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Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s administration has made youth empowerment and human capital development a major component of governance in Adamawa State, combining policy reforms, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support, agriculture, education, digital innovation and targeted social interventions.

1. Adamawa State Youth Policy 2025

The administration introduced the Adamawa State Youth Policy 2025, providing a comprehensive framework for youth development and defining youth within the 15-40 age bracket. The policy focuses on education, employment, entrepreneurship, health, civic participation and 21st-century skills, with particular attention to rural youth, persons with disabilities, out-of-school youth and communities affected by insurgency.

It also provides for a youth database and portal to improve access to opportunities, coordination and monitoring of youth programmes.

2. Financial Empowerment and Entrepreneurship

Through the Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA), the administration introduced the Fintiri Business Wallet, providing financial support to youth, women, petty traders, artisans and small businesses.

The programme has reached thousands of beneficiaries across the state, disbursed billions of naira to over 100,000-240,000+ beneficiaries, supporting entrepreneurship, strengthening small businesses and promoting economic self-reliance. Other PAWECA interventions similarly provide grants, training and social support to youth and women.

3. Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training

The administration has revitalised and expanded skills acquisition and technical training centres across Adamawa, offering practical training in areas such as electrical installation, welding and fabrication, automobile repairs, GSM repairs, tailoring and fashion design, carpentry, tiling, renewable energy and other trades.

Training programmes range from short-term courses to advanced one-year programmes, with participants in some programmes receiving monthly stipends, the capacity to train thousands annually (targets mentioned of 20,000+).

The establishment of the Adamawa State College of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Studies, Gulak, further strengthens the administration’s drive to equip young people with practical skills, technological knowledge and entrepreneurial capacity.

4. Digital Skills and Adamawa Digital Academy

Digital development has become another major pillar of youth empowerment. Through partnerships and specialised programmes, young people are being exposed to coding, data analysis, digital marketing, e-commerce, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.

The Adamawa Digital Academy expands this agenda by providing young people with access to structured digital learning, technology-driven skills and opportunities relevant to the emerging digital economy.

5. Agriculture and Food Security

The administration is also positioning agriculture as a source of employment and entrepreneurship for young people.

Through the 300-Hectare-per-LGA Food Security and Cluster Farming Programme, prepared farmland, agricultural inputs and extension services are provided to participating youth across the state. The initiative seeks to create jobs, increase agricultural productivity and strengthen food security.

Other interventions support livestock entrepreneurship, agricultural value chains and climate-resilient farming.

6. Education and Scholarships

The administration has expanded educational opportunities through the Adamawa State Scholarship Trust Fund, supporting thousands of students within and outside the state.

Other interventions include free WAEC and NECO registration for eligible students, local and specialised scholarship programmes, overseas postgraduate opportunities-including the Fintiri Wings initiative-and the construction and development of model schools and other educational infrastructure.

7. Girl-Child Empowerment and Inclusion

Through the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), thousands of schoolgirls have benefited from conditional cash transfers and other interventions designed to improve enrolment, attendance and retention.

The programme complements wider efforts to expand educational and economic opportunities for girls and other vulnerable groups.

8. Employment, Sports and Social Development

The administration has also created employment opportunities through public-sector recruitment, infrastructure projects and other government interventions.

Sports development initiatives, including the Adamawa Governor’s Cup, provide platforms for discovering and developing young sporting talents across the state.

9. Building Adamawa’s Human Capital

Together, these initiatives represent a broad approach to youth development-combining education, skills, technology, entrepreneurship, agriculture, employment and financial empowerment.

Through the Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development, PAWECA, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and other institutions, the Fintiri administration has sought to move youth empowerment beyond temporary interventions towards sustainable skills, opportunities and economic participation.

The Founder and Managing Director of TAJBank Limited, Mr. Hamid Joda, has reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards in its operations while expanding access to non-interest banking products and services across Nigeria.

Joda gave the assurance following his recognition as the 2026 Islamic Banker of the Year by the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).

The award was presented at the 16th annual GIFA ceremony held in the United Kingdom, where TAJBank also received the GIFA Championship Award for Digital Banking 2026.

Joda, who was represented at the ceremony by TAJBank’s Chief Compliance Officer, Dr. Muhammad Kabir Muhammad, said the recognition was a collective achievement involving the bank’s board, management, employees, customers, shareholders and regulators.

‘The Global Islamic Banker of the Year 2026 award is conferred on me but the commendation goes to our Board of Directors, the management and staff of TAJBank as well as our customers, who are creating the enabling environment for my performance,’ he said.

He expressed appreciation to the GIFA Committee for recognising both his contributions and the bank’s performance.

‘I thank the GIFA Committee for honouring me and TAJBank with the global awards,’ Joda said.

The TAJBank chief executive also assured stakeholders that the bank would remain focused on ethical banking and responsible financial practices.

‘I want to also thank the regulatory authorities, our shareholders and customers for these awards and promise them that we shall continue to do our best to retain TAJBank as the biggest Islamic Bank in the country by complying with the best ethical banking practices in their best interest, which is the main purpose of our operations,’ he said.

Joda said the international recognition should also serve as an incentive for TAJBank to deepen its contribution to Nigeria’s Islamic banking industry.

He said the bank would continue to leverage innovation and technology to expand its product offerings and ensure that more Nigerians could access non-interest banking services on a sustainable basis.

The GIFA recognition adds to a series of honours received by Joda for his contribution to Islamic banking.

In 2023, he received the Most Promising Banker of the Year Award at the 13th GIFA ceremony in Dakar, Senegal. He was also named Islamic Personality of the Year at the 6th African International Conference of Islamic Finance held in Abuja in the same year.

Joda, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, has more than 26 years of experience in banking, spanning deposit and Islamic banking operations.

Five persons were injured on Sunday in a multiple accident involving six vehicles, including a tanker, at Ikpoba Hill on Murtala Muhammed Way in Benin City, Edo State.

An eyewitness, Mr Ken Omusi, said the tanker driver had a brake failure, attempted to control the vehicle but lost control after hitting a pothole at the Ikpoba River Bridge section of the road.

He added that the tanker veered off its lane and rammed into other vehicles, resulting in a multiple collision.

Omusi said three of the injured persons were rushed to hospital for medical attention.

Emergency responders, including personnel from the Edo State Emergency Management Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps, Police and Fire Service, later arrived at the scene to assist with rescue operations and control the traffic situation.

The Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Preye Ezekiel Bedford, confirmed the incident, saying no lives were lost.

He said eight people were involved in the accident; five were injured, while the others escaped unhurt.

Finding a house in Abuja is becoming a struggle, as rising rents and additional charges put affordable accommodation out of reach for many residents.

Imagine being told your annual rent is ?800,000, only to discover that the ‘total package’ is ?1.5 million – as one Abuja house agent puts it.

Today on Nigeria Daily, we examine Abuja’s rent crisis, the role of agents and landlords, and why finding an affordable home in the nation’s capital is becoming increasingly difficult.

The fiem said it was founded in response to the widespread challenge of girls missing school and women missing work due to lack of access to safe and affordable menstrual products, a situation it described as a major barrier to education, health and dignity.

According to estimates cited by the firm, about 50 million women and girls in Nigeria have limited or no access to hygienic period products, while data from the United Nations indicates that one in 10 adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa miss school during menstruation, with some losing up to 20 per cent of the academic year.

Speaking on the initiative, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sana Pads Limited, Mary Sabo Olowoloba, said the company was established to close the gap through locally produced solutions tailored to Nigerian realities.

Olowoloba explained that developing the product came with significant challenges, particularly in sourcing suitable materials that meet both quality standards and environmental conditions.

She noted that the company deliberately avoided importing products, opting instead to invest in research and local production.

‘We didn’t want to import, we wanted a product made for Nigerian and African women, by Nigerians, and certified to the highest standards,’ she said.

After years of development, the company now produces NAFDAC-certified reusable sanitary pads available in light, medium and heavy flow categories.

The pads are made from breathable natural fabrics and are designed to be washable and reusable, without plastic top sheets, chemical bleaching or single-use absorbent gel layers.

Olowoloba said the design promotes comfort, improves airflow and offers a more sustainable alternative to disposable products.

Beyond production, she added that the company is focused on expanding access through community-based distribution channels, including rural sales agents, market networks, supermarkets and partnerships with local and international organisations.

‘We are keeping girls in school, we are keeping women at work, and we are restoring dignity,’ she said.

She expressed optimism that the initiative would continue to grow, with the long-term goal of making quality menstrual hygiene products accessible to every woman and girl in Nigeria and across Africa.

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.

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.’