Category: Business Day

Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja (Jeki VI), new King Jaja of Opobo, begun his reign with a cry to help Opobo. The outcry was heard by Goodluck Jonathan, a former president, and a multitude of monarchs.

The king used same tone of the first king when he said: ‘We do not ask for charity, we ask for equity, same way King Jaja asked for fair trade’. The crowd stirred.

The new king listed the teething problems of his kingdom said Opobo lacks government presence. This seemed to raise eyebrows as the government of Rivers State is controlled by a son of the soil, Sim Fubara, who actually was away in New York on the coronation day.

The new Amanyanabo listed the critical areas of need as shore protection for Opobo satellite communities, something many see as matter of survival of islands and water-based communities in the Niger Delta.

King Jaja receiving letter from Ngozi Odu, deputy governor

Other needs he listed include quality health care, and need to cite higher institutions in the place. A higher institution was being planned for Opobo when Fubara came to power, with a coordinator already working on the project, closely with the governor, until the impeachment crisis erupted.

Speaking shortly after being crowned in Opobo amid pomp and pageantry on Saturday, September 26, 2026, King Jaja VI said, ‘Our needs are clear: sustainable roads and jetties, protection of our shorelines, quality health care and higher institutions, and protection of our riverine environment.’

He continued, ‘We do not ask for charity , we ask for partnership and equity as King Jaja asked for fair trade.’

The Opobo king recalled key contributions made by Opobo to national development, noting that ‘Opobo gave Nigeria palm produce and brave men. We now call for intervention agencies to partner with the people of Opobo.’

In his coronation address, King Charles Douglas Mac-Pepple Jaja VI urged the people of Opobo Kingdom to uphold the courage, vision and enterprise of their forebears.

L-R: Goodluck Jonathan; wife, Patience; and Ngozi Odu, deputy governorý

ýHe paid tribute to the founding monarch, King Jaja of Opobo, whom he described as a courageous strategist and statesman who built Opobo into a major commercial centre and defended its economic interests against British imperial pressure.

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ýThe monarch said the legacy of King Jaja should continue to inspire present and future generations, urging his people to remain united and committed to the progress and dignity of the kingdom.

Jaja VI pledged to uphold the sovereignty and dignity of Opobo, emphasizing that he will rule with truth, justice, and unity.’

He used the occasion to express thanks to those who made the coronation a success especially top personalities and royals that include the former president, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha; Asari Dokubo, the Amayanabo of Elem Kalabari; Olu of Warri, Obong of Calabar, among others.

King Jaja VI also expressed appreciation to Gov Fubara, Odu, and others for honouring his coronation.

King Charles, who was elected monarch in December 2025, following the death of King Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Jeki V, his predecessor, was anointed and crowned by Emmanuel Oko-Jaja, the Bishop of the Niger Delta Diocese, who too is a member of the Council, in keeping with Opobo tradition.

The coronation programme, which began a week earlier with traditional rites and festivities, came to an end on Saturday with the new monarch crowned before dignitaries that included traditional rulers from across the country including the King and Amanyanabo of Bonny, the Dein of Agbor, Alabo Charles Numbere, Regent of Kalabari, and several Amanyanapu and Alapu of Kalabari.

Although Gov Fubara of Rivers State was not physically present, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, was on hand to lead the state delegation. The state government urged traditional rulers in the State to remain custodians of the people’s heritage while contributing to peace, stability and development.

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ýThe government said traditional institutions remained important partners in preserving cultural values, promoting unity and maintaining peace across communities.

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ýThe deputy governor described the coronation as a celebration of Opobo Kingdom’s rich history, culture and enduring heritage, noting that the traditions of the Opobo people form an important part of the cultural identity of Rivers State and Nigeria.

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ýShe stressed the need to preserve and transmit these values to future generations, and prayed for wisdom, peace, unity and progress throughout the reign of King Jaja VI, while urging the monarch to provide purposeful leadership to the people of Opobo Kingdom.

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ýIn his goodwill message, Jonathan, former President, congratulated King Jaja VI, describing him as a respected traditional ruler whose reign would promote peace, unity and development in the kingdom.

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ýJonathan recalled the historical significance of Opobo and the enduring legacy of its traditional institution, noting that the name and image of the late King Jaja remained respected beyond Nigeria.

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ýHe expressed confidence that the new monarch would build on the legacy of his predecessors and use his position to promote peace, unity and development in Opobo.

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Earlier, the Obi of Onitsha described the relationship between Onitsha and Opobo as one founded on trade, mutual respect, and the enduring legacy of their forebears.

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ýHe said he was delighted to witness the occasion, recalling that he had attended the installation of the new monarch’s predecessor and participated in the ceremony in his traditional regalia.

Osa Mbonu-Amadi, the Tourists Club International president has announced the establishment of two new tourism destinations in Badagry, Lagos State: the Tourists Club International Art Gallery and the Tourists Club International Forest Reserve.

The announcement was made on Sunday to commemorate World Tourism Day 2026, themed ‘Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism’. The global observance highlights the growing influence of digital platforms and artificial intelligence on how travellers discover destinations, plan journeys and experience tourism. El Salvador is hosting the official global celebration.

Mbonu-Amadi said the initiative represented the organisation’s practical response to the global theme.

‘The establishment of the Tourists Club International Art Gallery and the Tourists Club International Forest Reserve is our practical response to the 2026 World Tourism Day theme,’ Mbonu-Amadi said. ‘We are using documentation, digital visibility and responsible tourism development to ensure that Badagry’s artistic, historical and natural assets are not overlooked in the rapidly changing tourism landscape.’

He added that the destinations belonged not only to the club but also to the people of Badagry and future generations who deserved to experience, understand and protect them. According to the organisation, the initiative aims to document, preserve and promote destinations that might otherwise remain invisible in the digital tourism ecosystem.

The Tourists Club International Art Gallery is expected to become the first purpose-built art gallery in Badagry, an ancient town renowned for its historical, cultural and tourism significance. The gallery is being established primarily to provide a secure, appropriate home for important artworks acquired by the organisation in recent years.

The facility will serve as a platform for cultural preservation, artistic appreciation, tourism education and digital storytelling. Although many art galleries in Lagos are concentrated on Lagos Island and Victoria Island, the growth of virtual tourism and AI-assisted travel planning has altered traditional views on destination locations.

A destination can attract local and international attention from anywhere, provided it is properly documented, digitally accessible and connected to the wider tourism ecosystem. The organisation said it will document the gallery, its collections and the stories behind the artworks to make Badagry’s artistic heritage more discoverable to visitors, researchers and AI-powered travel platforms.

The Tourists Club International Forest Reserve is a small but important natural area in Badagry and the only surviving forested space in the host community. The forest provides a habitat for a colony of monkeys whose natural environment is increasingly threatened by unsustainable development.

The reserve reflects the organisation’s commitment to developing tourism in a manner that protects nature and respects host communities. The site offers opportunities for environmental education, nature-based tourism, biodiversity conservation and public awareness of the need to preserve Nigeria’s remaining urban and peri-urban forests.

‘Through appropriate documentation, responsible visitor management and digital promotion, the forest reserve can become part of a broader conversation about sustainable tourism and the protection of threatened natural habitats,’ the organisation said.

Travellers increasingly rely on digital platforms and AI tools to determine where to go, what to see and where to stay. The organisation stressed the importance of documenting destinations if they are to appear in results generated by digital travel tools.

The club is working to place Badagry’s cultural and natural assets within the digital information landscape through verified descriptions, visual documentation, location data and narratives reflecting the host community’s voice. The approach aligns with the central question of World Tourism Day 2026: who benefits from the digital transformation of tourism and who determines which destinations travellers see.

Beneficiaries should include Nigerian communities, artists, conservationists, guides, small tourism businesses and culture-bearers. The initiative will promote inclusive tourism narratives by giving visibility to emerging attractions and community-based projects, rather than focusing exclusively on established commercial destinations.

The organisation plans to unveil the art gallery and forest reserve to the public at a date to be announced. The unveiling forms part of continuing efforts to promote international tourism, peace and universal friendship, develop and preserve tourism sites, disseminate reliable information and encourage respect for host community heritage.

Mbonu-Amadi said the initiative would help place Badagry more firmly on Nigeria’s tourism map.

‘Artificial intelligence can only recommend destinations that have been properly documented and made visible,’ Mbonu-Amadi said. ‘By establishing these two sites, TCI is helping to place Badagry more firmly on Nigeria’s tourism map while promoting cultural preservation, environmental responsibility and community participation.’

Nigerian developers risk paying more over the life of a building by prioritising cheaper construction materials over durability, industry experts have warned, as rising project costs push builders to seek savings at the procurement stage.

The call was made at the sixth edition of Big 5 Construct Nigeria, held from September 22 to 24 at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, where industry professionals discussed construction costs, material selection, sustainability, and the commercial viability of modern building solutions.

The event brought together more than 170 exhibitors from over 20 countries, including Germany, India, Spain, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, showcasing solutions spanning building materials, heavy machinery, HVACR, MEP systems, tools, and adhesives.

During one of the Big 5 Talks sessions on fit-out and finishes, speakers said developers need to consider material performance, durability, sustainability, and the intended use of a building from the early stages of design and procurement.

Abimbola Onagbade, Head of CDK Integrated Industries Ltd., said the focus on initial price can obscure the actual cost of owning and maintaining a property.

‘Value is the lowest sensible whole life cost, not the lowest initial price,’ Onagbade said.

He said developers sometimes spend heavily on land and construction but become reluctant to spend relatively small additional amounts on better-quality finishing materials.

‘You build, you buy a property, or you buy land of 100 million, you build a structure of 200 million, and then you are arguing over a tile of 3,000, 5,000 thereabout,’ he said.

According to Onagbade, repeated replacement of cheaper materials can ultimately make them more expensive.

‘A lot of times, we buy products that one year, two years, or three years after that we have to replace. Whereas you just buy, spend a little bit more, and buy a product that will last you 15 or 20 years further down the line,’ he said.

The speakers said the same principle should apply to material choices made during the design process, rather than waiting until construction reaches the finishing stage.

‘At the point of ideation, your flooring solution is also very critical. So you should think through that from the onset,’ Onagbade explained.

He further stressed that developers should understand material performance before using cost-cutting measures.

‘Developers need to understand material performance so that they can use that to inform their decisions when they’re buying and engineering downwards.’

The discussion also linked construction decisions to sustainability, with speakers urging developers to consider environmental and economic factors alongside cost.

‘It hinges on three pillars: economics, environment, and society,’ said Victor Fabunmi, Programmes Manager, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria).

Fabunmi said developers should consider energy efficiency, carbon footprint, waste management, water use, and the environmental impact of materials when planning projects.

Speakers also encouraged greater use of locally available materials and suppliers where they meet required standards, saying early planning can help developers assess quality, availability, and cost before construction begins.

Big 5 Construct Nigeria also featured more than 30 free-to-attend, CPD-certified Big 5 Talks sessions covering project management, architecture and design, technology, sustainable building materials, and façades.

Organised by Dmg Events, the three-day exhibition provided a platform for construction professionals to connect with suppliers and decision-makers as the sector grapples with rising project costs and growing demand for more sustainable building practices.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Common Thread:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Closing Reflection:

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

The Federal Government has evacuated another 105 distressed Nigerians from South Africa following renewed concerns over xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in the country.

The returnees, comprising 82 adults and 23 children, arrived in Lagos on South African Airways flight SA060 at about 8:30pm on Thursday, September 24, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement by Oluwafemi Adeniyi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Friday.

Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant government agencies received the returnees on arrival.

The latest evacuation brings to 1,821 the number of Nigerians repatriated from South Africa since the Federal Government commenced the consular evacuation exercise on June 10, 2026.

According to the ministry, the latest exercise was the 13th consular evacuation from South Africa since the programme began.

Of the 1,821 Nigerians evacuated so far, the Federal Government fully funded the evacuation of 1,388 persons.

The ministry said the evacuation of 100 of the 105 returnees in the latest batch was funded from a $265,854 donation made by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to purchase one-way tickets for 500 distressed Nigerians seeking to return to Nigeria from South Africa.

The remaining five returnees were evacuated with funding provided by a private Nigerian citizen, the ministry said.

The government said its diplomatic mission in South Africa was continuing discussions with the leadership of RCCG and other philanthropic groups and individuals to facilitate the return of additional Nigerians who have expressed concerns over their safety.

It added that some distressed Nigerians were undergoing preliminary clearance with the Nigerian Consulate in Johannesburg and relevant South African authorities.

‘They will be evacuated as soon as the process is finalized,’ the ministry said.

The Federal Government expressed appreciation to RCCG, led by Enoch Adejare Adeboye, for its donation towards the evacuation of 500 Nigerians, describing the intervention as a contribution to efforts to provide relief to Nigerians seeking to return home because of distress and concerns over their safety.

It also commended other groups and individuals that had supported the evacuation programme.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Federal Government remained ‘deeply concerned’ about persistent xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in the country.

It said Nigeria would continue diplomatic engagements and pursue other measures to secure the cooperation of South African authorities in tackling xenophobia and Afrophobia and protecting Nigerians living in the country.

‘The Federal Government remains deeply concerned about persistent Xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans in South Africa,’ the ministry said.

It reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the lives, rights, welfare and dignity of Nigerians in the diaspora, adding that appropriate diplomatic and consular measures would be deployed whenever circumstances required.

The government also urged Nigerians resident in South Africa to remain vigilant and law-abiding and maintain contact with the Nigeria High Commission in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for consular assistance when necessary.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more than 500 million Africans, identity remains a privilege, not a right. On National ID Day 2026, Seamfix has called on governments, regulators and businesses to close that gap through trusted identity systems that let every person access essential services securely and participate fully in the digital economy.

The company made the call following its participation at the 8th National Day of Identity, held on September 16, 2026, and organised by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

This year’s theme, ‘My Identity, My Shadow,’ highlights the importance of ensuring that every person has an identity that can be securely recognised wherever it is required, including when opening a bank account, receiving healthcare, registering a mobile line, accessing social support or using government services.

The 500 million figure, drawn from World Bank estimates, leaves hundreds of millions unable to access these services. For Seamfix, closing that gap is central to its work: identity is a right, not a privilege, and trusted infrastructure is what makes that right usable in practice.

For 19 years, Seamfix has built and supported identity and digital trust infrastructure across Africa, contributing to the enrollment of over 130 million citizens into Nigeria’s National Identity database as one of NIMC’s trusted infrastructure partners, digitising the Republic of Benin’s passport renewal process, and delivering SIM registration compliance, identity verification, and digital registries for government and enterprise use, work that has supported over 350 million identities processed across the continent.

Chimezie Emewulu, Group Chief Executive Officer of Seamfix, said:

‘Nearly two decades of building identity infrastructure across Africa has taught us what happens when identity works, and what it costs when it doesn’t.

Africa’s prosperity depends on people being able to participate fully in the economy and society, which is why we believe identity should be a right, not a privilege, and why we will keep building the systems that make that right real. That work doesn’t stop with governments, it means partnering with every institution willing to put trust and access first.’

Across Africa, significant progress has been made in expanding access to identity, but fragmented databases, inconsistent records, limited interoperability and repeated verification requirements continue to affect service delivery in many markets, increasing onboarding costs, delaying access to essential services, and making it difficult for people to use a trusted identity across institutions. Remote and underserved communities often face the greatest difficulty enrolling or accessing linked services.

Speaking at the event, Frank Atube, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Seamfix, said: ‘Fragmentation isn’t about how many times someone has to verify who they are, it’s about whether the systems doing that verifying can trust each other.

‘For those inside the system, it means starting over every time because those systems don’t talk to each other, instead of trusting what’s already been confirmed. For millions of others, it means no recognised identity at all. Both are solved the same way: systems that verify people accurately, protect their data, and reach the communities current infrastructure struggles to reach. That is the real priority, not just connecting what already exists, but building access for everyone else.’

Privacy and public trust must remain central as identity systems become more connected, with individuals given clear information about how their data is collected, shared and protected, and appropriate control over its use.

Seamfix believes government agencies, regulators and private-sector organisations must continue to collaborate to connect their systems, strengthen data protection and extend identity-enabled services to underserved communities.

National ID Day provides an opportunity to recognise Nigeria’s progress and renew the commitment to identity systems that serve people reliably throughout their lives. For Seamfix, that means continuing to build the infrastructure that ensures identity is a right every person can exercise, not one reserved for those the system finds easiest to reach.

For decades, a persistent paradox has defined Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape: a nation blessed with vast arable land, diverse climatic zones, and a burgeoning youth population continues to spend trillions of naira annually importing basic food staples.

At the heart of this challenge lies a deep-seated perception problem. For generations of young Nigerians, agriculture has been viewed not as a high-tech, profitable enterprise, but as an arduous, backbreaking punishment-a career of last resort reserved for those who failed to secure white-collar opportunities.

In Lagos recently, an ambitious national movement set out to dismantle that narrative at its root: the classroom.

Organized by Paradise Dynamic Farms Limited in collaboration with the Project Rebirth team, the inaugural National Agricultural Teachers Summit convened thousands of Agricultural Science educators in Lagos, alongside thousands more participating simultaneously from designated viewing centers across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The historic gathering which also featured an official Guinness World Records attempt for the largest attendance at an agricultural awareness summit in a single day, was anchored on a simple premise: if Nigeria is to build a sustainable food system, it must first revolutionize how agriculture is taught.

The Classroom as the Catalyst for Change

Setting the tone for the summit, Erica Okorodudu, the Executive Director, at Paradise Dynamic Farms Limited and Convener of the event, confronted the central question driving the initiative: ‘If agriculture is so important to the future of Nigeria, are we preparing the generation that will inherit it?’

Tracing the roots of public perception back to primary and secondary school classrooms, Okorodudu noted that while Agricultural Science is a standard subject, the realities of modern, tech-driven agribusiness rarely make it past the school gate.

‘We have dedicated teachers doing their best, sometimes without adequate laboratories, demonstration farms, equipment, or exposure to the technologies transforming agriculture around the world,’ Okorodudu said in her opening address. ‘Students learn about agriculture without always having the opportunity to touch the soil, operate a production system, monitor a crop, manage livestock, analyze data, or experience agriculture as a business.’

She emphasised that changing an entire generation’s outlook requires empowering the educators who guide them. ‘The future of Nigerian agriculture will be written in our classrooms before it is ever written in our fields,’ she asserted, describing teachers as ‘multipliers’ whose influence cascades from students to families, communities, and ultimately the national economy.

Central to the summit’s vision is transforming static school farms into active, commercial ‘living laboratories.’

Under this model, school demonstration farms will incorporate protected cultivation, drip irrigation, hydroponics, aquaculture, and climate-smart digital tools.

The goal, Okorodudu emphasised, is not merely to graduate students who understand agricultural theory, but to raise a generation capable of building scalable agribusinesses, driving processing and logistics, and guaranteeing national food security.

Shifting Mindsets: From Subsistence Farming to High-Tech Enterprise

Echoing this vision, Abiodun Moses Adeyeye, a soil fertility and plant nutrition expert from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), argued that modernizing agriculture requires shattering obsolete stereotypes.

‘The old perspective looks at agriculture as an occupation that is not worthwhile-that if you study it in the university, you don’t have ‘something upstairs’ or don’t know science,’ Adeyeye observed.

‘In the past, people believed studying agriculture meant using hoes and cutlasses for the rest of your life. But agriculture is science, technology, and business put together. It incorporates mathematics, physics, and chemistry.’

Adeyeye highlighted how modern advancements, such as drone technology, precision irrigation, and screenhouse farming are yielding massive economic returns for young entrepreneurs. Pointing to the country’s economic drain, he decried Nigeria’s heavy reliance on food imports, noting that the country imports approximately 98 percent of the wheat it consumes-a stark contrast to nations like Brazil, which produces 60 percent of its wheat locally.

‘If we educate these children from the onset that we can produce these commodities locally using modern science, we can stem the trillions of Naira leaving this country every year,’ Adeyeye said. ‘When students realize that agriculture uses cutting-edge technology and offers a direct path to wealth creation, they will actively choose it.’

Agriculture as a Scalable Business Model

Adding a practical commercial perspective during the panel sessions, Henry Nnanna, an agricultural engineer, real estate consultant, and lead panel coordinator, highlighted how historical shifts derailed Nigeria’s agricultural trajectory.

‘Agriculture used to support 70 percent of our workforce before the discovery of oil,’ Nnanna noted. ‘When oil came, we neglected agriculture. And because we haven’t been practicing it the appropriate, modern way, the next generation failed to connect with it.’

Nnanna urged educators to teach students the micro-business opportunities embedded within the agricultural value chain.

He demonstrated how accessible, low-capital ventures, such as container farming in urban backyards, fast-cycle crops like cucumbers that mature in 45 days, or structured poultry production using point-of-lay birds-can generate immediate cash flow and support structured loan repayments.

‘Agriculture is a business,’ Nnanna emphasized. ‘It all depends on where you focus. By bringing together experts across technology, entrepreneurship, academia, and government, this summit is hitting the right chord to ensure policy recommendations translate into actionable commercial practices.’

He added that the communique generated from the summit would be aggressively publicized and delivered directly to federal and state policymakers to ensure sustained momentum.

Policy Integration and Institutional Endorsement

The drive to embed modern agricultural practices into school curricula gained major institutional backing from the Committee of States’ Commissioners of Education in Nigeria (COSCEN).

Speaking on behalf of the committee, Halima Sule Alhassan (representing COSCEN Chairman, Lawal Olalekan Olohungbebe) commended the organizers for prioritizing teacher welfare, capacity building, and practical recognition.

Alhassan revealed that COSCEN, which works in direct collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) across all 36 states and the FCT, provides a ready-made platform to scale successful agricultural education models nationwide.

‘We organize monthly webinars for all Honorable Commissioners of Education to share best practices and successful state models,’ Alhassan explained. ‘If a state like Lagos or Akwa Ibom develops a highly successful school farm or agricultural curriculum model, that experience is shared across the platform.’

Following the success of the summit, Alhassan confirmed plans to table the challenges and solutions raised by the teachers directly before the national committee.

‘From my report, we can bring these actionable insights to the 36 State Commissioners and the FCT. Where necessary, we can facilitate the documentation and recommendation of these modern agricultural models to be formally integrated into national educational policy through bodies like the Joint Consultative Committee on Education (JCCE) and the National Council on Education (NCE).’

A National Movement Underway

As the inaugural summit concluded, the overarching message resonated clearly across the main hall in Lagos and the virtual viewing centers nationwide: Nigeria’s agricultural transformation cannot be achieved in isolation on rural farms; it must be cultivated within the educational ecosystem.

By equipping Agricultural Science teachers with modern techniques, institutional policy support, and an enterprise-driven mindset, the summit laid the groundwork for a structural shift-one that positions agriculture not as a remnant of the past, but as the cornerstone of Nigeria’s technological and economic future.