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Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has dismissed his national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, ending months of speculation over growing tensions at the top of Israel’s wartime leadership.

Hanegbi announced his removal in a statement on Tuesday evening, saying Netanyahu had informed him ‘of his intention to appoint a new head of the National Security Council.’

‘In light of this, my term as national security adviser and head of the National Security Council ends today,’ Hanegbi said.

Shortly afterwards, the prime minister’s office confirmed that Gil Reich, currently the deputy head of the National Security Council, will take over as acting head.

‘Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks Tzachi Hanegbi for his service as head of the National Security Council for the past three years, and wishes him great success in his future endeavours and good health,’ the statement read.

The announcement comes amid reports of deep disagreements between the two men over Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli media had long speculated about Hanegbi’s departure, citing friction over his opposition to a full military takeover of Gaza City and his preference for pursuing a partial deal with Hamas.

In his farewell statement, Hanegbi called for a ‘thorough investigation’ into the security and intelligence failures that allowed Hamas’s October 7 2023 assault on southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed.

‘The terrible failure . must be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned and to help restore the trust that has been shattered,’ he wrote, adding that he shares responsibility for the events leading up to the attack.

Netanyahu’s government has yet to establish an independent inquiry into the disaster, despite growing pressure from the opposition and sections of the public. Critics accuse the prime minister of delaying the process to avoid political fallout.

Gadi Eisenkot, former Israeli army chief and opposition politician condemned Hanegbi’s dismissal, writing on X that it ‘is an expression of the continued evasion of responsibility by all Cabinet members and the Prime Minister of the October 7 debacle, in order to replace them with yes-men.’

The naira appreciated across foreign exchange (FX) markets on Tuesday despite a sharp 32.9% decline in weekly FX inflows into the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM). This development underscores the currency’s resilience amid lower market liquidity and sustained foreign investor activity.

After Tuesday’s trading session, the naira appreciated slightly by 0.12% as the dollar was quoted at N1,463.45, representing a gain of N1.84 compared to N1,465.29 quoted on Monday at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, according to data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Similarly, at the parallel market, also known as the black market, the local currency gained strength over the last two weeks, appreciating by 0.67% to close at N1,485 per dollar on Tuesday, compared to N1,495 per dollar on October 11, 2025.

A report by Coronation Merchant Bank’s Research Department revealed that total foreign exchange inflows through the NFEM moderated to US$1.10 billion last week, down from US$1.64 billion recorded in the previous week, reflecting weaker inflows into the market. Despite the overall decline, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) continued to dominate the inflow segment, accounting for 63.1% ($694.9 million) of total inflows. This was followed by exporters, who contributed 15.3%, non-bank corporates with 12.2%, the CBN with 1.3%, and other minor sources at 8.1%.

However, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows fell sharply to just $0.20 million, representing a mere 0.01% of total inflows compared to $122.2 million (7.5%) in the prior week. The steep decline in FDI underscores the lingering caution among long-term investors, who remain wary of Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment despite recent policy adjustments aimed at improving transparency and stability in the FX market.

The naira showed a mixed performance across various market segments last week. At the official window, the local currency depreciated by 1.37% week-on-week, equivalent to N20.18, to close at N1,475.35 per dollar, reflecting relatively low FX liquidity conditions and rising demand for dollars.

In contrast, the parallel market recorded a mild appreciation of 0.34%, or N5.00, closing at N1,490 per dollar. This movement narrowed the parallel-to-official exchange rate premium to 0.99% from 2.74% the previous week, an indication of improving convergence between both markets.

On the reserves front, Nigeria’s gross external reserves rose marginally by 0.22% week-on-week, equivalent to an increase of $92.5 million, to reach $42.68 billion. This modest gain was attributed to moderate inflows and limited outflows during the week. Analysts at Coronation Merchant Bank noted that, barring any significant external shocks or large capital outflows, the official exchange rate is expected to remain within its current bands, maintaining a broadly stable trajectory across all FX market segments in the coming days.

Africa is not Silicon Valley, and that is not a weakness. It is a distinction that should be celebrated, not erased. Yet for over a decade, the continent’s investment narrative has been shaped by a relentless attempt to replicate the Californian tech playbook. Policymakers, venture capitalists, and institutional investors have pursued disruption, billion-dollar valuations, and rapid exits as the ultimate markers of success. In doing so, they have built an investment culture that prioritises optics over operations and noise over numbers. The result is a paradox: a continent teeming with viable, profitable businesses that generate employment, cash flow, and foreign exchange, yet remain largely invisible to the very capital markets that claim to be driving Africa’s growth.

The problem lies not in the scarcity of capital but in its misallocation. Africa’s economic structure is unique. More than 80 percent of employment is informal, and a majority of transactions occur outside structured financial systems. Despite this, the dominant investment model mirrors Silicon Valley’s venture capital ethos: high-risk bets, fast growth, and headline-grabbing exits. This imported framework rewards scale over sustainability and chases software over supply chains. Entrepreneurs who dominate the news cycle often do so not because their businesses are scalable within Africa’s context, but because they appear global. It is a funding mirage: capital flows to what looks modern, while traditional, high-cash-flow enterprises that sustain millions of livelihoods are dismissed as unstructured or insufficiently innovative.

Across the continent, thousands of businesses in trade, logistics, manufacturing, processing, and exports operate profitably and consistently. These are the enterprises that move goods across East and West Africa, transform local produce into export-ready commodities, and maintain the logistics networks that underpin everyday commerce. They hire, they pay, they build. Yet they are systematically underfunded because they do not conform to the archetype of the tech startup. Their challenge is not viability; it is visibility. Their growth stories are not written in code or sold in pitch decks. They are grounded in operational discipline, efficiency, and years of experience. But to most investors, these attributes do not resemble innovation.

In my years leading finance and partnerships across African markets, I have witnessed capital flow towards ventures with compelling slides and little substance, while businesses with robust financial fundamentals struggle to raise working capital. The issue is not that these businesses are unprofitable or unscalable; it is that they are not legible to the current investment ecosystem. The criteria for being ‘investment-ready’ have become narrowly defined, often limited to formal registration, digital presence, and pitch aesthetics. This excludes a vast segment of Africa’s economy that is resilient, embedded in communities, and capable of scaling sustainably.

The imbalance is stark. In 2024, over 65 percent of venture funding in Africa went to fintech. Meanwhile, manufacturing, logistics, and trade sectors that collectively employ more than 70 percent of the continent’s workforce received less than 10 percent of institutional capital. This misalignment reveals a deeper issue: the investment narrative has drifted away from the realities of Africa’s economy. Fintech, while important, should not be the destination. It should be the infrastructure that powers real economic value. Its true potential lies in enabling the trader in Aba, the manufacturer in Nairobi, or the exporter in Arusha to access capital, manage risk, and scale operations. Africa does not need more apps; it needs more access: to finance, to markets, and to fair valuations.

To move forward, Africa requires an investment philosophy rooted in context. One that values cash flow, governance, and local expertise as much as scale and speed. Emerging models such as revenue-based financing, blended capital, and digital credit analytics offer promising alternatives. These approaches recognise that the most scalable businesses in Africa are often not the loudest but the most consistent. They prioritise substance over style and long-term viability over short-term hype.

This is the motivation behind my current work: developing frameworks that connect underfunded but high-performing African businesses with sustainable investment capital. The goal is simple: to make funding more reflective of Africa’s true economy and to demonstrate that profitability and structure can coexist, even outside the tech bubble. Africa does not need to copy Silicon Valley. It needs to build its own Wall Street, one that understands trade, cash flow, and community-driven growth.

Africa’s development narrative has matured. It is time for its investment story to do the same. The continent’s future unicorns will not merely build code; they will build credibility. They will use technology not to chase valuations but to enhance visibility, accountability, and access. When investors begin to value resilience over razzmatazz and sustainability over scale-at-all-costs, Africa’s growth story will finally begin to reflect its reality, not a foreign fantasy. The future of African investment lies not in imitation, but in imagination.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced the suspension of its ongoing two-week warning strike.

Chris Piwuna, National President of ASUU, made this known in an ongoing press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Piwuna, the decision stemmed from the meeting of the National Executive Council meeting which was held overnight and ended by 4:00 am on Wednesday.

Piwuna noted that the union decided to embark on the strike due to the failure of the government to meet its demands on time.

‘We’ve had useful engagements with representatives of the government to consider the response to the draft renegotiation of the 2009 agreements. However, we are definitely not where we were prior to the commencement of the strike.

‘The union acknowledged that the government returned to the negotiation table. While noting that a lot more work is still required, NEC came to the conclusion that the ongoing strike should be reviewed. The decision to review the strike action was a result of efforts by our students, parents, and the Nigeria Labour Congress.

‘Consequently, NEC resolved to suspend the warning strike to reciprocate the efforts of well-meaning Nigerians.’

Piwuna listed ASUU’s seven demands as the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, sustainable funding of public universities, revitalisation of universities, an end to the alleged victimisation of ASUU members in LASU, KSU (now Prince Abubakar Audu University) and FUTO.

Payment of outstanding 25-35% salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and remittance of outstanding third-party deductions.

Recall that ASUU declared a comprehensive warning strike starting from Monday, October 13.

Armed bandits in the early hours of Tuesday invaded the Nasara Nursing and Maternity Home in Kujama, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting a medical doctor, five patients, and a security guard.

BusinessDay gathered that the assailants, who arrived in large numbers, stormed the private medical facility before extending their attack to nearby residences.

A security guard who attempted to resist the assault was shot multiple times and later taken to another hospital for treatment.

The latest incident adds to the rising wave of insecurity in Kaduna State.

Just last Friday, two police officers were killed when bandits attacked the Divisional Police Headquarters in Zonkwa, headquarters of Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.

Nigerian artist Davido earned $1.61 million in ticket sales from the first three dates of his ‘5ive Alive’ North America tour, according to reports shared by Touring Data on X.

The shows, held in October 2025, sold 25,600 tickets at an average price of $63.The tour opened at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on October 18, drawing 11,024 attendees-73 percent of the venue’s capacity-for $695,845 in revenue. The New York stop at Barclays Center on October 20 sold out its configured 8,863 seats, generating $552,822. The Boston concert at Agganis Arena on October 21 attracted 5,713 fans, or 95 percent capacity, for $364,495.

These figures reflect partial arena setups, with Barclays’ full capacity at 19,000.The tour marks Davido’s third major North American run in recent years, following the 2023 Timeless Tour and an earlier outing. It underscores Afrobeats’ continued growth in the U.S. market, where streaming and live events have boosted Nigerian artists’ visibility.

On X, reactions split along fan lines, with supporters debating the numbers against peers Wizkid and Burna Boy. Wizkid fans, often called FC, highlighted perceived low attendance, noting the Barclays setup sold just 8,863 tickets despite the arena’s larger potential.

One post mocked, ‘8k for 19k capacity,’ while another claimed, ‘Add everything together, e no reach this one,’ implying Davido underperformed. These jabs reference Wizkid’s 2022 Made in Lagos tour, his last major U.S. run four years ago, which grossed over $10 million across 20 dates but ended in 2021.

Davido backers countered with tour frequency and single-show peaks. They pointed to his $1.2 million high from a prior concert, topping Wizkid’s $1 million mark. At Madison Square Garden, Davido’s 2023 Timeless show grossed $809,689 from 10,185 tickets (93 percent capacity), trailing Burna Boy’s 2022 record of $1.57 million from a full 13,586 sellout but ahead of Wizkid’s 2022 $1 million from 12,901 tickets.

Burna Boy entered the fray indirectly, with fans citing his arena averages near $1 million per show versus Davido’s $500,000 and Wizkid’s lower recent figures.

Spotify data fueled broader arguments: Burna Boy leads with 22.1 million monthly listeners and 13.86 million followers, followed by Wizkid (12.9 million listeners, 9.23 million followers) and Davido (8.61 million listeners, 8.82 million followers).

One post tallied Burna Boy’s solo streams at 26.7 million, exceeding Davido and Wizkid’s combined 25.9 million. Billboard Artist 100 rankings added fuel, with Wizkid peaking at No. 58 for 18 weeks, Burna Boy at No. 69 for one week, and Davido absent.

Despite the rivalry, the exchange highlights Afrobeats’ competitive U.S. foothold, where all three have sold out major venues. Davido’s tour continues with dates in Toronto and Los Angeles, testing sustained demand.

The House of Representatives has advanced a constitutional amendment bill seeking to clarify taxation powers among the federal, state and local governments, including a proposal to place Value Added Tax (VAT) under the Exclusive legislative List.

The bill, titled A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Altered), to Clarify the Taxation Powers of the Federal, State, and Local Governments; to Define the Scope of Taxes and Levies Collectible by Each Tier of Government; to Prevent Multiple Taxation and Unlawful Outsourcing of Revenue Collection; and for Related Matters (HB.2545), was sponsored by Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker, and six other lawmakers. It scaled second reading during plenary on Wednesday.

Among its key provisions, the bill proposes the inclusion of VAT or Consumption Tax as a new item on the Exclusive Legislative List, thereby granting the federal government clear constitutional authority to administer VAT nationwide.

According to a draft legislation of the Bill, this ensures national uniformity, predictability, and a clear constitutional basis for VAT administration by the Federation.

The Bill which comprises four clauses also seeks to provide for the clarification that Stamp Duties collected by the federal government apply only to documents or transactions involving a corporate body, while Stamp Duties arising from transactions by individuals fall within the jurisdiction of States. The propsoed law also prohibits the outsourcing of tax collection to private entities; e introduce a ceiling to the maximum number (of nine) of taxies, levies or charges that may be imposed on income, consumption or property of a person in a year; and streamline taxation by Local Government Councils and to strike out redundant or overlapping taxing powers so as to prevent harassment of traders, artisans, and small businesses at the local level.

Leading the debate, Kalu described the bill as a necessary step to bring ‘order where confusion reigns’ and to ‘create clarity where overlaps have persisted.’ He said the proposed amendment seeks to ensure that every naira raised, shared or spent by government is ‘traceable, lawful, and transparent.’ ‘The fiscal architecture of our federation has, over time, become congested and conflicting. Multiple taxes and levies are imposed at different tiers of government, often on the same taxpayer. Revenue agencies overlap, creating inefficiencies and litigations over collection rights, as seen in the disputes over Value Added Tax, Stamp Duties, and Personal Income Tax’, Kalu said.

He added that the bill aims to restore fiscal discipline, reduce duplication, and promote efficiency across government levels by addressing persistent disputes between federal and state authorities on revenue collection, particularly around VAT.

As Nigeria’s banking sector undergoes recapitalisation exercises, industry observers are closely watching how this move will reshape liquidity, foreign exchange access, and cross-border payment efficiency. The Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) directive, aimed at strengthening the capital base of commercial banks, could transform how funds move across borders and how businesses, large and small, access FX in the years ahead.

In this exclusive interview with BusinessDay’s Chinwe Michael, Austin Okpagu, Nigeria Country Director at Verto, a global B2B cross-border payments platform facilitating over $25 billion in annual transactions, shares deep insights into how the recapitalisation drive could recalibrate the FX ecosystem, enhance settlement efficiency, and redefine the collaboration between banks and fintechs in Africa’s evolving financial landscape.

The CBN’s recapitalisation directive aims to strengthen Nigeria’s banking sector. From your perspective, how will a stronger banking system influence FX liquidity and cross-border payment stability in the medium term?

The CBN’s recapitalisation drive is an essential and pragmatic measure aimed at creating fewer but larger and more financially resilient banks in Nigeria capable of competing with global peers. In the medium term, this strengthening should positively impact FX liquidity and cross-border stability in a couple of key ways, from enhanced risk-bearing capacity and improved liquidity to greater efficiency and expansion in cross-border payment services.

For businesses transacting across borders, what immediate or long-term effects do you foresee from this recapitalisation drive, especially regarding access to foreign exchange and settlement efficiency?

For businesses engaged in cross-border trade, the effects will be transformative, though not immediate. Initially, we may see short-term operational inefficiencies as banks focus their resources on meeting the recapitalisation deadline. This could temporarily slow service delivery.

Mergers and acquisitions will likely increase, creating short-term integration challenges for transaction platforms. However, in the long term, greater access to the FX market will emerge, reducing rationing and enabling smaller businesses to obtain FX more easily. Settlement efficiency will also improve as well-capitalised banks can invest in resilient infrastructure and advanced payment rails.

One of the goals of initiatives like PAPSS is to reduce Africa’s reliance on the U.S. dollar. How realistic is this goal in the short to medium term, and what role can fintechs like Verto play in accelerating that transition?

The goal of reducing dollar reliance is strategically sound and essential for financial sovereignty, but achieving it in the short to medium term will be challenging, though achievable for intra-African trade.

The key obstacle is the deep-seated preference for hard currencies due to the volatility and inflation risks of many African currencies. Without effective currency-hedging mechanisms, businesses will continue to hesitate to trade in local currencies.

Fintechs like Verto can accelerate this transition by building robust liquidity for local currency pairs similar to PAPSS’s African Currency Marketplace (PACM). By operating across multiple emerging and developed markets, fintechs can bypass hard-currency intermediaries, enabling cheaper, faster local currency trading through real-time conversion and settlement.

Nigeria’s liquidity challenges have often slowed trade settlements. In what ways could better-capitalised banks improve liquidity conditions for importers, exporters, and fintechs in the B2B payments space?

Better-capitalised banks are crucial to solving systemic liquidity constraints, especially in the FX market. We expect banks with stronger capital buffers to have higher FX risk appetite and the ability to hold more foreign currency reserves.

This aligns with the CBN’s recent efforts to fulfill legitimate trade demands more consistently. The overall impact will be improved predictability of trade settlements, greater transparency, and market stability-conditions that directly benefit high-volume B2B transactions across Africa.

With Verto facilitating over $25 billion in cross-border payments annually, how do you see your operations evolving in Nigeria’s changing banking and regulatory environment?

Our strategy is to treat the recapitalisation and evolving regulatory landscape as opportunities for deeper partnerships. Verto is prioritising best-in-class compliance and cybersecurity to align with the CBN’s vision for a more resilient financial system.

We aim to become not just a service provider but an infrastructure enabler of trust. Our enterprise-grade infrastructure will help consolidated banks manage increased transaction volumes and cross-border complexities more efficiently. As banks recapitalise and expand their digital and cross-border services, do you see fintechs competing with or collaborating more closely with traditional financial institutions?

The future will favour co-opetition, collaboration within competition.

While banks may strengthen their digital offerings post-recapitalisation, fintechs will maintain their edge in speed, innovation, and user experience. Banks bring regulatory coverage and legacy trust; fintechs bring agility, proprietary technology, and seamless integration.

We envision an embedded finance environment where stable banks provide the regulatory rails, and fintechs embed FX engines, payment aggregation, and global payout systems within those offerings, creating a resilient, customer-first ecosystem.

PAPSS is known as a game-changer for intra-African trade. From your experience, what are the key bottlenecks slowing its adoption, and how can Nigeria’s banking recapitalisation accelerate its implementation?

PAPSS has immense potential, but adoption is slowed by several realities, including volatile local currencies, a lack of robust hedging mechanisms, and fragmented financial regulations across the continent. Many central banks still fear losing monetary policy control.

However, Nigeria’s recapitalisation drive can accelerate PAPSS adoption by positioning stronger banks as anchor institutions. With larger capital bases, banks can invest more in the infrastructure, technology, and integrations necessary to bring PAPSS to scale.

The government’s FX reforms aim to unify exchange rates and improve transparency, but volatility persists. How can fintech-led innovations contribute to restoring market confidence and stabilising rates?

Fintech innovations are instrumental in restoring market confidence. By leveraging data analytics and real-time market transparency, fintechs remove information asymmetries that often fuel speculation and volatility.

At Verto, we democratise access to foreign exchange by offering multiple liquidity channels that directly connect global capital to Nigerian businesses. This reduces reliance on legacy bank channels and central bank interventions. Additionally, digital audit trails enhance traceability, strengthening confidence in transactions and rates.

As the CBN tightens regulatory oversight through recapitalisation, how can regulators balance stability with the innovation required in fintech and payments?

It’s a delicate balance, but recapitalisation provides an opportunity to evolve regulation. The CBN must move from being just a gatekeeper to an enabler of innovation.

This means updating old guidelines, consolidating fragmented regulatory frameworks, and introducing effective sandboxes for emerging tech solutions. Capacity building among regulators is also essential through mentorships and exchange programs with innovation-friendly markets like the U.S. and China to help them better supervise deep-tech innovations.

Looking ahead, what trends do you see shaping the future of cross-border payments and FX management in Africa, and how is Verto positioning itself to lead that transformation?

The future of cross-border payments is real-time, platform-driven, and API-powered. Settlements will increasingly happen within minutes, not days. The early signs of stablecoin adoption point to faster, cheaper, and more secure transactions by removing traditional intermediaries.

Technology itself is becoming the payment rail. Through embedded APIs, institutions can integrate FX and multi-currency accounts directly into their systems, automate settlements, and enable programmable payments.

At Verto, we’re leading this transformation through our Atlas Suite, which allows partners to hold and disburse funds in over 40 currencies through domestic rails. We’re also leveraging AI and rich data for enhanced compliance, onboarding, and risk management, all geared toward a seamless, secure cross-border experience.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the extension of the tenure of AbuduGaniyu Adebomehin, the Surveyor-General of the Federation, by two years.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said the extension, which takes effect from January 5, 2026, was necessitated by the recent transfer of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) to the Presidency.

The Surveyor-General has already initiated reforms across critical sectors of geospatial data systems, which the President is keen to see completed.

The statement said President Tinubu expects that Adebomehin consolidate the reforms within the next two years, focusing on national land management and administration. He is also expected to consolidate the reform on highways and abutting land infrastructure coordination, reclamation and erosion control programmes, and other related matters of strategic national importance.

Recall that Adebomehin was appointed the Surveyor-General of the Federation (SGoF) by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, effective January 5, 2022.

The Rivers State House of Assembly, which was at the center of the crisis that eventually led to the declaration of a State of Emergency on the state by President Bola Tinubu, has been described as independent and conscious of its constitutional role as one of the three arms of government.

Martin Amaewhule, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, made this known on Tuesday October 21, 2025, while speaking at the maiden public engagement programme, with the theme ‘Advancing Politics and Legislature,’ organised by the Centre for Politics, University of Port Harcourt.

Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, in a release, said in a lecture on the role of the legislature in a democratic system, Amaewhule described the legislature as the symbol and heartbeat of democracy. He said, ‘The legislature is the symbol of democracy. It will go down in history that during the political crisis in Rivers State, the House of Assembly under my leadership upheld the sanctity of democracy and defended the rule of law.’

The Speaker, with reference to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), explained the constitutional provisions regarding elections and continuity in governance during extraordinary situations.

He noted that the Constitution empowers those in authority – including the President and members of the National Assembly – to remain in office where elections cannot be conducted due to instability or national emergencies, until such elections are held.

‘Go to the 1999 Constitution as amended; it is clear that if, for any reason, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot conduct elections due to instability or impossibility, those in authority shall continue until elections are conducted. That is the position of the law,’ the Speaker said. Drawing from judicial precedent, Amaewhule cited the recent Supreme Court judgment, which affirmed that in the absence of elections, duly elected officials at the local government level could continue in office until new elections are conducted – a position consistent with the constitutional principle of governance continuity.

‘The Supreme Court has settled this matter. There is now a judicial precedent confirming that, in the absence of elections, those duly elected can continue in office until new elections are held. This reinforces the stability and continuity of governance,’ he said.

The Speaker explained the three cardinal functions of the legislature – lawmaking, oversight, and representation; noting that these pillars are the foundation on which every democratic society stands.

Amaewhule described lawmaking as the foremost duty of the legislature, which provides the legal framework for governance and ensures the peace, order, and good governance of the state.

He stressed the importance of the Assembly’s oversight function, which he said is the mechanism through which the legislature holds the executive accountable, ensuring transparency, fiscal discipline, and efficiency in public administration. ‘Representation,’ Amaewhule said, connects the people to government, ensuring that their voices, needs, and aspirations are reflected in policies and laws.

The Speaker commended the Centre for Politics, University of Port Harcourt, for initiating the public engagement series, describing it as a bridge between academic research and real-world governance. He encouraged students to actively participate in political discourse and legislative studies to deepen democratic understanding in Nigeria.

In attendance at the event were Georgewill Owunari, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, prominent politician, Tonye Princewill, senior academics, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and representatives of civil society organisations.