Ibadan Mega Voice (IMV), one of the affiliate clubs of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) has formally decorated Alhaji Qazeem Olaniyan, Chairman of Omoola Travel and Tours, as one of its patrons, in recognition of his support for community development and a commitment to the progress of Ibadan. His love for Ibadan and its people resonates with the ideals of Ibadan Mega Voice. READ ALSO: Power probe: Reps tackle DisCos over unfulfilled obligationsIbadan Mega Voice is a non-partisan association of Ibadan indigenes in the communication field, committed to cultural promotion, responsible media engagement, advocacy and community-driven interventions. Through its activities, IMV has continued to amplify the Ibadan voice while championing initiatives that uplift society. The club expressed profound appreciation to Olaniyan for accepting the honour and for his kind gestures towards the association.

Aisha Muhammed, daughter of former Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, has explained that her father’s simple lifestyle and rejection of the trappings of power made it easy for him to be assassinated. Speaking on ARISE News’ Morning Show on Monday, the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation reflected on her father’s leadership style as Nigeria marked the 50th anniversary of his assassination. “My father’s leadership style was clear. According to her, General Muhammed deliberately avoided heavy security details, motorcades and sirens, insisting on living like the ordinary Nigerian, a decision she said ultimately exposed him to danger. She explained that on the day of his assassination, he was travelling in traffic like every other road user.

The Anti-Corruption, Good Governance & Human Rights Network (AGHU-Network) has raised the alarm over what it described as “disturbing, dangerous and deeply troubling” provisions in the 2026 budget of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. The network accused National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the National Productivity Centre (NPC) of earmarking billions of naira for projects outside their statutory mandates. The group noted that the NPC alone was allocated ₦110.68 billion, representing over 60 percent of the entire ministry’s budget, while the NDE received ₦30.41 billion. “These duplications mirror long-standing corruption tendencies in Nigeria’s public finance system, where the same projects are recycled across budgets to inflate spending while unemployment remains stubbornly high,” the statement added. “Public institutions must return to purpose.”

A couple of years ago, after Hilda Baci, Nigeria’s celebrity chef, set another Guinness World Record—this time for the largest pot of Jollof rice—social media lit up with mockery. Audacity of Hilda: In 2023, she cooked for 93 hours and 11 minutes, breaking the ‘cook-aton’ record for the longest cooking by an individual. Baci’s run for the largest Jollof rice serving began in September 2025. READ ALSO: Hilda Baci receives second Guinness World Record plaqueGender and generation barriers: This cook’s courage carries significant weight as a woman in a society that often overlooks women. A call beyond cynicism: Hilda Baci’s story is not about pots of jollof rice—it is about the audacity of youth.

The company announced a 32 per cent year-on-year increase in production by its upstream business, averaging 32,482 boepd. Oando reported a 10 percent increase in profit after tax to ₦241.3 billion compared to ₦220.1 billion in 2024, supported by higher upstream production, impairment reversals, and favourable tax adjustments. However, revenue declined 21 per cent to ₦3.21 trillion from ₦4.09 trillion in 2024, while gross profit decreased 82 per cent year-on-year to ₦27.8 billion, down from ₦155.9 billion in 2024. Over the year under review, we reinforced asset integrity, strengthened security across our operating areas, and materially improved uptime, delivering a 32 per cent year-on-year increase in total production. Operated Joint Venture production averaged approximately 80,545 boepd, translating to 32,482 boepd net to Oando, alongside a 30 per cent increase in crude oil liftings and a 59 per cent increase in gas sales volumes.

Federal Government yesterday flagged off a free nationwide financial inclusion and literacy training programme targeting 10 million Nigerians, as part of efforts to deepen access to financial services and strengthen digital and enterprise skills across the country. Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria would reap immense benefits from its demographic dividend only if young people and women were deliberately prioritised and equipped with the skills and ethical grounding required for a fast-evolving digital economy. The initiative, being driven by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), is designed to provide Nigerians, particularly women and youths, with essential financial knowledge, investment awareness and digital competencies for sustainable wealth creation. To actualise the programme, the Office of the Vice President, through PreCEFI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies to jointly develop training curricula, certification pathways, digital skills initiatives and mentorship platforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s financial and enterprise workforce. The professional bodies are the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN); Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS); National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA); Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria (CRMI); and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).

The World Health Organisation, WHO, on Monday raised the alarm that shrinking global health funding is colliding with rising disease threats and conflict, creating dangerous vulnerabilities just as countries finalise new agreements meant to prevent the next pandemic. Opening the 158th session of the WHO Executive Board, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world is facing a defining moment for global health security. Sudden and severe cuts to bilateral aid have also caused huge disruptions to health systems and services in many countries,” Tedros disclosed. “4.6 billion people still lack access to essential health services, and 2.1 billion people face financial hardship because of health costs. “The pandemic taught all of us many lessons especially that global threats demand a global response.

PHOTO: AYODELE ADENIRANThe United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Investment, Mohammed Alsuwaidi, has vowed that their size of investment into the Nigerian economy over the next couple of years would run into tens of billions of dollars. Federal minister, Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, expressed excitement at Investopia making its debut in Africa and particularly in Nigeria for the first time. She noted that the FMITI is hosting investors from the UAE, Africa and across the world. “We need FDI and the UAE has this capital, the gulf in general has capital. He said the signing of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between Nigeria and the UAE, provides a strong framework to accelerate trade, investment, and private sector collaboration.

Nigeria’s private sector recorded its first contraction in over a year at the start of 2026, as weak demand dragged new orders to a standstill and slowed business activity, according to the latest Stanbic IBTC Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). The headline PMI fell sharply to 49.7 in January from 53.5 in December, slipping below the 50-point threshold that separates expansion from contraction. Output rose only marginally as a result, while purchasing activity and stocks of inputs increased at much slower rates. Purchase prices rose sharply amid higher raw material costs, pushing input price inflation to a three-month high. The Stanbic IBTC PMI survey, compiled by S&P Global from responses from about 400 private sector firms across agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, wholesale, retail and services, is regarded as a key early indicator of economic trends.

Diplomats have called for stronger efforts to translate existing cooperation frameworks into concrete, bankable business projects, highlighting that challenges to EU-Nigeria trade relations range from information gaps, regulatory uncertainty and access to finance. According to the Head, Foreign Trade Office in Nigeria at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Ms Justyna Sitarska, EU-Nigeria relations are supported by multiple trade, investment and cooperation frameworks, including policy dialogue, Global Gateway initiatives and bilateral engagements. She said trade missions played a critical role in educating European and Nigerian partners to bridge perception gaps, often fuelled by negative media coverage. Consul General of France to Lagos, Mr Laurent Favier, said French companies had maintained a long-standing presence in Nigeria across several sectors, employing about 16,000 Nigerians. He described Nigeria as a strategic partner, but noted challenges such as visa processes, infrastructure, and the country’s international image.

Adebayo made the call in Numan, Adamawa State, while receiving a traditional title from the Bachama kingdom, led by the Hama Bachama, Homun Daniel Shaga. Adebayo emphasised the central role of education and agriculture in national development, describing education as a public good and rejecting the notion of private ownership of knowledge. “There is nothing called a private school. Anywhere knowledge is taught is a public place,” he said, while acknowledging the historical contributions of missionaries and traditional institutions to education in Nigeria. “This generation will not be a wasted generation,” Adebayo said.

As part of measures to bridge the technology skills gap, research and innovations in the country, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, has partnered with a private company, MiGO Mobile Nigeria. The partnership has led to the unveiling of a tech hub, christened Care and Research Development Centre, on campus. He stated that the centre would enable students to gain first-hand technology transfer, participate in research and development of MiGO devices, and provide internship and employment opportunities. He particularly expressed delight that the partnership also offers students an annual scholarship, with two students already awarded as a maiden set. He emphasised that the initiative was driven by vision to bridge the gap between the theory and practicals.

The National Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abdulrahman Mohammed, has said that the party will soon release a timetable for outstanding congresses in some states as part of moves to organise a seamless national convention. It is high time to focus on the mandate given to us as Caretaker Committee members to put our party on the right track,” he said. Mohammed expressed appreciation to members of the BoT for their support, describing it as critical to the success of the caretaker committee. “I want to appreciate our BoT Chairman, the Secretary and all members for your genuine support to the National Caretaker Committee under my leadership. Mohammed reaffirmed the PDP’s status as a national party with enduring structures and legacy, warning against complacency among stakeholders.

The Kano State Police Command has announced a partnership with the Youth Society for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Social Vices (YOSPIS) and the Aminu Magashi Garba Foundation (AMGF) to combat hate speech and fake news across the state through a sensitisation workshop. ALSO READ: SEC, Police partner to crack down on crypto scramsThe workshop is designed to sensitise key stakeholders, including political actors, journalists, social media influencers, online media editors, and police officers, on the dangers of hate speech and fake news, and how to address their growing spread. Resource persons drawn from the media, legal profession, and the police are expected to facilitate the sessions. Commissioner of Police, Kano State Command, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, urged all invited participants to attend and actively contribute to discussions aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence and public safety. The police command also appealed to residents to avoid spreading unverified information and inflammatory content, and to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station.

A former Chief of Staff (CoS) to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, has stated that the success or otherwise of any government largely depends on those appointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA), Chief of Staff (CoS), and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). “They are three that I can tell you clearly: the National Security Adviser, Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Government. The Tucano helicopters were released, and Nigeria was removed from the list of countries of particular concern. That tells you the importance of those offices and how to use them quietly and effectively to get results,” Gambari stated. He cited instances involving two Supreme Court justices and the Ministers of Power and Agriculture, who were removed over corruption allegations.