Category: Business Day

Portugal football icon Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez have begun a new chapter in their relationship after reportedly tying the knot in a private civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11, 2026.

The couple, who have been together since 2016, reportedly exchanged vows in the presence of their five children and close family members. Ronaldo, 41, appeared to confirm the marriage on Instagram by sharing a photograph of the couple’s hands displaying their wedding rings.

For Rodríguez, 32, the marriage caps a remarkable journey from working as a Gucci sales assistant in Madrid to becoming a model, entrepreneur, television personality and one of the world’s most recognisable social media figures.

From Gucci employee to global celebrity

Rodríguez’s rise to global prominence began before her relationship with Ronaldo, although meeting the football superstar dramatically changed the trajectory of her career.

She was working as a sales assistant at Gucci in Madrid when she met Ronaldo, who was playing for Real Madrid at the time.

Rodríguez has described their first encounter as an immediate connection, recalling a strong sense of peace and energy when they first held hands.

The relationship developed quickly, with the couple making their red-carpet debut at the Best FIFA Football Awards in Zurich in January 2017 before becoming Instagram official later that year.

Ronaldo has also spoken about their relationship, admitting he did not initially expect it to become serious.

In Rodríguez’s Netflix series I Am Georgina, Ronaldo recalled initially seeing her as an interesting and mature woman before eventually realising she could become ‘the woman of my life.’

Building a brand beyond Ronaldo

While her relationship with Ronaldo accelerated her global profile, Rodríguez has worked to establish an identity beyond being the football star’s partner.

She moved into modelling and developed relationships with major fashion and luxury brands, while appearing in international magazines and building a substantial social media following.

Her public image has become closely associated with luxury fashion, beauty, travel and family life.

She has also turned her visibility into commercial opportunities through brand endorsements, sponsored social media content and fashion ventures.

Her Netflix series, I Am Georgina, has further expanded her profile, offering viewers an insight into her personal life, family and relationship with Ronaldo.

How much is Georgina Rodríguez worth?

There is no publicly verified figure for Rodríguez’s personal net worth, and estimates vary considerably.

Some celebrity-wealth websites have put her fortune at around $2 million, although such estimates should be treated cautiously because they are not based on audited financial statements.

Her income is believed to come from modelling, endorsements, sponsored content and business ventures.

Her substantial social media following also gives her significant commercial value, particularly among luxury, fashion and beauty brands seeking access to a global audience.

Her personal wealth should also be distinguished from Ronaldo’s considerably larger fortune, which has been built through football salaries, endorsements and business investments.

A lifestyle built around luxury

Rodríguez’s social media presence frequently showcases designer fashion, jewellery, luxury travel, high-end vehicles and family holidays.

Her lifestyle reflects Ronaldo’s status as one of the world’s most commercially successful athletes, with business interests and endorsements extending far beyond football.

At the same time, Rodríguez has made motherhood and family life a central part of her public identity, regularly sharing moments with the couple’s children.

From engagement to marriage

The couple publicly announced their engagement on August 11, 2025, when Rodríguez shared a photograph of her hand displaying a large oval-shaped diamond ring.

‘Sí, quiero. En esta y en todas mis vidas,’ she wrote in Spanish, meaning: ‘Yes, I do. In this and in all my lives.’

The announcement ended years of speculation about whether the couple would eventually marry.

A year later, their engagement reportedly culminated in the private ceremony in Cascais.

Nearly a decade with Ronaldo

Rodríguez and Ronaldo have been together since 2016, making their relationship one of football’s most closely followed celebrity partnerships.

During their relationship, Ronaldo continued to build one of the most decorated careers in football, representing Real Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United and Al Nassr while remaining a key figure for Portugal.

Rodríguez, meanwhile, transformed from a relatively unknown retail employee into a global model, influencer and entrepreneur.

Her journey illustrates how she has converted global exposure into an independent commercial identity.

From a Gucci store in Madrid to international fashion campaigns, television, entrepreneurship and now marriage to one of football’s biggest icons, Rodríguez has built a public profile that extends beyond being Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner.

Her marriage to Ronaldo marks a new chapter in their personal lives, while also representing another stage in the evolution of the personal brand Rodríguez has built over the past decade.

The naira ended the week relatively stable across the foreign exchange (FX) market segments as Nigeria’s external reserves climbed to a 17-year high of $52.25 billion, strengthening the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) capacity to support the local currency and meet the country’s external obligations.

Data published by the CBN showed that the naira appreciated by N8.08 week-on-week, with the dollar quoted at N1,357.61 at the close of trading on Friday, compared with N1,365.69 quoted a week earlier at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM).

On a day-on-day basis, the local currency steadied at N1,357.61, representing a marginal N0.04 gain from N1,357.65 quoted on Thursday. Over the five trading days, the naira strengthened by N2.53 from N1,360.14/$ recorded on Monday, the first trading day of the week.

In the parallel market, also known as the black market, the local currency also remained stable at N1,420 per dollar. Consequently, the gap between the official and parallel market rates narrowed slightly to 4.64 percent from 4.71 percent previously.

Total turnover in the interbank segment of the FX market rose by 9.12 percent week-on-week to $1.00 billion on Friday, compared with $919 million recorded on Friday last week. The number of deals also increased by 19.09 percent from 639 on Thursday to 761 deals on Friday.

Although NFEM figures for Friday’s deals and turnover were not available as of the time of reporting, activity moderated during the week, with total turnover declining slightly by 2.23 percent week-on-week to $3.95 billion on Thursday, from $4.04 billion recorded on Thursday last week.

The number of deals, however, increased by 3.17 percent from 1,736 last week to 1,791 deals on Thursday, indicating sustained activity despite the marginal decline in transaction value.

Nigeria’s external reserves, which provide the CBN with the firepower to support the naira and meet external obligations, have maintained a steady growth trajectory, rising to $52.25 billion, their highest level in 17 years. The level represents a 28.32 percent increase from the $40.72 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

The sustained accretion in reserves comes amid improved conditions in the FX market and growing efforts by the CBN to deepen liquidity and strengthen the transmission of monetary policy.

Within the week, the CBN relaxed restrictions on banks’ access to its discount window, lifted the suspension of tenored repo operations and broadened participation in the Open Market Operations (OMO) market to include non-bank financial institutions, corporates and retail investors.

According to analysts at Quest Merchant Bank Limited, the reforms should improve market liquidity, strengthen monetary policy transmission and deepen participation in the fixed-income market.

‘The reforms are likely to deepen activity across the money market and fixed-income markets while signalling growing confidence in FX market stability, reserve adequacy and overall market conditions,’ the analysts said.

The reforms could also have implications for yields and investment returns. Broader investor participation in OMO securities could accelerate yield compression over time, potentially reducing treasury income opportunities for banks and moderating the carry attractiveness of naira assets.

On Wednesday, the CBN, through a circular to all banks, introduced a series of reforms aimed at improving the functioning of the financial markets. The measures include easing restrictions on Deposit Money Banks’ access to the discount window and Standing Lending Facility (SLF), resuming tenored repo operations across four to 90 days, and broadening eligible participants in the OMO market to include non-bank financial institutions, corporates and retail investors.

However, the regulator retained restrictions on banks’ participation in OMO auctions on the same day they accessed the discount window.

The most impactful of the reforms, according to Quest Merchant Bank, is the broadening of eligible investors in the OMO market. Going forward, individuals, corporates and non-bank financial institutions will be able to participate in OMO securities through Deposit Money Banks.

The measure effectively expands the investor base for OMO instruments, increases demand for short-dated securities and could exert downward pressure on OMO clearing yields over time. However, the CBN retains discretion over the volume, tenor and frequency of OMO issuances in line with prevailing liquidity conditions and monetary policy objectives, meaning it will continue to exercise significant influence over yield outcomes.

The lifting of discount window-related restrictions also reduces funding frictions for banks. By allowing institutions that access the discount window to continue participating in the FX market and government securities auctions, the reforms reduce the opportunity cost of accessing Central Bank liquidity and give banks greater flexibility to manage temporary funding shortfalls without disrupting their participation in key financial markets.

Additionally, the reintroduction of tenored repo operations across four to 90-day maturities will enhance liquidity management for bank treasuries by providing greater flexibility in funding beyond the overnight market.

This reduces the need for banks to rely exclusively on short-term funding sources and allows for more efficient asset-liability management. The availability of term repos also strengthens the CBN’s liquidity-management framework by enabling more targeted liquidity injections, reducing volatility in money-market rates and enhancing monetary policy transmission across money and fixed-income markets.

‘In our view, the circular forms part of the CBN’s broader efforts to deepen domestic financial markets and strengthen the transition towards a more market-based liquidity management framework,’ the analysts said.

They added that the reforms would enhance market liquidity, improve monetary policy transmission and support more efficient price discovery across the money and fixed-income markets.

More importantly, the relaxation of discount window-related restrictions signals growing confidence in the resilience of the FX market, the adequacy of external reserve buffers and the CBN’s capacity to maintain orderly market conditions during periods of elevated demand.

The reforms could also gradually reduce the market’s dependence on offshore participation by broadening the domestic investor base for OMO instruments. However, as increased demand places downward pressure on yields, the CBN may need to balance its market-development objectives against the need to preserve the attractiveness of naira assets to foreign portfolio investors, particularly in an environment where external financing conditions remain competitive.

‘Overall, we view the circular as structurally positive for Nigeria’s financial markets, particularly as it gives the CBN greater flexibility to inject and withdraw liquidity, while improving money-market efficiency and deepening participation across the domestic fixed-income market,’ the analysts at Quest Merchant Bank Limited said.

Ademola Adeleke, governorship candidate of the Accord Party has taken an early lead in the Osun State governorship election. Preliminary data aggregated from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) result viewing portal by election observer group Kimpact Development Initiative indicates that the incumbent is currently ahead of his primary opponent.

With 61 percent of the total votes processed, Adeleke has secured 300,283 votes. His main challenger, candidate Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), follows with 254,132 votes. The early results demonstrate a clear lead for the incumbent as collation continues across the state.

The election saw significant civic engagement across Osun State. According to official figures released by the electoral body, 1,906,390 voters collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) out of the registered electorate, making them eligible to participate in the democratic process.

Electoral observers note that processed figures represent a substantial portion of the expected turnout. The Kimpact Development Initiative continues to track and analyze incoming results directly from polling units through the official portal to ensure real-time reporting accuracy and public transparency.

The current margin reflects votes tallied across key local government areas where voter turnout was notably high. While the current trajectory favours the incumbent, official declaration of the final outcome remains subject to the full collation and verification of remaining polling units by INEC officers.

The remaining 39 percent of unprocessed results will decide whether candidate Oyebamiji can close the gap or if Governor Adeleke will maintain his advantage to secure a full term in office. Collation agents and observers remain stationed at central facilities as final figures arrive from rural and urban centers.

Ademola Adeleke,Osun State Governor, has rejected the preliminary report on the ongoing governorship election, expressing dissatisfaction with widespread voting disruptions, technical failures, and voter intimidation across the state.

Speaking on Osun Radio, Adeleke complained that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machines malfunctioned and operated too slowly in numerous polling units. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intervene immediately to restore system functionality and safeguard the process.

The governor further alleged that armed thugs were actively disrupting voting operations in Olorunda and Irewole local council areas. He specifically identified a suspect known as Enuku, claiming the individual and his associates were targeting voters in Ikire. Adeleke also accused members of the Nigeria Police Force of assisting the All Progressives Congress (APC) by failing to intervene. He advised residents to remain resilient, defend their votes peacefully, and disregard intimidation tactics at the polling stations.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured voters in Osun State that adequate security measures have been put in place to enable them to participate peacefully in Saturday’s Governorship election, urging them to vote wisely.

President Tinubu, who was represented by Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President at the All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally in Osogbo on Thursday, urged the people of Osun State to remain peaceful, assuring them that nobody would be harassed or intimidated during the election.

‘Feel free to go out and vote for the candidate of your choice. Feel free to go out and ensure that you vote for the party of your choice. But my advice would be: choose wisely,’ Akpabio said.

He said Tinubu’s commitment to democracy was reflected in his decision to ensure that citizens were able to participate freely in the election, urging voters not to allow social media attacks or intimidation to discourage them from going to the polling units.

He also urged voters to go out and vote for the candidate and party of their choice, but advised them to choose wisely.

The Senate President also used the rally to appeal to voters to support Oyebamiji, arguing that there was a need to link Osun State with the Federal Government, while noting that more than 30 governors were already members of the APC.

Similarly, Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State and Chairman APC National Campaign Council for Osun State Governorship Election, appealed to the people of Osun State to vote for Oyebamiji, saying the APC is not known for violence, trouble or intimidation but was built on a good ideology.

Governor Uzodimma also urged the people to support President Tinubu in his efforts to build a better Nigeria.

A major development at the rally was the declaration of support for Oyebamiji by Chris Imumolen, Professor and factional National Chairman of Accord Party.

He said that the National Working Committee of the party had endorsed the APC candidate.

‘We have stated our support for Oyebamiji. Today, we declare our support for Oyebamiji. Come Saturday, all Accord members in Osun State should go to their polling units and vote for Oyebamiji’, he stated.

The rally attracted several APC leaders and political figures, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; former APC National Chairman, Adebisi Akande; former Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Ekiti State Governor, Abayomi Oyebanji; Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda; Adams Oshiomhole; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Godswill Akpabio; the Senate President; Sarafadeen Alli, Oyo APC Governorship candidate and several other party leaders and supporters.

Nigeria has taken a significant step towards building a more coordinated national skills system following the formal transfer of responsibility for coordinating the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and implementing the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

The transition, undertaken in line with the directive of the National Council on Skills, seeks to address a longstanding challenge in Nigeria’s skills ecosystem: fragmented institutional responsibilities, overlapping mandates and weak coordination between government, industry, training institutions and professional bodies.

For employers, the issue goes beyond institutional structure. Nigeria’s ability to build a productive workforce depends on whether the skills being taught, assessed and certified correspond with what industries actually need.

The handover therefore places greater emphasis on an industry-led, demand-driven skills architecture, with occupational standards, assessment and certification expected to become more closely aligned with the requirements of employers and international labour markets.

The ceremony at ITF Skills House in Abuja brought together representatives of the Presidency, ITF, NBTE, National Council on Skills, Sector Skills Councils, industry, professional bodies, regulators, training institutions, development partners and the artisan community.

Participants described the transition as an important institutional reset for Nigeria’s skills development system.

Why the Sector Skills Councils matter

More than 20 Sector Skills Councils have been established across priority areas of the economy. Yet the progress report presented at the ceremony showed that only a limited number are fully operational.

Funding constraints, weak sector ownership, limited institutional support, inadequate monitoring and coordination gaps have restricted the effectiveness of several councils.

Where they are functioning, however, the councils have demonstrated their potential. They have supported the development of occupational standards, engaged employers and training providers, promoted occupational assessment and certification, and created stronger links between industry and the skills system.

The challenge now is to move from establishing councils to making them effective institutions with measurable industry outcomes. Under the new arrangement, the priority will be stronger governance, sustainable financing, monitoring, quality assurance and closer industry participation.

The bigger economic question

The reform comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy. Participants argued that achieving such an ambition requires more than capital investment and policy reform. It requires a workforce equipped with skills relevant to manufacturing, construction, technology, services, creative industries and other productive sectors.

This makes occupational standards increasingly important.

Qualifications need to demonstrate what a worker is capable of doing, while employers need confidence that certification reflects genuine competence. Aligning Nigerian standards with international benchmarks also has implications for labour mobility and Nigeria’s ability to participate in global value chains.

A new framework for artisans

One of the more consequential proposals discussed at the meeting was the development of a national licensing framework for artisans and technicians. Under the proposed approach, professional practice would increasingly be linked to recognised occupational qualifications, competency assessments and certification.

The objective is broader than regulation. A credible licensing system could improve service standards, strengthen consumer confidence, create clearer career pathways and make Nigerian artisans more competitive in domestic and international markets.

For an economy with a large informal workforce, the formal recognition of occupational competence also has the potential to improve workforce mobility and create a more structured skills marketplace.

What this means for Nigeria’s fashion industry

For the Nigerian Fashion Council (NFC), the transition has particular significance. The NFC serves as the Sector Skills Council for the Fashion, Leather, Accessories and Textile (FLAT) sector, one of the country’s largest employment ecosystems, with an estimated 40 million people engaged across its value chain.

The sector’s challenge has never been a shortage of talent. It has been the absence of sufficiently structured systems for defining skills, validating competence, professionalising practice and connecting training with industry demand.

The NFC says its five standing committees are already developing foundational frameworks covering skills, certification and professional practice across the sector. The transfer to ITF therefore provides a stronger institutional platform for taking this work from framework development to implementation.

What happens next

The immediate test is execution. The new structure will need to translate institutional realignment into functioning Sector Skills Councils, validated occupational standards, credible assessment systems, recognised certification and stronger employer participation.

For the NFC and other councils, the opportunity is equally clear: move from representation to measurable industry impact.

If successfully implemented, the reform could give Nigeria something its skills system has long lacked – a more coherent link between what industries need, what institutions teach, what workers can demonstrate and what employers are prepared to recognise and reward.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is weighing a domestic petroleum swap deal designed to optimize supply chain networks and deepen crude delivery to local refineries.

Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Commission Chief Executive, NUPRC, disclosed this move during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja.

The move according to Eyesan aims to streamline fulfillment of Domestic Crude and Gas Supply Obligations by allowing producers to trade delivery locations, thereby reduce cost and increase availability of products in the country.

Eyesan noted that once all the modalities are finalised, there would be an improved compliance with the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) and the Domestic Gas Supply Obligation. This, she said, would also be coordinated along with the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (GACN).

Latest statistics by the Commission showed an improvement in domestic crude supply to local refiners, with a total of 53.7 million barrels of crude oil supplied to local refiners between April and June, showing an overall performance of 97.4 percent for Q2 2026.

She said, ‘How the swap works is that I have an obligation somewhere and I am close to an export facility. Somebody else has an obligation inland and his own (facility) is close to a domestic offtaker.

‘So, instead of trying to move from one end to the other, we just agree on a swap arrangement and there is a mechanism for them netting off.’

The NUPRC boss noted that in the case of crude oil, discussions were still at an early stage, adding that the commission will deepen collaboration with the NMDPRA in the overall interest of the sector.

In his remarks, Rabiu Umar, Authority Chief Executive, NMDPRA, commended the Commission’s effort that led to a seamless and credible 2025 licensing round.

He also lauded the NUPRC for the improvement in the enforcement of the domestic crude supply to local refiners, adding that even though the Petroleum Industry Act stipulates that all transactions will be done on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, issues of pricing remain a major factor.

Umar further pledged the support of the NMDPRA towards the creation of strategic reserves which will boost energy security and ensure price stability.

Peter Okoye has turned the intense public attention on his ongoing family dispute into measurable commercial success for his clothing line. In a post on X on 9 August 2026, the singer known as Mr P announced that nearly 3,000 units of the red ZR cap he wore throughout his multi-part Instagram video series had sold within seven days.

At a retail price of N20,000 each, the reported figure places sales for Zipp Republic at more than N60 million in that short window, with orders still arriving. He described the response as unexpected and asked customers for patience while the brand worked to fulfil every request. The post also signalled plans to expand into gym wear, sportswear and possible children’s items.

The red cap became a visual constant in the videos Peter released in early August, videos in which he detailed alleged financial irregularities involving his brothers Jude and Paul Okoye and the companies linked to the P-Square brand.

Viewers watching the series repeatedly for more than a week saw the same branded accessory, creating an immediate association between the story and the product.

The resulting spike in demand illustrates how a personal narrative, when sustained across multiple instalments, can drive direct consumer action for an associated brand. Whether the outcome was planned as a deliberate marketing sequence or simply followed from the visibility of the videos, the numbers show a clear commercial effect.

Psquare feud and the missing documentation that turned family trust into court battles

That commercial moment sits against the deeper structural problems that the same videos and related court proceedings have exposed. The long-running dispute among the Okoye brothers over Psquare earnings, brand control and company structures offers a clear lesson in what happens when family businesses operate for years without precise written agreements.

Peter and Paul Okoye burst into the Nigerian music industry in the early 2000s as a twin duo with singing prowess and well-choreographed dance steps. With records like Omoge mi and Señiorita, they hit the airwaves and fan base long before the era of digital streaming.

Psquare, under the Square Records label, managed by their elder brother Jude Engees Okoye and his company Northside Entertainment Limited, went on to give Nigerians hit songs over the next decade. Songs like Do Me, Ifunnanya, Alingo, Personally, No one like you, Chop my Money, and others across six albums together became household music and became classics.

Nigerian lawyer Benedicta Wokocha has examined the P-Square dispute from a contractual perspective and identified the documentation gaps that allowed ordinary family disagreements to escalate into years of litigation and public confrontation. Her analysis begins with a basic fact confirmed in court: when Jude Okoye took on the role of manager around 2004 or 2005, after earlier managers had worked with the group, there was no written contract or formal letter of employment setting out his duties, remuneration or limits of authority.

An MOU later produced by Jude outlined income shares of 30 percent each for Peter and Paul, 25 percent for Jude as manager, and 15 percent for projects and staff of Northside Entertainment. Even that document has not resolved competing claims about whether the percentages applied to gross or net revenue, whether they covered later streaming royalties, or how they interacted with new corporate structures.

When Northside Music Limited was incorporated with Jude and his wife as directors and the wife holding a substantial shareholding, the absence of a clear prior agreement on the relationship between the original group entities and any new company left open the question of where royalties properly belonged.

Wokocha’s central observation is that family trust cannot replace paper. Brothers who begin a business together frequently assume shared understanding about bank access, transfer authority and exit rights. In this case the early years appear to have operated on that assumption. Jude functioned as primary manager and signatory for extended periods.

Peter and Paul were later added as Category B signatories on certain Northside Entertainment accounts, yet Peter has testified that he never personally signed cheques. Bank mandates and statements later placed before the court show transfers that each side interprets differently. Without a single governing agreement that fixed decision-making thresholds, reporting obligations and equal access to financial records, each brother could later reconstruct events according to his own recollection.

A second missing element is an effective dispute-resolution clause. When disagreements arose over property division, catalogue access and royalty statements, the parties had no agreed private process that required mediation or arbitration before petitions or public statements. The result was a sequence of open videos, cross-allegations and parallel court cases that have continued for years.

A properly drafted partnership or shareholders’ agreement normally contains a staged mechanism for resolving deadlocks, appointing independent valuers and protecting the brand while differences are sorted. The absence of that mechanism turned every disagreement into a contest of public narrative and legal endurance.

Ownership of the intellectual property and the brand name itself remained similarly unsettled. Jude has asserted rights that would restrain Peter from performing certain songs. Peter has maintained that the catalogue belongs to the performing twins. Company registrations, bank mandates and contracts with digital distributors exist, yet they do not form a complete chain that settles every claim.

When income was directed into a similarly named company, the challenge could only be mounted after the fact through investigation and litigation rather than by reference to a pre-existing prohibition or consent requirement.

The commercial success of the red ZR cap therefore sits in instructive contrast to the contractual failures that produced the dispute itself. One brother used the visibility of his account of events to generate immediate sales for a personal brand. The underlying conflict, however, continues because the original business relationship lacked the written framework that would have defined roles, money flows and exit paths from the start.

Wokocha warns that artists and managers who work with family or close friends should treat the P-Square experience as a practical warning. Register the company early and record exact shareholdings. Execute a written management agreement that states the manager’s duties, remuneration, reporting frequency and limits on authority.

Include a shareholders’ agreement that covers capital contributions, profit distribution, intellectual-property ownership, brand use, and what happens on death, disability or exit. Insert a dispute-resolution clause that requires good-faith negotiation, then mediation, before any party may go to court or the press.

Keep every bank mandate, royalty statement and third-party contract in a shared repository so that no one can later claim surprise. Update the documents whenever the business model changes, for example when streaming replaces physical sales or when a new company is formed to hold specific assets.

These steps do not eliminate conflict. They do, however, convert conflict into a process with known rules and known evidence. The Okoye brothers built one of Africa’s most successful music brands while relying largely on blood ties and informal understandings. When those ties frayed, the missing paperwork left each side free to reconstruct history in its own favour.

Other artists can avoid the same outcome by insisting on clear contracts from the first day money or rights begin to move.

Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to activate contingency logistics arrangements to prevent delays in the distribution of revised ballot papers and result sheets ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.

Asmau Maikudi, Chairman of the 2026 Osun Election Observation Mission, Yiaga Africa, made the call on Thursday while presenting the organisation’s pre-election assessment of the election in Osogbo.

Maikudi said INEC must ensure timely delivery of the revised election materials to all Registration Area Centres and polling units before voting begins, following the late inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the ballot.

She also urged the Commission to strengthen coordination within the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure proper security for polling officials deployed to Registration Area Centres ahead of election day.

On election technology, Maikudi called on INEC to resolve all outstanding technical issues with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), warning that failures could cause ‘disenfranchisement, delays, and other operational disruptions arising from technical failures.’

‘Immediately activate contingency logistics arrangements to mitigate delays arising from the late arrival and redistribution of revised ballot papers and result sheets, ensuring timely delivery of materials to all Registration Area Centres and polling units before the commencement of polls,’ Maikudi said.

She also urged INEC to uphold transparency and strict compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and its Regulations and Guidelines on results management, while guaranteeing accredited party agents, observers and media practitioners unhindered access to collation centres at all levels.

Maikudi further called for proper and consistent communication between INEC and transport unions and companies providing logistics support for election-day deployment, including contingency plans where transport providers withdraw from contracts or fail to deploy.

On security, she urged security agencies to maintain strict neutrality and professionalism in securing the election and sanction personnel who violate rules requiring impartiality, objectivity and non-partisanship.

‘Maintain strict neutrality and professionalism in securing the election, and sanction any security personnel who violate the rules of engagement requiring impartiality, objectivity and non-partisanship,’ she said.

She also called on security agencies to respect the rights of citizens, media practitioners and accredited observers, including their freedom of movement on election day, and urged better coordination with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in tackling vote buying.

On political parties and candidates, Maikudi urged them to commit to the terms of the Peace Accord, ensure peaceful engagement and call on their supporters to remain peaceful before and during the election.

‘Political parties, candidates and their supporters must refrain from vote-buying and the related practice of compromising the ballot’s secrecy and undermining the value of the vote so that the voters of Osun State are free to vote their preference for governor,’ she said.

Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals has officially opened its first medical facility in Alaro City, a master-planned residential and light-industrial settlement situated on the outskirts of Epe.

The globally accredited healthcare provider serves the Alaro community through a new outpost clinic offering general outpatient and emergency services.

Speaking at the commissioning of the new clinic in Lagos, Olubisi Oyeniran, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals, said the move reflects the organisation’s commitment to strategic expansion across key parts of Nigeria.

He noted that the partnership with Alaro City aims to plan essential infrastructure ahead of the future health demands of the 2,000-hectare city.

‘This clinic will function as one of our outposts and one of the doors into the Lagoon healthcare system and Iwosan Healthcare, which is also made up of Paelon Memorial Hospital, Euracare, and Iwosan Wellness,’ Oyeniran said.

‘If there is any reason to provide further care, we then get you into the bigger group from this outpost. As the city and healthcare demand grow, our vision is to build secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities here in Alaro City. We are working with the development plan of the city.’

Strategic expansion aligns with master plan

Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals, one of Nigeria’s largest private tertiary healthcare providers, secured its fifth Gold Seal of approval from the Joint Commission International (JCI) in 2024, recognising its commitment to high-quality, safe patient care.

Ngozi Onyia, Managing Director of Paelon Memorial Hospital, performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony and noted that the launch of Iwosan Lagoon’s Alaro City facility is a strategic effort to integrate essential healthcare directly into new urban developments.

She stated that Iwosan Lagoon brings a track record of top-tier quality standards to the development, highlighted by its historical distinction as the first hospital in Nigeria to achieve JCI accreditation, alongside industry benchmarks like SafeCare Level 5 standards and collaborative partnerships with institutions such as the US-based Mayo Clinic.

To sustain and expand such high-standard operations, Onyia emphasised the need for continued enabling environments from the Lagos State Government, alongside favourable policies, targeted tax relief, and dedicated funding to support healthcare as a viable business.

Scaling up to full-service hospital care

While operations are beginning with a local clinic, the project is designed to scale into a major hospital providing end-to-end medical care for residents, according to Oluwatomi Kogo, Managing Director of Iwosan Lagoon Outpatient Clinic and Iwosan Wellness Centre.

‘Within the next 12 months, we intend to develop into a larger hospital. This means we will have at least 10 beds to admit, a full laboratory, and a radiology unit,’ she said.

‘We are going to offer 24-hour emergency care, general outpatient services, comprehensive annual health checks, and family medicine. Specialists will come from time to time to see people with underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. People who require more specialised care will then be transferred.’

In line with their vision for a fully integrated community, Oluwaseyi Ashade, Head of Corporate Affairs for Alaro City, highlighted that the master plan relies on building infrastructure ahead of market demand rather than waiting for population growth to trigger development.

She noted that an eight-lane main boulevard was completed before residents began moving into the area, assuring that the Iwosan Lagoon clinic will ensure immediate access for incoming families rather than delaying services until the city matures.

‘For a city that is growing, healthcare is important. If we are building a community where families can go to work and go to school, you need a partner like Iwosan Lagoon Hospitals that understands that shared vision where you are building infrastructure ahead of demand,’ Ashade said.