Some people protested the one-week closure of the market, blocking the ever busy Asaba-Onitsha expressway leading to the Onitsha bridge head. Actually, Soludo, a Professor of Economics, has never hidden his disdain for IPOB’s sit-at-home order, which he has always described as an act of economic sabotage in the South-East. The veritable issue is security; the government needs enhanced security to stymie the illegal sit-at-home order by IPOB. Put differently, why should citizens find it more compelling or convenient to obey the illegal order of non-state actors while defying official directives? A situation where an illegal directive by a misguided organisation has literally crippled commerce and other economic activities in one of the country’s most commercially vibrant states is intolerable.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returned over the weekend, swagger intact, despite his tumble in Turkey. ‘American Idolatry: The Worship of a President’ was an opinion article published in the November 9, 2004 edition of the Yale Daily News by Christopher Ashley. We also had a president who, for all his flaws, checked the festering tendency of lawmakers and judges to commodify their offices. As Gilkey warns, “What silence qua silence mediates is the destruction of the self…” Silence hollows out the silent. Robert Locander’s ‘The President, the Press, and the Public: Friends and Enemies of Democracy’ treats issues such as this.

), on Sunday disclosed that he was among the intended targets of the recently foiled coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, revealing that the conspirators planned to arrest or shoot him if he resisted. “But again, I think these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals that I really don’t know. He added that even without the intervention of the military, Nigerians would have resisted any attempt to overthrow a democratically elected government. I can’t even imagine a colonel ever thinking of doing such a thing.”The Defence Minister stressed that executing a coup in modern-day Nigeria was virtually impossible, unlike in the past. In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters had dismissed reports of a coup attempt, despite the arrest of 16 officers accused of sponsoring the plot.

In 2024, forex purchases were heavily concentrated in the first half of the year, coinciding with a period of heightened exchange rate volatility and sustained pressure on the naira. From July 2024, forex purchases by the State House intensified, with multiple same-day transactions on July 17 alone. These included N149.05m, N358.53m, N243.32m, N739.07m, and N73.07m, all tagged as forex purchases. Total forex purchases for the year stood at N5.04bn, a steep decline from the previous year. The State House and Office of the Chief of Staff accounted for smaller but still significant amounts, often linked directly to specific trips by the President, Vice President or First Lady.

The Nigerian Tax Ombud Office was officially launched as part of the Nigerian Tax Reform 2026. The Tax Ombud in Nigeria is an independent body that helps resolve tax disputes and complaints in a fair and efficient manner. Eligibility: The Tax Ombud can handle complaints related to tax administration, such as delays, unfair treatment, or mistakes by the tax authorities. Using the Tax Ombud in Nigeria offers several benefits:– Faster Resolution: The Tax Ombud provides a quicker way to resolve tax disputes compared to the traditional courts, which can be slow and bureaucratic. – Tax Planning: Engage in proactive tax planning to minimize tax liabilities and avoid aggressive tax positions.

The global gold rally is gaining momentum as foreign central banks accelerate efforts to reduce their dependence on the United States dollar amid rising geopolitical and financial uncertainty. Third is the growing recognition among central banks that reserve diversification is now about sovereignty and resilience, rather than yield. The World Gold Council’s 2025 Central Bank Gold Reserves Survey reinforces this trend, showing that 95 per cent of reserve managers expect global central bank gold reserves to increase over the next 12 months. “For the first time since 1996, foreign central banks are having a greater share of gold in their reserves than United States Treasuries. “The gold trade started as a structural shift trade.

Supporting Africa’s biggest road race is therefore not incidental. People at the centre of progressWhat makes the Lagos City Marathon truly special is its inclusivity. Championing the Lagos City Marathon is one of the ways leadership is projected from Access. Access Bank is committed to running this long race with Africa, investing in people, institutions, and platforms that drive sustainable growth. By championing Africa’s biggest road race, Access Bank shows its belief in collective effort, long-term impact, and the power of leadership that moves with society,not ahead of it, and never apart from it.

Nigeria’s naira is moving closer to its theoretical fair value, signalling improving foreign exchange (FX) stability, stronger policy credibility and easing speculative pressure, according to leading economists and policy analysts. Renowned economist and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), Mr Bismarck Rewane, estimates the fair value of the naira at approximately ₦1,257 to the US dollar. Using the purchasing power parity (PPP) model, Rewane said the currency remains undervalued by about 11 percent, despite recent gains. He believes that there will be stability in the local currency in 2026 but might average N1,413 to the dollar. FX management is also about managing expectations,” Fasua said, noting that tighter controls have reduced abuse of FX forms and speculative outflows.

Foreign companies employing Nigerians to work remotely will no longer be deemed taxable in the country solely on the basis of having remote employees, following clarifications contained in Nigeria’s ongoing tax reform programme. He said the presence of remote workers in Nigeria, without more, does not create a taxable presence for foreign employers. “Foreign employers are no longer deemed taxable in Nigeria solely because they have employees working remotely in the country,” Oyedele stated via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle. The engagement session, which attracted nearly 15,000 registered participants, focused on the practical implementation of the recently enacted Tax Reform Acts and their implications for employers and employees. Under the reforms, individuals earning the national minimum wage or less are automatically exempt from personal income tax.

Another surge of arctic air is bearing down on the united states, even as millions are still digging out from a deadly winter storm. Forecasters warn the cold blast could shatter temperature records, hit power supplies, and threaten agriculture, especially in the southern states.

What a pleasure it is to be seduced – and The Night Manager is just about the most seductive show on television. View image in fullscreen Family affairs … Hugh Laurie as Richard Onslow Roper and Diego Calva as Teddy Dos Santos. But the best thing about The Night Manager is how it pretended to meet our expectations, then subverted them entirely. It was Dos Santos, with all his daddy issues, who seemed more infatuated with this dishy British, blue-eyed man with his nice shirts. And poor, doomed Dos Santos.

U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images via AFP)US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Washington was negotiating with Havana’s leadership to strike a deal, days after he threatened Cuba’s reeling economy with a virtual oil blockade. On Thursday, the Republican president signed an executive order threatening to impose additional tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba. Hours later, Cubans were queuing up on Friday in long lines at gas stations in Havana. After Maduro’s fall, the US president warned Havana to “make a deal soon” or face unspecified consequences.

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz acknowledges spectators after defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final match on day fifteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on February 1, 2026. I dreamt about getting an Australian Open and completing the career Grand Slam.”He paid tribute to Djokovic. Djokovic, striving to become the oldest man to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy, last won one at the US Open in 2023. Alcaraz saved it, but the aggressive fourth seed kept pressing and converted on his third, then consolidated for a 4-1 lead. But Alcaraz ground him down and pounced as Djokovic served to stay in the match to seal a famous win.

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd. Musa disclosed this on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, days after the military announced that 16 officers arrested in October 2025 would face trial over an alleged coup plot. The former Chief of Defence Staff said he became aware that he was listed as a target of the plotters. But again, I think these guys were just a bunch of very unserious individuals that really don’t know. Even without the armed forces, Nigerians would have stood against them.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has dismissed reports claiming that its national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, held talks to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the claims as false and deliberately misleading. The party said Kwankwaso never entered into negotiations with the ruling party nor made any demands to President Bola Tinubu, contrary to speculations circulating in some quarters. Johnson said Kwankwaso neither contemplated leaving the NNPP nor engaged President Tinubu or the APC on joining the ruling party. “It is a blatant lie that Kwankwaso made demands or entered into negotiations with the APC or President Tinubu for his defection. Johnson clarified that the last meeting between Kwankwaso and President Tinubu occurred in 2024 and was unrelated to any political realignment.