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Nobody knows tomorrow… Tomorrow is Tuesday

I arrived at Basic Combat Training on a Tuesday – August 25th. I remember the date the way you remember the day something in you quietly ended and something else, harder and less certain, began.

The decision itself had started long before I ever stepped off that bus. It began with a flip, almost casual, decision to do it – the kind you make late at night and half-forget by morning. Then came a second, more serious decision: the one where you actually mean it. And then the long third beginning – weeks of training, shopping, eating less, packing, preparing. I hired a personal trainer. I watched TikTok and YouTube videos of soldiers I’d never met, absorbing their advice like scripture. I joined a WhatsApp group of incoming recruits and current soldiers trading tips and tricks to survive what was coming. None of it prepared me for what was coming.

There was unemployment before all this. There was running a for-profit company and a non-profit at the same time, trying to make both survive. There was the move from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma, then Tulsa – remote work, layoffs, and certification after certification, chasing whatever would keep me employed. There were warehouse shifts and caregiving jobs, taken not out of ambition but out of necessity, to fund conferences I couldn’t really afford, hoping the debt would be worth it. Nobody tells you that the road to a decision is sometimes more exhausting than the decision itself.

When I got my uniform, I was elated. The black shirt and shorts with the Army insignia. The green pants, green underwear, green long-sleeve shirt with my name stitched on it. I wore it with pride. I also wore it as penance – as an offering to God, calling on Him to make my visions and resolutions real. That is the part people rarely say out loud: for some of us, service is also prayer. Psalm 23 marched through my head more nights than I can count. The Lord is my Shepherd. I personalised it. Please, God, have mercy on me.

And then there was the real thing – the doing it. I have scars from listening to a Drill Sergeant yell, even in my sleep. I feared breaking a bone during exercise. I was told, mid-training, that I had a sickle cell trait – and I pleaded, quietly and honestly, that the blood test results would never be my portion. I cried. I breathed intentionally, deliberately, and then forgot to breathe altogether. I fainted once. There was a Caribbean song coming over the speakers in the van as we drove to sick call, standing shoulder to shoulder with soldiers who had entirely different reasons for being there, their blood pressure taken alongside mine.

There was the exhaustion and sleep deprivation, carrying heavy objects, the sound of grenades on the first day of basic, the sting of a vaccine injection. There was blood from my arms while I screamed, the cold and the heat, hostility from the bay like I was watching myself age a decade in a single scene – moving from victim to villain and back again. The monotony and the pain. The thirst and the hunger. The MREs. The ghost that haunted my formations, morning, afternoon, and evening. And finally, at reception, learning I didn’t have 20/20 vision and needed glasses that would take two weeks to arrive.

Truthfully, my journey as a soldier hadn’t even begun the day I made the decision. It began the day I realized what that decision actually cost – my marriage, or at least the life I imagined for it. My spouse laid down her own career and dreams to provide shelter, to hold our life together while I chased mine. I thought about a master’s in cybersecurity, about earning Top Secret clearance with the Department of Defense. I thought about my mother’s burial, which I could not fully participate in because life – training, conferences, distance – kept pulling me elsewhere.

In the ER, in the examining room, struggling to get an IV in, moving my shirt slightly for an EKG, I remember thinking something simple: I am not poor. I would say it to myself, quietly, like a rebuttal to everything that felt like loss. I am rich in love.

I am still in that journey. Along the way, I have met other Africans and Caribbeans, each carrying a different story and a different injury. One man was inspired to enlist by his 19-year-old daughter, already serving in the Air Force – a father following his own child into duty. Another got married and joined just two months later, choosing to build a family and a service career in the same breath. One had just received his green card and was now nursing a fracture, still standing, still counting the cost of a new country and a new commitment. A mother was doing it all for her four-year-old, training with a child’s face in her mind on the hardest days. Different nations, different wounds, the same aspiration underneath.

Nobody knows tomorrow. I certainly didn’t know, that Tuesday in August, everything tomorrow would ask of me – my body, my marriage, my faith, my sense of who I was. But tomorrow came anyway, the way it always does, indifferent to whether we feel ready. My journey isn’t finished. I don’t know how many more Tuesdays stand between me and wherever this road ends. But I look up to God, and I lean on the support of my partner, and I keep walking. The lesson I carry, still, isn’t about weapons or drills. It’s this: uncertainty is not a reason to wait. It is simply the terrain you walk while becoming who you’re meant to be – and you rarely walk it alone.

. Inegbedion is a technology entrepreneur, journalist, and social innovator. He is the Head of Happiness at ConcordeApp, an AI platform transforming how people build meaningful professional relationships, and the Head of Failure and Social Experiments at Semaform Foundation, a nonprofit advancing technology for social impact and health equity. Chaste serves as Global Editor of DA News and is a regular contributor to BellaNaija, BusinessDay, and Premium Times, where he writes on artificial intelligence, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global development. His reporting has covered major international forums, including the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, CES, Cannes Lions, Afrotech, the World Bank, and AI for Good.

Caucasus after Karabakh: from conflict zone to connectivity corridor

By Mazahir Afandiyev, in collaboration with the Editorial Team

The 27th of September 2020 began for the entire Azerbaijani people as a long-awaited and proud day. It once again demonstrated the strength, determination and bravery of the victorious Azerbaijani Army, a strength that Azerbaijan had experienced throughout its history of statehood and that was demonstrated to the whole world.

On that very day, the Armenian armed forces, which grossly violated the ceasefire regime, launched another aggression against Azerbaijan by intensively striking the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces along the entire front line, while deliberately subjecting populated areas of the Tartar, Aghdam, Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts to artillery fire. As a result, alongside military personnel, 11 Azerbaijani civilians, including two children, were killed.

Guided by the norms and principles of international law, as well as the four well-known resolutions of the United Nations Security Council that had remained on paper for 27 years, and with the aim of repelling the enemy’s military provocation and putting an end to its aggression, as well as ending the occupation of our territories that had continued for more than 30 years, Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Great Commander, President Ilham Aliyev, immediately ordered the Azerbaijani Army to launch a counter-offensive along the entire front.

Thus, our activities aimed at liberating Karabakh, for which we had yearned for 30 years, began on September 27 with the ‘Iron Fist’ counter-offensive operations and turned into the 44-day Second Karabakh-Patriotic War, ending with the liberation of Shusha, the pearl of Karabakh, from occupation. As a result of successful military operations, by November 9, five cities, four settlements and 286 villages were liberated from occupation, while the victorious Azerbaijani Army defeated the Armenian armed forces and the terrorist groups formed in Karabakh.

On November 10 of the same year, following Armenia’s official appeal to the Russian Federation, the war was stopped with the direct participation of Russia and by agreement of the heads of all three states. A declaration consisting of nine provisions was adopted between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and thus Armenia signed an act of capitulation. As stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia had no choice but to accept defeat before our Glorious Army. Therefore, the occupying side admitted its defeat and the conflict was officially brought to an end.

Yet the end of active hostilities did not mean that the consequences of the conflict disappeared overnight. The post-war period created a second and equally important task: to turn military victory into a durable political, economic and social reality. This meant restoring communities, rebuilding infrastructure, returning people to their homes, reviving economic life and, ultimately, changing the physical and economic geography of a region that had been shaped by conflict for decades.

As a result of continuing the victory achieved on the military front at the political level, within 20 days after the 44-day Patriotic War, three districts-Aghdam on November 20, Kalbajar on November 25, and Lachin on December 1-were handed over to Azerbaijan. On August 26, 2022, the city of Lachin, as well as the villages of Zabukh and Sus, were taken under control. Thus, in accordance with the trilateral statement, the process of peacefully returning the Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts was completed.

The War, which lasted only 44 days, and the bravery of our heroic officers and soldiers turned the centuries-old aspirations of our grateful people into reality, liberated our lands that had been under occupation, and restored historical justice.

From the very first day of this war, hundreds of patriotic young Azerbaijanis wholeheartedly volunteered to go to the front and fought heroically against the enemy. Unfortunately, war has its own laws. If there is war, there are also martyrs, veterans and losses. This war was not without casualties either. A total of 2,908 Azerbaijani servicemen made the ultimate sacrifice in the struggle to liberate our lands, while six remain missing and thousands of brave soldiers became war veterans.

As President Ilham Aliyev stated, ‘I once again bow my head before the souls of the martyrs of the First and Second Karabakh Wars and pray to God to have mercy upon them. We avenged their blood! Our heroic soldiers and officers who presented us with this Victory are our source of pride. Their heroism, their bravery and their sacrifice have already become an epic.’

It is no coincidence that September 27, which has become a celebration of national will, national spirit and national dignity, is observed every year in the Republic of Azerbaijan as Remembrance Day, in accordance with the Order of President Ilham Aliyev dated December 2, 2020, as a sign of deep respect for our soldiers and officers who fought heroically in the Second Karabakh-Patriotic War and sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of our country, as well as for all our martyrs.

In general, the Azerbaijani state has always shown the highest respect for the memory of our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland, keeping the perpetuation of their memory, as well as the treatment and restoration of the health of our veterans, at the centre of its attention.

The Victory Park, created with the aim of perpetuating the names of our martyrs and heroic sons; the Victory Arch, built as a symbol of the 44-day Patriotic War, with a height of 44 metres, a width of 22 metres and 44 columns; the Patriotic War Memorial Complex; and the Victory Museum will always keep alive the heroic epic of our people.

But remembrance is only one part of the post-war transformation. The other is rebuilding the geography of everyday life. Roads, railways, airports, energy infrastructure, digital networks, industrial zones, residential settlements and social facilities are changing the physical landscape of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur. Reconstruction is therefore not simply about repairing what was destroyed. It is about creating the infrastructure through which people, goods, capital and ideas can move again.

This is where the meaning of the post-Karabakh period becomes broader than the restoration of territories. The strategic question is increasingly how a region that was once associated with closed borders, military positions and competing territorial claims can become a region of roads, railways, trade routes and economic cooperation.

Today, the Azerbaijani people are closer to peace than ever before. The South Caucasus is transforming from a centre of conflict into a region where all peoples can live in prosperity. The signing of the Washington Declaration on August 8, 2025, between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the United States Donald Trump and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, as well as the initialling of the text of the Peace Agreement, became an important point towards achieving lasting peace. The Washington Declaration explicitly emphasised the opening of communications between Azerbaijan and Armenia for domestic, bilateral and international transportation and referred to unimpeded connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Armenia, with reciprocal benefits for regional connectivity. It also established the framework for the proposed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, or TRIPP.

This is an important change in the language of the South Caucasus. For decades, the region was discussed primarily through the vocabulary of conflict: ceasefires, front lines, occupied territories, displaced populations, security arrangements and negotiations. The emerging agenda increasingly uses a different vocabulary: connectivity, transit, investment, logistics, energy, digital infrastructure and trade.

The strategic significance of this shift should not be underestimated. Geography, which once appeared to be one of the region’s greatest sources of vulnerability, can increasingly become one of its greatest economic assets. Azerbaijan’s position on the Caspian Sea places it at the intersection of routes connecting Central Asia with the South Caucasus, Trkiye and Europe. The Middle Corridor, or Trans-Caspian East-West International Transport Corridor, already connects China and Central Asia with the Caucasus and Europe through a multimodal network of rail, maritime and road infrastructure.

In this emerging architecture, Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur are no longer viewed only through the prism of their recent conflict history. Their reconstruction is becoming connected to a wider economic geography that includes the Caspian Sea, the Middle Corridor, Nakhchivan, Trkiye and European markets. The restoration of roads and railways inside Azerbaijan can therefore serve not only local communities but also the wider movement of goods and people across the region.

The logic is particularly significant because connectivity is rarely limited to transportation. A functioning corridor requires customs cooperation, border infrastructure, logistics centres, digital systems, energy supplies, investment and predictable commercial conditions. In this sense, a transport corridor can become an economic ecosystem. The more efficiently these components operate together, the greater the potential for transit routes to generate investment, employment and new commercial relationships.

The restoration and reconstruction work being carried out in our Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur economic regions in accordance with modern urban planning standards, the further growth of the region’s economic potential against the backdrop of geopolitical changes taking place in our world, and Azerbaijan’s transformation into a strategic transportation hub between East and West, as well as North and South, are increasing the international community’s interest in achieving lasting peace.

A peaceful South Caucasus would also have significance far beyond Azerbaijan and Armenia. The region sits between major economic spaces and transport networks. Its stability can affect routes linking Central Asia with Europe, the Caspian basin with the Black Sea, and Trkiye with the wider Turkic world. For this reason, the economic value of peace is increasingly inseparable from the strategic value of connectivity.

The same principle applies to energy. Azerbaijan’s established role as an energy supplier to European markets has already given the country an important position in the continent’s diversification efforts. The next stage is broader: energy corridors can increasingly develop alongside transport and digital corridors, creating a more integrated regional infrastructure network. The result could be a South Caucasus in which energy, logistics, communications and trade reinforce one another rather than developing as separate projects.

This is also why the post-war reconstruction of Karabakh should be viewed within the wider transformation of Azerbaijan’s economy and infrastructure. The rebuilding of roads and settlements, the development of industrial and economic zones, the expansion of renewable energy capacity and the strengthening of transport connections can collectively create the foundations for a new regional economic model.

In this context, the recent visit of representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan to Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur from September 11 to 13, 2026, was not accidental. That visit once again demonstrated that the countries they represent unequivocally recognise and support Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. At the same time, within Armenian society, revanchist forces that are hostile towards our country made unfounded and false statements and attempted to undermine the process of achieving peace.

The diplomatic visits to the liberated territories also carry a wider message. For years, international attention to Karabakh was overwhelmingly associated with conflict, displacement and political negotiations. Today, international representatives can also see reconstruction, new infrastructure and the changing economic landscape on the ground. This creates an opportunity for the international community to assess the region not only as a former conflict zone but as an emerging component of a wider connectivity network.

The transformation will not happen automatically. Infrastructure alone cannot guarantee economic integration. Roads and railways must be accompanied by political stability, functioning institutions, investment, cross-border cooperation and confidence among the countries of the region. Sustainable connectivity requires predictable rules and respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction. The Washington Declaration itself places these principles alongside its call for the opening of communications.

This is particularly important because the South Caucasus has historically been influenced by competing geopolitical interests. A new connectivity model can succeed only if the region’s countries and external partners see economic cooperation not as a zero-sum competition but as an opportunity to expand the overall regional market.

The emerging role of Azerbaijan is therefore not simply that of a country rebuilding territory after war. It is increasingly that of a country attempting to connect different economic and geographical spaces. The Middle Corridor gives Azerbaijan a role in the movement of goods between Asia and Europe, while routes towards Nakhchivan and Trkiye create additional possibilities for north-south and east-west connectivity. The planned TRIPP framework, meanwhile, places the opening of communications between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan within a broader regional connectivity agenda.

The United States and Azerbaijan have also explicitly placed regional connectivity, including the Middle Corridor, energy, trade, transit, data connectivity and multimodal logistics within the framework of their strategic partnership. This demonstrates how the post-war transformation of the South Caucasus is increasingly connected to wider international economic and strategic calculations.

In this sense, the phrase ‘after Karabakh’ should not be understood merely as a reference to a period that follows a war. It describes a fundamental change in the region’s strategic logic. The question is no longer only how the South Caucasus can prevent another war. It is increasingly how peace can produce tangible economic benefits for societies that have lived with conflict for decades.

Connectivity can become one of the mechanisms through which that peace is made visible in everyday life. A functioning railway, a modern highway, a logistics centre, an industrial facility, an energy project or a digital connection may appear to be an economic development individually. Together, however, they can change the strategic importance of the entire region.

For Azerbaijan, this transformation is particularly significant because the country’s geography has historically been both a challenge and an opportunity. Situated between the Caspian Sea, Russia, Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Trkiye, Azerbaijan occupies a position through which multiple regional routes can converge. The post-war environment creates the possibility of linking this geography more effectively with neighbouring countries and international markets.

For Armenia, the opening of regional communications could also create new economic possibilities, particularly if connectivity develops on the basis of mutually agreed principles and reciprocal benefits. For Georgia, Trkiye, Central Asian states and European partners, greater stability and improved transport links could provide additional routes for trade and investment. In this sense, the benefits of connectivity need not be confined to the countries directly involved in the former conflict.

The transformation of the South Caucasus from a conflict zone into a connectivity corridor is therefore not merely an infrastructure project. It is a long-term political and economic process. Its success will depend on whether the region can replace the habits and structures of confrontation with practical cooperation.

The legacy of the 44-day war will always remain inseparable from the sacrifices of Azerbaijan’s martyrs and the suffering caused by decades of conflict. The remembrance of those who lost their lives cannot be separated from the country’s determination to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, the strongest guarantee that the next generation will not experience the same cycle of conflict may be the creation of conditions in which peace becomes economically valuable, politically sustainable and socially meaningful.

The South Caucasus is therefore standing at a historic crossroads. The road that once carried armies can become a road that carries trade. Territories once defined by military confrontation can become places of reconstruction and investment. Borders that once represented division can become points of regulated movement and economic exchange. And geography that once intensified strategic competition can become the foundation of regional connectivity.

Despite all this, under the leadership of the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Azerbaijan will not take even a single step back from its firm position and will continue to shape new realities in the region. This new reality created by our Glorious Victory will protect not only the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, but also the peaceful, secure and prosperous future of the region and its peoples as a whole.

The next chapter of the South Caucasus will ultimately be judged not only by what was won on the battlefield, but by what is built after the battlefield falls silent. If the region succeeds in converting peace into connectivity, connectivity into trade, and trade into shared economic opportunity, then the post-Karabakh era could mark something much larger than the end of a conflict. It could mark the beginning of a new economic geography for the South Caucasus, one in which the region moves from being known primarily as a frontier of confrontation to becoming a bridge between continents.

Rizal upland communities get bamboo-based technology, livelihood prospect from DOST

In Rodriguez, Rizal, bamboo is becoming more than a natural resource-it is opening doors to new livelihood opportunities and more sustainable fuel production, with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The partnership among DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Brgy. Puray Upland Farmers Association Inc., and the Tribal Council Association of Puray Inc. aims to establish a community-based enterprise that will convert locally available bamboo into charcoal briquettes in Barangay Puray.

‘Livelihood and environmental protection do not have to be competing goals. With the right technology, communities can use resources, such as bamboo, while reducing reliance on wood for charcoal. This project shows that economic opportunities and environmental protection can go hand in hand,’ said Science Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr.

Through the initiative, the people’s organizations will be trained to produce and potentially market bamboo charcoal briquettes.

Livelihood meets sustainability

Charcoal briquetting converts carbonized biomass and charcoal fines into compact fuel by mixing them with a binder and compressing the mixture using a briquetting machine. DOST-FPRDI has developed both manual and hydraulic briquetting machines.

The resulting briquettes are compact and easy to handle, burn more slowly, and can produce more intense heat per unit volume than ordinary charcoal.

Besides bamboo, the technology can also process coconut shells, coconut husks, coffee bean hulls, sawdust, and other agro-forest wastes.

‘This gives communities greater flexibility in sourcing materials and creates opportunities to turn agricultural and forest residues into useful fuel products rather than allowing them to go to waste,’ explained DOST-FPRDI Director Rico J. Cabangon.

Rodriguez, Rizal provides a strong foundation for the initiative, with about 1,642 hectares of bamboo plantations in Barangay Puray.

The participating organizations are also managing substantial bamboo areas, including 167 hectares under Remontado Balik Kalikasan Inc., 197 hectares under the Brgy. Puray Upland Farmers Association Inc., and nearly 300 hectares under the Tribal Council Association of Puray Inc.

The project reflects DOST-FPRDI’s broader efforts to promote technologies that help communities make productive use of locally available biomass. By providing alternatives to traditional wood charcoal and creating value from bamboo and other agro-forest wastes, charcoal briquetting can support both livelihood development and more sustainable resource use.

According to Cabangon, transferring the technology does not simply mean providing equipment. Instead, the project was built around the resources, facilities, and capabilities that each organization already has.

DOST-FPRDI conducted site assessments and recommended facility layouts and equipment arrangements suited to the communities’ existing spaces and resources. To make the technology manageable, the project will begin with small-scale production using manual briquetting machines.

The equipment will be provided to the three participating organizations as they build the skills needed to operate the technology.

‘Delivering the equipment is only the first step. What matters is whether communities can operate it, build the skills to use it, and eventually make it part of a viable livelihood. That is why we are starting with equipment and production scale suited to what these organizations already have, so they can grow their capabilities and expand as they gain experience,’ he said.

Through continued collaboration with local partners, DOST-FPRDI seeks to ensure that technologies are not only transferred to communities, but adapted to their needs and developed into opportunities they can sustain.

The reform dashboard: From reform promises to measurable public service results

Nigeria’s public service has witnessed several waves of reform since independence. Successive administrations have introduced policies, committees, transformation programmes, digital platforms and institutional restructuring designed to make government more efficient, responsive and accountable. Yet one persistent challenge remains: how do we know, with sufficient evidence, whether these reforms are actually being implemented and producing the results for which they were designed?

From the perspective of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), this is no longer simply a question of monitoring. It is a question of building a modern system of reform intelligence capable of giving government a clear and continuously updated picture of reform implementation across the public service.

BPSR occupies a strategic position within Nigeria’s reform architecture. Its mandate includes coordinating, monitoring and evaluating public-sector reforms, conducting research and promoting best practices for improving the effectiveness of the public service. This responsibility places the Bureau at the centre of one of the most important challenges facing contemporary governance: translating government policies and reform commitments into measurable institutional and citizen outcomes.

The public service is increasingly digital. Government is deploying electronic platforms, digital records, online services, data systems and technology-enabled processes. It is therefore logical that the management of public-sector reform should also become digital.

This is where the concept of a BPSR Digital Reform Tracker deserves serious consideration. The proposed tracker should become more than an online repository of government reforms. It should function as a strategic management and accountability instrument through which BPSR can monitor the lifecycle of major reforms-from policy commitment and implementation to institutionalisation and measurable results.

Every major reform should have a digital profile showing its objective, responsible institution, implementation milestones, timelines, performance indicators, current status, and evidence of progress, implementation risks and measurable outcomes.

For public-sector officials, this would create a common reference point for reform implementation. A Permanent Secretary should be able to know the status of reforms within the ministry. A Director should be able to identify outstanding milestones. Reform coordinators should be able to see where implementation is falling behind. Senior government leadership should have access to an aggregated national picture.

Most importantly, BPSR itself would be better positioned to provide evidence-based advice on where intervention is required.

The proposed system could classify reforms according to a simple performance architecture: on track, at risk, delayed, stalled, completed or institutionalised. But the real value would come from the evidence behind each classification.

A reform should not be considered successful simply because a policy document has been approved, a committee established or a digital platform launched. The critical issue is whether the intended institutional change has occurred.

For example, if a reform seeks to reduce the time required to deliver a public service, the relevant indicator should measure whether processing time has actually declined. If a reform seeks to improve procurement efficiency, the assessment should examine measurable improvements in compliance, cycle time, value for money and transparency. If an MDA introduces a digital service, the question should extend beyond whether the platform exists to whether citizens are actually using it and receiving better services.

This distinction is critical to the future of public-sector reform. BPSR is championing a transition from activity-based reform monitoring to results-based reform management.

The Bureau’s existing monitoring and evaluation responsibilities provide an important foundation for this approach. Its reform work already recognises the importance of indicators, targets, baseline information and means of verification. The next step is to bring these elements together through a digital system that allows reform information to be updated, analysed and interpreted continuously.

Such a system would also strengthen coordination across government.

Public-sector reform does not take place within isolated institutional boundaries. Budget reform can affect procurement.

Procurement reform can affect project implementation. Human-resource reform can affect institutional performance. Digital transformation can affect almost every government process. Regulatory reform can determine whether private-sector investment responds to government policy.

Without an integrated reform-tracking mechanism, these interdependencies can easily become invisible. The BPSR Reform Tracker is providing government with a national reform map, showing not only individual reforms but also how they relate to one another.

This would help identify duplication, conflicting mandates, implementation gaps and reforms that are dependent on decisions or actions by other institutions.

For BPSR, the value is particularly significant. The Bureau would be able to move from receiving reform reports periodically to having access to a dynamic evidence base from which it can generate early-warning signals.

If an MDA repeatedly misses implementation milestones, the system should flag the reform for attention. If several institutions encounter similar implementation obstacles, BPSR should be able to identify the systemic issue and advise government accordingly.

In this sense, digital reform monitoring becomes an early-warning mechanism for government performance. There is also a powerful opportunity to strengthen institutional accountability.

Every reform should have a clearly identified institutional owner. Responsibilities should not disappear into the language of committees or broad government programmes. The tracker should identify the responsible MDA, implementation lead, milestone and expected delivery date. This does not mean creating a punitive system for public servants. Rather, it should create a professional management tool that allows government to distinguish between genuine implementation challenges and avoidable delays.

Public-sector reform is often complex. Officials face changes in policy direction, funding constraints, legal limitations, institutional resistance, capacity gaps and technological challenges. A credible reform-tracking system should therefore capture not only whether a reform is delayed but why it is delayed.

This is where BPSR’s professional judgement becomes essential. The Bureau should not merely collect data. It should interpret it.

The future BPSR should increasingly operate as a centre of reform intelligence, helping government understand the evidence behind reform performance and recommending practical interventions. This also provides an opportunity to improve the relationship between BPSR and MDAs.

Rather than viewing monitoring as an inspection exercise, the Reform Tracker should promote a culture of continuous improvement. MDAs should be able to update their implementation status, identify constraints and request technical support. BPSR, in turn, can provide comparative analysis, identify good practices and facilitate institutional learning.

A reform that succeeds in one ministry should not remain a ministry-specific success. The system should make it possible to identify successful practices and determine whether they can be adapted elsewhere in government. This could turn BPSR into a stronger knowledge hub for public-sector transformation.

There is another dimension that deserves attention: institutional memory. Nigeria has experienced several changes of administration, and each administration naturally brings new priorities. Yet important public-sector reforms should not disappear simply because political leadership changes.

A digital reform tracker would preserve the history of government reform commitments. It would show what was initiated, what was completed, what was discontinued and what remains outstanding.

This would help future administrations make better decisions. They would not have to begin every reform conversation from zero.

The system could also strengthen the quality of annual public-service reporting. Instead of relying primarily on retrospective reporting, BPSR could generate periodic national reform performance reports based on continuously updated information. Such reports could identify reforms that are performing well, reforms requiring intervention and emerging systemic risks.

For senior public-sector officials, this would provide a more useful basis for decision-making than fragmented reports from individual institutions. For policymakers, it would provide evidence. For development partners, it would provide greater clarity about reform implementation. For researchers and civil society, it would create a stronger basis for assessing government performance. For citizens, it would provide greater transparency.

But transparency must be approached carefully. Not every piece of administrative information should necessarily be placed in the public domain. BPSR should develop appropriate data governance, verification, and security and access protocols. Public disclosure should focus on information that can legitimately strengthen accountability without compromising sensitive government information.

The ultimate objective should be to create a system that is credible, evidence-based, secure and useful to government. Technology should also be deployed intelligently. Artificial intelligence and data analytics could eventually assist BPSR in identifying patterns in reform performance, detecting recurring delays, comparing implementation trends and generating early-warning alerts. However, technology should support professional judgement rather than replace it.

The principle should remain simple: data informs judgement; officials make decisions; institutions remain accountable. For BPSR, the digital transformation of reform monitoring represents an opportunity to redefine the Bureau’s strategic value to government.

The future should not be about BPSR merely asking MDAs to submit reform reports. It should be about creating a system in which reform information is structured, verified, analysed and transformed into actionable intelligence. That is the real promise of a BPSR Digital Reform Tracker.

Nigeria does not need another dashboard that simply displays impressive statistics. It needs a management instrument that tells the truth about reform implementation.

Which reforms are moving? Which ones are stuck? Why are they stuck? Who is responsible? What resources are required? What intervention is necessary? And most importantly, what has changed for the Nigerian citizen? These are the questions that should define the next generation of public-sector reform.

From the perspective of BPSR, digital reform tracking should therefore be understood not as an information-technology project but as a governance reform in its own right. It would strengthen evidence-based decision-making, improve coordination, preserve institutional memory, support accountability and enable government to identify implementation problems before they become systemic failures.

The ambition should be clear: every major public-service reform should be traceable, measurable and evidence-backed. Nigeria has invested considerably in reform ideas. The next frontier is reform delivery. BPSR can lead that transition by building a national digital architecture in which reforms are no longer buried in reports, policy documents and institutional files, but can be continuously tracked from commitment to implementation, from implementation to outcomes, and from outcomes to lasting institutional change.

The measure of successful reform is ultimately not how often government announces change. It is how consistently government can demonstrate that change has occurred. That is the reform dashboard Nigeria now needs.

.Dr. Arabi is the director-general, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), The Presidency, Nigeria.

Famed radio, TV priest Fulton Sheen is beatified

ST. LOUIS-As tens of thousands of Catholic worshippers stood Thursday in a football stadium-turned-temporary cathedral, all eyes focused on a teenage boy walking solemnly toward the makeshift altar, accompanied by his parents and siblings.

James Fulton Engstrom carried an ornate vessel containing the relics of his namesake, the man whom the Catholic Church credits with his miraculous survival as a newborn-Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who died in 1979.

It was a highlight of a lengthy ceremony of beatification for the famed 20th century TV prelate, who will now be known as Blessed Fulton Sheen-one step away from sainthood.

Catholic devotees converged on St. Louis for the afternoon ceremony, taking place at the Dome at America’s Center after years of delays. The indoor stadium was chosen because there wasn’t a venue large enough in his home Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, to accommodate the anticipated crowd.

The ceremony comes 16 years to the month since James was born at home without a pulse and was rushed to the hospital, even as his parents and others prayed earnestly and asked Sheen to add his heavenly prayers, following the Catholic tradition of seeking the intercessions of departed holy people.

After a formal inquiry, the Catholic Church determined that James’ resuscitation-when medical workers were about to declare him dead-was a miracle attributable to Sheen’s prayers. To qualify for beatification, the Vatican typically requires one miracle attributed to the candidate.

James’ mother, Bonnie Engstrom, said before the ceremony that she expected it would feel like a ‘foretaste of heaven.’

She said she’d been praying to Sheen throughout her pregnancy, and ‘it was just a very natural thing in the hardest hour of our life’ to seek his help.

The presentation of the relics, placed on a pedestal by the altar, was a highlight of a lengthy service that began with a formal procession of hundreds of priests and scores of bishops, lasting more than half an hour and accompanied by robust organ, choral and orchestral music.

A 20th century bishop draws a new audience

About 50,000 tickets were distributed, according to organizers. The halls and exhibit areas were thronged in the morning by pilgrims-priests in cassocks, nuns in habits, families with young children in tow, elderly worshippers who recalled watching Sheen on TV.

Scores of bishops, a thousand priests and hundreds of religious order members, seminarians and deacons participated.

Many thronged exhibit booths or stood in long lines to give confession. Others quietly meditated throughout the morning in a makeshift chapel in front of a Eucharist displayed on an altar, including some who knelt on the concrete floor.

Bishops have been seeking to promote this traditional devotion, which Sheen practiced regularly.

The Vatican’s top evangelization official, Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, the lead celebrant for the Mass, brought greetings from Pope Leo XIV, calling him Sheen’s ‘fellow Illinoisan.’

Tagle called Sheen a model for evangelization, or sharing the faith.

Sheen was once a regular presence in the living rooms of millions of Americans-including that of the future pontiff, who says he watched Sheen’s broadcasts while growing up in Chicago.

Attendees, many too young to have seen Sheen’s broadcasts, said they’ve taken inspiration from his books and online videos.

‘There’s just a revival in the American church as a whole,’ said Joseph Punswick, a seminarian from the Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas.

‘To have an American pope, to have an American beatified man, is amazing to see. Look around. You see kids, you see young families, you see college kids,’ he said.

Other attendees, such as Mary Chalupsky of Milford, Connecticut, recalled watching Sheen’s original TV programs. ‘He brought so many to the faith,’ she said.

Sheen’s journey from Peoria to primetime

Sheen was a pioneering radio priest who quickly adopted the burgeoning medium of television in the 1950s, when he began hosting the Emmy-winning program, ‘Life is Worth Living.’

Dressed in a cassock, cape and skullcap, he stood at a chalkboard and delivered moral and religious lessons without a narrow Catholic focus.

Sheen was born in 1895 in the small town of El Paso, Illinois, and raised in Peoria. After becoming a priest and earning a doctorate in philosophy, he became a professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He became known for his academic lectures and his plainspoken addresses from the pulpit and the broadcast studio. He often signed off with the benediction, ‘God love you.’

Sheen appeared in a Time magazine cover article, and he guided celebrities and others converting to Catholicism.

He met with popes and spoke at the reformist Second Vatican Council. He railed against communism, though he opposed the Vietnam War.

Sheen raised funds and traveled the world on behalf of Catholic missions. He served as a bishop in New York State, retiring as an archbishop.

After his death at 84, he was buried at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York until his niece won a court battle in 2019 to move his body to Peoria’s Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, which now draws pilgrims to his tomb.

The Illinois teen tied to Sheen’s path to sainthood

The late Pope Francis approved the beatification, attributing to Sheen the miracle of James’ resuscitation.

Bonnie Engstrom said she and her husband chose Sheen for James’ patron after discovering the prelate’s old videos, adding that Sheen’s Midwestern-accented voice reminded her of her grandfather and great-grandfather.

‘He’s like a local boy,’ she said at a news conference.

James, who just turned 16, has a devotion to Sheen, but he’s largely avoiding the media spotlight.

‘He’s a delightful young man, but he’s still just a teenage boy, and he needs to be given the space and the grace to have his own journey of life,’ his mother said.

Sheen’s beatification backstory

The beatification was originally scheduled for 2019, but the Vatican delayed the ceremony. The Diocese of Rochester, which Sheen briefly led in the 1960s, requested the delay out of caution, due to legal investigations taking place then into the oversight of priests accused of sexual abuse across New York State.

Church officials later concluded that Sheen’s record gave no cause for further delay, and plans for the ceremony resumed. Pope Leo approved the beatification earlier this year.

Monsignor Jason Gray, executive director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, said church investigators review records and interview witnesses before determining whether a healing qualifies as a miracle.

He said there are now six more cases under investigation; a second miracle would qualify Sheen for sainthood under Vatican rules.

Peoria Bishop Louis Tylka said he believes the wait for canonization will be shorter than for the beatification, especially with an Illinois-born pope who’s ‘very much aware of who Sheen is and how he influenced his own life.’

FROM THE JUDGES’ TABLE | When award-winning dishes leave the competition kitchen

AWARDS can make a dish sound better than it tastes.

That is why the more interesting test for Hilton Manila’s winning creations was not the plaque, the competition they came from or the chefs behind them, but what happened when the dishes were finally placed in front of a diner.

At Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts, four winning dishes from the hotel’s local and Western selections were served as part of a special lunch featuring chefs Gianpaulo Climaco, Eljon Panahon, AJ Chua and Marjorie Dionisio.

The menu, available from September 15 to November 15, 2026, brings together Sinurol na Molong Manok and Humba Pata from the local selection, and Hamachi Kama Farce and Braised Beef Intercostal from the Western selection, followed by the Summer Sonata dessert.

Familiar comfort with a twist

THE strongest impression came from the Sinurol na Molong Manok, which was immediately aromatic, with coconut milk providing the first noticeable scent.

The ‘molong’ refers to the chicken dumpling, which sits in a broth that borrows the familiar comfort of tinola while adding the richness of coconut milk.

The combination worked. The ginger-forward broth had the savory, warming character of tinola, while the coconut milk brought a restrained sweetness and a faint spicy note. It was comforting without becoming overly rich.

The weak point was the dumpling wrapper. Some pieces had a noticeably thick, slightly tough exterior that interrupted the otherwise smooth experience of eating the dumpling with the soup.

A thinner, softer wrapper would have made more sense here, allowing the dumpling to disappear into the broth rather than making it feel like a separate component.

Sweet, unapologetically fatty

HUMBA Pata went in more predictably but executed the basics well.

It smelled distinctly sweet, and the sauce carried enough garlic to keep the sweetness from becoming one-dimensional. The pork itself was very soft, as pata should be, although the cut leaned heavily toward fat.

It is the kind of dish that does not necessarily surprise you, but understands what people expect from humba-and delivers it.

Sauce does the heavy lifting

PERSONALLY, the Hamachi Kama Farce was the least convincing to this palate.

Visually, it was perhaps one of the more polished dishes, but its flavor was comparatively restrained. The fish had a slightly sour profile and, on its own, came across as somewhat bland.

That may be intentional-the dish relies on its accompanying olive-oil-based sauce to give the fish more character-but diners who prefer bolder seasoning may find themselves reaching for salt and pepper.

It is, however, not a bad dish. It is simply one where the sauce becomes necessary rather than optional.

The beef that needs no intro

THE Braised Beef Intercostal was more layered.

The sauce was the first thing that stood out aromatically, while the red wine component worked particularly well with the pumpkin puree. The beef itself was properly seasoned and tender, requiring little effort to cut or eat.

The truffle risotto was another good supporting element. Its truffle character was noticeable without becoming overpowering, which matters because too much truffle can quickly turn a dish from elegant to exhausting.

Here, the components made sense together: soft beef, smooth puree and creamy risotto, with enough seasoning to keep the plate from tasting flat.

Dessert understood the assignment

THE Summer Sonata was arguably the easiest crowd-pleaser of the meal.

It looked the part: mango-forward, colorful and neatly assembled, with the kind of presentation that makes you want to take a photo before disturbing it. More importantly, the flavor had enough contrast to keep it from becoming merely decorative.

The tartness of the mango cut through the sweetness of the custard-like filling, while mango puree and caramel tucked inside the sponge added another layer of sweetness.

Further, the almond crumble was particularly useful because most of the dessert was soft. Its crunch provided the textural break the dish needed, while adding a little more sweetness and nuttiness.

Now, repeat orders

FOR diners approaching the menu without the benefit of a chef explaining what went into each plate, the Sinurol na Molong Manok and Braised Beef Intercostal stand out as the more memorable choices.

The Sinurol succeeds because its flavors are familiar but not entirely predictable. It takes the comforting profile of tinola and adds another dimension with coconut milk and the chicken dumpling.

The Braised Beef, meanwhile, is the more substantial plate, pairing tender meat with a flavorful red wine sauce, pumpkin puree, and a risotto where the truffle remains noticeable without taking over.

On the other hand, the Humba Pata suits diners who already enjoy sweet, garlicky, fatty pork, while the Hamachi Kama Farce may appeal more to those who prefer lighter, more restrained seasoning.

But still, even if a competition can identify what deserves recognition, the plate still has to convince the person actually eating it. With reports from and photos by Julian Michael Gulles

Curiosity, metabolism, and relationships: The backbone of longevity in the digital age

In an era defined by artificial intelligence, digital transformation, global connectivity, and rapid technological advancement, the conversation about longevity has expanded beyond merely living longer. The critical question of our time is how to live longer while remaining healthy, purposeful, productive, and deeply connected to humanity. Longevity in the Digital Age is no longer exclusively a medical or biological concern; it is a multidimensional pursuit involving the mind, body, and social ecosystem.

Three interconnected pillars stand out as the foundation of sustainable longevity: curiosity, metabolism, and relationships. These elements influence not only the duration of life but also its quality. They shape how individuals adapt to change, maintain physical vitality, and cultivate emotional resilience in an increasingly digital world.

While technology continues to redefine human existence, these timeless principles remain central to thriving in the twenty-first century. They provide a framework through which individuals can navigate uncertainty, embrace innovation, and preserve their humanity amidst automation and technological disruption.

The power of curiosity: Fuel for lifelong growth

Curiosity is one of humanity’s most remarkable traits. It drives exploration, learning, innovation, and adaptation. From childhood through old age, curiosity serves as the engine of intellectual development and personal transformation.

In the Digital Age, curiosity has become more important than ever. The rapid evolution of technologies means that knowledge acquired today may become obsolete tomorrow. Individuals who maintain a curious mindset are better equipped to adapt to changing circumstances, acquire new skills, and remain relevant in a knowledge-driven economy.

Curiosity stimulates cognitive engagement and helps keep the brain active. People who consistently seek new experiences, ask questions, and explore unfamiliar ideas often demonstrate greater mental flexibility and resilience. Rather than fearing change, curious individuals embrace it as an opportunity for growth.

The digital revolution offers unprecedented opportunities for learning. Online courses, virtual libraries, podcasts, webinars, and artificial intelligence tools provide access to knowledge on an extraordinary scale. Yet access alone is not enough. The determining factor is the willingness to learn.

A curious person does not stop learning upon graduation. Instead, learning becomes a lifelong habit. Such individuals continually challenge assumptions, explore different perspectives, and develop the capacity to innovate.

Moreover, curiosity contributes significantly to psychological wellbeing. It creates a sense of wonder and purpose. Individuals who remain fascinated by life often maintain higher levels of optimism and engagement, regardless of their age. They approach the future with anticipation rather than anxiety.

For leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, educators, and faith leaders, curiosity is especially essential. It enables them to understand emerging trends, identify opportunities, and respond creatively to complex challenges. In many respects, curiosity is the intellectual metabolism that keeps the mind alive and youthful.

Metabolism: The biological foundation of longevity

While curiosity nourishes the mind, metabolism sustains the body. Metabolism refers to the complex processes through which the body converts food into energy, repairs tissues, regulates hormones, and maintains vital functions.

A healthy metabolism is fundamental to longevity because it influences nearly every aspect of physical wellbeing. Efficient metabolic function supports cardiovascular health, immune strength, cognitive performance, and energy levels. Conversely, metabolic dysfunction contributes to obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and numerous age-related conditions.

The Digital Age presents both opportunities and threats to metabolic health. Technological innovation has enhanced healthcare diagnostics, fitness tracking, and nutritional awareness. However, it has also encouraged sedentary lifestyles characterised by prolonged screen time, physical inactivity, poor sleep patterns, and excessive consumption of processed foods.

Many professionals spend countless hours sitting before computers and smartphones. While digital tools have improved productivity, they have simultaneously reduced everyday physical movement. This behavioural shift has become one of the most significant health challenges of modern society.

Longevity requires intentional metabolic stewardship. Individuals must recognise that health is not maintained by chance but through disciplined daily habits. Regular physical activity remains one of the most powerful interventions available. Walking, running, cycling, swimming, strength training, and other forms of exercise help maintain healthy metabolic function and reduce disease risk.

Nutrition also plays a critical role. A balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, learning opportunities protein supports optimal cellular functioning. Equally important is adequate hydration and moderation in dietary choices.

Sleep represents another neglected but essential component of metabolic health. The body conducts critical repair processes during sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation disrupts hormonal balance, weakens immunity, impairs cognitive performance, and accelerates biological ageing.

As someone who integrates devotional prayer walks with physical exercise, I have observed that movement contributes not only to physical wellbeing but also to spiritual clarity and emotional renewal. The body was designed for activity, and maintaining metabolic vitality requires the deliberate integration of movement into daily life.

The future of longevity will undoubtedly benefit from advances in biotechnology, personalised medicine, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence-driven healthcare. Nevertheless, no technological breakthrough can substitute for the fundamental habits that preserve metabolic health.

Relationships: The social architecture of long life

If curiosity strengthens the mind and metabolism strengthens the body, relationships strengthen the soul. Human beings are inherently relational creatures. We thrive not in isolation but in community.

The significance of relationships becomes even more pronounced in the Digital Age. Despite unprecedented connectivity through social media platforms, messaging applications, and virtual communication channels, many people experience profound loneliness and social fragmentation.

Digital connection is not always synonymous with meaningful connection. An individual may have thousands of online followers yet still lack genuine companionship, emotional support, and a sense of belonging.

Strong relationships contribute substantially to longevity because they provide emotional stability, psychological resilience, and social support. Family bonds, friendships, faith communities, professional networks, and mentorship relationships all play vital roles in enhancing quality of life.

Healthy relationships act as protective factors during periods of adversity. People facing illness, grief, uncertainty, or major life transitions often cope more effectively when supported by trusted relationships. Connection reduces stress and fosters a sense of security and purpose.

Faith communities have historically demonstrated the power of relational networks. They provide opportunities for encouragement, accountability, service, shared values, and collective growth. Throughout human history, communities grounded in love, compassion, and mutual support have strengthened both individual and societal wellbeing.

Leadership itself is fundamentally relational. The most impactful leaders are not merely visionaries but people builders. They invest in relationships, nurture trust, and create environments where others can flourish.

In the Digital Age, cultivating authentic relationships requires deliberate effort. It involves moving beyond transactional interactions and embracing meaningful engagement. Listening carefully, expressing empathy, showing gratitude, and offering support remain timeless practices that technology cannot replace.

Relationships also stimulate mental and emotional vitality. Meaningful conversations challenge assumptions, expand perspectives, and contribute to lifelong learning. In this way, relationships reinforce curiosity while simultaneously promoting emotional health.

The interconnection of curiosity, metabolism, and relationships

These three pillars are not isolated factors; they are deeply interconnected.

Curiosity encourages individuals to learn about health, nutrition, exercise, and wellbeing, thereby supporting metabolic health. It also motivates people to understand others, appreciate diversity, and build stronger relationships.

A healthy metabolism provides the energy necessary to pursue learning, innovation, and meaningful engagement with others. Physical vitality enhances productivity, creativity, and social participation.

Relationships, in turn, influence both curiosity and metabolism. Supportive communities encourage healthy behaviours, inspire personal growth, and create opportunities for continuous learning. Strong social connections often motivate individuals to maintain healthier lifestyles and remain actively engaged with life.

Together, these elements form a powerful cycle of positive reinforcement. Curiosity keeps the mind vibrant. Metabolism keeps the body strong. Relationships keep the spirit nourished.

Longevity beyond survival

The ultimate goal of longevity is not merely extending the number of years lived but enriching the quality of those years. True longevity encompasses physical vitality, intellectual growth, emotional resilience, spiritual depth, and meaningful contribution to society.

In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, automation, and artificial intelligence, humanity must not neglect the qualities that make life worth living. We must continue asking questions, caring for our bodies, and nurturing our relationships.

The future belongs not merely to those who master technology but to those who balance technological advancement with human flourishing. Curiosity, metabolism, and relationships provide that balance.

As we navigate the opportunities and complexities of the Digital Age, these three pillars offer a timeless pathway towards a longer, healthier, and more meaningful life. They are not merely contributors to longevity; they are its backbone.

By investing in lifelong learning, maintaining metabolic health, and cultivating authentic relationships, individuals can position themselves not only to survive the future but to thrive within it. The greatest measure of longevity is not simply how long we live, but how fully, wisely, and purposefully we live each day.

. Ademola, first African Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management, Global Education Advocate, Chartered Manager, UK Digital Journalist, Strategic Advisor and Prophetic Mobiliser for National Transformation, public intellectual, and African governance thinker and General Evangelist of CAC Nigeria and Overseas

Kenya has a chance to turn clean cooking into a business opportunity

When a Kenyan mother lights a firewood stove to prepare the evening meal, she is not thinking about climate diplomacy at the United Nations. She is thinking about feeding her family at the lowest cost possible. Yet that simple daily decision is now at the centre of an international conversation in which Kenya has secured a leading role.

On Tuesday, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Kenya and Norway co-hosted a high-level event on clean cooking, setting the stage for the second Africa Clean Cooking Summit to be held in Nairobi on January 27 and 28 next year.

Kenya will co-host the summit with Norway and the United States, in collaboration with the International Energy Agency, the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank.

For Kenya, this is an opportunity to show that clean cooking is not simply an environmental programme. It is an economic issue involving household spending, jobs, manufacturing, energy access and public health.

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum estimates that 9.1 million Kenyan households, about 69 percent, rely primarily on traditional cooking fuels. Firewood accounts for more than half of household cooking nationally and is particularly dominant in rural areas.

Kenya’s National Cooking Transition Strategy, developed under the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, targets universal access to clean cooking by 2028.

It is explicitly linked to Vision 2030, the country’s ambition to become a newly industrialising, middle-income economy providing a high quality of life in a clean and secure environment. The transition cannot be achieved by simply telling households to stop using firewood and charcoal.

At the UN event, President William Ruto made the point that millions of people depend on charcoal and firewood for their livelihoods. ‘A transition that ignores them will not endure,’ he said.

Kenya is pursuing a multi-fuel approach including LPG, electricity, bioethanol, biogas and sustainable biomass. The Government has also identified a $600 million investment opportunity in institutional clean cooking covering schools, healthcare facilities and correctional services.

This creates an opportunity for Kenyan manufacturers, distributors, financiers and technology firms. The international money is also beginning to move. The 2024 Paris summit generated $2.2 billion in commitments, while the IEA says $740 million has already been deployed through projects in 22 African countries. The Nairobi summit should now push that capital closer to households.

The test will not be how many commitments are announced in Nairobi. It will be whether a rural mother can afford a cleaner stove, whether a school can replace a smoky kitchen or whether investors can build viable businesses around the transition.

Kenya has brought clean cooking from the kitchen to the UN agenda. The next step is to bring investment, innovation and affordable solutions back from New York to the Kenyan household.

Obono-Obla fires back at Akpabio, says Cross River is not landlocked

Former presidential aide, Okoi Obono-Obla, has hit back at Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over comments on Cross River State, accusing him of misrepresenting the state’s geographical position and making an unsubstantiated claim about its population.

Obono-Obla, in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, rejected assertions attributed to Akpabio that Cross River is landlocked, that the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary lies in Akwa Ibom State and that 40 percent of Cross River’s population are people of Akwa Ibom origin.

He argued that the controversy over Cross River’s littoral status should not be confused with the state’s geographical relationship with the sea.

Roots of the dispute

The dispute has its roots in the International Court of Justice’s October 10, 2002 judgment in the Cameroon-Nigeria boundary case, in which the Court ruled that sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula lay with Cameroon and ordered Nigeria to withdraw its administration and security forces from territory falling under Cameroonian sovereignty.

Obono-Obla acknowledged that the subsequent legal consequences stripped Cross River of the benefits associated with littoral status, including its claim to 76 offshore oil wells.

The Supreme Court, in the 2012 case between Cross River and the Federal Government and Akwa Ibom, held that Cross River no longer had the seaward boundary necessary to qualify as a littoral state for offshore oil-well attribution.

But Obono-Obla maintained that the legal position does not erase the state’s geographical history.

‘That is a legal fiction, not geographical reality,’ he said, arguing that Bakassi historically formed the southernmost part of Cross River and extended into the Gulf of Guinea.

Land boundary vs maritime boundary

On the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary, Obono-Obla said Akpabio’s reported comments amounted to a conflation of the land boundary with the maritime boundary.

‘The land boundary is in Cross River State,’ he argued, adding that what the courts determined was that the maritime boundary following the loss of Bakassi no longer gave Cross River the littoral status it previously enjoyed.

The ICJ judgment itself distinguishes between the land boundary running to the Bakassi Peninsula and the subsequent maritime delimitation between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Obono-Obla also addressed the appointment of Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong as Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission, describing the appointment as commendable.

However, he questioned the political significance attached to bringing a Cross River senator to an event while, according to him, simultaneously describing the state as landlocked and non-littoral.

He described that as ‘political tokenism’ and said genuine support for Cross River would involve backing its demands over its maritime status, oil-well interests and the resettlement of displaced Bakassi people.

Population claim challenged

The former presidential aide also took issue with the reported claim that 40 per cent of Cross River’s population are Akwa Ibom people.

He said he was unaware of any empirical basis for the figure from the National Population Commission, National Bureau of Statistics or another credible statistical authority.

Obono-Obla described the assertion as divisive and called for greater sensitivity from political leaders.

The wider Cross River-Akwa Ibom dispute over the 76 offshore oil wells has been litigated for years. In its 2012 judgment, the Supreme Court found that Cross River had ceased to be a littoral state following the implementation of the ICJ judgment and that the disputed offshore wells could not be attributed to the state on that basis.

Obono-Obla, however, is now seeking to reopen the broader political and geographical conversation, insisting that the legal loss of littoral benefits should not be presented as evidence that Cross River is geographically without a coastline.

‘Cross River remains a coastal state in geography, history and in the hearts of its people,’ he said, while acknowledging that the law has, for now, removed the benefits attached to littoral status.

He called for ‘statesmanship and sensitivity’ in the handling of the issue.

Unlicensed hotels closed

Five hotels in the province have been ordered to suspend operations temporarily after authorities found that they failed to obtain licences and meet improvement requirements.

Deputy Phuket Governor Romdon Haji Awae said on Saturday that the closures were imposed last week after hotel operators failed to make the necessary improvements, even after being given extra time.

The province had given unlicensed hotels or those with structural problems 30 days to address physical deficiencies, Mr Romdon said.

Meanwhile, another 40 hotels remain under consideration for licence renewals, with some lacking key documents such as environmental impact assessment reports or structural safety certificates, he said.

These hotels have different deadlines and are on completely separate regulatory tracks. The province expects operators to submit their documents by October.