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Deputy Speaker calls for WTO action on food security

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu has challenged the World Trade Organization (WTO) to deliver concrete outcomes on public stockholding for food security and investment facilitation, warning that prolonged delays are eroding confidence in the multilateral trading system.

Speaking at the 57th Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization, (PCWTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, Kalu acknowledged progress on fisheries subsidies and development issues but said the WTO’s credibility would be judged by its ability to deliver for developing countries.

The Deputy Speaker expressed concern over the failure to reach a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security, 13 years after the commitment at the 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, noting that Nigeria has co-sponsored the demand by the African Group, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group and the G33 for a permanent solution.

He said: ‘Thirteen years cannot be explained as an ordinary negotiating delay. Behind every delayed outcome are farmers, workers and families living with the consequences of decisions we defer’.

Kalu proposed that members consider a waiver under Article IX:3 of the Marrakesh Agreement to cover qualifying public stockholding programmes, arguing that consensus should not render an explicit treaty mechanism permanently unusable in the face of pressing food security needs as an interim measure.

He also raised concerns over the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement, where overwhelming support has been stalled by a single formal objection, and called for greater accountability from national parliaments.

According to him, parliaments should submit reports of concrete actions taken to advance PCWTO and WTO outcomes ahead of each Steering Committee meeting.

Kalu observed that efforts to improve attendance alone would not resolve the challenge of parliamentary relevance in trade governance, noting that many legislatures are briefed only after negotiating positions have been finalised.

He proposed that future PCWTO sessions be anchored on a focused economic agenda addressing contested issues such as public stockholding, investment facilitation, the e-commerce moratorium and digital trade rules, to enable parliamentarians to transmit clear conclusions and areas of divergence to trade ministers ahead of negotiations.

Kalu however secured reaffirmation from the IPU Secretary-General of the Union’s commitment towards the successful hosting of the PCWTO event scheduled for Abuja in 2027.

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to a fair, credible and development-oriented trading system.

He said ‘Yaoundé revealed problems that are already well understood. The challenge

now is to create political accountability for governments to explain what they

are actually doing about them. If credibility is the issue, accountability must be the response.

‘I propose that before each Steering Committee meeting, participating parliaments should report on concrete steps taken within their own jurisdictions to advance the outcomes of Yaoundé and MC14, identifying the responsible authority, the action taken, the government’s stated position and the current status.

‘Too often, our discussions focus on what Geneva has or has not done. We should devote equal attention to what our own governments and legislatures have done since the last meeting. Accountability must run in both directions.

‘We should hold ourselves to the same standard of accountability we ask of

Geneva. Nigeria commits to doing so.

Distinguished colleagues, behind every delayed outcome are farmers, workers and families living with the consequences of decisions we defer. The WTO’s credibility is not measured by the sophistication of its rules. It is measured by whether the members who need it most have rational grounds to trust it.

‘Nigeria is not here to add to the diagnosis. We are here to help restore that trust’, Kalu said.

Director General of WTO, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala presented an update on the organisation reforms covering decision-making, development, special and differential treatment, fairness and dispute settlement.

She said that while consensus ensures equal voice for all members, its application as unanimity has allowed single objections to block broadly supported outcomes.

She urged parliamentarians to move beyond criticism and propose practical solutions to rebuild trust, citing transparency and improved notifications as potential confidence-building measures and inviting written submissions on reforms.

The former Nigerian Minister backed deeper engagement between parliamentarians and Geneva-based actors, including national WTO representatives, the Chair of the General Council, reform facilitators and committee chairs, to give legislators a more direct role in the reform debate, while stressing the member-driven nature of the WTO.

Okonjo-Iweala acknowledged that the trading system has not served many developing and poorer countries effectively, defended the continued relevance of special and differential treatment, and called for a more credible framework that accounts for varying levels of development.

She equally underscored the importance of investment facilitation for developing economies and confirmed that restoring an effective two-tier dispute settlement system remains on the reform agenda, even if its eventual design differs from the past.

AirAsia denies state bailout rumours

AirAsia has dismissed rumours of a Malaysian government bailout and possible collapse, saying its refinancing remains on track, while Thai AirAsia expects to maintain its position as the largest player in the domestic market.

Tony Fernandes, founder of and advisor to AirAsia, said the airline has no plans to request government support and has never received any since it started 25 years ago. Mr Fernandes is chief executive of Capital A, the holding company of AirAsia.

A plan to access US$1billion will refinance outstanding loans from the pandemic and should be completed by November or December this year, but it is not to raise new capital, he said.

The group is focusing on optimising operations, cutting roughly 60 loss-making routes and reducing costs through returning less fuel-efficient aircraft.

The emphasis is on strengthening Southeast Asian routes as well as flights to major Asian markets, backtracking from an earlier plan to become a global low-cost network, said Mr Fernandes.

“We’re definitely going back to our roots in Asia without killing our ambitions,” he said.

The long-haul route expansion will rely on code-share partnerships instead of operating solely, said Mr Fernandes.

The group does not plan to lay off employees or implement furloughs, as occurred during the pandemic, he noted.

Tassapon Bijleveld, executive chairman of SET-listed Asia Aviation, the operator of Thai AirAsia, said the airline still has sufficient cash flow of 1 billion baht.

However, the airline is unlikely to make a profit this year due to a massive loss in the second quarter, he noted. The airline expects to return to profit in the fourth quarter, banking on robust high-season demand.

“Typically, during the fourth and first quarters people are still willing to spend for travel, regardless of fuel price,” said Mr Tassapon. “We are doing our best to maintain customer market share.”

As of August, Thai AirAsia commanded the largest market share at 26%, and a domestic flight market share of 39%.

The airline aims to operate 55 planes from its fleet of 62, after dipping to less than 50 in the third quarter.

He said the airline does not plan to hedge jet fuel due to soaring prices at the moment.

Phairat Pornpathananangoon, chief executive of Thai AirAsia, said after reducing some unprofitable overseas flights, the airline will be able to relocate jets to serve domestic flights, such as resuming routes from Suvarnabhumi airport to Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi.

The company wants to increase the average domestic airfare to around 2,000 baht by year-end in order to match surging jet fuel prices, he said.

THAI AIRASIA X

Mr Tassapon said the rehabilitation plan for Thai AirAsia X was adjusted in response to surging operational costs related to jet fuel prices. While the plan still has two years remaining, the airline filed a request with the Central Bankruptcy Court last month for a suspension of debt repayment for two years.

“We need to maintain sufficient cash flow given this immediate problem,” he said.

If the energy crisis improves next year, the airline might be able to repay debts before two years, said Mr Tassapon. Thai AirAsia X has seven A330 aircraft and already cancelled flights to China and Australia, aiming to strengthen traffic via potential routes to Japan, Kazakhstan and India.

India extends more funds to sustain Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai passenger ferry

The Government of India has extended the financial assistance for the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai for another year.

This marks the third consecutive year of financial support by the Government of India for the ferry service, beginning with its resumption in August 2024. The extension reflects India’s continued commitment to enhancing regional connectivity and strengthening people-to-people linkages between the two countries. The financial support is being extended under the Viability Gap Funding mechanism, amounting to nearly Rs. 300 million annually. The assistance is aimed at ensuring the affordability and operational sustainability of the service by covering key logistical and operational costs, on terms similar to the previous year.

Since its resumption in August 2024, the ferry service has facilitated the movement of around 52,000 passengers, significantly contributing to cultural, economic and social exchanges between India and Sri Lanka. The service represents an important milestone in the revitalisation of maritime connectivity between the two countries.

The continuation of financial support for the ferry service also aligns with the shared vision for enhanced maritime connectivity, as reaffirmed during the visit of the President of Sri Lanka to India in December 2024 and the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Sri Lanka in April 2025.

Future plans include rehabilitation of Kankesanthurai Harbour under overall Indian grant assistance of $ 65 million, as well as exploration of additional routes and services that could further expand maritime connectivity and deepen economic and people-to-people linkages between India and Sri Lanka.

WAFU-B U17 Championship: Flamingos outclass Ghana in 4-2 thriller

Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, continued their impressive campaign at the WAFU-B U17 Girls Championship with a 4-2 victory over Ghana’s Black Princesses in Yamoussoukro on Friday.

The Flamingos overcame a cagey start to take control after the break, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opening the scoring in the 33rd minute with a well-taken finish.

Nigeria doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when captain Harmony Chidi found the net to give the Flamingos a 2-0 lead at the break.

Flamingos withstand red card

Nigeria’s task grew harder in the 59th minute when defender Elizabeth Adesuyi was shown a straight red card for a foul on a Ghanaian attacker.

Ghana quickly capitalised on the numerical advantage, with captain Seidatu Wahab scoring directly from the resulting free-kick to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

Despite being reduced to 10 players, Nigeria responded strongly and restored their two-goal advantage in the 70th minute.

Mary Dunstan produced an impressive individual effort, beating her marker before rounding the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.

Despite being reduced to 10 players, Nigeria responded strongly and restored their two-goal advantage in the 70th minute.

Mary Dunstan produced an impressive individual effort, beating her marker before rounding the goalkeeper to make it 3-1.

Kaosarat Akanji produced a superb free-kick to extend the Flamingos’ lead to 4-1.

Ghana scored a second goal through Gloria Ameaa in the 90th minute, but the late strike proved insufficient as Nigeria closed out the match for a 4-2 victory.

The result strengthens Nigeria’s position in the WAFU-B championship and keeps the Flamingos on course in their bid for regional honours.

Their ability to maintain tactical discipline and control for more than 30 minutes with 10 players was a key feature of the victory.

I sleep too much

Oversleeping is when a person sleeps longer than expected. Sleeping longer than expected may be normal, as some people naturally require more sleep to feel well-rested. For others, though, oversleeping may be caused by underlying factors affecting their typical sleep patterns.

Oversleeping is a normal response to an increased need for sleep, which can happen after several nights of poor quality rest, when a person is sick, or after mentally or physically demanding activities. But for people who consistently oversleep and don’t wake up feeling rested, an undiagnosed health issue or sleep disorder may be to blame.

Key Takeaways

Oversleeping is when you sleep more than your body needs, which can harm your health.

Health risks include obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cognitive problems.

Finding the right amount of sleep and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule can help prevent the negative effects of oversleeping.

If oversleeping may be due to a health condition or medication, discuss your concerns with your doctor.

What Is Oversleeping?

Oversleeping involves spending more time in bed than the recommended number of hours. Experts provide general recommendations on how much sleep people need based on their age.

Bole Festival sets sights beyond Nigeria after 10 years

The Bole Festival, which started with about 300 people gathered around a fire in Port Harcourt to celebrate bole and fish, is now looking beyond Nigeria as it enters its second decade.

The festival marked its 10th anniversary with a three-day celebration in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with organisers saying the next phase will focus on expanding its presence across Nigeria and into other African markets.

The anniversary edition, themed ‘Power of X’, was designed to celebrate the collaborations that have helped the festival grow over the past decade while signalling what organisers described as new and largely unexplored opportunities for the years ahead.

The expansion ambition marks a significant shift for an event that began in 2016 as a gathering centred on a popular Port Harcourt delicacy but has since developed into a platform combining food, music, entertainment and culture.

The organisers said the festival now brings together bole vendors, hosts, sponsors, partners, performers, volunteers and its core team, reflecting the wider ecosystem that has developed around the event.

From local delicacy to cultural platform

Bole, a roasted plantain dish commonly served with grilled fish, is deeply associated with Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta. The festival built its identity around the food, using it as an entry point to create a broader cultural and entertainment experience.

What began as a relatively small gathering has evolved into a three-day event featuring music performances, sponsor activations, giveaways and cultural displays.

The festival was interrupted in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic but returned the following year. According to the organisers, its audience doubled from the level recorded at the 2019 edition after its return.

The growth has also attracted corporate sponsors, with International Breweries, Moniepoint, Pernod Ricard, Red Bull and Trashcoin among companies supporting the 10th anniversary edition.

For the organisers, the increasing involvement of brands points to the festival’s development beyond a food event into a platform capable of connecting consumers, businesses, performers and cultural communities.

The ‘Power of X’ theme was intended to capture that evolution, with the X representing the collaborations that have contributed to the festival’s growth and the possibilities still ahead.

Building a bigger experience

The 10th anniversary programme was structured around three different experiences.

The opening day focused on reggae and old-school music, while the second day centred on soul and contemporary vibes. The final day was dedicated to the anniversary celebration.

Performers across the three days included Timaya, Duncan Mighty, Faze, Peruzzi, 1Da Banton, Beri Tigga, Dan Dizzy, Mavo, Guchi, EF Moon and Carter Efe.

Savy Henry, Johnny Drille and Magixx also performed during the second day, while Terry G and a reggae band featured on the opening day.

The programme also incorporated cultural elements. Wizard Chan performed with his signature masquerade, adding a traditional dimension to an event that has increasingly blended local culture with contemporary entertainment.

The anniversary also featured a ‘Power of X’ ceremony, which organisers said was streamed on the festival’s YouTube page.

The bigger question for the festival now is whether a concept built around a distinctly Port Harcourt food tradition can be replicated across different Nigerian cities and eventually other African markets.

The organisers said they were already positioning the festival for a wider presence across Nigeria and Africa, with the next phase expected to introduce what they described as a new experience that the region has yet to see.

That ambition puts the festival in a growing market of African cultural and entertainment events seeking to turn local experiences into scalable platforms.

For Bole Festival, however, the expansion strategy is rooted in the identity it has built over the past decade.

The organisers said the 10-year milestone represents the growth of a platform built around food, music and culture and one that is increasingly positioning itself as a destination for families, friends, vendors and performers.

The challenge in the next decade will be maintaining that identity while taking the experience beyond the environment that gave it birth.

From its first gathering of about 300 people around a fire in 2016, the festival is now seeking to turn a Port Harcourt cultural experience into a wider African proposition.

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P2.39 million stolen fuel seized in Tarlac

Suspected stolen petroleum products valued at P2.39 million were seized during a police operation that also resulted in the arrest of two suspects in Tarlac City on Thursday.

The raid on an unauthorized fuel distribution site in Barangay San Rafael resulted in the recovery of 8,200 liters of diesel, a fuel tanker, a tractor head, fuel pumps, hoses and other equipment.

Police said the suspects failed to show documents authorizing them to sell petroleum products.

‘Sale of petroleum products is governed by rules. The raid was not all about seizure, but also about protecting legitimate businesses, consumers and the public,’ Philippine National Police chief. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said.

JR at 120, an inescapable legacy

17 September marked the 120th birth anniversary of J. R. Jayewardene, one of the most consequential figures in post-independence Sri Lankan history. More than three decades after his departure from office, the imprint of his presidency from 1978 to 1988 remains visible in almost every aspect of the country’s political and economic spheres. Few Sri Lankan leaders have left behind a legacy so substantial, so contested and so difficult to reduce to a single verdict.

JR’s most enduring achievement was arguably his transformation of the economic direction of the country. The Government elected in 1977 dismantled much of the highly controlled economic system that had prevailed for the previous two decades and introduced an outward-looking, market-oriented model. The reforms brought greater foreign investment, expanded trade and a significant acceleration in economic growth. World Bank research found that per-capita economic growth more than doubled during 1977-84, while consumption among poorer households generally increased.

It would be an exaggeration to attribute every subsequent improvement in Sri Lankan living standards to JR alone. But it is equally difficult to deny that 1977 represented a fundamental economic turning point, which other countries in the region and elsewhere took decades to realise. The liberalisation of trade, encouragement of private investment and creation of export-oriented industries helped establish the foundations of the more open economy that Sri Lanka has operated with, in varying forms, ever since.

The Mahaweli development program was the other great symbol of the Jayewardene era. His Government dramatically accelerated a project that had previously been expected to take decades, bringing together irrigation, agricultural settlement and hydropower on an unprecedented scale. The program transformed large parts of the dry zone, provided land for thousands of families and created major additions to the country’s electricity-generating capacity.

Yet the Jayewardene legacy cannot be separated from the tragedies of his years in power. When he left office, Sri Lanka was confronting two violent conflicts. The ethnic crisis had erupted into full-scale war following the violence of July 1983. His Government’s handling of Black July remains one of the most painful chapters of the period. The JVP, meanwhile, had been proscribed in 1983, and its subsequent underground mobilisation contributed to the violent southern insurgency of the late 1980s.

His handling of relations with India was another defining failure. In June 1987, India carried out the controversial air drop of supplies over Jaffna. Weeks later, Jayewardene signed the Indo-Lanka Accord with Rajiv Gandhi. The agreement brought Indian forces into Sri Lanka, eventually numbering close to 100,000 at their peak, and created the Provincial Council system through the 13th Amendment. What was intended as a diplomatic settlement instead became another chapter in the country’s conflict, with Indian forces eventually fighting the LTTE.

Another part of JR’s legacy is his stewardship of the United National Party. He inherited a party weakened by years in opposition, which he rebuilt and led it to the extraordinary 1977 electoral victory. He also managed to keep the UNP politically cohesive through eleven years at the summit of power.

That achievement makes the UNP’s subsequent decline particularly poignant. The party that JR nurtured and brought to the pinnacle of power has since been reduced to a minuscule shadow of its former strength. Perhaps that is the most painful irony of Jayewardene’s legacy. The economic philosophy he introduced remains relevant to Sri Lanka’s search for growth and prosperity, yet the political organisation that once embodied that philosophy has been politically decimated.

At 120, J. R. Jayewardene deserves neither uncritical celebration nor convenient condemnation. He was a transformative leader whose reforms reshaped Sri Lanka, but whose political decisions also coincided with some of the country’s darkest years. His legacy is precisely that contradiction, and Sri Lanka still lives with both sides of it.

FG Targets 24hr Power For Industrial Clusters Nationwide

The federal government has commenced moves to provide dedicated electricity supply to industrial clusters across the country, with a 50-megawatt power project expected to deliver 24-hour electricity to manufacturers at the Idu Industrial Estate in Abuja.

The Minister of State for Industry, Owan Enoh, disclosed this yesterday at the groundbreaking of the power project in Abuja, saying reliable electricity was critical to reducing production cost, increasing local manufacturing and creating jobs.

Enoh said the initiative was part of the government’s industrialisation strategy, which focuses on local production, value addition, economic diversification and stronger integration of Nigerian industries into global markets.

‘When you produce locally, you contribute to job creation. For our abundant youth, you provide for them a pathway for employment,’ he said.

The minister said the government was seeking to establish practical models that could be replicated across industrial clusters, adding that dependable electricity would enable factories to increase production, expand operations and employ more workers.

‘Industrial renewal is not a sprint. It is a marathon,’ Enoh said, stressing the need for sustained cooperation among the government, private sector and beneficiary communities to protect infrastructure and ensure the projects deliver their intended economic benefits.

He said the industrial power initiative was part of a broader effort to rebuild Nigeria’s productive capacity through higher factory utilisation, increased local sourcing of raw materials and greater value addition.

Explaining the project’s location and implementation, the managing director of Welbeck Electricity Distribution Limited, Afolabi Aiyela, said the project would initially generate 10MW from a site near the AKK gas pipeline in Zuba.

He said the electricity would be transmitted through a 33kV line to the Idu Industrial Estate, while the remaining 40MW would be developed within the estate after the gas pipeline is extended to the area.

Aiyela said the industrial estate currently had a potential electricity demand of between 300MW and 400MW, indicating the scale of the power requirements in the cluster.

On his part, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the government was adopting captive and decentralised power generation to connect electricity generation directly to industrial consumers.

Tegbe said the federal government was conducting technical audits of power infrastructure in major industrial corridors, identifying the Lagos industrial axis, Abuja-Kaduna corridor and Enugu-Onitsha axis as priority areas.

He said the Lagos industrial corridor accounted for about 40 per cent of national electricity demand and that the government was targeting the creation or restoration of about 180,000 jobs in the axis within the next six months through interventions to improve electricity supply.

Journalist Reveals Burden Of Untold Stories In New Book

A debut work of fiction titled ‘Beautiful Nothing’ by award-winning journalist and writer, Oladimeji Ramon, is due for release in October.

The author said the book helped him to shed the burden of stories he had carried within him for many years.

Published by TBLNG Press under its Vepo imprint, the collection of short stories explores the thin or blurred line between the physical and spiritual realms.

Ramon said the stories were shaped by his childhood memories, and, quoting the late famous American writer Maya Angelou, he added that finally publishing them would help relieve him of the burden of bearing those stories through the years.

‘I found the quote by Maya Angelou very profound, that there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. It is quite relatable. Finally publishing Beautiful Nothing helps to relieve me of that burden that many writers are familiar with,’ he said.

Ramon explained that the stories, some of which were written over a decade ago, were inspired by his early exposure to Yoruba traditional beliefs and how they sometimes clash with Western or scientific worldviews.

‘While some of these beliefs are difficult to prove or impossible to verify empirically, they cannot also be dismissed as unreal,’ he said. ‘This is the sort of concept that continues to agitate my mind and has become the background for a lot of my fictional works.’

But some of the stories were also shaped by his journalistic instinct to seek the truth, he said.

Originally trained as a veterinary doctor, Ramon switched careers in 2014 to pursue journalism, building on his earlier experience as a campus journalist and his longstanding passion for writing.

He spent more than a decade with The PUNCH, where he rose through the ranks to become News Editor before moving to The Africa Report, headquartered in Paris, France.

His journalistic works have attracted recognition in Nigeria and internationally, including a 2023 True Story Award nomination in Bern, Switzerland.