Category: Business Day

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) have confirmed that the pilot of a private jet erased critical flight logs following a bizarre landing on a public road in Delta State.

The incident, involving a Bombardier Challenger 601 operated by VMO Aero, occurred on July 10, 2026. After missing the runway at Asaba Airport, the jet touched down on a parallel concrete road in nearby Ogwashi-Uku-a manoeuvre that immediately raised questions about crew judgment and flight operations.

Speaking at a virtual media briefing, Alex Badeh, Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), revealed that the pilot subsequently flew the aircraft back to Lagos without Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance.

Because aircraft Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) rely on continuous loop memory-where newer telemetry automatically overwrites older recordings once storage capacity is reached- the unauthorised flight back to Lagos effectively wiped the performance data recorded during the botched landing.

‘It was discovered that the pilot who flew that aircraft overwrote the black boxes by the time he flew to Lagos. Everything that happened was overwritten. We are still investigating, but some of the data was destroyed,’ Badeh stated.

The NSIB chief cautioned that evidence tampering is becoming an alarming pattern among flight crews attempting to shield themselves from disciplinary action. According to Badeh, this behaviour stems from a pervasive culture of anxiety across the industry.

Despite the Bureau operating strictly as an investigative body focused on preventing future accidents rather than assigning blame, pilots remain distrustful.

‘The crew don’t trust NSIB; they are scared of losing their jobs. It is a major problem we are dealing with,’ Badeh explained, reiterating that crew members are consistently assured they will not face penalties for providing truthful accounts.

Compounding these operational hurdles is a major funding squeeze that threatens to undermine safety oversight nationwide.

The NSIB is currently fighting a proposed reduction to its primary revenue stream. At a recent House of Representatives public hearing, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) pushed to cut NSIB’s allocation of the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC)-collected by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)-from six percent down to four percent, seeking to reallocate those funds to bolster NAMA’s budget.

NSIB currently receives the smallest statutory slice among aviation parastatals. Badeh warned that any further reduction would severely hamper the agency, particularly as its mandate expands beyond aviation to cover maritime, rail, and road transport incidents.

‘We already get the lowest percentage of all the agencies,’ Badeh lamented. ‘With this proposed reduction, it’s going to severely affect the NSIB. The Bureau is already grappling with shortfalls in its current allocation; an additional cut is unsustainable.’

He revealed that the Bureau has not received its complete six percent allocation since roughly April or May. Furthermore, statutory remittances from other transport bodies remain stalled:

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) outstanding funds have yet to be remitted.

NIMASA continues to dispute its obligation to remit applicable charges.

The NSIB commended the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) as the sole cooperative partner in meeting its obligations.

To secure long-term stability and operational independence, the NSIB is finalising its administrative transition from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Presidency.

Legislative amendments enabling the relocation have passed the House of Representatives and now await final review by the Attorney-General before submission to the Federal Executive Council and National Assembly.

In the interim, the Bureau is negotiating with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Presidency to establish a more resilient, sustainable funding framework capable of supporting its multimodal safety agenda.

The USD still ranks among the major forces that drive financial markets all over the world. When the USD gains in value, it rarely affects currency pairs alone; it may have implications for commodities, stock market indices, capital movement, and risk appetite.

As a trader, knowledge about the cyclical nature of the USD’s strength may help discover trading opportunities in several CFD markets at once. JustMarkets, a multi-asset CFD trading platform, allows traders to have access to various instruments in a single trading System.

What drives dollar strength

For example, there are several factors that play a role in determining the value of the dollar. First, the stance of the Federal Reserve plays an important role. An expectation of tighter US monetary policy and higher interest rates is likely to increase the demand for the US dollar.

Secondly, safe-haven flows of money play an important role. Investors tend to invest in dollars when there are high tensions in geopolitics or when risk appetite falls.

Thirdly, growth differentials matter. The perception of the US economy being healthier than that of other countries can lead to the expectation of a relatively more hawkish stance of the Fed against an easier stance of other central banks.

Why traders watch DXY

DXY is the name of the US Dollar Index. Even though this index is usually not used to generate any signals for trading directly, it may give some hints about how the USD behaves overall.

If the DXY is growing, then there is usually increased demand for the dollar. It can make pairs like EUR/USD and GBP/USD fall in value, USD/JPY rise, and have an impact on commodity markets. The decline of the index can potentially have the opposite effect. Impact on major currency pairs

The strength of the dollar impacts major FX pairs. The EUR/USD and GBP/USD tend to fall when there is an increase in the demand for the dollar. The USD/JPY can appreciate if the strength of the dollar is due to strong US yields; however, the flow into JPY due to safety concerns can make things more complicated.

Commodity-related currencies might also have a reaction. In the case of the dollar gaining strength due to risk-off conditions, commodity-related currencies could come under pressure.

Impact on commodities

The strong dollar can exert pressure on commodities, since most international commodities have been priced in US dollars. As the dollar appreciates, commodities could become relatively expensive for those who pay in foreign currencies.

Gold contracts tend to be particularly vulnerable to dollar strength and high interest rates. The appreciation of the dollar and interest rate hikes could affect the gold price, whereas the dollar depreciation could favor the precious metal.

CFD opportunities across markets

The dollar cycle can generate trades for CFDs in forex, commodities, indices, shares, and cryptocurrency marketplaces. Via the use of JustMarkets, traders can keep track and trade in the CFD markets from one single platform, thus comparing correlations and responding to changes. For instance, a stronger dollar and declining gold and indices can imply that there is a general risk-off scenario.

Turning USD movements into market insight

For traders, watching DXY and its market reactions may assist in finding other CFD trades. Sometimes, some of the important clues can be found when all three market groups tell the same story.

Risk warning: Trading CFDs involves a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. CFDs are leveraged products and can result in rapid financial loss.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have reached an agreement in principle to sign Barcelona forward Ferran Torres for almost pound 50 million ($57 million), according to Spanish media reports.

The 26-year-old Spain international is set to join the French champions on a five-year contract after the two European giants reached a deal on Thursday.

The remaining paperwork and Torres’ medical are expected to complete the transfer.

Barcelona reject first PSG offer

PSG’s latest agreement comes days after Barcelona rejected an initial pound 40 million offer for Torres.

The Spanish champions were reluctant to lose the forward with only one year remaining on his contract, but the improved offer has reportedly persuaded the club to sanction his departure.

Torres joined Barcelona from Manchester City in 2021 for more than pound 55 million.

Since Hansi Flick took charge in 2024, he has largely operated as a centre-forward and provided competition for veteran Poland striker Robert Lewandowski.

World Cup hero leaves Barcelona

Torres leaves Barcelona after scoring 40 goals in 94 appearances across all competitions over the past two seasons.

The former Valencia academy player also played a key role for Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring the winning goal in extra time of the final against Argentina to help La Roja claim their second world title.

His move to PSG will reunite him with former Spain coach Luis Enrique, who currently manages the French club.

PSG strengthen attack

For Barcelona, Torres’ departure creates another gap in an attack already undergoing significant changes.

The club are facing the departure of Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford and will now need to strengthen their attacking options further.

Barcelona have already moved to reinforce their forward line by signing England international Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United and Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund.

Torres’ departure also provides Barcelona with a significant transfer fee as the club continue to manage their finances while rebuilding Flick’s squad.

Routelink Group, a digital solution provider, has expanded its digital footprint in the financial services ecosystem with the launch of Routelink Microfinance Bank Limited, expected to support its digital payments platform, RoutePay.

Before entering the microfinance space, the group has spent several years developing technology infrastructure across payments, telecommunications and digital services. Over the years, the group leveraging RoutePay built payment capabilities designed to make it easier for businesses to collect and make payments through digital channels.

‘Our vision is to create an ecosystem where technology makes financial services simpler, more accessible and more useful to everyday Nigerians and small businesses,’ Femi Adeoti, group managing director, Routelink Group, said in a statement.

Adeoti said that the digital firm is leveraging technology, which is at the centre of its operations, with the microfinance bank adopting a digital-first operating model designed to reduce the complexity traditionally associated with accessing financial services.

According to him, the establishment of Routelink Microfinance Bank represents the next phase in the journey of providing broader services in Nigeria’s financial ecosystem. He added that RoutePay will continue to focus on payment technology, while Routelink Microfinance Bank will provide regulated banking services.

‘Beyond receiving payments, businesses need convenient ways to manage their money, build financial histories, access working capital and obtain financial services that can support their growth,’ Adeoti said.

He disclosed that RoutePay has enabled the group to build strong capabilities around digital payments; the microfinance bank will complement those capabilities with regulated banking services such as savings, deposits and credit as the two platforms play complementary roles.

According to him, the launch forms part of Routelink Group’s broader strategy of connecting payments, financial services and digital commerce while maintaining separate governance and regulatory responsibilities.

‘This is the beginning of a much larger journey for Routelink Group. Our ambition goes beyond making financial services more convenient. We are building a connected, technology-driven financial ecosystem capable of unlocking opportunities at scale,’ Adeoti said.

Catholic priests in Benue State have rejected the Federal Government’s plan to include Benue in the pilot phase of its National Ranching Policy, declaring that ‘our land is not for sale and has never been on sale.’

The Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), Makurdi Diocese, warned that imposing ranching on Benue, an ‘already bleeding and targeted state,’ amounts to a disguised agenda for land grabbing and the permanent displacement of indigenous communities.

This came as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Benue State, described it as ‘provocative and unacceptable’ to imagine that the scarce land in Benue would be taken from farming communities and converted into grazing settlements.

The party, in a statement by Bright Antyo, its Publicity Secretary, argued that the best approach to modern ranching was for livestock owners to acquire land lawfully and establish ranches as private businesses just as farmers acquire land for agricultural enterprises.

Terfa Beba, Chairman of NCDPA, in a statement, quoted the priests as condemning what they described as the exclusion of the Benue State Government from the decision-making process.

‘Had the elected leadership of Benue State been genuinely consulted, we believe it would never have consented to any arrangement capable of undermining the rights, dignity, security and ancestral heritage of our people,’ the statement said.

The FG had announced that the pilot implementation of the National Ranching Policy would kick off at the Wase Grazing Reserve in Plateau State, with Benue listed among States for the rollout.

But, NCDPA said Benue, which had suffered years of killings, displacement and destruction of communities, cannot be used for such a policy.

‘We cannot accept a policy imposed upon a people whose communities have suffered killings, displacement, destruction and prolonged insecurity. Ranching must never become a disguised instrument for land grabbing, forced occupation or the permanent displacement of indigenous communities’, Beba said.

The Association threw its weight behind the position of the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, whom it said, had ‘consistently and courageously spoken against this injustice.’

‘There is no going back on this as long as as we still draw breath,’ the priests declared.

The priests called on the Federal Government to respect the Constitutional Rights of Benue people and engage the State Government, traditional and community leaders transparently.

They demanded that displaced persons be enabled to return safely and take possession of their ancestral lands before any discussion on ranching.

‘Let this be on record: Benue is predominantly an agrarian state, not a pastoralist society. Ranching in Benue State is therefore NOT VIABLE, and WE REJECT THIS PROJECT IDEA WITH ALL LEGAL AND SPIRITUAL RESOURCES.

‘Our ancestral homes are not bargaining chips. Our people must return home. Benue must not be enslaved through policy. There will be no surrender of our ancestral heritage in whatever form or guise being proposed or presented’, the statement read.

Benue has in the last decade been at the centre of farmer-herder conflicts that have claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands. The State in 2017 enacted the Anti-Open Grazing Law to regulate livestock movement.

The priests insisted there is ‘no land in Benue State for commercial ranching.’

However, the opposition PDP further affirmed that the majority of people in the State depend on farming for survival, and with growing population and expanding communities, most farmers still struggle to obtain sufficient land.

‘The PDP wishes to state without ambiguity that Benue land is not available for grazing reserves, grazing settlements or any policy, whatever name it is given, that seeks to carve out portions of our ancestral lands for the exclusive settlement of herders.’

‘What we will never support is a scheme under which government takes land belonging to communities and farmers and converts it into grazing reserves or settlements for a particular group. There is no idle land in Benue State waiting to be donated for grazing reserves,’ it said.

The FIFA World Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations, geopolitical tensions, celebrity feuds and the viral ‘Six Seven’ meme were among the biggest stories that captured Nigerians’ attention between January and July 2026, according to new Google Trends data.

The review of anonymised Google search data offers a snapshot of the issues, personalities and events that dominated public interest in Nigeria during the first seven months of the year.

At the top of the rankings was the FIFA World Cup in North America, which generated search interest several times higher than any other major topic during the period.

Nigerians closely followed the Super Eagles’ campaign, the tournament’s opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy, and the eventual final between Spain and Argentina.

Individual players and teams also drove search activity, with Erling Haaland recording a surge in July as Norway’s campaign ended against England.

France’s run to the latter stages of the tournament and Morocco’s historic quarter-final campaign also attracted significant attention.

The tournament has since extended into discussions around the Ballon d’Or.

AFCON heartbreak

Before the World Cup took centre stage, the Africa Cup of Nations dominated searches in January.

The Super Eagles’ semi-final against hosts Morocco generated particularly strong interest after Nigeria suffered a penalty shootout defeat.

Searches around the fixture, AFCON results and the final reflected Nigerians’ intense engagement with the tournament.

Senegal eventually won the competition on January 18.

Winter Olympics surprise Nigerians

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics emerged as another unexpected source of interest in February.

Despite Nigeria having no team competing in ice hockey, the Winter Games generated substantial search traffic, highlighting Nigerians’ appetite for major global sporting events beyond football.

Iran, Strait of Hormuz and rising costs

Geopolitical tensions also translated into strong search activity.

As the conflict involving Iran intensified and the Strait of Hormuz became a major focus of international attention, Nigerians searched for terms including ‘Iran news’, ‘Israel Iran war’ and ‘Strait of Hormuz meaning’.

The interest was closely linked to economic concerns. The Strait of Hormuz is a major route for global oil shipments, meaning disruption there can affect crude prices and, indirectly, fuel costs in oil-import-dependent markets.

For Nigerians, a geopolitical crisis thousands of kilometres away therefore became connected to an everyday concern: the cost of transportation and living.

Blord, VeryDarkMan feud dominates social searches

The prolonged dispute involving cryptocurrency entrepreneur Blord and activist VeryDarkMan also maintained significant search interest.

The saga peaked around Blord’s arrest and remand in Kuje prison in April, followed by his release on bail 16 days later.

Searches for ‘who is Blord’ alongside the main queries suggested that the controversy attracted both existing followers and people attempting to understand the personalities at the centre of the dispute.

Deaths that captured national attention

Several high-profile deaths also drove significant search activity during the period.

Afrofuji singer Destiny Boy died in January at the age of 22, with the circumstances surrounding his death and subsequent investigation generating sustained interest.

Internationally, actor Eric Dane, known for his roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, died in February after battling ALS.

In May, Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo also became a major search subject following reports of his death at 40. Search interest surged again in June during his burial in Arochukwu.

Politics, corruption and the Epstein files

Political and accountability-related stories featured prominently in Nigeria’s search trends.

Saleh Mamman, former minister of power, attracted attention after the EFCC arrested him in Kaduna in connection with a corruption case involving N33 billion. He was later sentenced to 75 years in prison.

In Lagos, the political drama surrounding Mudashiru Obasa’s return as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly also generated sustained interest.

Beyond Nigeria, the release of millions of pages of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein prompted Nigerians to join a global search for information about the case.

‘Six Seven’ and the internet’s latest mystery

Not all the major searches were driven by politics, tragedy or geopolitics.

The ’67’ or ‘Six Seven’ meme became one of the internet’s biggest talking points, particularly among younger Nigerians.

The phrase, drawn from a US rap song, became a viral expression used by teenagers in seemingly random contexts, often accompanied by a hand gesture.

Its popularity left many Nigerians, particularly older users, searching for an explanation of what the phrase actually meant.

The trend illustrated the speed at which global internet culture can move into Nigeria’s digital mainstream.

Another viral story emerged in April when OPay customer Opeyemi Awodoyin reportedly received N100,000 in error and declined to return the money.

The incident triggered a wider debate online about honesty, ownership and what Nigerians should do when money is mistakenly transferred to their accounts.

In May, searches for ‘what is hantavirus’ also spiked following reports of an outbreak aboard a cruise ship.

Celebrity controversies remain powerful search drivers

Celebrity news continued to attract Nigerians’ attention throughout the period.

Frank Edoho, Veteran broadcaster trended in May following confirmation of his divorce and allegations involving his former wife.

In July, Sam Larry, music promoter survived a crash on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road that killed his bodyguard. The incident also revived public discussions around the death of singer Mohbad and events surrounding the controversy three years earlier.

Music, film and football exports

Nigeria’s entertainment industry remained a consistent source of search interest.

Wizkid and Asake’s ‘Jogodo’ generated strong attention in January, while Asake’s album sparked another wave of searches in May.

The 2026 Grammy Awards also attracted interest, with searches for the winners rising around the ceremony. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance generated additional attention among Nigerian audiences.

In film, Mortal Kombat 2 and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey were among the movies attracting searches.

Football also produced another Nigerian storyline, with teenager Zadok Yohanna’s reported pound 28 million move to Brighton becoming a significant talking point and highlighting Nigeria’s continuing pipeline of young football talent.

Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, communications and public affairs manager, West Africa, Google, said search data provides a window into what Nigerians genuinely care about.

‘Search data is the most honest record of national attention we have, because nobody performs for a search bar,’ he said.

According to Google, the rankings are based on each story’s peak monthly search interest in Nigeria between January and July 2026, with related queries grouped together.

The trends show that Nigerians’ attention in 2026 has moved fluidly between sport, politics, global affairs, entertainment, internet culture and everyday economic concerns.

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), has partnered with Cascador to launch a new programme aimed at helping young Nigerian entrepreneurs move from business ideas to investment-ready ventures.

The partnership, announced to mark International Youth Day 2026, will see the NiYA × Cascador Founders Program provide training, mentorship and non-dilutive funding to a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders.

Under the programme, participants will undergo an intensive four-week curriculum covering business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation.

At the end of the programme, eight of the top-performing founders will receive up to N5 million each in non-dilutive funding from Cascador.

The selected founders will also receive an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help them structure and manage their businesses as they scale.

The programme will culminate in a Pitch Day organised by NiYA and FMYD, where participants will present their businesses to a panel of judges.

According to the organisers, the pilot is designed to support young founders who may not have formal business registration, established financial records or access to traditional funding networks.

‘For NiYA, training is only one part of the journey. The real value is in helping young people move from learning to enterprise, from ideas to investable businesses, and from potential to sustainable economic participation,’ the minister for youth development said.

The minister added that the partnership with Cascador would combine business preparation with access to capital, particularly for young entrepreneurs who lack the formal structures and financial history typically required by traditional funders.

The programme forms part of NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower seven million Nigerian youths within two years.

Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform supporting growth-stage founders, will work with FMYD and NiYA to establish eligibility criteria, support participants’ investment readiness, assess their pitches and provide funding to the strongest performers.

Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador, said the partnership would help create a practical pathway between entrepreneurship training and access to capital.

‘NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions,’ Thomas said.

She added that the partnership would provide a bridge from the ideation stage to capital readiness.

Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former managing director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, said the programme demonstrated how government-backed entrepreneurship training could be combined with private-sector capital.

‘This is what innovative capital deployment looks like as a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed,’ Solebo said.

The pilot will be delivered in person in Abuja, supported by virtual sessions and one-on-one mentorship.

The organisers said all 20 participants who complete the programme will retain NiYA alumni status and receive priority consideration for future opportunities.

For FMYD, the pilot is also intended to test a model that could eventually be expanded beyond the initial cohort.

The minister said the broader objective is to create a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem where access to opportunities is determined by business readiness, ideas and execution rather than an entrepreneur’s background or existing networks.

The partnership comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with youth unemployment and the need to create pathways for young people to participate more meaningfully in the digital and wider economy.

By combining public-sector reach, entrepreneurship training and private capital, the NiYA-Cascador initiative seeks to address one of the persistent challenges facing young Nigerian founders which is moving from acquiring skills to building businesses capable of attracting and effectively deploying capital.

There is a particular kind of regret that arrives a few seconds too late. You answer a call from an unknown number and hear a calm voice claiming to be from your bank. For the next 90 seconds, you believe the caller, or you let the phone ring because, like millions of Nigerians, you have learnt to treat unknown numbers with suspicion, only to discover later that it was the client you had been trying to reach for three weeks.

Both come at a cost, and for the average Nigerian professional, that cost is becoming more frequent, more complicated and, increasingly, difficult to measure.

Nigeria has reached a point where distrust of an unfamiliar telephone number is no longer simply a personal precaution. It has become a rational response to an environment in which legitimate communication and fraud increasingly arrive through the same channel.

According to Truecaller’s latest Global Insights Report, 51 per cent of unknown calls received by Nigerians are flagged as spam or fraud, the highest rate recorded in Africa. When more than one in every two unknown calls carries that warning, it is hardly surprising that people stop trusting the number on their screen, and that caution comes with its own price.

When the Scam Works the most obvious cost is the fraud that succeeds. It can begin with nothing more than a telephone call. A confident voice introduces itself as a bank official. There is an urgent transfer to reverse, an account that needs to be secured or a one-time password that must be confirmed immediately.

The trick is rarely sophisticated, and what makes it effective is urgency. By the time the victim realises what has happened, the consequences may extend well beyond the money transferred. There are calls to the bank’s fraud desk, police reports, cancelled cards, blocked accounts and the exhausting process of proving that a transaction was not authorised.

The financial loss is only part of the damage. There is also the time lost, the disruption to work and the lingering anxiety that follows. For a professional whose livelihood depends on access to a phone, bank account and digital identity, a fraudulent call can quickly become an operational crisis.

One call can open the door

The greater danger is the cascade that can follow a compromised call. A victim may surrender what appears to be a harmless piece of information. From there, a SIM swap could follow. Then access to a banking application. Then other accounts connected to the same telephone number.

The phone number has quietly evolved into something much more valuable than a means of communication. For many Nigerians, it is a gateway to banking, payments, social media, email and other parts of their digital lives.

That makes a compromised call potentially far more damaging than the original request made by the fraudster. What begins as an attempt to obtain one piece of information can become an attack on an individual’s wider financial and digital identity.

The call that comes through the family

But perhaps the most expensive call is not the one that reaches your phone, it is the one that reaches your mother’s.

Fraudsters understand that the people around a professional can sometimes be easier targets. An ageing parent, a younger sibling or a dependent who is less familiar with common scams may provide the easiest route to someone else’s money.

The script is often familiar: a child has been arrested, a relative is stranded somewhere, an emergency has occurred, or a small payment is required before a larger benefit can be released. The sums requested may initially appear insignificant, but the emotional pressure, however, is enormous.

When such a scam succeeds, the loss is carried twice. First, there is the money that must be recovered or replaced. Then comes the guilt, the feeling that the victim should have known better, or that the person who was defrauded should have been protected.

For many Nigerian professionals, that is the real burden of a bad call. It does not always target the most careful member of the family. It targets the most vulnerable, and the consequences eventually find their way back to everyone.

Then there are the calls we stop taking

There is another cost that receives far less attention: the genuine calls that go unanswered.

A recruiter may be calling about a job opportunity. A hospital may be trying to reach a patient. A supplier may be confirming a delivery. A client may be calling from a number that is not saved on the recipient’s phone.

But when every unknown number is treated as a potential threat, legitimate opportunities begin to look like threats too.

This creates an uncomfortable paradox. The more successful telephone fraud becomes, the less willing people are to answer their phones, and the less willing people are to answer, the harder it becomes for legitimate businesses and individuals to communicate efficiently.

Trust, once lost, is expensive to rebuild. For businesses, the consequences can include missed customers, delayed transactions and failed follow-ups.

For professionals, it can mean missing an opportunity simply because the person making the call was not recognised. A missed call may look insignificant on a phone screen. In real life, it can represent a missed contract, an interview, a medical appointment or an important conversation.

Then there’s the New Cost of Doing Business.This is where the problem becomes larger than telephone fraud. Nigeria’s growing digital economy depends on communication. Businesses need to reach customers. Customers need to reach banks, service providers and professionals. Employers need to contact candidates. Families need to stay connected.

Yet the same infrastructure that makes this possible is increasingly being exploited by fraudsters. The result is an informal tax on trust.

People spend time verifying numbers. Businesses increasingly rely on WhatsApp messages, emails and other channels to confirm calls. Professionals hesitate before answering. Families develop elaborate rules for responding to emergencies.

All of this is understandable, but it also means that the cost of fraud is being transferred beyond the immediate victim. It is being absorbed by everyone who relies on the telephone as part of everyday economic and social life. The challenge, therefore, is not simply to teach Nigerians not to fall for scams. That remains essential, but it is only one part of the solution.

Banks, telecom operators, technology companies and regulators also have a role to play in making fraudulent communication easier to identify and legitimate communication easier to trust.

Individuals, meanwhile, must develop habits that balance caution with practicality: verify unexpected requests through trusted channels, never disclose sensitive banking credentials or one-time passwords to unsolicited callers, and establish family protocols for genuine emergencies.

The objective should not be to make Nigerians answer every call. It should be to make them confident enough to know which calls are worth answering.

Because in an economy where a telephone call can move money, secure a job, close a deal or trigger a fraud investigation, the cost of a bad call is no longer measured only in naira.

Sometimes, the most expensive call is the one we never answer.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the country’s recent poor performances in international football following the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The move comes after the Super Falcons, 10-time African champions and holders of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), suffered a disappointing exit from the 2026 tournament in Morocco.

Super Falcons miss World Cup for first time

Nigeria were eliminated at the quarter-final stage after a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon before suffering a 2-1 loss to South Africa in the subsequent CAF playoff.

The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the Inter-Confederations Playoff and means the Super Falcons will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament began in 1991.

The setback has intensified concerns over the state of Nigeria’s national teams and the country’s declining influence in international football.

Amun heads five-member panel

Former NFF General Secretary, Ambassador Fanny Amun, MON, will chair the fact-finding committee.

The panel also includes former Nigeria U20 coach and President of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, Ladan Bosso; former Super Falcons captain and multiple WAFCON winner Desire Oparanozie; former Super Eagles captain, AFCON winner and World Cup star Mutiu Adepoju; and former FIFA referee Dr Alex Mana.

Chairman of the Sokoto State Football Association, Mohammed Nasiru Sa’idu, will serve as secretary.

Committee tasked with finding answers

The committee is expected to examine the factors behind the recent struggles of Nigeria’s national teams and identify areas requiring urgent intervention.

Its formation reflects growing concerns over the country’s inability to translate its historic strength and talent pool into sustained success across international competitions.

The Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 World Cup represents a particularly significant setback, given Nigeria’s record of appearing at every previous edition of the tournament.

The NFF’s decision to establish the panel could therefore provide an opportunity to assess the technical, administrative and structural challenges affecting the national teams and recommend measures to reverse the decline.

Angola’s annual inflation rate has fallen below 10 percent for the first time in nearly 11 years, strengthening signs that price pressures are easing after years of high inflation and giving the central bank more room to consider further interest rate cuts.

Inflation slowed to 9.33 percent in July from 10.11 percent in June, according to the National Statistics Institute. The latest reading is close to the lowest level recorded in the country’s consumer price index series since 2015.

The July figure represents a 0.78 percentage point decline from June and is about 10 percentage points lower than a year earlier, extending a sustained period of easing price pressures.

The statistics agency attributed the continued slowdown largely to the stability of the kwanza and improved domestic supplies of essential goods. The July reading marked the 24th consecutive month of declining annual inflation.

The easing trend has already allowed the Banco Nacional de Angola to begin reducing borrowing costs. On July 14, the central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by 125 basis points to 15.75 percent, citing the continued improvement in inflation.

However, the decline in headline inflation has not been evenly spread across the economy. Education recorded the highest annual price increase at 25.24 percent, while food and non alcoholic beverages rose 10.40 percent.

Housing, water, electricity and fuel prices increased 10.17 percent, while healthcare costs rose 10.16 percent.

Food and non alcoholic beverages remained the biggest contributor to the overall price level, keeping pressure on household budgets even as headline inflation moved into single digits.

On a monthly basis, consumer prices increased 0.75 percent in July, compared with 0.52 percent in June, showing that the slowdown in annual inflation does not mean price increases have stopped.

Transportation recorded one of the sharpest improvements, with annual inflation falling to 3.65 percent in July from 15.40 percent in June. Prices also eased across clothing and footwear, housing and utilities, and miscellaneous goods and services.

The decline in inflation remains uneven across Angola’s provinces. Cuanza Norte recorded the lowest annual inflation rate at 6 percent, followed by Huambo at 6.59 percent and Cunene at 6.86 percent.

At the other end of the scale, Cabinda recorded inflation of 13.09 percent, while Malanje and Lunda Sul posted rates of 12.01 percent and 11.40 percent respectively.

The wide gap between provinces shows that the improvement in national inflation has not translated into uniform price relief across the country, particularly for households facing higher costs for food, education and basic services.

The latest figures nevertheless strengthen the case for a gradual easing of monetary policy if the downward trend continues. Investors and businesses will be watching August inflation closely for signs of whether Angola can sustain the progress and how quickly lower inflation could translate into cheaper credit and stronger consumer and business activity.

For households, the move below 10 percent is an important improvement, but the continued rise in essential goods and services means the cost of living remains a concern even as the broader inflation picture improves.