise of smart systems, 87 per cent of CSOs still believe frontline security professionals “will always play an integral role” in protecting organisations.

Building a Security Culture

Ultimately, the report’s strongest message is that security has become a strategic value driver, not just a cost centre. Both CSOs and institutional investors view physical protection as critical to corporate performance and reputation. In Nigeria, where political transitions, misinformation and economic inequality converge, companies are learning that resilience begins with culture. Training, workforce support and leadership protection now form a single continuum of defence.

Globally, 64 per cent of CSOs say they already have a strong or well-adopted security culture, while those with robust practices are significantly more confident in handling both internal and external incidents.

As the report’s introduction observes, “Cohesion feels more elusive, trust in authorities continues to erode, and significant economic pressures persist.” Against that backdrop, Nigeria’s private sector is being forced to think differently, not just about fences and firewalls, but about people, purpose and preparedness.

Towards 2026: The New Security Equation

Nigeria’s story within the World Security Report is one of duality: rising threats alongside rising readiness. Economic instability, employee dissatisfaction and activist risk are real and growing, but so too is the country’s determination to modernise its defences and professionalise its security sector.

As business polarisation deepens, Nigeria’s boardrooms are not exempt. Activist targeting, online abuse and the symbolic value of high-profile figures have made personal safety a board-level discussion.

The report emphasises that firms partnering with a single, comprehensive third-party security provider for 80 per cent or more of their needs experience fewer incidents and show greater confidence in crisis response (79 per cent versus 51 per cent among firms with low vendor involvement).

As firms expand investments in AI-assisted monitoring, executive protection and workforce resilience, a new paradigm is taking shape, one in which corporate security is as much about anticipating economic behaviour as about preventing physical breaches. It’s a transformation that will define the next decade of business in Nigeria.

Across Africa, these internal and external pressures are converging. Companies now face not just cyber intrusion or physical theft, but also the possibility of disgruntled insiders leaking data, facilitating fraud or undermining business integrity for short-term financial gain.

Globally, enhanced security procedures, risk assessments and online threat monitoring are now the top three strategies adopted by firms. Forty-nine per cent of companies have

As Christo Terblanche concludes: “African businesses are not waiting to be overwhelmed by the next crisis. They are investing, innovating and preparing, proving that smart security is not just protection, but performance.”

According to the latest World Security Report, commissioned by Allied Universal® and its international business G4S, economic instability, insider threats, fraud, executive safety risks and possible civil unrest have emerged as Nigeria’s biggest corporate security challenges. About 2,352 Chief Security Officers (CSOs) from major corporations across 31 countries, alongside 200 global institutional investors managing over $1 trillion in assets, painted a clear picture of Nigeria’s evolving corporate security landscape amid growing economic pressures and social unrest. The report however stated that African businesses are already preparing to stay ahead of emerging risks, Chiemelie Ezeobi writes NOTE:

The Rise of AI and Smart Security Technology is reshaping the field faster than ever before. The World Security Report

How DSS Aborted Prof. Pat Utomi's ‘Shadow Cabinet’ through Court Instrumentality

When Professor Pat Utomi, renowned political economist and former presidential candidate, announced plans to establish a “shadow government” earlier this year, he likely envisioned a platform for civic engagement and policy critique. But what began as an intellectual exercise soon spiralled into a constitutional confrontation, as the Department of State Services (DSS) moved swiftly to challenge the legality of his idea in court. The ensuing legal battle not only tested the boundaries of free expression and political participation in Nigeria’s democracy but also reignited debate over where civic activism ends and subversion begins. Hence, in this report, Sunday Ehigiator provides insight on the issue

In every democracy, citizens are entitled to certain freedoms: the right to speak, to associate, and to participate in governance. But those rights, as sacred as they are, are not without limits.

When exercised beyond constitutional boundaries, they risk colliding with the state’s duty to preserve order. This tension came to life recently in Nigeria, when political economist and 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Professor Patrick Okedinachi Utomi, announced plans to establish what he called a “shadow government.”

To Utomi, it was a civic initiative designed to hold those in power accountable. To the Department of State Services (DSS), it was a dangerous overreach; an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognised by the Constitution. That disagreement would soon set the stage for one of the most talked-about legal showdowns of the year.

DSS Legal Action

In May 2025, the DSS, acting through its legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking it to determine whether Utomi’s proposed “shadow cabinet” was lawful.

The case, filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, named Utomi as the sole defendant. The security agency argued that the idea of a shadow government was alien to Nigeria’s presidential system and could threaten the country’s fragile stability.

According to the DSS, intelligence reports had revealed that Utomi not only announced the creation of a shadow cabinet but had also gone as far as assigning portfolios to some of his associates under a civic platform known as the Big Tent Association (BTA).

The agency contended that the move amounted to the creation of an unregistered and unrecognised political structure, and if allowed to persist, could incite political unrest or embolden separatist movements.

The DSS maintained that its action in court was not to silence dissent, but to seek judicial clarification on whether such conduct was constitutionally permissible or potentially subversive.

Utomi’s Defence

Utomi, in this instance a ‘Defendant’, in his defence, insisted that the project was misunderstood. He explained that the Big Tent Association was a legally registered organisation, whose purpose was to shadow policy activities and offer alternative policy perspectives, not to operate as an alternative government.

He argued that the initiative was well within his constitutional rights to freedom of expression, association, and participation in governance as guaranteed by Section 14 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The shadow cabinet, he maintained, was merely a tool for civic engagement and intellectual contribution, not an attempt to usurp power. He therefore urged the court to dismiss the DSS’s suit.

He equally stated that Section 14 of the Constitution allows the nation's citizens to

participate in government and that citizens have a right to express themselves as well as associate with others.

Utomi maintained that his actions constitute an usurpation of executive powers and that the shadow government did not constitute a threat to national security. He prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

Court’s Intervention

According to the Certificate True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, dated September 29, 2025, with the suit number, FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, as obtained by THISDAY, in determining the case, Justice James Omotosho formulated three issues for determination. They are: whether the plaintiff has disclosed a reasonable cause of action under the National Security Agencies (NSA) Act to activate the jurisdiction of the court; whether the formation or declaration of a shadow government or shadow cabinet is recognized under the country's Constitution, and whether the filing of the suit by the plaintiff violates or threatens to violate the fundamental rights of the defendant.

Addressing The First Issue

On the first issue, Justice Omotosho faulted the defendant's argument that his actions related to civic engagement and the formation of a shadow government, which has nothing to do with internal security. The judge held that the DSS, an agency saddled with the task of maintaining internal security in the country under

the NSA Act, was right to have sued to stop the actions of the defendant, which threaten national security.

Justice Omotosho held that the plaintiff's case “as presently couched, discloses a reasonable cause of action against the defendant.”

He added that the supporting facts show a link between the actions of the defendant and the internal security of Nigeria.

The judge said: "As stated earlier, a reasonable cause of action does not necessarily mean a suit which will succeed, but one which discloses facts upon which the court can proceed with the suit.

“Consequently, a reasonable cause of action has been disclosed against the defendant, and this court will assume jurisdiction over the suit.”

Addressing The Second Issue

In resolving the second issue, Justice Omotosho held that, as against the case in the parliamentary system of government, which recognises the idea of a shadow government, Nigeria operates a presidential system that has no provision for such an alternative arrangement.

The judge added that even if the country was practising the parliamentary system, Utomi and his associates were still not qualified to form a shadow government since they are not elected members of the parliament, who are in the opposition.

He noted that from the fact before the court, Utomi is alleged to have made

public declarations setting up a shadow government under the umbrella of a registered entity known as the Big Tent Association, an allegation that he (Utomi) admitted in his counter affidavit (one of the documents he filed in court).

The judge noted that there is no provision in the entirety of the Nigerian Constitution or any other statute which allows for a shadow government or a shadow cabinet.

The judge acknowledged the argument that the shadow government project was still in its planning stage, but held that if allowed to mature, Utomi and his associates' actions could lead to anarchy and a breakdown of law and order.

Justice Omotosho said: “This court takes the view that a reasonable man on the streets of Nigeria is more likely to see the shadow government as being an usurpation of executive powers.”

He said the case is even made worse by the fact that the strange idea of a shadow government in a presidential system is being promoted by a person who once contested an election for the office of the President of the country.

The judge added: “Allowing the defendant to establish a shadow government as of right could lead to the formation of several other shadow governments, because it would be the right of every Nigerian in a population above 230 million people, which could threaten the fragile cohesion of Nigeria.

“This could potentially lead to the formation of 230 million shadow governments, which could be replicated at the state level and the Local Government areas. No doubt, this would lead to anarchy, which this court will not allow.

“A group calling itself a shadow government is capable of inciting civil disobedience to constituted authority. I have carefully perused the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), and I do not see any part of it establishing a shadow government or similar government or granting every citizen the right to establish the same.

“I hold without hesitation that the idea or establishment of a shadow government or whatever name it is called is strange and an anathema to our Constitution and laws,” the judge said.

He further held that the use of the term, shadow government, was capable of misleading people into disobeying the laws of the land and engaging in civil disobedience.

The judge concluded on the issue by saying: “A shadow government cannot therefore be allowed free rein as it is capable of causing chaos in the country.”

Justice Omotosho added that the fact that the court found the shadow government idea unlawful did not take away the right of the defendant and his associates to criticise the government, but that they can only do that in manners recognised by the law.

t he Director General, Department of s tate s ecurity (D ss ), Mr. Oluwatosin a jayi

www.thisdaylive.com

opinion@thisdaylive.com

President Tinubu needs to do more to protect Nigerians, argues OLUDAYO TADE

CHARTING A NEW PATH

China-backed poultry project accelerates Kaduna's agribusiness vision, argues NICHOLAS BAKO

TIKTOK GETS A NEW DATE

December 16 is a fateful date for TIKTOK, writes SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE

“CHRISTIAN GENOCIDE”: THE SHOE WEARER’S

Eníkànlómò (the shoe wearer’s perspectives) is a concept that helps us to understand the lived experiences of a person or groups of persons who face recurrent unfavorable life events and feel(s) threatened that their existence may be obliterated if nothing is done to remedy the situation. It is often used when people query the lived experiences of victims of negative life events. In response to the doubters, victims will groan and say - eni-to-kanlomo (the person who wears the shoe knows where it pinches). This points to the fact that only those who are victims know what they suffered even if non-victims attempts to downplay their victimization experiences. There are arguments relating to the claim of Christian genocide in some predominantly Christian communities in Benue, Plateau, Southern Kaduna, and some communities in Taraba, Adamawa and Nasarawa which has led to the declaration of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by the United States of America.

In Benue State where my research team has done extensive research on the victimization experiences, thousands have been displaced from their ancestral homes and some have spent more than eight years in internally displaced persons’ camps. Their quest is to return home one day. They told our research team that they will only experience justice if and when they are able to return home. But in their absence, those who attacked them take over their lands and may even erect structures of their own religion to depict conquest and domination. The attackers have identity that is not hidden according to the victims – Fulani militants, Boko Haram or bandits. Most of the time when victims from these communities call for help, the response of the government is either condemnation of the attacks followed by an admonition that victims should learn to live in peace with their neighbors. They continue to suffer huge casualties and do mass burial. To the government, the insecurity and cries of victimization de-markets the administration as not doing enough. So, government pushes the narration that terrorists do not discriminate – true. They kill both Christians and Muslims but location matters. For instance, if ‘Islamist terrorists’ attack a largely Muslim dominated community in the north and commence their brand of sharia law, it will not be as problematic

PERSPECTIVES

as it would be if the attack happened in Southern Kaduna, Benue and other Christian communities if the terror group erect their symbols to replace symbols of Christianity.

The victims perceive such attacks as a grand plan to wipe them out in order to foist their (Islamic) religion on their people and take over their land. To them, the government does not have regard for their lives and considers them as disposables. The term, disposable emerged from Achille Mbembe’s “Necropolitics” (2003). Here, Mbembe argues that government and societies decide who is worth saving and who is left to die. When the life of a people is cut short, and their ancestral homes are taken over without government’s protection or arrest and prosecution of the invaders, the victims begin to consider themselves as ‘disposables’ and people of no significance to the government and the country. Then, they are forced to take the best approach to preserve themselves through the call for international assistance.

In his Sociological Imagination, American Sociologist, C. Wright Mills shows the importance of mobilization in transmuting personal problems to social issue and by extension, a topic deserving of public debate and public action. What the Christian communities and their advocates have done was to take their cries for justice and preservation beyond the seeming inaction of the Nigerian state to the international community. By doing so, they problematized their experiences with evidences of mass killings and burials.

The responsibility to protect lives and properties is on the Federal and State governments in Nigeria. The constitution does not say that the rich should be protected while the poor should be sacrificed to terrorists. But, this seems to be the trend. According to the 2025 report of the European Union Agency for Asylum, more than 100, 000

police officers in Nigeria were deployed to protect politicians and Very Important Persons. The estimated total personnel of the Nigeria police is about 371,800. The rest are to protect 200million Nigerians! Thanks to President Donald Trump’s threat, the Tinubu government seems to have woken up and become more accountable to the international community. But does sovereignty stop international interventions where government of a country is unwilling or unable to check mass murder? The principle of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) was adopted in 2005 during United Nations World Summit. R2P, according to International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty is “the idea that sovereign states have a responsibility to protect their own citizens from avoidable catastrophe – from mass murder and rape, from starvation – but that when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states”. With different forms of violence and insecurities facing Nigeria, has Nigeria with its federal security architecture demonstrated the responsibility to protect her citizens from banditry, terrorism, kidnapping, cattle rustling among others? Eni-to-kan-lo-mo!. Responsibility to protect rests on three pillars. One, it is the responsibility of a state to protect her citizens; two, the wider international community has the responsibility to encourage and assist individual states in meeting that responsibility; three, if a state is manifestly failing to protect its populations, the international community must be prepared to take appropriate collective action, in a timely and decisive manner and in accordance with the UN Charter. There are three responsibilities attached to R2P: responsibility to prevent (there must be political WILL to check transnational criminals from moving into Nigeria, poverty, unemployment and disarticulated youth population must be attended to. Roads must be saved from bandits and kidnappers); responsibility to react (States must respond swiftly not playing politics with the security of her people); and responsibility to rebuild (states must rebuild after every military intervention but at what cost to the national budget?)

Professor Tade, a criminologist writes via dotad2003@ yahoo.com

China-backed poultry project accelerates Kaduna's agribusiness vision, argues NICHOLAS BAKO

CHARTING A NEW PATH

Back to back, many good things have been happening in and to Kaduna State. Since the assumption of Senator Uba Sani as governor of Kaduna, it is as if a surge of blessings has been let out. The insecurity in that axis is becoming a thing of the past. The state government is investing in public goods and services like agriculture, schools, hospitals, housing, transportation and in particular, roads. New businesses in different fields like mining and agriculture and agro-processings, are coming to set up shop in Kaduna. Partnerships with different countries, foreign firms, agencies and local firms have also been struck by the state government. Sincerely, it has been a rollercoaster of multiple good news from Kaduna that one may seem like a perpetual praise singer. But, the truth is, that is the reality in Kaduna.

And the recent announcement that the state will host the pilot phase of the $450 million Nigeria–China Poultry Project, is without doubt a turning-point. The project is expected to span 10,000 hectares of maize and soybean cultivation, feed production, and a major poultry facility, creating an estimated 50,000 direct and more than 300,000 indirect jobs. In a country that grapples with food-security and youth unemployment, such a bold investment is a big deal. It signals how agriculture is indeed big business. And it is fascinating that construction is scheduled to begin in December.

“With agriculture contributing 43 per cent to our GDP and employing more than 60 per cent of our citizens, this partnership will accelerate our pursuit of higher productivity, sustainable growth, food security, and broad-based prosperity,” Sani said after recently meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, alongside officials of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP).

The governor also appreciated the federal government for pointing out Kaduna for a pilot. According to newspaper reports, the Nigeria-China Poultry Project will be executed through a Special Purpose Vehicle under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund, involving the Chinese Government and Kaduna State Government.

To appreciate the significance, one must first acknowledge how the Sani administration has positioned agriculture at the centre of Kaduna’s revival. Under his stewardship, the state is steadily mov-

ing farming from subsistence level to that of enterprise, industry and value chain. One recent commentary described his administration as having “married vision with partnership,” creating agro-industrial zones, quality assurance centres, and a dependable road infrastructure that links farm to market. Against the backdrop of insecurity and rural marginalisation that has haunted the northwest region for about a decade, this swing to agriculture is effectively shifting the narrative of the state as a risky hub to an opportunity for farmers.

The poultry initiative, backed by China and selected for Kaduna’s pilot status, is emblematic of this shift. By tying poultry production to feed crops such as maize and soybean, the model avoids the pitfall of value chains that stop at raw material. That alignment ensures that farmers can be integrated in producing eggs, poultry meat, and other by-products. This is a clear departure from fragmented agricultural policies of the past, where what was grown rarely found a market. Here, Nigeria–China partnership reinforces the idea that Kaduna should not only grow raw materials but host processing, employment, and export potential.

For over two years that he has been on the saddle, Sani's input in the agricultural sector has been sterling. His agricultural agenda shows up in efforts to bring finance, insurance, market access and infrastructure into the fold. For example, by opening up millions of bank accounts, extending agricultural insurance to smallholders, rehabilitating rural roads to reduce post-harvest losses, and building storage capacity to ensure harvests don’t spoil before markets are reached. These are not cosmetic interventions. They reflect a deep recognition that the major factors hampering agriculture are poor logistics, weak market linkages and bad policy coordination. The various interventions will provide a succour for young persons to take agriculture as a meaningful pathway to living and earning. And the poultry-agro model unfolding in Kaduna speaks to this very practical-grounded ambition.

It is also worth noting that choosing Kaduna for this pilot is a vote of confidence in the state’s stability, leadership and investment climate. In fact, the Chinese ambassador complimented the enabling environment in Kaduna, while the Director-General of the NCSP, Joseph Tegbe, commended the state for the swift allocation of over 7,000 hectares of land for the immediate take-off of the project. Talk about preparedness. Surely, that matters a lot. Over time and with different projects, Kaduna under Sani has made the case that it can deliver, that it can prepare land, infrastructure and governance frameworks conducive for large-scale investments. It should be recalled that based on its commitment to agriculture, both the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has respectively sited a Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) and Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) in Kaduna.

Bako writes from Kaduna

December 16 is a fateful date for TIKTOK, writes SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE

TIKTOK GETS A NEW DATE

After a series of flip-flops, Byte Dance, the owners of TikTok have a date with history on December 16, 2025, when a definite position is likely to take place on its status in the United States of America (USA). Threats of its potential ban began in 2020 during President Donald Trump's first coming.

With an Executive Order, then, Chinese owners of Byte Dance were threatened to either cede the platform to Americans or face a permanent ban.

The legislature and the judiciary had their input by insisting on the takeover by Americans or remaining banned. Since his second coming in January 2025, Trump has signed many Executive Orders on the subject matter, so that no one seems to know the end of the crisis.

On August 6, 2020, Trump signed Executive Order 13942, which directed the U.S. to prohibit transactions with ByteDance Ltd, (TikTok’s parent) under U.S. jurisdiction. Other related orders, including one for WeChat, were issued around the same time.

On June 9, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14034, which revoked the earlier Trump orders and replaced them with a broader review framework for apps tied to foreign adversaries. In Trump’s second coming in 2025, he issued a series of executive orders delaying the enforcement of a law (Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act) that would effectively ban TikTok if not divested. These include: Executive Order 14166 (Jan 20 2025), Executive Order 14258 (Apr 4 2025), Executive Order 14310 (June 19 2025), and Executive Order 14350 (Sept 16 2025) in that regard.

In all, there have been six executive orders to divest or ban TikTok under American jurisdiction. So the latest extension until December 16 follows a framework deal between the US and China that aims to have American companies majority-own the US operations. The law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok's US assets or face a ban was upheld by the Supreme Court and was originally set to go into effect in January 2025, but Trump issued executive orders to postpone enforcement to allow the divestiture process to be completed.

The ban's enforcement has been repeatedly delayed by the Trump administration through executive orders.

The framework deal reached with China will enable the US to collect a fee from this deal.

The agreement includes provisions for a new, American-majority board of directors and ensures that Americans' data will be stored in the US with no access for China, and this deal must be signed, and the sale must be completed for the ban to be permanently averted.

Curiously, the future of the app depends on whether this transaction is finalised by the new deadline or not. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed last week

that the US and China have finalised the details of a deal transferring TikTok’s US version to new owners.

“We reached a final deal on TikTok,” the agency report quoted Bessent, alluding to Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, meeting.

“We reached [a deal] in Madrid, and I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction.”

Trump and Xi met in South Korea last week during Trump’s Asia tour, but details are yet to emerge.

People familiar with the transaction say the deal is estimated to be valued at $14bn. The majority of US and international investors will own about 65% of the company, with ByteDance and Chinese investors owning less than a 20% stake.

Trump’s executive order hands oversight of the app’s algorithm to the new investors, including six out of seven seats on the board of directors.

Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as part of a fiveday tour of the continent, with an expected face-to-face meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea. All three branches, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary have been involved in the process of the divestiture or ban of TikTok in the USA. For instance, in passing the TikTok Ban/ Divestiture Law (2024–2025), Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in 2024 (with bipartisan support). The implication is that this law requires ByteDance (TikTok’s Chinese parent) to divest TikTok’s U.S. operations within a set time period (about 9–12 months), and failure to do so, the app would be banned in the United States and removed from app stores and web hosting.

The Congress provided the statutory authority that the executive branch had previously lacked.

The Congress was guided in response to national security and data privacy concerns that courts had said couldn’t be handled by executive orders alone (like Trump’s 2020 ban attempts).

Aragba-Akpore is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

ADDRESSING SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS

The states should pay adequate attention to basic education

Referencing the Universal Basic Education Commission 2024 report, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) President, Titus Amba, confirmed last week that there is a shortage of 194,876 teachers in public primary schools across the country, while the situation in the secondary education sub-sector is also dire. “Available statistics showed an alarming manpower crisis in primary and secondary schools, especially in the rural areas,” said Amba who decried the removal of the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) from the federal government’s budgetary allocation.

Over

Amba has merely echoed the former UBEC Executive Secretary, Hamid Bobboyi who once drew attention to the deficiencies in the country’s basic education sector. “It is worrisome to note that apart from the new retirement age (of 65) for teachers, which has been implemented by 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, other approvals made in 2020 are yet to be implemented,” according to Amba who expressed concern over policies that promote the privatisation of education in a manner that makes it more a business enterprise than a social problem that requires serious government intervention. “The well-being of educators is crucial to attract new ones and tackle the teacher shortage.”

47 million pupils currently

Available reports indicate that over 47 million pupils currently enrolled in 171,000 private and public primary and junior secondary schools across the country are taught by some 354,650 teachers, many of whom are unqualified. The problem is exacerbated by the non-recruitment of fresh teachers by many state governments. About 18 states have also not deemed it fit to recruit teachers in the last five years, even with about 20 per cent surge in classroom enrolments. Some of these states, according to the NUT are Abia, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kogi, Ogun, Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, and Zamfara. The result of

T H I S D AY

EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU

DEPUTY EDITOR WALE OLALEYE

MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU

CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA

GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU

DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE

DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI

SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI

CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI

DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO

TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

inadequate recruitment of teachers in the face of growing population of school children is aggravated teacher-pupil ratio, which has in turn led to overcrowded classrooms and reduced attention for individual pupils.

The situation is worse in many of the rural communities, especially in the North, where schools have no teachers, leaving the children to their own devices. Such is the neglect of public education at the most basic level that most of the available teachers are themselves near-illiterate. The immediate past governor of Kaduna, Nasir el-Rufai, once resorted to mass sacking of more than 21,000 teachers in the state’s primary education board on account of incompetence.

The lack of qualified teachers is accentuated in many rural communities by other unattractive learning environment. Classrooms are an essential commodity with the result that children study under trees. In the urban centres that have the luxury of being provided with classrooms, many of them are dilapidated with leaking roofs and cracked walls.

There is a consensus that the deplorable state of education in the country is traceable to the fact that politicians do not care about fixing the sector because they can afford to send their children to posh private schools. Many state governments have refused to take teachers’ professional development as a priority despite collecting 10 per cent of UBEC grants for such purposes. Many conveniently abandon the hefty sum from UBEC because of the 50 per cent matching grant that they are expected to provide for projects. Yet the provision of quality and affordable education is one of the sacred duties of government since they provide the needed human capital necessary for development.

We urge the states to reorder their priorities by paying more attention to primary education in terms of provision of basic infrastructure, teachers and teaching tools. But this is an emergency that should be addressed urgently by all critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s educational sector.

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.

WEST AFRICA’S EDUCATION CRISIS

Across West Africa, millions of children wake up every morning with no classroom to go to. Conflict, poverty, and poor governance have conspired to cripple the education system, threatening the region’s future. According to UNESCO, over 32 million school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa remain out of school, with Nigeria, Niger, and Burkina Faso among the worst-affected countries. This silent crisis, though less visible than wars or pandemics, could have the most devastating long-term consequences.

In Northern Nigeria alone, over 10 million children are out of school, many due to insecurity caused by insurgent groups. Boko Haram, whose name literally means “Western education is forbidden,” has destroyed hundreds of schools and displaced thousands of teachers. Even in areas free from conflict, poverty remains a barrier, as fam-

ilies struggle to afford books, uniforms, and school fees. For many children, hawking goods on the street becomes a more immediate means of survival than pursuing education.

The COVID-19 pandemic deepened these inequalities. When schools closed in 2020, online learning was a luxury only available to a privileged few. Rural students without electricity or internet were left behind, widening the digital divide. In many parts of West Africa, recovery has been slow, with some schools never reopening due to a lack of resources or teachers.

Gender disparity adds another layer to the crisis. Cultural norms in some communities still discourage girls from attending school, leading to early marriages and teenage pregnancies. UNICEF reports that in parts of Niger and Chad, less than 20 percent of girls complete

primary education. The exclusion of girls from education not only denies them personal growth but also weakens entire societies, as studies show that educated women contribute significantly to family health and national development.

The quality of education is equally concerning. Overcrowded classrooms, outdated curricula, and underpaid teachers characterize many public schools. In some rural areas, a single teacher handles multiple classes under a tree or in a dilapidated building. Such conditions produce graduates who are often ill-prepared for the job market, fueling unemployment and frustration among the youth.

Nerisa NaasonIs, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri

Kayode Tokede

On the back of the drive by insurance companies to meet the proposed minimum capital thresholds and hike in insurance service expenses, 15 listed insurance companies on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) declared N78.77 billion profit before tax in nine months of 2025, a decline of 45 per cent from N143.5 billion declared in nine months of 2024.

Also, the 15 companies posted N68.84 billion profit after tax during the period, about 45.9 per cent drop from

N127.31billion in nine months of 2024.

Out of the 15 insurance companies, AIICO Insurance Plc, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc, NEM Insurance Plc, and Universal Insurance Plc posted growth in profit before tax during the period.

Specifically, AIICO Insurance declared N15.25 billion profit before tax in nine months of 2025, about 10.7 per cent increase over N13.78 billion in 2024, while Veritas Kapital Assurance posted a profit before tax of N4.88 billion, an increase of 64 per cent from N2.98 billion in 2024.

NEM Insurance announced N23.77 billion profit before tax, up by 52 per cent from N15.71 billion in 2024 while Universal Insurance reported N1.13 billion profit before tax in nine months of 2025, a significant increase of 87.3 per cent from N602.98 million in nine months of 2024.

LASACO Assurance Plc was the only company that declared a loss of N404.22million in nine months of 2025 from N2.27 billion reported in 2024.

The rising cost pressure, particularly from insurance service expenses and

reinsurance costs impacted on LASACO Assurance profit generation in the period under review.

The three major players in the insurance sector, AXA Mansard Insurance, Consolidated Hallmark Holdings, and Cornerstone Insurance, declared decline in profit before tax in nine months of 2025.

For instance, AXA Mansard Insurance announced N6.1 billion profit before tax during the period under consideration, about 82.3 per cent drop from N34.48 billion recorded in 2024, while

Cornerstone Insurance posted N8.32 billion profit before tax, a decline of 68.7 per cent from N26.59 billion reported in nine months of 2024.

In addition, Cornerstone Insurance disclosed a profit before tax of N8.3 billion, a drop of 68.73 per cent from N26.59 billion declared in nine months of 2024.

Despite challenges posed by the macroeconomic environment, THISDAY can report that, the 15 insurance companies generated N605.46 billion insurance revenue in nine months of 2025, representing an increase of

34 per cent over N451.33 billion reported in 2024. AXA Mansard Insurance led the chart as the highest listed insurance company with insurance revenue , followed by NEM Insurance.

As AXA Mansard Insurance declared N120.53 billion insurance revenue 2025, about 23 per cent growth from N98.24 billion in 2024, NEM Insurance saw its insurance revenue at N107.44 billion, representingg an increase of 55 per cent from N69.5 billion in 2024.

Nume Ekeghe

Nigeria’s foreign exchange market witnessed a sharp recovery in October, with total inflows rising by 62.2 per cent month on month to $5.15 billion, the highest level in five months, underscoring a gradual return of investor confidence and improved liquidity conditions.

Fresh data from FMDQ Exchange showed that the increase was driven largely by stronger participation from both foreign and domestic investors, supported by improving market

sentiment and a more stable macroeconomic backdrop.

Foreign inflows accounted for 64.5 per cent of total transactions, climbing 89.7 per cent to $3.32 billion in October, September $1.75 billion. The rebound was led by a sharp recovery in foreign portfolio investment (FPI) inflows, which grew 120.7 per cent month on month, alongside higher receipts from the other corporate segment +30.5 per cent. These gains helped offset a 25.5 per cent decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows during the

period.

Domestic inflows, which made up the remaining 35.5 per cent, expanded by 28.4 per cent, supported by a notable rise in individual contributions 370.6 per cent and higher flows from other corporates 30.8 per cent and exporters 7.2 per cent. This came despite a sharp drop in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) inflows, which fell 59.6 per cent month on month.

Analysts at Cordros securities in a report noted that the figures point to a measured return of offshore

participation in Nigeria’s FX market following months of volatility and policy uncertainty.

The improvement, they said, also coincides with a global shift towards monetary policy easing, which has revived appetite for higher-yielding frontier market assets.

They state: “Looking ahead, we expect total foreign exchange inflows from both domestic and foreign sources to remain robust, surpassing the 2024 average level $2.51 billion), driven by sustained market

confidence and still-attractive carry-trade opportunities.

“According to data from the Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) Report of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), total transactions in the local bourse surged by 78.5 per cent m/m to N1.62 trillion in September, August: N908.38 billion. The upswing reflected increased participation from both domestic, 76.1 per cent of total transactions and foreign 23.9 per cent investors. A closer look at the breakdown shows that domestic investors’

inflows rose markedly by 67.5 per cent m/m to N1.23 trillion, August, N736.60 billion, driven primarily by a 143.1 per cent m/m surge in institutional transactions, reflecting large block trades, which more than offset the decline in retail activity -18.9 per cen m/m).

“Similarly, foreign inflows increased by 125.6 per cent m/m to N387.62 billion, August: N171.80 billion, buoyed by moderating fixed income yields and improving market sentiment, which

Kayode Tokede

Stakeholders at the Nigeria Renewable Energy Innovation Forum (NREIF) have called for stronger collaboration, innovation, and targeted investment to accelerate Nigeria’s transition toward renewable energy and sustainable power access for all.

Speaking at the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima underscored

the importance of private sector participation in driving the nation’s energy transition. He urged stakeholders to adopt the “Nigeria First” policy by prioritising local content development and investments that promote homegrown renewable energy solutions.

“We are improving local manufacturing incentives, refining regulatory frameworks, and enhancing

Genus, one of Nigeria’s most respected names in power solutions, has introduced its latest range of high-performance solar inverters and lithium-ion battery systems, distributed in Nigeria by Simba Industries. The introduction marks a major step forward in providing reliable, efficient, and future-ready energy solutions for Nigerian homes and businesses.

Built on years of engineering expertise, the new Genus range combines faster charging, longer battery life, and greater energy efficiency with a compact, modern design. The new series achieves a full charge in

just 3 to 4 hours, nearly three times faster than traditional alternatives, offering both performance and convenience for today’s power-conscious users.

Speaking on the introduction, Sandeep Sharma, spokesperson for Simba Industries, said:

“The new Genus range has been developed to meet the practical needs of Nigerian consumers – delivering dependable performance, durability, and energy savings. These systems are engineered for high load capacity, quick recharge times, and long service life, while also reducing overall operating costs.

collaboration with state governments and investors to help de-risk private capital and accelerate the growth of a sustainable renewable energy market,” the Vice President stated.

Reinforcing this point,

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command, has intercepted cocaine shipment valued at N29.4 billion.

Comptroller Joe Anani, Customs Area Controller of PTML Command, disclosed this during a press conference at the Command headquarters in Lagos.

According to Anani, the

REA’s Managing Director and CEO, Abba Aliyu noted that Africa should not be overlooked in global energy transition discussions. He stressed that Nigeria’s abundant renewable resources, particularly

interception followed a report from the PTML terminal operator, who discovered suspicious packages in one of the 39 empty containers meant for export loading.

The 1x20ft container with number GCNU1332851, brought in from Freetown, Sierra Leone, was flagged during a routine disinfection exercise on October 7, 2025.

“The terminal operator

solar, must translate into tangible industrial and economic gains.

“Africa has nearly 60 per cent of the world’s best solar resources but attracts less than three per cent of global renewable energy investment. The task ahead is clear: we must transform this advantage into a competitive edge by building industries, fostering innovation, and creating local value,” he said.

alerted the Command immediately, and a joint examination was conducted alongside officers of the NDLEA, Department of State Services (DSS), Police Anti-Bomb Squad, and other agencies,” Anani said.

He explained that 50 packages containing 20 parcels each were uncovered during the inspection.

Rapid tests confirmed

the contents as cocaine, weighing a total of 1,000 kilograms (one tonne), with a duty paid value (DPV) of N29,403,738,000.

“It is important to note that this container did not arrive Nigeria as an import consignment. It was part of a batch of empty containers brought in by the terminal operator for export purposes,” he emphasised.

Laddar Strengthens Sales Technology Built for African Business Realities

Nume Ekeghe

Laddar. Africa, a sales technology company, continues to deepen its impact across Africa by providing digital infrastructure that improves sales efficiency and last-mile market reach for businesses operating in complex, offlinedriven environments.

The company’s technology addresses long-standing

inefficiencies in field operations, particularly the challenges of tracking performance, managing distributed teams, and ensuring transparency in agent payouts. Its integrated platform combines data, field intelligence, and automation to give organisations end-toend visibility over their sales activities.

Speaking on the company’s

vision, Chief Executive Officer, Kelechi Ekeghe, said Laddar. Africa was built to reflect the realities of African commerce, where personal relationships, physical interactions, and informal distribution remain central to how products and services reach consumers.

Chief Executive Officer Laddar.Africa, Kelechi Ekeghe said: “Our mission is to bridge the gap between

digital tools and real-world sales.We’re building systems that reflect how Africa actually sells, through people, relationships, and on-the-ground execution.” Through its platform, companies can recruit and train sales agents digitally, monitor customer acquisition and agent performance in real time, and automate commission payments.

BIC Cristal Emerges Ballpoint Pen of the Year

Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc, in partnership with K-Cool Automobile Garage and Academy, recently educated Abuja residents on car maintenance and road safety awareness.

The underwriting firm carried out the exercise under its “Car Lovers Connect” initiative.

The event, which followed the highly successful Lagos edition held in August, drew a diverse community of car enthusiasts, drivers, and families who came together to learn, engage, and share insights on car maintenance and road safety.

Through the initiative,

Veritas Kapital said it had continued to champion a safety-first culture, underscoring its commitment to creating real social impact beyond the boardroom and beyond insurance.

Speaking at the Abuja edition of the exercise, Regional Head (North), Veritas Assurance, Mr. Abayomi Ayibosi noted that the exercise was part of the underwriting firm’s social responsibility initiative.

He said the company’s drive to extend the program to the nation’s capital stems from its deep sense of responsibility towards community well-being and accident prevention.

BIC Cristal Pen, was awarded the Iconic Ball Point Pen of the Year at the 2025 Brandcom Awards, held at Landmark Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos. The award spotlights BIC’s enduring legacy, widespread relevance, and consistent brand leadership in the period under review

(2024-2025).

Commenting on the occasion, Anthony Amahwe, Managing Director, BIC, stated: “We are deeply honored to receive this award. For 75 years, the BIC Cristal Pen has been more than a writing instrument, it has been a significant part of people’s lives, serving

as a trusted partner for learning and evolution. This recognition is a reminder of the trust our consumers have placed in us for decades, and we remain focused on continuing the legacy of the BIC Cristal Pen.”

Since its invention in 1950, the BIC Cristal Pen

has remained one of the world’s most widely used writing instruments, renowned for its durability, precision, and affordability. Its transparent design, smooth ink flow, and dependable performance have made it a trusted companion in classrooms, offices, and creative spaces.

Firm Celebrates Ezeibe as NCRIB’s 23rd President

Ebere Nwoji

Prudential Zenith Life Insurance, one of the licensed insurance firms said it has joined key stakeholders in insurance industry to celebrate Mrs. Ekeoma Ezeibe as the 23rd President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers. Ezeibe recently emerged the president of NCRIB which

is umbrella body of all the insurance brokers in Nigeria. By occupying the position, she has become third female president of the brokers’ body.

At her investiture recently in Lagos, the NCRIB, said the ceremony marked a significant milestone in its history, symbolising a leadership transition and a renewed commitment to professionalism, innovation,

and inclusivity within Nigeria’s insurance brokerage landscape.

The company’s Managing Director, Funmilayo Omo, said the company’s sponsorship of the event reflected its shared vision with the NCRIB to foster trust, excellence, and collaboration among industry players for the benefit of clients and communities nationwide.

Omo, commended Ezeibe on her remarkable achievement saying “We celebrate Mrs. Ezeibe for her inspiring leadership and unwavering dedication to strengthening the brokerage profession. At Prudential Zenith Life, we believe that partnerships with institutions like the NCRIB are vital in driving innovation, deepening insurance penetration.

Ebere Nwoji

The Rise of Insurance Sector

Insurance sector, going by its performance in the past three years is heading towards occupying its pride of place in the financial services sector of the economy, writes

The insurance sector is one of the sectors of the economy that has maintained trajectory growth despite economic headwinds plaguing Nigerian businesses. A critical look at the performance of the sector in the past three years shows that it has maintained a fast growth in every area of its activities.

The overall growth picture portrayed by the sector is chronicled in its annual premium income which has maintained steady growth by highe margins.

The year 2023 is remarkable in the growth history of the sector as in that year,the sector realised its tall dream of transformation from billion Naira premium income market to a trillion naira market thus meeting the target set for the industry operators by the regulator, the National Insurance Commission(NAICOM) in 2009 through its Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI).

MDRI

NAICOM had in an earnest search for an initiative that will unveil the Nigerian insurance industry to the world for patronage and investment opportunities, launched the MDRI initiative.

It was a medium term plan of the commission targeted at driving insurance penetration in Nigeria.

It’s main objective was among other things to transform the insurance market from N164 billion annual premium income to N1trillion premium market between the year 2009 and 2012.

But this was not achieved until 2023 when it was realised to the jubilation of all and Sundry in the industry.

In that same year, the sector’s premium crossed the billion margin to hit N1.003 trillion for the first time.What this means is that it took the sector operators 14 years to meet this all important target set by the regulator.

Since then the sector has maintained a steady high margin growth. In Q1 2024, premium grew by 51 per cent from N311 billion in Q1 2023 to N470.7 billion in Q1 2024.

In second quarter 2024, the sector grew its gross premium from N551.4 billion in Q1 2023 to N813.1 billion.

The sector’s total premium for 2024 stood at N1.562 trillion showing 56 per cent growth from the 2023 figure.

In Q1, 2025 the industry premium stood at N769.2 billion showing N63.4 per cent year-on-year growth. In Q2 2025, the sector recorded N1.21trillion premium a 49.3 per cent increase from the figure it recorded in

the corresponding period in 2024.

These results were contained in the Bulletin -of -the - InsuranceMarket Performance published by NAICOM.

The Break Down

A breakdown of the sector’s performance showed that major growth drivers in the non-life segment of the market were oil & gas and fire insurances, which contributed 27.3 per cent and 24.1 per cent respectively. Motor insurance contributed N114.8 billion, general accident generated N59.1 billion, marine N69.1 billion .

Net motor insurance premium stood at N100.3 billion, fire N75.3 billion, general accident 39.0 billion marine 33.5 while oil and gas stood at N54.6 billion . In terms of market performance percentages, motor insurance polled 66.5 per cent, fire polled 46.9 per cent, general accident 6.7 per cent, marine 30.9 per cent oil and gas 25.5 per cent.

Highlighting claims settlement for the period, NAICOM said, life business recorded about 95 per cent of net claims to the total recorded claims during the year while the market average stood at about 71.4 per cent of the N536.5 billion gross claims reported at the close of fourth quarter, 2023.

The commission further noted that in a direct reflection to its “no-premium no-cover” policy, outstanding premium continued to decline, as the industry posted just 1.6 per cent outstanding of all the premiums generated in the market during the period.

It further said within the period under review, total assets of the sector stood at about N2.67 trillion while capitalisation stood at N851 billion in 2023.

Giving a breakdown of claims payment by various classes, the commission said motor insurance class paid gross claims of N32.1 billion and net claims of N31 billion, fire insurance class paid gross claims of N61.5 billion and net claims of N41.3 billion, general accident paid gross claims of N22.3 billion and net claims of 17.0 billion, marine class had a gross claims of N16.9 billion and net claims of 12.0 billion while oil and gas class had gross claims of N157.1 billion and net

of N54.6 billion.

In terms of market size and market capitalisation, NAICOM said non -life had N1.669 billion assets, life had N1billion bringing the market aggregate to N2.673 billion.

2024 Key Growth Drivers

In 2024, industry operators and analysts said the key growth drivers of the sector in 2024 included digital transformation and technological adoption, which improved accessibility and efficiency.

Others, they said, are regulatory changes like stricter solvency requirements and new laws that boosted confidence and macroeconomic factors, particularly the depreciation of the naira, which inflated foreign currency-denominated premiums. “Additionally, increased public awareness, improved claims payment processes, and a focus on non-life products like fire and oil and gas insurance contributed to the sector’s expansion,” the analysts said.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Energy Editors Hail Dangote Refinery’s Expansion Drive, Frets over Crude Oil Feedstock Sourcing

Ejiofor Alike

The Society of Energy Editors (SEE) has hailed the audacious plan by the Dangote Refinery to more than double the capacity of its landmark refinery to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2028.

In a new report titled: “Dangote’s Ambition and NNPC’s Paralysis: A Tale of Two Refineries and Nigeria’s Energy Future,” SEE declared that the plan will cement Dangote Refinery’s status as the largest single-site refinery in the world.

The report added that the expansion plan will also represent a monumental leap for Nigeria’s long-held dream of energy self-sufficiency and export dominance.

“We hail the immense patriotism and investment drive demonstrated by Aliko Dangote and his Group. In

a climate often characterized by investor trepidation, this commitment of billions of dollars is a powerful vote of confidence in the Nigerian economy and its industrial potential,” SEE wrote in the report.

According to the report, the operationalisation of the first phase of the refinery has already begun to alter the dynamics of the downstream sector, adding that the planned expansion signals an ambition that aligns with the nation’s economic aspirations.

The report however raised what it described as the single most critical question about the expansion plan, which is sourcing crude oil feedstock. It noted that even at its current capacity of 650,000 bpd, the refinery has had to resort to importing crude oil from other countries,

including the United States, to make up for domestic supply shortfalls.

“This paradox—a Nigerian refinery importing crude—is a stark indictment of our upstream oil and gas sector’s inability to meet local demand. If this is the challenge at 650,000 bpd, the question becomes existential at 1.4 million bpd,” the report said.

“Therefore, we pose the following critical questions to the Dangote Group: What specific, long-term crude supply strategy is in place to feed this colossal expansion? Are we to expect a permanent reliance on imported crude, which exposes the refinery to foreign exchange volatility and geopolitical risks? What partnerships or upstream acquisitions are being pursued to secure equity production and insulate the refinery from the vagaries of the domestic crude allocation system?”

Udeme Ufot to Speak on “Destination Branding”at Advertising Conference

The Group Managing Director of SO&U, Udeme Ufot, will speak on “Destination Branding” at the forthcoming National Advertising Conference organized by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

This year’s conference, themed, “Marketing Communications: Transforming Businesses and Creating Growth in Challenging Times,” will bring together thought leaders, policymakers, and

professionals from across the marketing, advertising, and communications sectors. The gathering aims to foster meaningful dialogue on how creativity, innovation, and strategic communication can stimulate business growth and drive industry transformation in a rapidly changing economic environment.

In his presentation, Ufot will explore the concept of destination branding as a powerful strategic tool for positioning, perception

management, and socioeconomic advancement.

He brings extensive experience in destination branding initiatives, with SO&U playing a key role in projects such as Destination Cross River for the Cross River State Government and the Dakkada Initiative in Akwa Ibom State, which later evolved into the Arise Agenda. These projects stand as notable examples of how branding can be used as a force for unity, identity, and socio-economic progress.

Winners Emerge at Insurance Industry Award Nite

Ebere Nwoji

Organisers of the 2025 Almond Insurance Industry Awards tagged, “Recharged Edition”, has announced winners at the event recently held in Lagos,with NEM Insurance Plc emerging winner of the General Insurance Company of the Award.

AXA Mansard clinched Life Insurance Company of the year Award while Casava Micro Insurance

emerged winner of Micro Insurance category. SCIB Nig & Co, won Insurance Broking Company of the year.

The most Coveted Award of the Nite, Insurance CEO of the Year went to Mr.Kunle Ahmed, MD/CEO, Axa Mansard Insurance Plc. Ahmed who is also the Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has brought a lot of dynamism to Axa Mansard Insurance Plc.

The keenly contested Awards this year recorded over 17000 votes from stakeholders within and outside the insurance industry.

Some of the criteria used to judge winners this year were financial strength of companies in terms of assets and shareholders fund, gross premium income, claims payment/ speed, corporate social responsibility among others for the companies.

Leadway Pensure PFA Celebrates 20 Years Anniversary

Leadway Pensure PFA, one of the licensed Pension Fund Administrators in Nigeria, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary saying it marked two decades of trust, exceptional service delivery and value creation in its mission to protect the financial wellness of Nigerian workers.

Managing Director of the company, Olusakin

Labeodan, said over the last 20 years, the PFA had served thousands of customers across Nigeria and beyond, standing as a clear testament to its commitment to providing financial stability at various stages of workers’ career journeys.

“As we celebrate 20 years of Leadway Pensure PFA, this milestone is more than a celebration of longevity, it is a

tribute to trust, service and innovation. From the very beginning, our mission has been very clear, to deliver a pension system without barriers. Over two decades, we have transformed this vision into reality by simplifying pension access, embracing cuttingedge technology, and ensuring our services are always within reach,” she stated.

Saharan Blend (Algeria), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi

(Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic

Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

Ellah Lakes Targets Dividend Pay-out by 2026, Floats N235bn Offer

Kayode Tokede

The management of Ellah Lakes Plc, yesterday expressed determination to reward shareholders with dividend pay out by 2026 as the agroindustrial enterprise, is raising N235 billion from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX). This was disclosed by

Chief Executive Officer, Ellah Lakes, Mr. Chuka Mordi at the company’s “Facts Behind the Offer” presentation at NGX in Lagos.

Nigeria’s pioneering integrated agro-industrial enterprise, is raising N235 billion through the issuance of 18.8 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N12.50 per share. The Offer, led by

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) as Lead Issuing House, opened on Monday, November 10, 2025, and will close on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Mordi at the event said, “Given to the nature of our transaction and where we are after the last five years, from where we expected to be 2026, I think we can make a commitment to shareholders

that we intend to start paying dividend by next year.”

On the offer, he said, “This Offer for Subscription is not just about raising capital, it is about unlocking the next chapter of Ellah Lakes’ growth story. At an offer price of N12.50 per share, this capital raise reflects the intrinsic value of our scaled, integrated platform.

“We are inviting investors to capitalise on a clear trajectory of growth, one that is built on over 30,000 hectares of resilient, diversified assets and robust processing capacity.

“The N235 billion equity expansion represents a capital phase that will transition Ellah Lakes from foundation building to full-scale market expansion, delivering

sustainable profitability, returns on investment and advancing Nigeria’s food security and rural prosperity agenda.”

He added that the company by 2030 targets a revenue of N200billion with a strong dividends payment with flexibility to re-invest in the business, fund growth and pay down debt.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOFNOVEMBER/11/25

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA:

Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 10 November 2025, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price:

Education

Beyond Grades: How Chrisland’s Culture of Excellence Produced a World Topper

Built on a foundation of discipline, faith, and mentorship, Chrisland school continues to nurture world-class achievers like 16-year-old naomi Olayinka, whose ‘Top in the World’ honour in the 2024 Cambridge IGCse examinations reaffirms the school’s culture of intentional excellence. Funmi Ogundare reports

When Miss Naomi Olayinka, 16, of Chrisland High School, Ikeja, was announced as the ‘Top in the World’ in English as a Second Language in the 2024 Cambridge IGCSE examinations, she was momentarily speechless. For a teenager who had spent countless evenings revising essays and poring over novels, the moment felt unreal, but not undeserved.

She told journalists, “I was completely speechless at first, but when it finally sank in, I was just grateful to God, my teachers, and my parents. It showed me that hard work truly pays off.”

Olayinka’s victory is not an isolated triumph. It continues a proud tradition at Chrisland Schools, one that saw Mmesomachukwu Okonkwo of the school’s VGC campus clinch the same global title in 2023. Her achievement reaffirms the school’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s most consistent producers of high-achieving students on both national and international stages.

Behind the title lies a story of discipline and quiet determination. Olayinka described her study routine as consistent but balanced.

She dedicated her time daily to reading, writing essays, and tackling past question papers while expanding her vocabulary through novels and newspapers.

“There were times I felt overwhelmed, but I learned to take things one step at a time,” Olayinka. “My parents and teachers encouraged me constantly, and prayer gave me strength

when I felt tired or unsure.”

As the assembly prefect of her set, Olayinka also had to juggle leadership responsibilities with academics, a balance she said taught her discipline and time management.

“Being a prefect helped me stay organised. I learned that leadership is about serving others, and that discipline makes both leadership and learning possible. They prayed with me, reminded me to rest, and believed

in me even when I doubted myself,” she said.

Olayinka, who aspires to become a lawyer, hopes to use her voice for justice and community building. For her, being at the top in the world is both an honour and a responsibility, a reminder that excellence is possible when faith meets effort.

“Don’t compare yourself to others, stay consistent, listen to your teachers, and never underestimate the power of hard work and prayer,” she said.

Mrs Ayoola Akinyeye, Director of Schools

at Chrisland Schools Limited, described Olayinka’s achievement as one that reflects a system, not a stroke of luck.

“At Chrisland, excellence is not an exception; it’s our default. While ‘Top in the World’ has room for only one, our record of outstanding results each year shows that sustained excellence across large numbers is our true distinction,” she said.

Akinyeye attributed the success to a blend of rigorous academics, passionate teachers, and a value-driven culture that prioritises curiosity, confidence, and disciplined effort.

“We have a mentoring system we call the teacher-parenting scheme. It helps every learner set high standards, believe in their potential, and take ownership of their growth. Achievement here is not accidental; it’s built daily through reflection, feedback, and perseverance.”

She advised young achievers to “remain humble, stay curious, and keep growing. You carry the hopes of younger ones who now believe more is possible because of you.”

Dr Olajide Onigbogi, Executive Head of Schools (Communications) and Regional Head for Abuja and VGC campuses, describes Chrisland’s success as intentional excellence.

“It’s the product of discipline, professionalism, and love for learning woven into the fabric of our system,” he said.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Wema Bank Presents Prizes Worth Over N4.5m to Top 5 Teachers from Wema at 80 Teachers Day Campaign

Wema Bank has announced and celebrated the winners of its 2025 Wema At 80 Teachers Day Campaign on October 31, 2025.

The event, themed ‘Celebrating Teachers with a Legacy of Impact’, was an initiative that recognised and rewarded educators whose influence has shaped generations of students. The award ceremony, held at the bank’s headquarters in Marina, Lagos, officially announced and rewarded the top five teachers for their exceptional contributions to education in Nigeria.

Speaking on the campaign, Moruf Oseni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, said that teachers remain the unsung

heroes behind every great achievement, and their dedication to nurturing minds and shaping the next generation is what builds strong nations.

“Today, we are honoured to celebrate our educators. The teachers who have impacted lives. We celebrate their resilience and dedication, especially as we mark 80 years of empowering communities and driving positive impact,” said Oseni. “The Wema Bank Teachers Day Campaign is one of the initiatives that we have used to invest in the education sector at large.”

Abraham Ngobiri, the overall winner

and founder of Teens-Train, who has used his platform to impact social change through coaching, mentoring, and counselling teens, saw the recognition as fuel to do more.

He thanked the bank and his students, saying that it felt good to see teachers celebrated and rewarded by those they have taught.

“For many years, teachers have given their all quietly, and what Wema Bank has done today makes us feel seen and valued,” he said. “This recognition fuels our commitment to keep shaping lives.”

Mrs Esther Babasola Adesada, the second-place winner and founder of Heritage X Foundation,

described the recognition as “a huge motivation and a pick-me-up in a year where I was battling self-doubt in my calling”.

“It’s a pointer that no matter the difficulty faced in doing your part, you should keep doing it,” added Adesada. “The children and even the world are observing, and it will come back to you beautifully one day.”

Taiwo Alabi, the founder of Educycle, who came third, stated, “to be recognised on this platform means a lot, not just for me but for every teacher who wakes up daily to inspire the next generation. Thank you, Wema Bank, for leading this movement.”

Former UNIMED VC Becomes First African to Win Global Adolescent Health Award

Funmi Ogundare

Prof. Adesegun Fatusi, the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, has made history as the first African recipient of the prestigious Founders Award from the International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH).

The global honour was recently announced at the 13th World Congress on Adolescent Health,

a quadrennial gathering of experts and policymakers dedicated to improving the well-being of young people worldwide.

The IAAH Founders Award, regarded as one of the highest recognitions in the field of adolescent health, celebrates individuals who have made outstanding and lasting contributions to the field of adolescent health. Fatusi was among four global recipients honoured this year.

Fatusi, a professor of Community Medicine and Public Health advocate, was recognised for his pioneering work in adolescent health promotion in Nigeria and beyond. His leadership dates back to 1999, when he spearheaded the development of Nigeria’s first National Training Manual on Adolescent Health. He also founded the Society for Adolescent and Young People’s Health in Nigeria (SAYPHIN), which has impacted thousands of young Nigerians.

Additionally, he has chaired the National Technical Working Group on Adolescent Health and Development for over a decade, providing guidance on national policy formulation and implementation in the sector.

Congratulating Fatusi, the current Vice-Chancellor of UNIMED, Prof. Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, described the award as a well-deserved honour and a testament to his lifelong commitment to youth development and excellence.

Chartered Accountant Launches Handbook on Navigating Nigeria’s New Tax Era

Nnaike

Uchechukwu

A Chartered Accountant, Oladimeji Oke, has launched the second edition of his acclaimed publication, ‘The Complete SME Guide’, a manual designed to help Nigerian entrepreneurs and corporate professionals to understand and adapt to the country’s new tax and financial reporting landscape.

The book was launched during the 2025 Business Financial Conference, themed ‘Bridging Bridges - the power of collaboration’ and hosted by Xtrathinktank Solutions, in partnership with Arry Properties Limited, in Lagos.

In his remarks, Oke said that the book, alongside the hosting of the event, was part of his commitment to “give back to society” by simplifying financial knowledge for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The book, which Oke said explains among other things, the 2026 Finance Tax Act and its implications for businesses, was unveiled by an entrepreneur, Wisdom Ezekiel, who contributed ₦500,000 towards the launch, and urged business owners to “cultivate the habit of reading

books and reviewing them with their staff intentionally.”

In his paper titled ‘The VUCA Economy’, Oke described today’s business climate as volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous, urging entrepreneurs to focus on intentional collaboration as the key to navigating disruption.

“Wise entrepreneurs build bridges through intentional collaboration because that is the surest way to the top,” he said.

“The environment demands you react quickly to ongoing changes that are unpredictable and out of your control. There is always an unpredicted outcome because the environment

is unclear, conflicting, and unfamiliar. This complexity is why the only thing that can help you in our society is collaboration.”

The event also attracted notable industry figures, including Sunday Olorunsheyi, Niyi Adesanya, Prudent Okopi, Oseni Olalekan, and Tope Mark-Odigie, who each spoke on the power of collaboration and financial intelligence for business growth.

In his keynote, Olorunsheyi stressed that “collaboration is not a strategy, it is a survival skill.” Adesanya described collaboration as a strategic necessity, saying that “nobody gets to the top; everybody is brought to the top.”

Naomi Olayinka of Chrisland High School Ikeja, receiving the British Council Outstanding Cambridge Learners Award after emerging Top in the World in English as a Second Language (Speaking Endorsement) at the 2024 Cambridge IGCSE

SOStainability Week ly

Edited by Oke

Washing and hushing

COP30: Why Nigeria Must Match Ambition with Accountability

Nigeria is showing up big at COP30, the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit holding in Belém, Brazil. Led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Nigeria announced the submission of its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a defining step that marks its most ambitious climate commitment yet.

This follows other major policy advances, including the launch of the National Carbon Market Framework and the Climate Change Fund, both designed to attract investment and finance low-carbon growth. Taken together, these developments project an image of a country eager to lead Africa’s transition toward a greener future.

While these are very commendable steps, we must also ask a more important question: are these commitments grounded in the inclusive participation, transparency, and institutional discipline that the Climate Change Act demands? Nigeria has never lacked ambition; what has often been missing is consistent implementation and accountability. True climate leadership is not measured by what is announced on global stages but by the credibility of the systems that sustain those promises at home.

The Law We Have, the Practice We Lack

The Climate Change Act was enacted to end ad-hoc policymaking and to create a coordinated structure for climate governance in Nigeria. It mandates that the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) publish a public-engagement strategy and subject draft climate plans to open and extensive consultation before approval. The goal is to ensure policy reflects broad expertise across government, industry, academia, and civil society, rather than remaining a bureaucratic exercise.

To its credit, the development of NDC 3.0 reflected a marked improvement. Multiple workshops and validation meetings were held nationwide, involving ministries, private-sector leaders, youth, women, and state representatives. Some observers remarked that the process was more inclusive than previous NDC cycles, though others noted that the real test lies in implementation and financing. The National Carbon Market Framework likewise benefited from stakeholder input. Between 2024 and 2025, the NCCC and its partners, including the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre for West and Central Africa, convened a series of consultations on market design, carbon tax options, and revenue governance. These engagements culminated in the Framework’s official adoption.

That said, the record of consultation is far from being complete. Draft documents and feedback summaries need to be readily available to the public in machine-readable format; civil society participation outside the formal workshops appears limited; and the Climate Change Fund has no published operational guidelines (at least available online as of press time). The Act envisions consultation as a continuous process, not a one-off event. Until transparency and follow-through become routine, policy risks being perceived as elite-driven rather than nationally owned.

Between Leadership and Legitimacy Nigeria’s COP30 performance appears ambitious and rhetorically confident. The pledge to cut emissions by 32 percent by 2035 and the long-term goal of net-zero signal intent to lead Africa’s climate transition. But leadership is earned through systems, not slogans. The Climate Change Act is meant to build those systems, coordinated reporting, carbon budgeting, and cross-sector monitoring, yet implementation remains uneven.

Some subnational governments echo this concern. As Kano State’s Director of Climate Change, Dr Umar Saleh Anka observed in August, validation exercises have too often been tokenistic, with state-level inputs lost in final documents. He warned that national targets cannot succeed without systems that empower states to measure, report, and verify progress. That perspective captures the gap between consultation and ownership, between being heard and being integrated. Legitimacy in climate governance is not a technicality; it is a trust issue. Stakeholders must see their contributions reflected

in policy outcomes, and citizens must believe that the institutions responsible for climate action are accountable to them. Until coordination is institutionalised and transparency normalized, Nigeria’s climate leadership will remain symbolic rather than transformative.

The Carbon Market Question Among Nigeria’s most celebrated COP30 initiatives are the new Carbon Market Framework and the Climate Change Fund, both of which, if implemented well, could generate as much as $2.5 to $3 billion annually

in carbon finance over the next decade, create jobs, and advance clean-energy innovation.

However, their success will depend on governance and clarity. Who certifies projects? How will revenues be shared with communities hosting carbon assets? And what safeguards will prevent the livelihood conflicts that undermined earlier REDD+ programs? These questions are central to ensuring that carbon finance works for people and not just markets. The Act empowers the NCCC to maintain a national registry for mitigation and adaptation actions, a foundation for transparency and oversight. Yet until that registry and clear public guidelines for the Climate Change Fund are published, uncertainty will persist. Nigeria does not need more impressive announcements; it needs accountable institutions capable of sustaining them.

Restoring Credibility Through Compliance For Nigeria’s climate governance to mature, compliance with the Climate Change Act must be non-negotiable. The law provides a clear roadmap: regular public engagement, open data publication, and multi-stakeholder coordination. The NCCC should publish its annual Public Engagement Strategy, release emissions data and performance reports, and clarify how the Carbon Market and Climate Fund will be governed and audited. Nigeria’s presence at COP30 appears to affirm its global relevance. The next step is to translate that visibility into credibility, at home and abroad. Trust is the real currency of climate action: trust that laws are followed, that data is accessible, and that citizens’ voices count. Nigeria has made the right promises; its next defining task is to prove that those promises rest on transparent and lawful foundations.

•Vice President Kashim Shettima

SOStainability Week ly

Edited by Oke Epia

Trends and Threads

A rapid scan through Nigeria ’ s NDC 3.0

Nigeria submitted its first Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in 2015 as part of the Paris Agreement’s opening commitment. In 2021, there was an update that reflected new national priorities and the outcomes of the first global stocktake. At the ongoing COP30, Nigeria has submitted NDC 3.0 - a more integrated, economy-wide plan which widens sectoral coverage and reframes the country’s climate commitments.

What’s new and notable in NDC 3.0?

NDC 3.0 raises Nigeria’s mitigation ambition for the coming decade with quantified emissions-reduction pathways (including headline reductions of roughly 29–32 percent by 2030–2035 against 2018 baselines), while explicitly embedding a just transition approach in line with the COP28 consensus. The document

expands sectoral coverage to include energy, transport, agriculture, forestry, and industry. For the first time, the NDCs formally integrate the health sector as a core element of adaptation and resilience planning.

By this move, Nigeria recognizes climate-sensitive disease burdens and pledged climate-resilient health infrastructure and systems. On adaptation, the NDC commits to building climate-smart cities, strengthening flood defenses, and expanding insurance and social protection for vulnerable communities, concrete steps that embed resilience into

rural planning.

The NDC 3.0 includes bold land-use targets with a 60 percent reduction in deforestation and a commitment to plant 20 million trees annually, plus a pledge to scale recycling and cut open waste burning by 40 percent.

Placing just transition at the

center of interventions signals a political commitment to balance decarbonization with social equity by protecting jobs, supporting vulnerable communities, and steering resources to regions dependent on fossil revenues. Nigeria also frames NDC 3.0 as a leadership instrument for West Africa, offering a blueprint for larger economies in the region to align development planning with

The gap and the call for Nigeria estimates the total investment needed to implement mitigation and adaptation measures from 2026–2035 at approximately US$337 billion - a figure that underscores both the scale of the task and the urgent need for blended domestic and international finance. However, since mere targets without green pipelines and finances are promises, Nigeria’s next phase must pivot from pledge to projects, from validation to verification, and from donor goodwill to durable investment.

Spotlight

That Senate Bill on Electric Vehicles

Last week, the Senate passed the second reading of a bill on Electric Vehicles for Nigeria. This legislative step signals the official adoption of the bill proposed by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. There are several steps to be taken before this move can be catalyzed into law, and at this stage, relevant stakeholders have been served a notice to engage with the process and secure their inputs into what is surely a critical legislation if passed.

Titled, ‘Electric Vehicle Transition and Green Mobility Bill, 2025,’ the bill “seeks to establish a national framework to promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs), boost local manufacturing, ensure environmental sustainability, and drive the country’s shift from fossil fuel dependency to green mobility,” according to a report on Parliament Reports, Nigeria’s niche media on the national and state assemblies of Nigeria.

“This bill will help Nigeria move from dependence on fossil fuels toward a cleaner and sustainable energy system. It will ensure that our local industries benefit directly from

the emerging global electric vehicle market, create jobs, and reduce emissions in our cities,” Kalu reportedly argued during debate monitored by the medium.

While this page is yet to get the full details of the proposed law, it was striking to read that the bill “prohibits unauthorized research and development partne rships and channels all government grants and incentives for EV innovation through accredited Nigerian institutions”

and that its “implementation will be coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, in collaboration with relevant agencies — including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Federal Ministries of Power, Transportation, and Environment, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).”

Hopefully, the bill contains provisions that mainstream it into the Climate Change Act (2021) that has extensive jurisdiction on

Nigeria’s climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. Hopefully, the bill takes into account current policies and efforts on energy transition and the automobile industry. These and more are legitimate expectations of this bill, especially given the propensity of Nigeria’s lawmakers to create laws without much regard to the enforcement of extant frameworks. This page will keep an eye on this bill.

•Balarabe Lawal, Minister of Environment

•Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy

•Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu

Godswill Akpabio, Senate President

CITYSTRINGS

How Lush Hair Redefined Runway Glamour at Lagos Fashion Week

Lush Hair Nigeria, one of the nation’s leading beauty and lifestyle brands, made a grand statement at this year’s Lagos Fashion Week 2025 as the Official Hair Sponsor of Africa’s most anticipated fashion and lifestyle showcase. The brand not only owned the runway with stunning hairstyles for all participating models but also used the glamorous platform to unveil its newest premium product line - Lush Nova, a sophisticated hair extension collection designed to redefine modern beauty with a touch of luxury. Writes

In a dazzling display of creativity and beauty, Lush Hair Nigeria, a leading beauty and lifestyle brand, recently showcased its premium hair extension range, Lush Nova, at Lagos Fashion Week 2025.

The event, held on October 30th and 31st at the Balmoral, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos Island, was a resounding demonstration of the brand’s commitment to innovation and style.

As the Official Hair Sponsor of the event, Lush Hair’s team of expert stylists worked tirelessly backstage to create stunning looks for the runway models. Lush Hair styled all the models that appeared on the runway for all designers, a total of over 300 models. 20 models and two brand ambassadorsNollywood star Rachael Okonkwo and celebrity chef and two-time Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci, who brought the Lush vision to life.

Six of the models, along with Hilda Baci, graced the runway showcasing the Lush Nova collection, while the remaining models and Rachael Okonkwo displayed the rich versatility of Lush Hair’s existing range of extensions. The audience was treated to a visual feast of hair artistry, elegance, and innovation that captured the spirit of contemporary African beauty.

Essentially, the partnership between Lush Hair and Lagos Fashion Week represents more than just style; it underscores the brand’s deep commitment to supporting Nigeria’s creative and fashion ecosystem.

The Lush Nova range, crafted with superior fiber quality, was designed to redefine everyday beauty with a touch of luxury. Each piece was carefully crafted to provide a soft, natural feel and lasting shine, making it the perfect choice for the modern woman who demands nothing but the best.

Vivian Obiano, Marketing Manager at Lush Hair Nigeria, said, “Lush Hair is all about empowering women to express their confidence and individuality through their hair.

We are thrilled to be a part of Lagos

Fashion Week 2025 and showcase our latest range, Lush Nova, to the fashion-conscious audience.”

The event provided a platform for Lush Hair to showcase its creativity and expertise, with behind-the-scenes activities, exclusive interviews, and highlights from the runway featuring looks created with Lush Hair products.

The brand’s continued support for beauty, fashion, and women’s empowerment across Nigeria was also on full display. Lush Hair’s contribution to the event was hailed as a resounding success, with attendees and observers alike praising the brand’s attention to detail and commitment to excellence.

Fashion enthusiasts at the venue were equally impressed, with one attendee, Nneoma, saying, “Lush Hair’s collection was truly breathtaking. The attention to detail and the quality of the hair extensions were top-notch.” Another attendee, Ada, added, “I love how

MARY NNAH

Lush Hair is empowering women to take control of their beauty and express themselves confidently. The Lush Nova range is definitely a game-changer.”

Chiamaka, a fashion designer, praised Lush Hair’s styling team, saying, “Lush Hair’s styling team did an amazing job on the runway. The looks were stunning, and the hair extensions added a touch of glamour to each outfit.” With its successful showcase at Lagos Fashion Week 2025, Lush Hair has solidified its position as a leader in the beauty industry, and its Lush Nova range is set to take the market by storm.

The brand’s participation in the event was a shining example of its dedication to creativity, beauty innovation, and supporting Nigeria’s thriving fashion ecosystem. As the Official Hair Sponsor of Lagos Fashion Week 2025, Lush Hair played a pivotal role in bringing the event to life, showcasing the best of Nigerian fashion and beauty to a global audience.

Lush Hair’s Lush Nova range is designed to inspire confidence and individuality in women, providing them with the tools to express themselves through their hair. With its premium quality and attention to detail, the range is set to revolutionise the hair extension market in Nigeria and beyond. As the beauty industry continues to evolve, Lush Hair remains at the forefront, pushing the boundaries of innovation and style.The brand’s participation in the event was a shining example of its dedication to creativity, beauty, innovation, and supporting Nigeria’s thriving fashion ecosystem. As the Official Hair Sponsor of Lagos Fashion Week 2025, Lush Hair played a pivotal role in bringing the event to life, showcasing the best of Nigerian fashion and beauty to a global audience.

With its successful showcase at Lagos Fashion Week 2025, Lush Hair has solidified its position as a leader in the beauty industry, and its Lush Nova range is set to take the market by storm.

Celebrity chef and two-time Guinness World Record holder, Hilda Baci

Model 297

Nollywood star Rachael Okonkwo

Model 164

Model 209

THREE-DAY LEARNING VISIT TO LASAA...

L-R: Director of Finance, Kano State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KASAA), Alh. Abba Hassan; Director, Operation, KASAA, Alh. Yushau Balarabe; MD/CEO, Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Prince Fatiu Akiolu (host); Director General, KASAA, Comrade Kabiru Saidu Dakata; Director, Human Resource, KASAA, Aliyu Mahmud Zakari; and Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, KASAA, Aliyu Sulaiman Ishaq, during a three-day learning visit to LASAA in Lagos on Thursday

FCT Minister, Wike, in Scuffle with Naval Personnel over Alleged Land Encroachment Drama

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and his security details, yesterday, in Gaduwa District, Abuja, were involved in a scuffle with some personnel of the Nigeria Navy, led by one Lt AM Yerima over a disputed parcel of land.

The contentious plot 1946, said to belong to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (Rtd), was designated as a buffer by the Development and Control of FCT Administration and was not approved for development.

Wike went to the site after he was told military officials guiding the site had allegedly threatened to shoot the advance FCTA officers led by Mukhah Galadima, that went to stop further development of the site, a claim the naval personnel later debunked.

Tempers were immediately frayed when the armed officers reportedly blocked Wike and his entourage, including the FCT Commissioner of Police, Miller Dantawaye, from gaining access to the site when they arrived.

The development led to a scuffle between the security details attached to the minister and the naval personnel.

Wike insisted that the ongoing development at the site was illegal and asked the soldiers to produce the documents supporting their claim to the land.

After the initial fierce exchange, Yerima said the land belonged to a former Chief of Naval Staff and with valid documents.

But Wike replied in anger saying, “You cannot tell me that. You cannot continue to act with impunity in this way and you can not continue to work illegally. You are not the one to say we have documents. It does not matter.”

At this point, Yerima interjected, “It matters. I am an officer. I took orders from a three-star General”, to which Wike responded saying, “There is no order than me. I am the FCT Minister. You are taking an illegal order. You will never develop this plot. I will never allow it.”

Below are some excerpts of their exchange.

Yerima: “No problem, sir. I am only acting on my orders.”

Wike: “If you want to kill everybody, kill everybody.”

Yerima: “We will not kill anybody, sir.”

Wike: “You will put yourself in trouble.”

At this stage the DSS and police officials accompanying

Wike fiercely challenged Yerima and asked him to stop talking, but Yerima stood his ground, warning the ministerial security details: “You cannot shut me up, you are my juniors. You cannot even talk when I am talking. I am talking and policemen areWiketalking.”accused the soldiers of intimidating the FCTA field workers and told Yerima: “This land does not belong to him (Gambo). If you have a problem, come and see me in office to resolve this.

“And as officer, you should know that carrying guns about and intimidating Nigerians is not the best way. It is the reason why I came. But nobody will die, anyway.”

Then the back and forth with Yerima continued:

Wike: “You are going about to encroach somebody’s land, because you are an officer. Nobody does that.”

Yerima: “We did not carry anybody’s land”

Wike: The man took land and I will not allow that because he was Chief of Naval Staff….”

Yerima: “Everything was acquired legally. The papers are complete.”

Wike: “Will you stop that! Are you the ones to tell me they are complete?”

Gov Inuwa Yahaya Receives Senior

Course 34 Participants of National Defence College

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

Governor Muhammadu

Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has emphasized that without deliberate efforts toward industrialization and economic empowerment, the quest by governments at all levels to secure the lives and property of citizens may

remain elusive.

The governor stated this yesterday while receiving Team 5 of Senior Course 34 of the National Defence College (NDC), Abuja, who are on a study tour of Gombe State. The visit is in line with the theme, “Optimizing Natural Resources for Industrialization, National Development

and Security in Nigeria.”

Governor Inuwa Yahaya expressed satisfaction with both the theme and the choice of Gombe State for the study, noting that the outcomes, if properly harnessed and implemented, could accelerate Nigeria’s journey toward sustainable economic development and national security.

Yerima: “I am an officer, I have integrity….”

Wike: “Shut up your mouth, who does that…”

Yerima: “I won’t shut up. You can’t shut me up”

Wike: “Will you keep quiet. Are you a fool?”

Yerima: “I am not a fool, sir. I am acting on orders.”

Wike: “Which orders?”

Yerima: “You can’t call me a fool. I am a commissioned officer.”

Wike: “Go and develop the land let me see you…” Later, when Wike addressed the media, he said he intervened when the land department and development control of the FCT brought his attention to an alleged ongoing illegal development andHeland-grabbing. said he directed them to not allow such illegality in as much as those claiming the land did not have any legal paper in terms of regional approval or even the acquisition of the land.

“And when they came here, I was informed that the soldiers of the military had to chase them away and I thought probably they would

be acting illegally.

“And so today while I was in the office, while they came to implement the directive that was given to them by myself, I was called that the military have taken over the place and I have to come by myself to see things for myself. It’s really unfortunate. And you heard what the officers said, he was sent by the former chief of naval staff.

“And I don’t understand how somebody who attained that position and he said that he has a problem cannot approach my office to say, ‘look, this is what is going on, this is what is going on”.

“But simply because he’s a military man, he could use that to intimidate Nigerians. I’m not one of those kind of persons that will succumb to blackmail or intimidation.

“And you can imagine where you cannot even prove where are the documents. And the Director of Development Control said, look, I was here. I said bring the documents, you don’t have the documents.

“Bring the approval for building, you don’t have it.

And how can we continue to allow lawlessness to prevail in this country? What about those who don’t have the military? What about those who don’t have security?

“It has gotten to a level where when government officials are doing, carrying out their job, you go and bring security to intimidate them. And this government official, I will not accept that.

“I’ve spoken to the Chief of Defence Staff and I’ve spoken to the Chief of Naval Staff and they have assured me that, please, they have to resolve the matter. And we’re not coming here to have a shootout with anybody to cause chaos and all. But what I can say, I would not allow it to Thehappen.” minister insisted that the way the FCTA had done and carried out its jobs in other areas was the same way it would be done on the disputed land, saying he (Vice Adm Gambo) “would not carry out this illegal deployment on land grounds simply because he is a former chief of naval staff. I’ll not allow that”.

2026 Budget Will Determine Ijaw Votes for Oborevwori in 2027, Mulade Warns

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Ahead of the 2027 governorship election and the proposed endorsement of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as the sole candidate by Delta Ijaws, a prominent Ijaw leader and peace advocate, Chief Mulade Sheriff, has declared that Ijaw votes will be determined by the number of projects allocated and adequately funded in the 2026Thebudget.renowned human and environmental rights activist made this declaration in a statement in Warri yesterday, following an

expanded stakeholders’ meeting held on behalf of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality in Delta State.

The Ibe-Sorimowei of the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom stated that adequate inclusion and funding of projects in riverine areas will be a crucial factor in determining political support.

He emphasised that riverine communities, largely populated by the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities, deserve equal attention to infrastructure.

While commending Governor Oborevwori’s infrastructural

strides in the upland areas, Chief Mulade lamented the absence of similar development in the riverine regions, despite dense populations and immense contributions to state revenue as hosts to multinational oil and gas companies.

“I sincerely appreciate His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Obor- evwori, for the infrastructural development revolution in the upland areas and the proposed commissioning of the reconstructed Odimodi–Ogulagha road, initially constructed by SPDC in the 1980s.

INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF COLEMAN’S FIBRE OPTIC CABLE FACTORY...

L-R: Divisional Head, Emerging Corporates, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mrs. Chinyere Muda-Sanusi; Executive Director, Coverage & Investment Banking, FCMB Group Plc, Mr. Femi Badeji; Founder/Chairman, Coleman Technical Industries Limited, Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan; Managing Director, FCMB, Mrs. Yemisi Edun; Managing Director of Coleman, Mr. George Onafowokan; Executive Director, Wholesale Banking, FCMB, Mr. Obaro Odeghe; Executive Director, Coleman, Mr. Michael Onafowokan; and Group Head, General Commerce, FCMB, Mr. Folusho Raheem, at the inauguration ceremony of Coleman’s Fibre Optic Cable Factory and the first fibre-reinforced plastic manufacturing facility in Africa, in Sagamu, Ogun State… recently

UNIC, UNESCO Lead Charge Against Digital Misinformation, Hate Speech

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisa- tion (UNESCO) have reached a collaboration to combat misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech in the digital space by training content creators on Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

At a capacity-building workshop for content creators on Media and Information Literacy held at the United Nations House in Abuja, the two agencies emphasized the urgent need to promote truth, integrity, and responsible digital engagement in an era dominated by fast-spreading falsehoods.

Speaking on behalf of UNESCO Head of Office Abuja, Jean-Paul Ngome Abiaga, Yachat Nuhu emphasized that advance- ments in digital technologies have transformed how people communicate, interact, and share information.

She noted that platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter,

tion and storage; and a variety of Modular Offshore Production Units and Early Production Facilities to enable early production and accelerated monetisation. All these need investments and the prospects are here in Nigeria.”

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Hon, Alhassan Doguwa, promised investors that his committee would not push any legislation that would undermine investments. Doguwa added the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 would not be tampered with arbitrarily.

“The House of Representa-

WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram have created vast opportunities for communication and expression across borders.

She added that: “Today, advancement in digital technologies has widened the space we now engage in. We’re talking about YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Telegram.

“It has widened information and communication reach. The digital world has connected us in ways that were once unimagi- nable, giving every individual the power to create, share, and influence conversations on a globalWhilescale.”celebrating the expansion of digital communication, Yachat also cautioned about the dangers that come with it. She drew attention to the harmful effects of misinformation, hate speech, and online harassment, stressing that these issues have real consequences in society.

“It has also become a space where words and images can wound and misinformation can divide. We all have witnessed the rise of hate speech and

tives reaffirms its commitment to the PIA and will resist any arbitrary changes that will undermine investments,” he said.

Besides, his counterpart in the Senate, Senator Eteng Williams, promised investors that Nigeria’s legislature will continue to pass business-friendly laws and urged investors not to fret. Enang commended Komolafe for being a business enabler.

In his remarks, the Chairman, Governing Board, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Mr. Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, said the petroleum industry remains critical to Tinubu’s

gender-based harassment and misinformation spreading faster than truth.

This online toxicity has spilled into our communities, fueling conflict and mistrust. When left unchecked, it erodes social cohesion and weakens the very fabric of our collective humanity.”

Yachat pointed to the harmful role misinformation plays during election periods in Nigeria, particularly when it is used to exploit ethnic and religious differences. She warned that

such disinformation undermines democracy, trust, and peace.

“In Nigeria, election-related misinformation has spread divi- sive messages along ethnic and religious lines, contributing to mistrust and in some cases, violence. When lies go unchecked, they polarise societies, deepen division, and undermine trust in democracy.”

According to Yachat, UNESCO’s commitment to media and information literacy (MIL) is about empowering

citizens to think critically and engage ethically online.

She stressed that MIL is not merely a set of technical skills but a value-driven approach to responsible communication.

“Media and information literacy is not about skills, it’s about values. It teaches us how to search, to assess, to evaluate information, and how to contribute responsibly in the digital space. It is a vital tool for countering hate speech, cyberbullying, and all forms of

online and offline violence.”

Yachat made a powerful call for collective responsibility among governments, tech companies, civil society, and individuals to ensure that the digital world becomes a space of peace, truth, and respect. She added that: “This intervention is more than a project, it is a movement. A movement to protect human dignity online, a movement to safeguard democracy, and to make the internet a true force for good.

Maternal Mortality Rate Drops By 17%, Says FG

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The federal government has said that Nigeria is presently witnessing a reduction in deaths of women during childbirth by about 17 percent.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Ali Mohammad Pate who stated this on Tuesday at the launch of three initiatives being under-

plan to transform Nigeria to a $1 trillion economy.

He therefore called on investors to key into the opportunity provided by the Project 1 million Barrels Per Day Forum.

The two-day event is being attended by key players in the sector including the CEO of Seplat, Mr. Roger Brown; the Managing Director, TotalEnergies Nigeria, Mattieu Bouyer; Managing Director of ExxonMobil Nigeria; Jagir Baxi; Chairman, AA Holdings, Austin Avuru; executive commissioners of the NUPRC, representatives of investment firms, among several others.

taken by the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) aimed at safeguarding the health of pregnant women, their newborn and children in Abuja.

He said the initiative is part of the national strategic plan for detection, prevention and response to the distribution of substandard and falsified products in Nigeria.

The minister said though the progress is not enough considering the country’s population, but it is a remarkable improvement in the quest the eradicate the

scourge.

Pate said: “In the last two years, some signs of early improvement but a lot more is ahead us. Maternal mortality rate in most of our local government areas have reduced by 17 percent, that is coming from a recent data and newborn deaths has also dropped by 10 percent.

“But that’s not enough considering the size of our country and dept of our problem. So, it is with great pride and sense of responsibility that I join you here to launch this initiative by NAFDAC”.

Speaking further, the minister said that the initiative is part of federal government’s unwavering determination to safeguard the lives of our women and children while safeguarding the integrity of our healthcare system.

Pate lamented that in the past, many women and children face severe health risk and die from preventable causes.

According to Pate, government’s drive to address some of the inadequacies in our health system are beginning to yield fruits.

Senator Jarigbe Defends Defection to APC, Says Tinubu’s Reforms Delivering Results

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Daji Sani in Yola

Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, representing Cross River North Senatorial District, yesterday, explained that his decision to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Pro- gressives Congress (APC) was driven by President Bola

Tinubu’s impressive economic and governance reforms, which he said were beginning to yield measurable results.

This was as a prominent politician, two time state chairman and one of the founding fathers of the PDP from Adamawa State, Chief Joel Madaki, has announced his decision to join the APC,

citing the party’s development strides under the leadership of President Tinubu. Jarigbe, however, spoke at a press conference at the Na- tional Assembly, shortly after the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, announced his formal defection to the ruling APC.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Madaki, supporters join ruling party

NAFDAC unveils initiative on maternal health

PRESENTATION OF THE ‘BEST GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR’ TO NEM INSURANCE...

L-R: General Manager, Marketing and Business Development, NEM Insurance Plc, Mr. George Augustine Emefiele; Chairman, Nigeria Ports Consultative Council, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola; Managing Director/CEO, NEM Insurance Plc, Mr. Andrew M. Ikekhua; Executive Director, Finance and Investment, NEM Insurance, Mr. Idowu Olaitan Semowo; and Deputy General Manager, Marketing, NEM Insurance, Moyosola Olayinka Okeremi, during the presentation of the ‘Best General Insurance Company of the Year’ award to NEM Insurance Plc at the 2025 Almond Insurance Industry Awards, held in Surulere, Lagos… recently

Soludo: Amupitan, INEC Not Commended Enough, Receives His Certificate of Return

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday, praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, for the credibility of the recent election in the state,

whatever seeks to separate or divide us.”

Sanwo-Olu stated, “We stand together as citizens and compatri- ots, firm in our conviction about our common destiny. God has put us together for a purpose, and we shall achieve that purpose without distraction or division.

“We shall defeat every challenge: poverty, hunger, and, as the president himself has assured us, terrorism. As His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reminded us earlier this week, ‘The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Sanwo-OluNigeria.’” said the president, in his politics and vision, tapped heavily into the audacious foresight that defined Ahmadu Bello’s generation.

He stated, “The president’s Renewed Hope Agenda is a clear testament to this foresight—and he has faithfully implemented its pledges and commitments since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.”

Sanwo-Olu said the Renewed Hope Agenda, anchored on progressive thinking and solutions, was in full alignment with the founding ideals and long-term direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The governor added that the comprehensive agenda focused on economic growth and diversification, security in all ramifications (national security, energy security, food

saying they have not been commended enough for the exercise. Soludo said this after receiving his certificate of return as winner of last Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The governor, who was accompanied by his deputy, Dr Onyekachi Ibezim, and their spouses, were at the

security), national infrastructure, human capital development, and governance reform.

He explained, “At the state level, APC governors are encouraged to draw from and align with these pillars in our various governing agendas.

“In Lagos State, for example, our THEMES+ agenda is fully aligned, emphasising infrastructure, human capital development, diversification through entertainment and tourism, security, governance reform, and social inclusion. This unity of purpose, across tiers of government, is an essential foundation for fast-tracking development in Nigeria.”Sanwo-Olu said the removal of petrol subsidy, unification of exchange rates, and introduction, passage and presidential assent to four tax acts by Tinubu were commendable.

According to him, “These fiscal reforms represent a hard reset of the Nigerian system. A reset away from dysfunction, to efficiency, away from wasteful consumption, to productivity. The country now possesses a new engine that enables it to operate at its maximum capacity.

“The reform foundation of the Renewed Hope Agenda has not just been about blocking leakages; even more importantly, it is about increasing the quantum of resources available to drive real and sustainable growth and development.”

While emphasising the need for true federalism in Nigeria, the governor commended Tinubu

headquarters of INEC with other aides and supporters, where they were presented with the certificates by the Supervising INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Anambra State election, Kenneth Ikeagu. Ikeagu said, “We are here to present the certificates of return

for building a fair and equitable society and closing the widened inequality.Sanwo-Olu said revenue had surged under the watch of Tinubu, and there was now more money for governors and local government chairmen to do more work to the benefit of theHepeople.stated, “Mr. President is a veteran unifier and a bridge- builder, and this is self-evident from the breadth and vastness of his personal and political networks across Nigeria and even Africa. And I can very boldly say that bridge-building is what the Renewed Hope Agenda is all about as well.

“The agenda seeks to build bridges—bridges of impactful reform, of enduring development, of collective prosperity, and of equity and national unity—in Nigeria. And it is doing this with the understanding that Nigeria is a large and diverse country, comprising various regions that must be allowed to advance in a way that is compatible with their specific contexts and circumstances.”

The governor stated, “Having been governor, President Tinubu not only knows what it is to run a subnational government; he also understands very deeply the role that state and local governments play in actualising national development.

“This is why he has put so much focus on empowering those two tiers of government. Between 2023 and 2024, federal allocations to state governments grew by

to the Governor and Deputy Governor of Anambra State, following their successful outing during the state governorship election held on Saturday, November 8, 2025.

“Section 72(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a certificate

a whopping 65 per cent—i.e., almost two-thirds—while those to local governments grew by 47 per cent—i.e., almost half.

“That pattern has continued to date and is set to grow even further from 2026, with the new tax laws which have reduced the Federal Government’s share of VAT from 15 per cent to 10 per cent, while raising the share for states and local government areas to 55 per cent and 35 per cent,Sanwo-Olurespectively.”stated, “Yet another demonstration of the lengths to which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will go to take decisions for the collective good, and not personal gain.

“For the local governments, he took the matter of their financial autonomy to the Supreme Court and made a convincing case that secured a historic judgement in favour of local governments. He is equally committed to ensuring the full implementation of this financial autonomy for this tier of government that is closest to the needs and aspirations and desires of the Nigerian people.”

He said of Tinubu, “The tireless reformer that he is, the President is now on a quest to extend the reforms and restructuring to Nigeria’s security architecture in a manner that has never been seen since 1960. I am referring here to the issue of State Policing— which is most accurately described as an arrangement that empowers state governments to have a greater say in the security of their states and local communities.

of return within 14 days to every candidate who has been duly returned by the returning officer under the Act.”

Soludo, who spoke after the presentation, said, “I congratu- late INEC and its new chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan. I said it before that you do not get a second chance to create a first

“When the president sets out to achieve a fundamental reform, we know that, regardless of all the odds and challenges, he will—working with and carrying along all stakeholders—achieve hisOnobjectives.” his part, Sani stressed that the country’s current law enforcement manpower strength of about 400,000 police officers and 250,000 military personnel could not effectively secure a country of Nigeria’s size and diversity.

He said the shortfall left vast areas as “ungoverned spaces” exploited by criminals and non-state actors.

He said, “A federated republic demands federated security. State police is not a threat to national unity but a guarantee of it. What we need is a coordinated but devolved security system that gives states constitutional authority to secure their people.”

The governor, who sponsored four constitutional amendment bills for multi-tier policing while serving in the ninth Senate, said he remained committed to supporting the 10th National Assembly to actualise the establishment of state police and state security service commissions.

Sani stressed that insecurity in Nigeria was a symptom of failed governance, poverty, and socio- economic marginalisation, rather than just a policing problem.

“You cannot bomb poverty out of existence or shoot down unemployment. Lasting peace requires social justice, inclusion, and opportunity,” he stated.

impression.

“We are quite delighted here in Anambra that his first outing was here and it was very loud. I think the whole world celebrated it. I want to use this opportunity to thank INEC and say they deserve better credit than they have been given.

The governor presented what he called “Kaduna Peace Model” as a home-grown framework that had helped restore calm and cohesion in a state once known for violent conflicts.

Under the model, Sani explained, Kaduna adopted an inclusive approach to peacebuild- ing through dialogue, economic empowerment, and community participation.

He said over 50 consultative forums were held involving traditional rulers, herders, crop farmers, the youth, and religious leaders to resolve disputes and build trust.

“Peace must be cultivated, not imposed. Security is not the absence of war but the presence of justice, opportunity, and mutual trust,” he told the audience.

Sani said the approach had yielded remarkable results, stating that Kaduna State has recorded over two years without any ethno-religious conflict, for the first time in decades.

He also disclosed that the United Kingdom had down- graded its travel advisory on Kaduna State from “red” to “amber” in recognition of the state’s improved security situation and enhanced international confidence.

According to him, the non- kinetic strategies deployed by his administration have restored safety to rural communities, reopened hundreds of schools previously shut down due to insecurity, and revived economic activities across the state.

AT ArewA Hou

HOLDING CONSULTATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT...

Sule Lamido Regrets Suit against PDP Convention, Court Fixes Nov. 13 for Ruling

not been met.

A chieftain of Peoples Demo- cratic Party (PDP) and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, yesterday said he would be sad which ever way the judgement of a Federal High Court in Abuja went, in his suit challenging his exclusion from the 2025 National Convention of the party.Lamido made the comment while speaking with journalists in Abuja, shortly after Justice Peter Lifu fixed November 13 for judgement in the suit seeking to stop the PDP convention slated for November 15 and 16, in Ibadan.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had on October 31 restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the said convention on the grounds that constitutional provisions for the conduct of the convention for the election of the party’s leadership had

However, Lifu while ruling in a motion on notice brought by Lamido, ordered PDP to halt plans for the convention pending the determination of the substantive matter, which he fixed for November 13.

Lifu also temporarily restrained INEC from supervising, monitoring or recognising the outcome of the scheduled Ibadan convention.

Speaking on the court case, the former governor expressed sadness that he was forced to opt for the court action.

While recalling his long relationship with PDP, from his election as governor of Jigawa State to his appointment as foreign affairs minister, Lamido explained that he had to approach the court to get justice following his exclusion from contesting for elective position at the Ibadan convention.

According to him, the leadership of the party denied him his right as a bona fide member of PDP to purchase a nomination form for the office of National Chairman.

Lamido said, “In this case, if my party lost, I also lost. I feel like crying taking this path.

“When we fight as brothers, the trust is lost, the bond of brotherhood is also lost.”

Lifu said his decision to issue the restraining order was predi- cated on the grounds that the party refused, neglected and failed to comply with relevant

conditions and laws for the conduct of such conventions.

The judge held that evidence from Lamido showed that the timetable for the convention was not published for the attention of its members, as required by law.

Lifu also held that the balance of convenience tilted towards Lamido because he

would suffer more if allowed to be unlawfully excluded from the planned convention.

According to the judge, the court of law, by the provision of Section 6 of the Constitution, must not abdicate its role of dispensing justice without fear or favour.

Besides, the judge pointed out that anarchy would be the

order of the day, any day and anywhere the court of record abdicated its constitutionally assigned functions.

Lifu announced that judgement would be delivered in the substantive matter on November 13, shortly after all parties in the matter adopted their various briefs of arguments.

Kalu Proposes New Security Outfit to Tackle Rising Insecurity, Supports Trump

Former Abia State governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has called for the creation of a new communitybased security outfit to tackle Nigeria’s rising insecurity.

Kalu, who supported comments by US President Donal Trump, drew inspiration from the defunct Bakassi Boys, which successfully curbed violent crimes in the South East during his tenure as governor.

Speaking with journalists at the National Assembly in Abuja, Kalu lamented that insecurity across the country had reached a dangerous level, stressing that only a homegrown, people-oriented security structure could complement the efforts of the military and other security agencies.

He said, “When I was governor, I formed the Bakassi Boys, and they were not about boyfriend and girlfriend; they were about criminals.

“If we had that kind of structure now, we would smoke

these criminals out. They helped us then, and such initiatives can help Nigeria again.”

He warned that terrorists and bandits were determined to destabilise the nation and called for synergy between citizens and the armed forces.

“Our people must support the military by giving information. No army fights and wins without the cooperation of its citizens,” he stated.

Kalu assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration was giving security the highest priority and that the military,

under the current leadership, had intensified efforts to “smoke out” jihadists and criminal elements from their hideouts.

The senator also spoke on the need for international collaboration in Nigeria’s anti-terror war, saying intelligence sharing and strategic support from allies like the United States were vital to defeating the insurgents.

Kalu, therefore, backed the Trump comments, whichcon- demned the killing of Christians in Nigeria, insisting that Trump only “stated the truth” about the realities on the ground.

National Leader of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, has issued a stern warning to party defectors, saying those who abandoned the party for the ruling All Progres- sives Congress (APC) would soon face the political consequences of their action.

Kwankwaso, who was the NNPP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, gave the warning while receiving a delegation of supporters, who were loyal to Senator Abdulrah- man Kawu Sumaila, at his Miller

Without mentioning names, Kwankwaso stated that politicians who rode to power on the popularity of the Kwankwasiyya Movement only to defect after- wards had betrayed the trust of the masses who voted for them.

He stated, “Kwankwasiyya is a movement for people who reason. It is not a money-making venture. Those voted for by the poor have dumped our party after being bribed.

“Let me assure you, this will not persist. Time of judgement is coming. Anyone who betrays the trust of the people will pay

theEarlier,price.”the leader of the delegation, Sunusi Hukuma, reaffirmed his group’s loyalty to Kwankwaso, despite Sumaila’s shocking return to the APC.

“We supported him because he joined Kwankwasiyya. Now that he has left, we have come to renew our loyalty to our leader,” Hukuma declared.

He vowed that the group would work against Sumaila’s future political ambition and support any candidate Kwankwaso endorsed for Kano South in 2027.

To demonstrate their loyalty, the supporters removed their Urges

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The Peoples Democratic Party, Anambra State chapter, has suspended its candidate in the just concluded governorship election, Mr Jude Ezenwafor. Ezenwafor was at the Light House, Awka, seat of government, congratulating Governor Chukwuma Soludo on his

victory in the election, while the state executive committee of the party was meeting at the party’s secretariat to ratify his suspension.

The chairman of the party in the state, Dr Chidi Chidebe,who emerged from the meeting to brief journalists said their candidate, Ezenwafor immediately after picking the party’s ticket

quickly went incommunicado, refusing to hold meetings or rallies, but later announce that he had been attacked and shot in Abuja.

Chidebe, who read out a communique of the state executive committee on the outcome of the election lamented that Ezenwafor sold out, refusing to campaign or calling for help from the party.

Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (left), with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the APC Chairman’s visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday PHOTO: GODWIN 8.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Road residence in Kano.

and Food and Lifestyle Blogger, Yemisi Sophie

during the 2025 FinTribe Finance Fair held in Lagos…recently

Osun APC Tasks Adeleke to Account for N1trn, Alleges Neglect of Education

Gov dismisses allegation as fake news

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, for running a fascist regime, “where few unproductive but privileged individuals feed fat

‘Proposed

on the huge resources of the state,” tasking the governor to justify almost N1 trillion revenue received by his government from November 2022 to September 2025. In a statement issued and made available to THISDAY yesterday in Osogbo by the

Aba State Most Economically Viable’

Michael Olugbode in abuja

Proposed Aba State has the potential of becoming the most economically viable among all state creation proposals currently under consideration, a group of indigenes from the area have said.

The agitators, in a statement yesterday by the Chairman and Secretary, Aba State Movement, HRH Eze Love Wogu and Chief G. I. Akara, respectively, said the creation of Aba

State is deep rooted, and not a recent or politically motivated demand, but a century-long pursuit rooted in a distinct identity.

They pointed out that if not for the 1983 coup, Aba state would have come to reality by now.

They noted that other states proposed at the same time had been created.

They said: “This isn’t simply a demand; it’s a promise that has been repeatedly made and validated but never kept.”

Papa Ajasco TV Comedy to Rerun Gen Z Papi Season

sunday Okobi

Due to popular demand by a multitude of viewers of Papa Ajasco and Company TV Comedy, the longest-running TV comedy in Nigeria, the award-winning season titled: ‘Gen Z Papi’ would be rerun on terrestrial and satellite televisions across Nigeria, and several parts of Africa from November 25, 2025.

According to the Producer of Papa Ajasco and Company, Wale Adenuga Jnr., in statement made available to

THISDAY yesterday, “The feedback on our Gen Z Papi season has been really awesome, and since we ended the weekly broadcast in July 2025, we have been receiving multiple calls and messages for a rerun of Gen Z Papi. “So while we are currently working hard and meticulously on a new exciting season of Papa Ajasco and Company, we would replay all 37 episodes of Gen Z Papi on television. All episodes still remain on our YouTube Channel ‘waptvchannel’ available to watch for free.”

state Chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, stressed that: “Our findings proved that the Adeleke government received N25 billion from November to December 2022; N182

billion in 2023; N333 billion in 2024, and N310 billion from January o September 2025, with little or nothing to show for it. “In just three months, July to September 2025, the Adeleke-led administration

received as federal allocation a whooping N124 billion, representing an average of N41 billion per month (see Page 9 of the Osun State Budget Implementation Performance report published on October 28, 2025, on the state’s official website), yet the Osun State citizens are gasping for breath and survival on account of the hopeless economic policy of Governor Adeleke.

Uzodimma Suspends ENTRACO over Death of Three

amby Uneze in owerri

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has suspended all activities connected to the operations of Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) with immediate effect till further notice.

The governor suspended ENTRACO activities following report of an incident that occurred in Owerri, linked to its operations, “which claimed the life of a person and left another in critical situation in the hospital.”

Governor Uzodimma said he was not unmindful of other recent ugly incidents where the mode of operations of ENTRACO was brought to question by members of the public.

However, the governor warned that immediate suspension of ENTRACO operations is not a licence for members of the public to take traffic, environmental, and other laws into their hands. He therefore, warned that those found to be in violation of such laws will pay dearly for it.

How I Saved LASU N820m, Says 144th Inaugural Lecturer, Prof. Moses Akanbi

Charles ajunwa

A lecturer in the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lagos (LASU), Prof. Moses Akanbi, has revealed how he saved N820 million for the university some years ago.

He disclosed this at LASU’s 144th inaugural lecture themed: ‘The Nature

of Error: Human Fallibility Versus Divine Infallibility in Computational Thought’ held at Buba Marwa Auditorium, Ojo, Lagos.

Prof. Akanbi, who presented the inaugural lecture, said he rendered the pro bono service to the university when one of the contractors asked the institution to pay N500,000

many years ago for a datarelated installation, which in today’s foreign exchange amounts to N820 million.

According to him, that particular experience spurred him to come up with innovations that helped the university to overcome some of its challenges in processing and saving data.

“As a Level Coordinator for a set of mathematics undergraduates, I experienced firsthand the profound challenges plaguing our system: the burden of manual result computation, the frustration of missing grades, and the inaccessibility of results to students when they needed them most.

‘Era of Land Grabbing, Fraudulent Transactions in Enugu Over’

The Enugu State Surveyor General, Chime Justus, and the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) have declared that the newly introduced Digital Survey Management System in the state marks the end of land grabbing, fraudulent transactions, and illegal land allocations in the state.

Jamessowoleinabeokuta

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun East Senatorial District, yesterday, rose stoutly in defence of the Senator representing the Constituency declaring that his purported suspension by the party remained a rumour and

They said the innovation, which is part of Governor Peter Mbah’s sweeping reforms in land administration, would restore investor confidence, promote transparency, and strengthen land ownership rights.The declaration was made yesterday during a oneday workshop organised by the Office of the Surveyor General to sensitise stakeholders, including public and private surveyors, landowners, developers, and estate agents, on the transition from analogue to a fully digital survey and cadastral management system.

In his keynote address,

Chime hailed the Governor Mbah-led administration for its vision and commitment to transforming the land management sector, describing the digital survey system as a “historic reform that places the surveying profession at the heart of land administration in Enugu State.”

APC Stakeholders Dismiss Purported Suspension of Daniel

of no effect.

The stakeholders, who were representatives of the party in the nine local governments that made up the district, challenged the leadership of the APC in Ward 4 and the state to produce documents relating to investigation, process and the letter of suspension served on

the senator about their actions. They expressed their position at a news conference held within the premises of Daniel’s Asoludero Court in Sagamu, Ogun State. Addressing journalists on behalf of the stakeholders numbering over 40 some of whom have served the state in various capacities both politically and

administrative, the spokesman, Mr. Steve Oniyide, said Daniel and APC leaders in Ogun East, were surprised when they read on social media a news quoting the Chief Press Secretary Governor Dapo Abiodun, disclosing that APC Ward 4, Sagamu Local Government, had ratified suspension of the serving senator.

L-R: Award-winning Filmmaker, Ruth Kadiri; Certified Finance Expert and Founder of FinTribe, Jennifer Awirigwe,

Odusanya,

yinka Kolawole in osogbo

N I ger IA AT 65 AND TH e r e N ewe D Hope Age NDA

2. Anchored on progressive thinking and solutions, the Renewed Hope Agenda is in full alignment with the founding ideals and long-term direction of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

At the State level, APC Governors are encouraged to draw from and align with these pillars in our various governing agendas. In Lagos State, for example, our THEMES+ agenda is fully aligned, emphasizing infrastructure, human capital development, diversification through entertainment and tourism, security, governance reform, and social inclusion. This unity of purpose, across tiers of government, is an essential foundation for fast-tracking development in Nigeria.

If you examine the Renewed Hope Agenda closely, you will find its roots in the experiences and lessons learned from Lagos State — Nigeria’s most populous state and biggest subnational economy — where President Tinubu served as Governor two decades ago and laid a solid foundation that continues to be strengthened to this day.

The President’s political journey of course did not begin as Governor of Lagos State in 1999; he had served as a Senator six years earlier, and then spent the intervening years fighting for the actualisation of June 12—the freest and fairest presidential election in our country’s history, uniting Nigerians across ethnic and religious lines—a fight for which he paid a very heavy price, as we all know.

Over the decades, his political vision has been shaped and nurtured by his experiences, culminating in the Renewed Hope agenda. That Lagos has, despite being a subnational government, shown national leadership in many key areas, is largely due to the reform credentials of the President, which he honed and sharpened as Governor between 1999 and 2007.

As Governor of Lagos, his signature successes included civil service reform, judicial reform, urban transport reform, tax reform, land administration reform—all of these underpinned by impressive levels of digitisation and automation. Far-reaching reforms are at the very heart of the Renewed Hope agenda.

As you all know, the very first decision the President took upon assuming office, right there at Eagle Square, was removing petrol subsidy. It was a difficult decision to make, and one with significant cost-of-living implications for the Nigerian people, and the President himself has always acknowledged this. But it was necessary—we were not going to survive for much longer as a country if we carried on with that level of fiscal burden that was rife with abuse and corruption.

Another major decision was the unification of exchange rates, to close another area where the country was losing billions of dollars in revenues every year, and with no outcomes that were productive for the economy.

A third major fiscal reform has been the introduction, passage and presidential assent to four tax Acts, unprecedented in scope in our recent history. The goal of these new tax laws is to grow our tax revenues without imposing additional burdens on the most vulnerable Nigerians.

For example, the turnover threshold at which MSMEs are exempted from Company Income Tax (CIT) and Capital Gains Tax (CGT) has been increased from 25 million Naira to 100 million Naira. This means that all companies with gross annual turnover of 100 million or less are exempted from CIT and CGT. In addition, annual incomes of N800,000 and below are also exempted from Personal Income Tax; while the list of goods and services exempted from Value Added Tax has been expanded.

Collectively, these fiscal reforms represent a hard reset of the Nigerian system. A reset away from dysfunction, to efficiency, away from wasteful consumption, to productivity. The country now has a new engine on which it can run and operate at full potential. The reform foundation of the Renewed Hope Agenda has not just been about blocking

leakages, even more importantly it is about increasing the quantum of resources available to drive real and sustainable growth and development.

Nigeria has so many urgent and important needs: roads, rail lines, power plants, dams and irrigation, world-class schools and hospitals, well-equipped and motivated security agencies, and many more. For too long, the resources that should have gone into these cornerstones of development were lost as leakages to fiscal systems that we had built, that were serving only a privileged few.

Today that story has changed. Ask any State Governor or Local Government Chairperson today, and they will tell you just how much revenues have surged under watch of President Tinubu. There is now more money to do more that benefits the people of Nigeria.

Having been Governor, President Tinubu not only knows what it is to run a subnational government—he also understands very deeply the role that State and Local Governments play in actualising national development.

This is why he has put so much focus on empowering those two tiers of government. Between 2023 and 2024, federal allocations to State Governments grew by a whopping 62 percent—i.e. almost two thirds, while those to Local Governments grew by 47 percent—i.e. almost half.

That pattern has continued till date, and is set to grow even further from 2026, with the new Tax Laws which have reduced the Federal Government’s share of VAT from 15% to 10%, while raising the share for States and Local Government Areas to 55% and 35%, respectively. Yet another demonstration of the lengths to which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR will go to take decisions for the collective good, and not personal gain.

For the local governments, he took the matter of their financial autonomy to the Supreme Court, and made a convincing case that secured a historic judgement in favour of Local Governments. He is equally committed to ensuring the full implementation of this financial autonomy for this tier of government that is closest to the needs and aspirations and desires of the Nigerian people.

The tireless reformer that he is, the President is now on a quest to extend the reforms and restructuring to Nigeria’s security architecture, in a manner that has never been seen since 1960. I’m referring here to the issue of State

of unique and tailored development models for Nigeria: “What I advocate is something that can be applied to both the common and unique developmental challenges of the North and South so that the nation moves in unison without any group or region feeling left out or estranged from national progress.”

This nuanced appreciation of the unique differences across Nigeria on account of geography and culture is a key element of the philosophy underpinning President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda; and it is also something he shares with the late Sir Ahmadu Bello and his generation of independence-era statesmen. They understood that development is never a one-size-fits-all conversation.

For example, as the question of Nigeria’s independence from Great Britain gained momentum, Sir Ahmadu Bello envisioned a time when Nigeria’s regions would be able to, I quote, “[sink] their differences, grievances, prejudices, both tribal and political, suspicions and fears and agree on the fundamental principles of self-government.” Whether this happened or not before October 1, 1960, or whether it has happened since then, is up for historians to discuss and debate.

As I said pointed out above, the late Sardauna was someone who deliberately allowed himself to be challenged by the development he saw in other regions of the country. Whether it is state policing or local government autonomy, or presidential legacy infrastructure projects connecting our cities and opening up our rural areas, any development that will endure must be home-grown, local, and bottom-up.

Policing—which is most accurately described as an arrangement that empowers State Governments to have a greater say in the security of their States and local communities.

Just last month, while receiving a delegation of eminent Katsina leaders, led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR said, and I quote, “I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create a State Police. We are looking at that holistically. We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, people, livelihood, places of worship, and recreational spaces.”

When the President sets out to achieve a fundamental reform, we know that, regardless of all the odds and challenges, he will—working with and carrying along all stakeholders—achieve his objectives.

His life’s mission is eloquently captured in his 2024 New Year’s Address to the nation, where he said, and I quote, “Fellow Nigerians, my major ambition in government as a Senator in the aborted Third Republic, as Governor of Lagos State for eight years and now as the President of this blessed country is to build a fair and equitable society and close the widening inequality.

While I believe the rich should enjoy their legitimately-earned wealth, our minimum bargain must be that, any Nigerian that works hard and diligent enough will have a chance to get ahead in life.”

The President is a veteran unifier and a bridge-builder, and this is self-evident from the breadth and vastness of his personal and political networks across Nigeria and even Africa. And I can very boldly say that bridge-building is what the Renewed Hope Agenda is all about, as well.

The agenda seeks to build bridges—bridges of impactful reform, of enduring development, of collective prosperity, and of equity and national unity—in Nigeria. And it is doing this with the understanding that Nigeria is a large and diverse country, comprising various regions that must be allowed to advance in a way that is compatible with their specific contexts and circumstances.

On Saturday, March 27, 2021, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress as then was, chaired the 2021 Sardauna Memorial Lecture, held in this same place, Arewa House, Kaduna.

In his remarks on that occasion, he said, regarding the design and implementation

I am reminded of these words of Sir Ahmadu Bello, on the vision of the Northern Peoples Congress, the political party that he ran as President from 1949 until his death: “Our aims were very simple. To develop the country to the fullest extent in the shortest time; to preserve the peace, good order, and friendly relations between all our different peoples; to conduct an efficient and impartial administration; to ensure for all, freedom of thought and religion; to do good to all men.”

More than six decades later, these words still ring with truth and power. They stand as an eloquent and timeless challenge to those of us striving to build on the legacies of those who walked ahead of us. We must study their lives and their examples and learn from their successes and especially their shortcomings.

No one is perfect, and politics and public service are not about perfection. Instead they are about constantly improving, finetuning, reforming—planting trees we might not be around to enjoy, building to leave behind a better country and a better planet than the one we inherited.

I will close with a strong message of hope and unity for these times that we are in, against the backdrop of the challenges that we are confronting as a nation, including false and baseless claims from the United States government about religious persecution and intolerance.

We will continue to affirm that Nigeria is a proudly multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country, where the things that bind us together are far weightier than whatever seeks to separate or divide us.

We stand together as citizens and com- patriots, firm in our conviction about our common destiny. God has put us together for a purpose, and we shall achieve that purpose without distraction or division.

We shall defeat every challenge: poverty, hunger, and insecurity.

As President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reminded us earlier this week: “The task ahead is immense, but it is our resolve to move forward with unity and purpose, guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda to build a prosperous, inclusive and resilient Nigeria.” •Above are Excerpts from a lecture delivered by Governor Sanwo-Olu at the Invitation of the Arewa Think Tank to Mark the 65th Anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence

President Bola Tinubu

Super Eagles Boycott Training in Rabat Over Outstanding Allowances

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Barely two days to the crucial 2026 World Cup African Playoff clash with Gabon, Nigeria’s Super Eagles boycotted Wednes- day training in Rabat, Morocco to press home the payment of outstanding bonuses and allowances.

It was a repeat of what happened in 2014 in Brazil when a similar boycott led to Nigeria failing to go beyond the Round of 16 of the World Cup as France easily defeated the feuding Eagles in Brasilia, the political capital of the South American nation.

According to Nigerian pho-

tojournalist, Adebayo Suleiman of Pooja Media, who is in Rabat for the Playoffs, Super Eagles players and officials refused to step down from their rooms for the Wednesday training. He confirmed that the players are asking for the payment of their unpaid bonuses running over two years.

...Iwobi Upbeat About Nigeria’s Chances to Qualify Through the Playoffs

Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi remains upbeat about Nigeria’s chances to make it to the 2026 World Cup through the playoffs.

The Fulham player told BBC Sports Africa yesterday that although he is not expecting an easy route to one of the two tickets on offer, the Super Eagles have the players to make it happen.

After Nigeria missed out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Iwobi is keen to return to the international game’s biggest stage.

“Giving ourselves another chance to go into the World Cup, the confidence is high,” said the 29-year-old.

“I’ve been in one (Russia 2018), I would like to be in one again.”

Ahead of Nigeria’s clash with Gabon in Morocco on Thursday, Iwobi insisted that it won’t be an easy game.

He admitted that his former teammate at Arsenal, PierreEmerick Aubameyang, also

have his eyes on attending his first World Cup but Nigeria will not that to happen with this lone ticket on offer for an African team in Morocco to qualify for the intercontinental playoffs in “HopefullyMarch. we get the chance to do that. It’s not going to be easy. We’ve got to play Gabon first and I’m sure he (Aubamey- ang) wants to go to the World Cup as well.

He said that the 36-year-old Gabonese who has netted seven times for the Panthers in the qualifiers will be locked up by Eagles

“He’sdefence.getting on, but you wouldn’t think that. He’s a youthful guy,” added Iwobi.

“I don’t know how, but we’re going to lock him up.”

Iwobi praised Super Eagles Head Coach, Eric Sekou Chelle, for the transformation that he has brought to the team since taking over in January.

The Malian has gone unbeaten

Lagos Sports Commission DG Hails GOtv Boxing Night

The Director-General of the Lagos State Sports Commis- sion, Mr. Lekan Fatodu, has applauded the organisers of GOtv Boxing Night for their consistency in promoting boxing and nurturing local talents in Nigeria.Fatodu made the commendation at the weekend when a delegation from Flykite Productions, organisers of GOtv Boxing Night, paid him a courtesy visit at his office at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

The visit was to formally inform the Commission of plans for the 34th edition of the event, which will hold on 26 December at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos.

Speaking during the visit, Fatodu described GOtv Boxing Night as one of the most enduring private-sector initiatives in Nigerian sports, noting that it has revived public interest in boxing and provided a platform for young fighters to showcase their skills.

in six competitive games, with four wins and two draws, and Iwobi says the 48-year-old has installed a positive atmosphere among the squad.

In a video posted on Insta- gram, Suleiman showed the empty Macopolo bus parked in front of the team’s Rive Hotel.

Yesterday was supposed to be the first time that Head Coach, Eric Chelle, will have the full compliment of all the players at training. Only Maduka Okoye had not arrived the team base as at 4pm on Wednesday evening.

Camp sources revealed that there was consensus amongst the players to boycott the training . They were believed to have informed the head coach of their decision not to attend the training earlier fixed for between 4 and 6pm.

Chelle himself who has not been paid his $55,000 monthly salaries for September and

October could not stop the protest. He recently got paid two months wages as part of his outstanding salaries. The Malian was employed in January to replace sacked Finidi George.

A top government official who did not want to be quoted told THISDAY last night that the outstanding bonuses are for both the qualifying campaigns for the 2025 AFCON as well as the 2026 World Cup totally over $100,000 per player.

“The players have only received $1,000 allowance for all the matches played despite the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) receiving full payments for both the Lesotho and Benin Republic matches from the NSC,” stressed the top official.

It was also learnt that the players are also asking for a special bonus for taking part in the playoffs just as Gabon and D.R. Congo players have also demanded from their FAs.

Calls to the mobile phone of the NFF’s Director of Communication, Dr Ademola Olajire, were not picked neither was there any official statement from the federation on the situation in Eagles camp in Rabat. The Super Eagles are billed to tackle Gabon on Thursday in a 2026 World Cup Playoff with the winner up against the winner of the other Playoffs between DR Congo and Cameroon to determine Africa’s representatives at the Intercontinental Playoffs in

allowances

White Tigers, Chekas Utd, Others in Spires 5-Aside S’finals Showdown Today

The semi final games of the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament Season 2 will hold in Lagos Accordingtoday. to the organisers, all is now set for the semi-final showdown today, Wednesday, November 12th, at the Stables Sports Center on Bode Thomas

Street in Surulere, Lagos. Greater Tomorrow FC will lock-horns against the defending champions White Tigers, while Chekas Utd will hope to secure a place in the grand-finale when they file out against Papa SA football club.

To reach the Last Four stage of the tournament, last season’s champions White Tigers defeated All Saints FC 3-2 while Papa SA edged Blood and Sand football club 7-6 on penalty shootout after regulation time ended with one goal on either side. Chekas United secured a 2-1 victory against Wasola FC, while

Plateau Athletes Dominate 2nd Ikogosi 17.5km Road Race

Gbenga Sodeinde in

Ekiti

Plateau State athletes dominated the second edition of the Ikogosi 17.5km Road Race as the trio of Iliya Raymond Gyang, Francis James and Ismael Sadjo made it a 1,2,3 affair for the state . Gyang hit the finish line in 57 minutes 33 seconds to pick the top prize money of N2million. He was followed to the finish

line by James who clocked 57.44 while Sadjo picked the bronze with 59.16. Both road runners received N1.5 million and N1million respectively for placing second and third .

In the female category, it was also an entire Plateau affairs with Blessing Shamboa (68.00) winning the top prize of N2 million like the male top winner. Akusho Lydia Thomas (70:12)

was second to claim N1.5 million, while Nvou Gyang Tanko (71:15) was third and got the consolation prize of N1 million.

The race which commenced in Ilawe-Ekiti terminated at the iconic Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort. It attracted thousands of participants and spectators, further reinforcing its reputation as one of the most influential community-based road running

events in the region. According to the organisers of the race, the event showcased exceptional athletic performances and highlighted the growing enthusiasm for long-distance running in Ekiti andTherebeyond.were special prizes for homegrown athletes that participated in the road race. Special recognition was accorded

indigenous runners from Ekiti State.

In the male indigenous category, Tunde Segun from Otun-Ekiti emerged winner and received N1.5 million, followed by Sunday Ijoko from Ijero-Ekiti, who placed second. He was gifted N1 million, while Agbalaya Alayande from Ado-Ekiti finished third to earn N500,000 for his efforts

Greater Tomorrow andvance with a 3-1 victory via penalty shootout after regulation time ended with two goals apiece in their fixture against New Generation Football Club.

The initiator of the tournament, Dr. Bankole Alibay, has stressed that his team has intensified readiness ahead of the grand-finale on Saturday, the 15th of November.

In his words: “The final will be one of the best blend of Football, Music, and the street culture ever seen in Nigeria. We already have these things sorted out and you have to be at the venue this Saturday to see things for yourself”.

Sixteen qualified teams across the five divisions in Lagos took part in the second edition of the Spires 5-Aside Naija Street Soccer Tournament.

Super Eagles players boycotted Wednesday training in Rabat, Morocco in protest over unpaid

Ado

L-R: Government Affairs Manager, West Africa; Murtala Bello, Regional Director and Head of Grid Technologies, West and Central Africa; Oladayo Orolu, Managing Director, Siemens Energy Nigeria; Seun Suleiman, SVP Project Execution; Hussein Shoukry, Managing Director Middle East and Africa, Siemens Energy; Dietmar Siersdorfer, German Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Johannes Lehne, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, Special Adviser to the President on Energy Olu Verheijen and Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises Ayo Gbeleyi during an audience with President Tinubu on the Siemens-FG Presidential Power Initiative in Abuja … yesterday

BABAjiDESANWO-OLu

gu EST COL um NIST

Nigeria at 65 and the Renewed Hope Agenda

In his memoir, My Life, Sir Ahmadu Bello writes of visiting Lagos for the first time in 1949 with his friend, the Wali of Borno.

The visit sparked a political awakening in him and gave him a greater appreciation of the sheer complexity of Nigeria.

He wrote, and I quote: “When I went to Lagos in 1949 I met for the first time, and saw in action, Nigerian politicians of the calibre of Dr Azikiwe. I began to see that we in the North would have to take politics seriously before very long. If we did not do so we should be left far behind in the future governmental development of Nigeria.”

One very striking feature of the late Sardauna was his hunger and desire for the development of Northern Nigeria. He paid close attention to what was going on in other regions of Nigeria, and even abroad, and allowed himself to be challenged and inspired by these developments to offer even greater leadership.

This spirit of healthy, vigorous competition is one that we as political leaders of today need to imbibe more seriously. When we push ourselves in this way, it benefits everyone — development happens faster and at greater scale, and never slows down.

In just three months from now, we will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the January 15, 1966 coup d’état, which not only truncated the fledgling democracy of Africa’s most populous country but also tragically cut short the lives of several leading politicians, in the most horrible circumstances possible.

On that fateful day, January 15, 1966, Arewa House became the site of a violent invasion that left death and destruction in its wake. But to the credit of the people of Northern Nigeria, they did not allow the Sardauna’s compound to fall into ruins or to be converted into something else entirely. Instead, it was turned into Arewa House — a permanent memorial to one of the greatest Africans of all time.

Today, we are able to gather here, surrounded by physical and emotional reminders of the life of Sir Ahmadu Bello, to discuss the journey of Nigeria since 1960. Let me take this opportunity to commend the board of trustees, the governing council, and the executive director of Arewa House for keeping the flag flying and remaining committed to

niGERiA: ThE JoURnEy So FAR...

L-R: Former Governors of Ogun and Osun, Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Chief Bisi Akande; former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius; Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Dr. Abdulkadir Meyere; former Governor of Jigawa State and current Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar; former Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan-Yero and the Convener, Arewa Think Tank, Mohammed Alhaji Yakubu during the Arewa Think Tank lecture themed: “65th Year of Nigeria Independence: The Journey So Far with the Renewed Hope Agenda in View”, at the Arewa House Auditorium in Kaduna, ... yesterday

intellectual inquiry and engagement.

As we approach this significant 60th anniversary of the passing of Sir Ahmadu Bello, as well as the 66th Independence anniversary of our dear nation, Nigeria, we are challenged to reflect on the journey of nationhood and the lessons from the architects of our self-governance.

Sir Ahmadu Bello’s generation of politicians were people of great ambition — bold and vocal in their convictions. They made decisions that were sometimes deemed controversial but were necessary for growth and development. They planted seeds for future generations, even when the people they led did not always have the patience to understand what was being done or the long-term benefits.

The risk of being a bold political leader is, of course, that you will be misunderstood and misinterpreted — but this was a risk they were willing to take. Indeed, anyone who wishes to play in the political arena must be ready to be misunderstood, stereotyped,

and attacked.

These qualities — bold vision and action, doing the right thing for tomorrow even if it seems difficult today — are deeply shared by the man who now leads our country as President Tinubu.

In his politics and vision, President Tinubu taps heavily into the audacious foresight that defined Sir Ahmadu Bello’s generation.

The President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is a clear testament to this foresight—and he has faithfully implemented its pledges and commitments since he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

Let me briefly highlight what this Re- newed Hope Agenda is all about. It is the governing vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, upon which he campaigned vigorously ahead of the 2023 presidential election. The Agenda — an “Action Plan for a Better Nigeria” — comprises eight pillars: • Reform the Economy for Sustained Inclusive Growth

• Strengthen National Security for Peace and Prosperity

• Boost Agriculture to Achieve Food Security

• Unlock Energy and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development

• Enhance Infrastructure and Transportation as Enablers of Growth

• Focus on Education, Health, and Social Investment as Essential Pillars of Development

• Accelerate Diversification through Industrialization, Digitization, Creative Arts, Manufacturing & Innovation

• Improve Governance for Effective Service Delivery

1. A comprehensive agenda focused on economic growth and diversification, security in all its ramifications (national security, energy security, food security), national infrastructure, human capital development, and governance reform.

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