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The Cross River House of Assembly on Wednesday moved to provide legislation to regulate property rental and leasing in the state.

The motion, which was sponsored by Davies Etta, member representing Abi constituency, is titled ‘Matter of Urgent Public Importance on the Unreasonable Hike in House Rents in Calabar Metropolis’.

Presenting the motion during plenary on Wednesday, Etta noted that residents of the state had been lamenting the unreasonable increments in the price of rents.

‘As we speak, a single self-contained room on Marian Road now goes for N1.5 million per annum in Calabar South, while a one-bedroom apartment costs between N800,000 and N1 million.

‘In Parliamentary Extension, State Housing and Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) areas, tenants are being asked to pay N2 million and above for a one-bedroom or two-bedroom flats.

‘This unregulated rental inflation is not only heartless; it is economically destabilising, socially dangerous and breeds homelessness, desperation and urban inequality contradicting the principle of fairness,’ he noted. Stanley Nsemo, member representing Calabar Municipality, in his contribution to the debate, emphasised the urgent need to regulate rents as well as the activities of housing agents in Calabar Metropolis.

Other lawmakers who contributed to the motion were unanimous in their support, noting that, housing was not a luxury but a basic human right which the 10th Assembly would strive to protect.

Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Elvert Ayambem, while restating the 10th Assembly’s commitment to making laws that would make life easier for the citizens, commended the sponsor and members for their concern towards the well-being of residents.

Ayambem noted that the incessant increase in house rent was putting untold hardship on residents of the state.

He said that in view of this, the house would soon commence the legislative procedures for a law to regulate house rents across the state.

Omolola Oloworaran, the director-general of the National Pension Commission (PenCom), and Olusoji Oluwole, president, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), have urged stakeholders in the labour/employment ecosystem to collaborate and rethink policies and processes to protect workers amid growing artificial intelligence (AI’s) influence.

Oloworaran spoke at the 2025 Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN’s) workshop, with a focus on artificial intelligence, held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday, October 10.

She emphasised that the evolving world of work, driven by AI and digital transformation, demands renewed collaboration among government, labour, and industry players.

She stated PenCom’s commitment to digital innovation. Oloworaran said the Commission’s Pension Revolution 2.0 reform agenda is strategically designed to leverage technology and reshape Nigeria’s pension administration. According to the PenCom boss, the initiative focuses on automating key processes such as the issuance of Pension Clearance Certificates and benefits processing, while introducing a redesigned, technologically enabled Personal Pension Plan (PPP) to facilitate seamless onboarding of contributors. ‘Just as artificial intelligence is transforming work patterns, Pension Revolution 2.0 is reshaping the retirement system-making it smarter, faster, and more responsive to contributors’ needs,’ Oloworaran said.

She acknowledged LAWAN’s efforts at leading the conversation on the future of work, noting that such discourse is crucial to shaping a fair and inclusive labour ecosystem in Nigeria.

Oloworaran further commended media professionals for their dedication to workers’ welfare and their role in promoting awareness about pension reforms. According to her, PenCom regards the media as a vital partner in building a reliable, inclusive, and sustainable pension system for all Nigerians. She reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to working with all stakeholders to ensure that Nigerian workers are adequately equipped to navigate the AI-driven economy with confidence and security.

Also speaking, Olusoji Oluwole, president of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), called on trade unions to reinvent themselves in response to the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the global workforce, warning that failure to adapt could render unions obsolete.

In his paper, ‘Job security and the future of trade unions in the AI Era,’ Oluwole described AI as a continuation of technological evolution that began decades ago, noting that it represents the ‘fourth industrial revolution.’

He observed that while AI presents opportunities for innovation and new skill creation, it also poses significant threats to job security, particularly in routine and low-skilled roles. ‘Before AI, the functions threatened were minimal, but today, almost every sector – including technology itself – faces job displacement,’ he said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, credibility, and inclusivity in Nigeria’s electoral process, pledging stronger collaboration with the media as the nation approaches the November 8 Anambra State governorship election.

May Agbamuche-Mbu, acting chairman of the Commission, made the pledge on Wednesday during the third quarterly consultative meeting with media executives held at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.

Welcoming participants, Agbamuche-Mbu commended journalists and media leaders for their consistent partnership with the Commission, noting that regular engagements help strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

She paid tribute to Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past INEC chairman, who bowed out of office on October 7, describing him as ‘a visionary leader whose legacy of innovation and integrity has deepened democracy across Africa.’

Providing updates on the Commission’s activities, Agbamuche-Mbu said INEC has successfully conducted the August 16 bye-elections across 12 states covering two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies, and nine state assembly constituencies, including two court-ordered reruns in Enugu and Kano States. Certificates of Return, she added, have been issued to all winners in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.

On preparations for upcoming polls, she confirmed that the Commission has released and commenced implementation of the timetable and schedule of activities for the Anambra Governorship Election (November 8, 2025), the FCT Area Council Elections (February 21, 2026), the Ekiti Governorship Election (June 20, 2026), and the Osun Governorship Election (August 8, 2026).

She noted that INEC has completed 10 of the 13 key activities for the Anambra election, including delivery of non-sensitive materials and ongoing voter sensitisation. ‘The remaining activities-publication of the notice of poll, the last day of campaigns, and the election itself-will be strictly implemented,’ she assured.

Agbamuche-Mbu also disclosed that INEC’s media accreditation portal, opened on September 1, has so far received applications from 43 media organisations seeking accreditation for 363 personnel, with the deadline set for midnight on October 24. She urged journalists to complete their registration promptly, emphasising that accreditation tags will feature security codes to verify authenticity.

‘The media plays a vital role in combating fake news and misinformation during elections,’ she said. ‘INEC’s doors remain open for verification and clarification on all matters.’ Providing further updates, the Acting Chairman said the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, which began nationwide in August, has received massive turnout-reflecting citizens’ trust in the Commission’s reforms. The exercise will run until August 30, 2026, with weekly progress reports published on INEC’s website.

She added that out of 171 applications from political associations seeking registration, 14 have met constitutional and legal requirements to proceed to the next stage, as published on the Commission’s website.

Agbamuche-Mbu reaffirmed INEC’s resolve to deepen democracy through inclusive and credible elections, stating, ‘We are determined to uphold transparency and build an electoral process Nigerians can continue to trust.’

In his remarks, Comrade Yahya Alhassan, president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), lauded INEC for sustaining consistent engagement with the media, describing the partnership as ‘vital to the credibility of Nigeria’s democracy.’

‘The media remains one of the most critical stakeholders in democracy-not only as observers but as facilitators of credible and peaceful elections,’ he said. ‘Our duty is to ensure citizens are well informed, political actors are accountable, and the process is reported with fairness and responsibility.’

He called for enhanced training for journalists covering electoral matters, stronger collaboration on fact-checking and combating misinformation, and timely access to information from the Commission.

As preparations intensify for the Anambra election, both INEC and media stakeholders pledged to sustain cooperation towards ensuring a transparent, peaceful, and credible electoral process.

Peter Obi, leader of the Labour Party and its 2023 presidential candidate, has declared that no political party can capture any state electorally because a governor defects to it.

Obi made the remark while addressing questions from journalists in Abuja who sought his reaction to the wave of defections to the ruling APC, particularly in the South East. He emphasized that Nigeria operates a democracy, not a military regime where states are ‘captured.’

The LP leader said ‘the people will decide where to go, not governors or senators, no party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor.’

Commenting on the defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Obi described him as just one individual who cannot speak or decide on behalf of the people of the South East.

The APC had declared that the move is part of plans to capture the South-East for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, Obi said, ‘Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine. And I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.

‘As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people. You are a leader. You tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere.

‘The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it.’

On the planned protest for the release of Nnamdi Kanu by political activist Omoyele Sowore, the former Anambra State Governor said, ‘I’ve always been consistent on Nnamdi Kanu’s situation. There was no need for his arrest in the first place. And I’ve always said that for me, I will consult, negotiate and discuss with anybody who is agitating. I said it clearly and I remain there.

‘I thank those who are actually trying to do or say what we’ve been saying for a long time. Go and check what I’ve said before 2020, 2022 and even 2024. And now that it has gone to court, the rules should be followed. Not just for Nnamdi Kanu, but for all agitators across the nation. Let’s dialogue with them. ‘There’s nothing wrong with anybody agitating or saying let’s dialogue with them. And whatever we do with them, let’s follow the rules. So I thank the organisers and those who are involved.’

On his expectations from the new INEC chairman ahead of the 2027 election, Obi said, ‘Very simple. He’s a Nigerian. We want a new Nigeria where elections will be free, fair and credible and where people who have the competence, capacity, compassion, character and commitment to lead the nation are elected.

‘It’s for the good of everybody. None of us is going to be here forever, and none of us is going to be in his position forever. So whatever position we find ourselves in, it’s to do the right thing. So I wish him well.

‘When he (Amupitan) is confirmed, I will congratulate him and tell him to know that one day he’s going to leave that post. Let him ensure that he keeps his reputation.’ Obi who spoke to journalist on the sidelines when he accompanied Moses Paul, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairmanship candidate for Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in the February 2026 FCT Council elections on a visit to LEA Nursery/Primary School, Kapwa, a suburb of Abuja, said education is the bedrock of any society.

He decried the dilapidated state of the school, noting that the school furniture is in ‘irreparable conditions.’

Obi wondered why a school with over 200 pupils had no toilet facilities, and promised to give the school a facelift.

‘The most important thing we can do as a nation is to invest in basic education. Investment in children is the most important.

‘I am here today to support my brother, Dr Moses Paul, the ADC candidate contesting for the AMAC Council. You know he is campaigning and going round the communities in his constituency,’ he said.

Metrospeed Property Development has taken another step towards actualising its smart city project as the Nigerian property developer partners with Future Union, an international firm based in Qatar, to deliver an ambitious urban development modeled after the acclaimed Lusail Smart City in Doha.

The planned collaboration was disclosed recently during a courtesy visit and strategic meeting held at the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) site office for the Metro Smart City project in Lagos, according to a statement.

Leading the Qatari delegation, Abdelgalil Sharaf, Chief Executive Officer of Future Union, said his team was impressed with Metrospeed’s vision and would soon formalize their partnership.

‘We would like to thank you for this invitation today, and we would like to check the project. After that, we will sign the MOU and, Inshallah, go ahead to sign the contract,’ Sharaf said.

Future Union’s International and Regional Director, Maral Godalazian, described Metrospeed’s plans as a beautiful and interesting project.

‘It’s very interesting, especially what we saw with the smart city concept and what you’re planning. It’s beautiful, and I hope we can do anything to make it come to life,’ she said.

Speaking on the significance of the collaboration, Metrospeed Group CEO, Dele Oyefuga said Nigeria stands to benefit from Future Union’s advanced technical expertise, planning capacity, and investment potential. ‘We’re happy to have the Future Union team here in Nigeria, looking forward to bringing investment into the country. They successfully executed Lusail Smart City in Qatar, and we intend to leverage their wealth of experience to bring similar capacity development to Nigeria,’ Oyefuga stated.

He added that the project would redefine urban living in Lagos by promoting ‘good living, fantastic living, and smart living,’ particularly for residents of the state.

‘Once all preparations are completed, we will sign the MOU and the contract for Future Union to bring in their expertise and resources to complement what we’re doing in Nigeria,’ he promised.

Also speaking, Prince Kazeem Eletu-Odibo, the General Manager of Future Union Holdings, Nigeria, and a royal stakeholder in the host community, described the initiative as a ‘generational project’ that fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming Osapa, his ancestral land, into a model smart city.

‘My forefathers have been in this area for over 250 years. I’ve always dreamed of making this place a smart city in Lagos. I went to Qatar, spoke with my partners, and I’m glad they are here to make that dream a reality,’ he said.

Eletu-Odibo also expressed gratitude to the Qatari delegation for their commitment to replicating the Lusail Smart City experience in Nigeria, emphasizing that the project would mark a new era in Lagos’s urban development.

Health is wealth. For Nigeria, this is no longer just a slogan but an urgent national imperative. The healthcare sector sits at the intersection of social well-being and economic growth. It is where lives can be saved, productivity expanded, and billions of dollars in investment unlocked. What is required? With the right vision and execution, Nigeria’s next economic ‘unicorn’ may well be born not from fintech or oil, but from healthcare.

Nigeria’s healthcare system remains dangerously overstretched. The doctor-to-patient ratio stands at 1:5,000, far above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation of 1:600. Fewer than 10 percent of Nigerians have health insurance, leaving households exposed to catastrophic out-of-pocket payments. Over 70 percent of health spending comes directly from families, and the country loses more than $1 billion annually to medical tourism.

Public financing remains among the weakest globally. Nigeria spends an estimated $30 per capita annually on health, one of the lowest in the world. The Coordinating Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has acknowledged decades of underinvestment but insists reforms are underway to expand insurance coverage, revitalise primary healthcare, and strengthen transparency and accountability. This underscores the urgency of repositioning healthcare not merely as a social service, but as a core pillar of economic competitiveness.

And yet, the potential is vast. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Nigeria’s life sciences sector, currently valued at $46 billion, could double by 2030. This expansion could generate $1.6 billion in new investment and create nearly 50,000 jobs. The Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) has already set targets: reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported medical products from 70 percent to 30 percent by 2030, expand local pharmaceutical and device manufacturing, and position health as a driver of economic resilience.

These are not mere aspirations. They are achievable goals if matched with bold policy, private-sector partnership, and consistent execution and monitoring.

Learning from local success stories

Before looking abroad, Nigeria must acknowledge its own success stories. They prove that with the right models, healthcare can be both impactful and profitable.

Garki Hospital, Abuja: Once a moribund public facility, it was transformed under a concession with Nisa Premier Hospital into a thriving 24/7 operation. In a decade, it remitted nearly ?200 million to government coffers, invested ?4.6 billion in equipment, and pioneered the first sleeve gastrectomy in Sub-Saharan Africa. A model of how public-private partnerships (PPPs) can turn state liabilities into productive assets.

Lagoon Hospitals (Iwosan Group): Nigeria’s first private hospital to perform open-heart surgery, achieve Joint Commission International accreditation, and deploy full electronic medical records across its facilities. These are global standards achieved locally.

Delta State Access to Finance (A2F) Scheme: Another notable case is Delta State’s Access to Finance (A2F) Scheme, developed through a partnership between the Delta State Contributory Health Commission, PharmAccess, and the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN). By blending state policy with private-sector financing and expertise, the initiative revitalised primary healthcare centres across underserved communities. The result has been not only improved service delivery but also expanded healthcare access for more than 1.2 million residents, evidence that structured collaboration can extend the reach of care far beyond the limits of government budgets.

These examples show that innovation, partnership, and investment are not only possible but already underway. The challenge is scale.

Lessons from abroad

Around the world, countries that once struggled with weak public systems have unlocked growth by engaging the private sector intelligently:

India: Nearly 70 percent of healthcare delivery is private, with over 60 percent of infrastructure in private hands. Instead of competing, the government created the Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) insurance scheme, which channels public subsidies into private clinics, expanding universal coverage and easing strain on state hospitals. In 2023 alone, healthcare and pharma attracted $5.5 billion in private equity and venture capital.

Cambodia: Since 1998, the government has contracted private providers to deliver public healthcare, combining flexibility with oversight.

Brazil: São Paulo dramatically reduced morbidity and increased coverage by contracting nonprofit private bodies to deliver primary healthcare.

These global lessons are instructive: private healthcare, when properly regulated, becomes a national asset, not a competitor to public provision.

The cautionary fine print

Nigeria must also tread carefully. Private equity in healthcare is a double-edged sword. Studies in the United States have found that some PE-acquired hospitals experienced higher complication rates, more infections, and significantly increased charges. Patients bore the cost of profit-driven efficiency. Yet the same studies acknowledge that many of these hospitals were financially failing and would have collapsed without private capital. The lesson is clear: investment must come with strong quality safeguards, pricing transparency, and accountability mechanisms. Profit and impact can align-but only under robust regulation.

This was echoed at the 2025 National Health Financing Policy Dialogue, where stakeholders warned that Nigeria’s health crisis is not only about insufficient funds but also about inefficient allocation and weak accountability. Transparent financial management, stronger state-level oversight, and digital data systems were highlighted as vital to restoring public trust.

Why the Nigerian Government should bet on private healthcare

The arguments for action are overwhelming:

? Government budgets alone cannot sustain healthcare.

? Importing basic supplies like oxygen is unsustainable and embarrassing.

? Philanthropy cannot substitute for structured financing and is not sustainable.

? Self-sufficiency in medical manufacturing will create jobs, attract investment, and reduce costs.

? Human capital development in healthcare requires private investment-mirroring how Nigerian banks built training schools to expand capacity. Already, Lily Hospitals has established a private nursing school, while Iwosan Lagoon and First Cardiology are partnering with teaching hospitals to build specialist capacity.

In short, healthcare must be treated as both a social good and an economic growth strategy.

Healthcare Federation of Nigeria recommendations: Policies that fuel private healthcare growth

For Nigeria to unlock this potential, the government must:

Expand and professionalise PPPs: Use Garki Hospital as a flagship, not an outlier. Create enforceable, transparent contracts with clear remittance goals, performance targets, and accountability covenants.

Simplify regulation: Eliminate bottlenecks in licensing, approvals, and importation. PVAC’s quarterly consultative forums with businesses should be institutionalised into law.

Scale insurance penetration: Link the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) with digital ID systems and subsidise premiums for informal workers. This aligns with the NHIA’s recognition that insurance represents the strongest form of solidarity. Nigeria’s target of enrolling 44 million citizens by 2030 underscores both the urgency and the opportunity for scale.

Incentivise local production: Provide tax breaks, low-cost land, and research partnerships with universities to seed pharmaceutical and device manufacturing clusters.

Embed quality standards: Require private hospitals and clinics to meet accreditation benchmarks. Make performance metrics public to ensure accountability.

Classify healthcare as infrastructure: This will enable access to long-term, lower-interest financing, as India and Singapore have done.

Innovate in financing: Develop blended finance models, credit guarantees, Naira-based patient capital, and health impact bonds that attract donor and private funding while tying outcomes to measurable health gains.

Celebrate success: Spotlight models like Lagoon, Garki, and Delta State’s A2F scheme to attract more investors and strengthen trust in the sector.

The stakes for Nigeria

Why should the government act decisively now? Because the cost of inaction is already too high. A population of over 200 million cannot continue with a healthcare system that leaves most uninsured, underserved, and dependent on medical tourism. Because the economic opportunity is too large to ignore: $1.6 billion in new investment and 50,000 new jobs by 2030. And because health is not only about healing bodies-it is about securing Nigeria’s competitiveness, productivity, and national confidence.

The lesson from both homegrown models and international experience is clear: healthcare thrives when policy enables private investment while protecting patients. This is the balance Nigeria must now achieve.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. The time to act is now.

This article is a partnership between the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) and BusinessDay to highlight policies and programmes to promote the rebuilding of Nigeria’s health sector. As a private sector-led coalition, HFN advocates for policies and partnerships to strengthen healthcare delivery. This partnership aims to spark meaningful discussions and drive transformative change in Nigeria’s health sector.