₦airaland Forum

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party @OfficialPDPNig has approved the commencement of digital membership registration across all wards in the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

This exercise will begin on Monday, March 2, 2026 and will last for three weeks.

The essence of this exercise is to compile the digital membership register in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, which requires all political parties to submit the digital register of their members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Registration will hold every day(except on Sundays) at all Ward, Chapter and State offices of the Party (special cases will be handled at the National Secretariat), throughout the registration period. A special committee headed by the National Organising Secretary, Hon. Theophilus Daka Shan, has been set up to oversee the exercise and handle any complaints that may emanate therefrom.

Members and the general public are encouraged to visit the nearest PDP office within their ward to register.

For more information and enquiries, please call 08035555800 or send a mail to info@iampdp.org.

Signed:

Comrade Ini Ememobong, mnipr
National Publicity Secretary
Peoples Democratic Party.
28022026

A former Ogun State governorship aspirant and public affairs commentator, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has cautioned political actors against celebrating what he described as a hollow victory in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), arguing that a reported seven percent voter turnout should trigger introspection rather than triumphalism.

In a statement titled “When 7% Turns Out, Celebration Is Premature,” Showunmi said turnout figures are a more reliable indicator of political health than press conferences or victory speeches. According to him, the FCT, as Nigeria’s administrative nerve centre and one of its most politically literate jurisdictions, cannot record such low participation without raising serious questions about public confidence and engagement.

“If you claim overwhelming performance in the Federal Capital Territory, yet barely 7% of registered voters turn out under conditions that were anything but restrictive, the appropriate response is not triumphalism — it is introspection,” he stated.

Showunmi argued that low turnout is not a neutral statistic but a political signal that may indicate voter fatigue, dissatisfaction, or quiet recalibration by the electorate. He maintained that participation levels function as an informal referendum on governance, noting that high turnout reflects enthusiasm and legitimacy, while low turnout may suggest detachment or silent protest.

He warned against interpreting electoral silence as endorsement, stressing that those who stay away from the polls may be more politically consequential than those who vote. According to him, an incumbent establishment should be concerned when it cannot mobilize even a fraction of voters in a territory as politically sophisticated as Abuja.

The politician further cautioned that arrogance and complacency often serve as blind spots in Nigerian politics, where early momentum can lead leaders to underestimate the importance of sustaining grassroots coalitions and managing public perception.

"You cannot credibly argue that the people are with you when the people do not show up,” he said, adding that technical victories achieved under conditions of low participation may lack psychological legitimacy.

Showunmi concluded that in any competitive democracy, turnout is political oxygen. Where citizens believe in performance, he argued, they mobilize voluntarily and validate governance with their presence at the ballot. Where they do not, celebration may be premature.

He warned that history has shown that disengaged electorates can re-engage abruptly, often producing outcomes that surprise even the most confident political actors.

First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu speaking the local dialect to her Itsekiri Compatriots pic.twitter.com/JWyPJm5zU2

— Ayekooto (@DeeOneAyekooto) February 27, 2026

The Lisabi Festival Committee has issued a strong rebuttal to online claims that the forthcoming 39th edition of the historic celebration is being transformed into a platform for the cultural fashion initiative championed by the Aare of Egbaland, Chief Lai Labode, known as “Egbaliganza.”

The Lisabi Festival is an annual cultural celebration held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to honour the legendary Egba warrior, Lisabi Agbongbo Akala, who led the revolt against the Oyo Empire in the 18th century and secured the independence of the Egba people.

In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the Asipa of Egbaland, Chief Rasheed Raji, who also serves as Chairman of the Lisabi Festival Committee, the committee debunked a viral video suggesting that the festival now revolves around Egbaliganza, describing it as “entirely false, misleading, and a distortion of historical truth.”

Raji emphasised that the festival remains a sacred annual homage to Lisabi, the 17th-century Egba warrior who led his people to freedom from the old Oyo Empire’s domination.

“This enduring legacy that we commemorate annually is not for any commercial or fashion enterprise.

"We acknowledge Egbaliganza as a commendable innovation promoting Egba fashion and enterprise under Chief Labode’s leadership. The committee maintains that both initiatives are separate and distinct.

"Only about two hours within the week-long programme have been allocated for an Egbaliganza showcase of Egba attire,” Raji stated, describing the slot as purely honorary and not intended to redefine or overshadow the festival’s historical focus.

Raji stressed that the 39th Lisabi Festival is scheduled to be held from March 23 to 29, 2026, with the grand finale fixed for March 28 in Abeokuta.

He added that recent promotional materials from Egbaliganza’s camp, highlighting international participation, royal presence, cultural parades, and the global positioning of Egba heritage, have helped fuel public perception that the fashion brand is becoming a central pillar of the celebration.

According to him, some social media users have loosely branded the event as “Lisabi Festival (Egbaliganza),” a narrative the committee appears determined to correct.

“The firm response comes against the backdrop of lingering debate following Egbaliganza’s high-profile debut at the 2025 Lisabi festivities.

“While many praised the colourful fashion spectacle for injecting fresh vibrancy into the annual event, some traditional stakeholders quietly expressed concern that the growing glamour could dilute the festival’s spiritual and historical essence.

“Even some committee leaders were unequivocal in their closing message: ‘We are celebrating our hero. We are celebrating our history. We are celebrating Lisabi,’” he added.

The statement concluded with the traditional rallying cry, “Egba Agbewa Ooo,” underscoring that the Lisabi Festival remains, first and foremost, a solemn commemoration of Egba liberation and identity, not a fashion showcase.

N36m for health sector in 2025.

President Tinubu, really? pic.twitter.com/h8MrrRBxsC

— Sa’a Maccido (@saamaccido_) February 24, 2026

I want to make a special appeal to SGF George Akume and Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to mend fences and work together.

- Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima urged them today at the PGF Renewed Hope Ambassadors Summit at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa. pic.twitter.com/0w93Ii6Gjh

— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) February 24, 2026

A Nigerian-led research team at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has recorded a major scientific breakthrough in the global fight against malaria.

The team successfully determined and deposited the first-ever crystal structure of Plasmodium falciparum transketolase bound to an inhibitor in the Protein Data Bank.

The milestone, achieved at the laboratory of Dr Olatomide Fadare, Associate Professor of Chemistry at OAU, marks the first Protein Data Bank structure authored entirely by Nigerian scientists.

Fadare, originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist, has evolved into a leading medicinal chemist, combining organic synthesis, bioinformatics and biological testing to design novel drug candidates targeting malaria — a disease that remains endemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Driven by growing resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies, he said his research is focused on developing the next frontline antimalarial drug.

Speaking in an interview with PUNCH Online on Monday, Fadare said, “You know, Fansidar used to be a three-tablet therapy taken at once. Over time, resistance developed. That is the story of malaria treatment.

“If we don’t continue to design new therapies that target different pathways, the parasite will always catch up with us.”

The breakthrough emerged from a collaboration of internationally based Nigerian scientists, including Dr Olawale Raimi of the University of Dundee, Scotland; Dr Abiodun Ogunjimi of Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto; Prof Olubanke Ogunlana of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, and Dr Oluseyi A. Vanderpuye of Fayetteville State University, United States, among others.

Central to the team’s research is transketolase, a critical enzyme in Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of malaria.

For years, rational drug design targeting this enzyme was hindered by the absence of experimentally determined crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank, with researchers globally relying largely on computational models.

That barrier, Fadare said, has now been broken.

“We carried out protein engineering, produced the protein and successfully crystallised it. Getting to the point where you can create a crystal from your protein is highly advanced science.

“There is a global repository called the Protein Data Bank where scientists deposit protein crystal structures. Most of the structures there were deposited by researchers from Western countries. You rarely find deposits from Africa. But now, instead of being users, we have become depositors,” he said.

He described the development as “very, very significant.”

It demonstrates that Nigerians can compete on the global stage. What makes it even more remarkable is that everyone listed on that deposit is Nigerian,” he added.

While Fadare’s laboratory in Ile-Ife designed and synthesised new chemical entities, collaborators abroad handled cloning, protein expression, crystallisation, inhibition studies, protocol optimisation and data analysis.

“We are running interconnected projects across Nigeria, the UK, Canada and the US. This positions Nigeria as a serious contributor to next-generation antimalarial drug discovery,” he said.

Beyond the structural breakthrough, the team has already identified four to five small molecules that strongly inhibit the parasite’s transketolase enzyme without significantly affecting the human equivalent.

“We believe that if we inhibit this protein, the metabolic processes it controls in the parasite will slow down or stop completely. That means the parasite cannot grow or replicate, and eventually it dies,” Fadare explained.

However, he noted the importance of selectivity.

“Humans also express transketolase. The difference between the human and parasite enzymes is small but significant — significant enough to exploit. It is possible to design a selective inhibitor that targets the parasite without harming the human host,” he said.

The next phase involves refining and optimising these lead compounds to improve potency and specificity.

“We already have very good leads that we want to pursue,” he said.

Fadare used the opportunity to highlight broader challenges facing scientific research in Africa, particularly dependence on imported medicines and technologies.

"One of our biggest problems is that we depend almost entirely on Western therapies. During COVID-19, none of the vaccines came from Africa. Even mass production infrastructure was absent,” he said.

According to him, sustained investment in science and technology is critical if Nigeria hopes to achieve health-sector independence.

“What happens in science translates directly into solutions in the health sector. Long-term, constructive investment in research is what produces breakthroughs,” he added.

He also raised concerns about brain drain, noting that many of the bright students he mentors eventually leave the country due to limited industrial opportunities.

"Virtually every active pharmaceutical ingredient used in Nigeria is imported, mostly from India or China. We have the scientific expertise to produce them locally, but the industry has not matured to that level,” he said.

“That is why we keep losing brilliant minds. I consider it a tragedy for the nation,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Fadare said mentorship remains central to his work.

“If you want to push the frontiers of science, you cannot do it alone. You need young, smart, highly motivated people,” he said.

By grooming young scientists and fostering international collaborations, he hopes his laboratory will serve as a model for what is possible within Nigeria.

“With the right support, what we are doing can cause a tectonic shift in the pharmaceutical industry.

“We have not received funding from the government or organisations yet, but we continue to push forward. If we get the right support, the impact will be massive,” he said.

Former Governor of Ogun State and Senator representing the Ogun East Senatorial District has commended the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu for the ongoing repairs on the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Senator Gbenga Daniel made the remarks on Saturday while addressing journalists at a media retreat in Lagos, where he also recalled drawing inspiration from Lagos’ development model during his tenure as Ogun State Governor particularly from the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He described the repair of one of Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridors as a hallmark of creative governance, adding that Lagos has long served as a national benchmark for development.

“Having spent much of my life in Lagos, I know what a working government looks like,” he said. “Lagos stands as the flagship of development and a model for the rest of the country, built on a foundation of visionary, consistent leadership and careful planning since 1999.”

He further described the Lekki-Epe road repairs as a continuation of that legacy — evidence of a government committed to good governance and institutional continuity.

Senator Daniel also praised the reintroduction of environmental sanitation day, calling it another bold initiative that underscores the dedication of Governor Sanwoolu and his team in the environment ministry.

AFRICA'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS

Among the most disturbing stories to emerge from four years of war is one that has received far too little attention in mainstream international coverage: the systematic exploitation of African nationals by Russia's war machine.

It comes in two forms. The first is the recruitment, often through deception and coercion, of African men to fight and die on the frontlines of Ukraine. The second is a targeted scheme to lure young African women into drone assembly factories in the Russian interior, where they manufacture the weapons used to bomb Ukrainian cities.

In February 2026, the investigative research project 'All Eyes on Wagner' released a report based on a database it had obtained containing the records of 1,417 African recruits in Russia's military. Of these, 316 had been killed in action. The organisation believes the actual number is significantly higher.

"Africa's men and women are not resources to be deployed in other people's wars. African governments have a fundamental duty to protect their citizens from exploitation." -Dr. Godspower Oshodin, International Relations Expert


The recruitment pattern follows a template that investigators have come to know well. African men, many of them students on government scholarships or economic migrants in Russia, are approached with offers of lucrative security contracts, Russian passports, financial compensation, and residency rights. Some are told explicitly they are signing up for combat. Many are not. They are promised logistics work, security duties, non-combat support roles. They arrive at the front.

Students at Russian universities have been particularly vulnerable. Several documented cases involve individuals pressured into military service through implicit or explicit threats to their visa or scholarship status, a grotesque subversion of the educational relationship between Russia and numerous African partner nations.

The second recruitment scheme is, if anything, more calculated in its exploitation. Since 2023, the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, a facility that the Wall Street Journal estimated in 2024 had recruited over one thousand African women, has been targeting young women aged 18 to 22 from across Africa through social media and local intermediaries. The pitch: high salaries and work-study opportunities in hospitality or catering.

What they find upon arrival is something else entirely. They are tasked with assembling Iranian-designed Shahed suicide drones, the same drones that Russia fires into Ukrainian cities and power stations. The Associated Press has reported on the conditions: long working hours, constant surveillance, restricted communications, and exposure to damaging chemicals. Allegations of racism and harassment against African workers by Russian staff and students have also emerged from the facility.

There is a further, chilling dimension. Alabuga SEZ is a key component of Russia's military-industrial infrastructure, which makes it a target for Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian drones and missiles have already attacked the facility. African workers have been injured. Their accommodation has been damaged. Young women from Lagos, Accra, and Nairobi, who came to Russia believing they were pursuing educational opportunities, find themselves living in an active war zone.

Emeka Nwosu, a spokesperson for the ECOWAS Youth Council, is furious. 'This is modern-day exploitation dressed up as opportunity,' he told The Global Observer. 'Our young women are being recruited under false pretences to manufacture weapons of war. They are living under military surveillance, in facilities that are being bombed. Our governments must act. The African Union must act. This silence is not neutrality, it is complicity.'

According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the number of acutely food-insecure people in Africa increased by tens of millions in the two years following the invasion. In the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and parts of Southern Africa, already grinding through their own cycles of drought and conflict, the external shock tipped millions over the edge from food stress into food crisis.

Then came the fertiliser emergency. Russia and Belarus together supply approximately 40 percent of global potash exports. Russia is a dominant exporter of nitrogen-based fertilisers. Western sanctions and Russian export restrictions combined to drive fertiliser prices to historic highs. For Africa’s smallholder farmers, who produce the majority of the continent’s food, the choice became stark: buy fertiliser at prices they could not afford, or plant less and harvest less. Millions chose the latter. The long-term yield consequences of reduced fertiliser application will outlast the immediate price spike by years.

In the energy markets, African oil importers, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, were punished by fuel price surges that cascaded through their economies, raising transport costs, inflating consumer prices, and eroding living standards. Several governments were forced to cut politically sensitive fuel subsidies, triggering social unrest. Nigeria’s fuel subsidy removal in 2023, while driven by multiple factors, was accelerated by a fiscal environment the war had severely worsened.

The global interest rate response to war-driven inflation compounded the economic damage. As the US Federal Reserve and other major central banks raised rates aggressively, capital fled emerging markets. African governments that had borrowed heavily during the low-interest years of the 2010s suddenly faced rising debt service costs and depreciating currencies simultaneously. Ghana, Zambia, and Ethiopia descended into formal debt distress, requiring IMF interventions and painful restructuring negotiations. Public sector salaries froze. Health and education budgets were cut. Infrastructure investment stalled.

‘The war has shown that Africa’s economic vulnerability to geopolitical shocks elsewhere remains a structural problem that no amount of continental rhetoric can paper over,’ Dr. Oshodin noted. ‘Food import dependency, insufficient domestic energy production, and fragile fiscal positions leave African nations dangerously exposed to disruptions in global commodity and financial markets that originate thousands of miles from the continent.’

There are opportunities buried within the crisis. Europe’s desperate search for alternatives to Russian energy has created genuine demand for African liquefied natural gas, with new investment flowing to Mozambique, Tanzania, Senegal, and Nigeria. The reconfiguration of global food supply chains has created openings for African agricultural exporters. But these structural opportunities require investment, infrastructure, and institutional capacity at a scale and speed that current conditions make difficult to achieve.

THE DIPLOMACY THAT HAS NOT WORKED

Four years of international diplomatic effort have produced one prisoner swap agreement and a great deal of failed talks. Russia has consistently shifted its negotiating position, dismissed international attempts to settle the conflict, and continued to strike Ukrainian energy infrastructure even during active peace discussions.

The election of Donald Trump to the US presidency in late 2024 shifted the diplomatic landscape significantly. The Trump administration declared its intention to end the war quickly, and a new diplomatic trajectory was established at the August 2025 Alaska Summit, where Trump and Putin met in the most high-profile face-to-face engagement since the invasion began. No deal emerged.

The United States subsequently drafted a 28-point peace plan that proposed a permanent constitutional ban on Ukraine joining NATO, a cap on Ukrainian Armed Forces at 600,000 personnel, and sweeping territorial concessions to Russia. European allies, alarmed by the concessions on offer, issued a counter-proposal in November 2025 that rejected Russian territorial claims outright.

The most recent formal talks took place on February 4-5, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, a trilateral engagement involving Ukrainian, Russian, and US representatives. Even as negotiators met, Russia launched record-scale attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in sub-zero temperatures. The talks ended without a breakthrough. The war continued.

‘Russia continues to undermine peace talks with ongoing strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure,’ the briefing from conflict monitors noted flatly. ‘Russia refuses to concede illegally held Ukrainian territory and all diplomatic efforts so far have ended in failure.’

Analysts have begun describing Russia’s posture as ‘Phase Zero’, a shift from pure battlefield aggression toward escalation outside the conventional front: cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, political interference in European democracies. The military grind continues. The diplomatic stalemate continues. And the casualties mount.

RUSSIA’S BLEEDING

Perhaps the most consequential and underappreciated dimension of this war is the scale of Russia’s human losses. At 31,700 casualties in January 2026 alone – killed, wounded, and missing – Russia is losing personnel at a pace that strains credibility and defies the Kremlin’s public messaging of a controlled ‘special military operation.’

CSIS estimates that Russian casualties since February 2022 stand at approximately 1.2 million, against Ukrainian losses estimated at between 500,000 and 600,000. Combined, the conflict is projected to reach two million casualties by spring 2026, making it, by some measures, the deadliest conventional war since the Korean conflict.

Russia has attempted to compensate for its staggering manpower losses through multiple mechanisms: repeated waves of mobilisation, the recruitment of convicts offered pardons in exchange for front-line service, the deployment of North Korean troops in significant numbers (confirmed by multiple intelligence agencies), and, as documented above, the deceptive recruitment of African nationals.

The reliance on African fighters is not merely a footnote. It is a symptom. It tells you that Russia’s own population is being bled dry. That the Kremlin is scraping the edges of every available manpower pool, domestic, Korean, and now African, to sustain a war that was supposed to last three days. Four years later, the front has barely moved. But the graveyards keep growing.

Chisom Adaeze, reporting from the Ukrainian side of the front, describes the arithmetic of attrition in stark terms. ‘You walk through some of these villages that were held by Russia for months and then recaptured,’ she says. ‘You understand what 31,000 casualties in a month actually looks like on the ground. It is not a statistic. It is a landscape.’

AFRICA CANNOT AFFORD TO BE A SPECTATOR IN THIS WAR

As the fourth anniversary passes, the Russia-Ukraine war enters its fifth year with no end in sight and consequences that reach into every corner of the globe. The frontlines are relatively static. The casualties are not. The diplomacy has stalled. The hunger and debt crises across Africa have not.

For Africa, the war presents a moment of moral and strategic reckoning that its leaders have, by and large, not yet risen to meet. Young African men are dying in Ukrainian trenches, recruited through lies. Young African women are assembling drones in facilities that are being bombed, having been lured with false promises. And African governments, with a handful of exceptions, have responded with silence or studied ambiguity.

“The sovereignty of Ukraine is not a Western value; it is a universal value. An Africa that defends the sovereignty of its own nations but equivocates on the sovereignty of others exposes itself to profound moral inconsistency.”

For Vladimir Putin, he had set wheels in motion for what his generals had speculated would be Russia’s quickest victory in seventy-two hours. However, contrary to their projections, the war has now lasted for one thousand, four hundred and sixty-one days. As of today, the Russia-Ukraine War is not over, and its wounds extend far beyond the borders of Ukraine.

As the Russia-Ukraine War marks its fourth anniversary, a continent still reeling from the conflict's far-reaching economic devastation is confronting a darker truth. African men are dying on Ukrainian frontlines, and African women are assembling Russian drones under false pretences. The cynical exploitation of African lives by Russia's war machine is no longer a rumour; it is documented, quantified, and growing.
We spoke with Dr Godspower Oshodin, a journalist and ECOWAS Youth Ambassador, whose analysis cuts through the fog of Kremlin propaganda to illuminate what this war truly means for Europe, for Africa, and for the future of the global order.

To understand why Russia did what it did on that freezing February morning in 2022, you have to travel back, not just to 2014, when Russia first seized Crimea, or even to 2008, when NATO declared Ukraine would one day be a member, but to the singular psychological rupture that defines Vladimir Putin's worldview: the end of the Soviet Union.

Putin once called the collapse of the USSR 'the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.' For him and the hardened national security apparatus that surrounds him, the siloviki, Ukraine was never truly a foreign country. It was a wayward province, a cultural twin, and above all, a critical buffer zone separating Russia from an encroaching Western military alliance.

"For Putin, an independent, pro-Western Ukraine is not merely a geopolitical inconvenience; it is an existential threat to Russia's imperial narrative."
Dr. Godspower Oshodin, International Relations Expert

The structural trigger, according to analysts, was the relentless eastern expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Between 1999 and 2004, NATO admitted twelve new members from the former Eastern Bloc - Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and the Baltic States among them, each accession pushing the alliance's eastern frontier closer to Russian soil. The 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, and the disputed promises made in the dying days of the Soviet Union that NATO would not expand 'one inch eastward,' formed the bedrock of Moscow's grievance narrative.

The 2008 Bucharest Summit proved the most electrifying provocation. NATO's declaration that Ukraine and Georgia 'will become members' sent the Russian government into a cold fury. Within weeks, Russian tanks were rolling into Georgia. The West barely blinked. Putin filed the lesson away.

Then came Kyiv's Maidan Square in 2013 and 2014. When mass protests swept away pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych - who had abruptly abandoned an EU Association Agreement under Kremlin pressure - Russia responded by seizing Crimea and fomenting a separatist war in the Donbas. The 2014 and 2015 Minsk Agreements were supposed to contain the conflict. Instead, they gave both sides time to prepare for a larger reckoning.

By 2021, Putin had concluded that the window was closing. Ukraine was integrating ever more deeply with Western institutions, its military rebuilt, and its public increasingly hostile to Russian influence. In December 2021, Russia issued a set of ultimatums to NATO and Washington, demanding a halt to enlargement and the withdrawal of forces from Eastern Europe. The West declined. And so the tanks rolled.
But as Dr. Oshodin is careful to note, Russia's security concerns, however analytically valid, cannot constitute moral justification for what followed. 'The inviolability of sovereign borders is a cornerstone of international law and the UN Charter,' he notes. 'Russia's actions constitute a flagrant violation of those principles, regardless of the strategic rationale offered by the Russian government.'

There is also, Oshodin argues, a deeply ideological dimension that goes beyond strategy. In his July 2021 essay 'On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,' Putin denied that Ukraine was a distinct nation at all, arguing that Russians and Ukrainians are fundamentally 'one people.' It was not a historical argument. It was a prelude to erasure, and it would prove to be one of the costliest miscalculations in modern military history.

If Russia's initial campaign was a lesson in how not to fight a war, Ukraine's defence has been a masterclass in asymmetric resilience, matching an adversary's overwhelming conventional superiority with intelligence, terrain knowledge, popular mobilisation, and carefully chosen weapons.

In the earliest weeks, the American Javelin anti-tank missile and the British NLAW shoulder-launched system proved devastatingly effective, turning Russia's armoured spearheads into burning columns of wrecked metal on Ukrainian roads and fields. Hundreds of tanks were destroyed. The Territorial Defence Forces, hundreds of thousands of volunteers who were teachers, engineers, farmers, and shopkeepers, swelled the fighting force with people who needed no ideological motivation, only the sight of foreign soldiers on their streets.

As the war settled into attrition, the Western arms pipeline became decisive. The United States alone has committed over one hundred billion dollars in military, financial, and humanitarian aid. High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) allowed Ukraine to strike deep Russian logistics nodes with precision. Patriot air defence systems intercepted Russian cruise missiles and drones. Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M1 Abrams tanks, and eventually F-16 fighter jets have qualitatively transformed the battlefield equation.

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has described Russia's advances in 2025 as averaging 'just 15 to 70 meters per day in active sectors', a pace it characterizes as 'slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century.' Russia holds the initiative. But it is an initiative measured in metres, bought in blood.

Ukraine has also waged the information war with remarkable sophistication. From the documentation of the Bucha massacre, which deepened Western commitment and triggered new sanctions packages, to the continuous output of its communications team, Ukraine has consistently outperformed Russia in the global battle for narrative. The IT Army of Ukraine, a volunteer cyber militia, has mounted sustained campaigns against Russian government and financial systems, operating a form of decentralised digital warfare that Russia's more rigid cybersecurity apparatus has struggled to counter.

'Russia holds the initiative,' observed one Western defence analyst, 'but it cannot convert that initiative into victory. Every metre it gains costs it more than it gains.'

AFRICA'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS

Among the most disturbing stories to emerge from four years of war is one that has received far too little attention in mainstream international coverage: the systematic exploitation of African nationals by Russia's war machine.

It comes in two forms. The first is the recruitment, often through deception and coercion, of African men to fight and die on the frontlines of Ukraine. The second is a targeted scheme to lure young African women into drone assembly factories in the Russian interior, where they manufacture the weapons used to bomb Ukrainian cities.

In February 2026, the investigative research project 'All Eyes on Wagner' released a report based on a database it had obtained containing the records of 1,417 African recruits in Russia's military. Of these, 316 had been killed in action. The organisation believes the actual number is significantly higher.

"Africa's men and women are not resources to be deployed in other people's wars. African governments have a fundamental duty to protect their citizens from exploitation." -Dr. Godspower Oshodin, International Relations Expert

The recruitment pattern follows a template that investigators have come to know well. African men, many of them students on government scholarships or economic migrants in Russia, are approached with offers of lucrative security contracts, Russian passports, financial compensation, and residency rights. Some are told explicitly they are signing up for combat. Many are not. They are promised logistics work, security duties, non-combat support roles. They arrive at the front.

Students at Russian universities have been particularly vulnerable. Several documented cases involve individuals pressured into military service through implicit or explicit threats to their visa or scholarship status, a grotesque subversion of the educational relationship between Russia and numerous African partner nations.

The second recruitment scheme is, if anything, more calculated in its exploitation. Since 2023, the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, a facility that the Wall Street Journal estimated in 2024 had recruited over one thousand African women, has been targeting young women aged 18 to 22 from across Africa through social media and local intermediaries. The pitch: high salaries and work-study opportunities in hospitality or catering.

What they find upon arrival is something else entirely. They are tasked with assembling Iranian-designed Shahed suicide drones, the same drones that Russia fires into Ukrainian cities and power stations. The Associated Press has reported on the conditions: long working hours, constant surveillance, restricted communications, and exposure to damaging chemicals. Allegations of racism and harassment against African workers by Russian staff and students have also emerged from the facility.

There is a further, chilling dimension. Alabuga SEZ is a key component of Russia's military-industrial infrastructure, which makes it a target for Ukrainian strikes. Ukrainian drones and missiles have already attacked the facility. African workers have been injured. Their accommodation has been damaged. Young women from Lagos, Accra, and Nairobi, who came to Russia believing they were pursuing educational opportunities, find themselves living in an active war zone.

Emeka Nwosu, a spokesperson for the ECOWAS Youth Council, is furious. 'This is modern-day exploitation dressed up as opportunity,' he told The Global Observer. 'Our young women are being recruited under false pretences to manufacture weapons of war. They are living under military surveillance, in facilities that are being bombed. Our governments must act. The African Union must act. This silence is not neutrality, it is complicity.'

Nigeria’s non-oil export sector recorded its strongest performance yet in 2025, and at the center of that growth story is Zenith Bank Plc, officially ranked as the leading bank supporting non-oil export transactions in the country.

According to figures released by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigeria achieved a historic $6.1 billion in non-oil exports in 2025. Among the 30 commercial banks that participated in export transactions during the year, Zenith Bank recorded the highest volume of Nigeria Export Proceeds documentation, reinforcing its position as the most export-friendly bank in the country.

This recognition is not incidental. It reflects consistency, structure, and a deep commitment to supporting exporters across sectors.

Non-Oil Exports Hit a Historic High

Data presented by NEPC shows that Nigeria’s non-oil exports rose to $6.1 billion in 2025, representing an 11.5 percent increase from the $5.46 billion recorded in 2024. Export volume also grew by 10 percent to 8.02 million metric tonnes.

Nigerian products reached 120 countries, with the Netherlands, Brazil, and India ranking among the top destinations by value. This broadening market reach reflects stronger global positioning for Nigerian exporters.

Behind this national growth story, financial institutions played a critical role in facilitating transactions, documentation, and compliance under the Nigeria Export Proceeds framework.

Zenith Bank Leads Export Financing

Out of nearly 20,000 Nigeria Export Proceeds forms processed in 2025 across 30 banks, Zenith Bank accounted for 32.31 percent of total NXP transactions, the highest share in the country.

This placed Zenith Bank well ahead of its peers, confirming it as the number one bank supporting non-oil export documentation and processing in Nigeria.

In a year where improved monitoring and compliance significantly enhanced data integrity across the sector, Zenith Bank stood out as the strongest financial partner for exporters.

Supporting Nigeria’s Diversification Drive

The growth in non-oil exports aligns with the Federal Government’s diversification agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope framework and the policy direction of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Zenith Bank’s performance reflects its readiness to meet that need.

With eight seaports, three international airports, and nine land borders serving as export exit points in 2025, and with 94 percent of shipments routed through seaports, efficient banking support became even more essential. Zenith Bank’s scale and operational strength positioned it as a dependable partner for exporters navigating both local and international markets.

Building Confidence in Nigeria’s Export System

Beyond transaction numbers, the broader export environment in 2025 also saw improvements in compliance and quality assurance. Through collaborations involving NEPC and international partners such as the World Trade Organization and the International Trade Centre, Nigeria intensified efforts to reduce export rejections and strengthen standards in key agricultural value chains.

As these reforms strengthened Nigeria’s export credibility globally, the need for strong financial backing increased. Zenith Bank’s dominant participation in export proceeds processing shows that exporters continue to trust the bank to anchor their international trade operations.

Outlook for 2026

NEPC has outlined plans to broaden exporter participation, deepen value addition, expand export infrastructure, and strengthen regional trade within ECOWAS. As the sector grows, financial institutions will remain central to sustaining momentum.

With its 32.31 percent share of NXP transactions in 2025, Zenith Bank has already positioned itself as the leading export-friendly bank in Nigeria. Its continued leadership will likely play a significant role as the country works to scale non-oil exports further in 2026 and beyond.

In Conclusion

Nigeria’s non-oil export sector delivered record-breaking results in 2025. While the growth reflects national effort across government agencies, exporters, and development partners, Zenith Bank stands out clearly among financial institutions.

By leading all banks in export proceeds processing and maintaining the highest share of NXP transactions nationwide, Zenith Bank has earned its position as Nigeria’s number one export-friendly bank.

In another victory by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria, through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has yet again won a complex international arbitration.

European Dynamics UK Ltd, an international technology contractor, had entered into a dispute with the bureau over a national e-procurement project.

In the ruling, which is final and not subject to appeal, the tribunal dismissed the contractor’s claims in their entirety, relieving Nigeria of potential financial exposure estimated at over $6.2 million (approximately ₦9.3 billion) in claimed payments and damages.

Nigeria’s legal team was led by Johnson & Wilner LLP, a Nigerian business and technology law firm, with Basil Udotai Esq., Founding Partner, leading the arbitration together with the firm’s strategic partners and associates.

Genesis of the Dispute
Upon assuming office, the Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, inherited a stalled technology project together with ongoing arbitration proceedings. European Dynamics UK Ltd had claimed approximately $2.4 million for alleged milestone completions, $3 million in general damages and an additional $800,000 settlement claims.

Prior to Dr Adedokun’s appointment, there had been discussions around an out-of-court settlement. The Bureau, however, elected to continue with the arbitral process, maintaining that payments must be tied strictly to demonstrable value delivered. That led to the engagement of the specialised Nigerian legal team with expertise in technology contracting to review the technical and contractual issues in dispute.

The underlying contract concerned the design, development/customisation, supply, installation and maintenance of a national electronic Government Procurement (eGP) system financed with support from the World Bank. The project aimed to strengthen transparency, accountability and efficiency across federal public procurement processes.

Central to the dispute was the User Acceptance Test (UAT). The UAT carried out by the BPP identified significant functional deficiencies, including critical omissions and errors affecting system performance.
The bureau argued that unlike conventional supply contracts where delivery may occur upon physical handover, software customisation projects are performance-validated.

That delivery crystallises only upon satisfactory UAT confirming that the system operates in accordance with the technical requirements, statutory workflows, and operational environment for which it was commissioned.

The tribunal accepted Nigeria’s position that these deficiencies fell within the vendor’s responsibility to remedy at no additional cost. It further held that the contractor, as the technical expert, bore the obligation to ensure that the delivered system complied with contractual requirements, irrespective of earlier technical documents that might have been approved by the BPP.
The tribunal also found no evidence that the Bureau consented to the merger of multi-phase modules into a single phase.

“Nothing in the Contract suggests that such a merger is permissible, particularly given that payment is structured in phases. Consequently, the contractual framework was distorted," it ruled.

Consequently, the arbitrator dismissed all claims by European Dynamics UK Ltd in their entirety.

Nigeria Can No Longer Be Taken For Granted – BPP DG

Dr Adedokun, during a formal presentation of the award to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), described the outcome as an important signal for public sector technology contracting

“This particular vendor has taken various African countries to court and won every single case. Nigeria is the first to defeat them. We stood our ground against one of the best legal teams in the world because we believed in the expertise of our own Nigerian legal professionals,” he said.

The DG expressed appreciation to the AGF
for approving the proceedings, noting that without such support, Nigeria would have lost billions of Naira that can now be spent on critical national development.

A New Era for Nigeria - AGF Fagbemi

Responding, the AGF commended Adedokun’s courage and the brilliance of the legal team.
"Nigeria is a country blessed with both natural and human resources. This win sends a clear message to the international community: Nigeria has resonated. It is no longer business as usual. By standing up to European Dynamics, we have instilled courage in other African nations to protect their own resources," he said.
The minister also commended the president for sustained support to institutional strengthening within the justice sector, saying, “We have a leader, mentor and father that can always watch our back. If he says leave it, we have no choice… he wants to nurture strong institutions.”

Implications for Future Public Sector Technology Contracts

The ruling underscores the importance of rigorous User Acceptance Testing, clear milestone definitions, and expert-driven software delivery standards in government technology projects.

The legal representative for the BPP encouraged incorporating lessons from the arbitration into ongoing e-procurement reforms to strengthen oversight of contract performance and reduce the risk of future disputes.

Kamarudeen Ogundele, anipr
S A to the President (Communication and Publicity),
Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
February 22, 2026

Nigerian singer, Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has faced renewed backlash online after an old tweet from 2012 resurfaced, appearing to sexualise a four-year-old boy.

In the now-viral tweet on her X account @SympLySimi, dated March 14, 2012, the singer described a four-year-old boy named David as having a crush on her, saying he often got physically close, acted as if he wanted to kiss her, and rested his head on her lap, and she questioned whether she should give him attention.

The viral tweet reads, “David has a crush on me. He kips comn close; actin lik he wana lock lips n den he puts his head on my lap.Shd I giv him a chance? P.S: Hes 4.”

Reacting to the post, an X user, @Eregechi12 wrote, “4 asin 4 years old or 4 decades old 😳😳 Is the word lock lips supposed to be in the same sentence with a 4 year old 😳😳😳”

Another user, @captainleke wrote, “4years old child!!! Lock this pedophile up.”

“4 years old? this needs to be investigated. this is a big crime. unbelievable,” @drackfel opined.

@bigray0x wrote, “I’ve been avoiding all topics related to this since the onset of the false r@pe scenario and all that. this right here should start an outrage if it were from a man, the double standard the world holds men at. But this lady is worse than most of the people I’ve seen on this app, she’s inherently diabolical Bleep!.”

@prudentsammy tweeted, “You would think she is a saint, lmaooo. “Don’t rape girl child” When you are sexualizing a 4 years old boy. Pathetic fr! Gbimi oshi.”

The post emerged amid ongoing controversy following TikToker Mirabel’s confession that her widely circulated rape allegation was false.

The online debate began on February 18 after Mirabel posted a video claiming she had been raped and injured with a blade in her home.

The video went viral, triggering outrage, emotional reactions, and heated discussions across social media. Many Nigerians initially believed her story and condemned the alleged act, while others questioned its authenticity and accused her of seeking attention, deepening divisions online.

During the controversy, Simi took to X to speak against rape culture, urging men to hold others accountable and questioning why people reacted negatively when rapists were called out. Her comments drew criticism from users who said she was downplaying the issue of false rape accusations.

The situation shifted after social media activist VeryDarkMan revealed he had spoken to Mirabel over the phone.

According to him, she admitted the rape claim was fabricated and confessed to creating the fake TikTok account that had been sending her messages.

Following this development, social media users began digging up old posts from Simi, including her tweet about the four-year-old David.

Nigeria Railway Security Team: Safeguarding Agenebode and Itogbo Stations, Edo North

The Nigeria Railway Security Team stationed at Agenebode and Itogbo Railway Stations in Edo North stands as a frontline defense in the protection of our national rail infrastructure. Their… pic.twitter.com/F5IfIx3slJ

— Dr Kayode Opeifa (DKO) (@DrKayodeOpeifa) February 19, 2026

The Lagos State Government has put truck and cargo vehicle owners on notice, warning that any owner who permits their drivers to operate under the influence of substances risks prosecution. The stern warning was issued during a free eye care exercise organised by the State Ministry of Transportation in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), held at the Agency’s Area Strategic Command in Festac.

About 1,000 NDLEA Lagos State Sector Command officers benefited from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision screening initiative, the latest in a series of health and fitness programmes that have previously reached truck drivers and police officers across the state.

Speaking at the event, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Transportation and Logistics, Hassan Adekoya, made clear that the days of tolerating impaired driving are over. “It is no longer tolerated for any individual on social contract to drive while under the influence of substances in Lagos State,” he said, adding that enforcement operations would begin imminently. He further cautioned that drivers caught behind the wheel while impaired would be taken to court by the NDLEA, describing the crackdown as essential to protecting lives, property, and government infrastructure.

NDLEA Lagos State Strategic Command chief, Assistant Commander General of Narcotics Abubakar Wali, described the initiative as unprecedented. He noted that it builds on an earlier programme that had already provided eye screening, free glasses, drug testing, and integrity tests to 10,000 commercial truck drivers. Wali welcomed the collaboration, saying it would motivate officers to intensify the fight against substance abuse.

Officers who received care at the event were enthusiastic about the experience. NDLEA Seme-Special Area Command’s Commander Ojoko Rita said the speed and quality of the screening exceeded her expectations, and that her new glasses had significantly improved her vision. Assistant Commander Nelson Ogwu, also attached to the Seme command, described his new glasses as superior to his previous pair and urged the state government to sustain the programme going forward.

The eye care initiative is part of Lagos State’s broader health and safety agenda aimed at keeping essential service providers fit for duty and reinforcing public safety standards across the state.

The Management of Zenith Bank Plc has advised the public to disregard videos circulating online linking the bank’s Group Chairman, Dr Jim Ovia, as endorsing an investment scheme known as Wealth Bridge.

The bank issued the warning in a disclaimer statement on Tuesday signed by its management addressed to debunk claims by fraudsters over Dubious video describing it as fake with no link to the Group Chairman and founder of the bank.

The commercial bank described the videos and promotional materials as fake and had nothing to do with the bank or its group chairman.

The bank further stated that the videos which circulated through the `Greece Island’ Facebook handle, promised prospective customers up to two million naira in weekly returns on a contribution of N380, 000 investment.

The bank however warned members of the public who conduct business with the entity that they are doing so at their own risk, as the commercial bank and its chairman has no link whatsoever with it, adding that the claim in the video, to the effect that it has the endorsement of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is untrue.

“The video redirects unsuspecting members of the public to an alleged Arise News webpage with the details of this scheme and an embedded registration portal for signups.

The statement titled: DISCLAIMER

Our attention has been drawn to a doctored video and still pictures currently circulating on social media, purporting to depict the Group Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc (“the Bank”) as endorsing an investment scheme called “Wealth Bridge” on the “Greece Island” Facebook handle and soliciting members of the public to engage in a business relationship with the so-called entity.

This claim is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Group Chairman, the Bank or any of its affiliate companies.

This video makes a fake promise of up to N2 million in weekly returns on a contribution of N380,000 investment in the aforementioned project via a Facebook group. The video goes on to allege that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approves/endorses this said project. The video redirects unsuspecting members of the public to an alleged “Arise News” webpage with details of this “scheme” and an embedded registration portal for signups. This claim also is entirely false and has no connection whatsoever to the Bank or its Group Chairman.

For the avoidance of doubt, all the videos and promotional materials referenced above are FAKE and have nothing to do with Zenith Bank Plc or Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR.

The Group Chairman of Zenith Bank and the Bank have no knowledge of the said investment scheme and have not entered into any partnership with the companies, individuals, or platforms behind these schemes.

The general public is hereby advised to disregard these fraudulent communications. Anyone who engages with the “Greece Island” handle, “Wealth Bridge”, “delicious sitee”, “AfriQuantumX”, “Stock market analyst 1” or any other entity on the basis of these fake videos and images published by Imposters does so strictly at his or her own risk.

African billionaire Aliko Dangote has elevated his three daughters to top executive roles within the Dangote Group as part of a sweeping succession and expansion drive targeting a $100 billion valuation by 2030.
Halima, Fatima, and Mariya Dangote have each been named Group Executive Directors, with portfolios spanning the conglomerate’s most critical business arms.

Halima will helm the newly structured Dangote Family Office and International Offices, taking charge of the group’s operations in Dubai and London while overseeing governance and coordination across its global footprint.

Fatima steps into arguably the most high-stakes role, leading Commercial Operations for Oil and Gas — a brief that covers the flagship Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, fertiliser operations, and WAEP Upstream, alongside corporate communications and procurement.

Mariya rounds out the trio as head of Commercial Operations for Cement and Foods, driving strategy across two of the group’s most established business lines.

The moves signal that Dangote is actively shaping his succession blueprint while simultaneously pushing the group into an aggressive growth phase.

On the expansion front, the group has struck a deal with Chinese construction giant XCMG Construction Machinery to acquire heavy equipment for projects across refining, petrochemicals, agriculture, and infrastructure. The partnership is designed to turbocharge the group’s Vision 2030 ambitions — chief among them scaling the Dangote refinery’s capacity from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million, tripling urea output, and dramatically ramping up polypropylene and base oil production across Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Five Chinese nationals arrested by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for working in Nigeria without valid papers are reportedly back in the country.

This is four months after the repatriation of the Chinese nationals by the Nigerian government through the Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Ojo.

“The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has allowed the free entry of these same nationals into the country without proper documentation,” a source told SaharaReporters.

The five men were initially arrested on August 12, 2025, during a joint sting operation by immigration authorities and the Department of State Services (DSS) at Royal Castle Ceramics Company Limited along the Sagamu Interchange, Ogun State.

They were held at the NIS headquarters in Sauka along Airport Road, Abuja, and released on August 21 following an alleged intervention by a retired senior immigration officer.

The five Chinese nationals include: Zhang Damou (46), Qian Jin (48), Tang Pan (41), Lin Jianfeng (52), and Guo Zhengheng (40).

“The case that should have ended in prosecution, deportation, and hefty fines has instead become a glaring symbol of impunity at NIS,” the source added on Saturday.

“Initially, they were quietly escorted out of the country and allowed to return within 48 hours after repatriation by the Minister. The foreign nationals were allowed entry without facing any charges, penalties, or enforcement.

“These suspects, who were operating covertly inside the same factory premises, were nabbed four months ago during an enforcement swoop. The factory, shrouded in thick vegetation with no visible signage, was allegedly being used as a front to conceal the illegal long-term employment of illegal expatriates.”

“This company lacked the mandatory business permit and expatriate quota approvals required by law. Yet the Chinese workers were deployed on Temporary Work Permits (TWP) and Business Visas; visa categories explicitly barred for sustained employment or factory operations.”

The source further alleged widespread exploitation of Nigerian workers at the facility.

“Unsafe working conditions, wages below the national minimum, and routine violations of labour standards. During the arrest, the expatriates put up violent resistance; an offence that ordinarily attracts swift criminal prosecution and stiff sanctions under the Immigration Act.

“Yet, more than four months later, no court has seen the case, no administrative penalties have been imposed, and no deportation orders issued.

“Most disturbingly, on January 17, 2026, the five Chinese nationals were escorted through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and allowed to board an outbound flight as regular passengers; not as deportees or offenders under sanction.

“Just two days later, on January 19, 2026, they reportedly gained entry to the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, again without any record of fines, penalties, or statutory fees paid to the Federal Government.

“The development directly contradicts the aggressive compliance and reform drive championed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who has repeatedly vowed zero tolerance for immigration racketeering and exploitation of Nigerian workers.

“The Royal Castle Ceramics–Hairun International scandal has triggered serious national concerns, as questions mount over why clear-cut violators were allowed to leave Nigeria without prosecution or deportation, who authorised their escorted airport exit as ordinary passengers, what justified their swift re-entry without sanctions, and why the Federal Government was reportedly deprived of lawful revenue from fines and penalties.

“Until a full, transparent, and independent investigation is launched and those found culpable are held to account; this case will continue to fuel public suspicion of selective enforcement, compromised institutions, and the steady erosion of trust in Nigeria’s immigration system.”

Speaking to SaharaReporters, a top staff member of the Interior Ministry said he wasn’t aware the Chinese nationals are back.

According to him, the Minister recently ordered the immediate repatriation of Chinese nationals found to be operating illegally in the country as a firm step to strengthen immigration compliance and national security.

“Preliminary findings also suggest that some enforcement officials may have compromised procedures by granting undue access and bypassing required vetting processes,” the source added.

“I was told authorities have launched a full investigation, vowing that any personnel found culpable will face sanctions, with the ministry stressing that no one will be shielded from accountability.

“The repatriation order is part of broader efforts to sanitize the immigration framework, strengthen border control mechanisms, and ensure that all foreign nationals comply fully with Nigeria’s legal and regulatory standards.

“The general public is calling on the Minister of Interior, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and anti-corruption agencies to urgently take over the matter and ensure justice is served without fear or favour. The public deserves answers. Anything less is an endorsement of impunity.”

According to insiders, the Minister should demand for the case file to see what the very Senior immigration Officials are hiding and shielding the Chinese from largely because of allegations that ACG Ozigi Idris the current Head of Investigation who is supposed to implement the repatriation order to the fullest is under undue interference of the retired DCG Haliru and Silence of the overall Immigration Boss Kemi Nandap.

𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐀𝐜𝐭 2025 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 25% 𝐓𝐚𝐱 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬

We are aware of a recent video claiming that the new tax laws will commence… pic.twitter.com/KLD2JunhIK

— Taiwo Oyedele (@taiwoyedele) February 15, 2026

Team Nigeria is once again present at the Winter Olympic Games as competition begins in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy (Feb 6–22).

Nigeria first appeared at the Winter Olympics in 2018 and has maintained consistent participation through Beijing 2022 and now Milano-Cortina 2026, marking the country’s fourth straight outing at the Games.

The nation is represented by cross-country skier Samuel Ikpefan, competing in the men’s sprint classic and 10 km freestyle events. His participation makes him Nigeria’s first athlete to feature at two Winter Olympic Games.

His journey represents the steady expansion of Nigeria’s presence across global sporting platforms.

The National Sports Commission celebrates Team Nigeria and remains committed to supporting athletes competing on every international stage.

On health and some of the major milestones in the sector over the past two and half years,

- Nigeria has been able to close the gap of foreign-produced medications between 60 to 70%.

- Two major companies to produce test kits were commissioned last year; Codix (Ogun State) is… pic.twitter.com/gcLZv9MXh5

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 7, 2026

"Nigeria launched an academy called Empower Academy.....under the Empower Manufacturing Academy that we've set up, we have decided that we offer 40 different courses free of charge to all eligible Nigerians over the next two years. So this is going to be a game changer." pic.twitter.com/dA0H4MJZh3

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 7, 2026

"In the area of policy right you know Mr. President has graciously signed an executive order last year. Our analysis has shown that by just implementing that zero duty VAT on input into the manufacturing, you reduce the cost by about 12%." pic.twitter.com/q8VYOwiIpc

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 7, 2026

Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso, son of former Kano Governor and NNPP national leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has resigned as Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development and member of the Kano State Executive Council under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.

In a statement released today, Mustapha Rabiu Kwankwaso announced his resignation with the following words:
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation as Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and Member of the Kano State Executive Council.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for the opportunity to serve the great people of Kano State. I have cherished the experiences and lessons gained while serving, and I appreciate the trust placed in me.

“As I resign, I pray that the youth of Kano State will continue to receive the attention and support they deserve. I hope for the best for our sports development programs and initiatives, and I am confident that they will flourish in the years to come.

“May Allah (SWT) continue to shower His blessings on our beloved Kano State. I wish the government and people of Kano State all the best.”

Here is a thread showcasing some ongoing road projects embarked upon by President Tinubu’s administration in the North-Central region of the country.

1. DUALIZATION OF ILORIN–JEBBA–MOKWA/BOKANI JUNCTION (KWARA & NIGER STATES)

The Ilorin–Jebba–Mokwa/Bokani Junction road project… pic.twitter.com/cHofgt3bY3

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 3, 2026

RECONSTRUCTION OF KEFFI–NASARAWA–ABAJI ROAD, NASARAWA STATE

Major upgrades are underway on the Abuja–Nasarawa corridor, with active work across Gunki–Marmara and Gunki–Tamah, and the Mararaba Karu flyover extension, all set to cut travel time, decongest traffic, and boost road… pic.twitter.com/R0tHzPstFd

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 3, 2026

Makurdi–Enugu (9th Mile) Road Dualisation Project

The Makurdi–Enugu road dualization, including the 9th Mile stretch and Lafia bypass, is making steady progress, with 52 km in the current section complete, and 115 km finished across Sections 1 to 3, improving traffic flow and… pic.twitter.com/bfcCD2rjJU

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 3, 2026

The Federal Government, led by the Minister of Works, inspects ongoing works on the Abuja–Nasarawa and Abuja–Kaduna highways, with over 5 km already completed. Efforts continue to ensure quality construction, strengthening connectivity and driving economic growth along key… pic.twitter.com/ZYCHnZpEOY

— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) February 3, 2026

A Nigerian entrepreneur has heaped praises on Tony Elumelu, the chairman of Heirs Holdings, UBA Group and Transcorp The man, who buried his mum two weeks ago, recounted his conversation with Elumelu, whom he described as his leader and mentor He emphasised Elumelu's humility and sincere concern shown to him, and shared how he sent him N2 million despite not owing him such

Chukwudi Iwuchukwu, an entrepreneur, has recounted how Nigerian investor and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, whom he views as a mentor and leader, sent him N2 million weeks after his mother's burial.

Chukwudi, whose mum was buried two weeks ago, recalled how Elumelu texted him one Saturday afternoon, telling him to give him a phone call.

Tony Elumelu sends man N2 million Chukwudi, in a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday, January 28, said he spoke on the phone with the billionaire, who expressed sincere concern and empathy towards him over the demise of his mother and the burial, which he missed.

After the call, he said Elumelu asked for his account details and promised to get back to him. And true to his words, he sent Chukwudi money.

Chukwudi was blown away to receive a N2 million alert from the businessman. While noting that Elumelu didn't owe him the money, Chukwudi said his kind gesture was a demonstration of the kind of person he is. Apart from his humility, Chukwudi pointed out that Elumelu treats everyone with respect and kindness. He said a silent prayer for Elumelu after seeing the money he sent, and appreciated him on social media for his thoughtful gesture.

Chukwudi's Facebook post partly read: "...I was in the middle of a transit when my phone beeped. "I saw a 2 million naira alert from the man I fondly call Chairman, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu (TOE). "I said a silent prayer for him in my heart, that God will continue to bless him and prosper the work of his hands.

"Aside from his humility and the way he treats everyone with respect and kindness, "I was reminded that wealth without postive impact is meaningless. "Our world will be a better place when we positively impact the lives of others who can’t pay us back, who, because of our generosity, sleep better at night.

"And the lesson for me is to keep paying it forward

Nnamdi Chukwu said: "A man that rose from nothing to something that s TOE..Chukwudi there must be something about u that makes the world look for u…from Peter Obi, seahorse now TOE." Jayne Onoko Anyanwu said: "Chukwudi Iwuchukwu coman pay it forward oooo biko.. na me and you lose our mama.. "But honestly, God bless him and keep him.. "Imagine calling your name, making you feel at ease and becoming not just a mentor but a friend.

"This is humility that humbles another. "So sorry for your loss again." Onyeka Michael Chiemelie said: "May the good Lord bless him. "Mr. Tony Elumelu is a different breed of human - you don't leave without this enthralling beautiful energy." Izuu Zion said: "Accept my condolences sir, "May God grant you the fortitude to bear this loss. "I never knew TOE is an Igbo man. "I saw one of your articles on Quora.com, indeed you’re a pen maestro. "Your writing skills are quite lucid and plain for easy comprehension." Angela Ajuma Ogbadu said: "Mr Elumelu is such an iconic leader in all ramifications, but even much more is the gracefulness his wife shows. Great personality indeed."

It was a serene Saturday afternoon. I had just sat down to have my first meal at Madam Big Ben restaurant.
I had made my order and was salivating, waiting for my meal to arrive when his message came in:

“Chukwudi, please call me.” It was from Nigeria’s 4th richest man, the man his mentees fondly call “Chairman,” Tony Elumelu.

“Kedu!” was his opening statement on the phone after I greeted him.

We spoke Igbo for a while before transitioning to English. 

One thing about Tony Elumelu that makes him extraordinary is his humility and how he makes his mentees and his people feel seen, important, and special.

He remembers your name, makes you feel at ease, makes you feel that you matter, that you are important and a big deal even though he is our boss and our Oga Kpatakpa.

That kind of heart and selflessness is what makes him extraordinary and special, as it is rare.

“Did you lose your mum?” he asked with empathy over the phone.

“I must have missed it. So sorry.”

“Yes sir, I did,”

I responded back.

We had buried her two weeks ago.

“I sent you the burial IV during the whole Seplat news frenzy, so I understand, sir, that it was hectic for you.”

“Oh, my brother! So sorry about your loss.

How old was she, and what happened to her?”

Again, I was struck and touched by his sincerity and his genuine interest in understanding the circumstances surrounding my late mother’s passing.

He doesn’t owe me that, but that’s the kind of leader he is – one who genuinely cares about the well-being of his people, his mentees, and the staff within his conglomerate.

A leader who knows when to be firm and how to show compassion when life throws a curveball and unexpected challenges.

At the end of the conversation, he asked for my account details with a promise to revert back.
And he did in a big, profound way, which I did not see coming.

I was in the middle of a transit when my phone beeped.

I saw a 2 million naira alert from the man I fondly call Chairman, Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu (TOE).

I said a silent prayer for him in my heart, that God will continue to bless him and prosper the work of his hands.
Aside from his humility and the way he treats everyone with respect and kindness,
I was reminded that wealth without postive impact is meaningless.

Our world will be a better place when we positively impact the lives of others who can’t pay us back, who, because of our generosity, sleep better at night.

And the lesson for me is to keep paying it forward.

Thank you, sir, for the surprise, for the gift, and for your mentorship, which I don’t take for granted.
My late mum, who was a big fan of you, would be proud that you honored her memory in a remarkable way.

This is Araromi Beach, Ilaje, Ondo State, Nigeria

Araromi beach is located in Ondo state and it is a beautiful and fantastic space for relaxation or engagement in fun-filled activities especially beach ball and its like.

Using the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, getting here from V.I takes roughly 2 hours.

V.I → Folu is about 1hr 30mins, then 30–40mins by bike from Folu to Araromi through the shoreline.

Araromi Beach (Ilaje, Ondo State) is free, clean, and beautiful, a hidden coastal gem.