Issuu

Wike: APC Govs Unaware of Goings-on, Tinubu Knows About Rainbow Coalition

Describes them as politically lazy, says he won’t take ‘rubbish’ Insists only president can question him, not governors Reveals APC govs never wanted him appointed as minister Casts doubts over capacity of Uzodimma, others to win elections for Tinubu Declares president will win Bayelsa, FCT through his influence Wike’s backing for non-APC candidates pitches him against govs

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Minister of the Federal Capital

Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, last night said governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives

Congress (APC) were unaware of his political discussions with President Bola Tinubu, insisting

that he had personally informed the president about the “Rainbow Coalition” he was building ahead

of the 2027 elections. Wike, who spoke on Arise Television, also described the

APC governors as “smart” but “politically lazy”, while questioning Continued on page 36

Wednesday 16 September, 2026 Vol 31. No 11483. Price: N400

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WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, T H I S D AY

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

CORONATION AT THE HEART OF DANGOTE REFINERY IPO...

L-R: Obeahon Ohiwerei, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Coronation Merchant Bank, Joint Issuing House to the Offer; Temi Popoola, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group); Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede CFR, Chairman, Coronation Group; Aliko Dangote GCON, President/Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Industries Limited; Jude Chiemeka, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX); Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga, Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group); Aigbovbioise Aig-Imoukhuede, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Coronation Asset Management; and Seyi Owoturo, Chief Executive Officer, Coronation Registrars Limited, Sole Registrar to the Offer, at the Facts Behind the Offer presentation for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE Initial Public Offer on the Nigerian Exchange, held in Lagos. The presentation marked the launch of the landmark offer, with Coronation playing key roles across the transaction through Coronation Registrars as Registrars, Coronation Merchant Bank as Joint Issuing House, Coronation Securities as Joint Stockbroker, and Coronation Wealth as a licensed digital platform.

Aig-Imoukhuede: Niger Delta Received $160bn in 27 Years, Yet Poverty Persists Okonjo-Iweala calls for private-sector-led investment in critical minerals, agriculture, coastal economy Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The Niger Delta has received about $160 billion in federal allocations and development funding over the past 27 years, yet poverty and underdevelopment persist across the region, Chairman of Access Holdings and Coronation Group, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, has said. His remarks came as DirectorGeneral of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, called for private-sector-led investment in the Niger Delta, particularly in critical minerals, agriculture, and the coastal economy, to create jobs and improve living standards. Aig-Imoukhuede, who delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit in Port Harcourt, said the more important question was not how much money had accrued to the region, but what productive assets had been created with the resources. He estimated that the nine Niger Delta states and their local governments had received the

equivalent of about $140 billion in federal allocations since 1999, rising to approximately $160 billion over 27 years when resources channelled through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were included. He said, “The question is no longer how much came to the Niger Delta. The question is, what stock of productive capital did this $160 billion leave behind?” He stated that the region’s central economic challenge was its inability to convert resource wealth into productive capital, infrastructure, industrial capacity, competitive

enterprises, and sustainable jobs. According to him, the Niger Delta must move from a “rentfocused economy” to a productive economy, from fragmented public expenditure to integrated economic platforms, and from nine largely separate state economies to a more coherent regional economy. Aig-Imoukhuede said the region could no longer rely solely on debates over derivation, revenue allocation, and federal intervention, stressing that distributive justice and economic development are not the same thing. He advocated a durable Niger

National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has emerged winner of the 2025/2026 Best Federal MDAs Digital Transformation Award at the 8th Nigeria E-Government Summit and Awards. The award was presented recently, in recognition of NASENI’s ongoing digital transformation, institutional reforms, efficiency, and improved service delivery under the leadership of its Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Khalil Suleiman Halilu. NASENI emerged ahead of two other federal agencies nominated

what happens to our possibilities and our dreams.” He urged the region’s political, business, professional, traditional, academic and religious elites to accept responsibility for its development failures rather than blame government alone. He said the Niger Delta could leverage its resource base to build institutions and financial assets capable of transforming the region, citing the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) as an example of what could have been achieved with a fraction of the resources available to the region.

In her contribution, OkonjoIweala called for a private-sector-led regeneration of the Niger Delta, warning that the region must urgently translate its vast natural resources and financial allocations into productive investments, jobs, and improved living standards. Okonjo-Iweala said the region’s development challenges were unacceptable, given its enormous natural resource endowment and financial resources. Okonjo-Iweala, in the goodwill message, said Niger Delta’s development statistics showed that urgent action was required.

Women’s Farming Gap Costs Nigeria $2.3bnYearly, FAO Warns UN agencies demand land, credit, technology, market access for women farmers Michael Olugbode in Abuja Nigeria is losing an estimated $2.3 billion annually — about two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product — because women farmers do not have equal access to land,

finance, technology, agricultural services and markets, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has warned. The FAO raised the alarm in Abuja yesterday, at a high-level

NASENI Wins Best Federal MDA Digital Transformation Award Sunday Ehigiator

Delta Development and Investment Compact involving the nine states, the federal government, NDDC, private sector, communities, development institutions, and long-term capital. The compact, he said, should focus on a limited number of regional priorities capable of producing measurable economic transformation. Aig-Imoukhuede stated, “The Niger Delta has a conversion problem. Natural resources do not create prosperity by themselves. Natural resources create possibilities, but it is institutions that determine

in the category, securing 57.4 per cent of the votes cast. National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) came first runner-up with 25.6 per cent, while Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) placed second runner-up with 16.9 per cent. The convener of Nigeria EGovernment Summit and Awards, Engr. Lanre Ajayi, said NASENI’s recognition represented a significant milestone in the transformation of the agency since Halilu assumed office. Representing the NASENI EVC/ CEO at the award dinner, Director of Information, New Media and Protocol, Segun Ayeoyenikan, high-

lighted some of the digital reforms undertaken by the agency, including the deployment of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. In his goodwill message on behalf of Halilu, Ayeoyenikan said the agency had embraced digitisation across its administrative and operational processes. he stated, “I would like to report that NASENI is at the forefront of promoting the culture that all governance systems in Nigeria become digitised. “At NASENI, you don’t see papers anymore, the offices and all our tables are cleared of papers, we have digitised not only administration, but all our operations.”

meeting and panel discussion to mark the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer, saying Nigeria could unlock substantial agricultural and economic gains by removing the structural barriers limiting women’s productivity and leadership. The meeting, held at the United Nations House under the theme, “Advancing Women’s Leadership and Economic Power in Nigeria’s Agrifood System,” brought together government officials, development partners, members of the diplomatic corps, financial institutions, private-sector operators, farmers’ organisations and women farmers. Rather than treating women’s participation in agriculture as a social-welfare issue, the UN agencies said Nigeria must begin to view women farmers as a major economic force whose productivity, enterprise and purchasing power could significantly influence the country’s food security and rural economy. The FAO representative, Hussein Gadain said women already occupied virtually every segment of Nigeria’s agrifood system,

from production and livestock to fisheries, food processing, trading, entrepreneurship and household nutrition. Yet, she said, their contribution remained constrained by unequal access to the very resources required to make agriculture productive and commercially viable. “Women must be recognised not only as contributors to agrifood systems, but also as decisionmakers, innovators, investors and leaders,” she said. According to FAO, women account for approximately 41 per cent of the global agrifood workforce, while women contribute an estimated 37 per cent of labour in Nigeria’s crop production. The organisation said the productivity gap was not a reflection of women’s ability to farm but largely the result of unequal opportunities. It warned that leaving the gap unaddressed would continue to impose an economic cost on a country already battling food inflation, unemployment, rural poverty, insecurity and climate-

related disruptions to agricultural production. The FAO representative said closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity and wages could add nearly $1 trillion to the global economy and reduce food insecurity for millions of people. The warning assumes greater significance given agriculture’s importance to the Nigerian economy. Agriculture contributes approximately 22 to 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, while an estimated 35 to 40 per cent of the labour force is engaged in the sector. More than 70 per cent of rural households depend on agriculture for all or part of their income and food security. Women are deeply embedded in this system, but their work often extends beyond what is captured in conventional measures of agricultural production. They cultivate crops, rear livestock, process farm produce, participate in fisheries and aquaculture, transport and trade food, run small agribusinesses and play a central role in household food and nutrition security.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

NEWS

DIASPORA LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME FOR THE WEF YOUNG GLOBAL LEADERS HOSTED BY AIG-IMOUKHUEDE...

L-R: Chairman, Access Holdings and Coronation Group, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CFR: YGL/Chief Corporate Strategy and Development Officer, Africa50, Alice Usanase: Founder and Managing Partner of Aruwa Capital Management, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes; Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings, Innocent C. Ike; MD/CEO, Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), Zouera Youssoufou; and MD/CEO, Dangote Refinery, David Bird, at the ADF Africa - Diaspora Leadership Programme for the WEF Young Global Leaders hosted by Aig-Imoukhuede at Access Tower, Victoria Island, Lagos, last Friday

Inflation Eases to 15.39% Amid Moderation in Food Prices Severe in Lagos, Zamfara, Enugu, others

James Emejo in Abuja The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures changes in prices of goods and commodities, eased marginally to 15.39 per cent in August, from 15.43 per cent in July, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said yesterday. According to the CPI report for the month under review, the result indicates a sharp slowdown

in month-on-month price increases, as inflation remains significantly below the 23.14 per cent recorded in August 2025. Month-on-month headline inflation dropped to 0.71 per cent in August, compared to 1.57 per cent in the preceding month. Food inflation stood at 19.57 per cent year-on-year in August, from 25.30 per cent recorded in the corresponding month of 2025.

Month-on-month, the food index declined to 1.02 per cent, compared to 5.56 per cent in July, representing a 4.55 per cent reduction. NBS attributed the slowdown mainly to changes in the average prices of several food items, including palm oil, carrots, pepper, onions, cassava flour, beef, yam flour, water yam, melon (egusi), fresh ginger, fresh fish, Irish potatoes, wheat grain, frozen chicken, and turkey meat.

Essentially, the easing food-price pressures played a significant role in the marginal decline in headline inflation rate during the review month. At the divisional level, food and non-alcoholic beverages remained the biggest contributor to inflation, accounting for 6.16 per cent, followed by restaurants and accommodation services 1.99 per cent, and transport, which contributed 1.64 per cent

Politicians Must Look Beyond Four-Year Election Cycles, Says Lagos Gov, Sanwo-Olu Funmi Ogundare Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, said politicians must move away from concentrating solely on four-year election cycles and embrace longterm thinking. Sanwo-Olu stated that leaders should be willing to undertake projects whose benefits might not be realised during their tenure. He identified vision, self-reliance, partnership and a governance approach that prioritised the needs of ordinary citizens as the four key habits underpinning Lagos State’s governance model. Sanwo-Olu spoke as Guest Speaker at the centenary anniversary lecture of Yoruba Tennis Club, titled, “Democracy, Governance and the Lagos Spirit: A Century of Excellence.” He explained that the state’s ability to sustain development across successive administrations was largely driven by continuity of vision and long-term planning. The governor said Lagos had maintained the development blueprint introduced in 1999, adding that successive administrations have built on the foundation rather than abandoning it for new plans. Sanwo-Olu stated, “The Lagos way of governing rests on four habits. The first habit is the vision. In 1999, when democracy returned, this state did something remarkable

and rare. “It crafted a blueprint, the brainchild of the then Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his brilliant team of technocrats. Every Governor who has followed has faithfully built on that blueprint.” According to him, 27 years after the blueprint was introduced, Lagos has not departed from the original vision. Sanwo-Olu described continuity as one of the major reasons for the state’s transformation. He cited the development of the blue and red rail lines as examples of the benefits of continuity, describing them as the first rail services built and operated by a sub-national government in Nigeria. On self-reliance, the governor said Lagos responded to periods when federal resources were withheld by strengthening its internally generated revenue system and reforming its fiscal architecture. He said, “When the federal government vindictively closed its purse to us, Lagos did not become a beggar. It turned to its own people. It reformed its tax administration, modernised its fiscal architecture, and asked Lagosians to pay for their own city. They did.” Sanwo-Olu added that Lagos now generated more of its own revenue than any other state in

the country, attributing many of the state’s achievements to the willingness of residents to fund its development. The governor also identified partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders as another defining feature of Lagos governance. He described the Yoruba Tennis Club, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous social club, as an important part of Lagos’ civic infrastructure, saying clubs and associations

have historically complemented government institutions by providing platforms for leadership, mentorship, networking, dispute resolution, and civic participation. He urged the club to preserve its founding ideals while continuing to adapt to changing times. The governor urged its leadership to maintain high standards in admitting new members, preserve its archives, attract younger people, and create opportunities for them to assume leadership positions.

inflation. However, recreation, sport, and culture contributed 0.05 per cent; alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics, 0.06 per cent; while insurance and financial services accounted for 0.07 per cent. Core inflation, which excludes volatile agricultural produce and energy prices, stood at 13.29 per cent year-on-year in August, showing moderation during the review period. On a monthly basis, the core index stood at -0.06 per cent, compared to 0.15 per cent in July. On monthly basis, farm produce recorded inflation of 1.35 per cent; imported food, 0.91 per cent; goods, 0.45 per cent; services, 0.12 per cent, while energy recorded a negative inflation rate of -0.36 per cent. On a year-on-year, farm produce recorded the highest rate at 21.52 per cent, followed by services at 15.38 per cent, goods at 14.74 per cent, imported food at 12.82 per cent, and energy at 4.69 per cent. Urban inflation stood at 15.88 per cent year-on-year in August, while the monthly rate fell to 0.28 per cent from 1.90 per cent in July. Rural inflation was lower at 14.23 per cent year-on-year, although its monthly rate increased to 1.79 per cent from 0.78 per cent in July. At state level, Lagos recorded the highest year-on-year headline

inflation at 23.68 per cent, followed by Zamfara at 22.56 per cent and Enugu at 22.06 per cent. Sokoto recorded the lowest year-on-year headline inflation at 2.11 per cent, followed by Kebbi at 3.72 per cent and Jigawa at 3.81 per cent. On a month-on-month, Rivers recorded the highest increase at 6.92 per cent, followed by Osun at 5.61 per cent, and Kano at 5.59 per cent. However, Anambra, Bauchi and Borno recorded negative monthly inflation rates of -8.83 per cent, -7.13 per cent and -7.09 per cent respectively. Year on year, food inflation was highest in Adamawa at 38.85 per cent, followed by Zamfara at 37.96 per cent, and Bayelsa at 36.20 per cent. Borno recorded a negative yearon-year food inflation rate of -4.04 per cent, while Jigawa and Kebbi recorded -0.23 per cent and 3.47 per cent, respectively. On monthly basis, Katsina recorded the highest food inflation at 9.48 per cent, followed by Rivers at 8.86 per cent and Osun at 8.32 per cent. Taraba, Borno and Bauchi, however, recorded negative monthly food inflation rates of -12.42 per cent, -12.15 per cent and -8.88 per cent respectively.

Anambra Govt, Importers Partner to Unlock Blue Economy Opportunities in Nigeria David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka Anambra State government in collaboration with Importers Association of Nigeria (IMAN) has held a statewide stakeholders sensitisation seminar to secure trade corridors and unlock blue economy opportunities for importers in Nigeria. This is coming as the Governor of the state, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, used the opportunity of the seminar to market the benefits of the Anambra Mixed Use Industrial City, which is still under construction, insisting that it would give manufacturers the opportunity of an export free trade zone across Africa. The sensitisation seminar which was

a two day event kicked off in Anambra State yesterday and was championed by IMAN, and sponsored by the national patron of the association, Dr Augustine Azubuike Ekweozor. The event with the theme: ‘Securing trade corridors and unlocking blue economy opportunities: positioning Anambra State for safe commerce,’ AfCTA competitiveness and sustainable economic growth, was attended stakeholders in the nations supply chain, including heads of various government agencies in Nigeria. Lead paper presenter, Dr Obiorah Madu, the Director General of African Center for Supply Chain who spoke on the topic: ‘Building secure, smart and competitive supply chain: unlocking

blue economy opportunities and trade competitiveness under AfCFTA,’ said Anambra has the capacity to be a leading economy in Nigeria, but lacks the smooth logistics that could facilitate it. He said: “Anambra people are entrepreneurial, they have the raw material, arable land and the industry to drive a first-class economy, but the state lacks the connection and smooth logistics that can facilitate it. “That is why we must call for the building of a trade corridor and not just a port. Have you asked yourselves why Lekki Deep Seaport is ahead in terms of trade? That is because all the things that were wrong in Tin Can and Apapa ports were corrected in Lekki Deep Seaport.

“If we are building a new port, we should be looking at the KPI (Key Performance Indicators). Our KPIs must match international standard. That is why I have never been excited since they started talking about AFCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) in Nigeria. This is because the logistic and supply chain that will carry AFCFTA is not there yet. “If you help importers to reduce cost, you have done everything for them and that is what we should be talking about in any port we are building. That is why I think the inability to have a functional seaport in Igboland is somewhat political. We need to take pressure off the road and ensure that the river port in Onitsha is working.

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

NEWS

GASTECH 2026 CONFERENCE...

L-R: Engr Audu Ibrahim, Managing Director, Nigeria Gas Infrastructure Company Ltd; Group Chairman/CEO, Lee Engineering Group & Allied Companies Ltd, Dr. Leemon Ikpea CON; Ambassador Bello Dogon-Daji Haliru, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Thailand; and Mr. Olufemi Olakekan Ogunleye, Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, NNPCL at the ongoing Gastech 2026 Conference which brought together global energy leaders in Bangkok, Thailand

Agora Policy: Nigeria’s 4.4% GDP Growth Not Enough to Cut Poverty, Create Jobs Says economy needs sustained growth above 6–7% annually Calls for shift to manufacturing, agro-processing Doubts achievement of Tinubu’s $1 trillion economy target by 2030 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Agora Policy, a Nigerian think tank has warned that Nigeria’s 4.4 per cent economic growth in the second quarter of 2026 is not sufficient to significantly reduce poverty or create enough jobs for the country’s rapidly expanding population. In a new policy analysis, the organisation said although the latest growth rate was the highest recorded since the second quarter of 2021, it remained too weak to deliver broad-based improvements in living standards, particularly as Nigeria’s population is expanding by an estimated 2–3 per cent annually. In the memo titled: “Translating Nigeria’s GDP Growth to Improved Living Standards,” Agora Policy said the country needed to move beyond simply pursuing higher headline GDP figures and focus on the quality and composition of economic growth. The Waziri Adio-led group argued that Nigeria needed sustained annual economic growth of above 6–7 per cent over the medium term, supported by sectors capable of generating large numbers of productive jobs and raising household incomes. The analysis noted that recent reforms under President Tinubu had produced some macroeconomic gains, including improved GDP growth, government revenue and external reserves, but these had occurred alongside rising poverty and a high cost of living. According to the organisation, World Bank estimates showed that Nigeria’s

poverty rate under the national poverty line rose from 56 per cent in 2023 to 61 per cent in 2024 and was estimated at 63 per cent in 2025, implying that roughly 140 million Nigerians were living below the national poverty line last year. Agora also noted that Nigeria’s GDP growth had weakened substantially over the past two decades. Between 2015 and 2025, the economy, it said, recorded an average compound annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent, compared with 6.8 per cent between 2004 and 2014. It said the experience demonstrated that economic growth driven largely by commodities and capital-intensive sectors did not automatically translate into widespread job creation or higher living standards. “Growth must become more labour-absorbing, more productive, and more inclusive,” the organisation stated, arguing that a growth rate of 3–4 per cent might help maintain macroeconomic stability but would be inadequate to significantly reduce poverty or absorb the millions of young Nigerians entering the labour market each year. Agora said one of the major weaknesses of Nigeria’s current growth structure was its heavy reliance on services, which account for about 96 per cent of non-oil growth. While sectors such as telecommunications, finance, insurance and information technology have continued to expand, the organisation said many were relatively capital-intensive and required specialised skills, limiting their

capacity to absorb Nigeria’s large pool of low and middle-skilled workers. It therefore called for greater emphasis on light manufacturing, garment and textile production, agro-processing, construction and infrastructure development, describing them as sectors capable of creating employment across different skill levels. The organisation said manufacturing remained particularly important

to Nigeria’s long-term economic transformation but continued to face major constraints, including unreliable electricity, high energy costs, limited access to affordable credit, foreign exchange challenges and inadequate transport infrastructure. Agora recommended the establishment of targeted industrial and manufacturing zones with reliable electricity, transport infrastructure and

streamlined regulations to support sectors including textiles, food processing, pharmaceuticals, building materials, consumer goods and light assembly. It also identified agriculture as another major avenue for inclusive growth, recalling that the sector grew by 4.39 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, up from 2.82 per cent in the same period of 2025. Agriculture, according to the

report, accounts for about 26 per cent of Nigeria’s real GDP and provides livelihoods directly or indirectly for between 30 and 60 per cent of workers. However, Agora said the priority should not simply be to increase agricultural production but to raise productivity and develop value chains capable of converting raw agricultural commodities into finished and semifinished products.

Experts Canvass Integration of Insurance Checks into Public Digital Platform FG urged to establish insurance register, enforce compliance, insure public assets Oluchi Chibuzor As Nigeria pursues an increase in insurance penetration from the current 0.5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 10 percent, experts have called for integration of insurance checks into the nation’s public digital platform. This is as they demanded that the government should be a compliance anchor in line with the new NIRA law by insuring public assets and employees. Speaking at the all-media inclusive seminar, themed, ‘The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, In Everything’, Dr. Omogbai Omo-Eboh, said making insurance work for individuals, governments and the economy requires integration through public

digital services. The two- day seminar was organised by Insurance Publication Limited, saw Omo-Eboh stressing that practical success of any national insurance policy depends upon its integration into public and quasipublic services. He explained that under NIIRA 2025, the clearest path is to link compulsory insurance to licensing, permits, registration, and public procurement rather than treating it as a separate private-market product. According to him, “Vehicle license renewal should require real-time verification of motor third-party insurance. Imported goods should not be cleared without evidence of marine cargo insurance issued in Nigeria. “Building approvals and certificates

of completion should be withheld unless builders’ liability and public building insurance are in place. Employers should not obtain tax clearance, workplace inspection clearance, or renewal of industrial licenses without proof of group life cover for employees. “There is a need to build insurance checks into digital public platforms. A government portal can verify policy numbers before issuing approvals, renewing licenses, or releasing permits, reducing manual fraud and delays. “Public services can be used to collect premiums efficiently. Premiums can be paid through tax offices, licensing agencies, or sector regulators at the point of registration or renewal, so compliance becomes routine instead of burdensome. “For a national insurance policy

to succeed, it must be meaningful to ordinary citizens. Insurance products for individuals should therefore be affordable, accessible, and intelligible. “Microinsurance should be expanded for transport operators, traders, artisans, tenants, and lowincome households. For insurance companies, the importance of data cannot be overemphasized. Data is the foundational asset for underwriting accuracy, risk assessment, product innovation, and customer trust.” He maintained that for insurers to thrive under NIIRA 2025 expanded compulsory framework, access to synchronised data across government databases, credit bureaus, healthcare providers, and financial institutions is indispensable, enabling real-time verification, enhanced KYC processes, and robust fraud detection.

Again, Pi-CNG Warns Against Unauthorised, Illegal Cylinder Conversion Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) has again warned motorists against the use of unauthorised cylinders and components in vehicle conversions following an incident involving a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cylinder at

a filling station in Abuja. The incident was said to have occurred on Sunday at the NIPCO gas filling station along Airport Road, Abuja, when a cylinder fitted to a vehicle exploded during refuelling, a statement in Abuja by the organisation’s spokesman, Onyekachi Eke, said. According to available information, the cylinder installed in

the vehicle was not designed or certified for the storage of compressed natural gas (CNG). Pi-CNG & EV, in a statement yesterday, said no life was lost and no injury was recorded in the incident, but stressed that it underscored the dangers posed by illegal and unsafe CNG conversions. It said the driver of the vehicle

had been apprehended and was expected to face the full weight of the law over the use of an unauthorised cylinder that endangered lives and property. The initiative said motorists must understand that not every cylinder capable of containing gas was suitable for CNG use, warning against the practice of improvising with cylinders manufactured for

other purposes. “A cylinder is not a CNG cylinder simply because it can contain gas,” the initiative stated, stressing that cylinders designed for other applications could not be adapted or converted for automotive CNG storage. It warned that the use of substandard, fabricated, expired or unapproved cylinders exposed

vehicle owners, passengers, technicians, filling station personnel and members of the public to serious risks. Pi-CNG & EV also urged motorists to avoid unqualified technicians and the use of cheaper, unapproved components to reduce conversion costs, noting that every vehicle conversion must comply with prescribed safety standards.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSEPTEMBER 16, 2026 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Delta Assembly Passes 13thmonth Salary Bill for Workers Omon-Julius Onabu inAsaba An executive bill for payment of a 13th-month salary for workers in Delta State was yesterday passed by the state legislature. The bill, initiated by the Oborevwori administration seeks statutory backing for the annual payment of an additional month’s salary to public servants in Delta State. The passage of the bill followed its third reading during the plenary presided ovexr by the Speaker, Hon Emomotimi Dennis Guwor. On Tuesday, the Assembly had put on hold the relevant standing orders to allow for the accelerated passage of the executive bill following the endorsement of a motion by

the House Leader, Hon Emeka Nwaobi, and subsequently adopted. In his post-passage remarks, the Speaker, Hon. Guwor, thanked the members for their “bold step towards strengthening workers’ welfare in Delta State.” Guwor said: “This honourable Assembly has once again demonstrated that the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people. “The passage of the bill further affirmed the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as a welfareoriented and worker-friendly government. The payment of the 13th-month salary to public servants in Delta State has come

to stay.” He expressed confidence that “the policy will boost workers’ morale, increase productivity and improve service delivery,” and commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for the welfare policy initiative, describing it as “a significant gesture in recognition of the contributions of public servants to the development of the state”. Earlier, while presenting the report of the Chairman, House Committee on Establishment, Ethics and Privileges, Hon Edafe Emakpo, explained that the proposed law was designed to establish a legal framework for the policy while improving the welfare and productivity of workers across the state.

Group Tackles Rainbow Coalition, Says Ogoni Won’t Be Intimidated Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt The Dr. Gabriel Pidomson Diaspora Support Group has condemned recent comments attributed to Chibuike Ikenga, spokesperson for the Rainbow Coalition, describing the remarks against the Rivers State political figure as defamatory and an attempt to intimidate the Ogoni people ahead of the 2027 elections. In a statement signed by its Chairman, Cornelius Dumerene, and Director of Communications, Ledum Nordee, the group rejected Ikenga’s alleged description

of Pidomson, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “guru in violence” and “featherweight,” insisting that such comments were designed to create a negative narrative around the Ogoni people. “Our attention has been drawn to the derogatory remarks made by Mr. Chibuike Ikenga on Channels TV, representing the self-serving Rainbow Coalition,” the group said. It added: “By labeling Dr. Pidomson a true son of Rivers State whose focus is entirely on the welfare of the everyday Rivers person as a ‘guru in

violence,’ they have resorted to outright defamation.” The group also took exception to Ikenga’s reported suggestion that other prominent Ogoni politicians, including Deeyaa, Kobani and Deekor, were qualified to govern Rivers State but that “their time has not come yet.” It queried who had the authority to determine when the political aspirations of the Ogoni people should be realised. “The Ogoni people will no longer allow outside political gods to dictate the clock of our destiny,” the statement declared.

HURIWA Tasks Kaduna Govt to Rehabilitate Displaced Communities John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Kaduna State Government to move beyond the recovery of more than 500,000 hectares of farmland from bandits by ensuring the safe return and rehabilitation of residents displaced by insecurity. The group said the return of the vast agricultural land could mark a turning point for thousands of rural residents whose livelihoods had been disrupted by banditry. HURIWA, in a statement yesterday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko,

commended Governor Uba Sani and security agencies for creating conditions that had allowed farmers to regain access to their farmlands. It, however, said the recovery of the territory should be followed by measures that would guarantee the permanent safety and economic recovery of affected communities. The association noted that the significance of the development extended beyond the security implications, as the return of farmland could boost agricultural production, restore household incomes and strengthen food security across the state.

It said prolonged insecurity had forced many residents away from their homes and ancestral lands, leaving communities economically weakened and families separated. “When armed groups occupy rural communities and prevent legitimate residents from accessing their homes, farms, and ancestral lands, the consequences go far beyond physical displacement,” HURIWA pointed out. The group noted that the occupation of rural communities had also affected food production, children’s education and the ability of families to sustain themselves.

Diversion Imminent as Maiden Victoria Island Carnival Holds

Yinka Olatunbosun

The usual hum of corporate engines across Victoria Island, Lagos will give way to a different kind of electricity as the commercial capital prepares for the launch of the maiden Victoria Island Carnival 2026. Organised by Downtown Promotions in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the week-long spectacle promises to turn the elite district into a vibrant canvas of music, fashion, art, and street culture. Running under the theme “Eko’s Jewel: A Legacy Rich in Colour,” the landmark cultural

initiative celebrates Victoria Island’s dual identity as both the economic heartbeat and the premier lifestyle capital of Lagos State. The festivities officially kicked off with the establishment of the central Carnival Village at Muri Okunola Park on September 14. The park will function as an immersive cultural centre, housing curated culinary popups, interactive creator hubs, live art installations, and continuous musical performances. On September 19, Lagos will witness the Victoria Island Street Party & Nightlife Showcase along Adeyemo Alakija Street. Known for its concentration of

fine dining and luxury venues, the strip will be closed to vehicle traffic, making room for live DJ sets, street dancers, and fashion pop-ups spotlighting contemporary Nigerian designs. On September 20, there will be a grand parade and citywide procession along major Victoria Island Corridors. Visually stunning themed floats, costume masquerades, and rhythmic brass bands will march across major thoroughfares—including Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Ahmadu Bello Way, Adeola Odeku, and Akin Adesola— before finishing back at Muri Okunola Park for the final main-stage concert.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 20 TR

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1 Wednesday September 16, 2026 Vol 27. No 11474

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

NO TIME LIKE NOW

So far, the INEC boss has clearly demonstrated the weight of his responsibility, writes TUNDE OLUSUNLE

The FCT Minister is renewing hope for residents, contends JACKSON UDE

CAN'T WE JUST TRUST AMUPITAN?

See page 21

SURGING ENERGY DEMANDS AND CHALLENGES OF AI

AI is a double-edged sword, argues SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE

See page 21

EDITORIAL

SOUTH AFRICA AND THE VIOLENT MOB

See page 22

Come October 10, 2026, it will be exactly one year since Professor Joash 2MR $PXSLWDQ 6$1 DVVXPHG R൶FH DV Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). I recall I ZDV LQ WKH R൶FH RI D NLQVPDQ RXW RI P\ usual abode in Abuja, and we were both ¿[DWHG RQ OLYH QDWLRQDO WHOHYLVLRQ DV $PXSLWDQ WRRN TXHVWLRQV IURP PHPEHUV RI WKH 6HQDWH ZKR VFUHHQHG KLP HYHQ DV we both relished the dexterous dance of RXU RZQ PDVTXHUDGH LQ D PDQQHU RI VSHDNLQJ 2QH \HDU LV ERWK D EULHI DQG DQ eternity in the life of a nation perpetually RQ HGJH DERXW WKH LQWHJULW\ RI LWV EDOORW In that year, the country has watched, ZDLWHG DQG ZKLVSHUHG 7KH TXHVWLRQ RQ WKH OLSV RI SROLWLFDO DFWRUV FLYLO VRFLHW\ DQG RUGLQDU\ YRWHUV KDV EHHQ VLPSOH DQG relentless: can we just trust Amupitan? From the moment his name was sent WR WKH 6HQDWH $PXSLWDQ ZDONHG LQWR a storm he did not create but inherited. $OOHJDWLRQV RI SDUWLVDQVKLS SUHFHGHG KLP &RPPHQWDWRUV GXJ XS XQUHODWHG old documents, old associations, and WULHG WR VWLWFK WKHP LQWR D QDUUDWLYH RI ELDV 7KH FKDUJH ZDV IDPLOLDU LQ RXU politics: that no one appointed by an incumbent president could possibly SUHVLGH RYHU DQ HOHFWRUDO XPSLUH ZLWK clean hands. The suspicion deepened ZKHQ WKH RSSRVLWLRQ DFURVV VHYHUDO VWDWHV GHVFHQGHG LQWR SURWUDFWHG OHJDO warfare, with factions and counterIDFWLRQV FODLPLQJ OHJLWLPDF\ ,Q WKH SXEOLF VTXDUH LQVLQXDWLRQV ÀHZ WKDW WKH UHIHUHH ZDV FRPSOLFLW LQ XQVHWWOLQJ WKH JDPH Then came the matter of data. Lere $GH\LQND VSRNHVSHUVRQ WR WKH 0LQLVWHU of the Federal Capital Territory, 1\HVRP :LNH PDGH SXEOLF VWDWHPHQWV UHIHUHQFLQJ DFFHVV WR ,1(& GDWD 7KH optics were poor. In a country where data is power and power is contested, DQ\ VXJJHVWLRQ WKDW WKH HOHFWRUDO UHJLVWHU WKH %9$6 EDFNHQG RU YRWHU LQIRUPDWLRQ could be casually handled outside the &RPPLVVLRQ¶V ¿UHZDOO LV HQRXJK WR WULJJHU DODUP $PXSLWDQ¶V ,1(& PRYHG swiftly to clarify protocols, to restate WKDW GDWD JRYHUQDQFH UHPDLQV ZLWKLQ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ DQG WR LQYLWH IRUHQVLF audit where necessary. But in politics, FODUL¿FDWLRQ UDUHO\ WUDYHOV DV IDVW DV accusation. 0RVW UHFHQWO\ D JURXS LQ .RJL 6WDWH UDLVHG DQRWKHU UHG ÀDJ 7KH\ DOOHJHG WKDW ,1(& ZDV FUHDWLQJ DGGLWLRQDO SROOLQJ ZDUGV LQ .RJL :HVW DQG .RJL &HQWUDO ZKLOH LJQRULQJ .RJL (DVW 7KH FODLP VSUHDG TXLFNO\ EHFDXVH LQ .RJL HYHU\ DGPLQLVWUDWLYH DFW LV UHDG WKURXJK WKH OHQV RI ]RQH DQG HYHU\ ]RQH UHDGV

omission as exclusion. Yet the facts, ZKHQ ODLG EDUH WHOO D GL൵HUHQW VWRU\ 7KH QHZ ZDUGV LQ .RJL :HVW DQG &HQWUDO were not arbitrary. They followed a delimitation exercise tied to population JURZWK YRWHU GHQVLW\ DQG DFFHVVLELOLW\ FKDOOHQJHV GRFXPHQWHG RYHU WKH ODVW WZR electoral cycles. $UHDV ZLWK VSUDZOLQJ VHWWOHPHQWV ORQJ GLVWDQFHV WR H[LVWLQJ SROOLQJ XQLWV DQG GRFXPHQWHG YRWHU VXSSUHVVLRQ due to distance were prioritized, in line ZLWK ,1(&¶V JXLGHOLQHV RQ HTXLWDEOH DFFHVV .RJL (DVW ZDV QRW OHIW RXW 7KH Commission’s records show that the UHYLHZ IRU WKDW ]RQH LV DW D GL൵HUHQW SKDVH RI YHUL¿FDWLRQ DZDLWLQJ WKH FRQFOXVLRQ RI VWDNHKROGHU FRQVXOWDWLRQV that were delayed by communal FRQFHUQV 7R VXJJHVW WKHUHIRUH WKDW WKHUH ZDV D GHOLEHUDWH VNHZ LV WR PLVWDNH VHTXHQFLQJ IRU GLVFULPLQDWLRQ ,1(& XQGHU $PXSLWDQ KDV E\ HYHU\ DYDLODEOH PHWULF WULHG WR DSSO\ WKH VDPH \DUGVWLFN DFURVV WKH WKUHH VHQDWRULDO ]RQHV HYHQ LI WKH WLPLQJ KDV QRW EHHQ SHUIHFWO\ symmetrical. And yet, despite the noise, despite the PLQH¿HOG 3URIHVVRU $PXSLWDQ KDV NHSW KLV H\HV RQ WKH ODUJHU ZRUN UHIRUP +H understands, perhaps more than most, that trust is not conferred by title. It is HDUQHG LQ WKH GRLQJ ,Q WKH ODVW WZHOYH PRQWKV ,1(& KDV SXVKHG D OHJLVODWLYH DJHQGD WKDW VHHNV WR FULPLQDOL]H YRWH EX\LQJ QRW MXVW DV DQ DIWHUWKRXJKW EXW DV D GLVWLQFW HOHFWRUDO R൵HQVH with clear penalties and enforcement mechanisms. The Commission has also SURSRVHG VDQFWLRQV IRU YLROHQW SROLWLFDO UKHWRULF UHFRJQL]LQJ WKDW WKH ODQJXDJH of politics has become a weapon, and that democracy cannot breathe in an atmosphere of intimidation. %H\RQG WKHVH WKHUH KDV EHHQ TXLHW EXW VWHDG\ LQYHVWPHQW LQ WKH EDFNHQG WLJKWHU DXGLW WUDLOV IRU WKH ,5H9 SRUWDO H[SDQGHG WUDLQLQJ IRU SUHVLGLQJ R൶FHUV

and a renewed commitment to early GHSOR\PHQW RI PDWHULDOV 0RVW UHFHQWO\ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ XQYHLOHG D ³UHDO WLPH UHDGLQHVV WUDFNHU´ OLQNHG GLUHFWO\ WR WKH (OHFWLRQ 0RQLWRULQJ DQG 6XSSRUW &HQWUH GDVKERDUG GHVLJQHG WR JLYH KHDGTXDUWHUV DQG 5(&V OLYH YLVLELOLW\ LQWR PDWHULDO GLVWULEXWLRQ DQG VWDWH OHYHO SUHSDUHGQHVV ahead of the January 16 and February JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQV $V 3URIHVVRU $PXSLWDQ SXW LW DW D QDWLRQDO ZRUNVKRS LQ /DJRV WKH JRDO LV WR UHSODFH ³UHDFWLYH SDQLF ZLWK SURDFWLYH PDQDJHPHQW ´ The proof, as it must be in elections, LV LQ WKH UHVXOWV GHOLYHUHG 8QGHU Amupitan’s watch, INEC conducted WKH JRYHUQRUVKLS HOHFWLRQV LQ $QDPEUD (NLWL DQG 2VXQ VWDWHV (DFK RI WKRVH polls was, by broad consensus, credible. 7KH PDUJLQV ZHUH FOHDU WKH SURFHVVHV ZHUH REVHUYHG DQG WKH ORVHUV KRZHYHU reluctantly, conceded. The council elections in the Federal Capital Territory also proceeded without the chaos that RQFH GH¿QHG WKHP 7KHVH ZHUH QRW perfect elections. No election anywhere is. But they were acceptable, and in our FRQWH[W DFFHSWDELOLW\ LV WKH ¿UVW FRXVLQ RI OHJLWLPDF\ Now, attention turns to Saturday, September 19, 2026, when by-elections ZLOO KROG LQ D QXPEHU RI VWDWHV 7KHVH R൵ F\FOH FRQWHVWV DUH RIWHQ WKH PRVW YRODWLOH 7KH\ DUH VPDOOHU LQ VFDOH EXW ODUJHU LQ symbolism. They test the readiness of the Commission, the discipline of parties, DQG WKH SDWLHQFH RI YRWHUV $PXSLWDQ KDV VDLG SXEOLFO\ DQG SULYDWHO\ WKDW WKHVH by-elections will be a template. That the VDPH WHFKQRORJ\ WKH VDPH WUDQVSDUHQF\ and the same insistence on due process WKDW PDUNHG WKH JRYHUQRUVKLS SROOV ZLOO be replicated. ,W LV KHUH WKDW VFHSWLFLVP FUHHSV EDFN LQ 7KH KDUG WUXWK RI 1LJHULDQ SROLWLFV LV this: no INEC Chairman appointed by D VLWWLQJ SUHVLGHQW HVFDSHV WKH VKDGRZ of that appointment. The President is ZLGHO\ UHJDUGHG ULJKWO\ RU ZURQJO\ DV GHVSHUDWH VRPH VD\ HYHQ QHXURWLF DERXW VHFXULQJ D VHFRQG WHUP ,Q WKDW HQYLURQPHQW HYHU\ GHFLVLRQ E\ WKH &RPPLVVLRQ LV VFDQQHG IRU PRWLYH (YHU\ GHOD\ LV UHDG DV GHVLJQ (YHU\ GHFODUDWLRQ LV ZHLJKHG IRU LQÀXHQFH The burden on Amupitan is therefore KHDYLHU WKDQ WKH EXUGHQ RQ WKH R൶FH LWVHOI +H PXVW QRW RQO\ EH QHXWUDO +H must be seen to be neutral, and he must be seen to be seen to be neutral. Olusunle, PhD, Fellow, Association of Nigerian Authors (FANA), teaches Creative Writing at the University of Abuja

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WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

The FCT Minister is renewing hope for residents, contends JACKSON UDE

NO TIME LIKE NOW Nyesom Wike is the 17th Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister. Since 1999, the starting block of the 4th Republic, Wike is the 8th minister of Nigeria’s fast-transforming capital. But even as one in a class of 17 members, Wike stands out. He always does. As governor of Rivers State for eight years, both his friends and foes agreed that he was bullish with infrastructure. Transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges and flyovers), healthcare infrastructure (hospitals and high-end medical equipment), education infrastructure (classrooms, laboratories) and housing infrastructure. Wike built all. On February 13, 2017, then functioning as the acting President (standing in for President Muhammadu Buhari who was on medical leave), Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at a dinner after touring Rivers State and inspecting Wike’s numerous projects, nicknamed Wike ‘Mr. Projects.’ And truly he was, and still is. It was a commendable bi-partisan endorsement. Osinbajo was of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while Wike was of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But Osinbajo, a man of his own conviction, decorated Wike with verbal finery to accentuate his impressions of a governor steeped in infrastructure development. And Rivers State was the better for it. From Port Harcourt to the innermost precincts of the oil-rich state, Wike brought development closer to the people, connecting riverine areas to upland towns. Now as FCT minister, Wike is replicating the Rivers infrastructure makeover in Abuja. I have lived many years in Abuja since the dawn of the 4th Republic. Never have I witnessed an FCT minister so passionate about the development of the FCT. Wike is not fixated on modernizing the city centre, he has extended his infrastructure magical wand to the suburbs and far-flung communities never before touched by his predecessors. The FCT has six area councils. They are Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji. Wike has established infrastructure footprints in all. In the history of the FCT, Wike is the first minister that has ensured that suburbs which had been neglected and cut off from the city centre are now connected by his bullish road construction zeal. The FCT is fast-transforming. And this is a warning to those who are visitors to the federal capital. Beware, you might not recognise the places you used to call ‘familiar places.’ You might miss your way. If FCT residents keep recounting how they could not recognise certain places they used to visit, how much more visitors, frequent or otherwise. A friend recently narrated how he drove past the usual turn that leads to his in-law’s house. Visiting last December after about eight months, he

drove past the arterial conduit to a place he had been visiting for years. He got lost obviously. Unaware that within the intervening months after his last visit, Wike had constructed a flyover over the intersection (a hub of gridlock heading into the Utako axis) from where he used to navigate to his in-law’s house. He had to call his guest who told him that the road he used to drive through is sitting under the flyover. Such has been the frenetic makeover of the FCT city centre. But it is not only about the municipal areas. Wike has ensured that every suburb is a subset of his development masterplan. A quick shortlist: the Paikon Kore–Ibwa Road in Gwagwalada; Gaba–Tokulo Road in Bwari; Garage Junction–LEA Secretariat Road in Kuje; Yangoji–Sukuku–Ebo Road in Kwali; and the Naharati–River Ukya–Unguwan Hausawa Road in Abaji. These are suburbs from where residents used to commute to the city centre everyday with agonizing tales. Those days are gone. Courtesy of Wike’s FCT-wide development policy, the federal capital has been collapsed into a networked community where commuting to otherwise remote places is at the snap of the finger. Wike holds the view that infrastructure does not only provide jobs and facilitate growth and businesses in the real estate sub-sector, it also opens a community for investments including manufacturing, trade and commerce. Great leaders have always emphasized on infrastructure as the building block for development. Barack Obama, former President of the United States once said in his 2015 State of the Union Address: "21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure: modern ports, and stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest Internet." This, perhaps, is what drives Wike: to create a conducive environment for businesses and investments. Nigeria with a notorious infrastructure deficit, deserves a Wike-type leadership. Not only Nigeria, African leaders should primarily be infrastructure leaders. Power, digital, transportation, education, healthcare and housing infrastructure should form the basis of development for developing nations. Ude, mediapreneur and communication strategist, writes from Abuja

AI is a double-edged sword, argues SONNY ARAGBA-AKPORE

SURGING ENERGY DEMANDS AND CHALLENGES OF AI While findings show that artificial intelligence (AI) is both a driver of efficiency, but a growing challenge, leading AI and cloud providers saw their individual emissions rise between 2020 and 2024, driven by soaring energy demand and expansion of infrastructure. These findings indicate that AI may provide answers to general energy requirements, but the challenges ahead may reduce the excitement it brings. New studies released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), recently have reports that evaluated the climate performance of 200 digital companies globally using publicly disclosed data relating to the 2024 reporting year. The fifth edition of Greening Digital Companies tracks greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy consumption, climate targets, renewable energy use and, for the first time, climate transition planning before drawing the conclusion of the challenges of AI ahead. The report released last week in Geneva, Switzerland by ITU says that despite progress in climate reporting and renewable electricity use, digital companies are falling short in cutting emissions at the pace required to achieve global climate targets, quoting the new report Greening Digital Companies: Monitoring Emissions and Climate Commitments 2026. "While digital technologies offer immense potential for climate action, their rising energy demands and emissions cannot be overlooked," according to Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General adding that "Environmental sustainability must be built into how we design, power and scale the technologies shaping our shared digital future." Indeed, AI’s growing energy demand highlights the urgency to align digital opportunities with climate goals. In what looked like AI’s double- edged sword, the report identifies AI as an increasingly important factor shaping the sector's emission trajectory. “Operational emissions from four major AI and cloud providers have soared, reaching up to 239 per cent of their 2020 levels, while 14 large telecom operators reduced their emissions by 11 per cent over the same period.” ITU submits that “while AI supports climate action through energy optimization, renewable forecasting, and efficiency gains, it comes with its own environmental costs. The report underlines the critical need for AI growth to align with clean energy investments and emissions management.” The report identifies priority actions, such as strengthening climate reporting, reducing Scope 3 emissions, improving the implementation of climate transition plans, and aligning AI and digital infrastructure expansion with clean energy development. “The ICT sector has the innovation,

resources, and influence to help shape a more sustainable digital future," said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Rearising that potential means turning climate commitments into implementation, cutting emissions, strengthening collaboration among various sector actors and ensuring that digital growth, including AI, advances alongside clean energy development." ITU supports this work through collaborative initiatives like its Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators, with a key sub-group developing harmonized national-level indicators for tech-related GHG emissions and energy use. The latest findings also reinforce ITU's Green Digital Action Initiative, which calls for greater transparency on energy use, emissions, and progress toward science-based targets. The ITU submits that Climate reporting has improved, but significant gaps remain. “While 89 per cent of companies reported direct emissions (Scope 1) and 81 per cent reported purchased energy (Scope 2), only 47 per cent reported emissions from across all relevant value chain activities (Scope 3). On Greenhouse gas emissions the report indicates that “In 2024, digital companies reported 301 million tonnes of operational emissions (Scope 1 and 2) in carbon dioxide equivalent, equivalent to 0.8 per cent of global energy-related emissions and a 1.2 per cent increase from 2023. For companies disclosing value-chain emissions (Scope 3), these dominated their carbon footprint, accounting for 76 per cent of total emissions and underscoring the sector's challenges in supply chains, manufacturing, and product use. The report says of electricity consumption that “163 companies reported consuming 494 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2024, equivalent to approximately 1.7 per cent of global electricity consumption. Over half of this electricity consumption (54 per cent) was concentrated in just 10 companies, surpassing the yearly electricity use of some countries. Aragba-Akpore is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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T H I S D AY WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

EDITORIAL

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

SOUTH AFRICA AND THE VIOLENT MOB

The authorities in South Africa must be held to account

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LETTERS

AFRICA’S NEXT CHAPTER IS BEING WRITTEN IN GREEN

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˾ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

S E P T E M B E R S & P INDEX

1 5 ,

2 0 2 6

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

25.34%

CALL

23.25%

INDEX LEVEL

595.26

1/4 TO DATE

0.24%

N1,382/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

25.18%

1-MONTH

21.37%

1-DAY

0.10%

YEAR TO DATE

-10.99%

*AS AT TUES., SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

3-MONTH

22.41%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.24%

Subscription to FGN Bond Crosses N13tn as Rate on 10-Year Hits 16.79%

Kayode Tokede Despite modest yields, total subscription to FGN Bond between January to September 2026 crossed historic high of N13 trillion to N13.72 trillion. The high demand for the FGN Bond is on the backdrop of large institutional investors demand, relatively attractive rates that encouraged pension funds, banks, insurance companies among others to lock in returns. FGN Bond auction during the period under review is on the back of sustained government reliance on the domestic debt market

to fund fiscal obligations amid constrained external financing conditions. According to the FGN bond auction result obtained by THISDAY, the government through the Debt Management Office (DMO) in the nine months of 2026 offered to raise N8.35 trillion to bridge budget deficit. The debt office, according to its monthly FGN auction results, however, raised an estimated N7.14 trillion during the nine months period. Investor participation was broad-based, but demand

was heavily skewed toward the long end of the curve, reflecting continued preference for higher yields in a tight monetary environment. However, the latest auction results show strong but selective demand across the two instruments, with the 12-year paper dominating subscriptions. This week, the DMO in its September 2026 FGN bond auction, issued 16.79% FGN SEP 2036 (New Issue) and 15.45% FGN JUN 2038 (Re-opening), offering a total of N1 trillion. Total demand settled at N1.49 trillion, with the

DMO eventually allotting N748.64 billion. The stop rate on the FGN SEP 2036 and FGN JUN 2038, which were on-the-run last month, expanded to 16.7900% and 16.8500%, respectively. DMO data showed that investor demand was strongest at the long end, while shorter tenors saw relatively softer participation, particularly the 10-year bond which was over-subscribed. The amount offered by DMO fell from N1.10 trillion in August to N1 trillion in September 2026, a reduction of N100 billion or 9.1per cent. This indicates a slightly

tighter FGN Bond supply in September 2026. Reducing the amount of securities available can potentially help the FG manage debt. Subscriptions fell from N1.727 trillion in August 2026 to N1.495 trillion in September 2026, representing a much larger 13.5per cent decline. Despite this decline, demand remained strong: investors still subscribed to about 1.49 times the amount offered in September 2026. In addition, the amount allotted declined from N805.16 billion to N748.64 billion, a decrease of only

seven per cent. Consequently, the proportion of the amount offered that was allotted increased from 73.2 per cent in August to 74.9 per cent in September. In August, the coverage ratio was higher at 1.57 times. So, while demand weakened, the auction remained oversubscribed. The DMO had targeted N1 trillion from the domestic debt market in its September 14 FGN bond auction, with a new 10-year issue and a reopening of an existing bond. The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

NFEM FX Turnover Hits $1.45bn in One Day, Weekly Volume Jumps 47% Nume Ekeghe

Trading activity on Nigeria’s official foreign exchange market surged last week, with daily turnover climbing to a record $1.45 billion as the market recorded one of its busiest trading sessions since the beginning of the available data series. Data from the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) showed that

turnover rose to $1.454 billion on September 10 from $544.11 million the previous day, representing a 167.2 per cent increase within a single trading session. The figure was also more than double the $674.38 million recorded on Thursday, September 3, in the preceding week, representing a 115.6 per cent week-onweek increase in turnover for the corresponding trading

day. The September 10 turnover was the third-highest singleday turnover recorded in the NFEM data, which covers transactions from December 2024 to date. It came behind the $1.82 billion recorded on May 12 and $1.53 billion on July 21. The sharp increase on Thursday was accompanied by 470 deals, the highest number of daily deals

recorded during the week. Interbank transactions accounted for $357.30 million of the day’s total turnover. The spike on September 10 helped lift total NFEM turnover for the five trading days ended September 11 to $3.87 billion, representing a substantial 47.2 per cent increase from the $2.63 billion recorded in the preceding week. Despite the surge in value

traded, the number of transactions was relatively stable, with 1,572 deals recorded during the week, compared with 1,580 deals in the previous week, a marginal decline of 0.5 per cent. The figures suggest that the sharp increase in turnover was driven more by the size and value of transactions than by a corresponding increase in the number of deals.

Trading activity during the week started at $482.24 million on Monday, September 7, before rising sharply to $933.78 million on Tuesday. Turnover moderated to $544.11 million on Wednesday before the major spike to $1.45 billion on Thursday. Activity subsequently eased to $458.99 million on Friday. The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 2 6 BONDS DESCRIPTION Price Yield Change Updated Time (%) ^13.98 2395.14 17.58 0.00 September FEB-2028 15, 2026 ^21.00 20104.63 17.60 0.00 September MAR-2028 15, 2026 ^19.30 17September 102.96 17.84 0.00 APR-2029 15, 2026 ^14.55 26September 92.93 17.87 0.00 APR-2029 15, 2026 ^18.50 21-0.20 September 102.15 17.78 15, 2026 FEB-2031

BILLS MATURITY NTB 6-Aug26 NTB 3-Sep26 NTB 8-Oct26 NTB 5-Nov26 NTB 3-Dec26

Discount Yield 16.22

16.34

15.39

15.68

15.80

16.36

16.45

17.28

16.45

17.66

CPS

Change (%) Updated Time

MATURITY

0,00 September 15, 2026 -0.33 September 15, 2026 -0.01 September 15, 2026 -0.01 September 15, 2026 -0.01 September 15, 2026

HAAI CP X 7-SEP-26 PCLL CP V 25-SEP-26 AGRO CP IV 7-DEC-26 DAIL CP II 26-NOV-26 JVIL CP XXIV 29-DEC-26

Discount Yield 22.10

22.76

21.75

22.63

20.93

22.74

19.44

20.86

20.53

22.56

CLEARED NAIRA-SETTLED NDFS Change (%)

Updated Time

0.05 September 15, 2026 0.10 September 15, 2026 0.11 September 15, 2026 0.13 September 15, 2026 0.08 September 15, 2026

CONTRACT TENOR Contract (MONTH)

Current Rate ($/₦)

Updated Time

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

L–R: Sales Operations Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Chinenye Nwamara; Head of Commercial, Kayode Olufemi-Daniel; Director, Allround Cargo Company Limited, Adekoya Lateef; Customer Experience Consultant, Maersk Nigeria, Afoke Masheni and Lagos Business School faculty member, Prof. Frank Ojadi, at the third APM Terminals Apapa Exporters Forum, held at the Lagos Port Complex… recently

Financial Markets Dealers: N3.56tn Liquidity Inflow Expected This Week

Nume Ekeghe

The Financial Markets Dealers Association (FMDA) has stated that an estimated N3.56 trillion is expected to flow into Nigeria’s financial system this week, up from N3.02 trillion projected in

the previous week. The projected inflow represents 18 per cent weekon-week increase, with Open Market Operations (OMO) maturities accounting for the bulk of the expected funds. The FMDA, in its Weekly Market Snapshot

stated: “Looking ahead, an estimated N3.56 trillion is expected to flow into the financial system this week, with OMO maturities accounting for about 86 per cent of projected inflows.” OMO maturities, FMDA said are expected to provide N3.06 trillion, compared with N2.94 trillion last week, while

Treasury Bills maturities are projected at N449.76 billion, significantly higher than the N71.37 billion recorded in the previous week. “Other inflows include N39.65 billion from FGN bond coupons, N5.87 billion from corporate bond coupons and N8.47 billion from commercial

paper maturities. However, the expected inflow comes amid tighter liquidity conditions, with system liquidity falling 47.12 per cent week-on-week to N2.46 trillion, from N4.67 trillion,”it said. The FMDA attributed the decline to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) liquidity

management operations, noting that the apex bank “sterilised approximately N5.46 trillion via OMO and NTB auctions. Meanwhile, the naira remained resilient, with the NFEM rate averaging N1,324.95/$, while the parallel-market rate averaged N1,394.40/$.

Ebere Nwoji

Professional’s forum organised by the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria( CIIN), in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said no amount of capital, technology, or regulation could compensate for a deficit of trust. He said this reality has placed an enormous

responsibility on insurers, intermediaries, regulators, and professional bodies alike. According to him, strong governance, ethical leadership, transparency, accountability, fair market conduct, and prompt claims settlement are not merely regulatory requirements but foundations

upon which public confidence is built. He said the establishment of the insurance Policyholders’ Protection Fund under NIIRA 2025 has further strengthened this confidence by providing an additional safety net in situations involving insurer distress.

NAICOM Debunks N100bn Recapitalisation Fraud Claim Insurance Commissioner Urges Insurers to See Trust as Valuable Asset Ebere Nwoji The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has debunked recent publication on N100 billion fraudulent insurance recapitalisation and allegations on detention of its director and commissioner for insurance, Mr Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, saying the publication was false, misleading, malicious and deliberate misrepresentation of facts. The commission said the publication on September 9th, 2026 by promoters of NICON Insurance and Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation both of which were under

liquidation was deliberately designed to misinform the public, undermine regulatory processes, and cast aspersions on the integrity of the Commission and its officials. “The attention of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has been drawn to a publication titled “100 billion fraudulent insurance recapitalisation: EFCC detains NAICOM director and commissioner, both on bail”, published on 9 September 2026 being sponsored by the promoters of NICON Insurance Plc and Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, both of which are currently under liquidation”.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Ayo Omosehin, has urged insurance professionals to see trust as insurance industry’s most valuable asset. Omosehin who stated this at the 2026 Insurance

FG Kicks off Payment of Additional Exit Benefits Scheme to Retirees Ebere Nwoji

The federal government has commenced payment of Additional Exit Benefits to retirees of Treasury Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). This was disclosed by

the National Pension Commission (PenCom) in a statement to the media. The commission said so far government had paid approximately N1.1 billion to 175 retirees who exited the Federal Public Service between 1 January and 31

August 2026. PenCom said the payment was being made under the Federal Government Exit Benefit Scheme (EBS), approved by the Federal Executive Council and effective from 1 January 2026.

According to the commission, the scheme provides an additional financial benefit to Federal Government employees at retirement, alongside their pension benefits under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

Group Head, e-Business and Transaction Banking, Premium Trust Bank, Mrs. Abidemi Asunmo, has emerged as the 10th Chairman of the Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH), pledging to support the

Payment System Vision 2028 (PSV 2028), strengthen industry advocacy and promote digital identity across Nigeria’s financial ecosystem. Asunmo, unveiled an agenda centred on Payment System Vision 2028

identity, ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and inclusion during the 2026 CeBIH election and swearing-in ceremony. Unveiling the administration’s priorities I a statement, Asunmo said: “At the top of our

implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Payment System Vision 2028,” which she said provides a roadmap covering “financial inclusion, digital payments growth, open banking, cybersecurity and regulatory efficiency.”

ASIS Organisers Establish Asunmo Emerges CeBIH Chairman, Pledges Support for PSV Africa Social Impact Network Nume Ekeghe implementation of the Central implementation, advocacy, agenda is our commitment Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) combat against fraud, digital to supporting the successful Nume Ekeghe

The organisers of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS) have established the Africa Social Impact Network (ASIN), a panAfrican platform designed to extend the impact of the annual summit by driving year-round partnerships, financing, knowledge exchange and development action across the continent. The announcement followed the conclusion of the fifth Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 2026), held in Lagos in recently under the theme, “Financing for Development: Building

Resilience and Transforming Emerging Economies.” The summit brought together governments, development institutions, businesses, investors, philanthropies, academia and civil society to advance practical conversations and partnerships around Africa’s development priorities. The establishment of ASIN marks a new phase in the evolution of ASIS, which over the past five years has grown into a major platform for multi-stakeholder engagement on sustainable development and economic transformation.

Insurer Unveils Short-term for Businesses and Visitors Ebere Nwoji

Leadway Assurance, a member of Leadway group has unveiled a short-term insurance product to attend to the need of travellerduring the festive periods.

The product targeted to diaspora Nigerians visiting their home country during the Yuletide was lunched in Lagos recently bringing together key stakeholders from across the travel, lifestyle, tourism, aviation, media and financial services sectors.

At the lunch, Leadway Executive Director Retail & Partnership, Kikelomo Fischer, highlighted the growing need for flexible insurance solutions tailored to diaspora Nigerians, business travellers, tourists, students and other shortterm visitors, as well as

the businesses that serve them during their stay in the country. She said the Leadway Arrival Pack was developed as a seasonal insurance solution for periods when travel, gatherings and commercial activity naturally increase.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Government Should Be Intentional About Social Housing, Liaise with Professionals on Funding, Says M.I. Okoro Chief M.I Okoro, a well-respected Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, is gravely concerned about Nigeria’s poor housing and determines that the ugly situation can be addressed through a combination of intentional strategies that include local government council ﬂats, and social housing, driven by federal and state government. Professionals will tell the government how to source the fund, among others, Okoro tells Bennett Oghifo

et’s start with the TV programmes on housing and environment advocacy you have. How many TV stations are you using? We are using three for now. Our plan was to use four TV stations, but we use Arise, we use TVC, and we use NTA network.

Your focus is actually to enlighten the public? Yes, our focus is what we call real estate information advocacy, to enlighten the public, including the government, and advise the government on essential things they need to know and need to comply with in environment and real estate. It is a long journey, really. But we just started with the first edition, it’s the first quarter. We are still within our first quarter. Okay, but it’s something we are going to do for a very long time. In fact, if I have my way, I don’t want to stop again because I’ve just realised that, you know now, I was the one that started AM Express: Real Estate Today on NTA network. So, the idea then was to bridge this gap of information regarding real estate and development, and after so many years I have spent and the gap I gave, I thought somebody else would have taken over from me. I realised that even within the professional body and members, nobody did anything till today. So I said, “Well, you know that where I come from, there is an adage that an elder cannot be in the house when a goat will die in the barn. You know

what I mean. So I said, “Well, since God has given me the good health and the resources, let me deploy it as my corporate social responsibility to help humanity and leave a lasting legacy. So I think I will continue to profess real estate and development as long as I’m alive, you know. It gives me joy to do so, and also people, more people will benefit. Okay, you know, even though there is no way I would measure it, to know how many people that it impacts, but I know that as wide as the viewership of the different TV platforms we are using, the more different audience and the more people they will reach, both here and abroad. So, that is my desire, and so far, so good. I think we are communicating, but the message is traveling very, very, very far. Particularly, you see that we are using the premium TV platforms like Arise, TVC, and NTA Network. Okay, that’s good. Let’s go to a very contentious one now. Housing is becoming, that’s rental, commercial and residential is becoming very tough. People find it difficult to rent houses now. What is going on? It never used to be like this. Yes, It never used to be like this, but it will continue to go up, for your information, as long as population is increasing, as long as people are migrating from the level of poverty to affluence, or to at least certain comfortable level of means of livelihood, they will continue to demand for accommodation. Don’t forget that the geographical supply of land is

fixed. God had created earth, the universe, so it cannot increase. The only way man can increase. It is either by reclamation, by trying to grab some land from the river or the ocean, right? Or you go to the sky, sky level, like you see in Japan, you see in China and Indonesia, other highly densely populated countries of the world. That’s where you see some buildings up to 100-storeys. That is the only way. Time is coming when horizontal living will become very scarce. Maybe it will be an exclusive for the big boys/wealthy. Where you just have a storey building. Time is coming when in this country, if you are living in a mansion like this, just a storey. You understand? People will be envying you. People will be wondering how you managed it. So maybe it’s an exclusive preserve to people like Alhaji Dangote, Mr. Tony Elumelu, people like that, including Corporate giants. But if you check now, even along Gerard Road, Bourdillon Road, Alexander Road. You will observe that the sky level building is already taking place. It’s creeping in. You go to Alfred Rewane Road (former Kingsway) Road) in Ikoyi, its’s the same thing, go to Victoria Island and many places, even in Lekki Phase One. All those high streets, we are beginning to see high-rise buildings. All they are trying to do is conserve the scarce supply of land, but the piece of land there is very scarce and very expensive. So even when they manage to get it, what can they do to maximise the land use. You understand, so that’s why you see them going high. But then the

Okoro

question is, the higher you go, the more expensive it is to develop it, and more expensive to acquire it. Because if you go to that highrise, you know, we are even selling one of those 21 storey buildings. The higher you go, if you hear the amount of money you’ll pay, you will be amazed. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Cruxstone Development to Present Inaugural One Nation Festival 2026 Fadekemi Ajakaiye A new Independence Day celebration debuts at Nautica Beach Resort, bringing together Nigeria’s diverse cultures, creativity, entertainment and lifestyle in one destination. Cruxstone Development & Investment Limited, through its premium leisure, lifestyle and tourism destination, Nautica Beach Resort, is pleased to announce the inaugural edition of One Nation Festival, taking place on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at Nautica Beach Resort, Lagos. Conceived as

a signature Independence Day experience, One Nation Festival will bring together Nigerians, residents, visitors, families, businesses and communities in a vibrant celebration of the country’s diversity, creativity and shared national identity under the theme: “Many Cultures. One People. One Celebration.” The festival is designed to create a platform where the many expressions of Nigeria come together in one experience, celebrating the people, traditions, talents and contemporary culture that define the nation. The

inaugural edition will feature a dynamic blend of culture and heritage, tourism, sports, music and entertainment, food and hospitality, fashion and lifestyle, family experiences, wellness, and corporate and government engagement. Guests can look forward to live music and entertainment, cultural showcases, sporting experiences, culinary offerings, fashion and creative expressions, family-friendly activities, wellness experiences, and curated lifestyle engagements, all set against the waterfront atmosphere of Nautica Beach

Resort. “One Nation Festival represents our vision of creating an experience that celebrates Nigeria in all its diversity while highlighting the values, experiences and aspirations that connect us as one people,” said The General Manager, Mr. Utibe Bassey. “Through this inaugural edition, we are creating a platform that we believe can grow into a defining Independence Day experience for Nigerians at home and visitors from around the world.” Beyond celebration

and entertainment, One Nation Festival seeks to spotlight the significant opportunities within Nigeria’s tourism, hospitality, leisure, entertainment and creative industries, while contributing to the positioning of Lagos as a leading destination for world-class cultural and lifestyle experiences. The festival forms part of the wider Nautica ecosystem, an ambitious waterfront vision by the Cruxstone Group built around lifestyle living, hospitality, leisure, wellness, recreation and tourism. Nautica Beach Resort provides a

distinctive setting where these experiences converge and where guests can celebrate Nigeria’s Independence Day in an engaging waterfront environment. As its maiden edition, One Nation Festival 2026 also seeks to establish a platform for collaboration among government, corporate organisations, brands, creatives, tourism stakeholders, cultural institutions and the wider public, creating opportunities for partnerships that promote Nigerian culture, enterprise, tourism and destination development.

UNIDO, EPRON, E-Terra Explore Collaboration on Renewable Energy E-Waste Bennett Oghifo

Ochonogor

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), E-waste Producers Responsibility Organisation Nigeria (EPRON) and E-Terra Technologies Limited have commenced discussions on possible collaboration to address the growing e-waste challenge associated with Nigeria’s expanding renewableenergy sector. The engagement followed a facility tour of E-Terra’s Materials Recovery and Recycling Facility (MRRF), Abule-Ado, Lagos, by UNIDO and EPRON representatives, followed by a cross-section meeting on the responsible management of solar panels, inverters, batteries and other renewable-energy equipment at

end-of-life. Satoko Takenoshita, Technical Advisor, Division of Circular Economy and Green Industry, UNIDO, stressed the importance of responsible resource management alongside the transition to renewable energy. “Developing appropriate systems for recovering and recycling end-of-life solar equipment, batteries and related technologies will be critical to ensuring a truly sustainable energy future.” Mrs. Ibukun Faluyi, Executive Director, EPRON, said stakeholders must prepare for the waste streams that will arise from increasing renewable-energy adoption. “Collaboration is essential to building an effective Extended Producer Responsibility and circular-economy framework

around these materials.” The Technical Director, E-Terra, Mr. Patrick Inoh, who conducted the facility tour on behalf of CEO Chief Dr. Ifeanyi Chukwutem Ochonogor, welcomed the initiative, noting that strategic partnerships are vital to tackling Africa’s e-waste challenge. The stakeholders emphasised the need for effective collection, take-back, material recovery, recycling and environmentally sound treatment to prevent improper disposal, burning and informal dismantling. The engagement marks an important step towards ensuring that Africa’s clean-energy transition is matched by responsible and sustainable e-waste management.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY, MARCHSEPTEMBER 11, 2026 ˾ T H16, I S2026 D AY THISD AY ˾ WEDNESDAY,

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Ingentia Energies’Crude Oil Production Soars 150%, Unveils Growth Strategy Ejiofor Alike The Board of Directors of Ingentia Energies Limited has lauded the outgone Interim Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Charles Odita, for his transformational leadership, which increased production by an impressive 150 per cent, reflecting the success of the company’s operational and growth strategies. This commendation is coming as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Victor Agbaroji unveiled a strategic agenda focused on strengthening and moving Ingentia Energies further into the top percentile of key players in the oil and gas sector. In a letter signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Oseni Elamah, following a meeting

in Lagos attended by both the incoming and outgoing chief executives, the Board described Odita’s tenure as a defining period in the Company’s evolution. The board noted that under Odita’s stewardship, Ingentia Energies increased production by an impressive 150 per cent. The board extended heartfelt congratulations and profound appreciation to Odita, describing his tenure as transformational, and characterised by strategic clarity, decisive execution and exceptional leadership. Meanwhile, as he takes over the reins of leadership, Agbaroji has expressed appreciation for the achievements recorded under Odita and pledged to build upon the solid foundation already established. He identified key priorities for the next phase of the company’s

growth, including enhancing drilling operations, maximising the value of existing assets, improving cost competitiveness, expanding the company’s portfolio, and unlocking greater value from the asset’s gas resources. “Our immediate focus is to strengthen the next phase of our drilling campaign by leveraging the seismic acquisition programme currently underway. This will enable us to execute a more robust and efficient drilling programme while improving exploration outcomes and operational performance,” Agbaroji said. He also highlighted the importance of crude oil evacuation infrastructure in supporting future production growth, noting that the Company would further intensify efforts to advance its pipeline evacuation project.

Smart Stewards Targets SME Funding, Wealth Inequality at Summit Mary Nnah

Financial education organisation Smart Stewards will convene more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, investors and professionals in Maryland, Lagos on Saturday, 19 September 2026 for its 11th Annual Summit, ELEVATE 2026. The gathering comes amid rising inflation, business closures and widening wealth inequality that continue to erode Nigeria’s middle class. Organisers said economic uncertainty is forcing Nigerians to rethink

how they earn, invest and preserve wealth. ELEVATE 2026 will shift the conversation from shortterm income to building assets, businesses and financial systems capable of creating value over the long term. The programme will provide practical insights on earning, saving, investing and building sustainable wealth in a volatile economy. Speaking ahead of the event, Founder and Lead Coach of Smart Stewards, Sola Adesakin, said the summit is about access

as much as information. “We have never believed that information alone builds wealth. Wealth is built through capacity, through connection, and through access to the right rooms and the right capital. That is what ELEVATE is: a room where founders, investors and everyday builders stand shoulder to shoulder, and where a wealth dynasty stops being an idea and starts becoming a plan. This economy will shake many things. It should not be able to shake what we build together.”

Ziba Unveils Development in Lagos, Introduces Loft-style Overwater Stays Sunday Ehigiator

Ziba, Nigeria’s first over-water resort, has unveiled Phase 3 of its development in Lagos, introducing larger Grand Overwater Rooms, loft-style overwater accommodation and a dedicated wellness centre. The latest expansion, unveiled over the weekend, is aimed at further positioning the resort as a destination for luxury tourism and wellness while showcasing locally developed hospitality experiences. Speaking at the unveiling, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ziba, Tricia Olufemi, said the expansion marked a

significant milestone for the resort and Nigeria’s hospitality industry. He said, “Nigeria’s first over-water resort just got bigger. Today is a milestone. We’re taking the over-water experience we pioneered to a whole new level with larger Grand Overwater Rooms, the first-ever loftstyle overwater stays in Nigeria, and a dedicated wellness centre. This is about proving that worldclass luxury escapes don’t have to mean leaving Nigeria. “When we started Ziba, people asked if an overwater resort could work in Lagos. We believed it could. Lagos deserves destinations that match its energy and ambition. We’re not importing a concept. We’re building

a Nigerian luxury story.” According to the resort, the new Grand Overwater Rooms provide larger spaces and expansive views, targeting couples, families and guests seeking accommodation directly over the water. The loft-style accommodation features double-height ceilings and represents what Ziba described as the first of its kind among overwater stays in Nigeria. The expansion also includes a dedicated wellness centre offering spa, recovery and relaxation facilities. Olufemi said the development demonstrated the potential of Nigerian creativity and hospitality to compete internationally.

UNVEILING NEW GROWTH STRATEGY...

L-R: Surface Lead, Ingentia Energies Limited, Lanre Abidoye; Chief Operating Officer, Hilary Okonye; new Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the company, Victor Agbaroji; Chairman of the board, Oseni Elamah; outgoing Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Charles Odita; and Company Secretary, Yewande Ajilore, while welcoming the new managing director at a strategic meeting held by the board of the company in Lagos ... recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS (MILLION NAIRA) October 2025

Month

Money Supply (M3)

119,037,577.07

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

9,291.49

Money Supply (M2)

119,028,285.58

Quasi Money

79,681,419.97

-- Narrow Money (M1)

39,346,865.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

4,646,794.28

---- Demand Deposits

34,700,071.33

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

34,804,442.84

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

84,233,134.23

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

99,199,655.08

---- Credit to Government (Net)

24,787,980.96

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

74,411,674.12

--Other Assets Net

2,603,854.03

Reserve Money (Base Money)

36,641,142.21

--Currency in Circulation

5,057,881.01

--Banks Reserves

31,583,261.21

--Special Intervention Reserves

284,361.95

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

October 2025

Inter-Bank Call Rate

October 2025

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

27.00

Treasury Bill Rate

15.07

Savings Deposit Rate

7.43

1 Month Deposit Rate

11.37

3 Months Deposit Rate

11.32

6 Months Deposit Rate

11.12

12 Months Deposit Rate

11.78

Prime Lending rate

18.89

Maximum Lending Rate

29.56

NSE MARKET INDEX CAP

0.75%(52%YoY)

Index

0.9% (29%Y/D) ˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ Ͱ͵ϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 24TH NOVEMBER , 2025

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $63.14 a barrel on Monday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Djeno (Congo), Zaﬁro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

MARKET NEWS

Buy Interest in Aradel, 33 Others Lift Stock Market by N651.78bn Kayode Tokede Following investors’ demand for Aradel Holdings Plc, and 33 others, the stock market section of the Nigerian Exchange Limited advanced by N651.78 billion yesterday to sustain its positive momentum trading activities this week.

As the stock price of Aradel Holdings on the Exchange gained 9.62 per cent to close at N1,550.00 per share, the market capitalisation of listed companies closed at N158.399 trillion, about N651.78billion increase from N157.747 trillion it closed for trading on Monday. Consequently, thee

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

NGX Al Share Index moved to 244,304.51 basis points, representing an increase of 0.41 per cent or 1,005.27 basis points from 243,299.24 basis points the stock market opened for trading as the Month-to-Date closed flat, while Year-to-Date returns settled at +56.9 per cent. Sectoral performance was mixed, as the NGX

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

Oil & Gas index (+3.8er cent), NGX Consumer Goods index (+1.1per cent), and NGX Banking index (+0.1per cent) advanced while the NGX Industrial Goods (-0.6per cent) and NGX Insurance index (-0.2 per cent) declined. As measured by market breadth, market sentiment was positive (1.3x), as 34 stocks gained relative to

T R A D E D

VALUE TRADED ( N )

A S

MAIN BOARD

O F

26 losers. The NGX Group Plc led the gainers chart by 9.95 per cent or N16.20 per share to close at N179.00per share, followed by Aradel Holdings that appreciated by 9.50 per cent or N0.17 per share to close at N1,550.00 per share. Sovereign Insurance Plc. ggained 9.50 per cent or N0.17 per share to close at

S E P T E M B E R DEALS

MARKET PRICE

N1.96 per share. On the losers chart, ETI dropped by 10 per cent or N7.40 per share to close at N2.45 per share. As Trans Express Plc depreciated by 9.93 per cent or N0.27 per share to close at N2.45 per share, AVA Capital Plc declined by 9.90 per cent or N0.50 per share to close at N4.55 per share.

1 5 / 2 6 QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

SOStainabilityWeekly

with

Oke Epia

e-mail: sostainability01@gmail.com Whatsapp: +234 8034000706

From Pledges to Implementation: African Agency and the Belém–Antalya–Addis Roadmap P By Rt. Hon. Sam Onuigbo

ermit me to begin this speech with some wise words that were spoken in this great city on January 11, 1976, during the Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU): “Mr. Chairman, Africa has come of age … The fortunes of Africa are in our hands to make or mar.” — (General Murtala Muhammed, Addis Ababa, 11 January 1976). I make bold to declare that fifty years on, that charge is the argument of this presentation, not its ornament. Africa’s climate future will not be granted by pledges made elsewhere, nor rescued by interventions we wait for. It will be built, financed, governed and defended by Africans, on terms Africa itself has written. Whenever the continent has waited for outside validation, progress has been slow and conditional. Where it has moved first — in advancing independence for African countries, in telecommunications, in markets, in institutions, in the very map by which the world sees us — it has changed outcomes. Background No other continent holds a greater promise for the sustenance of life than Africa. As such, the twin concepts of conservation and protection have become central to what becomes of the global environment in the years to come. I am glad that the theme of this Fourteenth Conference, “From Pledges to Implementation: The Belem–Antalya– Addis Roadmap,” speaks to a fundamental challenge facing Africa and the global climate regime and captures perhaps the most important transition in contemporary climate conversations: how do we move beyond commitments and negotiations to build the laws, institutions, financing mechanisms and practical solutions capable of delivering results? I come to this conversation from a legislative perspective, as the sponsor of Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021, and the President of GLOBE Legislators with the conviction that climate ambition must ultimately be translated into effective governance, institutional action and measurable development outcomes. It is from this perspective, and in direct continuation of the African Leaders’ Addis Ababa Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action — adopted at the Second Africa Climate Summit in this same city a year ago, on the premise that Africa is “not here to beg” but here with solutions — that I wish to reflect on how Africa can strengthen its agency in shaping global climate governance: not only by advancing its priorities, but by contributing ideas, institutions and practical solutions that move the Africa agenda from pledges to implementation. For more than three decades, international climate diplomacy has strengthened the language of ambition — conventions adopted, agreements negotiated, NDCs submitted, net-zero commitments announced. The central question before Africa today is different: it is no longer whether governments recognise the climate crisis, but whether the institutions, financing, technologies and political will needed to implement those commitments actually exist — and who controls them. Africa’s climate challenge is no longer only a question of vulnerability. It is now a question of agency. For decades, Africa has rightly insisted that the continent has contributed the least to historical greenhouse-gas emissions while suffering some of the most severe climate impacts. That argument remains valid and must continue to shape demands for climate justice, finance, technology transfer, adaptation support, and loss and damage. But the moment before Africa now requires something more: a shift from presenting climate priorities to exercising climate agency. Climate priorities describe what Africa needs. Climate agency defines what Africa decides, designs, builds, finances, governs, and defends for itself. It means Africa must

•Samuel Onuigbo not only attend global climate negotiations or be represented in their outcomes; it must help author the rules, institutions, financing mechanisms, and implementation pathways that determine the future of climate action. This distinction matters. Participation means

“

Africa is vulnerable to climate change, but Africa is also valuable. It has the people, resources, institutions, markets, ecosystems, minerals, renewable-energy potential, and maritime geography needed to become a major contributor to global climate solutions. Climate agency means transforming those assets into resilience, prosperity, and strategic influence.”

Africa is present at the table. Representation means Africa’s interests are counted in declarations, boards, communiqués, and negotiating texts. Agency is different. Agency means Africa sets terms rather than merely responding to terms set elsewhere. It means designing instruments rather than qualifying for instruments designed by others. It means deciding who assesses, who approves, who disburses, and who benefits. A continent can be well represented in a system it does not shape. Climate leadership means moving from being consulted to being the author. The theme “From Pledges to Implementation” is therefore central to Africa’s leadership. International climate diplomacy has produced many commitments: conventions, agreements, Nationally Determined Contributions, net-zero targets, finance pledges, and adaptation frameworks. But Africa’s urgent question is not whether commitments exist. The question is whether the institutions, finance, laws, technologies, projects, and political will needed to implement them are in place — and who controls them. For Africa, implementation cannot be treated as a technical follow-up to negotiation. It is a development strategy. Climate action on the continent must deliver resilience, energy access, industrialisation, jobs, technology, investment, food security, and sustainable development. Africa must continue to demand equitable international finance, but it cannot make its development future dependent on external pledges whose delivery remains uncertain, delayed, or dominated by non-African intermediaries. The continent’s climate reality makes this shift urgent. Climate change in Africa interacts with poverty, infrastructure deficits, rain-fed agriculture, rapid urbanisation, energy poverty, weak social protection, and constrained access to capital. Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions should no longer be treated merely as diplomatic submissions. They must become implementation architectures: investment frameworks, sectoral plans, accountability tools, and pipelines of bankable projects. Each commitment should answer practical questions: what must be delivered, by whom, at what cost, financed how, measured how, and protected how across political transitions. This requires laws, budgets, institutions, oversight, technical capacity, and project-preparation systems. Nigeria’s Climate Change Act 2021 provides a practical example of this shift from priority to agency. The Act translates climate ambition into law

and governance. It establishes a statutory framework for climate action, creates institutional responsibility through the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), and anchors climate coordination at the highest level of government. By placing the Council under the Presidency and making the President its chair, the Act responds to a common governance problem in Africa: inter-agency rivalry, or “peer jealousy,” where ministries and agencies compete for visibility, budgets, and authority instead of coordinating delivery. This structure matters because climate policy cuts across every sector. It involves environment, finance, energy, petroleum, transport, agriculture, trade, industry, solid minerals, water, local government, women affairs and youth. Without a clear coordinating authority, implementation can be weakened by overlapping mandates and institutional competition. Nigeria’s Act shows that climate governance requires not only targets but authority, coordination, accountability, and continuity. The Act also demonstrates that climate action must survive electoral cycles. Infrastructure, adaptation, energy transition, and industrial transformation require long-term investment horizons. When climate commitments are embedded in legislation, national planning, budgeting, and institutional oversight, they become less vulnerable to changes in administration. This is one of the core meanings of climate agency: Africa must build institutions strong enough to carry climate ambition beyond speeches and conferences. Nigeria’s experience with floods reinforces this point. The 2012, 2022, and 2024 floods showed that the cost of inaction is not theoretical. Lives were lost, millions were displaced, crops were destroyed, infrastructure was damaged, and economic losses were severe. The lesson is that better disaster response is not enough. Africa must move from reactive disaster management to anticipatory climate-risk management: flood-risk mapping, drainage, dam safety, wetlands protection, land-use planning, early-warning systems, resilient infrastructure, and climate-responsive budgeting. Adaptation should be judged not by projects announced, but by whether vulnerability and losses are actually reduced. The GLOBE Legislators experience also offers an important example of African climate agency. Legislators are essential because climate commitments become real only when they are translated into laws, budgets, oversight, and accountability. Parliaments approve appropriations, scrutinise executive action, pass climate legislation, domesticate international commitments, and ensure that public institutions deliver on their mandates. Through GLOBE Legislators, parliamentarians can share legislative models, strengthen oversight, support climate-responsive budgeting, and help align national laws with continental and global climate objectives. This legislative experience shows that Africa’s leadership in global climate governance cannot be left only to negotiators at COP meetings. It must be built year-round through parliaments, regional institutions, ministries, development banks, universities, technical agencies, civil society, private investors, and local governments. Negotiation without implementation capacity produces declarations. Implementation without legislative backing risks fragmentation. Climate agency requires both. Africa’s leadership should therefore focus on five areas of global climate governance. First, Africa must shape the accreditation and disbursement rules of multilateral climate funds. Institutions such as the Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, and the Loss and Damage Fund should not treat African institutions merely as implementers of externally designed solutions. Where African development banks, national climate funds, regional institutions, and technical agencies have the capacity, they should be the first point of access, assessment, and disbursement for resources meant to address African problems. •Onuigbo, Sponsor of Nigeria’s Climate Change Law, and President of GLOBE Legislators, made this presentation at the Fourteenth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XIV), United Nations Conference Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 7–9 September 2026.)

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

SOStainabilityWeekly

SOS Alert

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

“

31 “Nigeria calls for a BRICS partnership that moves from dialogue to delivery, from commitments to implementation, and from cooperation to measurable development outcomes.”

–VP Kashim Shettima at the recent BRICS Summit in India

Trends and Threads

Subsidy Savings: Governors and Nigeria’s Power Problems (3)

his week, this page continues the series on how Nigeria’s 36 states have been implementing the 2023 electricity law. This spotlight comes against the backdrop of questions arising from fiscal gains from petrol subsidy removal savings since the beginning of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in 2023. This series is an effort to gauge the delivery of Sustainable Development Goal 7 at the subnational level, especially against the liberalization of the electricity sector. Nigeria’s legal regime from 2023 is that the control of power

generation, transmission, and distribution is now a shared responsibility between the federal government and the states. This page believes that Judicious use of public resources can help solve Nigeria’s power problems and unlock productivity for industries, small and medium-scale businesses, households, and individuals who require regular, affordable, and cleaner supply of electricity to power production. This series uses key metrics including legal framework, regulatory readiness, and evidence of project pipelines to measure performance in the

power sector. States that have been profiled are Abia, Ekiti, Kaduna, Taraba, Bayelsa, and Kogi. Others are Zamfara, Oyo, Cross River, Benue, Ebonyi, and Yobe. This edition features Ogun, Niger, Enugu, Gombe, Delta, and Kano States. Have these states applied public resources to move the needle on power in the last three years? The graphical illustrations provide summary answers. This light-touch assessment precedes a more detailed reporting and documentation of power access, affordability, and clean energy in the states by SOStainability’s SDG7 industry report and success stories.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com 08033025611 SMS ONLY

As Tinubu Puts Smile on Faces of Ex-Nigeria Airways Workers, After 22 Years Wait... President Bola Tinubu has etched his name in the hearts of the children and other relatives of the workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited, who were owed for several years, long after the national airline was shut down in 2003 and liquidated in 2004. Chinedu Eze captures the agony of waiting and the succour of the President.

Tinubu

resident Bola Tinubu has restored hope to the hopeless and elongated the lifespan of the now old former workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL) with the commencement of payment of N18 billion, which is the outstanding severance benefits of 2,700 staff of the airline. In the hey days of Nigeria Airways Limited, the workers of the airline were part of the creme de la crème of the society. Most of them were cosmopolitan. The pilots, the cabin crew, the station managers and others had traversed most parts of the world. They had blossoming career; until the performance of the national airline began to nosedive. The Background The airline which was established in 1958, as offspring of West African Airways Nigeria Limited reached its apogee in the mid 1980s before endemic corruption and bad management literally castrated it, prompting its liquidation by the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 2004. Following the liquidation of the airline, thousands of workers held nationwide protests and spent years demanding their payouts. Sadly, many of the former employees reached old age or passed away during the over two decade delay, leaving their families to continue the pursuit of their entitlements. The workers started rolling in the pains of waiting for their benefits. It has been a very long wait. The wait descended to despair. All hope was lost. The invisible thread of optimism had evaporated. There was blank hopelessness and frustration that enveloped these 22 years. It was at the threshold of giving up that President Tinubu’s help came. Yes, many have died while they waited. In September 2017, the strident protest of the workers prompted the Federal Executive Council under President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the release of 45 billion for their entitlements, but bureaucratic delays and funding challenges prevented the actual disbursement from happening that year. But in 2018, following intense labor pressure, the government finally released 50% partial payment of 22.68 billion late that year to begin settling the retirees. The remaining 18 billion outstanding balance is officially being

.Ex-staﬀ of liquidated Nigerian Airways Limited carrying placards to protest their unpaid entitlements in Lagos... recently.

paid out by the federal government to 2,700 former workers across nine batches, finally closing the book on their decades-long struggle. The Agony Former workers of the defunct airline and their leaders have shared heartbreaking stories of extreme poverty, untreated illnesses, and untimely deaths while waiting over two decades for their unpaid severance and pension benefits. The final liquidation of the airline in 2004 left thousands of employees without income. Many could no longer afford basic needs like food, shelter, or school fees for their children. Elderly retirees suffered from chronic health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, and strokes. They could not afford hospital bills or proper medicines. Union leaders reported that nearly 2,000 former workers died over the 20-year wait. In one tragic week alone, seven pensioners passed on due to lack of medical care. The long-term frustration caused severe mental stress and depression. Some elderly staff even went missing or suffered permanent physical disabilities from untreated strokes. But Tinubu became the Deus ex machina who came to give hope to the hopeless; who brought victory at the nadir of prolonged defeat. Many of

the beneficiaries referred to him as god-sent. The also commended Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who facilitated the process. Conﬁrmation So, last week, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) confirmed the payment. Reports indicated that Nigeria Airways Limited was liquidated in 2004 by the administration of former President Obasanjo contrary to the recommendation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group which opted for privatisation option. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele who briefed newsmen in Abuja, disclosed that 2,100 former employees had been paid. Another 600 beneficiaries in batches eight and nine had been cleared for payment, he said, adding that “altogether, this represents N18 billion in benefits for 2,700 former workers.” Oyedele explained that payments were being made in batches to avoid already verified beneficiaries to continue waiting while outstanding claims were being validated. The benefits, he added, covered different categories of former Nigeria Airways employees, devoid of distinction between junior and senior workers. On beneficiaries who died before receiving their entitlements, the Minister said payments would be made to their documented next of kin or other beneficiaries after the required legal processes had been completed. According to Oyedele, some of the affected

But Tinubu became the Deus ex machina who came to give hope to the hopeless; who brought victory at the nadir of prolonged defeat. Many of the beneﬁciaries referred to him as god-sent. The also commended Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, who facilitated the process.

workers were already old while waiting for their benefits, while others died, leaving their families to pursue the outstanding entitlements. He explained, “For more than two decades, following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways, many former employees have waited for their outstanding severance benefits. Some have grown old waiting. Some have sadly passed away, leaving their families to pursue what was legitimately due to them.” President’s Rescue The Minister attributed the payment to a directive by President Tinubu to resolve the long-standing obligation. He noted that although the severance benefits could not compensate for the over two decades-long waiting endured by the beneficiaries, the federal government considered it necessary to resolve inherited obligations rather than allow them to linger. “We recognise that no payment today can fully compensate for more than two decades of waiting, but it is important that government confronts these long-standing obligations rather than allowing them to remain unresolved for another generation,” he said. The Minister apologised to the former employees of NAL for the long delay before their entitlements were settled, noting that the payments were entitlements rather than favours from the government. He further explained that the settlement was part of the government’s broader efforts to clear verified inherited obligations, including outstanding payments to pensioners and indigenous contractors. Oyedele stated that the payment to the defunct airline employees was preceded by extensive verification, including biometric capture and validation of personal and banking information, to prevent fraudulent claims. According to him, further verification would be undertaken to address cases involving outdated information, incorrect bank details and deceased beneficiaries who’s next of kin or estates were required to complete the relevant processes. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

EDUCATION The Silent Return: How Diphtheria Killed 39 Children in Zamfara and UNICEF, Health Ministry’s Dash for Urgent Vaccination Onuminya Innocent

The ward at the Infectious Disease Centre in Damba is quiet in a way that feels wrong. Fluorescent lights hum above rows of iron beds. Mothers sit on plastic chairs, cloths pressed to fevered foreheads. Nurses move fast between patients, but their voices are low. Last week, the Zamfara State Ministry of Health confirmed what many families here already feared: an outbreak of diphtheria has claimed 39 lives. The ministry also recorded another 261 suspected cases across 10 local government areas. Most of the faces in these beds are small. Health workers say many of the children are between six and ten months old. “Some of them came in too late,” a nurse at the WCWC Primary Healthcare Centre in Kwata, Gusau, said as she checked a child’s throat with a torchlight, adding, “By the time the parents realise it’s not just a cough, the breathing is already difficult.” Diphtheria, caused by Corynebacterium, attacks the nose, throat, and sometimes the skin. The early signs look ordinary: fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, red eyes. Then comes the neck swelling. Then the struggle to breathe. Without antitoxins and antibiotics, it kills. What is new is how quickly it has moved this year. A disease of missed chances The numbers paint a worrying picture. Gusau Local Government Area alone accounts for 191 of the 261 suspected cases—the highest in the state. Laboratory tests have confirmed some cases, while surveillance teams continue to test and trace contacts across communities. The state

Lawal

government responded immediately. The Ministry of Health convened a rapid response team and deployed it to affected areas to identify new cases, provide emergency treatment, and prevent further spread. Rilwan Musa, Permanent Secretary of the Zamfara State Ministry of Health, said that the response has full backing from Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration and development partners. “We mobilised across the state the moment we saw the trend,” Musa told THISDAY. “But we need government at all levels to intensify

efforts - more vaccines, more health workers, more sensitisation in every ward. This cannot be a one-state fight.” But behind the mobilisation is a harder truth: most of the children who died had not been vaccinated. National data backs that up. According to UNICEF, only 22 per cent of confirmed diphtheria cases in Nigeria had received routine childhood immunisations. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reports that 68 per cent of confirmed cases nationwide involved unvaccinated people. “It’s heartbreaking to note that only 22 per cent of the confirmed cases received their routine childhood immunisation vaccinations,” said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “Many children did not receive their vaccines during the COVID-19 lockdown. We now urgently need to catch up. These zero-dose children, those who haven’t received a single dose of vaccine, are a primary concern.” In Zamfara, that gap is visible. At Kwata PHC, health workers point to immunisation hesitancy and missed doses as major drivers of the spread. “We are begging parents,” the nurse added. “Please bring your wards for vaccination. The vaccines are free at all PHCs. Waiting costs lives. If your child misses a dose, go to the clinic today. Don’t wait for symptoms.” Ten LGAs, one fear The outbreak is not confined to Gusau. Cases have been reported in nine other LGAs, stretching response teams thin. From Kwata PHC, the rapid response team proceeded to Damba to check on patients receiving care at the Infectious Disease Centre. Some were on oxygen. Some were stable. All were children.

Diphtheria thrives where routine vaccination drops. Nationwide, the outbreak has hit Kano, Yobe, Katsina, Lagos, FCT, Sokoto, and Zamfara hardest—those seven states account for 98 per cent of suspected cases. Children aged 2 to 14 make up about 71.5 per cent of confirmed cases. The case fatality rate sits at 8.7 per cent. For every 100 children infected, nearly nine do not make it. In the last three years, NCDC says diphtheria has claimed over 1,300 lives across Nigeria. What happens next: A two-pronged responsibility In Damba, the immediate work is clinical: identify, isolate, treat. Antitoxin and antibiotics are being administered. Contacts are being traced. Health education teams are moving through markets and schools with megaphones and pamphlets. But health officials insist that treatment alone will not end this. For government, the demand is clear: intensify efforts. That means deploying more vaccines to rural PHCs, funding mobile vaccination teams, paying community health workers promptly, and sustaining surveillance even after the outbreak slows. For parents and caregivers, the responsibility is just as urgent: avail your wards for vaccination. The diphtheria vaccine is part of Nigeria’s routine immunisation and is provided free at primary healthcare centres. Children are to receive doses at six, 10, and 14 weeks, with boosters later. Catch-up campaigns are now being prioritised in Zamfara to reach “zero-dose” children. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Winners of Mike Okonkwo Annual Essay Get Rewards Amidst Cheers Winners of the 2026 Bishop Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools in Nigeria, were recently rewarded for their outstanding performance, at the 25th Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture, to the admiration of dignitaries and guests. The students wrote on the topic of the annual lecture, ‘Democracy at the Crossroads: Electoral Credibility, Judicial Integrity and the Future of Nigeria’. Clinton Chimenem Agburum of Deeper Life High School, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who emerged the overall winner, received the star prize of N800,000, a laptop, trophy and plague, while his school got a full desktop computer. Agburum scored 72 per cent in the first round and 85 per cent in the second round, with an overall total of 79 per cent. Alimi-Adeiga Mosorireoluwa from Holyland

Senior College, Ipaja, came second with 75 per cent in the first and second rounds, with an average total of 75 per cent. She got N500,000, a laptop and plaque, while her school got a full desktop computer. Oloruntimilehin Elijah Oladipo, from Isolo Comprehensive Senior High School, came third with 70 per cent in the first and second rounds, with an average total of 70 per cent. He got N400,000, a plaque and a tablet, while his school received a full desktop computer. The Chief Examiner of the Mike Okonkwo National Essay Competition, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo, said that the overall winner leap-frogged from fourth out of seventh in the first round to the first position in the second round.

According to her, students from across the country wrote with enthusiasm and sent in their entries, but only 850 essays met the technical requirement and were submitted to the panel of examiners for review. “We report that, in general, the entries provided for us a convincing proof of how science and technology is transforming the delivery of education and the ways that students have positioned themselves to benefit from it, while awaiting the fundamental overhaul that the current curriculum requires to cope with a change.” Noting further on the traditional curriculum, Ezeigbo stressed the need to note that it tests critical thinking learning skills by asking students to generate and document ideas on assigned subjects. And that, for instance traditional English composition training requires students to think and reproduce

their thinking in words, on sheets of paper, within a given time. She added that AI is reshaping that curriculum by doing the thinking for the students and delivering better results than the teachers’ marking guide. Prof. Ezeigbo further revealed that more than 85 per cent of the essays that were examined in 2026, had identifiable imprints of AI or machine thinking that satisfied the frameworks of traditional assessment. “It is human in nature to follow easy path and most of the students contacted machine learning to do the thinking for them in a way that cannot be described as plagiarism. “They are simply demonstrating agility and resourcefulness in the way they deploy the machine learning to ease what they see as difficult methodologies of the traditional curriculum.

Governor Otti to Chair 2026 Fafunwa Educational Foundation Conference Governor Alex Otti of Abia State is expected to chair the 2026 Fafunwa Educational Foundation (FEF) conference. The 24th annual FEF lecture/symposium will be held at Agip Recital Hall, Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, on September 23. The foundation’s Executive Secretary, Muyiwa Obiyomi, disclosed that the theme of the 2026 symposium is ‘What Does the Research Say?: Mother Tongue Instruction and the Future of Early Education in Nigeria’. The conference, open to scholars and the public, is scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m., but Obiyomi urged participants to be seated by 10:45 a.m. He described this year’s conference as a special one, saying, “FEF is grateful that Dr Alex Otti agreed to be our esteemed chairman this year. Otti is widely admired in this country today. His presence honours the legacy of the late Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa.” Obiyomi said Fafunwa conceived the annual FEF conference more than 20 years ago. “As Nigeria’s first indigenous Professor of Education and longtime researcher, Fafunwa trained several generations of teachers and

educationists. As a former minister of education, he shaped Nigeria’s educational policy in positive and enduring ways. As a professor and researcher at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), he carried out a pioneering study in the use of mother tongue in early education. He became a lifelong advocate of mother tongue education,” Obiyomi said. Fafunwa’s daughter, Prof Sheri Fafunwa Ndibe, also expressed delight in anticipation of Otti’s participation, and thanked the governor for accepting the foundation’s invitation to be chairman. “Governor Otti is a visionary leader in many respects, including in the educational sector,” she said. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, the Commissioner for Primary and Secondary Education in Lagos, would be the guest of honour. Obiyomi described the commissioner as a “capable and committed hand who is spearheading Governor Sanwo-Olu’s agenda for the transformation of primary

and secondary education in Lagos State”. The 2026 Fafunwa Educational Foundation conference will feature a keynote address by Prof Francis Egbokhare of the Linguistics and African Languages Department, University of

Ibadan. Prof Angelina Kioko, a Kenyan scholar, will be the guest speaker. Kioko is a linguist and multilingual education expert who teaches at the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya.

L-R: Director, MTN Foundation, Pastor Simon Aranonu; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin; co-founder, SAIL Foundation, Feyisola Abiru; Executive Director, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; and Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, at the MTN SAIL Teachers Fellowship Graduation Ceremony, held at MTN Rooftop, Ikoyi... recently

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com,

Abuja City Gate: Nigeria’s Trending Tourist Monument

The Abuja City Gate that reopened recently to the public after it was remodeled by the FCT Administration is fast becoming the preferred hotspot for convergence, hospitality and social media content creation, Olawale Ajimotokan writes

Abuja City Gate

.K Manuel, an indigene of Okigwe, Imo State was relishing the night and having a pleasurable moment in company of his friend at a corner at the newly renovated Abuja City Gate. Amid the blaring music that serenaded the visitors, a feeling of great satisfaction manifested on his face when he was asked about his impression on the City Gate redesigned by the Minister Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike after the idea was broached by the First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu. “It is a welcome development and I can say that this is one of a type. If you go around Abuja, you will understand. It a well-designed, comfortable environment for people to relax without even paying to come in. In this place you can reflect over your business plan or relax with your family and loved ones,” Manuel said. He gave kudos to Wike and those who thought it necessary to redesign the garden, saying: “Everything about this place is breathtaking. Wike has done one, we are waiting for him to do two more because we know him right from Rivers State as Mr. Project”. Indeed, the Abuja City Gate is a sight to behold every time of the day with revelers, students on excursion, content makers, cultural tropes, and hawkers and different types of people thronging into the park every time either to recreate, record videos, sell food, reflect and have photo opportunities. Commuters traversing the International Airport Road on the western corridor of the federal capital city are now used to the presence of large crowd of revelers of different social standing, enjoying an outing in the manicured and reconstructed garden illuminated by neon lights. The concrete monument of structural arches, which is approximately 25 metres high is topped out with a flag designed in the shape of the FCT flag and Nigeria’s coat of arms strapped in between the two supporting columns with the inscription: “You Are Welcome”. The structure, designed to represent national unity and diversity sits on a site near the National Stadium Complex, Kukwaba at the intersection where Umar Yar Adua Road meets the Constitution

Content creators take delight in using the monument as a backdrop for their creation

Avenue and Independence Avenue that originate from the Three Arm-Zone. Intriguingly before the recent transformation by the Federal Capital Territory Administration, which some critics regarded as a misplaced priority, the spot used to be one of the most dangerous places in the nation’s capital, providing cover for robbers, drug addicts and other undesirable elements, foisting crime on innocent persons. “Before now this place used to be a playground for hooligans. If you parked your car there, they would attack you straight away, rob you or steal your car. It is a fact, right on top of the bridge. But it is a different situation now. Even you could not pass through here in the night. There were always bad boys around here. We should appreciate this transformation. We don’t need God to descend and do some things for us. We need to use our initiatives. As government has been able to provide this for us, we, the citizens also need to protect it. That is my little advice,” Manuel added. The entire environment is reminiscent of an eye when viewed from above the sky. It was totally overhauled by the construction firm, Julius Berger contacted by the FCTA. It is fenced to deter intruders and paved with interlocking stones while the glow of neon lights brings out its magnificence in the night. It features a newly added grand water fountain system representing Nigeria's 36 states and the FCT and most importantly has a huge parking lot that makes it very safe to hang out till late in the night. A motif on the wall, immediately after the walkway illuminates the car park. The painting of some of Nigeria’s independence fathers that never evades the eyes of any visitor to the garden, also adds some aura to the city gate. Don Zaya Awuru makes a living at the City Gate by selling

Don Zaya Awuru

meat pie, smoothie and shawarma to visitors. He said he had been making a living daily while the line of business had been quite profitable since the facility was opened to the public in June. “On the business, we give God the glory. Like yesterday (on a Sunday), wow! Everywhere was seriously choked. We love the business. Today business is ongoing, but the sales is not on the same scale as that of the previous day. But I am still hoping for more patronage,” Awuru said. He applauded the authority for transforming the spot into a thriving tourist garden saying: “The government has done its bit. What is expected for the public to take ownership by coming to the City Gate in numbers to come and flex and celebrate. Honestly, this is an initiative worthy of commendation. “It is a fantastic place because when you see the pictures everywhere, the background of Abuja has changed just because of this place. Many international tourists are now posting pictures and even uploading videos of the City Gate on the Social Media. This whole place was buzzing when that Dutch influential content maker, Traveltomtom set his foot here. You can see everybody here setting up their phone cameras and using the City Gate as a background. We love what we are seeing and this is what this generation wants from those in authority. We love this country and things that can promote us”. Awuru urged his fellow youth to eschew crime and take advantage the facility has to offer by exploring business opportunities or ideas that can generate money. “The business will thrive. You will marvel at what I am saying because here, nothing goes waste here. You can see hawkers of soft drinks and buns. Imagine if those consumer goods don’t go waste, is it Shawarma, smoothies that will? Look at the kind of people here. Business is going well,” he added with a facial expression. For John, an operator of virtual reality game, the Abuja City Gate is simply a gamechanger. He reckoned the whole idea is transformative and would like the federal government to consider opening another type

of a garden like such in another part Abuja given the uplifting aura of the City Gate on tourists that small-scale business owners like him are cashing on. “They should do more of this because it will attract more development to the country. More visitors will visit the country when we have more of these attractions, instead of us travelling out for tourism”. Coincidentally he discovered this new spot after his business was disrupted following the closure of the Jabi Lake park by the FCTA. John noted that the virtual reality game that has many elements, including simple, scary and adventurous scenes, which he brings on to the streets and random spots like the city gate helps people to get over their sorrow “They have virtual reality game in the malls, but I have decided to take it to the streets. This one is mobile. They have it in different places. You go to house, pay for game house and play. This is mobile. Anywhere you are, I can bring it to you. You don't need to go to mall before you play it as you can have it anywhere. That is why I'm into it and people are embracing it,” he said. He added that the manicured environment will allow patrons to reflect, forget their sorrows and proceed to another level of life. Yunusa Lawal, who opened a smoothies and fruit juice shop near the gate’s car park more than two weeks ago, said the monument was another form of opportunity to earn a daily living through patronage in the evening when the crowd is large. He described the renovated facility as a very important place for tourism and for people to come and unwind. “It is just that the market cannot be parallel like that. But we thank God for the few days. We made a bit of sales while we recorded some losses,” Lawal said. Lawal, who was forced to relocate to the City Gate because of the closure of Jabi Lake, said the new place now allowed him to make up for the lost patronage. “We are very okay with this place. I ask people, families to visit this place for relaxation. I am definitely in support of the clamour for another type of this facility to be built in Abuja”.

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

FEATURES

Avon Medical Deepens Fibroid Awareness, Puts Patient Experience at Heart of Care As fibroids continue to affect the quality of life of many women, Avon Medical Practice is using the story of survivor Moyo Awotile to deepen awareness and promote timely medical care. Through its documentary, Overcoming Fibroids: A Journey of Care and Compassion, the Lagos-based multispecialty healthcare provider is bringing the conversation beyond diagnosis and treatment to the realities patients face, while highlighting its broader approach to women’s health and comprehensive medical care. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes “You are not meant to suffer in silence.”

or Moyo Awotile, those words carry the weight of experience. Her warning to women about painful and excessively heavy periods comes from a decadelong journey with uterine fibroids that gradually moved from a medical diagnosis she barely worried about to a debilitating condition that affected almost every part of her life. Awotile was diagnosed with fibroids in 2018 after missing her period for a month and undergoing an ultrasound. At the time, the discovery did not appear urgent. “I didn’t take it seriously. I just kept living my life. And I noticed that over the years, my periods got progressively worse,” she said. That progression is part of what makes fibroids difficult to confront. The condition does not always announce itself dramatically. For some women, fibroids remain small and cause no symptoms. For others, they grow silently until heavy bleeding, pain, abdominal swelling or pressure begins to interfere with everyday life. For Awotile, the symptoms became increasingly difficult to ignore. “I was in pain almost all the time. I could not sit down for long. Working in the office was a nightmare. I could not fly for long, and I could not walk for long. Everything was painful,” she recalled. At one point, one of the growths became visible through her abdomen. “One was protruding from my abdomen. I would lie down and look at my stomach and wonder what was happening because I had never seen anything like it before.” By the time she returned to Avon Medical Practice, the condition had progressed significantly. Seventeen fibroids were eventually removed from her body. “The fibroids were massive. Seventeen fibroids were removed from my body. I was experiencing shooting pains in my legs in addition to the heavy periods and cramps,” she said. Awotile’s experience provides a human face to a condition that Nigerian researchers continue to describe as a significant women's health burden. When Pain is Dismissed Fibroids are benign growths that develop from the muscle of the uterus. While they are not cancerous, their effect on a woman’s health can be substantial when they become large, numerous or positioned in areas that interfere with normal uterine function. Symptoms can include heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, painful periods, pelvic pain and pressure, abdominal enlargement, anaemia and fertility problems. Nigerian studies have also documented menstrual irregularities, abdominal swelling and infertility among common presentations. But one of the challenges is that women can become accustomed to symptoms before seeking help. A 2025 study involving 138 women receiving care at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, found that 62.3 per cent presented more than six months after symptoms began. The researchers linked delayed presentation to factors including inadequate knowledge, fear of surgery, treatment costs, cultural misconceptions, negligence and lack of social support. That pattern helps explain why early

L-R: Chief Nursing Officer, Olayide Akau-Bognet; Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dr Adetomiwa Bankole; Chief Executive Officer, Dr Akinbiyi Oke; Patient, Moyo Awotile; Group Head Medical Services, Avon HMO, Adeyemi Adeyinka; and Senior Nursing Manager, Temidire Oke, during the Fibroid Documentary screening at AVON Medical, Surulere... recently

attention matters. Awotile herself described her initial attitude simply: “I knew from 2018 that I had fibroids. Because I was small and younger, I didn’t care. I thought everybody has it.” But fibroids are not necessarily something a woman has to endure simply because they are common. “Having painful periods is not normal. Having excessively heavy periods is also not normal,” she said. The message is not that every painful period indicates fibroids. Rather, persistent or unusually heavy bleeding and pain that disrupt work, movement, relationships or daily activities deserve medical assessment. Avon’s Approach to Women’s Health It was against this background that Avon Medical Practice used Awotile’s experience to create Overcoming Fibroids: A Journey of Care and Compassion, a documentary that moves the conversation beyond the medical description of fibroids to the lived experience of a patient. For Avon, the story also reflects a broader approach to healthcare. The Lagos-based multispecialty healthcare provider offers services spanning primary care, specialist consultations, diagnostics, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, endoscopy, radiology, laboratory services and wellness screening. Its women’s health services include obstetrics and gynaecology, while its wider specialist network covers areas such as cardiology, paediatrics, endocrinology, orthopaedics and physiotherapy. Its facilities are designed around what the organisation describes as end-to-end care — from prevention and diagnosis through treatment and recovery. The practice also provides pharmacy, laboratory and radiodiagnostic support, allowing patients to access several components of care within the same healthcare system. That combination becomes particularly important in conditions such as fibroids, where diagnosis, treatment decisions and follow-up cannot always be separated. A woman presenting with

heavy menstrual bleeding may require a consultation, pelvic imaging and laboratory investigations before doctors determine whether fibroids are responsible and how severe the condition is. Depending on the findings, treatment may range from observation and medication to procedures or surgery. Avon’s diagnostic services include laboratory testing and radiology, while its clinical services include gynaecology and surgical care. For women whose condition requires surgery, that wider ecosystem of care can also become important before and after the procedure. It was the kind of care Awotile experienced. From Diagnosis to Treatment At Avon, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Akintomiwa Bankole, said Awotile’s pelvic ultrasound showed multiple fibroids located within the uterine muscle and beneath the lining of the uterus. Treatment for fibroids is not onesize-fits-all. Doctors consider factors such as the size and location of the growths, the severity of symptoms, the woman’s age and whether she hopes to have children. Some women may only need observation, particularly where symptoms are absent or mild. Others may require medication to manage bleeding and pain, minimally invasive procedures or surgery. Awotile eventually underwent an open abdominal myomectomy, a procedure that removes fibroids while preserving the uterus. For many women, the possibility of surgery can raise another concern — fertility. Bankole explained that having fibroids removed does not automatically mean that a woman will lose the ability to conceive. “Fibroid surgery does not automatically mean that a woman will be unable to get pregnant,” he said. “We have managed patients who have gone on to conceive after fibroid surgery.” The decision about treatment therefore has to be individualised, rather than driven by fear.That is one reason access to specialist gynaecological care and appropriate diagnostics is important. Care Beyond the Operating Room For Awotile, however, the story did not end when the 17 fibroids were removed. Recovery became another part of the experience. She remembers not only

the procedure but also the attention she received afterwards. “Nobody knew who I was, yet they were happy to take care of me,” she said. “After my discharge, the aftercare has also been very good. I keep getting calls and check-ups. I have come back a couple of times, and even though I have been discharged, they still check on me to find out how I am doing.” That emphasis on patient experience is central to Avon’s positioning of its healthcare model. Its services extend beyond hospital treatment to wellness screening, home nursing care and ambulance evacuation, while its facilities include specialist clinics, diagnostics and surgical services. The practice describes its model as focused on total wellbeing rather than medical intervention alone. For Chief Executive Officer of Avon Medical Practice, Dr Akinbiyi Oke, that philosophy was behind the decision to document Awotile’s experience. “Fibroids are not just medical statistics. They are significant factors in the life of a woman, and this affects her quality of life and overall wellbeing,” Oke said. “What we are about to watch is not Nollywood or Bollywood. It is a story about real people, real patients and real doctors.” The documentary therefore serves two purposes: drawing attention to fibroids and demonstrating what compassionate, patient-centred healthcare can mean when a woman moves from diagnosis to treatment and recovery. A Wider Nigerian Health Challenge The need for that awareness is underscored by the available Nigerian evidence. A 2023 population-based study described African women as carrying some of the highest fibroid burdens globally, while a review of fibroids among Black African women found higher incidence and prevalence among women of African ancestry compared with other racial groups. Researchers have also identified gaps in reliable data on fibroids across subSaharan Africa. That makes awareness and early medical assessment even more important. The challenge is not simply getting women into hospitals. It is helping them recognise when a symptom deserves attention. For Awotile, that lesson came after years of progressively worsening symptoms. Today, she describes a very different relationship with her menstrual cycle. “I do not even know when my period is coming anymore. Apart from the normal hormonal changes, there is no pain. It has been very good, and the surgical scar is almost gone.” Her experience has also changed what she wants other women to do. "My advice is that women should not be scared. Go to the hospital and speak to your doctors. Go to the right doctor and get the right medical attention.” That message sits at the heart of Avon Medical Practice’s wider women’s health effort: that healthcare should not begin only when a condition becomes unbearable, and treatment should not end when a procedure is completed. For women living with fibroids, the journey can involve diagnosis, specialist care, treatment, recovery and continued support. And sometimes, as Awotile’s experience shows, the most important step is simply deciding that the pain is no longer something to live with.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

THIRTY-SIX

NLNG: $10 Billion Train 7 LNG Project to Begin Operations by End of 2027 Oil rises above $109 on Saudi’s port closure Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has said its $10 billion Train 7 project is expected to commence operations by the end of 2027, as the company works to raise production and address persistent gas supply constraints. Managing Director of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, disclosed this yesterday on the side-lines of the Gastech conference in Bangkok, Reuters reported. Train 7 project, located on Bonny Island, Rivers State, is expected to increase NLNG’s production capacity to 30 million metric tonnes per annum (mtpa), from the current 22 mtpa. The project has suffered repeated delays, including disruptions associ-

ated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. Falade also disclosed that NLNG remained under a force majeure declared in 2022 following widespread flooding that disrupted gas supplies to the company. According to him, the company would lift the force majeure when it reaches a 90 per cent utilisation rate, with the plant currently operating at between 82 per cent and 83 per cent. “We still have a delta of about 15 per cent that we need to close,” Falade said. “Operationally, we are able to do that, but our biggest constraint is gas supply, and we’re working with all the relevant people, including the government, to be able to get more gas to flow into the plant,”

he added. He said NLNG was focused on meeting its existing contractual obligations to buyers while the company worked to increase production. Falade added that interest in additional LNG volumes and spot cargoes had increased after exports through the Strait of Hormuz were curtailed by the Iran war. “People are looking at more diversified, reliable sources of supply,” he said. “Our priority currently is to continue to make sure that we fulfil our obligations to our existing customers and maximize as much production opportunity as possible that we have,” he added. NLNG is majority-owned by

the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), while Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni are its international partners. Meanwhile, global oil prices surged yesterday, with Brent crude rising above $109 a barrel as supply disruptions in Saudi Arabia and Libya heightened concerns about prolonged constraints in global crude supplies. Brent crude futures rose $3.49, or 3.3 per cent, to $109.20 a barrel, while United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures gained $5.08, or 5.01 per cent, to $106.46 a barrel. The contracts were on track for their highest closes in nearly four months if the gains held. The latest price surge followed the suspension of oil loadings at Saudi

Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu, while Libya halted operations at three oil fields after members of its Petroleum Facilities Guard shut a valve on the Hamada-Zawiya crude export pipeline. The supply concerns came after Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia, following an earlier attack on the kingdom’s East-West Pipeline. The pipeline, a key export route for Saudi crude, was shut following Friday’s attack, while Saudi Arabia also informed some European customers that late-September crude cargoes would be cancelled. Shipping industry sources subsequently told Reuters that loadings at Yanbu had been suspended, further intensifying concerns about the availability of Saudi crude. In Libya, the National Oil Cor-

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo poration (NOC) said operations at three oil fields had been suspended following the pipeline disruption. It warned that it could declare force majeure if the shutdown persisted or spread to additional fields.

Dangote: Nigeria Cannot Industrialise with 30% Interest Rate, Power Deﬁcit Says without FG’s protection, no other refinery may be built in his lifetime Projects his facility to become Africa’s biggest firm in three years To prioritise small investors, hold AGMs in stadiums Insists he can’t subsidise fuel amid rising oil, shipping costs Reveals his textile business collapsed after Chinese, Indian dumping Stresses his biggest business risk was staking all assets on refinery Builds future around his daughters, says having a son not priority Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, yesterday maintained that the country’s industrialisation drive was being undermined by inconsistent government policies, expensive financing and inadequate electricity, arguing that investors would not commit capital to new projects without confidence that the business environment will be receptive. Besides, he warned that Nigeria could go another decade or even a lifetime without building a new refinery unless the federal government protects domestic industries from imported products, outlining plans to make his refinery a massowned company. Dangote, who spoke during an exclusive interview with Arise Television, argued that Nigeria’s interest rate environment was unsuitable for industrialisation, noting that borrowing costs of about 30 per cent made it difficult for manufacturers to build factories and remain competitive. “It is very difficult to industrialise with interest rates at 30 per cent. I can’t see the magician who can actually industrialise a country with 30 per cent of interest cost,” he said, explaining that the cost of financing could double the amount required to establish a factory, especially where the project would take years to complete. He emphasised that although Nigeria has entrepreneurs capable of driving industrialisation, many were reluctant to commit their money because of policy uncertainty. According to Dangote, government assurances alone would not be sufficient to attract investment unless they were backed by policies that remained stable over time. Dangote argued that his own willingness to take enormous risks was unusual among investors, adding that other entrepreneurs might not be prepared to sacrifice

their personal lives and health in the way he had done. “The greatest problem, there are two, which are still existing. One is inconsistencies in government policies. The second one is to do with lack of electricity,” he said, emphasising that high interest rates were making industrial investment extremely difficult. He also warned that manufacturers could not rely on diesel-powered generation to remain competitive, particularly at current diesel prices. “You cannot manufacture goods with diesel. You can see where diesel is today. You can’t produce bread and make money today,” he said. The businessman explained that Nigeria’s current policy environment was discouraging investment in new refineries and warned that the situ-

ation could persist for years unless the government took steps to protect local manufacturers. “Under the current things that are going on, especially downstream, I cannot see any new refineries in our lifetime. Today is the 13th of September 2026. I want me and you to review another 13th of September in the year 2036. By God’s grace, if we’re all alive. There will not be any refinery,” he argued. The Dangote Refinery is currently locked in a legal battle with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on the continued issuance and renewal of petrol import licences to marketers, despite the availability of locally refined products. The refinery is asking the court to nullify import permits issued or

renewed by the regulator, effectively seeking to curtail the entry of imported petrol into a market it argues should increasingly be supplied by domestic refineries. However, proponents of fuel imports insist that the company will become a monopoly if it’s allowed to be sole supplier of petroleum in Nigeria. Besides, they maintain that relying on a single facility to fuel a country of over 250 million people won’t ensure energy security for the nation. But Dangote who described himself as a ‘fighter’ emphasised during the interview that the absence of protection for domestic industries would continue to discourage investment, arguing that countries such as India, Singapore and South Korea had built strong industrial bases

despite not being major crude oil producers. “Even water, you cannot produce water unless there is protection. If a government wants to create jobs, they want to create economic activities, they want to collect tax, they also have to give something. And the only thing that they will give in is to protect the domestic industry,” he pointed out. Dangote said Nigeria’s dependence on imported goods was effectively exporting jobs and importing poverty. “If you import, what you are doing is that you are importing poverty and exporting jobs that you’re supposed to create out of the country,” he said. The billionaire’s comments came as the Dangote Refinery offered N2.15 trillion shares to the public

on Monday in what he described as an effort to democratise wealth creation and allow ordinary Nigerians to own a stake in the 650,000 barrels per day facility. He said the company would prioritise small investors, including drivers, cooks, market women, mechanics and labourers, insisting that the objective of the offer was not merely to raise money but to bring more Nigerians into the capital market. Dangote said the refinery could become Africa’s biggest company within three years, adding that the business would grow beyond expectations. “This company, give it three years, it will be the biggest company. The Continued on page 41

WIKE: APC GOVS UNAWARE OF GOINGS-ON, TINUBU KNOWS ABOUT RAINBOW COALITION their ability to deliver the president in their respective states next year. His comments came hours after the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) led by the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, rejected what the body termed political alliances capable of weakening the APC or undermining Tinubu’s re-election bid. The governors said they would not support any arrangement that could create divided loyalty or adversely affect APC candidates at any level. But Wike dismissed their concerns, saying they had no understanding of the discussions he had held with Tinubu. “When I see the people who were at that press conference, they are smart…but they are politically lazy. Very unfortunate. I have told you here, there has never been a day … Mr President knows. There is nothing that I have done that I have never told Mr President, ‘This is what I intend to do.’ If they know what I know, they won’t

come out to say that,” he argued. According to him, his support for Tinubu was never negotiated with the APC governors or the party, stressing that he and other members of the G5 had similarly supported Tinubu in 2023 without first consulting the APC. Wike said his decision to support Tinubu in 2027 was based on his belief that the presidency should remain in the South after eight years of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, and because he believed Tinubu was committed to changing Nigeria. “I said I was going to support the President, and I supported him. I said I was going to support him to finish his second term because I have seen that he’s committed and dedicated to changing Nigeria. What has that got to do with the party?” he asked. The minister argued that support for Tinubu at the presidential level did not necessarily mean support for APC candidates in governorship or legislative elections, citing the

voting pattern in the 2023 elections. He particularly challenged Uzodimma over the performance of APC in Imo State, where, according to Wike, Tinubu received less than 10 per cent of the presidential votes while APC won two Senate seats on the same day. “He was the governor of Imo State. Mr President didn’t get 10 per cent in his state. But he took two senators, and the Labour Party took one senator in Imo State. As a sitting governor, you have a President running under your party, and you couldn’t give him 10 per cent of the total votes? The Labour Party scored 360,000, the APC scored 66,000. Now, is he saying that the people of Imo State were confused?” he stressed. Wike also cited Ebonyi, where he said Tinubu lost the presidential election while APC won three Senate seats, arguing that the results demonstrated that voters could support different parties in different contests. He therefore questioned the

capacity of some of the APC governors at the briefing to translate their control of state structures into presidential votes, saying their influence should first be demonstrated in their own states. “Yes, they are governors, I agree. I’m not disputing that they have influence. But the influence should come more in your own state as far as this election is concerned. The influence should come more in your own state because, at the end of the day, if Mr President does not win in your state, what will you be talking about?” he asked. Wike also rejected the suggestion that his political relevance depended on retaining his ministerial position, insisting that it is only Tinubu that can question him and not APC governors. He further disclosed that opposition to his appointment as FCT minister by some APC governors was not new, alleging that some of them had been unhappy with his emergence from the beginning.

“It started as Minister of FCT. They were not happy that I should be given the position of Minister of FCT,” he said. Wike also recalled his political battles with PDP governors, alleging that some of the same governors who were now criticising his political activities had previously urged their colleagues to move against him. “When I was having a crisis with my colleagues, the PDP governors, these were the same people who were telling the governor… There were about 10 governors in the Governors Forum meeting, telling the governors they should make sure they deal with Wike, that ‘it’s enough for him.’ Thinking that their governors would succeed, they failed!” he said. The FCT minister said he would not be dictated to by governors, stressing that his political relationship with Tinubu gave the president the only authority to Continued on page 43

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

NEWS

YORUBA TENNIS CLUB CENTENARY ANNIVERSARY LECTURE...

L-R: Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Representative of Chief Kesington Adebutu, former Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Sola Omole; Chairman, Yoruba Tennis Club, Bro. Chief Engr. Olawunmi Gasper; Lagos APC Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi; and Deputy Governor of Lagos State and APC Governorship Candidate, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, during the Yoruba Tennis Club Centenary Anniversary Lecture in Onikan, Lagos, yesterday

Amid Concession Revolt By Parents, King’s College Plans Big for 117th Anniversary Mary Nnah Despite protests over a controversial public, private partnership (PPP) deal, King’s College, Lagos, is marking its Founder’s Week with what has been described as its boldest line-up of activities yet. The 117-year-old institution is marking the anniversary under the theme, “Owning the Future, Advancing the King’s College Lagos Legacy.” The week-long celebration kicked

off on Monday with a charged press briefing led by the leadership of King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA). Addressing journalists, Monday evening, the president of KCOBA, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Iman, admitted that the timing could not be worse but said the school must still celebrate. Ibrahim-Iman stated, “We actually agonise over whether to go ahead with this press briefing or not, because there is a very important

issue you want us to speak to - the PPP arrangement between King’s College and the federal government.” He revealed that the man expected to answer the burning questions, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, SAN, President of King’s College and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, could not attend after losing his younger brother. A full world press conference was scheduled for September 15, at 1pm at King’s College, Lagos, to address the concession directly.

“Please, bear with us. We will address every single issue. There will be no question left unanswered,” Ibrahim-Iman pleaded. “I sleep King’s College. I wake up King’s College. My contributions have practically bankrupted me,” he said. King’s Week 2026 is going full throttle from September 14 to September 20. Chairman of the 2026 King’s Week Planning Committee, Sir Gbolahan Olayomi, said the coincidence was almost prophetic.

NDLEA Arrests Another Mexican Drug Kingpin, Dismantles Ebonyi Meth Lab Marwa vows Nigeria will not become safe haven for transnational cartels Michael Olugbode in Abuja The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a Mexican methamphetamine kingpin attempting to flee Nigeria and dismantled another industrial-scale clandestine laboratory, exposing an expanding international network seeking to establish drug production facilities in the country’s forests and rural communities. The suspect, identified as 56-year-old Arturo Carrera Loaiza, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on August 19, 2026, while attempting to leave Nigeria through the Lagos airport. According to NDLEA, the breakthrough followed a painstaking investigation into a network linked to methamphetamine laboratories uncovered in Ogun and Oyo states, which subsequently led investigators to a property in Ebonyi State where laboratory equipment and precursor chemicals were allegedly moved under cover of darkness. Briefing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday, NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said the latest operation demonstrated the agency’s growing intelligence and forensic capacity to dismantle

sophisticated transnational drug syndicates. Marwa said the arrest of Loaiza and the dismantling of the Ebonyi facility came after operatives established that a Mexican methamphetamine expert arrested at a forest laboratory in Oyo State had been recruited into Nigeria by the kingpin. The NDLEA had earlier arrested three Mexican nationals and seven Nigerian collaborators at a forest hideout in Ogun State on May 16. On June 17, operatives also arrested another Mexican national and four Nigerian collaborators at a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory concealed in a forested area of Tapa village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State. Investigations by the agency’s Special Operations Unit (SOU) into the Oyo operation led to the identification of Loaiza as the alleged recruiter of the Mexican national arrested at the forest laboratory. According to the agency, the suspect positively identified Loaiza from a photograph obtained by investigators working with international partners. Intelligence also showed that Loaiza entered Nigeria on June 10 alongside another Mexican national, Jose Ceballos Perez.

Although Loaiza allegedly claimed during interrogation that he had been invited into Nigeria by a Nigerian contact known only as “Henry” for a restaurant business venture, the NDLEA said forensic evidence contradicted his account. Investigators reportedly recovered images of Loaiza wearing a blue laboratory coat and standing amid equipment consistent with methamphetamine production. Location metadata embedded in the images led operatives to a property under construction at Isiata Ugoni Okposi, Ebonyi State. A raid on the property on August 30, linked to one John Okike, uncovered evidence suggesting that a temporary structure had been erected over the septic tank area at the rear of the building. Interviews with the site engineer and caretaker also revealed persistent strong chemical odours emanating from the premises. Babafemi said that the investigation took a decisive turn after operatives recovered a CCTV memory card from the property. Forensic analysis allegedly showed a foreign national in a blue laboratory coat matching Loaiza’s image, as well as repeated appearances by Okike. He revealed that the footage also captured, at about 9 p.m. on August 21, the movement of

chemicals and laboratory equipment from the property, with Okike allegedly directing the operation alongside other persons assisting in the relocation. The spokesman said acting on intelligence from a confidential source, NDLEA operatives traced the relocated materials to an isolated house in a neighbouring community, allegedly under the custody of one Nwanja Obasi.

Olayomi stated, “Our college was founded on September 20th, 1909. And we are here in the week of September 20th celebrating our 117th anniversary and at the same time taking charge of the management of our college.” The activities for the week began with yesterday’s press conference and will continue tomorrow with a double bill. First, the world press conference with Okunnu, and then at 3pm a global virtual conference on Zoom under the same theme, featuring speakers from the diaspora. The celebration comes as parents staged protests yesterday over the proposed PPP or concession, leading to the shutdown of King’s College and other federal colleges. When pressed to respond to the current issue, KCOBA leaders refused. “We don’t want to pre-empt what Alhaji Okunnu will say tomorrow,” Olayomi said on Monday. “But let me leave you with this: There is no sale of King’s College. Come tomorrow and ask me the same question I will be sitting beside Alhaji Okunnu,” he stated. In a bid to counter claims of neglect, KCOBA also rolled out figures to prove their commitment. The Class of ‘81 to ‘86 alone invested tens of millions to digitise classrooms, with the overall digitalisa-

tion project combined in a N200 million intervention designed to turn the school into a world-class learning centre within 30 to 60 days. Olayomi said the project was “good to go” before the end of December last year, but part of the deployment had been put on hold due to the current school shutdown. Other give-backs listed included an NBA-standard basketball court donated from the U.S., a FIFA-level pitch and upgrades to sports facilities, and the mobilisation for WAEC CBT exams to ensure King’s boys wrote on campus. Last November, 1900 students were trained on Sustainability and Climate Action by global experts flown in from Canada, facilitated by a class set in partnership with non-profit organisations. The Federal Ministry of Education through UBEC also donated five interactive flat panel displays to transform learning at the college in the last one year, and another class set is currently upgrading the college’s medical and dispensary facilities. “These interventions ran into hundreds of millions of Naira in 365 days,” Olayomi said, adding, “There is no alumni in this country that does the size of give-backs that King’s College has done.”

Ogun APC Unveils Campaign Council, Mobilises for 2027 Election James Sowole in Abeokuta The Ogun State Chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has unveiled its campaign council for the 2027 general election. The unveiling of the campaign council signals the commencement of a coordinated state-wide mobilisation for the party’s presidential, governorship and other electoral contests. The party, in the official lists released on Tuesday by its State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, named members of various committees saddled with the responsibility of driving its campaign and mobilisation

machinery across the 20 local government areas of the state. The campaign council comprises party leaders, political stakeholders and other key members of the APC, who are expected to coordinate grassroots mobilisation, media and publicity, logistics, contact and mobilisation, youth and women engagement, as well as other critical aspects of the campaign. Sanusi said the committees were constituted to strengthen the party’s structures and ensure effective coordination of its activities ahead of the 2027 elections. He charged members of the various committees to work

collectively towards securing an overwhelming victory for the APC in the presidential, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly elections. The unveiling of the campaign structure marks a major step in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, coming as the party intensifies its mobilisation and consolidation efforts across Ogun State. The campaign council has the former governor of the state Aremo Olusegun Osoba as the Grand Patron while the State Goveenor, Prince Dapo Abiodun is the Chairman of the Council.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

NEWS

INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM PRODUCERS GROUP (IPPG), GASTECH 2026 IN BANGKOK...

L-R: Kunle Odusola-Stevenson, CEO, Legend and Legacy Company and Conference Producer, Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES); Oluﬁsayo Duduyemi, Executive Vice President, Axxela Integrated Power and Vice President, Nigerian Gas Association (NGA); Akachukwu Nwokedi, General Counsel and Company Secretary, NLNG, and Africa Regional Coordinator, International Gas Union (IGU); and Adegbite Falade, Managing Director, Aradel Holdings Plc and Chairman, Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday

Tinubu Felicitates Gov AbdulRazaq on Turbaning as Sardauna of Ilorin As VP Shettima storms Ilorin for gov’s investiture, inaugurates projects in Kwara Wednesday State-owned media, NTA, TVC, Channels to beam event live Tinubu pays glowing tribute to his friend, patriot, scholar, Prof. Amuwo at 80 Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin President Bola Tinubu has felicitated Governor of Kwara State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on his historic turbaning as Sardauna of Ilorin. His Royal Highness, the 11th Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ibrahim Kolapo Sulu-Gambari, will confer the title on the governor in Ilorin on Wednesday. Vice President Kashim Shettima will today, Wednesday, visit Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, as guest of honour at the turbaning of AbdulRazaq as Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate. Shetimma will during his visit inaugurate two major projects on Wednesday in Ilorin. The projects are Kwara Garment Factory, a signature project of the AbdulRazaq administration that will hire at least 4,000 people at full capacity, and the 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service (KWRS), funded with savings made from consultancy fee that could have been paid out. The two projects are among more than 30 capital projects spread across the state.

The project inauguration will be followed by the turbaning ceremony at the forecourt of the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin and reception at the Atlantic. The turbaning will be televised live by the Kwara TV, Radio Kwara, NTA, TVC, and Channels TV. Many state governors, ministers, heads of federal and state parastatals, military and police leadership, Ilorin title holders, and political elites are expected at the event. Meanwhile, Tinubu, in a release issued on Tuesday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, commended the Emir for bestowing the prestigious title on AbdulRazaq, who is also President of the Forum of Regions of Africa. Tinubu described the honour as a fitting recognition of the governor’s leadership, public service, and contributions to the development of Kwara State, particularly his efforts to promote inclusive growth, social cohesion, and the well-being of the people. He also commended the Emir for preserving the important role of traditional institutions in fostering harmony and supporting democratic governance and sustainable development. Tinubu stated, “Governor AbdulRazaq, I urge you to embrace the culturally significant and historic

title not only as a mark of honour, but also as a call to greater service and responsibility. “I am confident that you will bring your experience, leadership, statesmanship and goodwill to bear in advancing the interests of the people of Kwara State and contributing to the progress and unity of Nigeria. “I wish you continued success, wisdom, strength and good health as you assume the responsibilities of the Sardauna of Ilorin. May this honour further inspire you to serve your people and our nation.” The chairman, Central Planning Committee, and Senior Counsellor to AbdulRazaq, Alhaji Saadu Salahudeen,

The federal government has announced plans to expand its TETFund/Renewed Hope Initiative ICT Experience Centre programme to 15 additional tertiary institutions across the country as part of efforts to equip Nigerian youths with digital skills. The disclosure was made on Tuesday by First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, while commissioning the ICT Experience Centre at Kwara State University, KWASU, Malete. She was represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima. According to the First Lady,

construction is already ongoing in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, Yobe and Zamfara states. “The centre we are commissioning today represents opportunity, innovation, knowledge and hope for the future of young people in Kwara State and beyond,” she stated. The KWASU facility, she explained, is a modern technology hub equipped with ICT laboratories, interactive digital displays, conference facilities and exhibition spaces to drive learning, creativity, research and technological advancement. She noted that KWASU was one of six institutions selected for the

Salahudeen stated that the turbaning of the governor was due to his superlative performance since assumption of office. As the defence minister of the Ilorin Emirate, Salahudeen said AbdulRazaq had been proactive in the protection of life and property of the people of Ilorin Emirate since he became the governor of the state. He called on the people of Ilorin Emirate and other parts of the state to continue to support the administration. Meanwhile, a pressure group championing the re-election of Tinubu in 2027, Arewa for Tinubu, said the turbaning of AbdulRazaq as Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate was a profound

testament to exemplary leadership and deep-rooted connection with the people of the state. The group, in a congratulatory statement issued in Ilorin on Tuesday, signed by Kwara State Coordinator, Mallam Nurudeen Imam, said, “The role of Governor AbdulRazaq as a bridge-builder and a champion of the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda has been instrumental in advancing the cause of progress at the national level.” On Tuesday, also, Tinubu paid glowing tribute to a scholar, patriot, public intellectual, friend and brother, Professor Shaffy Adeniyi Amuwo, on his 80th birthday.

2002 Igwe Murder: Lawyers Ask NBA to Demand Removal of Soludo’s Aide Wale Igbintade

A group of prominent lawyers and human rights advocates has asked the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to demand the removal from the Anambra State Executive Council of a cabinet

FG Expands TETFund ICT Experience Centres to 15 More Institutions, Commissions KWASU Facility Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

said all arrangement had been put in place to make the event a great occasion. Salahudeen said the committee had been working round the clock to ensure the turbaning ceremony marked a significant milestone in the historical and social transformation of the state. Salahudeen stated that the people of the state had been called upon to come out en masse to give the august visitor a rousing and befitting welcome. He added that the security agencies had been put on notice while residents of the state had been advised to shun all forms of actions capable of hindering the success of the event.

pilot phase, with one centre in each geopolitical zone. Other centres have already been commissioned, while those at Kaduna State University and Taraba State University will be commissioned soon. Also speaking, TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sonny Echono, represented by Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Olajide Babatunde, said the Board approved N1 billion for each centre across the six zones. Echono said the centres are designed to train students and lecturers in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics and software development, and to expose them to applications in security, agriculture, healthcare, media and mining.

member they identified as a suspect in the 2002 murder of former NBA Onitsha Branch Chairman, Barnabas Chidi Igwe, and his pregnant wife, Amaka Abigail Igwe. The lawyers, in a letter dated September 11, 2026, urged the NBA President to prevail on the Inspector-General of Police to reopen investigation into the 24-year-old murder case and pursue the effective prosecution of those responsible, while asking Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to publish the report of the state’s Truth, Justice and Peace Commission (TJPC) on the matter. Barnabas Igwe, then Chairman of the NBA Onitsha Branch, and his wife, Amaka, also a lawyer and his chambers partner, were killed on September 1, 2002, shortly after returning from the 42nd Annual General Conference of the NBA in Ibadan, Oyo State. The couple’s three children were orphaned by the killings. The lawyers said their renewed intervention was necessary because the case, despite the NBA’s vigorous efforts following the murders, had never been brought to a conclusion. According to them, the NBA leadership at the time responded

immediately to the killings, with the then NBA President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, convening an emergency meeting of national officers on September 2, 2002, followed by a public briefing. They said Olanipekun subsequently led a delegation of NBA leaders to the then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on September 11, 2002, to demand diligent investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators. A formal letter was also sent to the IGP on September 20, while lawyers nationwide observed September 18, 2002, as a National Day of Mourning in honour of the slain couple. The lawyers further recalled that the NBA leadership took the matter to the Presidential Villa in November 2002, where it renewed its demand for justice and sought the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the assassinations of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Bola Ige, and the Igwe couple. They said the NBA, with the support of its National Executive Committee, subsequently established a Trust Fund for the three children of Barnabas and Amaka.

However, the lawyers expressed concern that little had been heard about the Endowment Fund for about 15 years and asked the NBA President to provide an update on its status. They noted that the three surviving children had since graduated and that at least one of them was now a member of the NBA. The lawyers said the NBA Onitsha Branch had also been granted a fiat to prosecute the 11 suspects originally arraigned before the High Court of Anambra State, Onitsha, in Charge No. O/60C/2003, The State v. Francis Nzekwe (alias Francis Nzewi Ibekwe) and 10 others. They alleged, however, that the prosecution was never concluded after a succession of judges recused themselves from the matter, citing political interference and intimidation. The group further claimed that records of the case were reportedly unavailable from either the High Court of Anambra State or the State Ministry of Justice. The lawyers said the establishment of the Anambra State Truth, Justice and Peace Commission in June 2022 offered an opportunity to revisit the circumstances surrounding the murders.

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

NEWS

PRESS CONFERENCE ON DISMANTLING OF MEXICAN METHAMPHETAMINE LAB...

L-R: Commander, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Muhammad Tukur Ahmad; Director Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi; and Commander, Special Operation Unit, Lagos, Mr. Talba Emmanuel James, during the press conference on dismantling of Mexican Methamphetamine lab held in Lagos, yesterday PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

King’s College Not for Sale, Old Boys Insist, Concession Saga Deepens Joint unions shut down education ministry Old Boys: proposed concession to save school, pledge to double teachers’ salaries, keep school fees unchanged Unveil N100bn endowment fund Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) yesterday dismissed claims that the federal government’s proposed concession arrangement for King’s College, Lagos, amounted to the sale or transfer of ownership of the institution, insisting that the initiative is aimed at rescuing and repositioning the over 100-year-old college. The explanation came as the

concessioning saga, which had triggered a protest by staff unions at the Federal Ministry of Education headquarters, entered its fourth day yesterday, with activities at the ministry grounded. The unions also issued a strong warning to the federal government, threatening to shut down the ministry if the concession arrangement was not reversed. The threat was made by the Joint Council, which represented four major staff unions in the ministry,

namely Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Senior Staff Union (ASCSU); Organisation of Public Service Technical and Engineering Workers (OPTER); Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU); and National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Staff (NOBSTUCK). President of KCOBA, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had resolved that the management of the college should be handed over to the Old Boys on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

basis, stressing that the arrangement does not amount to a sale. Ibrahim-Imam, who addressed journalists on the controversy surrounding the proposed arrangement yesterday at the premises of the school, said, “We came to address the press on the most topical issue of the Old Boys taking over the management of King’s College, Lagos. “As you are aware, FEC met and resolved that the management of King’s College, Lagos, should be handed over to the Old Boys on a

INEC: We Lack Power to Sanction States Imposing Prohibitive Fees on Opposition for Campaign Billboards Says preparation for 2027 elections preventing commission from responding to Auditor General’s query Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it lacks the constitutional powers to sanction state governments imposing excessive fees on opposition parties erecting campaign billboards ahead of the 2027 general election. As the 2027 elections approach, various state governments have approved the outrageous review of signage fees in their respective states, apparently, to frustrate opposition parties and deny them a level playing ground. For instance, the Kogi State government recently approved fees to, according to it, regulate political advertising across the state, ensure compliance with existing signage regulations, and generate revenue for the development of the state. The state government said the announced fees included N150 million for presidential candidates, N50 million for senatorial candidates, N30 million for House of Representatives candidates, N5 million for State House of Assembly candidates. More so, N2 million was approved for chairmanship

candidates and N300,000 for councillorship candidates for the October local government election in the state. In Rivers, the state government is charging N75 million for erecting presidential candidates’ billboards and N50 million for governorship billboards. The story is the same in Abia State where the fee for erecting presidential billboards stands at N200 million; governorship is pegged at N150 million; while senatorial is pegged at N100 million; House of Representatives is N50 million; and House of Assembly is N20 million. Similarly, in Anambra, a permit for presidential billboards would cost N50 million, senatorial is pegged at N20 million, and House of Representatives N5 million, and state assembly N1.5 million. In Cross River, presidential billboard fees cost N150 million, while governorship billboards cost N100 million. In Benue State, the government fixed N40 million for presidential candidates billboards and N35 million for governorship candidates seeking to erect campaign billboards. The government also fixed N20

million for senatorial candidates, while House of Representatives candidates would pay N10 million and state House of Assembly candidates would pay N5 million. Reacting to the development, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, told THISDAY that the decision on the cost of such billboards was the prerogative of state and local governments, adding that there are no limits to what they can

charge. Haruna stated, “On your first question there’s not much INEC can do about parties putting up what seems to be prohibitive fees on erecting billboards in states where they rule. “This is partly because signage for such billboards are the prerogatives of states and local governments and there are no limits to what they can charge and therefore there are no penalties for over charging.

PPP basis. Now, PPP does not in any way signify a sale of the school to the Old Boys.” According to him, “The federal government is not selling King’s College to anybody. Also, the Old Boys are not interested in buying King’s College.” He said the Old Boys’ primary contribution to the institution over the years had been the development of infrastructure across its two campuses. Ibrahim-Imam said the proposed management arrangement was driven by concerns over the deteriorating condition of the college’s facilities and the need to restore its standards. He stated, “My own personal aspiration is very modest, to take back, not even to take the school forward, to where I met it as a student. Now, all the facilities are dilapidated, understandably so, because King’s College is more than 100 years old. “These facilities, both on the main campus as well as at the annex, the Victoria Island campus, are in a grave state of disrepair. The objective of the Old Boys is to fix the college. We are on a rescue mission.” The KCOBA president also moved to allay concerns among parents over the cost of education, assuring them that the association has no plan to increase school fees as a result of the proposed arrangement. He said, “There has also been a lot of what I consider to be disin-

formation, especially concerning the payment of school fees. At no time did the Old Boys imply that we are going to increase school fees. Our objective is to develop the college.” He also pledged improved remuneration for teachers who choose to remain at the institution under the new management arrangement. He said, “I also want to assure the teachers, and we’ve said this repeatedly, for those who will elect to remain as teachers in King’s College who will double their salaries and allowances. The Old Boys have made this commitment in order to motivate the teachers to work harder.” He explained that teachers who did not wish to remain under the proposed PPP arrangement would not be left stranded, as they remained employees of the Federal Ministry of Education. Ibrahim-Imam explained, “Those who may choose to leave, they are staff of the Federal Ministry of Education. The minister has indicated his willingness to transfer those who don’t want to remain under the PPP arrangement.” He listed Federal Government College, Ijanikin, and Queen’s College among the institutions to which such teachers could be transferred. Ibrahim-Imam also expressed concern over the disruption of academic activities at the college, saying the current controversy has affected thousands of students.

Renaissance Africa Awards Grants to 215 Niger Delta Youths, Launches NRISE Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has awarded grants to 215 young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta to enable them to start, strengthen and expand their businesses. The Vice President, Relations and Sustainable Development, Renaissance Africa, Mr. Igo Weli, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, at the graduation and award ceremony of beneficiaries of

the company’s Regional Enterprise Development Programme and Ofoni/Lalagbene Enterprise Development Programme. Weli said the 215 beneficiaries emerged as top performers from more than 21,000 applications received for the programme, following a rigorous selection process, training and business-plan development. He described the high number of applications as evidence that the Niger Delta was not short of ideas, ambition and entrepreneurial

potential despite the economic challenges confronting young people. “Thousands of young men and women across the region are developing ideas, identifying opportunities and seeking opportunities to build businesses,” he said. According to him, the initiative forms part of Renaissance Africa’s broader efforts to invest in people, create opportunities and promote sustainable development across the Niger Delta.

Weli urged the beneficiaries to remain disciplined, patient and consistent, stressing that building a sustainable business required commitment and resilience. “As you receive your certificates, awards, and grants today, I encourage you to see them as seeds rather than harvests,” he said. “A seed has potential, but potential alone does not guarantee a harvest. It requires care, discipline, patience, and consistency. The same is true of entrepreneurship.”

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

NEWS

PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PROTEST AT KING’S COLLEGE LAGOS ENTRANCE...

L-R: President of KCOBA, Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim-Imam; General Secretary of the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA), Mr Etigwe Uwa, SAN; and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and an old boy of King’s College Lagos, Olumide Akpata, surrounded by association members and journalists while singing solidarity songs during the protest by parents, teachers, and other members of the public at the King’s College Lagos entrance, yesterday

We Won’t Support Any Alliance That Can Undermine Tinubu’s Re-election, Say Govs President’s first term economic performance will guarantee his victory, Yari declares Wike’s PDP hits back at ruling party’s govs, says their problem is poor performance Chuks Okocha, Olawale Ajimotokan, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) has declared that it would not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, weakening the ruling party, or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels in the 2027 general election. Chairman of PGF and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, made the declaration on Monday night after a closed-door meeting held at Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja. The forum, the umbrella body of governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), maintained that any arrangement that created confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests within the party will not be entertained. The governors position came as Director-General of APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Abdulaziz Yari, declared that Tinubu was worthy of re-election for a second term based on his first term performance. Reading the communique after the meeting, Uzodinma stated categorically that the primary focus of the forum was to support official APC candidates at all levels rather than external interests. He stated, “The APC Governors’ Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr. President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels. “In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party. “The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party.”

Speaking on the APC Presidential Campaign Council, the governors stated that they would command the frontlines of the president’s re-election bid in their home states. The governors stressed that the upcoming campaign would feature several core pillars, saying these include grassroots mobilisation — penetrating every community, actively engaging all demographic groups and strata of Nigerian society through an inclusive, people-centred approach. The governors pledged to continue to strengthen internal party unity, harmonise campaign structures from the national level down to the constituencies, and drive development across their states in alignment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Yari: President’s First Term Economic Performance Will Guarantee His Victory Yari, a former Zamfara State governor, said in Benin yesterday that the Tinubu administration had made progress in the economy, citing changes in GDP growth, inflation, and foreign exchange stability. Yari, who led members of the campaign council to the Oba of Benin’s Palace to seek royal blessings, prayers, and support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, said Nigeria’s annual GDP growth had risen from 2.7 per cent in 2023 to 3.9 per cent, while inflation declined from 22.9 per cent to 15.9 per cent. He added that the administration had stabilised the foreign exchange market and described Tinubu as the right person to lead the country. Yari thanked the monarch for the reception and explained that the delegation was at the palace to seek royal blessings and support for the re-election bid of Tinubu. He stated, “Our mission today is simple: Mr. President formed the campaign council for his re-election. We are here to seek royal blessings, prayers, and support for the re-election of your son, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, come 2027.” Responding, the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba Nedo Uku Akpolokpolo,

Oba Ewuare II, urged Nigerians to support continuity in governance, saying there is no point seeking change for its own sake. Oba Ewuare II said the Benin throne was not partisan, adding that his position should not be interpreted as support for any political party. The monarch appealed to former governors, senators, and other political leaders to work together in the interest of the country, stressing the importance of cooperation between the ruling party and the opposition. He stated, “In democracy, there must be opposition when a party comes to power. I don’t see why an opposition party can’t support the ruling party.” Oba Ewuare II also cautioned against excessive criticism of political leaders, stating that nobody is perfect. He said, “Is there anybody who is so perfect as I am talking now? Nobody. I love and like peace and tranquillity. I am American and British trained as a diplomat, and I say it the way it is.” Deputy governor of Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, thanked the Oba of Benin for his royal blessings. Idahosa said the president deserved

a second chance, adding that in Nigeria there is equity, fairness, and justice. According to him, it’s the turn of the south to get a second term after the first term. He stated, “For us in Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo is the leader and he is leading well, as we have a lot of projects to campaign with and the people of Edo State will vote massively for President Tinubu to enable him win the 2027 presidential election.”

PDP: Poor Performance APC govs’ Problem Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, alleged that the problem of APC governors was their poor performance. PDP said it would contest all electoral offices except the presidential election. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the party said APC Governors’ Forum should understand, ‘’Wike is not their problem; their problem is their poor governance

and failure to meet the expectations of their people. ‘’Their opposition to Wike’s support is driven by fear. The fear that their poor records of performance will be exposed at the polls. ‘’Wike has every constitutional and democratic right to decide whom he supports politically. His support for President Tinubu is legitimate, and as a serving appointee of the President, there is nothing contradictory about supporting the president while maintaining his political identity and relationships within the PDP.’’ The PDP spokesman added that APC governors had initially misconceived Wike’s support for Tinubu as an endorsement of their party. He stated that APC governor were now beginning to realise that supporting the president did not mean abandoning PDP or surrendering the political space to APC. Mohammed stated, ‘’Their demand that Wike should not support or field candidates capable of challenging the APC governors and their anointed candidates is a fundamental political miscalculation. Elections are contests, and every political party has the

democratic right to present candidates before the electorate. ‘’The APC governors’ demand is not only politically curious but a complete political miscalculation. It exposes the growing anxiety within the APC over the prospect of facing strong PDP candidates at the 2027 elections. ‘’The reality that appears to have unsettled them is that the PDP has not only stabilised but has also successfully fielded candidates across elective positions who are capable of challenging these APC governors and their anointed candidates in 2027.” The PDP group added, ‘’It is particularly revealing that governors who earlier claimed to be confident of their performance are now asking their opponents not to field candidates against them. If they have truly performed and retained the confidence of their people, they should welcome a contest and allow the electorate to decide. ‘’The APC governors should be reminded that no one can jettison Wike’s support and expect to win elections effortlessly. Those who have attempted to do so in the past have learnt the lesson the hard way.

Situation Room Warns Against Threats to Credible, Free, Fair 2027 National Elections Report: Only 23% of Nigerians trust INEC Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, has expressed concerns over some actions and incidents which if not promptly checked could mar the transparency and credibility of next year’s Ggeneral election. Addressing the state of democracy in Nigeria, it said recent public opinion surveys and international governance assessments by an organisation known as Afrobarometer showed that 77 per cent of Nigerians were dissatisfied with the way democracy was working, while trust in critical democratic

institutions remained exceptionally low, including only 23 per cent trust in INEC. Speaking at a press conference to mark this year’s International Day Democracy in Abuja, the Convener of the Situation Room, Comrade Yunusa Z. Ya’u said relevant authorities must take steps to curb violations and abuses of the Electoral Act and to build public trust on the conduct of the 2027 elections. Thus, against the background of recent happenings during the last governorship election in Osun State, Situation Room said actions such

as incitement to violence, threats against voters, voter suppression and obstruction of lawful political participation must attract appropriate investigation and sanctions He urged INEC and security agencies to try to live up to their constitutional mandate and deal decisively with any act of intimidation, incitement and other violations in an objective and fair manner. Ya’u who was flanked by prominent leaders of the civil society coalition including Mr. Clement Nwankwo, Co-Conveners, Nma Odi and Celestine Odo, said, “Nigeria cannot afford to approach the 2027

General Election as business as usual. The credibility of an election is built long before the first ballot is cast. “It depends on whether citizens are free to participate, campaign, vote and express their political preferences without intimidation; whether institutions enforce the law impartially; and whether political actors accept that electoral victory must be earned through persuasion–not coercion.” The Situation Room further said that Nigeria needed elections not merely conducted, but whose processes and outcomes citizens could trust.

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

NEWS

COURTESY VISIT TO GOVERNOR ZULUM...

L-R: Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum and Tax Ombud/Chief Executive, the Oﬃce of the Tax Ombud Dr. John Nwabueze, during the latter’s courtesy visit to the Governor in Maiduguri... recently

2027: Ex-Govs, Lawmakers, Northern Leaders Unveil Tinubu Campaign Group Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A coalition of former governors, serving and former senators and prominent political leaders from the North have concluded plans to formally unveil a political mobilisation platform named ‘Arewa for Asiwaju’ (A4A) ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The group would be led by a 14-member Board of Trustees (BOT) with deep grassroots networks across the North-West, North-East and North-Central. Its Head of Media Relations,

Edwin Olofu, in a statement said the BOT was chaired by former Kano State Governor and ex-Education Minister, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau. He added that Shekarau would be deputised by the duo of former Yobe State governor and current Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Geidam and former Plateau State governor and Senator representing Plateau South, Simon Lalong. Other members were Ibrahim Masari, Senator Joshua Dariye, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), Senator Aliyu Wamakko, former

Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda; former Governor of Plateau State, Jolly Nyame; former Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello. Also included were Hajia Aishatu Dukku, Hajia Binta Ibrahim and former Governor of Jigawa State, Badaru Abubakar, who would serve as the BOT Secretary, assisted by Abubakar Gambo. Olofu explained that the group was conceived as the organised northern vanguard

for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and would operate a structured organogram spanning the 19 Northern states and the FCT, and an elaborate national and zonal leadership structures. To lead operations of the vanguard, the National Directorate has Badaru Abubakar as Director General. Olufu noted that Abubakar would drive overall campaign strategy, coordinate all 19 States and FCT chapters, and oversee various directorates at the National Headquarters. He said Abubakar would

be supported by three Deputy National Coordinators: Ibrahim Shema (North-West), Bello (North-Central) and Hon. Abdulrazaq Namdas (North-East). Olofu added that directors appointed to man various arms of the operations included Dr. Bala Wunti (Director, Finance & Resource Mobilisation) with Abdulrahman Leme as his deputy. Operations & Logistics would be headed by Sen. Tijjani Kaura with Major-Gen. A.T Jibril (rtd) as his Deputy. He said Abdulaziz Abdulaziz is the Director Communications

and Media Strategy with Jibrin Baba Ndace as Deputy, while Olofu would serve as Head of Media Relations in the same Directorate. Olofu noted that Ismail Ahmed would take charge of Mobilization assisted by Hon. Michael Msuaan, whereas the Youth Affairs Directorate would be led by Abba Aliyu with Comr. Murtala Gamji as Deputy. He note that Senator Sani Musa would serve as Director for Business Community & Professionals assisted by Dr. Shamsuddeen Ahmad.

DANGOTE: NIGERIA CANNOT INDUSTRIALISE WITH 30% INTEREST RATE, POWER DEFICIT biggest company in Africa is going to really grow beyond people’s imagination. It doesn’t matter what,” he assured. He said the offer would be structured to give smaller investors priority, although larger investors would not be excluded. “The IPO is the most important thing for us. We now make sure that we bring in democracy into the stock exchange. Where now, small people like my driver, your driver, the cooks, the market women, everybody will now be a shareholder like me,” he revealed. Dangote said he was willing to reduce his own stake in the refinery to accommodate more shareholders, adding that he would not want small investors to have their money returned because of oversubscription. “I don’t mind to be diluted as much as possible because I want people to actually be part of this good journey,” he said. He said the company was targeting about 10 million shareholders, most of them retail investors, and envisaged holding its annual general meeting in a stadium rather than a hotel. On the refinery’s valuation, Dangote put the figure at about $46.3 billion, while projecting that the company’s future earnings would justify the valuation. He said the financial figures being used for the offer were based on normal operating conditions rather than the abnormal

circumstances created by the war in the Middle East and higher crude prices. He also disclosed that the refinery’s January and February results did not fully reflect operations because the facility was undergoing repairs. “If you look at our numbers, that’s what it is. And these numbers too, mind you, in January and February, we did not really operate because we were doing repairs so that when we start the refinery, the refinery will now start very well,” he said. Dangote said investors would be able to assess the company’s performance through its subsequent financial results, adding that the refinery’s operations were expected to expand significantly. On the increase in petrol prices, Dangote said the refinery could not sell products below prevailing market prices when the cost of crude oil and transportation was rising. He said the company had bought crude at $124 per barrel in May and was also facing higher shipping costs due to the Middle East conflict. He disclosed that the refinery had invested heavily in transportation infrastructure to reduce the cost of delivering petrol across Nigeria, including the acquisition of 4,000 new tankers. “We spent N1 trillion to invest in 4,000 brand-new 50-liter tankers. Brand-new,” he said. Dangote said the company was delivering products to parts of the

country without charging additional transportation costs, adding that the arrangement was intended to cushion the effect of higher petrol prices on consumers. He said the refinery would continue to supply the domestic market despite global disruptions. “There will not be any shortage from our own part. There won’t be any queues. We’ll make sure that we keep satisfying the market despite all odds,” he said. He also said the company would reduce prices when crude and international product prices fell, arguing that it had already done so in the past without waiting for government directives. In the same vein, Dangote said the refinery’s public offer would provide investors with an opportunity to earn returns from a dollar-based business, adding that shareholders could choose to receive dividends in naira or dollars. He said this would help investors protect their wealth against currency depreciation. “Because this is a dollarised business. It’s a business that is in dollars. That’s why we are saying that, yes, you can choose. Either you take a local currency as your dividend, or you choose dollars. And we pay both,” he said. He also predicted that the share price could rise significantly over time, although he acknowledged that the future price would depend on market conditions.

He said an investment of N100,000 could potentially grow into a million naira within one or two years, urging investors to view the shares as a long-term investment rather than a quick profit opportunity. “This is a future for anybody’s family. You’re actually investing for the future of your family,” he said. Reflecting on his business journey, Dangote said the decision to build the refinery and expand into fertiliser manufacturing was the biggest risk he had taken. He disclosed that he had pledged all his assets as collateral for a $3.7 billion loan and also provided a personal guarantee to the banks. “The risk that I took to build this refinery and our fertiliser business, the risk that we took as a group to transform when we suffered a lot in the exchange rate losses to now dollarise our businesses. Nobody ever gave us a chance that this refinery would ever work. But we took that risk. I believe so much in it,” he stated. He said the group had never defaulted on a loan in its 47-year history. However, he described the collapse of his textile business as his biggest business mistake, attributing the failure to Chinese and Indian imports that overwhelmed local manufacturers. He said the company was forced to close the business and lay off 6,920 workers. “We did textiles and the textiles ended up going

under because government policy did not protect our businesses. We were swamped by Chinese dumping and Indian dumping,” he said. Dangote said the experience had taught him the importance of ensuring that businesses could survive even when government protection was withdrawn. He added that inconsistent government policies and inadequate electricity remained the two biggest obstacles to industrialisation. Speaking on his succession plan, Dangote said he believed ‘one or two’ of his three daughters could eventually lead the group, stressing that he was not forcing them into the business but that they had shown interest. He said his ambition was to leave behind professionally managed companies with strong corporate governance and a structure that would prevent family members from destroying the businesses. “I want these companies to be run professionally. I want to have the highest level of governance,” he said. He added that he wanted the group to operate like major global companies, where leadership could change without destroying the businesses. On philanthropy, Dangote reiterated that one-third of his growing wealth would belong to the Dangote Foundation, which would distribute the funds to people. He said his ultimate legacy was

the industrialisation of Africa and expressed confidence that other African entrepreneurs would join him in building the continent’s industrial capacity. Responding to questions on his personal life Dangote said he does not consider having a male child a priority, declaring that any of his three daughters could successfully succeed him and carry on the family’s business legacy. Dangote said he was not concerned about producing a son, arguing that having a male child did not necessarily guarantee the preservation or growth of a family’s name and wealth. “That one, I think, is not my priority. Let me say bluntly, it’s not really my priority, because today as you know, God controls everything. For me, sometimes you can pray for God to give you a son, but that son might be the one that will take down the name of the family. So, sometimes when God doesn’t give you something, don’t push,” he advised. The billionaire, who has three daughters, said he had no doubt that they were capable of doing better than a potential male heir. “I don’t think the son would have done better than these three daughters that I have,” he said. Dangote said his objective was to make it difficult for any family member to destroy the businesses he had built even after his demise.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

NEWS

DAY-4 (IKORODU DIVISION) OF THE 2027 BUDGET CONSULTATIVE FORUM...

Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget (MEPB), Mr. Ope George (middle standing), ﬂanked by Permanent Secretary, MEPB, Mrs. Olayinka Ojo (right) and Director, Budget, Mr. Olufemi Orojimi (left) with representatives of Persons Living With Disability (PLWD) and oﬃcials of the ministry, during the Day-4 (Ikorodu division) of the 2027 Budget Consultative Forum, held at the Ikorodu TownHall in Lagos... recently

I Will Stop Campaigning If Anyone Proves I Left Debts in Anambra, Obi Dares Critics Welcomes scrutiny of academic records, challenges rivals to do the same Media office raises the alarm over 600 academics endorsing Tinubu Chuks Okocha, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged the Anambra State Government to provide evidence supporting claims that his administration left behind a N2 billion ecological loan, unpaid contractor liabilities and outstanding salaries, gratuities and pensions. Obi, who served as Anambra State governor from 2006 to 2013, described the allegations as false, insisting that his administration cleared more than N35 billion in historical gratuities and arrears accumulated before he assumed office. He made the declaration in a statement on X while responding to what he described as trending claims by the state government concerning the financial liabilities allegedly inherited from his administration. Obi said at the time he handed over power, the state had no outstanding salaries, gratuities or pensions, while contractors whose projects had been duly executed and certified were also fully paid. “We systematically liquidated historical gratuities and arrears dating back several years, amounting to over N35 billion. At the point of handover, the state owed nothing in salaries, gratuities, or pensions, nor did we

owe anything to any contractor for projects duly executed and certified,” he said. The former governor also challenged the claim surrounding the alleged N2 billion ecological loan, explaining that the money was released less than three months before the end of his tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. According to him, he deliberately refused to spend the funds despite pressure to do so, choosing instead to leave the money for the incoming administration because it had been earmarked for a specific project. Obi said the funds remained untouched in First Bank, giving the account number as 2018779464 and putting the balance at more than N2.13 billion. “The N2 billion ecological fund in question was released barely three months before the end of my tenure for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis. “Despite pressure to spend the money, I refused, insisting that it should be left for my successor because government is a continuum and the funds were tied to a specific project,” he said. He further argued that funds reserved for specific projects and purposes were not included in the more than N75 billion in savings he claimed his administration left for its successor. The dispute comes amid renewed

scrutiny of the financial position inherited by successive administrations in Anambra State, with claims over debts and savings becoming part of the political debate surrounding the state’s management of public resources. Obi challenged the state government or anyone else to produce evidence contradicting his account. “If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning,” he said. The former governor maintained that his administration’s financial records should be subjected to scrutiny, insisting that claims concerning public funds must be supported by verifiable evidence.

Obi Welcomes Scrutiny of Academic Records, Challenges Rivals to Do the Same In another development, Mr. Peter Obi, has welcomed the legal and public scrutiny of his academic credentials, declaring that he has no objection to the release of his university records by institutions he attended. Obi, in a statement in response to reports circulating on social media over a legal action seeking Certified True Copies (CTCs) of his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy awarded by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 1984 and other academic records, said he was prepared to

subject his educational background to legitimate scrutiny. He specifically urged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to make available, within the limits permitted by law, his academic certificates, admission records and other official documents relating to his studies whenever a legitimate request was made. The former Anambra State governor also said other educational institutions he attended, both within and outside Nigeria, could equally release his academic records in accordance with applicable laws and established procedures. Obi said his position was rooted in his belief that transparency and accountability were essential requirements for anyone seeking public office, particularly the presidency. “I have absolutely no objection to the release of these records,” he said, urging the relevant institutions to respond to legitimate requests for his academic documentation. According to him, public scrutiny of the credentials of political aspirants should not be viewed as an attack but as part of the accountability expected of those seeking the mandate to govern. He, however, cautioned that such

scrutiny must be conducted fairly, lawfully and consistently, stressing that the same standard should apply to all presidential candidates. “As a presidential candidate seeking the trust of Nigerians to lead our country, I welcome legitimate public interest in my background, qualifications, and record. “I am prepared to subject myself to the level of scrutiny that should reasonably be expected of anyone seeking the highest office in our country. “Those who seek to lead must be willing to demonstrate, through both their words and actions, that they have nothing to conceal from the people they aspire to serve.” Obi subsequently challenged other presidential candidates to make their educational qualifications and relevant academic records available for legitimate public examination. He argued that doing so would help strengthen public confidence in political leaders and contribute to rebuilding Nigerians’ trust in the country’s political institutions. “I encourage every presidential candidate to make their educational qualifications and relevant records available for legitimate public scrutiny,”

he said.

Obi Media Ofﬁce Raises Alarm Over 600 Endorsement of Tinubu by the Academics Meanwhile, the Peter Obi Media Office (POMR), has raised concerns over reports that about 600 university academics had endorsed President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, alleging that the development could undermine confidence in the neutrality of academics who might be recruited as electoral officials. In a statement by its spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr., the media office urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to identify all academics involved in political endorsements and prevent those who publicly back candidates from serving as Returning Officers (ROs), Collation Officers (COs) or other electoral personnel in the 2027 general election. The POMR argued that the issue was particularly significant because university academics have historically been engaged by INEC for sensitive election duties, including the collation and declaration of results.

NAF Receives Five New Helicopters to Boost Air Operations Against Extremist Groups

“The arrival of these five heliLeonardo Helicopters of Italy and Aleke in Abuja Power Minister Takes Vandalism, Linus two H125 helicopters manufactured copters provides greater flexibility in the employment of airpower The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), by Airbus Helicopters. Ejodame explained that the three support of ground troops in has taken delivery of five new Energy Theft Cases to EFCC helicopters to boost its air opera- AW109 Trekker B helicopters, which inongoing operations,” he stated. Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has appealed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to support efforts at tackling the growing menace of vandalism and energy theft in the power sector. Tegbe made the call in Abuja on Tuesday, when he led a delegation from the Ministry on a courtesy visit to the EFCC’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, at the Commission’s Headquarters. According to a statement by the EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale, the minister lamented that vandalism

and energy theft were taking a heavy toll on the power sector, resulting in the loss of billions of naira annually. Tegbe also explained that the ministry lacked the statutory powers to prosecute offenders involved in vandalism and energy theft, making collaboration with the EFCC necessary to address the problem. The minister therefore, sought the Commission’s support in investigating and prosecuting individuals and entities involved in economic crimes undermining the power sector. He said, “There are two areas where we need your intervention. One area is vandalism. There is a

lot of vandalism going on in this country. People are stealing manhole covers and other valuables. “The vandalisation is affecting our towers. The president has charged us to create awareness and also prosecute people (those stealing and buying) but we do not have the power to prosecute offenders. We can only report to you. They can be arrested and prosecuted. We believe the Commission can help us in that area. We need to collaborate. “The second area is energy theft. Companies that have access to power do not pay electricity bills. We are losing billions annually. We need your intervention.”

tions against extremist groups and enhance its capacity to respond to emerging security threats across the country. The delivery, the NAF said, followed the federal government’s sustained efforts to accelerate the modernisation of Nigeria’s airpower capabilities and strengthen the Armed Forces’ capacity to respond effectively to contemporary security challenges. According to a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the newly delivered platforms comprised three AW109 Trekker B helicopters manufactured by

formed part of 10 recently acquired by the federal government, arrived in Lagos on 15 September 2026. The remaining seven are expected to be delivered before the end of 2026, while the two H125 helicopters had been delivered earlier. Speaking on the development, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, described the acquisition as “another significant milestone in the federal government’s sustained investment in the modernisation and re-equipment of the NAF.” He noted that the new platforms would increase asset availability and enhance the Service’s responsiveness across multiple theatres.

The CAS also expressed profound appreciation to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu, for his sustained confidence in and commitment to the NAF. “On behalf of the officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force, I express our profound appreciation to Mr President for his sustained support for the transformation and modernisation of the Service. “His commitment is enabling us to progressively build the capabilities required to meet our operational responsibilities and confront the nation’s evolving security challenges,” he said.

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

NEWS

STAKEHOLDERS MEETING BETWEEN SSDC AND HEADS OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES...

L-R: Managing Director/CEO South South Development Commission (SSDC), Ms Usoro Akpabio; Dep VC (Academics) University of Calabar, Prof Ekaette Enang; Executive Director HCD, SSDC, Engr. Preye Aganaba; VC Fed University of Technology, Ikot Abasi; Prof Leo Daniel; Executive Director Commercial, SSDC, Hon. Joseph Ugheoke; and VC Fed University of Petroleum Efurun, Prof Ezekiel Agbalaba, during the stakeholders meeting between SSDC and heads of federal universities in the south south zone, over the weekend PHOTO: SSDC

ADC Warns Tinubu Not to Push Nigerians to Their Limit over N1,470 Fuel Pump Price Chuks Okocha in Abuja The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has warned President Bola Tinubu that his government’s economic policy was pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.” In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said with petrol now selling for as much as N1,470 per litre, every journey had become more expensive, while food and even basic education were being priced out the hands of citizens. According to Abdullahi, “President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians. Food, transportation, electricity, education, and everything Nigerians need to survive responds directly to the price of fuel and combine together to make life difficult for the majority of Nigerians.” The ADC noted that the widespread reports of private schools increasing fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, while incomes have not increased anywhere near that margin was another evidence of how life has become progressively worse under the APC government. “Parents are not earning 40 per cent more. Their salaries have not risen with the prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation, and school fees. Yet, at every turn, this government demands that already exhausted

families pay more,’’ Abdullahi stressed. The party said it did not blame school proprietors who, it said, were themselves “struggling” with rising taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent, and salaries. “Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy. At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a commodity. It is Tinubu Tax, which has made life unbearable for the majority. “Under Tinubu and the APC, Nigerians have been tightening their belts. Now, there are no more holes left, and people have started to choke. “Families are now skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses,” it said. The ADC added that the government could not continue demanding sacrifice from ordinary Nigerians while public officials funded extravagant lifestyles from the same public purse. “A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working. An economic policy that produces impressive figures at government briefings but hunger in Nigerian homes is a failure. “When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility.”

The opposition party said the 2027 election would present Nigerians with a clear choice between carrying on with enduring President Tinubu’s punishment and embracing the relief programme proposed by the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar The party restated its presidential

candidate’s commitment to reducing the price of petrol by bringing back subsidy to support domestic production of fuel, which would, in turn, ease the cost of food, transportation and production. “Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them.

Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens experience every visit to a filling station as punishment,” the National Publicity Secretary stated. The ADC, therefore, warned the ruling party not to mistake the patience of Nigerians for approval or surrender.

“Their resilience must not become an excuse for continued cruelty. Tinubu has had enough time and inflicted enough pain. The people are suffering, businesses are dying, and hope is becoming increasingly expensive. President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the party said.

Zamfara Peace in Crisis, IOM Programme Ends, EU Unveils €25m N’West Intervention Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The fragile peace returning to parts of Zamfara State could be jeopardised by a premature withdrawal of development support, stakeholders warned yesterday as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reviewed the gains of its conflictprevention programme in the state and the wider Northwest. The warning came against the backdrop of continuing armed banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts, displacement, poverty and climate-related pressures that have left communities across the region vulnerable to renewed violence. At the Project Steering Committee meeting of the Conflict Prevention, Crisis Response and Resilience (CPCRR) Programme in Abuja,

Zamfara State Government appealed for sustained international support beyond the programme’s current phase, saying communities that had begun rebuilding their lives still faced significant challenges. Representing Governor Dauda Lawal, Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Yahya Zakari, said the interventions had helped communities affected by insecurity rebuild livelihoods, strengthen local peace structures and develop mechanisms for preventing conflicts before they escalate. Zakari, who chairs the CPCRR Project Steering Committee, said restoring peace, securing lives and rebuilding the resilience of residents remained central to the administration’s agenda. “We made firm commitment

under our rescue agenda to restore peace, secure lives, and build the resilience of our people,” he said. But he warned that the progress achieved could not be taken for granted, urging development partners to maintain their engagement rather than allow the programme to end without a mechanism for consolidating its achievements. “I wish to make a passionate appeal for sustained engagement, consolidation of the gains, and consideration for additional funding and a follow-on program,” Zakari said. The appeal reflected the difficult task facing Zamfara and other Northwest states, where military and law-enforcement operations have been accompanied by efforts to address the economic and social

conditions that allow violent groups to exploit vulnerable communities. IOM Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Taha Amr, said the CPCRR programme had reached almost 70,000 beneficiaries, with interventions spanning peacebuilding, livelihood recovery, climate resilience, protection, mental health and access to essential services. He said the Northwest continued to experience the combined effects of armed banditry, kidnapping, farmerherder conflicts and climate shocks, with the resulting displacement and economic vulnerability placing additional pressure on communities and public services. “To date, we are proud to share that IOM has reached almost 70,000 beneficiaries, strengthening local-led peacebuilding architecture,” Taha said.

WIKE: APC GOVS UNAWARE OF GOINGS-ON, TINUBU KNOWS ABOUT RAINBOW COALITION question his actions. “The only person that can question me today is the President. No other person!” Wike declared. He also insisted that he had not sought personal financial support from Tinubu for his political activities. “In all this I do, I have never gone to Mr President for a dime. In all this I do, I have never, and I will not do it!” he said. On the FCT, Wike claimed that the APC governors had previously tried to undermine his performance in the territory, including during elections, but failed. He said the scale of development projects executed under his watch had also contributed to the unease among some politicians. “I’m an FCT Minister, I’m not a governor. I don’t attend the Governors Forum meeting. But whatever resources I get, the

world sees it. The world sees it!” he said. The minister maintained that his focus was on mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election and not guaranteeing victories for APC candidates in state and legislative contests. He said politicians facing difficulties in their states should resolve them locally rather than using Tinubu’s presidential bid to settle their own political disputes. Wike said the APC governors should therefore concentrate on winning their own elections, arguing that the presidential contest should not be used as a cover for weaknesses at the state level. “If you are really a leader that is on ground, that knows what your people want, there’s nothing you cannot do with them. Nothing!” he said. “It’s just that people just

sit there in Abuja, two months, they go to the state, two days, they come back to Abuja. That is not service to the nation at all. That is not a service to your state.” He said the Rainbow Coalition was designed to mobilise support for Tinubu across political parties and not to take control of the APC. “The coalition is not an APC structure. I have never one day gone to the APC forum to form an alliance,” Wike said. According to him, apart from the FCT, Tinubu will also win seamlessly in Bayelsa where he (Wike) is working to ensure that the so-called rainbow coalition takes root. Wike’s reaction followed the APC governors’ declaration on Monday that they would not participate in or endorse any alliance capable of undermining

the party, Tinubu’s re-election or APC candidates. Specifically, Uzodimma said the governors’ campaign commitment remained to APC candidates at all levels.

Flashpoints: Wike Backs Candidates against Govs in Six States Checks by THISDAY showed that there are several political flashpoints in which Wike is supporting candidates other than those backed by incumbent governors, particularly in states where he has fallen out with the governors or their political camps. In Imo State, Wike is backing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Samuel Anyanwu, against Governor Hope Uzodimma’s camp, while also supporting former governor

Rochas Okorocha in the contest for the Imo West Senatorial District against the governor. In Ogun State, THISDAY gathered that he is backing PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, against Governor Dapo Abiodun and his political allies. Similar alignments are said to exist in Gombe and Cross River states, where Wike is supporting PDP candidates against the positions of the incumbent governors. In Benue, he is said to be backing former Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, the PDP governorship candidate, against Governor Hyacinth Alia. In the same vein, in Kwara State, Wike is supporting another political camp against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s. He is backing Senator Saliu Mustapha in the contest for the Kwara Central

Senatorial District. Mustapha, a former member of the APC left the party after failing to secure its ticket and subsequently joined the PDP to contest the 2027 election. Wike also has political differences with Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, adding the state to the wider list of flashpoints involving the FCT minister and APC governors. Despite these alignments, the PDP candidates Wike is backing in several of the states, THISDAY gathered, are themselves supporters of President Bola Tinubu, meaning his opposition to particular governors does not necessarily translate into opposition to the president. Interestingly, this distinction has featured prominently in Wike’s explanation of his political strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

POLITY

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq : The Forging of a Sardauna Legacy By Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin

n the revelry marking the formal turbanning of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara today ( Wednesday, 16th September, 2026) in Ilorin, it is apparent that the historical and traditional symbolism of this highly reverent title would be on display. The title, Sardauna, originally borne by the charismatic Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, is readily one of the most distinguished in our country’s traditional lexicons. Like the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the ancient Yoruba kingdom, the Sardauna is a high ranking title associated with military authority, leadership, prestige and service. Kwara is uniquely positioned at the intersection of northern and southern Nigeria, with its plurality and cosmopolitan outlook. Imagine a governor bearing on his shoulders the great Yoruba Aare Ona Kakanfo tradition of courage, defence and mobilisation, and the northern Sardauna tradition of statesmanship, development, growth and regional leadership. It is understandable then that the spectre of a governor of Kwara bearing the Sardauna title has become a running motif across sundry circles. But the choice of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq as Sardaunan Ilorin is much more than the historical symbolism of the highly coveted title. To be sure, the governor is not the Sardauna of Sokoto but the Sardaunan Ilorin, a traditional title steeped in the rich and enduring lore of Ilorin. When he was conferred with the Sardauna title in August 2024, the second after Umaru Saro, the late business mogul, Emir Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari drew attention to Abdulrazaq’s promotion of Ilorin culture and traditions as well as his support for the Ilorin Grand Durbar. The honour done the governor, however, goes beyond his historical and cultural affiliation with Ilorin. It is an affirmation of his leadership qualities rooted in clarity of vision, stoic resilience and a can-do-spirit which he seamlessly evokes. These qualities had come to bear on the growth, development and good governance Kwara had witnessed in the last seven years of this administration. Across diverse sectors, the remaking of a new Kwara is on, with the state becoming institutionally, economically and socially different from what was inherited in 2019. Of course, it would be an excursion into fantasy to assume that all is well with Kwara. No. Insecurity remains a challenge and requires constant vigilance. But Kwara now hosts a military division and five battalions. That’s a big leap to enduring security and sustainable development. Education and healthcare require continuous investment while growth and development remain work-in-progress. We must, however, continually look at the larger picture and appreciate the

Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

octopoidal infrastructure projects scattered across a state that has become a huge construction site. A state once burdened by accumulated deficits has embarked on urban renewal, and the subtle restoration of the capital city’s master plan is a worthy testament to an administration desirous of bequeathing a green legacy. The state’s roads are being rebuilt just as schools are being reconstructed. The healthcare system in the state is being repositioned while its economic possibilities are being widened. Today, the administration’s relationship with development partners and the Federal Government has been leveraged for new opportunities. For the discerning, the governor’s agenda, policies and engagements have

an unmistakable populist aroma. Instructively, Abdurasaq’s Sardauna title goes beyond the military connotation of defending Ilorin. Rather, Abdulrasaq is leading the charge across the state as the defender of the masses while humanising governance. Beyond his signature infrastructure projects, Abdulrasaq in words and actions has demonstrated that the youths are not just leaders of tomorrow. They are leaders of today and prepared for the leadership of tomorrow. With youths as the foot soldiers of his administration the governor’s template for succession and continuity in governance is quite novel in this clime, what with his political heir just 40. Wednesday’s turbanning ceremony is therefore not just an occasion to invoke the

Sardauna tradition, but one to introspect on the ideals of leadership in which authority is inseparable from responsibility in public office. As Vice President Kashim Shettima leads dignitaries to the emir’s palace where the govenor would be turbanned, the epochal gathering will also witness his inauguration of legacy projects in the state. The moral in all of these is that in the years to come, Kwarans may not easily remember this turbanning. The edifices inaugurated will, however, continue to stand as enduring monuments to prosperity. # Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, a former Commissioner for Information and Home Affairs, represents Nigeria and Africa on the Executive Board of the International Press Institute.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Kwankwasiyya Accuses Kano of Blocking Federal Projects, Political Intimidation

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Kwankwasiyya Movement has accused the Kano State Government of using state institutions to intimidate opposition voices and obstruct development projects across the state. In a press statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Habibu Sale Mohammed (Mai Lemo), the movement said recent actions by the

government represented a dangerous trend for democracy in Kano. The group expressed concern over a letter reportedly issued by the State Ministry of Works seeking the suspension and relocation of a federal constituency road project meant for communities in Ungogo/Minjibir Federal Constituency. Dr. Mai Lemo said the

Ex-OOU VC Lauds Ogun PDP Deputy Guber Candidate JamesSowoleinAbeokuta Former Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Prof. Afolabi Soyode, has described the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hajia Lateefat ‘Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, as a woman of integrity. Prof. Soyode, who is the Life President and Chairman, Board of Trustees of Abeokuta Club, said the last time he sat down, one on one, with Kolapo was over 20 years ago, adding that, with the passage of time, he always remembered her with admiration and appreciation. He spoke when the deputy governorship candidate paid him a courtesy visit at his residence

in Abeokuta as part of ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State. The former VC said: “It was about 20 years ago that we saw last. I finished my tenure as VC at Ago Iwoye, April 2006. Even with the passage of time, I remember Alhaja with admiration, with appreciation. “She was one editor that was very supportive, very objective, and with integrity. ”While seeking support for her principal, the PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, Kolapo noted that Prof Soyode was one of the very few illustrious sons of Egbaland that true sons and daughters are very proud of.

government must explain why projects facilitated by opposition lawmakers appear to face unusual administrative hurdles, warning that residents should not be

Rojid described Mau-ritius as a bridge between Africa and the rest of the world, noting that its location between Africa and Asia places it within four to six hours of major economic centres such as Cape Town and Dubai. He added that the country’s position along major maritime trade routes has supported the development of its financial and business ecosystem. According to him, Mauritius has spent the past three decades building a sophisticated financial services industry, which now contributes about 13 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, has felicitated with former Deputy Governor and Senator, Otunba Christopher Iyiola Ajani Omisore, on his 69th birthday. Governor Adeleke said Otunba Omisore had made notable contributions to the development of Osun

Travel and aviation firm, Finchglow Holdings has announced plans to establish a new pilot training facility at the Gateway International Agro-Cargo Airport in Ogun State in a bid to address the dearth of skilled aviation personnel and boost human capital development in West Africa. The Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, Bankole Bernard, disclosed this during a media briefing yesterday in Lagos, where he outlined the organisation’s’s strategic plans to increase domestic aviation capacity and build on the success of its existing training institutions. While addressing journalists,

Bernard explained that the proposed flight school in Ogun State will focus heavily on core flight training, starting with piloting and aeronautical engineering programmes, adding that the facility will operate as an extension of the group’s established training capabilities. The Finchglow Holding boss revealed that the regulatory process with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will proceed seamlessly because the initiative is structured as an expansion of Finchglow’s existing aviation training licensing rather than a fresh start. “NCAAcannot stop the game because we have our licence already,” Bernard noted. “This is just going to be an addition to our existing license, it’s not like

refusing to defect from the Kwankwasiyya Movement to the ruling camp, with more suspensions allegedly planned in Nasarawa and Kumbotso LGAs.”

through his professional career, public service and political engagement. He further celebrated the traditional stature of the IleIfe-born elder, who is Apesin Oodua of the Source, High Chief Lisa of Osogbo, Basorun of Ijesa Land and Otunba of Ipetumodu, among other traditional titles. “Today, I celebrate Otunba Omisore as a brother and a

distinguished son of Osun. I wish him many more years of meaningful impact,” the Governor said. “Through every stage of his remarkable journey, whether as an Engineer, Deputy Governor, Senator, traditional leader, or community builder, he has consistently demonstrated uncommon courage, wisdom, and an enduring commitment to the progress of our people.

“On behalf of the Government and the good people of Osun State, I congratulate Otunba Omisore on this joyous occasion and pray that Almighty God grants him fulfillment as he continues to inspire and serve humanity.” Governor Adeleke prayed for God’s continued protection and blessings upon the celebrant and his family.

COAS: Creative Arts are Major Driver of Employment, Devt Linus AlekeinAbuja The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has said that the creative arts have increasingly become an important driver of employment, investment, cultural diplomacy and national development. According to a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the creative arts, popularly known as the Orange Economy, include arts, culture, music, film and digital

(GDP), alongside major sectors such as tourism, manufacturing and logistics. He identified Mauritius’ political, economic and social stability, as well as its tax and regulatory framework, as key attractions for international investors. The country has no exchange controls and maintains a headline corporate tax rate of 15 per cent, while certain foreignsourced income may qualify for exemptions that reduce the effective tax burden. “Mauritius has positioned itself not only as a taxefficient jurisdiction but also as a secure and reliable platform for international investment,” Rojid said.

Finchglow to Establish Flying School at Gateway Airport in Ogun ChineduEze

Municipal Local Government and two others in Tarauni Local Government. According to the statement, “the councillors are being targeted for

Osun Governor, Others Felicitate Senator Omisore at 69

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

‘Mauritius Positioned as Gateway for African Investments’ Mauritius has positioned itself as a strategic gateway for investors seeking to deploy capital across Africa and other emerging markets, with its financial services sector emerging as a major channel for crossborder investment, wealth management and regional business expansion. Chief Executive Officer of Mauritius Finance, Faraz Rojid, stated this at the Mauritius Business Forum 2026, where he highlighted the country’s strategic location, financial infrastructure and investorfriendly policies as key factors behind its emergence as an international financial hub.

denied basic amenities simply because their representative belongs to the opposition. The movement also condemned the suspension of three councillors in Kano

they’re starting anything fresh. They will approve our extension, inspect the facility, and once we have the application from the state government, the rest is history.” He said the choice of the Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport in Ogun State aligned with the company’s strategic operational needs and the targeted market for the grooming of young minds to become aviators. He said airspace around Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos had become congested, but the Ogun State facility would provide ample airspace, lower traffic density, and modern runway infrastructure ideal for flight maneuvers and continuous student sorties.

content. Delivering a lecture titled, “Safeguarding the Orange Economy and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: The Role of the Nigerian Army,” to participants of Senior Executive Course 48, 2026, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, the COAS said the ongoing expansion of the Nigerian Army would enhance its operational reach and capacity to provide the secure environment required for entrepreneurship, the Orange

Economy and other sectors of the national economy to thrive. He noted that Nigeria’s creative talents had continued to project the country globally while creating new opportunities for wealth generation beyond the traditional sectors of the economy. The COAS stressed that creativity and enterprise could only flourish in an atmosphere of peace and security, noting that insecurity disrupts economic activities, restricts mobility, discourages investment and

undermines productivity. He therefore, underscored the direct relationship between national security and sustainable economic development. Speaking on the ongoing expansion of the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Shaibu explained that the establishment of additional formations and units was designed to broaden the Army’s operational footprint, strengthen its presence in vulnerable areas and improve its responsiveness to security threats.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 • THISDAY

PERSPECTIVE

NIGERIA’S GREAT RESET – PART 17

Tinubu’s N1.4trn Social-Protection Reset: Turning Economic Reform Into People-Centred Governance LESSONS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

By Gloria Fraser

resident Tinubu’s approximately $1 billion social-protection programme could become the human face of Nigeria’s economic reset—protecting vulnerable citizens while creating pathways from hardship to self-reliance

Brazil’s Bolsa Família demonstrates the value of unified registration, predictable assistance and links to education and healthcare. South Africa shows how rules-based grants protect children, elderly citizens and persons with disabilities, but also warns that welfare becomes fiscally difficult when employment and economic growth remain weak. India demonstrates how identity-linked payments can reduce duplication and deliver assistance at scale. Its experience also shows how authentication failures, documentation problems and poor connectivity can exclude legitimate beneficiaries. Britain illustrates the importance of permanent, legally established welfare institutions rather than occasional palliatives announced during crises. Nigeria should not copy any model mechanically. It should combine predictable protection, productive opportunity, accessible appeals and independent evaluation within its federal structure.

OPENING REFLECTION An economy undergoing major reform resembles a vehicle climbing a steep road. The engine may be sound and the destination worthwhile, but without shock absorbers, passengers will feel every stone and sudden turn. Social protection is the shock absorber of economic reform: it does not replace the journey, but it prevents vulnerable citizens from being broken by it. Three Nigerian traditions reinforce this responsibility. The Yoruba say, “Bí ebi bá kúrò nínú ìse, ìse bùse”—when hunger is removed from poverty, poverty loses much of its power. The Hausa say, “Hannu daya ba ya daukar jinka”—one hand alone cannot lift a roof. The Igbo principle “Onye aghala nwanne ya” means: “Let no one leave their brother or sister behind.” Together, these principles teach that hardship may confront individual households, but protecting human dignity is a collective responsibility. A nation cannot declare its reforms successful if stronger citizens advance while elderly people, persons with disabilities, displaced families and extremely poor households are abandoned. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited fragmented social interventions and an economy burdened by petrol subsidies, foreign-exchange distortions, weak revenues and debt-service obligations. His reforms were necessary, but their immediate costs fell heavily upon households. The President has acknowledged the proper test: “Robust growth is returning and confidence is rising, but that progress must be felt in every household, not just in national statistics.” The Guardian

TINUBU’S PEOPLE-CENTRED RESET In July 2026, President Tinubu launched five socialprotection and human-capital programmes valued collectively at approximately $3 billion, addressing poverty, healthcare, education, skills and household resilience. In August, the Federal Government unveiled the more specific $1 billion Renewed Hope Social Protection Programme, including the Household Prosperity and Empowerment Social Protection Project—HOPE-SP. It was valued at approximately N1.4 trillion using the exchange-rate conversion stated when announced. The correct description is therefore approximately $1 billion or N1.4 trillion, not $1.4 billion. The administration has also resumed traceable cash transfers, expanded identity-linked verification, continued reforming the National Social Register and secured National Economic Council endorsement for the Revised National Social Protection Policy 2026–2030. The One-Humanitarian-One-Poverty Response System seeks to connect humanitarian assistance, poverty reduction and household data, reduce duplicated interventions and track whether supported families progress towards stability. These are substantial advances. Nigeria has operated too many disconnected programmes whose agencies counted registrations and payments without determining whether poverty was sustainably reduced.

FROM DISTANT POLICY TO HOUSEHOLD REALITY Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Dr Bernard Doro has stated: “It is not enough to design policies from afar; we must come to the communities, listen to the people, and ensure that what we are doing is truly making a difference in their lives.” He added: “Our goal is to move from fragmented support to a more structured approach that creates real pathways out of poverty and restores dignity to households.” The Guardian Social protection must therefore function as both

FROM PROTECTION TO PRODUCTIVITY A Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO)-style model could provide interest-free revolving credit through verified women’s, agricultural and community cooperatives. Beneficiaries would repay only the principal, enabling the fund to assist others, while group accountability, savings, training and monitoring would protect it. Farmers should also receive drip-irrigation systems, improved seedlings, storage and processing equipment. By increasing yields and enabling year-round cultivation, drip irrigation strengthens food security, generates marketable surpluses, raises rural incomes and creates employment. This converts the safety net into a ladder from temporary protection to sustainable livelihoods.

President Bola Tinubu

a safety net and a ladder. The net protects citizens unable to support themselves; the ladder provides productive people with credit, skills, equipment and market access. A net without a ladder may preserve dependence. A ladder without a net abandons those unable to climb.

CASH TRANSFERS: RELIEF, NOT PERMANENT SECURITY The Emergency Cash Transfer component reportedly targets 7.6 million vulnerable households with a one-off digital payment of N40,000. At that rate, the payments would total approximately N304 billion. The money could provide food, medicine or transport during acute hardship. However, N40,000 is emergency relief—not economic empowerment. Cash transfers are emergency medicine, not a permanent diet. Lasting recovery requires food security, healthcare, affordable transport, education, employment and productive capital. The Government has also reported disbursing more than N600 billion through cash transfers during President Tinubu’s first three years, reaching slightly more than 10 million households. These figures should be independently reconciled because official statements have sometimes used households, beneficiaries, applications and payments interchangeably. Headlinenews.News captured the accountability requirement in its assessment of the plan: “Promise must now become protection.” Government should publish anonymised stateby-state information showing households validated, payments completed, failed transactions, administrative costs and measurable results. Transparency would protect President Tinubu’s achievement from allegations of diversion or political manipulation.

THE REGISTER AND GRASSROOTS DELIVERY No social-protection programme can be fairer than the register used to select beneficiaries. The National Social Register should be revalidated through National Identification Number checks, community verification, periodic audits and accessible appeals. Digital verification can reduce duplication, but it must not exclude citizens lacking documentation, connectivity or nearby registration facilities. A beneficiary engagement at Ibule Community in Ifedore Local Government Area, Ondo State, demonstrates the importance of grassroots implementation. The Government reported 173,424 beneficiaries in the first tranche, 110,446 in the second and 107,704 in the third, although the figures remain subject to continuing NIN validation. Local governments should support registration,

THE FINAL WORD Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser

verification, sensitisation, monitoring and grievance resolution. Traditional institutions, women’s organisations and disability groups can assist, but independent controls must prevent party affiliation from determining access to public assistance.

THE GOVERNORS’ RESPONSIBILITY Katsina State Governor and Chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum, Dikko Umaru Radda, described the region’s commitments as “a clear set of priorities and responsibilities that will guide how we invest in our people, particularly children, and deliver results that communities can see and feel.” UNICEF Nigeria Governors should align their laws, budgets and delivery systems with the national policy, provide counterpart funding and publish independently verifiable state-level results.

FOOD SECURITY DURING HIGH LIVING COSTS The framework should establish professionally managed community food banks and food-voucher programmes. Food banks could purchase produce from Nigerian farmers, receive safe surplus supplies from manufacturers and retailers, draw from strategic reserves and accept private donations. Where physical distribution is impractical, verified households could receive restricted vouchers redeemable through approved local retailers. This would preserve dignity, reduce storage costs and support neighbourhood businesses. Inventory controls, expiry monitoring and independent reporting would be essential to prevent spoilage and diversion.

President Tinubu deserves credit for recognising that fragmented palliatives cannot answer structural poverty. His broader $3 billion human-capital and social-protection package and the specific $1 billion HOPE-SP programme are major steps towards giving economic reform a human face. The President has begun constructing the shock absorber and safety net. The task is to make them transparent enough to command confidence and strong enough to protect vulnerable citizens, while attaching a ladder that helps productive households rise. If implemented with compassion, accountability and discipline, the programme can become a bridge between necessary reform and shared prosperity—ensuring that, in the spirit of “Onye aghala nwanne ya,” no Nigerian is left behind.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT “A government protects dignity when its safety net prevents citizens from falling and its ladder helps them rise.” — Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, MFR

THE NATIONAL PATRIOTS’ POSITION The National Patriots welcomes President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s movement towards coordinated, household-centred social protection. We support transparent financing, independent revalidation of the Social Register, protection for citizens unable to support themselves and productive assistance for households capable of building sustainable livelihoods. Nigeria must measure social protection not by money announced or payments counted, but by hunger reduced, households stabilised, livelihoods created and citizens restored to dignity. •Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser, MFR President, The National Patriots Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR Vice-Chairman, Strategic Communications Committee, Buhari PCC 2019 Member, Strategy Committee, Presidency 2023.

THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Decision Looms After FIFA Completes Two-day Fact-ﬁnding Mission to Nigeria Odegbami describes FIFA’s intervention as blessing to Nigeria football Duro Ikhazuagbe After concluding its two-day fact-finding mission to Nigeria, the world football governing body, FIFA, is expected to announce the outcome of the trip anytime soon. No official of neither the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the interim leadership of the Nigeria

Football Federation (NFF) was willing to broach details of their discussions with the FIFA officials yesterday when approached by THISDAY. The country’s football has been in turmoil since last month following the resignation of former NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau and members of the executive board. The failure of the Super Falcons to qualify for the 2027

Oando Raises Prize Money at Lakowe Lakes Classic to Attract Top African Pro Golfers The Lakowe Lakes Golf Classic is set for a major boost this year as Oando Nigeria Plc takes centre stage as main sponsor, with an enhanced prize purse that has raised the profile of the event and have seen top African players on the Sunshine Development Tour (SDT), East Africa Swing sign up across the continent. The championship will be staged in two phases at Lakowe Lakes Golf & Country Estate in Lagos, beginning with the Nigeria Closed; teeing off from September 28th to 30th, 2026 for Nigerian professional golfers. They will jostle for a N30 million purse. Attention will then shift to the international phase between October 2 and 4, featuring an expanded field of professionals from across Africa

competing for $50,000 in prize money and valuable World Ranking points. Femi Olagbenro, Manager at Lakowe Lakes, said Oando’s involvement reinforces the championship’s long-term objective of creating stronger competitive opportunities for Nigerian professionals. “The Lakowe Lakes Classic continues to champion the development of professional golf in Nigeria. Oando shares our vision of creating opportunities that allow our local stars to compete at a higher level, test themselves against Africa’s best and earn the recognition their talent deserves.” Other partners of the event includes; GAC Motors, ARM Investment Managers, ProvidusUnity Bank among others.

FIFA Women’s World Cup scheduled to hold in Brazil was the immediate call for the sacking of the Gusau-led board. Before 10-time WAFCON champions failed to reach the last four stage of the women’s tournament as well as not making the cut to the Mundial for the first time since the inaugural edition in 1991, the Super Eagles had missed the World Cup back-to-back in 2022 and 2026. The Golden Eaglets and the Flying Eagles all failed to qualify for the global levels under the Gusau leadership. But few days after the exit of Gusau and his board members, the interim NFF leadership under the watch of Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme joined the NSC Chairman, Malam Shehu Dikko, DG of

the Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade and former NFF President and FIFA Council Member, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick on a courtesy visit to FIFA President, Gianni Infantino in Zurich, Switzerland. However, after the visit, FIFA clarified that while an initial meeting had taken place, an on-the-ground investigation in Nigeria was still required. This led to the visit of the four men to Abuja early this week. The delegation had discussions with the NSC, including the Chairman, Shehu Dikko. Afterwards, they held another meeting with the interim leadership of the NFF on Tuesday while also meeting with some football stakeholders in the federal capital city.

In his reaction on the FIFA visit to Nigeria, a former Green Eagles Captain and football administrator, Chief Segun Odegbami, described it as intervention in the ongoing efforts to reform football administration in the country. Odegbami insisted that the visit to Nigeria was a “blessing’. Odegbami, who was among the Nigerian football stakeholders at the meeting, said the discussions were conducted in a cordial atmosphere, with participants addressing the country’s football challenges without rancour. Reflecting on the outcome of the meeting in a piece titled “Meeting with FIFA – foto no dey lie!” Odegbami said the gathering brought members of Nigeria’s football family together “like

old friends” and offered fresh hope for resolving longstanding administrative issues. According to him, the FIFA delegation demonstrated a strong understanding of the problems confronting Nigerian football, having arrived at the meeting already well briefed on the major issues. “The FIFA delegation, in their few remarks during the conversation, demonstrated that they know the main issues with Nigerian football pretty well,” Odegbami stated without elaborating. He added that the discussions provided FIFA with additional information that could strengthen its report and guide the next steps in the reform process.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Malam Shehu Dikko (centre) flanked by officials from FIFA and CAF during the delegation’s visit to his office in Abuja ...on Monday

SSA Adeboye Appoints Veteran Sports Journalist George Aluo as Media Consultant Okowa Hails Team Nigeria Fighting Spirit in Budapest The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development, Hon. Adeyinka Anthony Adeboye, has appointed veteran sports journalist and former Chairman of the Nigeria National League (NNL), Chief George Aluo, as Media Consultant to the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Grassroots Sports Development. The appointment forms part of ongoing efforts by the Office to

strengthen its strategic communication, stakeholder engagement and public awareness around the Federal Government’s grassroots sports development agenda. Chief Aluo brings to the assignment decades of experience spanning sports journalism, media management and football administration, having established himself as one of the respected voices within Nigeria’s sporting fraternity.

Messi to End Argentina Career with Benin Rep. Friendly Argentina have named Lionel Messi in their squad for a friendly against Benin Republic in October in a match which is set to be the forward’s farewell to international football. Messi announced his retirement from Argentina duty in August in the wake of his country’s defeat by Spain in the 2026 World Cup final and after saying he was considering his future in football following the death of his father, Jorge. The 39-year-old, who captained Argentina when they won the 2022 World Cup, said the decision to stop playing for La Albiceleste hurt him “deeply” but that he had “given it my all” and had “nothing left to give”. Messi, an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner who currently plays for Inter Miami, is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, having scored 125 goals in 207 appearances.

Messi

“We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on 6 October here in Argentina,” said Argentine FA President Claudio Tapia.

President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Chief Tonobok Okowa, has praised Team Nigeria for what he described as a spirited and encouraging performance at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Despite the challenges that preceded their participation, Nigeria’s youthful contingent produced a series of competitive displays, reaching the final in four of the five events in which the country competed. Two performances stood out in particular, with former world record holder Tobi Amusan claiming silver in the women’s 100m hurdles, while Kanyinsola Ajayi narrowly missed out on a podium place in the men’s 100m, placing fourth. Okowa said the results had reinforced his confidence in the next generation of Nigerian athletes, insisting that the Budapest experience would form part of the country’s preparations for a bigger picture, the 2027 World Athletics Championships in China. “I am very proud of the athletes and the way they represented Nigeria in Budapest. They showed courage,

U LT I M AT E C H A M P I O N S H I P determination and the right competitive spirit despite the circumstances surrounding the team’s participation,” Okowa said. “This is a young team and the fact that we made it to the final in four of the five events we competed in is very encouraging. Tobi Amusan’s second-place finish and Kanyinsola

Ajayi’s near-podium performance in the 100m show that we have athletes capable of competing at the highest level.” Udodi Onwazuruike (200m) and Nathaniel Ezekiel (400M hurdles) were the other two that made it to the finals of their events. The AFN president said the federation would now shift its attention

towards building on the Budapest experience, with the World Championships in China firmly established as the federation’s major priority. “The team to Budapest is a young one. The World Championship in China next year is the AFN’s big focus. We will continue to work with these athletes, identify areas that need improvement and prepare them properly for the World Championships,” he added.

L-R: President, Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa; Nigerian national record holder in 100m, Kanyisola Ajayi; Director General, National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade; and former AFN President, Solomon Ogba at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary...at the weekend

London Misses out to Nairobi in 2029 World Athletics Bid London has missed out to Nairobi in the bid to host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. The decision, which means an African city will host the event for the first time, was confirmed at a World Athletics council meeting in Budapest. World Athletics president Sebastian

Coe said Nairobi had presented “a compelling and emotional bid”. “We were fortunate to have four outstanding bids for 2029 and 2031, and this was not an easy decision for the council,” said Coe. “With this decision today, we continue to fulfil our mission of growing athletics worldwide with

the hosting of our World Athletics Championships in Asia, Africa and Europe over its next three editions. “Nairobi presented a compelling and emotional bid, and taking the World Athletics Championships to Africa for the first time will be historic. “It was important that the World Athletics Championships should

come to Africa when we had the right host, the right bid and the right circumstances. Nairobi has demonstrated emphatically that this is their moment.” The London Stadium, home of Championship club West Ham United, was the proposed host venue for the UK bid.

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L-R: Engr. Wole Ogunsanya-Manging Director/CEO, Geoplex Drillteq Limited; Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Olanrewaju Igandan - Chief Upstream Investment Oﬃcer, NNPC Limited, Otunba. Bimbo Ashiru- Former Chairman, Odu’a Investment Company Limited, Mr. Akin Osuntoki- Managing Director/CEO, Richardson Oil and Gas Limited at 2026 PSRG–Richardson HSSE Forum, 18th Edition … recently

ERICTENIOLA GUEST COLUMNIST

Why Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway

guess it is not by accident that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, is constructing a highway between Calabar and Lagos. The construction is political, historical and economical. I will dwell on the historical aspect. It is an acknowledgement of the peaceful Calabar city and what that ancient city still means to the rest of us. There is an old adage that says “GOD LOVES CALABAR, A LAND OF BEAUTY”. Truly the serenity of Calabar will impress anyone. The soul of a city is in its people. The people of Calabar are not lacking at all. Valued historic buildings scatter Calabar. A drive around Calabar city is a wonderful experience. Maybe, the construction of the highways is a compensation for Calabar for not having a rail system that was first constructed in 1891 between Lagos and Ibadan under the British rule. Even when the eastern line was constructed between Port Harcourt and Maiduguri by the British later, Calabar was left out. During that colonial era, Minna, Zaria, Kaura Namoda, Jos, Kuru, Kano and many cities enjoyed rail facilities but not Calabar. It was not until the Lagos/Calabar railway line project was conceived by the regime of president Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 with approval from the Federal Executive Council. However, the project has not seen the light of the day. The British colonial administration moved the country’s administrative headquarters from Calabar after the Chiefs of old Calabar signed the 1884 Treaty of Protection. The territory of old Calabar served as the first colonial government centre for the Southern Protectorate and the oil Rivers Protectorate. However, this changed in the fourteenth year of the 20th century when the administrative centre was changed to Lagos. Lagos was the first capital of Nigeria and became the country’s first administrative centre in 1914. Calabar is a living museum of Nigeria history. Lagos is the first national administrative centre for the West African nation. It was declared as such during the Amalgamation Proclamation of 1914 by Sir Lord Frederick Lugard, the Governor General, after the unification of the Northern and the Southern Protectorates. The nation has had two official capitals since 1914. On 1 January 1914, the newly appointed Governor General of Nigeria, Sir Lord Frederick Lugard, announced Lagos as the first capital city. In his speech during the Amalgamation Proclamation of 1914, Lugard declared that:

President Bola Tinubu “For the present, the Central Headquarters will remain at Lagos, and the Governor-General will divide his time between the Headquarters Stations of the Northern and Southern Provinces”. The evolution of the nation’s capital cities began with Nigeria’s colonisation by the British Empire. This journey started with the unification of the Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914 under Governor-General Sir Frederick Lugard. Prior to the unification of the British Protectorate, Calabar now CROSS RIVERS STATE CAPITAL served as the central administrative centre for the Southern Protectorate. Before 1914, Kaduna City in Kaduna was the political capital of the Northern Protectorate. After coming under English rule on 10 September 1884, Old Calabar was designated as the first principal city for the Southern Protectorate, the Oil River Protectorate, and the Niger Coast Protectorate. Calabar, known initially as Akwa Akpa in the Efik language, is located in the Southeastern region of the country. It served as a significant precolonial trading port for the West African region. In 1900, Sir Lord Frederick Lugard settled in Lokoja, making it the regional seat of government before moving

the administration centre further up the Niger River to Jebba in 1902. In the same year, he moved the regional capital to Zungeru in Niger. In 1912, Lord Lugard’s quest for a more accessible and centrally located administrative centre led him to Kaduna. Although he declared Lagos as the seat of the government in 1914, he did not hide his preference for Kaduna. When Portuguese explorers in the 15th century reached this part of the Guinea coast, they called the tribes of the area “Calabar”. These historic inhabitants were Quas, Efuts, and Efiks. Efik people migrated from the area of the Niger River to the shores of Calabar. They were fleeing civil war with their kindred and the Ibibio people. Since the 16th century, Calabar has served as an international seaport, exporting such goods as palm oil. During the centuries of the Atlantic slave trade, it became a major port for shipment of African slaves to the Americas. The Spanish maintain the Calabar designation. Tribes around that region were taken in as slaves for slave trade. Those minority tribes were subject to slave raids by more powerful tribes or ethnic groups in the region. From 1725 until 1750, roughly 17,000 enslaved Africans were sold from Calabar to European slave traders; from 1772 to 1775, the number soared to more than 62,000. Old Calabar (Duke Town) and Creek Town, 16 kilometres (10 mi) northeast, were crucial towns in the trade of slaves in that era. The first Army Barracks in Nigeria was built in Calabar in 1903. The first national newspaper in English published in Eastern Nigeria was called THE NIGERIA EASTERN MAIL, and it was first published in Calabar. On security, the first maximum security prison was built in Calabar in 1890. Calabar holds a foundational place in Nigeria football history as the location of the country’s first recorded organized football match on June 15, 1904 at the Hope Waddell Training Institution in Calabar. Students from the Hope Waddell Training Institution played against sailors from a visiting British naval ship (frequently cited as the HMS Thistle or HMS Dwarf). Mary Mitchelle Slessor arrived Nigeria in 1878 under the auspices of United Free Church of Scotland, now the Presbyterian Church Mission. She resided in Odukpani Local Government Area, where she vehemently fought for the abolition of the ancient custom of killing twin children

and their mothers. She built herself a two-bedroom mud house with a veranda, a store and a palour. She called it a Caravan while the villagers called it “Fine Pass All”. In 1889, a missionary carpenter, Mr. Owens, was made to put up a more permanent structure for her. The walls were made of iron sheets while the doors and windows were made of wood. The staircase leading to the first floor had 21 steps and was supported by two pillars and wooden railings. Cross River State continued with marking of the birthday of Mma Mary Slessor about a hundred years after her birth. There are so many things to say about Calabar. No doubt the construction of the coastal highway between Lagos and Calabar serves to remind us about the importance of Calabar. In the late nineteenth century, as European powers scrambled to consolidate territorial control in Africa, the British formalized their influence along the Niger Delta coast. In 1884, Queen Victoria signed a treaty of protection with the chiefs of Akwa Akpa (Old Calabar), enabling Britain to exercise control over the surrounding territory. Soon after, the Oil Rivers Protectorate was established in 1885 to manage trade and suppress inter-tribal conflicts in the coastal region. In 1893, this territory was renamed the Niger Coast Protectorate. Calabar was designated as the official capital of these protectorates. Calabar’s location and commercial history underpinned its selection as headquarters. It had long been a thriving port for palm oil and other exports that were critical to British industrial needs. The transition from the slave trade to palm oil shifted economic power to local merchant houses, which then negotiated with European firms. British protection treaties signed with Efik chiefs in the 1880s facilitated smoother trade and strengthened British influence in the region. This commercial reach also fed into colonial objectives, enabling the British to tighten control over indigenous socio-economic networks. Beyond administration, Calabar became a center for early educational and religious developments in Nigeria. Scottish missionaries established schools and churches in the mid-19th century, influencing local institutions and social reforms. For example, the Hope Waddell Training Institution, founded in 1846, became one of the earliest secondary schools in the region. Such institutions shaped local elites and contributed to the cultural synthesis that characterized colonial Calabar.

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