Category: Business Day

Nigeria’s debut iGaming livestreaming entertainment festival has concluded on a strong note, generating over 31 million impressions and rewarding more than 700 participants from a N50 million prize pool. Dubbed StreamFest, the five-day event combined gaming, celebrity appearances, comedy, and real-time audience challenges, delivering 20 hours of live interactive content and highlighting growing demand for hybrid gaming-entertainment experiences in the country.

The event, which was organised by Betking, one of Nigeria’s online gaming platforms, ran for 20 hours across five days, not only delivered impressive metrics- 31 million impressions and 131,800 views- but also distributed N50 million in prizes to over 700 participants, underscoring the company’s evolving digital entertainment strategy.

Held from July 8 to 12, 2026, at the BetKing TV Studio, StreamFest aired daily from 6 pm to 10 pm across multiple platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, and Kick. The event recorded 88,200 live audience messages, reflecting high levels of real-time interaction from viewers.

The festival was hosted by popular content creators Brain Jotter and Trench Boy, alongside a lineup of gamers, entertainers, and former Big Brother Naija housemates such as Tobi Bakare, Imisi, Doris Okorie, Khalamanja, Lonely, Kuntakite, Samuel Banks, King Beerah, and Anthon Umeh. Over the five days, participants engaged in live games including Chicken Keke, Giga Hot 40, King of Spin, Gates of Olympus, and Crash King, as well as audience challenges, daily giveaways, leaderboard competitions, musical chairs, live DJ sets, and creator-led entertainment segments.

Speaking on the success of the event, Nengi Akinola, Head of Marketing at BetKing, highlighted the strong market readiness for interactive experiences.

‘StreamFest showed us that Nigerians are ready for live, interactive gaming entertainment. In five days, we generated over 31 million impressions, recorded 131,800 views and 88,200 audience messages, and rewarded more than 700 customers from a N50 million prize pool,’ Akinola said.

She added that the initiative represents a strategic investment in the future of digital entertainment for the brand.

‘For us, this is only the beginning. We will continue to build experiences that bring gaming, creators, entertainment, and customers together in real time.’

BetKing described StreamFest as a significant milestone in its broader digital entertainment strategy. The company stated that the positive outcome validates its approach of merging iGaming with mainstream entertainment formats and signals plans to roll out more live, interactive content that unites gaming, creators, and customers.

The success of the maiden edition positions BetKing as a pioneer in transforming traditional betting into a more immersive, community-driven entertainment experience in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital media landscape.

Andy Burnham will become the United Kingdom’s next prime minister after winning the Labour Party leadership, succeeding Keir Starmer at the head of the governing party.

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, announced Burnham’s victory on Friday after he secured 379 nominations from Labour MPs, confirming his election as party leader. Burnham will formally take office as prime minister on Monday after Starmer tenders his resignation to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

Following Starmer’s resignation, Burnham will be invited by the King to form a government, completing the constitutional transition of power.

In his first speech as Labour leader, Burnham declared that he was ready to lead the country and promised to restore hope and confidence in British politics.

‘I am ready,’ he told party members, pledging to build ‘a new politics’ capable of delivering meaningful change.

Burnham argued that Britain needed a fresh political direction, saying his generation of politicians had failed to challenge a political culture and economic system that no longer worked for ordinary people.

‘We pledge to them to be better,’ he said, adding that Labour must focus on solving people’s problems rather than engaging in political point scoring.

The new Labour leader outlined five priorities for his leadership, beginning with ending internal party divisions and building ‘one Labour team’ that respects different viewpoints across the party.

His second pledge was to create what he described as ‘a new politics’, warning that public frustration with politicians had reached dangerous levels.

‘We haven’t been good enough,’ Burnham said, adding that Labour had been given ‘a last chance’ by voters and must use it to address long-neglected issues, including social care.

Burnham also pledged to lead a government that represented every part of the United Kingdom, saying he would be ‘a leader for the north, the south, the east and the west; for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.’

Reflecting on his political journey, Burnham said his experiences campaigning for justice after the Hillsborough disaster convinced him that Britain had failed many working-class communities.

He argued that industrial towns and cities that helped build the Labour movement had been neglected for decades, citing former steelmaking, mining and shipbuilding communities across England, Scotland and Wales.

Burnham criticised the centralisation of political power and privatisation policies introduced in the 1980s, arguing that they left many people facing higher living costs while concentrating wealth and power in fewer hands.

As part of his programme, he promised to shift power away from Westminster and Whitehall to local communities, giving people greater control over housing, transport, energy and other essential services.

Describing himself as a pro-business Labour leader, Burnham also pledged to support reindustrialisation, improve education and expand opportunities across the country.

‘People are looking for us to deliver and we will,’ he said, adding that his mission was to ‘bring back the hope we have all been missing too much.’

Burnham also paid tribute to Starmer, praising him for rebuilding Labour after one of its worst electoral defeats and leading the party back into government. He thanked the outgoing prime minister for his service to both the country and the party.

Starmer announced his resignation on June 22 after months of growing political pressure, saying he had ‘heard the answer’ from Labour members on whether he should lead the party into the next general election and accepted their verdict ‘with good grace’.

Burnham’s inauguration on Monday will make him Britain’s seventh prime minister in the past decade, extending a period of frequent leadership changes in UK politics.

The Federal Government has filed a 10-count charge against three men accused of involvement in the abduction of pupils and teachers from a school in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The charges, filed on Friday before the Federal High Court in Abuja, border on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement to terrorism and illegal mining.

Abdulrazak Umar, defendants

also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid; Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa; and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar – are all from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to the charge sheet, the three allegedly conspired with Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between January and May 2026 to kidnap schoolchildren and teachers in Orire LGA, an offence the prosecution said contravenes Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The Federal Government also accused the defendants of aiding the abduction and concealing information about the identities and activities of the alleged masterminds despite having prior knowledge of the plot, contrary to Sections 26(2) and 16(1) of the Act.

In a separate count, prosecutors alleged that the trio professed membership of Darul Salam, described in the charge as an affiliate of Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan (Ansaru), a proscribed terrorist organisation in Nigeria, in violation of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism Act.

The charge further singled out Abdulrazak Umar for additional offences, including allegedly providing training and instructions to terrorists through a WhatsApp group titled ‘The Oneness of Allah is the Foundation of Peace’ and using the platform to incite members to commit acts of terrorism.

The prosecution said the alleged offences contravene Sections 15 and 2(2)(g) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as Section 18 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.

Umar is also accused of unlawfully mining gold in streams located in the Chaza area of Suleja Local Government Area between 2024 and 2026 without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

Court documents indicate that the charges include conspiracy, aiding terrorism-related kidnapping, concealment of information, membership of a proscribed terrorist group, provision of terrorist training, incitement and illegal mining.

A security source familiar with the investigation said the Department of State Services (DSS) had concluded its investigation into the three suspects and was preparing to arraign them before the court next week.

‘The suspects are expected to appear in court next week following the conclusion of investigations. Others are still being investigated as the agency remains committed to ensuring diligent prosecution,’ the source said.

Nigeria closed the second quarter of 2026 as the busiest destination for private capital on the continent, as African dealmakers logged more transactions than they had in the opening months of the year, even as the biggest cheques of the last quarter failed to reappear.

Fresh data from Stears’ Q2 2026 Private Capital in Africa Activity Report shows the continent recorded 221 private market transactions in Q2 2026, a 19 percent jump from 185 deals reported in Q1, though still 8 percent below the corresponding quarter last year.

The rebound came without the scale that defined the first quarter, when MTN’s $6.2 billion buyout of IHS Holding’s Nigerian assets and a $4 billion Dangote Refinery debt package pushed disclosed values to $16.7 billion.

Stripped of those outliers, disclosed value fell to $10.8 billion in Q2, from $16 billion reported in the first three months, the report disclosed.

Stears said that ‘value disclosure rose to 69 percent of transactions in Q2 2026, up from 58 percent in Q1, giving the quarter a broader disclosed base, even though aggregate value was lower than Q1.’

Nigeria stands out

Nigeria was the standout performer, accounting for 63 of the quarter’s transactions and carrying $8 billion of West Africa’s $8.9 billion in disclosed value. A $600 million loan facility from Africa Finance Corporation to Dangote Group’s Greenview Fertiliser Corp and a $268 million loan from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development to Taraba State featured among the quarter’s notable single-country deals.

Egypt, by contrast, showed the tightest domestic concentration among the continent’s major markets, with Stears observing that the pattern suggests that Egypt’s activity was more domestically concentrated.

Followed by Kenya at 20 percent, South Africa at 17 percent, and Egypt at 17 percent. Egypt, however, stood out for single-country activity, with 25 Egypt-only transactions, accounting for 68 percent of its total country-linked deal count. Nigeria recorded the highest number of single-country deals at 32, representing 51 percent of its total activity, compared with South Africa at 39 percent and Kenya at 16 percent.

The middle market gets squeezed

Beneath the headline recovery, the shape of dealmaking shifted. Deals below $2.5 million widened to become the single largest ticket-size band, while mega deals above $75 million held their ground at 24 transactions.

The middle of the market, tickets between $2.5 million and $75 million, lost the most ground, falling to 37 percent of disclosed deals from 54 percent in Q1. Stears frames this as a market being squeezed from both ends, adding that ‘The middle bands were comparatively squeezed even as activity improved elsewhere.’

Financial Services loosens its grip

According to Stears, financial services remained the most active sector in Q2 2026, recording 52 transactions, although its lead narrowed from the previous quarter. Industrials, Energy and Utilities,

It added that consumer discretionary and information technology completed the dominant five, which together accounted for 181 transactions, or 82 percent of total deal activity. This was lower than the 85 percent recorded in Q1 2026, suggesting that activity remained concentrated in familiar sectors, but with a slightly wider spread than at the start of the year.

‘Just like Q1, financial services sub-sectors led the way again on a sub-sector basis, with payments infrastructure accounting for $3.0 billion, equivalent to 28 percent of total disclosed transaction value in the quarter, while cross-border payments, B2B payments, B2C payments, and digital wallet platforms each recorded $2.8 billion, or 26 percent of total disclosed value.’

It said beyond financial services, telecom infrastructure and utility-scale solar were among the more active sub-sector themes in Q2 2026. Liquid Intelligent Technologies (Mauritius) and Project BRIDGE (Nigeria) secured investments in telecom infrastructure, while Axian Energy (Senegal) and a solar PV project (South Africa) attracted capital in utility-scale solar

M and A cools, exits stall

Mergers and acquisitions cooled from Q1’s elevated base, falling to 14 percent of recorded deals, with the $2.7 billion acquisition of cross-border payments platform Payoneer standing as the quarter’s largest, alongside a run of smaller AI-focused acquisitions by firms including CNTXT AI and Yoco.

Exit activity told the weakest story of the quarter. Only seven exits were recorded, the lowest count since late 2022, a sharp drop from the 32 logged as recently as the final quarter of 2025.

The pullback pushed Stears’ proprietary liquidity gauge, the SVL Index, to 82.46, its lowest reading in years. The report attributes this to the sharp fall in recorded exit volume, rather than a broad deterioration across all liquidity indicators, and cautions that reporting lags may lead to additional exits being added over time.

Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president has approved the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway using reinforced concrete pavement, a move the federal government says is aimed at improving the highway’s lifespan and reducing maintenance costs.

David Umahi, minister of works, announced the approval on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja, saying the decision aligns with the ministry’s policy of using reinforced concrete on major federal roads because of its durability.

According to Umahi, the 135-kilometre dual carriageway has begun to deteriorate despite being less than five years old.

‘The president approved yesterday the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan road, and that is the justification for our fight for the use of reinforced concrete pavement,’ he said.

He said previous repairs carried out on the highway failed to resolve the recurring defects.

‘We took journalists there. We took members of the National Assembly there. You could see the road failing. They repaired it, and it still failed,’ Umahi said.

‘The answer is to reconstruct it using reinforced concrete pavement that will last between 50 and 100 years, maintenance-free.’

The minister also announced that Tinubu approved a 400-kilometre extension of the Fourth Legacy Highway, increasing the planned corridor from about 700 kilometres to approximately 1,100 kilometres.

Umahi said the new stretch will pass through Taraba State, strengthening transport links between Nigeria’s North Central and North East regions.

He added that the president approved the completion of the Ibi Bridge project in Taraba, which was awarded in 2018 but abandoned after reaching about 40 percent completion.

‘Yesterday, the president approved the review and completion of the Ibi bridge in Taraba State,’ he said.

Tinubu also approved the construction of the 5.76-kilometre Lau Bridge across the Benue River in Taraba State.

According to Umahi, the project has been cleared for design, procurement and award.

In addition, the minister said the president approved the dualisation of a 400-kilometre section of the Lokoja-Benin corridor, describing it as another major investment in Nigeria’s road network.

He said the approved projects are expected to improve connectivity, facilitate trade and strengthen transport infrastructure across the country.

The Court of Appeal on Thursday restored the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) 2027 election guidelines, setting aside a Federal High Court judgment that had nullified parts of the framework and restrained the electoral body from implementing them.

The unanimous judgment reinforces INEC’s constitutional powers to regulate the conduct of elections and removes a legal hurdle that had cast uncertainty over preparations for the 2027 general election.

A three-member panel of the appellate court held that the lower court erred in invalidating INEC’s administrative discretion and ruled that the Youth Party (YP), which instituted the suit, lacked the legal standing to challenge the guidelines.

Delivering the lead judgment prepared by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, Justice Okon Abang said the Electoral Act and the Constitution empower INEC to issue guidelines for the conduct of elections, adding that the courts should not interfere where the commission acts within the scope of its statutory authority.

‘The law gives INEC powers to conduct elections in the country,’ Abang held.

The court ruled that the Youth Party failed to establish that the guidelines had infringed on its rights or prevented it from conducting its primary election ahead of the 2027 polls.

According to the court, a party can only seek judicial intervention where there is a real or imminent threat to its participation in the electoral process.

‘Where INEC acts within its powers, the courts cannot get involved. The declaratory reliefs granted by the trial court were wrongly made and are hereby set aside,’ the appellate court ruled.

Justice Banjoko further held that the party did not demonstrate how INEC’s directives affected its members or nomination process, making the action speculative rather than one founded on an existing legal injury.

The Appellate court unanimously agreed that the trial judge erred in nullifying parts of the guidelines on the grounds that they were inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, describing the decision as one that occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

The ruling followed an appeal by INEC against the May 20 judgment of the Federal High Court, which held that the commission could not lawfully shorten the timeline prescribed under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, for political parties to submit membership registers and candidates’ particulars.

The suit was filed by the Youth Party after INEC directed political parties to submit their membership registers and databases by May 10 as part of the requirements for participation in the 2027 general election.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, INEC, through its lead counsel, Alex Izinyon (SAN), argued that the trial court failed to determine its preliminary objection that the suit was hypothetical, academic and therefore incompetent.

The commission also contended that the proceedings denied it a fair hearing and that the judgment was against the weight of the evidence presented before the court.

INEC urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment and strike out the suit, maintaining that the Youth Party lacked the locus standi to institute the action.

In allowing the appeal, the Court of Appeal agreed with the commission’s arguments, holding that the suit was not maintainable and affirming INEC’s authority to issue administrative guidelines for the conduct of elections within the limits of the law.

The judgment is expected to provide greater legal certainty for the electoral commission as it continues preparations for the 2027 general election, while reaffirming the scope of its regulatory powers under Nigeria’s electoral framework.

The presidency has said President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms have freed Nigeria from borrowing about $7.5 billion annually to finance fuel subsidies, leading to a nearly 60 percent increase in monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to states and accelerating infrastructure development nationwide.

Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, made the remarks during the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National Media Tour of projects in Imo State.

According to him, the increased allocations have enabled states to embark on major infrastructure projects while improving their financial position.

‘We were borrowing to pay for that subsidy. Now we’re no longer borrowing $7.5 billion every year. Those funds are being freed up.

‘That’s why we see the FAAC allocation going up by almost 60%,’ Dare said.

He added that the reforms had also reduced states’ dependence on the federal government for salary payments.

‘People forget that 21 states were coming, cap in hand, to Abuja for salaries every month. States are paying now.

‘They’ve also increased N70,000 and N80,000. Some states like Imo State, N100,000,’ he added.

Dare said the projects inspected in Imo reflected the impact of collaboration between the federal government and states under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘This wouldn’t have been possible without the increased FAAC allocation that comes monthly from the federal government to the state government, providing extra funds for development projects,’ he said.

The presidential aide said the delegation inspected several ongoing and completed projects, including a 2,000-bed infectious disease centre, a heart transplant centre, the Imo Digital City, and the Orlu-Akokwa-Uga road linking Imo and Anambra states.

He described the investments as people-centred projects capable of boosting healthcare, innovation and regional economic integration.

Providing further details, Declan Emelumba, Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, said Governor Hope Uzodimma revived the Imo State University Teaching Hospital after years of decline, restoring accreditation that had left about six sets of medical students unable to graduate.

He said the restoration allowed the backlog of stranded medical students to graduate and enabled the institution to resume regular graduation of doctors.

Emelumba also described the Orlu-Akokwa-Uga road as a strategic commercial corridor connecting Imo and Anambra, noting that a section of the road had remained impassable for more than eight years because of severe gully erosion before reconstruction began.

According to him, the project would improve movement of goods and services across the two states and restore access to communities previously cut off by erosion.

Victor Samson, executive assistant to the chief medical director of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, said the state government had invested heavily in healthcare infrastructure, including a heart transplant centre, a 200-bed infectious disease centre, solar-powered facilities and a modern oxygen plant.

He disclosed that the state had conducted more than 4,000 free surgeries since Uzodimma assumed office, including about 400 thyroidectomy procedures during the last free medical outreach.

Samson added that patient inflow had increased significantly as consultants and resident doctors who previously left the hospital had begun returning to the institution.

Chimezie Amadi, Imo State Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government, said the state’s Digital City had trained over 75,000 youths in digital skills ranging from software engineering to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud computing.

He said the facility also assembles smartphones, routers and tablets under the ImoSys brand with a production capacity of 1,000 devices daily, adding that ‘the project had attracted $15 million in private investment through partnerships with organisations including the University of California, Berkeley, and Cisco.’

According to Amadi, the initiative is designed to create a technology-driven economy while positioning Imo as a digital innovation hub in Africa.

The media tour also inspected the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Convention Centre, where Bennett Nwokejiobi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Benicox Group, said ‘The facility would feature a 10,000-seat main hall, two 5,000-seat halls and an additional 2,000-seat upper hall, making it one of the country’s largest convention centres when completed.’

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 1,500-unit housing estate developed by the Nigeria Immigration Service Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society (NIMCOS) to provide affordable homes for personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The housing estate, located at Kutunku Extension in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), comprises three-bedroom and four-bedroom housing units designed to improve the welfare of officers and reduce the housing challenges faced by personnel.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the project underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the living conditions of public servants through strategic partnerships with private developers and cooperative societies.

Represented by the Secretary of Abdulmalik Jibril, Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), the minister said access to decent housing would ease the economic burden on immigration personnel and enhance their productivity.

He noted that the Tinubu administration remains committed to implementing policies that prioritise workers’ welfare and create an enabling environment for efficient public service delivery.

Kemi Nandap, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, described the project as a major investment in the well-being of officers, saying it was conceived barely a year ago to address the housing needs of personnel.

Represented by Florence Nwaneka, Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Visa and Residence Permit, Nandap said the estate, developed in partnership with Abiskoly Real Estate Developers, reflects the service’s determination to improve staff welfare.

She said decent housing remains one of the most important incentives for personnel, providing security, stability and motivation for officers to perform their duties effectively.

‘Today’s event is a clear demonstration of the Service’s commitment to the welfare of its personnel.

‘Good housing remains one of the most important aspects of staff welfare, as it provides security, promotes stability and enables officers to perform their duties more effectively,’ she said.

Nandap commended the leadership of the Nigeria Immigration Service Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society for initiating the project, describing it as evidence of what can be achieved through purposeful collaboration between cooperative societies and private sector partners.

She, however, urged beneficiaries to maintain the estate properly, stressing that the Service would not tolerate poor maintenance or environmental degradation.

‘The beneficiaries must demonstrate professionalism, discipline and a strong maintenance culture. We will not condone a situation where this estate becomes dilapidated or unkempt within a few years,’ she warned.

Earlier, Salihu Dauda, President of the Nigeria Immigration Service Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society (NIMCOS), described the housing development as a transformative welfare initiative for members of the cooperative.

He said home ownership goes beyond providing shelter, noting that it guarantees dignity, security, family stability, economic empowerment and social inclusion.

Dauda observed that affordable housing remains a major challenge for millions of Nigerians, including public servants, making the initiative critical to improving the welfare of immigration officers.

‘It is in recognition of this reality that NIMCOS has consistently prioritised housing as one of its flagship welfare programmes,’ he said.

He disclosed that the cooperative is already replicating the initiative in Kuje District of the FCT, where another 1,500 housing units comprising three-bedroom and four-bedroom bungalows are being developed for members upon completion.

The Federal Government has commended the successful rollout of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Computer-Based Test (CBT) for the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), describing the exercise as a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen examination integrity and accelerate the digital transformation of Nigeria’s education system.

Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, gave the commendation after monitoring the examination in Abuja, where she expressed satisfaction with the smooth conduct of the exercise and the absence of technical disruptions.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, the minister said the successful implementation of the CBT format demonstrated the country’s growing capacity to deploy technology in delivering credible public examinations.

According to her, the computer-based format improves the credibility of examinations by randomising questions, limiting opportunities for malpractice and promoting merit-based assessment.

‘The successful rollout of the CBT examination is a major step in safeguarding the integrity of our examination system while positioning Nigeria’s education sector for the future,’ she said.

Ahmad reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding the CBT system across the country through a gradual and inclusive approach.

She assured Nigerians that no student would be disadvantaged during the transition because of inadequate infrastructure or limited access to digital technology, stressing that the government would continue to ensure equitable access to computer-based examinations.

The minister disclosed that the Ministry of Education is collaborating with the National Assembly, state governments and private sector partners to strengthen CBT infrastructure nationwide and support a seamless transition to technology-driven examinations.

Also speaking, Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, Registrar of the National Examinations Council (NECO), revealed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, including more than 700,000 female candidates.

He added that the council expects to release the results by the first week of September 2026 or earlier, following the successful conduct of the examination.

The Federal Government reiterated its commitment to leveraging technology to improve examination integrity, enhance learning outcomes and build a globally competitive education system through sustained investment in digital education infrastructure.

There is a strange thing that happens to people on their way up, and almost no one notices it happening to them. It is not that they become arrogant, though some do. It is not that they stop caring, though that happens too. It is quieter and more mechanical than either, and it is this: the higher a person climbs, the less true information reaches them until eventually they are making the most important decisions of their lives on the worst data of their careers.

Consider what actually happens to a single honest sentence as it travels upward through an organisation. A junior analyst notices a problem. She mentions it to her manager but softens it because managers do not love being handed problems. The manager, now holding a softened version, passes it to the director but softens it again because he does not want to look as though his area is struggling. The director mentions it to the vice president as a minor item already being handled. By the time it reaches the person at the top, the sentence that began as ‘this could sink us’ has been sanded down, at every level, by people protecting themselves, into ‘one small thing we’re monitoring’. No one lied. Everyone adjusted. And the leader, hearing calm where there should have been alarm, feels reassured at the exact moment he should be terrified.

This is the part that makes correcting a leader so much harder than it looks. It is not simply that powerful people are stubborn, though the stubborn ones exist. It is that power itself builds a filter around a person, woven thread by thread out of everyone else’s ordinary self-interest, and that filter removes the truth long before it ever reaches the top. The leader does not experience this as censorship. He experiences it as consensus. He looks around, sees agreement on every face, and concludes, reasonably, that things must be fine.

There is a young ruler from an old story who inherited a kingdom and lost half of it in a single afternoon. When he took the throne, the elders who had served his father counselled restraint: lighten the people’s burden, speak to them gently, and they will follow you for life. But he preferred a second group, the friends he had grown up with, who told him what he wanted to hear: show strength, make the burden heavier, and let them fear you. He liked that answer better. It flattered the image he had of himself. So, he took it, and by nightfall the kingdom had split in two, and the larger half was gone forever. He did not lack advisors. He had two kinds standing right in front of him. He chose the ones whose words felt good over the ones whose words were true, and it cost him a kingdom.

There is another king from the same old world who wanted to go to war and gathered four hundred advisors to weigh in. All four hundred told him exactly what he had hoped: go, you will win. There was one more voice available, a man known for saying uncomfortable things, and the king admitted, openly, that he hated him for precisely that reason. He was finally persuaded to summon him, and the man told him the truth: that the war would end in disaster. The king went with the four hundred anyway. He died in the battle they had promised he would win. Notice what the four hundred were for. They were not there to inform him. They were there to confirm him, and a leader who collects that kind of counsel is not gathering wisdom. He is decorating a decision he has already made.

We can shake our heads at ancient kings, but the same machinery hums inside modern institutions, and it is often more polished for being modern. Whole companies have walked calmly off cliffs their own employees saw coming because the warnings dissolved on the way up. The technology that would have saved them sat in a lab down the hall. The market shift was visible to junior staff years early. The information existed. It simply never completed the climb, because at every floor someone had a reason to make it smaller than it was.

So, if you are trying to correct a leader, understand what you are truly up against. You are not just facing one person’s ego. You are fighting the gravity of the position itself, a force that pulls comfortable falsehoods upward and leaves inconvenient truths stranded at the bottom. That is why persistence matters more than eloquence here and why one brave sentence, said once, so rarely lands. You are not overcoming a bad mood. You are overcoming physics.

And if you are the leader, the lesson is more sobering still. You must assume, as a standing condition of your role, that the truth is not reaching you and that the calm you feel may be the most dangerous thing about your day.

Which raises the question we have been circling for three weeks and will finally answer in the next. If power deafens, and the truth cannot climb on its own, then what does it actually take to correct a leader, and how does a wise leader build a life in which the truth can still get through? That is where we end.