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Nigeria’s persistent hydrocarbon metering and calibration deficiencies responsible for billions of dollars in lost state revenues will take centre stage at the 2026 Nigeria Hydrocarbon Measurement Conference (NiHMEC), scheduled for October 4 to 8 at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

This is as data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) highlights that approximately 40 per cent of apparent crude oil losses stem directly from measurement inaccuracies and faulty metering infrastructure, rather than physical theft.

The commission’s estimate indicated that resolving these technical discrepancies could salvage up to $1 billion annually for the nation’s coffers.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Sunday Kanshio, managing partner of Fleissen Events and coordinator of the NiHMEC Technical Advisory Committee, emphasised that precise measurement is central to revenue protection and operational efficiency across the energy value chain.

‘Accurate measurement of oil and gas is critical to maximizing production, ensuring proper accounting, and protecting government revenue,’ Kanshio said. ‘Without measurement, the industry is essentially operating blind.’

He noted that fiscal metering at export terminals remains the most critical node in the system, as it forms the baseline for calculating state royalties and taxes. Proper calibration is equally vital upstream, where flow stations process commingled production from multiple fields, requiring accurate field-level allocation to satisfy tax compliance standards.

Kanshio added that the reliability of these measurement systems hinges on two primary variables: the sophistication of the technology deployed and the technical competence of the personnel operating it.

He said, ‘In all these phases, measurement is the most critical part. Without measurements of oil and gas quantities, it is almost like we are working blind.

‘We need to know the quantity, and that requires measurement. The next phase is when the oil flows to the flow station if it is onshore or to an FPSO.’

‘The annual NiHMEC provides a platform for industry stakeholders to review progress, identify emerging challenges and develop solutions for improving hydrocarbon measurement practices.’

NiHMEC 2026 aims to gather key industry operators, regulators, and technology providers to assess technical progress, address structural bottlenecks, and establish standardised measurement frameworks across the sector.

The Workplace Leadership Institute has outlined nine strategies organisations can adopt to effectively manage and maximise the potential of a multi-generational workforce, with emphasis on communication, knowledge transfer, collaboration and leadership development.

The Workplace Leadership Institute, through its workplace leadership programmes and facilitation, said the Workplace Leadership Institute approach is designed to help organisations turn generational differences into opportunities for knowledge-sharing and collaboration. The Workplace Leadership Institute noted that as Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z increasingly work alongside one another, organisations must deliberately create systems that allow employees across generations to contribute effectively.

According to the Institute, simply having different generations represented within an organisation does not automatically produce the benefits associated with generational diversity. Differences in communication preferences, working styles, professional expectations and career priorities can create challenges unless leaders establish systems that support effective interaction and collaboration.

Jamie Pajoel, workplace leadership expert and facilitator, said the objective of multi-generational leadership should not be to force employees from different generations into one way of working, but to create an environment where their different experiences and capabilities can complement one another.

‘Multi-generational leadership is not about choosing one generation’s way of working over another. It is about creating the conditions in which experience, adaptability, new perspectives and emerging capabilities can work together to strengthen the organisation,’ Pajoel said.

The Institute said one of the starting points for organisations is to establish communication structures that accommodate different preferences while maintaining clear organisational expectations. Employees may have different levels of comfort with face-to-face conversations, email, instant messaging, virtual meetings and other communication platforms. Clear guidelines on which channels should be used for different forms of communication can help reduce confusion while ensuring important information is accessible.

It also recommended reverse mentoring and reciprocal learning programmes to encourage knowledge to move in both directions across generations. While experienced professionals can transfer institutional knowledge, strategic insight and organisational experience, younger employees can contribute knowledge relating to technology, emerging markets, digital behaviour and changing consumer expectations.

The Institute said such programmes should go beyond simply pairing employees together and should include clear objectives, thoughtful matching, defined expectations and sufficient time for meaningful professional relationships to develop.

It further identified knowledge transfer as a strategic priority, particularly as experienced employees approach retirement or transition from full-time roles. Much of an organisation’s institutional knowledge, it said, exists outside formal documentation and may include knowledge of client relationships, organisational history, previous decisions, recurring challenges and practical lessons acquired over years of experience.

Organisations can reduce the risk of losing such knowledge by introducing structured knowledge-capture processes, apprenticeship and shadowing programmes and communities of practice where experienced professionals and emerging leaders can exchange practical knowledge.

The Institute also encouraged executives to deliberately create cross-generational project teams and working groups, noting that a workforce comprising different generations does not automatically become a collaborative workforce.

Employees may naturally gravitate towards colleagues with similar communication preferences, working styles or professional experiences. Deliberately bringing different generations together around important organisational assignments can create opportunities for employees to understand one another’s capabilities and perspectives.

The Institute said organisations can further support this process by creating forums where different perspectives are actively invited and recognising effective cross-generational collaboration as a valuable workplace behaviour.

Managing conflict is another area the Institute identified as important in multi-generational workplaces. Differences in working styles, communication preferences and professional expectations can sometimes create tension, particularly where younger professionals assume management responsibilities over older and more experienced colleagues.

Rather than allowing such differences to develop into resentment or stereotypes, the Institute recommends workplace cultures where disagreements are addressed constructively. It highlighted the ACE framework – Acknowledge, Care and Exchange – as one practical approach.

The framework encourages employees to acknowledge the experience and contribution of colleagues from different generations, care by taking a genuine interest in colleagues and understanding the professional circumstances that shape their workplace experience, and exchange ideas openly while ensuring different perspectives are considered in decision-making.

The Institute also said retention strategies should recognise that employees at different stages of their professional lives may have different expectations.

Experienced professionals may value meaningful recognition, opportunities to continue contributing and phased transitions into advisory, mentoring or part-time roles. Other employees may place greater emphasis on autonomy, career progression, flexibility, professional development, purpose and organisational culture.

The Institute said these differences should not be used to stereotype employees, but should encourage leaders to have regular conversations with staff about their career goals, development and organisational commitment.

Succession planning, it added, should also be treated as a multi-generational leadership responsibility rather than simply a process for replacing senior executives when vacancies occur.

According to the Institute, effective succession planning can simultaneously address immediate continuity risks, prepare emerging leaders for greater responsibility and develop the talent required for an organisation’s long-term future.

It recommended that organisations identify potential successors, establish development goals, create realistic timelines and ensure succession priorities remain connected to their strategic direction.

The Institute further urged organisations to create shared challenges that bring employees from different generations together. Cross-generational projects, innovation initiatives, problem-solving forums and community engagement programmes can provide opportunities for employees to work towards common objectives and experience the capabilities of colleagues from different age groups.

Such interactions, the Institute said, can help reduce simplistic assumptions about generational groups by allowing individual skills, experience and contributions to become more visible.

Beyond formal structures and programmes, the Institute said everyday workplace interactions also determine whether employees experience multi-generational inclusion as genuine.

It therefore recommended the CARE model, which encourages organisations to collaborate by creating opportunities for employees from different generations to work together, acknowledge individual contributions, respect different perspectives through effective communication and listening, and equalize opportunities by recognising that no generation’s contribution is inherently more valuable than another’s.

Pajoel said organisations stand to benefit when leaders create space for different forms of knowledge and capability to work together.

‘The strength of a multi-generational organisation lies in its ability to connect what has been learned through experience with what is emerging through new perspectives and capabilities. Leaders create value when they make space for both,’ he said.

The Workplace Leadership Institute said effective multi-generational leadership ultimately requires more than recognising the presence of different age groups within an organisation. It requires deliberate systems that encourage communication, knowledge transfer, collaboration, professional development and mutual respect.

The Institute said organisations that create opportunities for reciprocal learning, protect institutional knowledge and develop employees across generations can build workplaces where differences in experience and perspective contribute to organisational capability.

FoodCo Nigeria Limited, an indigenous diversified consumer goods firm, has expanded its neighbourhood retail model as Nigerian consumers prioritise convenience and proximity when shopping for everyday goods, Ade Sun-Basorun, the company’s CEO, said.

Speaking at the opening of the company’s new neighbourhood store in Awakan, Ojoo, Ibadan, Sun-Basorun said modern retailers must bring quality products and services closer to consumers.

‘Neighbourhood retail is becoming increasingly important to the future of modern retail in Nigeria because consumers are not only asking what they can buy, but also how easily they can access it,’ he said.

The Awakan outlet brings FoodCo’s network to 24 stores across Oyo, Lagos and Ogun states.

The store combines the company’s supermarket and quick-service restaurant offerings, providing groceries, household products, fresh food, a grill house and an in-store bakery.

Sun-Basorun said the expansion was driven by research into local consumer needs rather than simply increasing the company’s store count.

The opening forms part of FoodCo’s continued expansion across South-West Nigeria as organised retailers increasingly adopt convenience-led formats.

Founded in 1982, FoodCo operates across retail, quick-service restaurants, manufacturing and entertainment, and employs more than 2,000 people.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned politicians participating in the 2027 general elections against manipulating the electoral process or engaging in misconduct in the pursuit of victory.

Jonathan gave the warning at a public lecture organised to mark the 80th birthday of Kanu Agabi (SAN), former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

His remarks came as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with the presidential campaign season already underway.

The former president, who conceded defeat to the opposition in the 2015 presidential election, said politics has established rules that must be respected by all contestants.

Jonathan said, ‘In politics, it is a disaster. People do stupid things, also even criminal things, and they will tell you it is politics. It is not politics. Politics has rules.’

He likened electoral contests to a football match, stressing that candidates must operate within the rules governing elections.

‘Politics is like a soccer match. You play according to the rules, and that is why the courts step in to mediate if you go against the rules. Otherwise, you can do anything and win an election and walk away,’ he said.

Jonathan also spoke on corruption, saying Nigeria’s anti-corruption challenge cannot be solved solely through legislation or the activities of law-enforcement agencies.

According to him, the country must develop a culture in which ethical conduct is valued and public office is regarded as a trust.

‘The challenge before Nigeria is not simply to make laws against corruption. It is to build a culture in which ethical conduct becomes the norm, where public office is treated as a trust, and where institutions are strong enough to uphold accountability,’ he said.

Recalling his experience in Rwanda, Jonathan said social norms in the country discourage public officials from accepting gifts that could compromise public trust.

Jonathan further urged Nigerians to take collective responsibility for fighting corruption, stressing that the task should not be left solely to statutory agencies.

‘All of us Nigerians have a major role to play if we want to suppress corruption, not just the bodies established by law to discipline and punish those who do it,’ he said.

He also underscored the role of the judiciary and other institutions in enforcing accountability and ensuring that violations of established rules attract appropriate consequences.

Nigeria rarely suffers from a complete absence of policies, institutions, resources or ideas. The more persistent problem is what happens between having them and making them work. This week’s Yaba School of Thought contributions repeatedly return to that gap. From a refinery IPO that promises wider ownership, to early childhood policies that await implementation, waste that could become an economic resource, universities divided by disciplinary boundaries, African economies constrained by inherited global structures, political communication that challenges conventional analysis, and foreign aid regulation that risks creating another layer of control, the common concern is how systems translate formal arrangements into real outcomes.

The seven articles also question some of the categories through which Nigeria and the wider world understand development. Ownership is not necessarily the same as influence. A policy is not the same as implementation. Waste is not necessarily worthless. Science and the Humanities are not opposing territories. National borders do not contain the forces that shape economies and power. Political language cannot always be understood through established conventions. And transparency does not necessarily require greater state control. In each case, the writer asks readers to look beyond the structure itself and examine how it functions.

That makes this week’s collection particularly relevant to a country seeking to move from reform to results. The challenge is not simply to create another framework, institution or rule, but to build the capacity, incentives, accountability and connections that allow existing resources and institutions to deliver. Development ultimately becomes meaningful when citizens can see its effects in their schools, communities, businesses, universities, markets and public services.

Common Thread:

The strongest common thread across the week’s articles is the distinction between formal structure and functional capacity. Edem Dorothy Ossai’s examination of early childhood education shows that Nigeria has spent years developing policies, standards and guidelines, yet children still face unequal access because financing, workforce capacity, coordination and accountability remain weak. Martins Owadasa-Olusola makes a related argument about foreign aid: the country needs better information and accountability, but adding another regulatory layer may not solve the underlying institutional problem.

Other contributors extend this argument beyond government policy. Ogie Eboigbe examines the Dangote Refinery IPO and asks whether wider share ownership will amount to meaningful participation when control remains concentrated. Prof Sunday Ene-Ojo Atawodi looks at waste not as an inevitable public burden but as an economic resource that requires systems for separation, recovery and reuse. In both cases, the existence of an asset or opportunity means little without the institutional arrangements needed to unlock its value.

Prof Francis Egbokhare, Dr Bunmi Oyinsan and Dr Richard Ikiebe take the argument into knowledge, international political economy and political communication. Egbokhare challenges the rigid separation of disciplines when complex problems require knowledge to cross boundaries. Oyinsan questions whether national borders have become limits on African political imagination even though capital and power routinely cross them. Ikiebe, meanwhile, argues that established political conventions may not adequately explain Donald Trump’s political communication and its appeal to his constituency. Together, these pieces encourage a broader habit of thought: question the framework before assuming it explains the reality.

Ogie Eboigbe examines the emotional and economic significance of the Dangote Refinery IPO against Nigeria’s long relationship with petroleum. The offer gives Nigerians an opportunity to acquire an economic stake in a major refining business, but the article carefully distinguishes ownership from control. Minority shareholders may participate in the company’s financial fortunes without acquiring corresponding influence over its governance. The article therefore argues that questions about free float, dividend policy, minority shareholder rights and regulatory oversight deserve as much attention as the headline size of the offering.

Edem Dorothy Ossai argues that Nigeria’s problem with early childhood development is no longer primarily a shortage of policies, but the failure to translate existing commitments into consistent services for children. Despite nearly two decades of policies, standards and curricula, access remains particularly weak among poorer and rural communities, while fragmented financing, limited institutional capacity and shortages of adequately trained practitioners continue to undermine delivery. The article’s proposal to explore results-based and outcomes-based financing adds a practical dimension to the argument, linking public resources more directly to measurable improvements in children’s development. Its central message is clear: Nigeria does not need another framework as much as it needs the capacity, financing and accountability to make the frameworks already in place work.

Prof Sunday Ene-Ojo Atawodi challenges the familiar treatment of waste as primarily a sanitation problem. Nigeria’s enormous waste stream contains materials that could generate economic value through recycling, composting, biogas production, recovery and reuse. The article proposes source segregation, decentralised recovery facilities, formalisation of waste pickers, extended producer responsibility and better treatment of hazardous waste. Its wider lesson is that poor systems can turn potentially valuable resources into public costs, while better organisation can create jobs and reduce flooding, pollution and health risks.

Prof Francis Egbokhare questions the familiar division between the Sciences and the Arts and Humanities, arguing that disciplinary boundaries are administrative necessities rather than divisions inherent in reality. Modern challenges such as artificial intelligence, climate change, public health and urban development require technical expertise alongside history, culture, ethics, language and an understanding of human behaviour. For Nigeria, he argues, universities should make disciplinary boundaries more permeable and prepare graduates to work across them. Development requires not a hierarchy between knowledge systems but their intelligent integration.

Dr Bunmi Oyinsan takes the discussion beyond national boundaries, asking whether Africa’s political analysis has become too confined by the borders inherited from colonial rule. Using the international reaction to the dispute involving Professor Jason Arday and Ghent University as an illustration of how national power can operate across borders, the article examines the wider relationship between historical inequality, international finance, economic dependence and state agency. It does not dismiss domestic responsibility but argues that African development also needs to be understood within an international system whose rules and institutions emerged from unequal historical circumstances. The central challenge is to think about power as something that routinely crosses the borders within which political analysis is often confined.

Dr Richard Ikiebe examines Donald Trump’s political communication and argues that conventional political analysis may underestimate the way his language functions among his supporters. The article distinguishes between dismissing provocative statements as political disorder and examining the constituencies they address, the grievances they activate and the behaviour they seek to produce. It does not present a Republican victory as certain, noting that polling and the normal dynamics of mid-term elections pose significant challenges. Its broader proposition is methodological: political actors who disrupt established conventions may require analysts to reconsider the assumptions and instruments through which their behaviour is interpreted.

Martins Owadasa-Olusola examines the proposed Foreign Aid (Regulation, Coordination, Transparency and Disclosure) Bill and distinguishes the legitimate demand for transparency from a broader expansion of government control. Nigeria needs to know who provides external assistance, where it goes, what it finances and what results it produces. But the article argues that these objectives could be pursued through a consolidated national registry, project-level disclosure, appropriate audits and risk-based investigations rather than a regulatory structure with extensive discretion over organisations receiving foreign funding. The larger argument is that accountability works best when it addresses specific institutional failures without unnecessarily restricting research, healthcare, humanitarian work and civil society.

Closing Reflection:

The week’s conversation ultimately returns to a deceptively simple question: what makes a system work? The answer is rarely another policy document, another boundary or another institution. It is the ability to connect resources to outcomes, authority to accountability, knowledge to practical problems and institutions to the people they are meant to serve. Nigeria’s next developmental gains will depend increasingly on that capacity to make what already exists work better.

Anambra State farmers are increasingly processing cassava, rice and other farm produce into marketable products to boost income and create jobs.

Deborah Onyefulu, State Programme Coordinator of the International Fund for Agricultural Development Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), stated this at a two-day Interactive Commodity Promotion Show and Agricultural Fair in Awka.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Anambra State Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation, Processing and Export.

Onyefulu, represented by the Acting State Business and Market Development Officer, Mary Obiekwe, said the fair was designed to promote farmers, create market opportunities and assess the impact of training provided under the programme.

She said the initiative was strengthening the rice and cassava value chains by equipping farmers with skills to process farm produce into products such as cassava moi-moi, chin-chin, cake and chocolate.

Farmers from nine participating Local Government Areas, including Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra West, Orumba North, Awka North, Orumba South, Ihiala, Ogbaru and Aguata, participated in the fair.

John Okafor, Director of Agro Market Square, said the quality of products from Anambra farmers had improved significantly in recent years.

He urged the government to provide more training, funding and agricultural inputs to sustain the progress.

Nnaemeka Agundu, a farmer from Awka North, said the VCDP training had improved his knowledge of processing, packaging and marketing, helping him expand his agro-business and increase his income.

At the end of the assessment, Orumba South emerged first, followed by Ihiala and Aguata in second and third positions respectively.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei backed Tehran’s latest proposal to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the United States accepts its conditions.

Pezeshkian said the proposal had been coordinated with Khamenei as Tehran seeks to revive negotiations with Washington and end the conflict that has disrupted shipping through the vital waterway.

‘Coordination with the leader of the revolution (the supreme leader)… has been carried out,’ Pezeshkian said in an interview with CBS, excerpts of which were released by Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

‘If the US accepts it and fulfils its obligations, we will do the same, and there will be no issue in this regard,’ he added.

The proposal was formally presented by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Tehran said the plan would allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to normal maritime traffic within seven days after the required conditions are met.

Araghchi said the proposal had been conveyed to Washington through Qatar, giving the United States a framework for ending hostilities and restarting negotiations.

‘The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,’ Araghchi said.

Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the waterway while Washington would be required to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports, ease sanctions on Iranian oil exports and release frozen Iranian assets estimated at $12bn.

The plan also calls for a cessation of hostilities across the region, including Lebanon and Yemen, according to details released by Iranian officials.

‘The choice now rests with the United States. Iran does not accept coercion, threats or intimidation, and Iran will not surrender its sovereign rights under pressure,’ Araghchi said.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a major pressure point in the conflict between Iran and the United States because of its importance to global energy supplies. Before the conflict, about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed through the waterway.

Pezeshkian said a six-member Iranian team involving representatives from the military, parliament and government had been authorised to negotiate and make decisions on the proposal.

He also said Tehran remained willing to honour any commitments it formally makes under a new agreement with Washington.

The latest proposal builds on a memorandum of understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, which later collapsed following disagreements over shipping arrangements and other terms.