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The Federal Government will re-arraign five men on Thursday (tomorrow) in connection with the kidnapping of pupils and teachers on May 15 in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as well as the subsequent killing of two of the victims.

The Department of State Services (DSS) will present the case on behalf of the Federal Government, charging the men with a six-count amended indictment labelled FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026.

The accused persons identified as members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group are, Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).

Although, the suspects were to be arraigned on Wednesday, September 16, it was aborted following the insistence of the accused persons to be defended by lawyers of their own choice.

At Wednesday’s aborted proceedings, Mr Akilaluyel Shettima, a Deputy Director with the Legal Aid Council, had announced appearance for the five of them, but the first accused person, Mahmud Muhammad, objected.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Muhammad told Justice Salim Ibrahim that they had been represented by one Bala Dakum as their lawyer before and would want him to continue to defend them.

At this point, the Federal Government lawyer and Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN conceded that the issue of choice of lawyer is a Constitutional matter that must be respected and allowed for the accused persons.

Oyedepo told the Court that the DSS is a law-abiding institution not interested in persecution of the accused persons but only interested in justice.

At this point, the trial judge, Justice Ibrahim, resolved to shift the fresh arraignment to tomorrow, September 17 and ordered the accused persons to contact their lawyer to be in Court today for the re-arraignment to hold.

Justice Ibrahim also asked the DSS to allow the accused persons access their lawyer to prepare for their defense as required by law.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) chapter, has embarked on an indefinite internal strike over the university management’s failure to fully implement agreed salary components.

The industrial action, which has the full backing of ASUU’s national body, officially commenced following the expiration of a midnight deadline on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Speaking on the development, the ASUU-UNIPORT Chairman, Dr. Omeh Ngwoke, explained that the ongoing dispute originates from an agreement reached between the union and the Federal Government in December 2025. According to him, the Federal Government had initially directed university administrations to draw from internal funds to implement the new pay structure pending reimbursement.

However, the UNIPORT management only implemented the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), leaving other core salary components entirely unpaid.

Union executives further disclosed that despite the Federal Government clearing the backlog of funds by May 2026, the university administration still failed to restore full salary payments starting from June as expected.

Ngwoke decried the prolonged financial shortfalls, emphasising that they have plunged academic staff members into severe hardship, leaving many unable to meet basic living expenses, healthcare costs, and their children’s school fees.

To guarantee strict enforcement of the industrial action, the union has reactivated its Strike Monitoring Committee.

ASUU-UNIPORT warned that any staff member who violates the strike directive will be reported to the national leadership for appropriate disciplinary measures.

Preparing for IELTS does not have to be expensive. Nigerian candidates can make strong progress with free online materials, regular practice and a clear understanding of what the examination requires.

The key is to practise deliberately rather than simply spending hours watching IELTS videos. Candidates should focus on the four test areas: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

In this article, Tribune Online highlights the free preparation strategies to achieve high band scores.

Understand the IELTS scoring system

Before practising, learn how IELTS examiners assess your performance. For Writing and Speaking, understand the assessment criteria and the difference between the band scores. This helps you identify what separates an average response from a stronger one.

Pay particular attention to grammar, vocabulary, organisation, fluency and pronunciation. Knowing the marking criteria also prevents you from wasting time memorising complicated words that you may not use correctly.

Create a simple daily practice routine

Set aside time every day for IELTS preparation. A simple routine could include Listening and Reading practice in the morning, followed by Writing and Speaking exercises later in the day.

You do not need to study for many hours at once. What matters is consistency. Keep track of your scores and mistakes so you can see whether you are actually improving.

Improve listening with regular practice

Use free IELTS Listening tests and English-language audio materials to become comfortable with different accents and speaking speeds. Before each recording, read the questions carefully and identify the information you need to listen for.

After completing a practice test, review every wrong answer. Find out whether you missed the information, misunderstood the speaker or made a spelling mistake. Repeated practice will make it easier to follow the recording without panicking when you miss an answer.

Read quickly and look for relevant information

IELTS Reading is heavily dependent on time management. Practise identifying keywords and finding relevant information without reading every sentence repeatedly.

Pay attention to synonyms because the question may use different words from those in the passage. Use a timer during practice. If a question is taking too long, move on and return to it later.

Practise speaking every day

You can practise Speaking without paying for a private tutor. Use free IELTS Speaking questions and record your answers on your phone. Listen to yourself afterwards and identify areas that need improvement.

Pay attention to unnecessary pauses, repeated words, pronunciation and grammar. Practise answering questions naturally instead of memorising complete responses. You should be able to explain your opinions and give examples without sounding rehearsed. Free mock-speaking videos can also help you become familiar with the format.

Write under the 60-minute limit

Practice IELTS Writing under actual time conditions. Give yourself 60 minutes and complete both tasks. This teaches you how to divide your time between planning, writing and checking your work.

After each essay, check whether you answered the question fully, organised your ideas clearly and used appropriate vocabulary and grammar. Do not focus only on writing long sentences. Clear and accurate writing is more useful than complicated sentences filled with errors.

Build useful vocabulary

Avoid trying to memorise hundreds of difficult words. Instead, learn vocabulary around common IELTS topics such as education, employment, health, technology, transport and the environment.

Learn how words are used in sentences and practise using them in your own writing and speech. A smaller vocabulary that you can use accurately is more valuable than a long list of words you barely understand.

Use free official resources

Candidates should start with reliable preparation materials instead of downloading every IELTS resource they find online. The official IELTS website provides free information and preparation materials. The British Council also provides free preparation materials and practice activities. Use these alongside free practice videos and tests from reputable educational platforms.

Take full mock tests

Do full IELTS practice tests regularly, particularly as the examination approaches. Sit the test under realistic conditions. Keep to the time limits and avoid unnecessary breaks. Afterwards, review your performance instead of simply looking at the score. Identify where you lost marks and make those areas the focus of your next practice session.

Keep an error notebook

Write down the mistakes you repeatedly make. For example, you may notice that you frequently make spelling mistakes in Listening, struggle with particular Reading question types or use certain grammatical structures incorrectly in Writing.

Review these mistakes regularly and practise correcting them. This gives your preparation a clear direction instead of making every study session random.

The Tinubu Support Group (TSG) in Bayelsa State has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of the 2027 general election, declaring that the state will deliver ‘bulk votes’ to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Rising from its maiden meeting at the weekend, the pioneer leadership of the group said it was mobilising across political, ethnic and social divides to ensure a decisive victory for the President in Bayelsa.

A statement signed by the Bayelsa State’s Director of Media, TSG, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, said that the mission to return Tinubu for a second term was both patriotic and in the public interest.

The statement listed members of the TSG Bayelsa State’s Executive Committee as Engr. Preye Aganaba, State Coordinator; Bar. Edi Orubo, Deputy State Coordinator; Hon. Enaikada Omemu, Secretary; Hon. Amalanyo Yosou, Bayelsa East; Hon.Patrick Ekade, Bayelsa West and Dr Doodei Weeks, Bayelsa Central.

Others are Hon. Favour Emmanuel, Director of Women; Hon. Nunieh Odede, Director of Youths; Hon. Lori Ogoro, Director PLWDS; Edison Sorgwe, Director Ethnic Affairs; Joseph Fafi, Director of Logistics and Udengs Eradiri, Director of Media.

Eradiri, a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, said the TSG, under the leadership of grassroots politician, Engr. Preye Aganaba, would take the achievements of the Tinubu administration to every community in the state.

He described Aganaba as a grassroots mobiliser with the political reach, depth and community appeal to rally stakeholders behind the 2027 re-election project.

‘Our target is nothing but total victory. And at the end of the day, we will ensure that Bayelsa delivers bulk votes to President Tinubu in 2027,’ he said.

Eradiri said the TSG belonged to all Bayelsans and would work with Governor Douye Diri and the various leadership structures of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure what he described as a deserving victory for Tinubu.

The Federal Government has dismissed reports that it plans to sell the nation’s Unity Colleges, saying the concession of King’s College, Lagos, to its Old Boys Association is a specific intervention aimed at restoring the institution’s lost glory.

Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, who stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said the government had no intention of selling or transferring ownership of any of the Unity Colleges to private interests.

He explained that the management agreement involving King’s College was designed to allow the school’s Old Boys Association to invest heavily in infrastructure and restore the institution to its former standard, while ownership of the property would remain with the Federal Government.

Alausa, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said the press conference was convened to clarify what he described as misinformation surrounding the agreement with the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA).

He said: ‘Federal Government is not selling any Unity College. The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, does not have the intention to sell any Unity College and we will not sell any Unity College.’

While lamenting the high level of dilapidation of the Unity Colleges across the country, the Minister said the government had opted for an innovative approach because of the huge infrastructure deficit confronting the Unity Colleges and the limited resources available to government.

He said even a release of ?2 trillion would not be sufficient to address the accumulated infrastructure decay across Unity Colleges nationwide.

Alausa said the condition of some of the schools became evident during unannounced inspection visits carried out by him and the Minister of State.

He said the situation he encountered at King’s College, particularly its old campus, exposed the extent of deterioration in hostels, classrooms, laboratories, toilets, dining facilities and other infrastructure.

The minister said the school had at a point gone for nine months without electricity before intervention by the government.

He also criticised the use of portions of the school premises as a public car park, saying such an arrangement raised serious security concerns for students.

Alausa said the government had subsequently directed that the car-parking arrangement be discontinued.

He explained that the decision to engage the King’s College Old Boys Association followed its willingness to invest significant resources in rehabilitating and repositioning the institution without increasing fees.

According to him, the alumni association already has a foundation that would manage the institution on a not-for-profit basis.

He said the arrangement was not an abdication of government responsibility, noting that the government would retain ownership of the school and monitor the implementation of agreed performance indicators.

‘The property still remains Federal Government property. The Federal Ministry of Education has given clear KPIs to meet,’ he said.

Alausa also cited the experience of former mission schools and some institutions managed by alumni associations as examples of how private or alumni-supported management could help restore schools to their former standards without transferring ownership.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, explained that the management concession granted in respect of King’s College would run for 35 years.

She said the duration was necessary to enable the concessionaire to make the level of investment required to rehabilitate the institution and achieve sustainable results.

Ahmad stressed that the arrangement should not be interpreted as a sale of the school or a precedent for concessioning all Unity Colleges.

She said the Federal Government was not extending the King’s College arrangement to other Unity Colleges.

The minister said a short-term concession would not provide sufficient time for an investor or alumni body to commit the level of resources required to transform an institution with decades of accumulated infrastructure challenges.

Alausa also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved the recruitment of 3,000 teachers this year, with the government working to absorb existing PTA teachers into the public teaching system where appropriate.

He said the government planned to recruit an additional 5,000 teachers next year as part of efforts to address the shortage of teachers in federal schools.

The minister said the administration was also committed to rehabilitating infrastructure in the schools while addressing concerns raised by staff unions.

On the protest by education-sector unions over the King’s College arrangement, Alausa condemned the blockade of the Ministry of Education, saying workers had the right to protest but must do so within the law.

He said the government had already reached a six-point agreement with the Trade Union Congress and other stakeholders, adding that the ministry remained open to dialogue.

He, however, said the government would not tolerate the alleged obstruction of access to the ministry, damage to property or intimidation of workers.

Alausa maintained that the government’s objective was to restore the quality, discipline and unity that characterised institutions such as King’s College when they were established to train future leaders.

He said the government would continue to explore partnerships that could attract additional resources to the education sector without relinquishing ownership of public institutions.

The simmering cold war between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and the governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a new twist as the governors rejected the minister’s newly formed Rainbow Coalition.

At a meeting held on Monday night at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, the governors declared that the Coalition floated by the FCT Minister could threaten the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

It will be recalled that certain erstwhile chieftains of the APC who lost out in the party primaries for certain elective offices have since found accommodation in the Wike-backed faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accorded recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Among such APC stalwarts who defected into the PDP and have secured tickets include Senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha who lost the ticket to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq; Honourable Kolo Jiya from Patigi local government, who picked Kwara North senatorial ticket after dumping.

Others are Isa Pantami, former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, who has since emerged as PDP governorship candidate in Gombe State.

In Cross Rivers, the FCT Minister is believed to be backing the PDP governorship candidate, Arthus Davis against the incumbent APC governor, Bassey Otu.

But reading the resolutions of the Progressives Governors Forum, the Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, declared that the governors unanimously resolved not to have anything to do with the Rainbow Coalition.

He maintained that such political arrangement would create confusion and affect the APC electoral fortune.

He said, ‘The forum unanimously resolved that its members won’t participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the reelection of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels.

‘In other words, the forum has no intention of supporting anybody at any level, that’s not an APC candidate because our candidates are being sponsored by our party. The Governors affirmed commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates.

‘Any arrangement that can create confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests will not be entertained. All levels of the party campaign architectures must align with the expectations of Mr President and objectives of the APC.’

However, Wike has reiterated that his support for the reelection of President Tinubu remained sacrosanct, saying he never promised that the PDP will not field candidates in governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections.

However, Wike has said President Bola Tinubu is aware of his Rainbow Coalition political strategy, stressing that he is not answerable to APC governors over his political activities.

Wike stated this while speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday night, in response to the position of some APC governors that there was no room for the Rainbow Coalition and that its members should support only APC candidates at all levels.

The FCT minister said he had never entered into an alliance with the APC or attended meetings of the Progressive Governors Forum over the coalition, insisting that his support for Tinubu did not amount to joining the ruling party.

He said: ‘I have told you here, there’s never been a day I said, and Mr President knows, and there’s nothing I have done that I have never told Mr President, ‘This is what I intend to do,” Wike said.

He said his decision to support Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election was based on his conviction that it was the turn of the South to produce the president after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s eight years in office.

‘When in 2023 we said we were going to support Tinubu, people like Hope never knew that it would affect the presidential election,’ he said.

According to the FCT Minister, the G-5 governors did not consult the Progressive Governors Forum before backing Tinubu, but met the presidential candidate and informed him directly of their decision.

‘When the G5 came out to support the President, is there any time we had meeting with Progressive Governors Forum or with their party? We met with Mr President and told Mr President, ‘We are going to support you.’ And I have never hidden that,’ he said.

Wike said there was no contradiction in supporting Tinubu for the presidency while backing candidates from other political parties in state and legislative elections.

He cited the cases of Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, who he said are supporting Tinubu despite belonging to parties other than the APC.

He also questioned the performance of APC in some South-East states during the 2023 presidential election, despite the party’s candidates winning legislative seats in the same states.

‘In Imo State, he (Uzodimma) was governor and of APC stock. Mr President didn’t get 10 per cent in his state. But he took two senators. And Labour Party took one senator in Imo State,’ he said.

Wike argued that the outcome showed that voters could support one party’s presidential candidate while choosing candidates from other parties in legislative contests.

He dismissed the argument by APC governors that the Rainbow Coalition could undermine party unity, saying governors should concentrate on demonstrating their political influence in their respective states.

‘I agree, they are governors, I’m not disputing that, they have influence, but the influence should come more in your own state, as far as this election is concerned,’ he said.

The minister questioned the political influence of governors who were unable to deliver their states to Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

‘A governor that is influential, their president cannot win election in his state, still sees himself as being influential?’ he asked.

Wike also described those behind the opposition to the Rainbow Coalition as ‘politically lazy’, accusing them of failing to understand the political dynamics involved.

‘When I see the people who had that press conference, they are smart, like the 419 men. They are smart, like the 419ners. But they are politically lazy. It’s unfortunate,’ he said.

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has been challenged by Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, to quit the presidential race if claims that his administration left Anambra State with outstanding liabilities are established.

Onanuga’s challenge followed fresh allegations by the Anambra State Government that eight external loans obtained during Obi’s tenure remained outstanding, with the state putting the balance at $92.35m, equivalent to ?127.37bn, as of June 30, 2026.

The state government also disputed Obi’s claim that he left more than ?2.13bn untouched in an ecological fund account for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis, saying the account he identified was instead an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Revenue Account.

The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reformation, Law Mefor, in response to Obi’s recent comments on what he described as ‘Phantom Debts and Ecological Loan Fallacy’.

According to Mefor, records from the Debt Management Office showed that the eight external loans contracted during Obi’s administration were still outstanding as of June 30, 2026.

The loans, the government said, were originally valued at $123.77m and covered projects including malaria control, healthcare, education, community development, erosion control and agricultural value-chain development.

They included the Malaria Control Booster Project, Third National Fadama Development Project, Health System Development Project II, Malaria Control Booster Project (Additional Financing), State Education Programme Investment Project, Community and Social Development Project, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, and Value Chain Development Project.

The state government said it was not opposed to borrowing where such funds were used for viable projects and human capital development, adding that the present administration had continued to service the liabilities.

‘We are not complaining. It is good for Anambra once we can show the impacts,’ the statement quoted the government as saying.

The government, however, questioned the extent to which Obi’s administration’s spending translated into development, alleging that the former governor left challenges in public water supply, education, healthcare, insecurity and infrastructure.

It claimed that 78 of the state’s 179 communities, representing 44 per cent, did not have public primary schools, while only about 27 per cent of residents patronised public health institutions.

The state government also alleged that Obi left behind unpaid salary, pension and gratuity liabilities. It said the current administration had since cleared about ?22bn in inherited gratuity arrears owed to retired state and local government employees and teachers.

It further claimed that Obi spent about $4.05bn during his eight years in office, which the government said would amount to about ?5.4tn when converted using the current official exchange rate.

Obi, however, has maintained that his administration cleared more than ?35bn in historical gratuities and arrears and left office without outstanding salary, pension or gratuity obligations.

He also rejected the claim concerning the ecological fund, saying more than ?2.13bn remained untouched in a First Bank account for the Oko/Umuchiana erosion crisis.

Obi had challenged anyone capable of establishing that his account of Anambra’s finances was incorrect, saying, ‘If anybody can establish anything to the contrary, I will stop campaigning.’

Reacting to the renewed dispute in a post on X on Wednesday, Onanuga said Obi had previously tied his continued participation in the presidential race to the accuracy of his claims about the state’s finances.

Onanuga wrote, ‘Peter Obi claimed he left Anambra with a clean slate of debt and even threatened to quit the presidential race if his claims were proven otherwise.’

The presidential aide said the state government had now confronted Obi with figures which he claimed contradicted the former governor’s account of the financial position of Anambra when he left office.

He added, ‘Now, the Anambra government has confronted him with facts and figures showing he owed Water Corporation workers, teachers, and pension and gratuities, and had also borrowed for frivolous things,’ Onanuga said.

‘The ball is back in his court. Will he follow through on his threat by quitting the race?’ he asked.

The Africa Reinsurance Corporation Foundation has backed a two-day journalism workshop aimed at improving media coverage of insurance, risk management and financial resilience in Nigeria.

The workshop, organised by Insurance Publication Limited (IPL), is scheduled for September 15-16, 2026, under the theme, ‘The Universe of Insurance and Journalism: Risk Everywhere, in Everything.’

The programme is expected to bring together journalists from different beats to explore how insurance and risk can be incorporated into reporting on issues ranging from climate change, politics and cybercrime to health, agriculture, transport, housing and economic hardship.

The organisers said the initiative was designed to move insurance reporting beyond specialised business and insurance desks and make risk management a broader part of everyday journalism.

They noted that low public awareness of insurance remains a major challenge, limiting the ability of individuals and businesses to protect themselves against economic shocks and other risks.

The workshop will feature opening remarks from Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Omosehin, and the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, are expected to provide industry and policy perspectives.

Other speakers include Dr Femi Oyetunji, Chairman, Board of Directors, SanlamAllianz Life Insurance Nigeria Limited; Professor Ismail Ibraheem of the University of Lagos; Dr Omogbai Omo-Eboh, a maritime and insurance lawyer; and Augustine Aipoh.

Oyetunji is expected to examine Nigeria’s insurance gap, the risks carried by individuals and businesses and the economic opportunities associated with improved insurance penetration.

Ibraheem, the theme speaker, will focus on what ‘risk everywhere, in everything’ means for journalists, while Omo-Eboh will address legal issues confronting investigative journalists reporting on high-risk industries, including defamation claims and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.

According to IPL, the workshop is also intended to equip journalists with practical tools for reporting risk without turning news stories into product advertisements.

The organisers said journalists would be encouraged to examine how insurance thinking could improve reporting of insecurity, economic hardship and systemic failures by focusing not only on losses but also on prevention, protection and accountability.

The programme follows the completion of the insurance industry’s recapitalisation exercise and the introduction of a new legal framework, providing an opportunity for closer engagement between the media and the industry.

IPL said key elements of the wider initiative would include beat-specific training, a digital learning platform, journalist toolkits and a monitoring framework, with implementation being advanced in partnership with stakeholders including the Nigerian Union of Journalists.

The organisation expects the initiative to generate wider public engagement with insurance issues, encourage policy discussions on risk management and, ultimately, contribute to higher insurance uptake.

Africa Re Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the African Reinsurance Corporation, supports initiatives in areas including insurance and risk awareness, health, education, disaster recovery, technology, research and community development.

The African Reinsurance Corporation is marking its 50th anniversary this year and has also reached the $1billion milestone in premiums.

MTN Foundation, in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI), held a pitch session for female entrepreneurs participating in the third edition of Y’ellopreneur on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the MTN Rooftop Events Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos. The session followed six weeks of intensive training at the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University to strengthen participants’ business planning, management, market readiness and access to equipment financing.

This third edition of Y’ellopreneur builds on a N1 billion matching fund launched by MTN Foundation and the Bank of Industry to provide equipment financing for 200 women entrepreneurs seeking to scale their businesses. The fund is jointly financed on a 50:50 basis by both institutions, with eligible women-led MSMEs able to access loans of up to NGN5 million. The programme also combines financing with structured training and business advisory support for entrepreneurs across sectors including agro-processing, light manufacturing, fashion, energy, waste management and digital services.

Dr Sandra O. Yoroh, State Manager, Bank of Industry, said the training had helped participants gain a better understanding of business structure and the requirements for building viable enterprises. ‘They understand what they need to have a structure in the business and what it means for a business to be properly structured,’ she said, noting that BOI would provide business advisory services and assess the businesses presented by the participants. The partnership is focused on helping women develop sustainable enterprises.

For Adejo Oladunni Olamide, Supervisor at Dunz Agro Food, the six-week programme provided practical lessons for managing and growing her agribusiness, which operates in farming and food processing. She said the training improved her knowledge of business, staff and customer management while giving her a clearer growth plan. ‘The journey so far has been so innovative, from the learning, to the application, to the pitching. Through this process, I’ve been able to acquire knowledge on business management, staff management, and customer management,’ Olamide said she expects greater visibility and a more productive approach to running the business after completing the programme.

The focus on training and finance addresses a significant constraint for Nigerian women entrepreneurs. The World Bank reports that women own about 40 per cent of Nigeria’s micro, small and medium enterprises, while female-led firms face higher barriers to accessing finance. Its research also found that women-led businesses recorded a 56 per cent loan rejection rate, compared with 17 per cent for male-led firms.

Through Y’ellopreneur 3.0, MTN Foundation and BOI are addressing part of this gap by combining business training, pitching, advisory services and equipment financing. The pitch session featured 760 entrepreneurs, with up to 200 female entrepreneurs set to receive equipment financing of up to NGN5 million each.

The African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, has urged the state government to urgently assist traders affected by the fire outbreak at the Sokoto Central Market.

The fire, which occurred about two days ago around the Kofar Yan Mashin section of the market, destroyed several shops and goods reportedly worth millions of naira.

Dan’iya, in a statement issued by his media aide, Aminu Abdullahi, sympathized with the affected traders and business owners, saying the incident had caused significant financial hardship.

He, however, thanked Almighty Allah that no life was lost in the incident.

‘We share in the pain of every trader whose shop, goods, and livelihood were affected. May Almighty Allah replace what has been lost with something better, strengthen the affected families, and restore their means of livelihood,’ he said.

The ADC candidate described the destruction as a setback for traders who depend on their businesses to support their families and contribute to the state’s economy.

He urged the affected traders to remain hopeful and work towards rebuilding their businesses despite the losses.

Dan’iya also called for immediate government intervention, including relief for victims and the repair or reconstruction of damaged shops.

‘These traders should not be left alone to bear the burden of a disaster that has affected an important commercial center of the state. Government must stand with them at this difficult moment,’ he said.

He expressed concern over the recurrence of fire incidents at the central market, saying the latest outbreak should prompt the authorities to reassess existing safety measures.

According to him, the market requires adequate firefighting equipment, accessible emergency routes, reliable water supply, proper electrical installations, and effective monitoring systems to minimize the risk of future disasters.

Dan’iya also urged market associations, traders, shop owners, and relevant government agencies to conduct regular safety inspections and address hazards, including faulty electrical connections, improper storage of combustible materials, and blocked access routes.

He commended residents and emergency personnel who assisted in containing the fire and preventing further destruction.

The candidate prayed for the recovery of the affected traders, saying stronger preventive measures were necessary to protect lives, businesses, and investments at the market.

The Sokoto Central Market is a major commercial hub in the state capital, attracting traders and customers from different parts of Sokoto and neighboring areas.

Previous fire incidents at the market have raised concerns over emergency access, firefighting facilities, and measures to protect traders’ property.

The latest incident has renewed calls for improved fire prevention and emergency response infrastructure as affected traders begin to assess the extent of their losses.