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Lagos is a city where you can move from jollof to tacos, pepper soup to Chinese noodles, or Yoruba dishes to Jamaican food without leaving the city. Its restaurants reflect the many cultures that have found a place here, each bringing its own food, flavours and traditions to the table.
If you are looking to try something different this weekend, here are five restaurants in Lagos where you can get a taste of another culture without getting on a plane.
The Nigerian naira appreciated against the United States (US) dollar, trading at N1,331.2027 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official foreign exchange (FX) window on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The data shared on the CBN’s official platform shows that the naira traded at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rate of N1,331.2027 per dollar and closed at N1,329.9900 per dollar.
The currency, which traded at an NFEM rate of N1,331.2812 on September 17, 2026, appreciated by at least N0.08 after trading activities on Friday.
At the parallel market, both the buying and selling rate decreased by N5, when compared to the previous trading rate on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
According to Aboki FX , the Naira-to-dollar exchange rate at the black market on Friday, September 18, 2026, was N1,385 and N1,390 per dollar for buying and selling rates, respectively.
The commissioning of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Automotive Training Centre along Ogoja Road, Abakaliki, has provided another platform for Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to showcase the state’s growing emphasis on skills development, productive enterprise and industrialisation.
At the commissioning ceremony, Nwifuru used the occasion to send a clear message to investors, manufacturers, automobile companies, financial institutions, development agencies and indigenous entrepreneurs that Ebonyi is ready to welcome investments capable of creating jobs, transferring technology and developing local capacity.
The governor specifically invited investors in automotive services, component manufacturing, fabrication, vehicle maintenance, diagnostics, electric mobility and technical education to explore opportunities in the state.
According to him, the state government is deliberately creating an environment where industries can thrive while equipping its young population with the skills required to participate meaningfully in the emerging economy.
‘This is an investment in the future in the automotive technology context. It is a deliberate investment in the hands that will repair our vehicles, the minds that will diagnose sophisticated automotive systems, the engineers who will design solutions, and the entrepreneurs who will establish businesses and create employment,’ Nwifuru said.
The new centre, according to the governor, represents more than another infrastructure project. It is part of what he described as an interface between the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his administration’s People’s Charter of Needs Agenda, particularly in the areas of human capital development, technical capacity and productive enterprise.
He said Ebonyi’s development must rest on the combination of infrastructure, skilled manpower, technology and enterprise, stressing that infrastructure without skilled manpower cannot achieve its full potential, just as skilled manpower without appropriate infrastructure cannot operate at the required scale.
The governor therefore urged young Ebonyians to discard the perception that technical education is inferior to conventional academic education.
He noted that a properly trained automobile technician could become an entrepreneur and employer of labour, while automotive engineers, fabricators and young innovators in automotive electronics could create businesses and develop solutions for an increasingly technology-driven transportation system.
‘This is how we create an economy driven by production rather than consumption, transform skills into businesses, transform businesses into industries and transform industries into sustainable sources of employment and prosperity,’ he said.
John Eno (Senator), the Federal Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, who commissioned the centre, also underscored the importance of skills development to Nigeria’s industrialisation agenda.
Eno said the Federal Government was placing premium on skills and manpower development as part of its efforts to strengthen the country’s industrial sector, noting that the automotive industry was capable of driving growth in other areas of goods and services.
He said the new facility should not be viewed merely as a physical structure but as a centre designed to train young Nigerians for opportunities in the automotive industry, including emerging technologies such as electric vehicles and improved energy-management systems.
The minister commended Ebonyi State for its cooperation in bringing the facility to the state, describing Ebonyi as a land of entrepreneurship with people willing to create opportunities rather than depend solely on government for employment.
The commissioning was also significant because, according to Eno, it marked the first NADDC automotive training centre to be commissioned in the South-East geopolitical zone.
That development places Ebonyi in a position to serve as a training and skills-development hub for young people seeking practical knowledge in the automotive sector.
For Nwifuru, however, the ultimate measure of the facility will not be the beauty of the building but what it enables Ebonyi’s young people to achieve.
He challenged them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the centre, acquire practical skills and convert their knowledge into businesses capable of creating employment and contributing to the state’s economic growth.
The governor’s investment invitation also fits into his administration’s broader push to position Ebonyi as a productive and technologically competitive state.
‘We particularly encourage investors in automotive services, component manufacturing, fabrication, vehicle maintenance, diagnostics, electric mobility, technical education and related industries to explore the opportunities available in our state,’ he said.
As Nigeria seeks to deepen local production, reduce dependence on imported goods and create employment opportunities for its growing youth population, the new automotive training centre offers Ebonyi an opportunity to connect skills development with industrial enterprise.
For a state traditionally recognised for entrepreneurship, the challenge now is to convert the availability of trained manpower and infrastructure into sustainable businesses, investment and employment.
And as the governor put it, the automobile symbolises movement. For Ebonyi, the hope is that the new centre will move its young people beyond job seeking into enterprise creation, while moving the state closer to the industrial economy it seeks to build.
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Professional scaling and root planing with polishing is essential as the first step, since calculus cannot be removed by regular brushing alone. This should be performed by a dental professional before initiating home care regimens. Use a small, soft-bristled toothbrush at least twice daily for minimum of 2 minutes. Ensure the gingival portion of the tooth and periodontal sulcus are included in brushing.
Critical pitfall: Bleeding is a sign of inflammation, not a reason to avoid brushing-patients must continue mechanical cleaning despite initial bleeding. Daily flossing is essential for removing interproximal plaque.
Interdental brushes may be more effective than floss for reducing gingivitis and plaque, particularly in accessible interdental spaces
Troops of Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have foiled a kidnapping attempt along the Dandume-Damari road in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State, rescuing three abducted men and recovering a vehicle abandoned by the fleeing bandits.
The troops reportedly swung into action after receiving a distress call from residents alerting them to an ongoing abduction along the route.
Responding swiftly to the alert, the soldiers arrived at the scene and engaged the armed bandits in a confrontation, forcing the criminals to abandon their victims and flee into the surrounding bushes.
According to Zagazola, in their hurried escape, the bandits left behind a black Volkswagen Golf vehicle and the three kidnapped men, who were subsequently rescued by the troops.
The rescued victims were taken through preliminary security checks and provided with necessary assistance before being allowed to continue their journey safely.
No casualty was recorded among the troops during the encounter.
Following the rescue, troops pursued the fleeing bandits, conducted a clearance operation around the area and secured the immediate environment to prevent the criminals from regrouping or returning to the scene.
The development forms part of sustained security operations by troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA aimed at disrupting bandit activities and restricting their freedom of movement across Katsina State.
Troops have continued day-and-night patrols along critical roads and communities in Dandume, Malumfashi and Dutsin-Ma, as well as around educational institutions and other public facilities.
Uganda’s ambition to attain middle-income status has raised fresh questions about whether the country is building enough economic and institutional capacity to sustain the gains once it begins losing some of the international support available to least-developed countries (LDCs).
A new report on Uganda’s intellectual property and access to essential medicines warns that the transition could expose critical sectors, particularly healthcare, to higher costs if the country graduates to a middle-income status when not prepared to be self-sustaining by remaining heavily dependent on imported medicines and other external support.
The report, titled ‘Strengthening Intellectual Property Legal and Policy Framework for Access to Essential Medical Products in Uganda’, was being reviewed in Kampala on Friday.
It warns that Uganda’s graduation from the LDC category will have significant implications for access to medicines because the country will progressively lose some of the special flexibilities and support measures available to LDCs.
‘Uganda will no longer be able to rely on the blanket LDC waiver to import or produce generic versions of patented medicines but instead, utilize standard TRIPS flexibilities, which are more complex procedurally, require higher administrative capacity, and have potential for political pressure from originator countries,’ the report warned.
Adding, ‘The loss of this waiver will fundamentally alter public procurement, domestic generic manufacturing, and national IP enforcement…’
Uganda first met two of the three United Nations criteria for LDC graduation in 2024-the Human Assets Index and Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index-but remained below the income threshold.
The country is due for another assessment in 2027. If it meets the criteria again, it could be recommended for graduation, followed by a preparatory period before formal graduation.
The UN says Uganda’s 2024 gross national income per capita was $909, below the graduation threshold of $1,306, while its Human Assets Index stood at 66.3 against a required 66, and its Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index was 28.2 against a maximum threshold of 32.
The UN process currently indicates Uganda’s LDC graduation could occur in 2030 at the earliest, while a recent UN Uganda briefing says 2032 is anticipated under a five-year preparatory period.
Further, the report warns that graduation would also change the intellectual property environment under which Uganda accesses and produces generic medicines.
‘Uganda will no longer be able to rely on the blanket LDC waiver to import or produce generic versions of patented medicines but instead utilise standard TRIPS flexibilities, which are more complex procedurally, require higher administrative capacity, and have potential for political pressure from originator countries,’ the report says.
It adds that losing the waiver could affect public procurement, domestic generic manufacturing, and national intellectual property enforcement.
The researchers warn that patients and the government could face higher prices for newer medicines after the country loses LDC-specific intellectual property flexibilities.
They cite second- and third-line antiretroviral medicines, advanced tuberculosis treatments and medicines for non-communicable diseases-including cancer drugs, insulin analogues and cardiovascular medicines-as areas that could be affected if Uganda graduates without being prepared to fly alone.
Dr Denis Kibira and Ms Gloria Imodia, consultants from Dumaic Global Health, who researched on behalf of the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development, KELIN, and ITPC Global, said Uganda’s transition should not be measured only by the prestige associated with changing its economic classification.
‘The biggest benefit we get from being a middle-income country is prestige,’ Dr Kibira said, while questioning whether the country would have sufficient domestic capacity to sustain itself after external support declines.
‘Most of the medicines that we are getting, like for TB and HIV, are patented, and we are getting them through access programmes which are subsidised. So once we declare that we have gone into middle-income, then we shall no longer be eligible for those access programmes,’ the consultants said.
They warned that Uganda could consequently be required to procure some medicines at commercial prices.
The consultants cited lenacapavir as an example, saying a dose currently accessed through subsidised programmes at between $20 and $40 could cost substantially more under commercial arrangements.
Dr Kibira said Uganda should use the transition period to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing and develop the capacity to produce medicines domestically.
Mr James Tonny Lubwama, the Assistant Commissioner for Patents and Industrial Design at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), said the country risked losing some of the benefits it currently enjoys because of its LDC status.
‘We are implementing the flexibilities given the fact that we are an LDC under the different patent laws, but those benefits, you get them as long as you are an LDC,’ he said.
He said the government’s push to attain middle-income status should therefore be accompanied by measures to preserve the gains already made in access to medicines and intellectual property protection.
‘There is concern that when we graduate to middle-income, which the government is very intentional about, some of these we shall stop benefiting from. We have made some progress, so we don’t want to lose that progress at the moment when we eventually graduate from LDC,’ Mr Lubwama said.
The report recommends that Uganda introduce transitional legislative safeguards and policy measures before losing LDC-specific intellectual property exemptions.
It also calls for stronger domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, improved use of intellectual property flexibilities and greater investment in local capacity to reduce dependence on imported medicines.
The concerns come as Uganda prepares for possible LDC graduation. The UN says graduation is not simply a change in classification but requires countries to prepare for the withdrawal or alteration of LDC-specific international support measures.
Uganda remains classified as a low-income country by the World Bank, disagreeing with the Ugandan government’s ongoing declarations of reaching lower-middle-income status.
The South Cotabato provincial government is considering deploying trained psychological first aider personnel to Banga National High School here.
The action is meant to help students, teachers and parents cope with the emotional impact of Friday’s shooting.
Rolly Doane Aquino, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the intervention was being discussed by provincial officials following the incident at the school.
Aquino said the team can provide psychological first aid to students, particularly those affected by the shooting, while teachers and parents may also be included.
The psychological first aider crew had undergone training funded by the PDRRMO.
Aquino said some relatives of the victims were understandably emotional over the incident, which left some families grieving and others worried about their injured loved ones. ‘We understand what they are feeling, and we continue to support them emotionally,’ he said.
Aside from possible psychological intervention, the provincial government is assessing the immediate needs of the victims and their families.
Aquino mentioned that South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. went to the site of the shooting on Friday.
Meanwhile, Aquino had visited six patients confined in hospitals, and also went to funeral homes to check on the families of the fatalities.
Among the immediate concerns are the hospital expenses of victims who were transferred to private hospitals.
Aquino said patients admitted to the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital will receive free treatment, while the provincial government will also look into assistance for those being treated in private hospitals.
He said some initial assistance had already been extended to the affected families.
Fatih Terim, legendary Turkish coach, has warned Galatasaray and Super Eagles of Nigeria striker, Victor Osimhen, to control his temper.
He said this while praising the forward’s status as one of the best in the world.
The 73-year-old former Galatasaray coach known as the Emperor made the comments on his YouTube channel while analysing Osimhen and other players of the Turkish Super Lig champions.
Osimhen has been in good form for Galatasaray this season, with eight goal contributions (six goals and
two assists) in four matches played so far this season.
The 27-year-old bullish forward has scored in every match played this season, already breaking the three-match streak he managed last season, and Terim believes the former Napoli striker is unplayable on his day.
‘Osimhen is an extraordinary striker, among the best in the world,’ he started.
‘As long as he stays focused on the game, it’s really difficult to go one-on-one with him.’
Osimhen is known to press defenders and the goalkeepers at a speed and consistency almost unmatched by any striker in football, and Terim who had four spells at Galatasaray totaling 14 seasons complimented the Olusosun-bred player, describing him as a conjurer of goals and punisher of errors.
‘He can score goals even when it’s not on his mind, even when there’s no scoring opportunity. He’s a striker who earns his own living the hard way.’
‘He punishes you immediately if you make the slightest mistake as an opponent; he’s a completely different kind of player.’
Terim, however, warned that Osimhen, known for his high intensity and outburst at players on his team and the opposition, should avoid getting angry during matches to stay focused on delivering the goods for his team.
‘He just needs to avoid getting unnecessarily angry or stressed,’ Terim added.
Osimhen has won three trophies with Galatasaray including back-to-back league titles, and his three goals shy of breaking legendary Super Eagles striker Rashidi Yekini’s goals record to become Nigeria’s record highest goalscorer.
Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew says the deeper meaning of independence goes beyond self-government, describing it as a responsibility to believe in, build and care for the country.
In an Independence Day message marking St Kitts and Nevis’ 43rd anniversary of independence on Saturday, Drew said the occasion was deeply personal because the twin-island federation was not only the country he serves, but his home.
‘Its people are my people,’ he said, adding that the country’s communities had shaped him, its values grounded him and its possibilities continued to inspire him.
Reflecting on the country’s progress, Drew said its achievements should not be attributed to any single government, institution or individual.
‘I see the work of generations,’ he said, pointing to the sacrifices of the country’s elders, the determination of workers, the ambition of young people, the strength of families and the enduring love of Kittitians and Nevisians at home and abroad.
‘That, to me, is the deeper meaning of independence,’ Drew said.
He said independence was not simply about the freedom to govern the country, but also about the responsibility to believe in and build for itself, care for one another and leave behind a country that is ‘stronger, fairer, and filled with greater opportunity’ than the one inherited.
‘We have achieved so much together. We have faced challenges together. And through it all, we have continued to move forward together,’ the Prime Minister said.
As the country marked 43 years of nationhood, Drew expressed gratitude for its people and confidence in the future.
‘There is so much more we can build, so much more we can achieve, and so much more we can become,’ he said.
Drew ended his message by expressing pride in being a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis and called for the country to remain ‘one people, connected by home, united by purpose, and inspired by endless possibility.’
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has removed the state Commissioner for Works, Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam, from office with immediate effect.
The development was contained in a public service announcement signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Dr Monday Uzor, on Saturday.
According to the statement, Nwifuru directed Mbam to hand over all government property in his possession, including his official vehicle, to the Secretary to the State Government.
He was also instructed to transfer his responsibilities to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works.
‘The Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, FNIOB, FCAI, GGCEHF, has directed the immediate removal from office of the Honourable Commissioner for Works, Engr. Stanley Lebechi Mbam,’ the statement read.
The governor did not give any reason for the commissioner’s removal.
The development comes amid criticism of the administration over delays in some of its ongoing construction projects across the state.
However, the governor assured residents that his administration remained focused on delivering effective governance and improving public infrastructure.
With Mbam’s removal, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works is expected to oversee the ministry’s affairs pending further directives from the state government.