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The capacity-building programme was conducted in Abia State from August 25 to September 4, 2026, and in Akwa Ibom State from September 7 to 17, 2026, with 100 participants trained in each state.

Beneficiaries were drawn from host communities and included young men and women, as well as persons with disabilities, reflecting the programme’s emphasis on inclusion and community development.

The initiative was designed to equip participants with the practical skills, industry knowledge and resources needed to establish sustainable enterprises and take advantage of opportunities within the oil and gas sector.

The programme commenced with the training of youths in Abia State and attracted the participation of key government and industry stakeholders.

Representatives of the NCDMB participated in the programme, alongside Mrs Sarah Adaobi Ugochukwu, Director, Produce Department, who represented the Abia State Ministry of Trade and Commerce.

Oil and gas industry stakeholders, particularly members of marketers’ associations, also supported the programme and played a significant role during the participants’ field visits.

The field component provided beneficiaries with an opportunity to gain practical exposure to industry operations and interact with operators and other stakeholders across the oil and gas value chain.

In Akwa Ibom State, the programme received support from the state government, with the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources represented by the Director of the Petroleum Department, Engr. Anietie Emah.

According to the organisers, the Community-Based Oil and Gas Enterprise Development Programme seeks to bridge the gap between young people in host communities and the economic opportunities available within Nigeria’s energy industry.

The training focused on developing practical enterprise skills, creating business opportunities, encouraging innovative solutions to challenges facing host communities and promoting sustainable economic development.

Participants also received mentorship from industry experts, business development and entrepreneurship support, access to relevant networks and practical field experience.

The programme is expected to provide beneficiaries with a platform to transform viable ideas into businesses capable of contributing to job creation and local economic growth.

Eligibility for the programme was targeted at young people between the ages of 18 and 35, with a minimum educational qualification of SSCE, NECO or its equivalent.

The organisers said both male and female applicants were eligible, while female participation was particularly encouraged. Beneficiaries were also required to commit to completing the full training and field experience components of the programme.

The inclusion of persons with disabilities among the 200 participants was intended to broaden access to economic opportunities and ensure that disadvantaged groups were not excluded from skills acquisition and enterprise development initiatives.

The programme also aligns with efforts to strengthen indigenous capacity and increase community participation in opportunities associated with Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Beyond technical and entrepreneurial training, the initiative places emphasis on helping participants identify viable business opportunities, build sustainable enterprises and develop solutions to economic and social challenges within their communities.

With 100 youths trained in Abia State and another 100 in Akwa Ibom State, the organisers said the programme was designed to create a pool of young entrepreneurs who could apply their newly acquired knowledge and practical experience to businesses across the oil and gas value chain.

The partnership between NCDMB and Tommorow Africa Limited is also expected to contribute to stronger host communities by creating pathways for skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.

The organisers said the broader objective is to empower communities, build local capacity and develop sustainable enterprises capable of contributing to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and the wider economy.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly impersonated a senior police officer to evade security checks while transporting illicit drugs across states.

The suspect, Innocent Ekpe, was arrested on Wednesday, September 16, along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba, Delta State, with 292.48 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in his silver Toyota Sienna bus.

The NDLEA said investigations revealed that Ekpe had been parading himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), using a forged police identification card to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while ferrying illicit consignments.

A 39-year-old accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested alongside him.

The arrests formed part of a series of intelligence-led operations across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which led to the interception of more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, as well as about 6,000 kilogrammes of cannabis, with a combined street value exceeding N3.4 billion.

NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the operations also led to the seizure of a large consignment of Canadian Loud at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos.

The 603.75kg shipment, comprising 1,200 parcels of the potent cannabis strain, was valued at N1.81 billion.

The consignment arrived from Montreal, Canada, on September 12, in a 40-foot container containing two Toyota Sienna vehicles.

Babafemi said, acting on processed intelligence, NDLEA operatives placed the container under surveillance before conducting a joint physical examination with the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies on Wednesday, September 16.

The search uncovered the drugs concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded inside the vehicles.

In another operation in Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided an auto-repair workshop on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai.

The agency said Ossai allegedly used his workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs.

Recovered from the premises were 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine and a metal box used to store the substances.

In Niger State, operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area, on Tuesday, September 15, arrested three young men identified as Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18.

The suspects were allegedly found with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with a magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.

Meanwhile, two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested on Friday, September 18, along the Abaji-Abuja Highway.

The NDLEA said operatives recovered more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

In Lagos, one Onyeka Ofor was arrested at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on September 18, with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg.

The agency said it also intercepted seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of a suspect, Luke Ugokwe.

Some commercial tricycle operators in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have increased fares on some routes following the rise in petrol prices to between N1,410 per litre and N1,450 per litre.

The latest adjustment followed an N85 increase in Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s gantry price, from N1,265 per litre to N1,350 per litre, amid a surge in global crude oil prices.

Brent crude is currently trading at 103.21 dollars per barrel, down 1.2 per cent from previous levels, while U.S. crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was around 100 dollars per barrel.

The increase has added to the financial pressure on commuters already facing rising transportation costs.

Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja showed that fares on several routes had increased.

The fare from Gudu to Lokogoma Junction, previously N200, is now N300, while the fare from Kabusa junction to Apo Roundabout has risen from N300 to N400.

From Dutse express to Tipper Garage junction, the fare increased from N400 to N500, while the Dutse express to Sokale roundabout rose from N300 to N400.

In Nyanya, the fare from Nyanya junction to City college is now N500. In Lugbe, the fare from Chika bridge increased from N100 to N200, while the fare from Kubwa village junction to Byazhin is now N400.

A tricycle operator in Kubwa, Mr Saidu Mohamed, said the increase was due to the rising cost of petrol, as well as higher maintenance and spare-parts costs.

Another operator in Dutse, Mr Haruna Abdullahi, said he bought petrol at N1,430 per litre, lamenting the growing financial pressure caused by the increase in fuel prices.

Mr Ibrahim Dauda, a tricycle operator in Kabusa, said he bought petrol at an AY Shafa filling station for N1,430 per litre, which he said had contributed to the fare increase.

He said the impact of rising fuel costs extended beyond transportation to other aspects of daily life.

A commuter in Kubwa, Mr Daniel Aaron, said the fuel price increase had made it difficult for many people to move around and earn a living.

‘I find it very difficult to move around for my daily bread again because of the increase in transportation,’ he said.

Another commuter, Mr Tony Akinbode, said he hardly went out anymore and was finding it increasingly difficult to feed his family because of the high cost of transportation.

‘When you get to the market, traders too are complaining that things are high because of the increase in fuel prices,’ he said.

Akinbode called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene by taking measures to stabilise fuel prices.

A commuter in Kubwa, Mr Jimoh Bashir, said tricycle fares had increased on several routes within the nation’s capital.

He said the increase had left passengers paying more for daily journeys to workplaces, markets, schools and other destinations.

Bashir said the new fares were introduced with little notice, forcing commuters to adjust their daily transportation budgets.

A commuter in Apo, Mrs Florence Peters, called for measures to make public transportation more affordable and accessible.

She said transportation remained an essential part of residents’ daily expenses.

Mr Jide Ojo, a Public affairs analyst, expressed concern over the Federal Government’s promotion of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative to petrol.

He said CNG was promoted by the administration of President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to provide Nigerians with a cheaper alternative to petrol following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

Ojo said that motorists could not obtain CNG in the same way they could purchase petrol in containers when fuel was unavailable at a nearby filling station.

He said that CNG should not be confused with cooking gas,adding that the infrastructure and distribution requirements were different.

Ojo said President Bola Tinubu’s administration could do more to cushion the effect of price volatility while improving domestic crude supply, refining capacity and access to alternative fuels.

NAN reports that the latest adjustment of fuel comes amid broader increases in transportation costs, with commuters across the FCT continuing to contend with higher expenses associated with movement from one location to another.

The National Publicity Secretary of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike, had recently said domestic petrol prices would continue to respond to changes in crude oil costs

Ukadike urged the Federal Government to consider supplying crude to domestic refineries at prices slightly below international market levels.

He also urged the Federal Government to review some statutory charges affecting petroleum-product distribution.

Nigeria and Spain are considering ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture, with a focus on technology transfer, food production, livestock development and investment.

This followed a meeting between Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, and Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas Puchades, recently in Madrid.

Planas, who congratulated Ikpeazu on his appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain and his presentation of Letters of Credence to King Felipe VI, said Ikpeazu’s assumption of duty would provide an opportunity to further strengthen existing relations between Nigeria and Spain, particularly in agro-food production, animal health and irrigation.

He highlighted Spain’s experience in crop disease prevention and the development of improved, high-yielding seedlings, which he said had contributed to increased agricultural and livestock production.

Planas also identified Nigeria’s large expanse of arable land as an opportunity for increased food production and development of agricultural value chains.

According to him, Spain’s use of improved seedlings, food preservation policies and consumption strategies has contributed to its agricultural performance, while technology helped reduce food losses by 20 per cent in 2025.

Ikpeazu said agriculture remained a major priority of the Nigerian government, particularly because of the country’s large youth population and the employment opportunities available across the agricultural value chain.

He said increased agricultural production could strengthen food security, create jobs and contribute to efforts to address irregular migration.

The ambassador expressed Nigeria’s interest in learning from Spain’s experience in improved seed production, livestock development and food preservation, while encouraging greater Spanish investment in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

He also said Nigeria was interested in expanding animal production for domestic consumption and export, and called for collaboration with Spain in the sector.

The brouhaha that broke out last week over the concession agreement between the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) and the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) clearly shows that the issue of what to do with the unity schools has reached crossroads. Matters have been building up since the surprise visit of the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, to King’s College last year. I watched a video of the visit, which began early in the morning so the minister could get a comprehensive look. You could see him moving through the classrooms, dormitories, and other on-site facilities.

To all appearances, the minister was astounded by what he saw. Beyond the visible infrastructure decay, the college had been without light for eight months. Even though it was daytime, you would see the minister engaging with students and staff in darkness. I guess the minister was not prepared for what he saw. He saw, at a glance, the level of degradation this great institution had suffered. If King’s College, the first among equals among the Unity Schools, could be laid so low, how would the others fare? It must have been, for him, a critical moment in deciding how to move forward.

The minister must have decided to go ahead with engaging KCOBA in an arrangement to share responsibilities, which, in other words, might mean a concession. Like other old boys’ associations that have been decrying the deterioration of their institutions, KCOBA has been at the forefront of wanting to take over the running of its institution to restore it to its days of glory. King’s College is probably the oldest institution of its kind in Nigeria. Founded by the British colonial administration in 1909, the college was patterned after their elite secondary schools, such as Eton College, founded in 1440.

For decades, King’s College has graduated students who have taken leadership positions in all spheres of public life. It became a beacon of academic excellence and discipline for other schools, and a place all Nigerian youths could call home. Its admission policy was national and competitive. Only the best from primary schools were admitted. The same applied to the Higher School Certificate (HSC) side of the college. I recall that when I was in Form One in 1967 at Government College, Keffi, the best-performing student in WASC that year, Shamsuddeen Usman (later Minister of Finance), went to King’s College, Lagos, for his HSC.

After the success of King’s College, the colonial government in 1927 established Queen’s College, also in Lagos, for girls only. In the years that followed, the regional governments established similar schools. In the northern region, Government Colleges were established in Keffi, Kaduna and Zaria (now renamed Barewa). The government also built a Queen’s College in Ilorin. After independence, the proliferation of Unity Schools started in earnest. The Tafawa Balewa government began in 1966 with three federal government colleges: Sokoto in the north, Warri in the west, and Okposi in the east.

After the civil war, General Yakubu Gowon established nine more. Now the number has climaxed at the unmanageable figure of 104. The overall deterioration of infrastructure and academic standards in the Unity Schools has been steep, so much so that their old boys’ associations have been up in arms, wanting to take over the management and upkeep of their alma maters. During President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, it almost became a fait accompli, with a strong case made to hand over management of the Unity Schools to their old boys’ associations.

However, the gra-gra manner in which Oby Ezekwesili, then Minister of Education, handled the matter made implementation impossible. The unions, some parents’ associations, and some students’ bodies strongly opposed it, citing probable job losses and exorbitant tuition fees. The uproar was so much that the succeeding administration of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007 was forced to jettison the idea.

The old boys’ associations, nevertheless, never relented as they watched these iconic schools deteriorate from bad to worse. They kept pumping up the pressure on all the governments of the federation. They got their first sign of success in 2022, when Governor Seyi Makinde’s government in Oyo State decided to go into partnership with the old boys’ association of Government College Ibadan. This is one of the most renowned government colleges in the country. Established in 1929, it is reputed to have produced, among others, 80 per cent of the Presidents of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, along with a Nobel Laureate.

The partnership involves giving the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association (GCIOBA) a concession to take control of the college for operations, maintenance, and facility rehabilitation. The college, however, remains 100 per cent owned by the Oyo State Government. GCIOBA has since swung into action. The association has firm control of the administration of the college. They have appointed a new principal, a vastly more experienced person who has run many private schools. GCIOBA has also provided him with the wherewithal to operate, including a new SUV. From all indications, the future of Government College, Ibadan is assured.

From my perspective, this is the way to go. I expect the King’s College concession matter will be speedily sorted out, giving other old boys associations the impetus to ask for their alma maters to be returned to them to run.

Denge Josef Onoh, former Southeast spokesman of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign, has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if the Rainbow Coalition of Nyesom Wike, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, wins significant seats in 2027.

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Onoh demanded an immediate institutional response from the President and leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Wike regarding his response to Progressives Governors.

‘While this amorphous coalition attempts to dress itself in the fine robes of an absolute loyalist vehicle designed to deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, its operational footprint tells a completely different story,’ he said.

Onoh said the Rainbow Coalition is a political mirage and a calculated parallel power machine.

‘If the APC leadership does not take immediate steps to contain this movement, the ruling party is actively funding, sheltering, and nurturing the very platform that will fragment and destroy it by 2031.’

Onoh said that the strategy of the Wike-led coalition is simple yet devastating.

‘By preparing to field candidates across the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other peripheral platforms for governorship, Senate, and House of Representatives seats ahead of the 2027 elections, Wike is building an autonomous political empire under the nose of the ruling party by playing the 2027 numbers game aimed at Stripping APC of Legislative and State Autonomy.

‘If Wike’s Rainbow coalition wins significant seats in 2027, the consequences for the APC will be catastrophic because wike aims to kill Independent Governance and should his coalition secure a commanding swing-bloc majority in the National Assembly, the APC will lose its legislative independence.’

Wike will instantly become the ultimate kingmaker. The presidency will be forced into a perpetual state of political blackmail and horse-trading just to elect principal officers, pass budgets, or screen executive nominees.

Onoh warned that Wike’s target is to create an erosion of the APC Grassroots by capturing APC-held or contested governorship seats.

‘Wike will secure control over state resources and party machineries, completely insulating his loyalists from federal dependence and hollowing out the APC’s grassroots base.’

Onoh warned that Wike is not inventing a new political philosophy; rather he is executing a time-tested Nigerian political textbook.

Onoh warned President Bola Tinubu that same way he maintained a fiercely independent regional stronghold in the South-West, built legislative leverage, and ultimately forced a grand merger with Muhammadu Buhari’s northern bloc to form the APC and displace the PDP, Wike is playing the same long game.

‘He is keeping his structures outside the APC, using federal cabinet prestige to build leverage, and waiting for the opportune moment to dictate the terms of a forced realignment.’

Onoh said Politics is entirely governed by interest and long-term calculation.

‘The endgame for the Wike-led Rainbow Coalition is not 2027; it is the post-Tinubu transition in 2031.’

Onoh warned that come 2031, when the presidential ticket naturally rotates back to the North, the Southern Vice-Presidential slot will be the ultimate prize.

‘Wike’s strategic goal is to build such an unassailable network of governors, senators, and reps by 2027 that the APC will have no choice but to bow to his terms. He will present his coalition as the sole bridegroom of the South, effectively coercing the party into yielding the Vice-Presidential ticket to him or his proxy.’

Onoh reminded all members of APC that they must not forget that by 2031, Wike will still be in his early 60s-a prime, potent age in contemporary Nigerian politics.

‘Securing the Vice-Presidency in 2031 gives him the ultimate state-funded platform to dominate the national landscape and potentially launch a presidential bid beyond 2031.’

‘The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), under the clear-sighted leadership of Governor Hope Uzodimma, is entirely justified in its structural resistance to this parallel arrangement.

‘The APC does not need a ‘Rainbow Coalition’ to win elections; the party possesses the machinery, the track record, and the footprint to deliver the President’s mandate independently.’

Onoh warned that the time for diplomatic silence was over. And asked the President and the National Working Committee of the APC as a matter of extreme urgency must compel Wike to make a definitive choice: either formally fold his structures into the APC as a card-carrying member, Resign his position as a minister and focus on being an opposition or cease operating a parallel political machine that undermines the party’s candidates.

‘If we fail to contain this Trojan Horse today, we are giving him the keys to dismantle the APC house tomorrow,’ Onoh concluded.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has urged Vietnam to increase bilateral trade between the two countries to $2bn.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dunoma Ahmed, made the call in Abuja over the weekend at a reception to mark the 81st National Day of Vietnam and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Vietnam.

He said the two countries currently have over $1bn in trade, adding that Nigeria is seeking to deepen the partnership as part of efforts to grow its economy.

‘Currently, we have over one billion in trade relationships. I hope, Your Excellency Ambassador, you will increase this one billion into two billion as Nigeria is looking forward to a one trillion dollar economy,’ he said.

While noting that Nigeria and Vietnam have maintained a productive cooperation over the past 50 years in areas including agriculture, trade and investment, defence and multilateral diplomacy, Ambassador Ahmed added that,

‘We have a lot of Nigerian companies and Vietnamese companies cooperating in contributing to the national development of each country. Nigeria and Vietnam remain important and strategic partners in West Africa and beyond. This friendship signifies the spirit of South-South cooperation.’

Ahmed said the Federal Government was committed to deepening the partnership and expanding bilateral cooperation into agro-agricultural processing, renewable energy, digital economy, pharmaceuticals, skills development and manufacturing.

The Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria, Le Viet Hoang, said the two countries had opportunities to expand economic cooperation as they marked five decades of diplomatic relations.

Hoang said Nigeria remained one of Vietnam’s largest trading partners in Africa, noting that Nigerian cashew nuts, timber and liquefied natural gas were among commodities traded between the two countries.

The ambassador said Vietnam was ready to share its experience and expertise in high-tech agriculture, rice value chains, aquaculture and agro-processing to support Nigeria’s food security efforts.

He also identified telecommunications, infrastructure, innovation, e-commerce and financial technology as areas where both countries could deepen cooperation.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, has declared that it would be unfair for the North to deny the South its full eight-year turn in the Presidency.

Waiya, therefore, called on Northerners to allow the South to complete its tenure under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before seeking a return to power.

The commissioner made the declaration on Friday at the unveiling of Nigeria Forward, a political platform formed to promote national unity and pursue the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to him, rotating the Presidency between the North and the South has become imperative to preserve fairness and political stability.

He noted that the North completed eight years in power under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari before the transition to President Tinubu from the South.

‘For the sake of fairness, the North had its own eight years under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, and now the South is serving its first term under President Bola Tinubu,’ Waiya said.

‘The North should not be unfair to the South. We feel that we should be very fair to our brothers and sisters in the South. This means allowing the South to continue and complete its tenure, so that the North can wait to complete another round of eight years.’

He argued that interrupting the current political dispensation could destabilize the country and jeopardize the ongoing reforms and gains achieved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Waiya added that Nigeria Forward has two fundamental objectives: promoting national unity and consolidating the developmental gains recorded under the Tinubu administration.

Speaking earlier, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, explained that Nigeria Forward represents a collective responsibility to extend the emerging gains of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative.

He emphasised that policies achieve their greatest impact when citizens understand them, ‘participate in them, and are able to connect them to opportunities in their own communities. This is where Nigeria Forward has an important role to play.’