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Ododo, Yahaya Bello, Wada, others named in Kogi APC presidential campaign council

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted its Kogi State Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general election, bringing together former governors, serving political office holders, party leaders and other stakeholders to coordinate the party’s campaign across the state.

Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo will chair the council, while former Governor Yahaya Bello, former Governor Captain Idris Wada (Rtd), Arc. Yomi Awoniyi and Chief Edward Onoja have been appointed as patrons.

Senator Smart Adeyemi has been named Director-General of the campaign council, while Hon. Kingsley Femi Fanwo will serve as Coordinating Director for Strategic Communication. Ali Bello has been appointed Kogi State Presidential Campaign Council Coordinator, with Hilary Ojomah Egwudah as his deputy.

The appointments are intended to provide a broad-based campaign structure that combines political experience, grassroots mobilisation and strategic communication.

In the parliamentary and political mobilisation structure, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi will serve as Director-General of Parliamentary Mobilisation, while Comrade Majeed Dahiru has been appointed State Presidential Campaign Spokesman.

Ismail Isah will serve as Deputy Coordinating Director, Media and Strategic Communication, while Commander Jerry Omodara (Rtd) will head the Security and Intelligence Directorate.

Other principal appointments include Abdulaziz Idris King as Director-General of Election Planning; Suberu Adagu as Director-General of Administration; Rt. Hon. Aliyu Umar Yusuf as Director of Stakeholder Mobilisation; and Yakubu Yusuf Okala as Director of Logistics and Operations.

Asiwaju Asiru Idris has been appointed Director of Finance and Treasurer, while Princess Atika Ajanah (Mamman) will head Fundraising. Barrister James Fabola will oversee the Legal Directorate, while Hajiya Ramatu Tijani Aliyu will serve as Director of Policy and Manifesto Development.

The council also has several sectoral directorates covering works, youth and student mobilisation, women mobilisation, diaspora engagement, support groups, religious organisations, protocol, party mobilisation, sports, labour unions, medical services and special duties.

Those appointed include Barr. Momodu Ozigi Deedat as Director of Works; Oladele Nihi as Director of Youth and Students Mobilisation; Hajiya Rabi Haruna Hassan as Director of Women Mobilisation; Adoga Ibrahim as Director of Diaspora Mobilisation; and Ibrahim Abdulsalam Ahovi as Director of Support Group Coordination.

Others are Alfred Bello, Director of Faith Group Coordination; Hon. Duro Meseko, Director of Protocol; and Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma, Director of Party Mobilisation.

Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi will head Sports Sector Mobilisation, Onuh Edoka will oversee Labour Unions, Dr. Abdulaziz Adams Adeiza will serve as Director of Medical Services, while Haddy Ametuo has been appointed Director of Special Duties.

Deputy Governor Comrade Joel Oyibo Salifu and Engr. Aliyu Ezzu Momoh have been named Vice Chairmen of the council.

To strengthen coordination across the three senatorial districts, Ambassador Abubakar Sanusi Gamji, Senator Attai Aidoko and Rt. Hon. Alfa Imam have been appointed Vice Chairmen for Kogi Central, East and West, respectively.

The district-level Deputy Directors-General are Rt. Hon. Momohjimoh Lawal for Kogi Central, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu for Kogi East, and Rt. Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide for Kogi West.

In the general mobilisation structure, Hon. A.K. Salihu has been appointed Director-General of Mobilisation, with Professor Usman Salisu Ogbo and Rt. Hon. Prince Matthew Kolawole serving as deputies.

The composition of the council brings together party leaders and stakeholders from the three senatorial districts and various sectors of the state to coordinate campaign planning, stakeholder engagement, voter mobilisation and strategic communication ahead of the 2027 general election.

Sticky shocks and the case for a fiscal bridge

Since 2020, the world economy has absorbed shock after shock: a pandemic, the 2022 food and energy spike, an aggressive global tightening cycle and now the 2026 Middle East war. The IMF, in its October 2026 Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa, calls the region resilient but warns that risks remain ‘decidedly tilted to the downside’. For non-resource-intensive economies such as Uganda, it expects growth to slow from 6.4 to 6.0 percent and current account deficits to widen from 3.4 to 5.8 percent of GDP.

Governments have not met this shock with interest rates alone. The IMF’s Global Policy Tracker, covering 175 countries, shows that fiscal measures were the most common tool. Peers in the region mixed their instruments: Rwanda combined price adjustment with monetary tightening and targeted support, Zambia cut fuel taxes to cushion pump prices, and Ethiopia set temporary fuel subsidies by product and customer.

Uganda feels such shocks first in its balance of payments. Bank of Uganda, in its October Monetary Policy Statement, reports that the current account deficit widened by $1.4b to $4.6b in the year to August, as freight costs rose, coffee earnings weakened and portfolio money left. The Shilling has taken the strain. It recently closed at about 4,500 to the dollar, roughly Shs835, or 23 percent, weaker than at end-June.

History warns that this level may stick. The Shilling moves like a staircase: its annual average jumped from Shs2,181 in 2010 to Shs2,530 in 2011, and from Shs2,599 in 2014 to Shs3,246 in 2015. Each time, it settled on the new step and never returned.

A weaker Shilling turns an oil shock into a broad price shock. Pump prices have risen to about Shs7,000 a litre, from below Shs6,000 before the war. Headline inflation rose from 2.8 percent in March to 4.6 percent in September, and core inflation, the clearest gauge of second-round effects, has crept up to 3.7 percent. The Bank projects headline inflation of 7.0-7.5 percent over the next year, a projection made before the Shilling reached Shs4,500.

The Bank has responded firmly, raising the cash reserve requirement to 13.5 percent and the Central Bank Rate by 225 basis points to 12 percent. This is commendable. But a rate rise cannot lower freight costs or the price of a barrel. The IMF assumes oil averages $96 this year and $87 in 2027, provided the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopens. Brent is already above $100; if the stalemate persists, it could stay there. The IMF itself cautions that monetary policy can look through such a shock only if it is temporary and its second-round effects are contained.

Tightening alone carries a cost, and the Bank has already priced part of it by cutting its FY2026/27 growth projection to 6.0-6.5 percent, from 7.0-7.5 percent.

On nominal GDP of Shs250.4 trillion FY 2025/26 and inflation of about 7.25 percent forecast FY2026/27, a percentage point of lost real growth removes about Shs2.7 trillion of output. With taxes at about 14 percent of GDP, the Treasury stands to forgo Shs0.19-0.38 trillion in revenue, depending on whether half a point or a full point of growth is lost as forecast by BoU in its latest monetary policy statement.

The exchange rate adds a second bill. The Uganda Bankers Association October Uganda Economic Bulletin estimates that every Shs100 depreciation adds about Shs1.6 trillion to the external debt stock and Shs0.14 trillion a year to its servicing. At Shs4,500, that is roughly Shs13 trillion more debt and Shs1.2 trillion more in annual payments. Together, lost revenue and higher debt service put the budget under Shs1.4-1.6 trillion of pressure this financial year.

This is not a case for blanket subsidies. The IMF notes that generalised fuel-price smoothing can cost about 4 percent of GDP, while protecting the poorest 40 percent costs at most 0.5 percent. A Ugandan fiscal bridge should, therefore, be narrow: relief aimed at diesel for freight, public transport and farming, and at vulnerable farmers facing dearer inputs. It should carry an end date and an automatic exit, for instance once oil stays below $90 for two months, and be budgeted, capped and funded by reprioritising spending rather than new borrowing. But doing nothing is not free, and a modest bridge that shortens the shock could cost less than the growth and revenue it protects.

I, therefore, implore the Finance ministry and Central Bank to run joint simulations now, comparing tightening alone with tightening plus targeted, temporary fiscal relief, and to publish the results. If the evidence points where our peers’ experience points, policy should anchor towards a coordinated fiscal intervention.

Until first oil flows in 2027, the staircase is the risk to manage. Monetary resolve, paired with smart and temporary fiscal relief, is how Uganda keeps a passing shock from becoming a lasting one.

Breaking More Barriers, Bridging Wider Gaps: NITDA and ENGAUSA’s Journey Towards Inclusive Digital Transformation

Digital inclusion is not simply about providing computers, internet access or digital skills training. It is about breaking the barriers that prevent people from accessing opportunities, acquiring relevant competencies and participating meaningfully in the digital economy.

For almost seven years, under the visionary leadership of Engr. Mustapha Habu Ringim, ENGAUSA GLOBAL TECH HUB LTD has consistently demonstrated this philosophy through its innovative, multilingual and inclusive approach to technology education, skills development, entrepreneurship and human capital development. Three major public-sector contributors to this journey, through their respective mandates, have been the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), under the leadership of Dr. Kazim Kolawole Raji; the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the impactful leadership of Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi; and the Federal Ministry of Education, through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), under the exemplary leadership of Prof. Idris Muhammad Bugaje. Other important Federal Government stakeholders include the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). I will soon dedicate separate blog posts to celebrating the contributions of each of these key stakeholders, as well as other partners from both the public and private sectors. Our impactful relationship with NITDA, particularly in advancing digital inclusion, dates back to 2020, when the Agency recognised the grassroots impact of ENGAUSA’s digital inclusion programmes and incentivised our innovation hub with computers. This support was subsequently extended through the provision of smartphone repair tools, partnering in the national and local training programs and graduation ceremonies, further strengthening our capacity to deliver practical, industry-relevant training.

Beyond these material contributions, NITDA’s confidence in ENGAUSA®’s experience and grassroots impact has also been reflected in the Agency’s repeated engagement of our Hub in policy development and strategic framework review processes. We have participated in several stakeholder consultations and workshops relating to key national initiatives, including the Nigeria Startup Policy, the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF) and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme. These engagements have provided opportunities for ENGAUSA® to contribute practical insights from its experience in inclusive digital skills development, grassroots innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development.

The results speak for themselves. ENGAUSA’s six-year impact journey has contributed to reaching over 11,000 beneficiaries, creating more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs, and supporting the establishment and growth of over 1,000 startup businesses, SMEs and freelance enterprises across 22 states of Nigeria.

NITDA has recognised these contributions through two major national recognitions within four years. The first was the Best Trainer of the Year Award in 2022, presented during the Digital Nigeria Conference. The second was the recent special recognition award presented during the Digital Literacy Workshop organised by NITDA on 20 October 2026, in recognition of ENGAUSA®’s outstanding contributions to digital inclusion and employment among the 252 Digital Literacy Centres registered on NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Dashboard. These recognitions affirm the importance of sustained institutional support for organisations delivering measurable impact at the grassroots.

One of the most important lessons from our nearly seven years of programme implementation and impact assessment is that language inclusion is far more than a teaching technique. It is a powerful instrument for breaking barriers to education, technology and economic participation. By using Hausa alongside English in our learning environment, ENGAUSA has demonstrated that people should not be denied access to technical knowledge simply because they are not proficient in the dominant language of instruction.

This approach has helped expand inclusion across several dimensions, including disability, gender, age, culture, education, economic circumstances and geographical location. It has created more accessible learning opportunities for persons with physical, sensory and other educational support needs; expanded opportunities for women and girls to acquire technical and entrepreneurial skills; and brought children, young people and adults into shared learning environments. It has also enabled learners from diverse cultural and traditional backgrounds to participate confidently while opening pathways for Almajiris, out-of-school children and young people, school dropouts and people with little or no formal educational qualifications. By reducing the cost barriers to acquiring employable and entrepreneurial skills and extending opportunities beyond conventional urban and formal educational environments, the approach has made skills development more accessible to underserved communities.

Our experience also reinforces an important policy position: language-related barriers deserve explicit recognition as educational accessibility concerns. While language disadvantage is not itself a disability, it can prevent learners, including persons with disabilities, from understanding, communicating and participating fully in education and skills development. No learner should be left behind because of language or disability.

The ENGAUSA experience has also contributed to changing perceptions about the value of technical competencies. Through competency-based training, recognition of prior learning, practical mentoring and enterprise incubation, we have promoted the dignity of skills and the formalisation of informal businesses.

Our programmes have opened doors for people with zero certificates, Almajiris, unemployed and underemployed university graduates, women, freelancers and online workers. Many have progressed from learners to competent technicians, independent service providers, business owners and employers of labour.

Some graduates have gone further to become multipliers of opportunity, reaching thousands of other beneficiaries through their own training, mentoring, business activities and community engagements. More than 11,000 people have benefited from ENGAUSA®’s highly subsidised skills acquisition programmes and 100% scholarship opportunities supported by partner organisations and individual philanthropists.

Perhaps one of our most remarkable achievements is the creation of learning environments where people from different educational, socioeconomic, religious, traditional and cultural backgrounds sit together, learn together and build their futures without stereotypes or discrimination.

In line with our commitment to leaving no one behind, ENGAUSA®’s inclusive approach also creates learning opportunities for persons with hearing and visual impairments. Through appropriate learning adaptations and available assistive technologies, we strive to ensure that these learners are not excluded from acquiring relevant digital and technical skills. We recognise, however, that access to specialised assistive and adaptive technologies remains a major challenge, as such tools are still unavailable in many digital inclusion centres across the country. This underscores the need to prioritise accessible learning infrastructure, assistive technologies and specialised training support. More importantly, these provisions must be treated as high-priority requirements, not afterthoughts, in the design and implementation of educational curricula, National Occupational Standards, competency frameworks and national policies. Accessibility and disability inclusion should be built into these systems from the outset to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate meaningfully and benefit equitably from digital and technical skills development.

Another significant outcome of ENGAUSA®’s journey has been its ability to bring institutions and stakeholders together around a shared development objective. The visible impact of NITDA’s support helped demonstrate the value of grassroots innovation and inclusive skills development. Other important Federal Government institutions, including the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), also recognised the potential of this approach and became part of the wider ecosystem of support and collaboration.

This institutional collaboration has helped connect technology development, technical education, vocational training, entrepreneurship and employment in ways that create more meaningful opportunities for beneficiaries. We equally acknowledge the invaluable contributions of private organisations, development partners and individual philanthropists whose support has enabled many learners to access subsidised training and full scholarships. Their contributions deserve dedicated recognition, and we will be sharing more about their roles in subsequent publications.

The ENGAUSA Six-Year Impact Report is more than a record of numbers and activities. It is evidence that inclusive, practical and multilingual skills development can unlock human potential, create employment, stimulate entrepreneurship and strengthen communities.

We particularly appreciate NITDA for believing in the power of grassroots digital inclusion, supporting our innovation journey since 2020, and continuing to recognise and assess the outcomes of our programmes.

As Nigeria advances its digital transformation agenda, sustained investment in language inclusion, disability accessibility, competency-based education and grassroots innovation will be essential to ensuring that no segment of society is left behind.

Our journey continues, with a stronger commitment to breaking more barriers and bridging wider gaps.

ENGAUSA® GLOBAL TECH HUB LTD

Breaking More Barriers and Bridging Wider Gaps.

Our message is simple: Digital inclusion must speak the language of the people, accommodate their abilities and create opportunities for everyone.

Nothing will make us postpone 2027 polls, INEC chair vows

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out any plan to postpone the 2027 general elections, insisting that the polls will be held as scheduled.

The Chairman of the commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, said the timetable for the elections had been fixed and would not be altered for any reason, assuring that preparations were already in top gear.

Amupitan stated this on Saturday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, during an interactive meeting with INEC staff members, including Resident Electoral Commissioners from the six states of the South-South geopolitical zone, to assess their preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

His assurance comes amid claims by some political parties that the commission was planning to postpone the general elections.

Addressing the staff, the INEC chairman said the commission was committed to conducting credible elections in accordance with the provisions of the law.

‘Our statutory timeline is fixed. We will not change anything. The election must hold as scheduled,’ he declared.

Amupitan disclosed that Rivers State would receive special attention in the commission’s preparations for the forthcoming elections because of its strategic position and having the highest number of registered voters in the South-South region.

He gave the number of registered voters in Rivers as 3,736,434, followed by Delta with 3,525,988; Edo, 2,865,263; Akwa Ibom, 2,566,198; Cross River, 1,928,978; and Bayelsa, 1,200,691.

He said the six states had a combined total of 15,823,550 registered voters, adding that the commission would pay closer attention to Rivers because of its electoral significance in the region.

‘With the 3,736,434 registered voters for Rivers State, the state leads the South-South. By this, the commission will put more attention to what happens in Rivers State. It is your duty to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised because of operational failures,’ he said.

The INEC chairman further disclosed that the commission had received more than 5,000 claims seeking corrections to the voters’ register, including errors in names and dates of birth, as well as over 600 objections.

He said the commission was addressing the complaints to ensure a credible voters’ register ahead of the elections, adding that the final register would be released on 15 December.

Amupitan explained that although the commission had initially considered revalidating the voters’ register after he assumed office, the idea was dropped following concerns that the exercise would be too close to the general elections.

On the commission’s preparedness, he expressed confidence in its capacity to conduct peaceful, transparent and credible elections, citing lessons learnt from recent off-cycle governorship elections, particularly the Osun State election.

He said the Osun election recorded the highest voter turnout in the history of off-cycle elections in the country and was adjudged credible locally and internationally despite earlier security concerns.

‘Osun State elections gave us the confidence that we can achieve this despite the noise. It is good that we had a series of those elections before the general elections because we learn lessons from every election,’ he stated.

He added that INEC would apply the experience gained from the off-cycle elections to improve its preparations for the 2027 polls, expressing optimism that the general elections would be better.

‘We will conduct elections that will move the nation forward and not an election that will bring it down,’ he said.

On security, Amupitan said the commission was working with relevant security agencies, including the police and the Department of State Services, to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral personnel, ad hoc staff and election materials during the polls.

He said INEC would not encourage Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards only to fail to guarantee their safety when they turn out to exercise their franchise.

‘We want every part of Nigeria to be calm during the elections so that people can come out to vote. We will not tell them to take their PVCs and then not guarantee their safety,’ he said.

The INEC chairman also dismissed concerns that Artificial Intelligence and algorithms could determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigerians, through their votes, would decide the results.

‘It is the people of Nigeria that will decide the outcome of the elections and not AI or any algorithms,’ he said.

He, however, acknowledged the growing cybersecurity threats associated with Artificial Intelligence, noting that the commission would explore ways of deploying technology to protect its systems against possible attacks.

Amupitan said INEC was also working to strengthen the security of its digital infrastructure, assuring that the commission would not allow anyone to undermine its operations.

He urged electoral officials across the South-South to remain committed to their responsibilities, stressing that the credibility of the elections would largely depend on their conduct at polling units and other field locations.

He warned that any commission staff member or ad hoc official, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), found compromising the electoral process would be punished in accordance with the law.

The INEC chairman also warned that anyone who threatened or harmed electoral officials, including corps members deployed for election duties, would face the full weight of the law.

He cautioned electoral officers against partisanship, negligence, absenteeism and financial misconduct, warning that such conduct would attract disciplinary action.

Meanwhile, Amupitan has assured Nigerians that the delays that marred the delivery of election materials in previous elections will not be repeated in 2027.

He gave the assurance on Friday, 30 October 2026, during a courtesy visit to the palace of the King and Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt, His Royal Majesty, Barr. Uchechukwu Isaiah Elikwu, Eze Epara Rebisi XII, in Rivers State.

‘The era of the past, when elections were supposed to start by 8:30 am but materials sometimes arrived very late, must come to an end,’ he said.

He disclosed that the voter threshold for deploying additional BVAS machines had been reduced from 1,250 to 850 voters per polling unit.

‘We realise that the true dynamics of democracy are shaped in the field, within our local communities, across riverine channels, at Registration Area Centres and at polling units where citizens exercise their sovereign right,’ he said.

He said the commission had prioritised direct engagement with traditional rulers, describing the royal fathers as anchors of grassroots peace, civic engagement and community stability.

He listed the monarchs visited so far to include the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun; the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli; the Ogadagidi I of Edem-An Ogwugwu Ancient Kingdom, Samuel Ikechukwu Asadu; and the Emir of Gombe, Dr Abubakar Shehu III.

Amupitan appealed to the royal fathers to help mobilise residents to collect Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and turn out to vote in 2027, and to educate citizens on the dangers of misinformation, disinformation and artificial intelligence.

In response, Eze Epara Rebisi XII assured the commission of the support of traditional rulers and urged it to remain steadfast, fair and impartial.

‘Do the right thing, and we assure you of our support. We will mobilise our people to collect their PVCs and come out to vote. We assure you of our unflinching support,’ he said.

Toyin Abraham’s post rekindles rivalry talk with Funke Akindele

The perceived rivalry between Nollywood actresses, Toyin Abraham and Funke Akindele, has resurfaced on social media, following a post by Abraham.

Barely 24 hours after Akindele announced her partnership with Facebook to promote her forthcoming movie, The Four: No One Fights Alone, Abraham took to Instagram to share a throwback post celebrating her previous collaboration with TikTok for her movie, Oversabi Aunty.

Akindele had announced the partnership on October 29, promising fans exclusive behind-the-scenes content and other promotional activities ahead of the film’s release.

Abraham in her post on October 30, wrote: ‘Throwback to when TikTok collaborated with OVERSABI AUNTY! It was such a beautiful experience, and I’m looking forward to more amazing collaborations as we gear up for BESTIE.’

The timing of the post triggered reactions, with some social media users interpreting it as a subtle attempt to draw comparisons with Akindele’s latest partnership.

While some accused Abraham of engaging in unnecessary competition with her colleague, others dismissed the criticism, arguing that she was simply celebrating a previous professional collaboration while promoting her forthcoming movie, Bestie.

The development has once again brought the perceived rivalry between the actresses into focus, particularly as both prepare to release movies during the December cinema season.

Akindele’s The Four: No One Fights Alone is scheduled for December 11, while Abraham’s Bestie is expected in cinemas on December 16.

Although neither actress has suggested that the development is connected to a rivalry, their respective promotional activities have once again provided social media users with fresh material for comparison.

More countries report Ebola cases as outbreak continues to spread

Two people in northeastern Nigeria are suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus.

According to the country’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, both individuals, who developed fever, have been isolated, while health officials are assessing their medical condition and tracing their contacts. Ebola infection has not yet been confirmed, and laboratory test results are expected to determine whether they have contracted the virus.

Nigeria confirmed its first Ebola case on October 26. The patient was a Swiss national who had travelled to Nigeria by plane from Uganda.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has exceeded 5,000. According to the country’s National Institute of Public Health, 10,351 people have been infected with the virus.

The outbreak began in May this year in the DRC and Uganda. In the DRC, infections and deaths have been reported in eight provinces.

Ugandan authorities declared the outbreak over on July 28, a decision confirmed by the World Health Organization on August 25. Kenya, meanwhile, announced its first Ebola case on October 6.

Airline operator calls for collaboration, reform of Igbo business model

The Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has said that the Igbo entrepreneurial model must be reformed, not discarded, if it is to remain competitive in today’s global economy.

Prof. Okonkwo, who was the facilitator at the 2026 Annual General Meeting of De Imperial Philanthropic Family in Lagos at the weekend, delivered a talk titled ‘Recalibrating the Igbo Entrepreneurial Model for the Emerging Global Economy.’

He maintained that although the strengths of the model, which include individual initiative, self-reliance and a long record of commercial success, remain valuable, the challenge is not to abandon the traditional model but to recalibrate it.

Prof. Okonkwo’s first proposal was to reformulate the Igbo apprenticeship system to ensure that apprentices acquire skills in digital commerce, financial technology, data analytics, artificial intelligence, international marketing, business management, intellectual property and export procedures. He advised that these competencies should be incorporated into the system while retaining its practical, mentor-based character.

He criticised universities that conduct research without considering how it could be commercialised, arguing that academic institutions need closer ties with industry. He also urged businesses to create opportunities for young people to contribute ideas and encouraged continuous learning and experimentation to keep indigenous firms dynamic. He further proposed closer exchanges between universities and markets to enable academic knowledge to complement skills from the informal sector.

On recalibrating the Igbo model, Okonkwo said businesses must collaborate more rather than engage in unhealthy competition and rivalry. He said although individual initiative remains a strength of the tradition, the complexity of modern production makes collaboration essential. He pointed to shared production facilities as a way of reducing the costs that small and medium-sized enterprises would otherwise bear individually.

He said: ‘A typical example of collaboration is my relationship with my dear friend and brother, Allen Onyema of Air Peace. This provides a practical illustration of an alternative approach. Many expected us to engage in bitter rivalry but we rejected that and have developed a mutually beneficial and worthy partnership whose significance has resonated within the aviation sector. Collaboration can create opportunities for partnerships and shared growth. Very soon, you would be able to buy Air Peace tickets and fly United Nigeria Airlines with it. These are the kinds of things collaboration among us can bring because there is more to gain than to lose.’

Okonkwo also spent several minutes discussing the export readiness of Nigerian businesses. He said that while studying in Russia, he could import goods from many countries but not from Nigeria because Nigerian products did not meet the required export standards.

He said Nigeria could export some agricultural products, but entering certain markets required meeting specific standards in certification, packaging, quality assurance, export documentation and intellectual property protection.

He cited the Aba Export Group lab, established under Abia State Governor Alex Otti and commissioned in 2025, as an example of institutional support. The lab is designed to help firms standardise, package and brand products for export, with initial focus areas including agro-products and fashion apparel.

He said: ‘Imagine a global economy in which enterprises can meet international standards, deliver consistent quality, and compete on reliability, price, and innovation. Even entrepreneurs can benefit from a more deliberate orientation toward export development and international market integration.

‘As I understand it, some of you here run production businesses. If you can take advantage of this, you can produce globally competitive, high-quality products for export. This requires improving product certification, packaging quality assurance, export logistics documentation, intellectual property protection, and compliance with the regulatory requirements of destination markets.’

Raising a healthy child: Family life, surroundings provide holistic care

What are the factors that make a child healthy? A child’s health is shaped by more than inherited genes or the food on the table. Family routines, relationships, cultural practices, and everyday conditions-from early school schedules to long commutes-also influence how children grow and thrive, according to an Ateneo de Manila University medical professor and clinician.

Dr. Lourdes Sumpaico-Tanchanco said families, schools, and communities should consider these interconnected influences during her Ateneo Breakthroughs lecture, ‘Raising a Healthy Child: A Functional Medicine Lens on the Family as an Ecosystem of Health,’ on October 21.

Sumpaico-Tanchanco is a professor at the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and director of its Center for Research and Innovation. She is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician by training and holds a master’s degree in clinical epidemiology. She is certified in functional medicine by the Institute of Functional Medicine.

‘Our genes do not determine everything about our health,’ she said.

But the conditions and experiences at the very earliest stages of life can influence gene activity without changing the underlying DNA sequence. Nutrition, stress, and other circumstances during pregnancy and childhood may help shape health risks later in life, but these early influences do not dictate a child’s future.

As children grow up, they acquire habits around food, sleep, physical activity, coping, and seeking help. Cultural expectations and upbringing shape these patterns, while household resources affect what caregivers can realistically provide.

Children learn from what adults do, she noted. Encouraging kids to eat their vegetables is harder when parents avoid them too; setting screen limits becomes more complicated when adults remain absorbed in their own devices.

In Filipino households, grandparents, relatives, and other caregivers also help shape these routines-including those supporting children of overseas workers.

She pointed out that the wider environment matters just as much.

Sumpaico-Tanchanco questioned school schedules that require children to wake up at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. and noted that bedrooms are not dark enough for good sleep.

Screen use can further crowd out rest, active play, and family interaction.

The interconnections of multiple factors matter when assessing a child’s attention or behavior difficulties. Clinicians should consider sleep, nutrition, physical discomfort, development, and stress alongside the child’s family and school experiences.

‘The benefit of seeing the whole child is that a valid diagnosis becomes the beginning of an individualized plan and not just the end of our curiosity,’ she said.

She described functional medicine as a framework for organizing these influences, emphasizing that it complements appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Suspected connections require assessment and do not justify broad testing or restrictive diets without a clinical basis.

Her practical advice is to begin with one or two achievable changes, such as a consistent bedtime, gradual introduction of unfamiliar foods, or intentional activities to foster play with other children in a condominium setting.

Families cannot carry the responsibility alone. Affordable food, accessible healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and supportive school and work arrangements help make healthier routines possible.

‘A healthier future begins in the everyday life of a child nurtured by a family and supported by a community,’ she said.

Study: Almost all coral reef ecosystems face risk of collapse in 50 years

The world’s coral reef ecosystems almost all face a high risk of collapse in the next 50 years mostly due to warming oceans and heat waves, according to a global assessment released on October 22.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) assessment, announced on the sidelines of a UN biodiversity conference in Albania, found that 96 percent of shallow-water reef systems are already critically endangered and could disappear by 2075.

Most of the world’s famous reef systems-including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Coral Triangle in the Western Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System and the Red Sea coral reefs-are all critically endangered, the highest level of threat.

‘The risk of coral reef collapse is escalating, but this must be a wake-up call rather than a cause for despair,’ said Mishal Gudka, the scientific lead of the global IUCN Red List of Coral Reef Ecosystems assessment, the first of its kind.

‘Coral reefs have shown a remarkable ability to bounce back from devastating bleaching events,’ he said. ‘Pockets of surviving, resilient coral reefs can still remain in the future, so we must do everything within our reach to set them up for success.’

The assessment is the latest dose of bad news for coral reefs, which are critical sources for seafood and tourism, and often serve as buffers from coastal erosion and storms.

Sometimes dubbed ‘rainforests of the sea,’ they have some of the world’s richest biodiversity. They support a quarter of marine species as well as coastal communities and businesses.

When a reef collapses, hard corals disappear and are replaced by algae, rubble and sponges.

As a result, the reef no longer supports a diverse ecosystem that can include everything from tiny invertebrates to reef fish like grouper.

‘Coral reefs are one of the clearest vital signs of the ocean’s health,’ Grethel Aguilar, the IUCN director general, said in a statement.

The assessment, spanning 127 tropical and subtropical ecoregions, and encompassing 72,726 square miles (188,362 square kilometers) of coral reefs globally, called climate change the ‘single most consistent threat driving coral reef decline worldwide.’

A week ago, another study in the journal Nature by the IUCN found that nearly 44 percent of reef-building coral species face an elevated risk of extinction due to climate change.

A year ago, a survey found that harmful bleaching of the world’s coral has grown to include 84 percent of the ocean’s reefs-the most intense of its kind in recorded history.

The year 2024 was Earth’s hottest on record, and much of that is going into oceans. The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit).

Beyond combatting rising global emissions, experts said efforts to reduce pollution, overfishing and coastal development can help reefs survive.

‘We know what is needed: ambitious emissions reductions, stronger protection and restoration efforts, and sustained investment in resilient coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them,’ Aguilar said.

NDLEA arrests two Europe-bound businessmen at Abuja airport

Two Europe-based Nigerian ‘businessmen’ who flew home on holiday and attempted to return to Paris, France with their bellies loaded with cocaine have been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

The duo, Aliocus Godian Odife and Sam Blackborn, according to a statement by the NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, on Sunday, were intercepted on 28th October 2026 during the outward clearance of Air France flight AF 832 from Abuja to Paris.

Both men have excreted a total of 200 wraps of the Class A drug weighing 3.460 kilograms.

Odife, who claims to live in France and works in a factory, arrived in Nigeria for a short holiday on 21st October.

He was, however, arrested by NDLEA operatives on his return flight few days after when he was subjected to a body scan, which confirmed the presence of foreign objects in his stomach. Under interview, he admitted to having ingested 110 pellets of cocaine.

He was placed under observation during which he excreted all 110 wraps, which tested positive for cocaine, with a total weight of 1.901 kilograms.

On the same flight, his co-traveller, Sam Blackborn, was also nabbed by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Abuja airport. His body scan likewise returned positive for ingestion, while he confessed to having swallowed 90 pellets of cocaine. Under observation, he excreted all 90 wraps, which tested positive for the class A drug after each excretion and weighed a total of 1.559 kilograms.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives acting on actionable intelligence on the movement of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis from the Island to the Mainland, on 25th October, intercepted a white Volkswagen LT 28 bus along Kudirat Abiola Way, Ikeja, where 537 kilograms of the psychoactive substance were recovered. The same day, another team of officers intercepted a brown J5 bus along the Gbagada-Oshodi expressway, with 439 kilograms of the same substance seized.

In Oyo State, NDLEA operatives on 29th October conducted a follow-up operation at Idere Road, Igboora, where two suspects, Oguntona Nasiru and Soji Balogun, were arrested while loading 554 kilograms of skunk into a Volvo truck for onward movement into town. The operation targeted a notorious drug dealer known as ‘Omo Oba’, who escaped arrest on 25th October when officers seized 309.5 kilograms of the strong cannabis strain popularly called ‘Ghanaian Loud’ linked to him.

In Kano, NDLEA operatives on 26th October raided a location in Tsamiya area of Gezawa, where they recovered 247,500 tablets of diazepam weighing 57.7 kilograms and 100,000 tablets of Exol-5 weighing 38.7 kilograms. Two days later, on 28th October, another team of officers stormed the Dorayi area of the state, where they arrested Ziya’ulhaq Abdullahi and Garba Muhammed with 19,250 pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 13.6 kilograms.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway have arrested a woman, Aisha Isah, at the toll gate with 266 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition. On the Zaria-Kano expressway, a 68-year-old man, Ifeanyi Egwolonwu, was arrested at Gwargwaje, Zaria, with 2,770 ampoules of pentazocine injection, 100 ampoules of diazepam injection, 11,000 tablets of diazepam and 4,500 tablets of Exol-5.

In a raid at Tashan Banke area of the state, officers also arrested seven suspects, including Faisal Adamu, and recovered 178.85 kilograms of cannabis alongside quantities of diazepam, tramadol, Exol-5 and pregabalin.

In Ondo State, NDLEA operatives on 25th October, acting on credible intelligence, raided cannabis farms in Ijare forest, where they arrested four suspects, including Bassey Okon, Abraham Edet and Oto Udo. A total of 16 bags of processed cannabis weighing 180 kilograms were recovered from the farms.

Similarly, a team of NDLEA operatives supported by soldiers on 28th October 2026 raided Eko Camp in Ilushi, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State, where a cannabis plantation measuring 1.646 hectares with an estimated yield of 4,115.53 kilograms was destroyed. A 50-year-old woman, Christiana Uboi, was arrested at the camp with 301 kilograms of processed cannabis, while another 176 kilograms of the drug was recovered during the raid.

In Sokoto, operatives of Zone 7 Command of NDLEA, acting on credible intelligence, on Saturday, arrested a 68-year-old man, Ibrahim Ayuba, with 236.6 kilograms of skunk.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities, among others, in the past week.

While commending the officers and men of NAIA, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Ondo, Oyo and Edo Commands for the arrests and seizures, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), noted that the interception of the two cocaine couriers at Abuja airport is a fresh warning to those who think they can use their residence abroad as cover to traffic drugs across Nigerian borders.

He said the Agency’s officers at all entry and exit points remain alert, and that there is no hiding place for anyone who chooses to risk their life and liberty by ingesting illicit drugs for a fee.

Marwa also charged officers and men of the Agency across the country to sustain the current tempo against drug cartels while not relenting in their drug demand reduction efforts, including WADA sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, workplaces and communities.