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Power supply: How Governor Okpebholo’s power generation plan at Ologbo is attracting investors, jobs

Edo State is advancing into a new phase of industrial and economic growth as the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo deepens efforts to build an investment-friendly environment anchored on security, infrastructure and reliable electricity supply.

At Ologbo in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, the ongoing 100-megawatt power project and industrial park being developed by CCETC are emerging as central elements of the administration’s strategy to strengthen the state’s productive economy.

The project, formally launched in February 2026, comprises a 100MW natural-gas-powered electricity generation facility and an industrial park.

The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation described the development as part of efforts to promote manufacturing, employment and sustainable economic growth in Edo, while the state government has presented it as a major step toward energy security and industrial expansion.

Project Coordinator, CCETC, Jiang Fan, said the company was working closely with the state government to deliver the facility, noting that significant progress had already been recorded.

‘I am in charge of this project and this is our 100 megawatts of power generation and also an industrial park,’ Fan said.

He explained that most of the generating equipment had arrived and installation was substantially advanced.

He said the technology uses natural gas, with individual generating units rated at 2.3MW, while the overall target is 100MW.

According to Fan, the company has completed substantial preparatory works, with about 90 per cent of the foundation work completed and roughly half of the overall work plan accomplished.

He also disclosed that the project had secured the necessary generation and distribution licences, describing the remaining work as part of the final preparations required before electricity generation and distribution commence.

Fan said the distribution arrangement covers six local government areas with the possibility of expansion to other parts of the state.

He stressed that reliable electricity would have a direct economic impact, particularly by making Edo more attractive to businesses and investors.

‘This is meaningful to businesses and investors in the state,’ he said, adding that the industrial park and existing investments around the project area could generate additional opportunities for investment and employment.

The project is also expected to deepen local economic participation. Wann said construction activities were already providing jobs for local workers, while the anticipated expansion of the industrial park would create additional employment opportunities for residents.

‘With a lot of investment and our industrial park started, more opportunities will be available for the local indigenes to work,’ he said.

For Governor Okpebholo, the power project forms part of a wider economic strategy built around creating an enabling environment for private investment.

The arrangement was presented as a means of ensuring that Edo participates directly in the long-term economic benefits of strategic infrastructure investments.

Residents of Ologbo also expressed optimism about the project’s potential impact.

A local laundry operator, Mr. Imowo Iyip, described the development as ‘a welcome development,’ recalling years of electricity challenges in the community.

Pastor Friday Johnson, who said he had lived in the area for more than two decades, similarly recalled periods when residents depended heavily on generators and said recent improvements had brought relief.

Another resident, Mr. Udok Uwen, described the project as ‘a very good development’ for Ologbo and neighbouring communities.

With security, roads, infrastructure and energy increasingly placed at the centre of Edo’s investment strategy, the administration’s economic agenda is taking shape around a simple proposition: an environment where businesses can operate, industries can access power, investors can commit capital and residents can find jobs.

As the project moves toward completion, the emerging industrial landscape at Ologbo offers another indication of Edo’s ambition to turn infrastructure investment into a broader platform for production, employment and sustained economic growth.

Shared values

This year’s National PR Congress of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines carries the theme ‘Steward the story: From clout to legacy.’ It is a well-intentioned theme. It is also, I would argue, a symptom.

Not of bad intentions. Of an outdated self-concept our profession has carried for decades and has been reluctant to let go of.

The story was never the point

For most of its modern history, Philippine public relations has defined itself by narrative. We write. We pitch. We publish. We manage media relations, craft messaging and count coverage. We call ourselves storytellers and wore the title with pride.

But the story was never the objective. It was always the instrument. Communication, however well executed, has never been the end goal of this profession. It has always been the means. Somewhere along the way, we mistook the tool for the task.

This matters because the world our profession operates in no longer waits for the story to be told before reputation is made or lost.

A leadership decision can create a crisis before the communications team enters the room. An employee’s video can expose, in ninety seconds, the distance between what an organization publishes and how it actually behaves. A stakeholder community can mobilize and render judgment in hours, often before an official statement has cleared legal review. Algorithms now decide, largely without human input, what becomes visible, what gets amplified, and what disappears entirely, shaping the field on which reputation is contested before a single press release goes out.

In that world, ‘stewarding the story’ is no longer a strategy. It describes what happens after the outcome has already been decided elsewhere: in culture, in leadership behavior, in the thousand small decisions an organization makes when no one from communications is in the room.

Why we keep returning to the story

I understand why the story remains the profession’s comfort zone here. Much of Philippine PR’s institutional memory i.e. its associations, its curricula, its award frameworks, its business models, was built around media relations and campaign execution. It is what the profession was trained to do, what it built its revenue models around, and what it knows how to measure. Coverage. Reach. Engagement.

Reputation governance is none of those things. It requires sitting in boardrooms rather than newsrooms, understanding enterprise risk rather than message pull-through, and being willing to tell a CEO that the problem is not the messaging: it is the decision the messaging is being asked to defend. That is a harder sell, a harder skill and a harder business model. It is far more comfortable to keep telling ourselves that a better story is the answer, because that is the story our profession has always told about itself.

Global practice has largely moved past this. Reputation is increasingly treated as enterprise infrastructure, sitting alongside governance, risk management and financial stewardship. Philippine PR, for the most part, has not caught up. We continue to convene, to theme our congresses and to train our young practitioners around an idea of the profession that the rest of the world has already outgrown.

What comes next

None of this is meant as a rebuke of this year’s Congress organizers. If anything, the theme deserves credit for putting the question of legacy on the table at all. I only wish to push that question further than the theme itself does.

The harder and more useful question is the one the theme does not quite ask: what happens before the story? Because before there is a story, there is culture. Culture shapes how leaders decide and how employees behave. It determines whether an organization’s stated values are practiced or merely published. Those decisions and behaviors generate the signals that algorithms mediate, and stakeholders ultimately judge. And by the time a story is being stewarded, the reputation it is meant to protect has often already been decided.

This is why I believe the next frontier for Philippine PR is not narrative. It is Reputation Capital: the accumulated stock of stakeholder trust in an organization’s intent, competence and resilience, built over years and capable of disappearing in days. It is measurable. It is governable. And treating it as such is what will finally move our profession from the newsroom to the boardroom, where the decisions that create or destroy reputation are actually made.

A roadmap worth holding onto

If our profession is serious about moving from clout to legacy, I offer five priorities for the next few years.

First, move from communication management to reputation management. Our responsibility cannot end when the message has been delivered. It must extend to the trust that message either builds or erodes.

Second, move measurement from outputs to enterprise outcomes. Coverage, reach and engagement still matter. But we must increasingly demonstrate what happens to stakeholder trust, reputational resilience and enterprise value, which are the numbers that boards actually care about.

Third, move reputation from a communications responsibility to an enterprise governance responsibility. Management must own it. Boards must understand it. And PR must help govern it, not simply report on it after the fact.

Fourth, move from competing for attention to building credibility. In an algorithmically mediated world, attention is abundant and cheap. Credibility is scarce and earned. That shift in scarcity should reshape how we spend our time and our clients’ resources.

Fifth, build the next generation of strategic reputation advisers i.e. professionals who understand communication, certainly, but also research, analytics, culture, business, risk, public policy, stakeholder behavior and governance.

Our profession needs more than better stories. It needs the standing, the tools and the seat at the table to help organizations become worthy of the stories they wish to tell. That is a harder mandate than stewardship. It is also, I believe, the only one still worth pursuing.

FG To Review Tax Laws

The Federal Government has commenced a six-week review of the new tax laws to identify implementation gaps, address consequences that have emerged since their implementation and consider concerns raised by the organised private sector and other stakeholders.

The review will examine areas including Value Added Tax thresholds, withholding tax, capital gains treatment and multiple taxation.

Background

Daily Trust reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu last year signed into law four new tax bills passed by the National Assembly, describing the laws as pivotal to the success of his administration’s reforms and the country’s prosperity.

The bills were the Nigeria Tax Bill (Ease of Doing Business), which seeks to consolidate Nigeria’s fragmented tax laws into a harmonised statute; the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, which establishes a uniform legal and operational framework for tax administration across the federal, state and local

governments.

As implementation commenced, organised private sector groups raised concerns over some provisions of the laws, including those relating to Companies Income Tax and withholding tax.

In June, the organised private sector (OPS) wrote an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, jointly signed by the leadership of key private sector bodies, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).

The groups warned that conflicting interpretations of the new tax laws had effectively paralysed corporate tax filings across the country.

The OPS said it fully supported the administration’s tax reform agenda and remained committed to lawful tax compliance, but argued that the implementation approach adopted by the NRS undermined the spirit and intent of the reforms.

‘This Open Letter is not an attack on tax reform or lawful revenue mobilisation,’ the group stated.

‘It is a plea to preserve the legality, credibility and economic promise of the historic reforms championed by Your Excellency. Our members are willing and ready taxpayers. They seek a clear, lawful and functional framework through which they can file accurate returns, pay taxes already accrued to the Federation, protect jobs and continue investing in Nigeria.’

The dispute centres on how taxes relating to accounting periods that ended before January 1, 2026, should be treated.

According to the OPS, the General Transition Guidelines issued by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy pursuant to provisions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025 and Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) 2025 state that tax obligations arising from accounting periods ending before the commencement of the new laws should continue to be governed by the repealed tax laws, even if the filing and payment deadlines fall in 2026.

The private sector groups noted that the guidelines expressly provide that the new tax laws apply prospectively from January 1, 2026, except where specific provisions state otherwise.

The guidelines further state that no tax, penalty, surcharge, interest, filing obligation or administrative requirement under the new Acts should apply to any period before their commencement.

They also stipulate that Companies Income Tax payable for any basis period ending before January 1, 2026, should be determined under the repealed Companies Income Tax Act, notwithstanding that filing and payment may become due after the commencement date.

However, the OPS alleged that the NRS had adopted a different interpretation.

The controversy intensified after the NRS Emerging Taxpayers Office in Abuja issued a notice dated June 23, 2026, directing companies yet to file their Companies Income Tax returns for the 2026 Year of Assessment to do so under the new NTA and NTAA framework.

The notice stated that the NRS had no statutory authority to process Companies Income Tax returns for the 2026 Year of Assessment under the repealed Companies Income Tax Act or any other repealed tax legislation.

‘The applicable law for filing is determined by statute and not by taxpayer election, publication, administrative discretion, advisory, or any other communication suggesting an alternative filing basis,’ the notice said.

‘The Service has no statutory authority to process Companies Income Tax returns for the 2026 Year of Assessment under the repealed Companies Income Tax Act or any other repealed tax legislation.’

Oyedele gives committee six weeks to complete review

While inaugurating the Technical Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said implementation of the new laws had exposed areas requiring clarification and further reforms.

‘The real test begins when the law meets the economy, as businesses interpret it, administrators implement it, investors respond to it, and citizens experience it. Implementation inevitably reveals areas requiring clarification, refinement or further reform,’ the minister said.

The Nigeria Tax Act 2025, Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025 and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025 took full effect on January 1, 2026.

Oyedele said the government was shifting from fundamental tax reforms to continuous improvement, stressing that the review was not intended to reverse the 2025 reforms.

He said, ‘The Finance Bill 2027 should not be seen as just another annual legislative exercise. Our task is not to rewrite the 2025 reforms, but to preserve their fundamental principles while learning from implementation and responding to new economic realities.

‘We must ask where implementation has revealed ambiguity, where unintended consequences have emerged, where compliance can be simplified, and where we can improve investment and competitiveness.’

The review will also cover fiscal policy and management, public financial management, debt, transparency, capital markets and cross-border capital flows.

According to Oyedele, the government received 134 submissions from across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones after inviting public input, alongside additional submissions made in hard copy.

Preliminary concerns raised by stakeholders included calls to clarify and simplify VAT thresholds, withholding tax and capital gains provisions.

Stakeholders also proposed stronger measures against multiple taxation and improved coordination among revenue authorities.

They called for greater digitalisation and data sharing to prevent taxpayers from repeatedly submitting information already available to government agencies.

Other proposals included stronger taxpayer rights, faster refunds, safeguards for small businesses and measures to improve investment and competitiveness in mining, renewable energy, healthcare and capital markets.

Oyedele urged the subcommittee to assess the economic impact of proposed changes, particularly on low-income households, workers and businesses.

‘Every tax reform produces winners and losers; the question is whether a policy is fair, efficient and competitive, not whether it is popular with everyone,’ he said.

He added, ‘A provision that raises revenue may impose a far greater cost on the wider economy. The government must optimise the whole economy, not merely achieve a single objective.’

The minister warned that complicated tax rules could increase compliance costs for businesses.

Beyond preparing recommendations for the Finance Bill 2027, the subcommittee will review the Deduction of Tax at Source Regulations 2024 and prepare revised withholding tax regulations.

It will also review the Companies Income Tax (Significant Economic Presence) Order 2020 and develop an updated framework aligned with the new tax laws and international practices.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance chairs the subcommittee, while Chairman of the Tax Advisory Committee Albert Folorunsho serves as co-chair.

Members include representatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria Revenue Service, Joint Revenue Board, Nigeria Customs Service, Central Bank of Nigeria, Debt Management Office, Budget Office of the Federation and Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

Other members are drawn from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Nigerian Bar Association, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

Representatives of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and the Big Four accounting firms – Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC – are also members.

Folorunsho said the committee would develop recommendations that respond to the needs of taxpayers, businesses and government.

Charly Boy celebrates daughter’s engagement to female partner

Media personality Charles Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy, has celebrated the engagement of his daughter, Adaeze, to her female partner.

Charly Boy shared a video from the engagement ceremony on his Instagram page, with a caption celebrating the couple.

‘My beautiful Princess and her Husband. Folks, wish dem well for me,’ he wrote.

Adaeze also confirmed the engagement in a separate post on Instagram, sharing a photo with her partner.

‘We’re Engaged!’ she wrote, alongside the hashtag #mrsandmrs.

‘Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughter, growth, and making beautiful memories together. I can’t wait for everything God has in store for us. Forever sounds even sweeter with you,’ she added.

Charly Boy, also known as Area Fada, is known for his outspoken views on social issues and has previously spoken publicly about his family.

NANS lauds Tinubu, Umahi’s foresight in infrastructural development

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for significant investment in infrastructural development, particularly his commitment towards ensuring execution of landmark projects that improve connectivity and ease transportation challenges across the nation.

NANS also hailed the foresight of the Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, under the Renewed Hope Administration of President Tinubu, for identifying challenges confronting Nigerians, particularly initiating construction of new roads to ease transportation burden on commuters across Nigeria.

A statement by the NANS President, Comr. Akinteye Babatunde Afeez while inspecting the ongoing construction of the Northern Bypass in Kano State, which stretches through Katsina, Zamfara, and other northwestern states, connecting ten different institutions across the region, stated that the project is another significant project by the Ministry.

According to him, the inspection is in continuation of the ongoing Nationwide Tour by NANS to inspect and assess quality of roads leading campuses across the nation

He noted that the quality of the road construction and the pace of work by the contractors are highly commendable, adding that the project comprises a 69.4-kilometre dual carriageway, three flyovers, and seven bridges.

‘We equally appreciate the strategic consideration given to the accessibility of our campuses in the planning and construction of these roads. This particular project is of great importance to us as students, as it connects ten of our institutions across the northwestern region and is expected to ease transportation difficulties for students and other commuters upon completion.

‘It is equally important to commend and appreciate the government for compensating the farmers whose agricultural land was acquired for the construction of this road. According to reports, the area was previously used for farming before the project commenced.

‘The payment of compensation demonstrates consideration for the livelihoods of those affected by the project and reflects the importance of balancing infrastructural development with the interests of host communities.

‘As major stakeholders in nation-building, we are particular about the welfare of Nigerian students. As the most formidable pressure group in the country, our mandate transcends advocacy, as we also serve as watchdogs in society.

‘Thus, this ongoing Nationwide Federal Roads Project Tour leading to our campuses is crucial. We must evaluate government projects firsthand, particularly those that directly affect Nigerian students.

‘Today, we visited the ongoing construction of the Northern Bypass, a new road that connects Northern Nigeria and links ten universities across the northwestern region. Before now, there have been several reports of heavy traffic in the heart of Kano, particularly along routes connecting different states, as well as distress reports from Nigerian students travelling from various locations to their respective campuses.

‘However, upon completion, this bypass is expected to ease traffic congestion in the heart of Kano, particularly for students and other commuters plying the route to connect different states.

‘We therefore call on the government to intensify efforts and ensure that this road project is completed in earnest.’

184.5kg cocaine: Court upholds detention of KC Luxury

Justice Akintayo Aluko sitting at the Federal High Court, in Ikoyi, Lagos, has dismissed an application by Afolabi Michael Kazeem, also known as KC Luxury, seeking to overturn an order extending his detention for 30 days over alleged involvement in the trafficking of 184.5 Kilogrammes of cocaine.

In dismissing the application, Justice Aluko held that the detention extension order granted on August 20, this year, was properly issued and backed by the Constitution and relevant drug-control laws.

The ruling followed an earlier fundamental rights suit filed by Kazeem before Justice Friday Ogazi, who ordered the NDLEA to produce him in court within 14 days and directed the agency to respond to his challenge against his continued detention. Kazeem had alleged that his detention was unlawful and violated his constitutional rights, and sought his release or bail.

Kazeem through his lawyer, Abdulakeem Labi-lawal (SAN) had asked the court to set aside or strike out the order, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to extend his detention.

The lawyer had contended that only a Magistrate Court could issue a remand order under Sections 293 to 299 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, describing the detention extension as an unlawful interference with the suspect’s constitutional right to personal liberty.

However, NDLEA through its lawyer, Abu Ibrahim, dismissed the argument as a misconception of the nature of the order granted by the court.

Abu maintained that the August 20 order was not a remand order under the ACJA but an extension of detention granted to enable the relevant agency conduct detailed investigations into the alleged drug trafficking offence.

According to the ruling, Kazeem was arrested on August 13, this year, at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, while allegedly attempting to travel to Paris, France.

NDLEA had told the court that the suspect’s arrest was sequel to the seizure of 184.5kg of cocaine at DHL, Ikeja, Lagos, with the agency alleging that the suspect, KC Luxury was connected to the shipment.

Delivering judgment in the application yesterday, Justice Aluko held that Sections 293 to 299 of the ACJA, which deal with remand proceedings, were not applicable to the case before the court.

The judge also held that it has ‘exclusive’ jurisdiction over drug-related matters by virtue of Section 251(1)(m) of the Constitution and Section 26(1) of the NDLEA Act.

The judge further held that the evidence presented by the NDLEA established reasonable suspicion of a drug-related offence, justifying temporary deprivation of liberty under Section 35 of the constitution.

Justice Aluko consequently dismissed KC Luxury’s application for being an abuse of court process and lack in merit.

The ruling, therefore, leaves the 30-day detention extension granted on August 20, this year, in force.

NDLEA has filed a 22-count charge of drug related offences against the suspect, Afolabi Michael Kazeem a.k.a. KC Luxury, though no date has been fixed for his arraignment.

COAS pledges N25m for veterans’ emergency health fund

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has pledged N25 million to the Emergency Health Fund of the Course 39 Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) United Welfare Association (UWA), as part of efforts to strengthen support for retired military personnel.

Shaibu made the pledge yesterday when the association’s Executive Committee, led by its President, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Ibikunle Daramola (rtd.), paid a visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

He reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s commitment to the welfare of serving and retired personnel, describing sustained engagement with veterans as an important pillar of institutional development. He said their operational experience and leadership expertise were valuable to the Army, strengthening institutional memory and mentorship.

‘Caring for those who have served the nation remains an enduring responsibility and an important component of personnel welfare,’ Shaibu said.

The Army Chief outlined ongoing reforms to build a more professional and technologically enabled force, including the expansion of the Army to 12 divisions and the integration of 28,000 recruits through regional training depots in Zaria, Osogbo and Amasiri Edda.

He said the Army was implementing a revised training curriculum emphasising marksmanship, fitness and fieldcraft, while transitioning toward multi-domain operations through the integration of space, cyber and non-kinetic capabilities, alongside developments in Army aviation and unmanned aerial systems.

Shaibu also highlighted the institutionalisation of the Senior Executive Transition Programme to prepare retiring senior officers and their spouses for life after service.

Daramola congratulated Shaibu on his appointment as COAS and his elevation to lieutenant general, commending his efforts to strengthen the Army’s force structure and operational capabilities.

He appreciated the support given to the association, particularly in health insurance, emergency assistance and capacity-building.

Daramola assured the COAS that Course 39 members were willing to deploy their operational, technical and leadership experience in support of the Army’s objectives and national security.

GCash IPO seen to boost Philippine capital market

The scheduled initial public offering (IPO) of GCash parent Mynt Inc. could give the Philippine capital market a significant boost by potentially bringing millions of Filipinos who already use digital financial services closer to stock-market investing, a lawmaker said.

Rep. Jan ‘JP’ Padiernos, a member for the majority of the House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediary, said about 49 million Filipinos, or roughly 42% of the country’s population, now use GCash, which gives Mynt an unusually broad consumer base as it moves toward what could become one of the largest IPOs in Philippine corporate history.

The scale of the GCash ecosystem, according to the lawmaker, takes on added significance as the Philippine economy is reportedly experiencing a weaker growth momentum.

The Philippine Statistics Authority has reported that the economy grew by only 2.3% in the second quarter of 2026, while gross capital formation – a broad measure of investment activity – contracted by 9.2% during the quarter.

The figures, however, do not mean the Philippine economy is stagnant, but they underscore the importance of investment, business expansion and stronger participation in the country’s capital markets.

‘Against this backdrop, Mynt’s IPO could provide a fresh avenue for both institutional and retail investors to participate in the growth of a homegrown digital-finance company,’ stressed Padiernos.

The scheduled offering has a maximum indicative price of P10 per share, with the IPO expected to involve up to P92.3 billion worth of shares, including primary shares issued by Mynt and secondary shares being sold by an existing shareholder.

The final IPO price, however, will be determined through the book building process and may be lowered to P8.50 or P7.50 per share.

For ordinary Filipinos, the attraction of the offering is not simply the prospect of owning a stock, according to Padiernos.

He explained that the same mobile wallet app which is already being used to send money, pay bills, buy goods, receive salaries, save, borrow and invest could also become a means to buy a share of GCash stocks.

For higher-income and experienced investors, meanwhile, the investment story goes beyond GCash’s massive user base.

Mynt has reported P79.8 billion in revenue and P17.2 billion in profit in 2025, demonstrating that the company has developed a substantial commercial ecosystem around digital financial services.

Reports have it that GCash’s business is no longer limited to electronic payments.

The ecosystem reportedly includes digital payments and money transfers, merchant transactions, lending, savings, insurance and wealth-management products, giving Mynt several sources of revenue and multiple avenues for future expansion.

Its lending business has also reached considerable scale, with Fuse Financing reporting P362 billion in cumulative loans reportedly disbursed by 2025 and more than 10.5 million unique borrowers.

On the investment side, GCash is reportedly increasingly connecting ordinary Filipinos to the capital market itself.

Reports also have it that GStocks PH had 1.7 million users in 2025, while Mynt said its platform accounted for 53% of online retail stock-market accounts with the Philippine Stock Exchange at the time.

‘This makes the Mynt IPO particularly relevant to the broader effort to deepen retail participation in the Philippine capital market,’ the lawmaker explained further.

On GCash IPO’s impact on the country’s capital market, Padiernos also explained that what the 49-million figure represents is a potentially enormous pool of Filipinos who are already familiar with digital finance and therefore have a shorter distance to travel toward formal investment products.

‘That potential is especially important outside Metro Manila,’ he added.

Mynt has said that more than 78 percent of GCash users are outside Metro Manila, while a large majority come from lower-income households, underscoring the platform’s reach among Filipinos who have historically had less access to conventional financial institutions and investment channels.

For a market that needs broader participation, the GCash ecosystem could reportedly serve as an important bridge between everyday financial activity and long-term investing.

The primary portion of the offering is expected to generate approximately P14.95 billion in net proceeds, which Mynt plans to use for expansion of digital financial services, product development and general corporate purposes.

Padiernos also said that the scheduled IPO is also significant for the Philippine Stock Exchange because Mynt is expected to become the country’s first listed fintech company.

Rohr recalls Messi’s jersey gift ahead of Argentina farewell

Benin coach Gernot Rohr has described his side’s forthcoming October 6th friendly against Argentina -already dubbed ‘Lionel Messi’s farewell international appearance’- as ‘a big honour,’ while stressing that his squad’s immediate focus remains two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Burkina Faso and Mauritania, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

On Tuesday, Lionel Messi was named in Argentina’s squad for the international friendly against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, which will be his 208th and final appearance for the national team following his retirement announcement last month. Argentine FA president Claudio Tapia said the fixture would give the 39-year-old, Argentina’s all-time record scorer with 125 goals, ‘the farewell he truly deserves.’

The Franco-German trainer, who previously managed the Super Eagles, said facing Messi again carries personal significance.

‘I still have the jersey from Messi,’ Rohr told NationSports from his base in France.’ He gave it to me in Russia, so he will give me a signature, I hope, this time.’

Rohr recalled his two earlier meetings with Argentina while in charge of Nigeria including a 4-2 friendly win in Russia and the sides’ 2018 World Cup group-stage meeting, also played in Russia.

‘It was a fantastic game,’ he said of the friendly victory. ‘So, for me, it will be the third time I will play against this team.’

Rohr led the Super Eagles from 2016 to 2021, guiding Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup and a bronze-medal finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt before taking charge of Benin’s Cheetahs. His familiarity with Messi and Argentina now sits alongside a new project: building a young Beninese squad that he says will draw lasting value from the Buenos Aires trip, even as qualification business takes precedence.

‘It’s a big honour for Benin and for our young team,’ he said of the invitation to close out Messi’s farewell.

‘It will be wonderful to play there, but at first, we have two AFCON qualifiers – very important matches to play in Burkina Faso, and not even at home again,’ Rohr noted.

He added that Benin’s home fixture against Mauritania would instead be staged in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, meaning the Cheetahs face the prospect of playing both qualifiers away from home ahead of the Messi send-off.

‘Yes, it’s going to be a big experience for the young players and for everybody – for the staff, for the people of the [Beninese] federation,’ Rohr said. ‘Everybody will be happy to be there for this celebration of a big player and also the fête of football, I hope.’ He confirmed he would depart for the qualifying fixtures on Saturday, putting the Argentina friendly firmly at the back end of a demanding October schedule.

Argentina open a three-match friendly series against Bolivia in Cordoba on September 30th – their first outing since losing the World Cup final to Spain – before meeting Burkina Faso in Buenos Aires on October 3rd and Benin three days later.

Tapia has invited all of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad to join the occasion, framing the Benin fixture as a celebration spanning two Messi-led triumphs: the 2022 World Cup and Copa America wins in 2021 and 2024.

Messi will bring the curtain down on a 20-year international career that began in 2005 and yielded 125 goals in 208 appearances, both national records. ‘We made the decision to invite the best player in the world, the symbol of our national team, our captain, Lionel Andres Messi, so that he can have the farewell he truly deserves on October 6th here in Argentina,’ Tapia said. The Estadio Monumental, with its 85,000 capacity, is expected to be at or near full voice for the occasion, subject to the FIFA-imposed restrictions outlined below.

Messi’s Argentina exit follows the death of his father, Jorge, last month, after which he said he had ‘serious doubts’ about continuing to play football ‘for much longer.’ Announcing his retirement from international duty, he said: ‘It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul but I understand that it is the right time.’ His club career continues regardless – his contract with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2028 season.

The occasion will nonetheless be played under restrictions. FIFA has capped capacity at Argentina’s next home fixture at 50 per cent after players displayed a ‘The Falklands are Argentine’ banner following the World Cup semi-final win over England in July, a breach of the governing body’s disciplinary code over using a sporting event to stage non-sporting demonstrations. The fixture is also expected to count towards suspensions handed down after incidents involving Argentina players following the World Cup final defeat by Spain: Leandro Paredes received a 10-match ban, Nahuel Molina was suspended for seven games, and Thiago Almada for one.

For Rohr and his Cheetahs, the Buenos Aires trip caps what he has framed as a month defined first by qualifying expediency and only then by occasion even as he acknowledged the scale of what awaits his squad on October 6th in Buenos Aires.

Concern over arrest, movement of lecturer from Ilorin to Kogi

A controversy has erupted over the alleged movement of a University of Ilorin lecturer from Kwara State to Kogi State following claims that about 17 police officers travelled to Ilorin to arrest him in connection with a politically related complaint.

The circumstances surrounding the reported incident remain unclear, with the alleged deployment and the reason for the lecturer’s reported movement yet to be independently established.

It was learnt the development may be connected to political disagreements within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi West.

Sources familiar alleged that the don was targeted because of his perceived political association and views on issues involving a senator and the administration of Kogi State, including discussions surrounding the Kabba-Olle-Iluke Road project.

The sources further alleged that the police team travelled from Kogi to Ilorin with the intention of taking the lecturer to Kogi State.

However, there was no independent confirmation that about 17 officers were involved, nor was it established whether the reported movement was carried out pursuant to a warrant, invitation, or other lawful authority.

The development has raised concerns because the lecturer is based in Kwara State, while the alleged police operation was said to have originated from the Kogi State Command.

Sources also alleged that the operation followed an instruction purportedly linked to a senior security official in Kogi State.

The allegation could not be independently verified.

The reported incident comes amid political disagreements within the Kogi West APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The disagreements have reportedly centred on the political future of a serving senator representing the district and the emergence of candidates for the next elections.

The senator recently held a town hall meeting with constituents and party stakeholders from Kabba/Bunu and Ijumu at an event centre in Kabba.

The meeting was attended by APC leaders, former lawmakers, traditional representatives, women and youth leaders and other party stakeholders.

Some participants expressed support for the senator’s continued representation of the district, while there were also calls for support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC candidates.

Sources alleged that the political activity had heightened tensions among some party members, with claims that individuals perceived to be aligned with the senator or the President had subsequently faced pressure or threats.

There were also allegations that some APC ward chairmen in Kabba/Bunu and Lokoja local government areas had been suspended, while some political appointees and party officials had faced pressure over their perceived political affiliations.

One case cited by sources involved a local government legislative leader who was allegedly threatened with replacement after attending a political programme in Kabba.

The spokesperson for the Kogi State Police Command said she was not aware of the alleged development.

Efforts to obtain the response of the senior security official whose name was mentioned in connection with the alleged operation were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.

A message sent seeking clarification on the alleged deployment and the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s reported movement was not answered.

The police authorities and the Kogi State government have therefore not confirmed that a team of 17 officers was deployed to Ilorin or that the alleged operation was authorised by the government.

The lecturer was, however, reportedly taken to Lokoja, while efforts to secure his release on bail were said to be ongoing.

The circumstances surrounding his movement from Ilorin to Lokoja, including the specific complaint against him and the legal basis for his reported detention, could not be independently established.

The development is likely to attract attention as political activities intensify in Kogi West ahead of the 2027 elections.

Any confirmed evidence that security personnel were deployed in connection with an internal political disagreement could raise questions about the circumstances and legal basis of such an operation.

For now, the allegations concerning the deployment, the lecturer’s reported arrest and the alleged political motive remain unconfirmed.