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All is set for the formal unveiling of Nigeria’s hosting of the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja, scheduled for 2026.

The event will mark the official commencement of activities leading up to the global gathering, bringing together public relations professionals from around the world.

The National Planning Committee (NPC), chaired by Dr Suleiman Haruna, mnipr, has finalised arrangements for the National Unveiling Ceremony, which will take place as a hybrid event on Monday, 20 October 2025, at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

This format is intended to enhance participation and engagement from both local and international audiences, allowing for both physical and virtual attendance.

The Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, FNIPR, is set to deliver the keynote address, alongside speeches from four prominent ministers, including the Honourable Ambassador Yusuf M. Tuggar, OON, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Honourable Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy; Honourable Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior; and Honourable Festus Keyamo, CON, SAN, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

In a statement, the NPC emphasised the importance of media coverage for the unveiling ceremony, describing it as a significant two-hour event that will ignite excitement for WPRF Abuja 2026.

Dr Haruna noted that the unveiling will also mark the start of Early Bird Registration, offering special discounts for delegates while creating opportunities for sponsorship both domestically and internationally.

‘This event is not just about showcasing Nigeria as the host nation; it is about positioning Abuja firmly on the global map and ensuring that our local and international audiences recognise it as the place to be in November 2026,’ Dr Haruna stated.

The NPC, comprising key figures in the public relations and communication sectors, was established by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) – the host institute for WPRF 2026 – to oversee the organisation of this prestigious global event.

For instance, the 2024 Report of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), released at the association’s 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos recently, revealed a huge surge in unsold inventory of N2.14 trillion in Year 2024, as against the N1.14 trillion recorded in 2023; a development attributed to the diminishing purchasing power of the average Nigerian consumer due to inflationary pressure.

Besides, the report also revealed that in 2024 alone, about 60 per cent of members of the Association operating in the North Eastern part of the country had to shut down their businesses due to inclement business weather.

The frailty of the sector was also revealed in the sector’s paltry 5.5 per cent contribution to the year’s total exports, a figure seen as reflecting the sector’s marginal integration into global and regional value chains.

The report also indicated that, while capacity utilization in the sector during the year under review improved marginally to 57.0 per cent from 55.1 per cent in 2023, persistent challenges such as rising costs of energy, forex volatility and high interest rates restrained further growth.

While the sector’s real manufacturing output increased modestly by 1.8 per cent year on year to N7.78 trillion from N7.64 trillion, a decline of 3.1 per cent was however recorded half on half in the year, as the real production reduced from N3.95 trillion recorded in H1 2024 to N3.83 trillion recorded in H2 2024.

Another major intractable challenge the sector has continued to grapple with is that of energy costs. For instance, the report revealed that substantial investments in self-energy generation, totaling N1.11 trillion from N781.68 billion of 2023, representing a 42.3 per cent increase, were made by companies in the sector in the year under review.

The rising cost of funds also remains a challenge in the sector. For instance, in 2024 the average lending rate stood at 35.5 per cent in H1 of the year and remained unchanged in H2 of the year, despite sectoral variations.

Speaking on the challenges at the association’s fifth Adeola Odutola Lecture in Lagos, its president, Otunba Francis Meshioye, attributed the development to inclement macroeconomic environment, policy failure, regulatory tyranny, inconsistent implementation, weak enforcement and inadequate protection of local industry.

‘Nigeria’s manufacturing is not shrinking by accident, but because of the manner and approach of our policy design and implementation, typically characterised by non-inclusive formulation process, non-enforcement and ineffectiveness.

The MAN boss believed one of the ways out is to deliberately place the nation’s manufacturing first through the Nigeria First Policy.

‘Countries that have successfully transformed their economies have done so by deliberately placing their manufacturing sector first. Nations like Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan and Bangladesh aggressively promoted local industries, secured domestic markets for their producers, and built stable and supportive policy environments to foster sustained industrial growth,’ Meshioye argued.

Also speaking on the development at the event, the President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, urged the government to gazette the Nigeria First Policy as a binding law with punitive measures for non-compliance.

He attributed the failure of past Executive Orders 003 and 005 to weak enforcement.

The industrialist would also want the government to mandate all MDAs to allocate at least 65 per cent of their annual procurement budgets to locally manufactured products.

The continent’s one of the most successful industrialists, who was represented at the event by the Executive Director at Dangote Group and former President of MAN, Engineer Ahmed Mansur, identified weak local patronage as a major challenge facing the nation’s manufacturing, noting that despite the local content laws, public and private buyers in Nigeria still prefer imported goods to those made in the country.

He expressed the hope that the ‘Nigeria First Policy’, if effectively implemented, would go a long way in boosting the nation’s GDP, reducing import dependence and generating jobs.

The House of Representatives has waded into mounting public outrage over escalating bank charges, warning that excessive fees could undermine Nigeria’s drive for financial inclusion.

Lawmakers said the growing deductions from customers’ accounts are discouraging savings and eroding trust in the banking sector – a trend that threatens to reverse years of progress toward expanding financial access.

In response, the House has directed its Committee on Banking Regulations to summon top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and major commercial banks to explain the persistent rise in service fees, following a surge of public complaints about what many described as ‘incessant and unjustified deductions.’

During plenary, lawmakers expressed deep concern that opaque and excessive charges are steadily wiping out customers’ deposits, particularly among low-income earners, and could derail the CBN’s target of bringing 95 per cent of Nigerian adults into the formal financial system by 2025.

Figures from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) paint a worrying picture: more than 60 million Nigerians currently have active bank accounts, yet 38 per cent of adults remain financially excluded. Analysts partly blame the situation on multiple and hidden charges that make banking unattractive to many.

The CBN’s 2024 Annual Economic Report shows that banks raked in about N520 billion from service charges – including transfer fees, card maintenance, and SMS alerts – representing an 18 per cent jump from N440 billion in 2023. Transaction-related fees also rose by 22 per cent, driven by higher digital adoption and tariff reviews.

Similarly, the CBN’s Business Expectations Survey released in September 2025 ranked high bank charges (70.8 points) among the top three business challenges, alongside multiple taxation and poor infrastructure.

Financial inclusion experts argued that while banks face rising operational costs – from energy to cybersecurity and infrastructure – excessive charges could undo hard-won gains in financial deepening.

‘The more people lose confidence in the fairness of the system, the more they revert to informal savings,’ Dr. Uche Uwaleke, Professor of Finance and Capital Market Analyst, stated.

A recent survey by Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) adds weight to these concerns, revealing that 15 per cent of previously banked Nigerians closed or abandoned their accounts between 2022 and 2024, citing ‘unexplained deductions.’

With inflation and exchange rate volatility already squeezing household incomes, many now view bank charges as an unofficial tax on financial participation.

The House investigation is expected to compel the CBN and the banks to justify their fee structures and chart a path toward fairer, more transparent practices that protect consumers while ensuring the sustainability of the banking sector.

As Nigerians struggle to stay afloat amid economic headwinds, lawmakers say banking must remain a tool for inclusion – not exclusion.

A 15-year-old Nigerian student, Agbo Adoga, has drawn global attention after scoring a perfect 1600 in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a rare global achievement that cements his place among the world’s brightest young minds.

Agbo, who attends Graceland International School in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, achieved the global feat, joining an exceptional group of students worldwide who have achieved the highest possible SAT score.

The Chief Executive Officer of Educare, Alex Onyia, announced in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account that Adoga came out best in the world in Mathematics at the International STEM Olympic.

‘This boy, Agbo Adoga from Graceland International School, Port-Harcourt, just scored a perfect SAT score of 1600.’, he added.

While the SAT result has made headlines, it is only one highlight in a long list of Agbo’s remarkable academic milestones. Over the past few years, he has built an impressive record of more than 80 awards and medals from national and international competitions spanning mathematics, coding, and STEM innovation.

In 2025, Agbo was named Overall Runner-Up at the Singapore Maths Global Finals (SMGF) for Grades 11 and 12, further affirming his position among the world’s top mathematics students. He also earned the title of Perfect Scorer at the Singapore and Asian Schools Maths Olympiad (SASMO) in 2024 and later became World Champion in the 4th Grand Final of the International STEM Olympiad (Mathematics – Grade 11) held in Spain in 2025.

His streak of excellence continued when he clinched first place worldwide in the Maths Best of the Best Round of the 5th International STEM Olympiad 2025, adding to a collection of multiple Gold Medals from previous editions of the contest between 2023 and 2025.

He has also excelled in national contests, as he was crowned Overall Best Student at the Maths4Life National Mathematics Tournament 2025, where he earned N3 million with his team and an additional N100,000 as the Most Valuable Player.

In 2023, he made national headlines by winning the Junior Category of the Cowbellpedia TV Quiz Show, one of Nigeria’s most competitive mathematics challenges, securing a ?5 million cash prize and an educational trip to South Africa.

IS there any other manifestation of the consequences of the collapse of the moral value system in a society other than the preponderance of aberrant behaviour amongst citizens and the frequency of criminal activities? It is terrifying that some people are innately wicked and selfish, and do not care how their toxic conduct affects other people, not even when the latter are impressionable minors. It is as if they have not been raised to behave otherwise, and have no fear of the criminal justice system. The consistent commission of heinous crimes against humanity, including the violation of the innocence of minors, is evidence of how low the society has sunk. Yet, such incidents are a recurring decimal in this clime. Just last Wednesday, the Jigawa State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) identified the lifeless body of a three-year-old girl dumped in a bush in Kiyawa Local Government Area. The toddler, Harira Yakubu Bala, a resident of Sabon Gari, Kiyawa Local Government Area of the State, had been reported missing a day earlier but her corpse was discovered in the bush by the NSCDC operatives, who evacuated it to hospital for examination and investigation.

Sadly, following medical examination, it was confirmed that the deceased child had been raped, molested and murdered by a yet-to-be-identified person! Is it not strange that a demented, callous and irresponsible adult could violate the innocence of a three-year-old girl who was not capable of having any sensual feelings, let alone understanding what the wicked outlaw did to her? But even at that, she was ‘tortured’, as it were, before being murdered as her lifeless body was reportedly riddled with injuries. Alas, such cases are not new. For instance, in June, we addressed the case of a demented pervert who defiled a four-year-old child in Niger State. The girl’s distraught parents had woken up from sleep in front of their house after receiving natural breeze during hot weather, only to later discover that their four-year-old girl had been abducted and sexually assaulted. Like that terrible incident, the current horrendous incident is an eloquent exemplification of moral decadence in the society. It is really saddening and disturbing. The disheartening, wicked and barbaric incident reflects very badly on the community where it occurred, the state and country at large. An innocent baby molested, raped and killed in a 21st century Nigeria is an abomination, the recurrence of which must be prevented by all lawful means.

The motivation for killing the child after brutally abusing and violating her is yet unclear because even without being traumatised, Harira couldn’t have been in a position to identify her assailants given her impressionable age. She was a baby by every definition. The likelihood that the outlaw most probably defiled the child until she gave up the ghost is sickening. And that possibility makes the incident even more ignoble, pathetic and horrendous. What is the society becoming? An animal kingdom? Is the society sliding into the Hobbesian state of nature where life is brutish and where beastly and bestial conduct and occurrences are prevalent?

The horrific incident necessarily raises other posers: Who was the last to see Harira before her abduction, defilement and murder? Who was with her in the first instance? At three, the victim still needed utmost care, love and affection and so it is unthinkable that her parents allowed her to be by herself to the extent that they were oblivious that she had been taken away from them. Just where were her parents before the incident? And where were other adults and neighbours? After all, African culture encourages collective care in parenting. Or is that vital aspect of the society’s quasi-communal living diminishing? This incident didn’t happen in an urban centre, so why is it that no member of the rural/semi-urban community where everyone knows each other fairly well saw what happened? Or has the inclination towards individuality that prevails in the urban centres taken over the countrysides too?

The action of the rapist is tragic. That an infant was raped and murdered speaks volumes about the mental state of her violator. Indeed, it takes a depraved mind to even think of, let alone commit, such a horrendous crime. The prevalence of similar incidents in the society is distressing. We, therefore, urge parents and guardians to brace up to their role in the lives of their children and wards. It is instructive that while security agencies have a duty to protect lives and properties, parents should be the first line of defence for their children, especially the impressionable ones. Thus, such a sad occurrence as the instant case, which could have been prevented if the parents of the deceased had been alive to their responsibility, is most unfortunate and intolerable. Truth be told, no form of dereliction of duty in parenting should be condoned if children are to stay alive and/or grow up to become responsible adults. Meanwhile, we urge the NSCDC and the police to launch a painstaking inquiry into the incident and apprehend the defiler and murderer without further delay.

When the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently revised Nigeria’s economic growth outlook upward, it was more than just a routine statistical adjustment. It was, in many ways, an endorsement of the sweeping reforms introduced under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, and a recognition that Nigeria’s economy is gradually finding its footing again after years of instability.

For months, analysts had wondered whether the painful reforms launched since 2023 – exchange rate unification, monetary tightening, and a decisive break from unorthodox financing – would bear fruit soon enough to justify the economic discomfort they brought.

The IMF’s latest verdict suggests they have. With inflation easing, the naira holding firm, foreign reserves climbing, and investor confidence gradually returning, the signs point to a slow but measurable transformation in Nigeria’s economic landscape.

At the 2025 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC, Cardoso, who led the Nigerian delegation, articulated the logic and outcomes of these reforms. He explained that Nigeria’s economy had been ‘restructured and resilient,’ equipped with ‘huge buffers against global risks,’ and guided by policies designed to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen domestic production. His confidence reflected a shift from crisis management to steady consolidation, a phase that many observers believe has restored credibility to Nigeria’s economic institutions.

Cardoso’s remarks followed the IMF’s October 2025 World Economic Outlook report, which raised Nigeria’s growth projection to 3.9 percent in 2025 and 4.1 percent in 2026. The Fund cited improved oil production, rising investor confidence, and a supportive fiscal stance among the key drivers of this outlook.

Also noted were the relative stability of the naira, an expanding foreign reserve position, and the country’s limited exposure to higher U.S. tariffs – factors that together gave Nigeria a rare edge amid global volatility.

To the CBN Governor, these were not coincidences. ‘We were very fortunate because a lot of the things that needed to be done, we did them much earlier,’ he said during a G-24 press briefing in Washington. ‘As a result, we were able to create resilience and buffers against potential shocks.’

He described a ‘complete restructuring of the economy,’ where domestic production is being encouraged, imports are being curtailed, and the naira has emerged as a more competitive currency – reflected in Nigeria’s first positive trade balance in years, expected to reach six percent of GDP.

While the IMF acknowledged that many emerging and developing economies have suffered declining export volumes and foreign currency earnings, Nigeria’s trajectory stood out. G-24 Chairman, Pablo Quirno, warned that ‘rising policy uncertainties’ and ‘substantial medium-term headwinds’ continue to challenge global growth, yet he conceded that countries like Nigeria, which have embraced proactive reforms, are better positioned to weather the storm.

The IMF’s Economic Counsellor, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, elaborated that supportive domestic factors, particularly the CBN’s focus on exchange rate transparency and prudent monetary policy, have helped restore balance. ‘Whereas growth in Nigeria is revised upward on account of supportive domestic factors, many other economies see downward revisions,’ he noted, underscoring the contrast between Nigeria’s reform momentum and the stagnation elsewhere.

The global economy, meanwhile, remains in a delicate state. The Fund projects global growth to slow from 3.3 percent in 2024 to 3.2 percent in 2025 and 3.1 percent by 2026, with advanced economies expanding by a modest 1.5 percent and emerging markets averaging slightly above four percent. Yet within that average, Nigeria’s upward revision represents a meaningful divergence – a sign that domestic policies can still trump external constraints when well designed and consistently implemented.

This evolving confidence in Nigeria’s reform path is rooted in how the CBN tackled structural distortions over the past two years. When Cardoso assumed office in 2023, the economy was in distress: inflation was spiraling, foreign reserves were thinning, investor confidence was at an all-time low, and the naira had lost much of its credibility. Fiscal and monetary boundaries had blurred, and the financial system struggled under the weight of excessive interventionism. ‘It was a moment that demanded not just technical skill, but leadership rooted in courage, credibility, and accountability,’ Cardoso recalled during a recent lecture at the Lagos Business School.

His administration responded by raising interest rates by more than 800 basis points to tame inflation and restoring orthodoxy to the CBN’s operations. Crucially, the Bank ended direct financing of the government beyond statutory limits, reestablishing its independence and focusing again on price stability. These moves, while unpopular, restored credibility to Nigeria’s monetary policy and reassured both local and foreign investors that the days of blurred fiscal lines were over.

In the foreign exchange market, the reforms were even more dramatic. The introduction of a ‘willing-buyer, willing-seller’ framework and the unification of multiple exchange rate windows removed distortions that had long undermined investor confidence. The CBN also cleared a $7 billion backlog in verified FX obligations – a gesture that many businesses, especially airlines, manufacturers, and multinationals, saw as a turning point.

As liquidity improved and confidence returned, the naira began to stabilize, allowing the CBN to build reserves now above $42 billion. The Bank also created new channels for diaspora inflows, including the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (BVN) platform, which allows Nigerians abroad to open accounts seamlessly. Together, these efforts helped attract new inflows while plugging previous leakages that had drained the system.

Beyond the market mechanics, the CBN’s data-driven approach has started to yield results on a macro level. Nigeria’s real GDP expanded by 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2025, indicating that the economy is regaining momentum after several years of stagnation. Capital inflows are rebounding, sovereign credit ratings have improved, and the cost of insuring Nigeria’s debt has fallen.

‘These shifts suggest more than a cyclical adjustment. They mark the outlines of a developmental inflection point, where investor confidence is gradually restored, and Nigeria positions itself at the threshold of long-term transformation,’ Cardoso remarked.

Still, the CBN governor is under no illusion about the challenges ahead. The gains are fragile, and ensuring that they translate into ‘durable prosperity’ remains the greater task. That, he insists, will require consistency, fiscal discipline, and structural reforms beyond the central bank’s purview. ‘The real task is to ensure that these hard-won gains translate into prosperity, especially for the next generation,’ he said.

Part of that transformation involves reducing Nigeria’s historic overreliance on foreign exchange subsidies. Under the previous regime, multiple exchange rates and opaque FX allocations cost the country dearly. Estimates show that in 2022 alone, potential revenue losses from the rigid FX regime reached about N6.2 trillion, far exceeding the N4.5 trillion spent on fuel subsidies the same year. The new reforms, though difficult, are designed to prevent such distortions from recurring and to channel those resources into education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

To sustain these gains, Cardoso has called on Nigerian banks to play a stronger role as market makers rather than passive intermediaries. ‘An FX market defined solely by when and how the Central Bank buys or sells dollars is inadequate for a dynamic economy like Nigeria’s. Now is the time for banks to step up to their intermediation and market-making responsibilities,’ he noted.

The IMF shares this sentiment, emphasizing that while monetary and fiscal policies are crucial, lasting stability will depend on institutional credibility and continued structural adjustment. The Fund’s latest report warns that global uncertainties – from trade disputes to climate-related shocks – will continue to test emerging economies. Yet it acknowledges that Nigeria’s proactive steps, particularly the early tightening of monetary policy and the unification of exchange rates, have insulated it from the full brunt of these external pressures.

In a world where many economies are struggling to stay afloat amid shifting trade policies and volatile markets, Nigeria’s gradual return to stability stands as a case study in disciplined reform. The path has not been easy, nor have the benefits been instantaneous, but the direction is clear: a more transparent, competitive, and resilient economy is emerging from years of turbulence.

For the IMF, that resilience is proof that Nigeria’s reforms are not just working on paper – they are beginning to reshape the real economy. And for Cardoso, it is a validation that the painful but necessary decisions of the past two years are laying the foundation for a stronger, more confident Nigeria ready to compete on the global stage.

The Governor of Katsina State, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has reaffirmed his administration’s unwavering commitment to transforming the state’s power and energy landscape through collaboration, innovation, and strategic partnerships.

Governor Radda, alongside the Governors of Kano and Jigawa States, participated in a two-day high-level strategic meeting with the leadership of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) and Future Energies Africa held in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco.

Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon. Nasir Yahaya Daura, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Power and Energy, Dr. Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmed, were also in attendance. The Katsina delegation also included Abubakar Abdullahi Matazu, General Manager of the Rural Electrification Board (REB), and Engr. Abdulaziz Kabir Abdullahi, representing the Department of Power and Energy.

The meeting focused on developing a coordinated framework for expanding electricity access to unserved and underserved communities, enhancing grid stability, and improving energy security across the three states. Discussions also centered on the establishment of a Joint Regulatory Commission, designed to harmonize regional energy policies and strengthen public-private partnerships for sustainable electricity delivery.

Governor Radda reiterated Katsina State’s commitment to leveraging its vast renewable energy potential-particularly in solar and wind resources-to support both domestic and industrial demand. He emphasized that energy remains the bedrock of economic development and expressed the state’s readiness to work with credible partners to ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable power for all citizens.

‘Our administration is determined to bridge the energy access gap and ensure that every sector-from education and healthcare to agriculture and industry-benefits from stable and clean electricity,’ Governor Radda stated. ‘This partnership with KEDCO and Future Energies Africa aligns with our blueprint for sustainable growth and reflects our shared vision for regional energy integration.’

The meeting concluded with a shared resolution among the three governors to pursue coordinated investments in power infrastructure, accelerate renewable energy deployment, and attract credible investors through transparent and investor-friendly policies.

The engagement in Marrakech marks another bold step in the Radda administration’s drive to position Katsina State as a model for subnational energy leadership in Northern Nigeria and a key player in the nation’s energy transition and economic diversification agenda.

Nigerian comedian and activist, Adebowale Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has reaffirmed his stance on the #EndSARS movement, declaring that Nigerians will never forgive or forget the events of October 20, 2020.

Commemorating five years since the incident in a Facebook post on Monday, he reflected on the tragic loss suffered by Nigerian youths, noting that many lost their lives, jobs, families, and dreams at the hands of corrupt leaders.

He maintained that despite some individuals’ continued loyalty to those in power, the events of October 20 would remain unforgettable and unforgivable.

He wrote, ‘Nigerian Youths lost their lives, jobs, families, and dreams at the hands of the most corrupt and evil People we call Leaders!!!

‘Even though some of us are deeply in love with our Oppressors, this day 20/10/2020 is never to be forgotten nor forgiven!

Across social media platforms, Nigerians have been marking the fifth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest, particularly the Lekki Toll Gate incident in Lagos, where peaceful demonstrators were allegedly shot at by security forces.

On Monday, many Nigerians took to X to honour the memory of those who lost their lives, sharing messages, prayers, and tributes in remembrance.

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An X user, @_DeeeCR7 tweeted, ‘To every soul we lost to police brutality and the End SARS protest – your courage still echoes. You deserved better, but Nigeria has only grown darker under this same wicked system. Rest on, heroes. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Another user, @thisisdmt01 wrote, ‘RIP to the heroes we lost at the end sars protest, you’re never forgotten The 2020 protests witnessed one of the largest youth mobilisations in Nigeria’s history and attracted global attention. ‘

‘On this Day 20th October 2020 we lost our great youths during End SARS Pr0test we will never forget them in our hearts,’ @WonsoulPMGBM opined.

The #EndSARS movement, which began as a campaign against police brutality, quickly evolved into a nationwide call for justice, accountability, and good governance.

However, the demonstrations were overshadowed by violence, culminating in the Lekki Toll Gate shooting on the night of October 20, 2020.

So far in the year 2025, the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) has witnessed a contraction in its overall market capitalisation, following the exit of eight listed companies that collectively wiped off an estimated N330.7 billion from the equities market.

The delisting of these companies, a mix of regulatory actions and voluntary withdrawals, reflected persistent structural challenges within Nigeria’s capital market, including weak corporate governance, non-compliance with post-listing obligations, and high regulatory costs.

According to corporate filings from the NGX, the companies delisted between January and October 2025 include Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc, Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, Capital Oil Plc, Goldlink Insurance Plc, Med-View Airline Plc, Notore Chemical Industries Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, and Smart Products Nigeria Plc.

The wave began in January when the NGX removed Tourist Company of Nigeria and Union Homes for prolonged regulatory breaches.

In April, Capital Oil, Goldlink Insurance, and Med-View Airline were also delisted for failing to meet post-listing and disclosure requirements.

The trend continued into the second half of the year with the voluntary exits of Notore Chemical and MRS Oil, while Smart Products was removed in October for non-compliance and prolonged suspension.

Market data indicated that Notore Chemical Industries Plc accounted for the largest single exit, with a market capitalisation of about N252 billion, representing roughly 0.27 percent of the NGX’s total value of N93 trillion. MRS Oil Nigeria Plc followed with N51.3 billion, while Med-View Airline Plc contributed N15.79 billion. Smaller exits such as Tourist Company of Nigeria, Union Homes, Capital Oil, and Goldlink Insurance had market values ranging between N0.9 billion and N5.6 billion at the time of delisting.

In total, the eight firms collectively accounted for about 0.35 percent of the Exchange’s total capitalisation, according to data compiled from NGX disclosures.

Although the losses seem modest relative to the size of the market, analysts warn that the trend signals deep-seated issues within the capital market ecosystem.

There is an ‘umbilical’ nexus between the fortunes of an organisation and the career development of its leaders.

In a truly high-performing culture, organisational performance and career development are inseparable. The workplace grows in direct response to the challenge on an employee’s ability, skill, talent and competency through regular encouragement and continuous learning.

A leader that epitomises self-preservation is working against himself. Most of his efforts will be counterproductive. Leadership must be supportive and nourishing. In an ideal workplace, employees will always be willing to expand capabilities and embrace new challenges.

The leader’s behaviours have ripple effects. They trickle down. The employee must have clarity on why his work matters. Their activities must provide beneficial values to the customers. These values must become the norm, and everybody must be committed to delivering bottom-line results and goals.

Today’s leader must be careful about counterproductive tendencies. The leader must regularly question his own values and be open to his colleagues’ values. He must draw the line between responsibilities that will move the organisation forward and his personal expression.

The leader is the architect, bridger and catalyst. He confronts headlong what needs to be corrected. He cares deeply for team members and challenges directly the blind spots in the organisation. He strategically and from time to time releases control to empower with impact and influence.

He flows day-to-day with clarity and accountability. His style is the highly demanding professional leadership. He thrives on chemistry with the team. He is focused, brilliant and leads with creativity and innovation. He is versatile and always challenging the status quo. He radiates strength, grit and collaborative subtlety. He demonstrates resilience and epitomises dignity and integrity.

What are his antidotes for navigating today’s hard times? How does he confront low patronage? The answer is carefully mapped-out relevance in paying markets.

He significantly pays high premium on beneficial outcomes. His strategy is a people-centred approach. This approach prioritises essential needs and services that promote well-being: How are people surviving? What do they want? What are they buying? Capabilities, skills and mindsets are deployed to achieve this perfect position.

The formula for this leader or strategist to succeed and win is to stay relevant. This formula must be measurable and, of course, follow systematic principles. It must be strategically executed and not carried out through intuition or innate abilities.

The second antidote is courage – sacrificial courage. The leader must be strong and capable. The leader and his organisation must deliver beneficial outcomes at affordable prices no matter the situation. He must take well thought-through risks – stunning risks – to succeed and win. The leader’s and his team’s unyielding courage must be leveraged for growth and profit. His mindset must be invincible. He must become the leader that anchors stability, profitability and growth on grit.

To navigate through today’s hard times, organisations must avoid the traps of the usually trumpeted strategic planning. Some leaders are used to planning and are always clothing this in the robe of strategic planning. Strategic planning is based on what the leaders want and the usual day-to-day activities – for instance, improving customer experience and hiring more talents. Experts refer to these activities as the cost side of business.

Today, we should be talking about customer obsession and not customer centricity. In other words, organisations must be obsessed with satisfying customer values and outcomes. To achieve this, you must step out of your comfort zone. You must be relevant to customers’ needs and wants, as I mentioned earlier.

The solution is strategy – an integrated set of thought-through choices. The leader must become the avant-garde of customers and not the customer of costs. The leader must do great business to win and not just be a credible participant. Costs must enhance outcomes. Strategy positions the organisation in a selected playing field to win.

The organisation must become better than its rivals. There must be coherence in activities, and the customer must determine efforts. The goal of strategy is winning in the marketplace. It is an innovative journey that is regularly tweaked and refined. You can constantly hone it and be committed to making it better as you go along. It is indeed the best approach to stability and winning in these hard times. Organisations must adopt the strategy option for winning – that is, positioning in an excellent way to do something relevant, meaningful and indispensable to people’s welfare.

Let me conclude with the great idea that leaders must take control of organisational culture and not allow it to evolve as we have been doing.

Organisational culture must be purposeful, intentional and systematic. We must author it, create it, drive it and make it what we want it to be. This new approach must be practical for us to achieve a truly high-performing culture that is different from the typical, the esoteric and the abstract. It must be actionable and sustainable. It must also be deliberately developmental in its approach and have clear goals. There must be attention on bottom-line profitability and employee development. This model must showcase the combination of challenge and support.

We must be clear on efficiency and operational excellence. There must be clarity on what is celebrated, tolerated and forbidden. Values must include customer obsession, building a great and enduring organisation and the eagerness for entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The framework for this approach is flexibility, adaptation, internal and external orientation as well as market-based orientation.