Author: user user

The Nigerian naira depreciated slightly against the United States (US) dollar, trading at N1,328.4974 at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official foreign exchange (FX) window on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

The data shared on the CBN’s official platform shows that the naira traded at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rate of N1,328.4974 per dollar and closed at N1,328.0000 per dollar.

The currency, which traded at an NFEM rate of N1,327.7784 on September 22, 2026, depreciated slightly by at least N0.72 after trading activities on Wednesday.

At the parallel market, the buying rate remained the same while the selling rate increased by N2, when compared to the previous trading rate on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

According to Aboki FX , the Naira-to-dollar exchange rate at the black market on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, was N1,382 and N1,387 per dollar for buying and selling rates, respectively.

The Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN), the female wing of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Ibadan Chapter, has taken its ‘Catch-Them-Young’ career outreach programme to students of Anglican Commercial Grammar School, Orita-Meta, Total Garden, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The programme, held on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the school premises, commenced at 8:00 a.m. and was aimed at sensitising students to the accounting profession and the pathway to becoming chartered accountants.

The Principal of the school, Chief (Mrs.) Olanrewaju Oluwanikemi, who received the SWAN, Ibadan team alongside the students, commended the association for choosing the school for the outreach.

She described the initiative as timely and impactful, particularly in helping students make informed career choices.

Leading the delegation was the 5th Chairperson of SWAN and 3rd Chairman of ICAN, Ibadan, Queen, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Babajide, FCA, who was accompanied by executives and members of the association.

Members of the delegation included the Vice Chairperson, Queen. Adedipe Atinuke, FCA; General Secretary, Queen. Omotunde Olawale, FCA; Assistant General Secretary, Queen. Farodoye Funmilayo, FCA; Technical Secretary, Queen Tosin Popoola, FCA; Treasurer, Queen. Adijat Oladipupo, FCA; Welfare Officer, Queen. Wojuade Olasunbo, FCA; Social Secretary, Queen. Anuoluwapo Oyewale, FCA; Financial Secretary, Queen. Aloba Mary, FCA; Queen. Olabisi Ayuba, FCA; Queen. Olabimpe Alo, ACA (Ex-Officio 1); and Queen. Olusola Omole, ACA (Ex-Officio 2), among others.

Speaking during the programme, Dr. Babajide said the initiative was designed to introduce young students to ICAN, expose them to the opportunities available to chartered accountants and encourage them to consider accountancy as a career from an early age.

According to her, SWAN also organises various in-reach and outreach programmes as part of its contributions to society.

She said these include medical outreaches conducted in collaboration with medical personnel, school visits to campaign against drug abuse and bad gang association, as well as public enlightenment programmes on the relevance of ICAN and SWAN to society.

Dr. Babajide urged the students to remain focused and disciplined and begin preparing early if they wished to pursue careers in accountancy.

She noted that becoming a chartered accountant through ICAN could provide opportunities for professional growth and global relevance.

The students were also taken through the step-by-step process of becoming chartered accountants and educated on the benefits of belonging to ICAN.

The programme ended with the distribution of writing materials to the students and an interactive session during which they asked questions about career opportunities and prospects in accounting.

Commuters on the ever-busy Benin-Sapele Highway can now heave a sigh of relief as the management of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited has carried out further repair works on failed sections of the expressway.

The Benin-Sapele highway, it would be recalled, has become a nightmare in recent times for commuters, especially at the Iyanomo, Ekosa, Obayantor Ologbo, and Koko junction in Delta, which had almost totally collapsed, thus necessitating the intervention of the petrochemical company.

Commuters and other users of the highways spend days on the bad spots along the corridor due to the deplorable state of the highway, which links the rest of the country to the core Niger Delta States from Edo to Bayelsa and Rivers.

The palliative works by the management of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited are to prevent trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles plying the highway from falling on the road.

The palliative work was done at various sections of the road, like Iyanomo, Ekosa, Obayantor Ologbo and Koko junction in Delta State.

The Head of Technical Operations of the refinery, Segun Okeini, said the intervention was to prevent the occurrence of the fire incident that happened five years ago, when a truck carrying PMS at one of the bad spots in Ologbo, with the ensuing conflagration killing over 20 people, with many others injured.

Okeini, who noted that the failed sections were almost like they were before the incident, added that the company decided to act promptly to repair the spot after the accident.

The failed portions, he disclosed, had been affecting the firm’s operations as tankers spent days on the highway before gaining access to the refinery to load products.

‘Our refinery is just about two kilometers ahead. And this area happens to be part of the area of coverage of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

‘They approached us to help them fix the failed section because most of their people cannot go out of the area. Our Chairman was around during that period, and he saw the level of damage to the road, and even on that same day, we have like five trucks that fell along the road. He authorised that we should just undertake this.’ He stated.

Okeini disclosed that while the failed portions had no direct impact on the refinery’s production, he added that since the blocked road could prevent trucks coming for loading product at the refinery, the company decided to carry out the palliative repairs for the benefit of all the users of the highway.

On his part, the Managing Director of SODEOSA Global Resources, Solomon Uyiekpen, said commuters experienced suffering on the road before the intervention.

Uyiekpen said he collaborated with the Edo Refinery to fix the road as a CSR to the communities around the area.

A member of the Obayantor community, Kennedy Nwazekwu, who expressed joy at the repair works, said the repair work would stop incessant accidents on the road.

Nwazekwu recalled with sadness that over 20 people had died at the bad spot when their vehicles fell into the ditch at different times.

The Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), on Thursday commissioned a 581kWp interconnected solar mini-grid project in Oke-Oyi Community, Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, under the Rural Electrification Fund – Interconnected Mini-Grid Acceleration Scheme (REF-IMAS) of the Rural Electrification Agency.

The project, developed by Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited, with support from the German Cooperation and the European Union through GIZ, is designed to expand access to reliable electricity while supporting economic activities and improving livelihoods in Oke-Oyi community.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, said the commissioning reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding electricity access and ensuring that energy investments translate into improved livelihoods and economic opportunities.

The Minister said that the project has a total installed capacity of 581kWp, comprising 1,336 solar panels and 84 batteries, with approximately 10 kilometres of distribution cables and transformers supporting the electricity distribution network.

‘The project serves a community with an estimated population of 13,000 people, with electricity connections extended to residential and productive users.

‘The intervention is already contributing to increased economic activity in Oke-Oyi, with new businesses emerging following the availability of improved electricity supply. These include 12 welding businesses, two pure water companies, four grain mills, four aluminium artisan businesses, one ice-block production business and one cold-room/ice-fish depot.

‘Three electricity vendors are also currently operating, with three additional vendors, including a female entrepreneur, expected to be registered.

‘The construction phase of the project also provided employment opportunities for members of the community through the engagement of painters, welders, bricklayers, iron benders, tilers, plumbers, borehole diggers and excavation labourers.’

Also speaking, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, represented by the Speaker, Kwara Assembly, and the APC governorship candidate, Salihu Danladi Yakubu, welcomed the intervention and noted the importance of reliable electricity to economic activities and community development.

‘For Kwara State, every intervention that expands reliable electricity access to our communities is an important step towards creating a more conducive environment for enterprise, employment and improved livelihoods. We appreciate the Federal Government, REA and all development and private-sector partners for this investment in Oke-Oyi and look forward to its continued contribution to the development of the community.’

While celebrating the project, residents of Oke-Oyi community said that the mini-grid project would help to solve long years of irregular power supply in the area.

Speaking during the commissioning of the energy project at Oke-Oyi on Thursday, the community chairman, Alhaji Oseni Olarewaju Elemoso, said that the area had for many years longed for reliable electricity to improve lives and economic activities.

The residents, who said that the project has renewed their confidence in the commitment of the government and its partners to rural development, added that it has shown that Oke-Oyi is not forgotten.

‘With this new source of electricity, we are confident that more businesses will thrive, livelihoods will improve and our community will continue to develop because our community is blessed with hardworking men, women and youths engaged in various economic activities.

‘We are already witnessing the impact of this project, with new businesses including welders, pure water companies, grain millers, aluminium artisans, ice-block production and a cold room. We also appreciate the employment opportunities created for our people during the construction of the project.’

The Oke-Oyi community thanked the Federal Government, the Rural Electrification Agency, the German Cooperation, the European Union, GIZ, Nayo Tropical Technologies Limited and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company for bringing this project to their community.

Also speaking, the Chairman of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mallam Garba Olayinka Agbelere, called for protection and productive utilisation of the solar mini-grid project in Oke-Oyi community.

The council chairman, who said that provision of reliable electricity would boost economic activities in Oke-Oyi, added that it would create an enabling environment for businesses to expand and new enterprises to emerge.

‘The provision of reliable electricity remains an important driver of economic and social development. For communities such as Oke-Oyi, access to electricity provides an opportunity for businesses to grow, new enterprises to emerge and our people to improve their livelihoods,’ he said.

The council chairman also highlighted the employment opportunities generated during the construction of the project, noting that artisans, technicians and labourers from Oke-Oyi and other parts of Ilorin East benefited from the project.

He pledged the commitment of the local government to collaborate with the Oke-Oyi community, REA, the project developer and other stakeholders to ensure that the facility is adequately protected and sustained.

He urged residents to regard the mini-grid as their collective asset and protect it against vandalism, misuse and other activities capable of undermining its sustainability.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, said the Oke-Oyi project demonstrates the Agency’s commitment to deploying electricity infrastructure that delivers tangible economic value to communities.

‘The real measure of an electrification project is not only the infrastructure we commission, but the opportunities that reliable electricity creates for the people who use it. In Oke-Oyi, we are already seeing new businesses emerge, productive activities expand and livelihoods being supported. This is precisely the kind of impact we seek to achieve through the Rural Electrification Agency and our partnership with the private sector and development partners.’

He added that the sustainability of the investment would remain an important consideration beyond commissioning, noting that communities, developers and other stakeholders all have a role to play in protecting and maximising the value of the infrastructure.

The Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr Karin Jansen, also speaking at the ceremony, highlighted the importance of strong partnerships in advancing sustainable energy access in Nigeria. She commended the Federal Ministry of Power, REA, the Kwara State Government, IBEDC, Nayo Tropical Technology, the EU, GIZ and the Oke-Oyi community for their contributions to the project.

She noted that the interconnected mini-grid demonstrates how partnerships between the public sector, development partners and private-sector developers can deliver practical and sustainable energy solutions for underserved communities.

In her address, she said: ‘Today is more than connecting a community to electricity; it is about demonstrating what is possible when government, development partners, utilities, private-sector developers and communities work together towards a common objective. We hope that the experience gained through this project will provide useful lessons for future interconnected mini-grids and other distributed energy solutions across Nigeria.’

Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau have called for stronger laws, institutions and sustainable financing to confront Africa’s growing waste-management crisis and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

The call was made in Abuja at the Final Regional Closing Workshop of the ‘Environmentally Sounder and Safer Waste Management Frameworks in Africa’ project, which brought together policymakers, regulators, development partners and representatives of participating countries to review the project’s findings and agree on pathways for implementation.

Hosted by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), the workshop was held under a United Nations Development Account (UNDA)-funded initiative led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with other UN agencies.

The project, which covered Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau, was designed to strengthen national and regional systems for environmentally sound and safer waste management.

Speaking at the workshop, NESREA Director-General, Professor Innocent Barikor, said Africa could no longer afford to treat waste management as a peripheral environmental issue, given its implications for development and public wellbeing.

He said the workshop provided an opportunity to validate the project’s findings, legislative proposals and recommendations, while developing practical roadmaps for implementation, resource mobilisation and sustainability beyond the project’s closure.

According to Barikor, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient funding and limited public awareness remained major obstacles to effective waste management across many African countries.

He said the project recommendations would help strengthen legislative and institutional frameworks while promoting the inclusion and protection of informal waste workers.

‘Together we shall produce a set of concrete post-project implementation and sustainability roadmaps that will inform policy and legislative reforms, strengthen institutional capacity, ensure gender inclusion, protect the rights of children and improve overall waste management outcomes,’ he said.

The NESREA boss said the initiative was consistent with Nigeria’s drive towards a circular economy and resource efficiency, stressing that improved waste management could deliver economic, social and environmental benefits simultaneously.

He urged participants to ensure that the project’s recommendations translated into concrete and sustainable actions rather than remaining policy proposals.

Representing the Government of Sierra Leone, Deputy Minister of Environment, Mrs Yeama-Mimi Sobba-Stephens, said the workshop provided an opportunity to assess the project’s achievements and determine how the gains could be sustained after its formal conclusion.

She commended UNEP for its technical leadership and support, as well as the Nigerian Government and NESREA for hosting the regional event.

The Deputy Minister said the project was particularly relevant to Sierra Leone, where rapid urbanisation, population growth, changing consumption patterns and inadequate infrastructure were putting increasing pressure on waste-management services in Freetown and other growing municipalities.

She said the initiative had enabled Sierra Leone to examine waste management as part of an integrated waste-governance system.

According to her, the country had identified the need for a comprehensive and harmonised legal framework covering the entire waste hierarchy – prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery and environmentally sound disposal as a last resort.

She said this approach would help shift African countries from systems largely centred on waste collection and dumping towards circular economies in which materials could remain in productive use for as long as possible.

Sobba-Stephens also highlighted the role of informal waste workers in collection, sorting, recycling and maintaining community cleanliness.

However, she noted that many of the workers continued to operate without adequate recognition, occupational health and safety protection, social protection and appropriate equipment.

She called on UNEP and regional partners to sustain technical exchanges, peer learning and resource mobilisation to support implementation of the project’s recommendations.

Also speaking, Legal Specialist, UNEP Law Division, Valentina Ricca, said the initiative was designed to help participating countries strengthen their waste-management systems and address challenges confronting informal workers.

Ricca said the project began in 2023 and was being concluded this year, adding that it was implemented by UNEP’s Law Division in partnership with the UN-Habitat waste-management team, with a focus on Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

She explained that the initiative was developed in response to requests from the three countries through their national focal points under UNEP’s Fifth Montevideo Environmental Law Programme.

The project’s recommendations are expected to provide a basis for participating countries to strengthen their legal and institutional systems, improve protection for waste workers and build more sustainable approaches to managing waste across the region.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that Toshiyuki Onuma, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), will open the Wings of Change Europe (WOCE), on October 15, in Brussels, Belgium, the heart of European policymaking.

Onuma headlines a strong list of confirmed speakers for Europe’s premier aeropolitical conference, which aims to shape a regulatory agenda for an efficient and competitive European aviation sector.

Speaking on the event, Thomas Reynaert, IATA’s Senior Vice President External Affairs, said: ‘In a world characterised by fragmentation, air transport is a critical example of the value of global standards. Having the president of the ICAO Council participate in the WOCE discussions in Brussels is a reminder of how important global standards and approaches are for a competitive and connected Europe.

‘Europe needs the economic and social benefits of a competitive and sustainable aviation sector more than ever, but the jobs, growth, and prosperity that aviation generates throughout the economy are challenged by onerous regulation and high costs. Intense competition between airlines is good for passengers, but European airlines are struggling with notoriously thin margins and high oil prices that threaten to limit opportunities for investment in expanding connectivity.

‘WOCE is an opportunity for industry, government, and global institutions to unite and set the course to improve European air transport competitiveness,’ Reynaert added.

Cross River State governor, Senator Bassey Otu, has described editors as custodians of public truth and indispensable guardians of democracy, urging them to remain courageous, ethical and steadfast in advancing Nigeria’s development.

In a goodwill message to the Nigerian Guild of Editors on the occasion of its conference in Enugu State, Otu said the gathering represented ‘a grand convergence of consciences, ideas, experience and patriotic commitment.’

The governor, who conveyed the warm felicitations of the government and people of Cross River State through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo, noted that the conference went beyond a routine professional assembly. ‘It is a coming together of the custodians of public truth, the sentinels of accountability, and the skilled hands that refine the first draft of history into a credible record for generations yet unborn,’ he stated.

Emphasising the strategic place of editors in nation-building, Otu said they occupied ‘a sacred place in the architecture of every thriving democracy.’ According to him, editors operate at the crucial intersection of information and understanding, determining ‘not merely what the nation reads, but how it reflects, reasons and responds.’

He praised the editorial profession for illuminating the public space through sound judgement, courage, balance and fidelity to facts. ‘Through sound judgment, courage, balance and fidelity to fact, you illuminate the public square and help society separate substance from noise, truth from falsehood, and hope from despair,’ the governor said.

Otu observed that the conference was taking place at a consequential moment when Nigerians were seeking reassurance, direction and renewed confidence in the country’s promise. While acknowledging that technology had expanded access to information, he warned that it had also ‘multiplied misinformation, sharpened division and tested the ethical foundations of journalism.’

Against that background, the governor described the editor as ‘an indispensable compass: calm amid turbulence, discerning amid confusion, and steadfast amid pressure.’ He urged the Guild to formulate strategies for strengthening professional standards, protecting press freedom, rebuilding public trust, nurturing younger journalists and ensuring that technological innovation served truth rather than undermined it.

‘Nigeria needs an editorial community that remains fearless without becoming reckless, critical without becoming cynical, and influential without surrendering its independence,’ Otu declared. He added that Cross River State cherished the press as ‘a vital partner in governance, social progress, peace-building, and the continuing work of perfecting our union,’ while saluting the Guild’s leadership and members for their invaluable contributions to national development.

The governor also commended the government and people of Enugu State for receiving the editors with warmth and gracious hospitality, describing the Coal City as a fitting venue renowned for enterprise, learning, culture, resilience and political history. Wishing the delegates fruitful deliberations and safe journeys, Otu prayed: ‘May every session kindle insight, every encounter build bridges, and every resolution enlarge the frontiers of truth, justice, unity and responsible citizenship.’.

A team from Green Lunar Nigeria Limited, Blaze 360 Security and its Principal Technical Partner, Professional Security Services Limited (PPSL) paid a working visit to the Vice-Chancellor and President of Babcock University, Professor Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, to explore areas of partnership and investment.

The delegation, led by Brigadier General Oluseyi Famakinwa (Rtd.) and Olaniyi Odina, were received by the University’s Vice -Chancellor, Professor Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, his Chief of Staff, Dr Joshua Suleiman, Head of Security, among others.

Brigadier General Oluseyi Famakinwa (Rtd.) and Olaniyi Odina led delegation discussed opportunities for collaboration with the university, particularly in security training, consultancy, infrastructure development, technology, and project financing.

Speaking during the visit, Brig. Gen. Famakinwa said the proposed collaboration would enhance the professional competence and operational effectiveness of the school security guards focusing on retraining and professional security consultancy, adding that the companies had the expertise and capacity to support the university in addressing evolving security challenges.

Famakinwa assured the Vice-Chancellor and his management team of the readiness of the companies to deliver on the proposed areas of collaboration.

Also speaking, Odina disclosed that the Management Board of Green Lunar Nigeria Limited had approved plans to construct hostel facilities in private universities, with Babcock University among institutions being considered for such investment.

He further revealed plans to extend the company’s power project to the university while introducing some of the software solutions developed by Green Lunar Nigeria Limited.

According to him, the company has the capacity to provide project financing, implementation, and strategic partnerships across various sectors.

Responding, the Vice-Chancellor and President of Babcock University, Prof. Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole appreciated the delegation for the visit and the initiatives presented.

Prof. Ojewole described Babcock University as a viable destination for investment and expressed the institution’s openness to initiatives that could contribute to its growth and development.

He stressed the importance of local companies working closely with universities to achieve sustainable and impactful results.

The Vice-Chancellor assured the delegation that Babcock University was willing to partner with Green Lunar Nigeria Limited and its sister companies in delivering scalable projects that would benefit the institution and its wider community.

Former First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, has urged women to prioritise early detection and regular medical screening, stressing that cancer, despite being a serious health challenge, should not be regarded as a death sentence.

She described preventive healthcare as an important step towards reducing the burden of cancer in society.

Amosun made the call on Wednesday at the flag-off of the 2026 free breast and cervical cancer screening programme organised at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta.

The annual initiative, supported by the UPLIFT Development Foundation, is aimed at providing women with access to screening, early diagnosis and timely medical intervention.

Speaking at the event, Amosun said the exercise went beyond routine medical checks, describing it as an intervention designed to provide lifesaving healthcare services to women, particularly those who might otherwise be unable to afford such services.

She said the growing incidence of cancer in Nigeria made regular screening and early detection imperative, noting that breast cancer had become a major public health concern in the country.

The former first lady expressed concern that breast cancer incidence in Nigeria had increased by nearly 300 per cent over the past three decades.

Mrs Amosun cited figures from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2022, that Nigeria recorded 32,278 new cases of breast cancer and 16,332 deaths, making the country the highest-burden nation on the continent in terms of breast cancer cases.

Amosun, however, stressed that the statistics should not create fear among women, but rather encourage them to take proactive steps towards protecting their health.

She maintained that early detection remained one of the most effective ways of reducing cancer-related deaths, explaining that patients diagnosed at an early stage had survival rates exceeding 90 per cent, compared with less than 30 per cent among those presenting at advanced stages.

She said, ‘Cancer is a serious health challenge, but it is not a death sentence. What is important is early detection, proper medical attention and timely intervention.’

Mrs Amosun explained that more than 600 women benefitted from the 2025 edition of the programme,while 22 women were identified with breast-related abnormalities requiring further medical attention.

She explained that 11 of the women who were diagnosed with suspicious breast lumps subsequently underwent free lumpectomy surgeries and post-operative care.

Amosun said the development demonstrated the foundation’s commitment to ensuring that screening did not end with the identification of health problems but was followed by appropriate medical intervention.

She urged the beneficiaries of the 2026 screening programme to take advantage of the opportunity to check their system for healthy living.

Also speaking, a Medical Consultant and Surgeon at FMC, Abeokuta, Dr Ebenezer Nkom, cautioned women against relying on native remedies in managing suspected cancer cases.

Nkom emphasised the importance of seeking professional medical attention whenever symptoms or abnormalities were detected, noting that early clinical assessment and appropriate treatment could prevent avoidable deaths.