Category: Business Day

The Preacher of Ecclesiastes said it. A time to unite. A time to listen. A time to reform. A time to renegotiate the terms of belonging. And perhaps, above all, a time to understand that unity without justice is merely geography pretending to be a nation. This is where Pa Obafemi Awolowo, that great legend of our political history, enters this conversation with almost uncanny relevance. In Path to Nigerian Freedom (1947), Awolowo wrote that Nigeria was ‘not a nation’ but ‘a mere geographical expression.’ The statement is often quoted as a political provocation. In its original context, however, it was part of a wider constitutional argument about Nigeria’s deep diversity and the federal structure he considered appropriate to it. That distinction matters. Awolowo was confronting a fundamental political truth: a territory can be created by boundaries; a nation cannot. A map can tell us where Nigeria begins and ends. It cannot tell us why the people within those boundaries should regard one another as members of the same political community. That must be built. And this, ultimately, is the central argument of this second part: The enduring answer to the question of Nigerian unity is not simply to insist that Nigeria must remain one. It is to build a Nigeria that its constituent peoples have sufficient reason to choose. That is the difference between an inherited state and a legitimate union.

The Awolowo Question

Awolowo’s ‘geographical expression’ formulation was, in essence, a nation-building challenge.

If Nigeria was merely a geographical expression, then the historical task was obvious: turn the geography into a political community. But how? Not by pretending that the constituent peoples were identical. Not by demanding that difference disappear. And certainly not by confusing territorial integrity with national integration. Awolowo’s answer in 1947 was federalism. He argued that Nigeria’s diverse national or ethnic groups required sufficient room to develop along their own lines, and that a federal constitution was suited to that diversity. The historical irony is therefore worth pausing over. The man remembered for declaring Nigeria a ‘mere geographical expression’ was not necessarily prescribing its dissolution. He was confronting the constitutional conditions necessary for making its continued existence workable. That is the point contemporary Nigeria should recover. The question is not whether Nigeria exists on the map. It does. The question is whether Nigeria works as a political community.

The Test of a Union

This brings us to the harder question. What is the real test of national unity? Is it the absence of separatist agitation? Is it the survival of colonial boundaries? Is it the ability of the centre to compel compliance? Or is it something deeper; i.e., the willingness of diverse peoples to continue sharing a political home because they believe that home affords them justice, security, dignity and meaningful participation? If the last is the test, then unity cannot be measured merely by the country’s continued territorial existence. A country can remain intact while its citizens feel estranged from it. It can have a constitution without constitutionalism, elections without sufficient trust, federal institutions without meaningful federal autonomy, and national symbols without a sufficiently compelling sense of common ownership. Territorial integrity tells us that a country has remained together. It does not tell us why. And the ‘why’ matters. Because a political union ultimately rests on consent, expressed not necessarily through one dramatic referendum, but through the accumulated everyday experience of citizenship.

The citizen asks: Does this country protect me? Does it treat me fairly? Does my voice count? Does my community have meaningful political agency? Do its institutions belong to all of us, or principally to whoever controls the centre?

Those questions are not necessarily separatist questions. They are nation-building questions.

The Nigerian Paradox

This is where Nigeria’s constitutional dilemma becomes particularly acute. The Nigerian state requires unity. However, unity itself requires legitimacy. The centre requires authority. Yet, excessive concentration of authority can weaken the sense of ownership that makes a federation legitimate. Citizens are asked to believe in one Nigeria. But belief cannot be legislated into existence. It has to be earned. This is why the recurring debate over restructuring, devolution, fiscal federalism and greater subnational autonomy should not be reduced to coded language for disintegration. These are, at their core, arguments about how power should be organised within a plural state. Nor should every constitutional grievance automatically be converted into an argument for separation. The more fundamental question lies beneath both positions: What constitutional arrangement gives Nigeria’s diverse peoples sufficient security and agency to regard the Union as theirs? That question allows disagreement without demanding rupture. It also allows patriotism without requiring silence.

The Unfinished Business of Belonging

For many Ndigbo, the Nigerian experience carries a particularly complicated historical memory; i.e., from colonial rule and the constitutional arrangements inherited at independence, through the violence and devastation of the civil war, to the political, economic and psychological legacies that followed. That history contains competing memories and interpretations. It should therefore neither be romanticised nor reduced to a single narrative. But one reality remains politically significant: the question of belonging has not disappeared. The persistence of separatist sentiment in parts of the Southeast cannot be adequately understood by simply dismissing every expression of it as criminality, emotionalism or youthful radicalism. Equally, every grievance cannot automatically be transformed into a constitutional case for separation. The serious intellectual task is more demanding: identify the grievance, test the evidence, examine the constitutional claim and ask what institutional conditions allow the grievance to endure. That is where political maturity begins. And it is also where the language of self-determination requires greater precision. Self-determination does not necessarily prescribe one constitutional destination. Depending on circumstances, it can be expressed through independence, autonomy, federal restructuring, devolution or continued membership of a Union under renegotiated terms. The common denominator is not separation. It is agency. The right to belong meaningfully includes the right to ask what the terms of belonging are.

The Reciprocal Compact

Every durable political union rests on an implicit bargain.

The state says to the citizen: You are protected here. You are equal here. Your identity does not disqualify you here. Your voice has a constitutional place here. Your future can be built here.

The citizen can then reasonably answer: Then this country is mine.

That is the reciprocal compact. But where citizens repeatedly encounter exclusion, insecurity, unequal treatment or political powerlessness, the emotional and moral foundations of belonging begin to erode. This is why belonging must be reciprocal. The state cannot demand unconditional emotional loyalty while treating citizenship as merely an administrative fact. Nor can citizens claim the benefits of political community while rejecting every obligation that community imposes. Nationhood therefore cannot simply be proclaimed. Nationhood must be experienced. A child born in Enugu, Kano, Ibadan, Maiduguri or Aba should not need a political theory to convince him that Nigeria is his country. His ordinary experience of citizenship should do that work. That is the real test.

From Geography to Nationhood

And so Awolowo’s phrase returns, not as a verdict on Nigeria’s permanent condition, but as a challenge to complete the unfinished work of nation-building. A geographical expression can become a nation. But it does so only when its people acquire reasons, institutions and experiences that transform territorial coexistence into political belonging. This is where the British mirror becomes illuminating. The constitutional tensions within the United Kingdom demonstrate that a union can contain multiple national identities and still confront continuing questions about the terms of membership. The existence of a union does not eliminate those questions. Nor does the expression of self-determination automatically settle what the constitutional future should be. The deeper lesson is this: A union must be strong enough to permit questions about its terms without treating the questions themselves as treason. Nigeria needs that constitutional confidence. It must be possible to discuss federalism without being accused of disloyalty; to discuss restructuring without automatically equating it with disintegration; to discuss self-determination without assuming that its only meaning is secession. Because the opposite approach produces a peculiar political paradox: the more desperately a state insists that its unity is unquestionable, the less opportunity it has to examine the conditions that make that unity sustainable. And that brings us to the central proposition.

The Best Argument for Union

The strongest argument for Nigeria’s continued union cannot ultimately be a slogan. It cannot simply be: Nigeria must remain one. The more searching question is: Why should Nigerians want to remain one? The answer must be visible in the quality of the country itself. In a federalism that has meaning. In citizenship that is genuinely equal. In institutions that command trust. In security that is not geographically selective. In political participation that does not make some communities feel permanently peripheral. In an economy whose opportunities are not perceived as privileges of proximity to the centre. In a constitutional order capable of accommodating difference without turning difference into a threat. That is how geography becomes nationhood. That is how a state becomes a political community. And that is how unity acquires legitimacy. The strongest argument against disintegration, therefore, is not coercion. It is performance. Not fear. Fairness. Not the command to belong. A country worth belonging to. This is the point at which Awolowo’s old formulation acquires new life. If Nigeria began, in his words, as a geographical expression, then the burden of history is not merely to defend the geography. It is to give the geography meaning. To make the Nigerian identity something more than the name printed on a passport. To make citizenship something more than an accident of birth. To make unity something more than the survival of inherited boundaries.

Nigeria must become a chosen political community.

Not necessarily because every Nigerian will agree on every constitutional question. Not because every grievance will disappear. Not because diversity will cease to matter. But because the Nigerian state will have demonstrated, through its institutions and practices, that difference does not have to mean disadvantage and that belonging does not require surrendering identity. That is the deeper meaning of a chosen union. A country can be kept together by force. A nation can only be held together by legitimacy. The first preserves territory. The second creates belonging. And so the question before Nigeria is not simply whether the country will remain one. It is whether one Nigeria can become a Nigeria in which its peoples freely recognise themselves as stakeholders in a common political destiny. That is the unfinished journey from Awolowo’s geographical expression to chosen union. The map gave us Nigeria. The work of justice must give Nigerians a nation.

A union is strongest when its constituent peoples can say: We remain because we are respected. We remain because we are heard. We remain because the rules apply fairly. We remain because our identity is secure. We remain because belonging does not require surrendering our dignity. That is a much more durable foundation for unity than the threat of punishment for contemplating exit. And perhaps this is where Nigeria has the greatest lesson to learn from the British predicament. Do not fear the question of self-determination. Fear the conditions that make self-determination irresistible. A confident federation does not panic when a constituent people asks difficult questions. It listens. A mature federation does not criminalise every demand for autonomy. It negotiates. A wise federation does not confuse dissent with disloyalty. It investigates the grievance beneath the dissent. And a just federation does not ask only, ‘How do we stop them from leaving?’ It asks: ‘What have we done to make them want to leave?’ That is the question Nigeria has avoided for too long. And that avoidance carries a price. In the final reckoning, a nation is not held together by lines drawn on a map. It is held together by lines drawn across the hearts of its citizens; i.e., lines of trust, justice, reciprocity and shared destiny. The British may now be discovering that ‘United’ is not a permanent condition. Nigeria should discover the complementary truth: Unity is not something a government proclaims. It is something a people must continually experience.

Nigeria has set an ambitious target of reaching three million barrels of crude oil production per day by 2030.

The ambition is significant, but achieving it will depend less on the size of Nigeria’s resource base and more on how effectively the industry converts opportunities into producing wells and sustainable barrels.

The challenge before Nigeria is no longer simply one of resource availability. We have the reserves, experienced professionals, an expanding indigenous operator base and a service industry with growing technical capability.

The bigger challenge is execution.

How quickly can projects move from concept to sanction, from sanction to the rig, and ultimately from the rig to first oil? How effectively can operators manage cost, schedule, interfaces, and operational risks? And how can the industry collaborate rather than repeatedly building parallel capacity?

These questions should increasingly shape the conversation around Nigeria’s production aspirations. This focus on execution is also reflected in the perspective of Hassannah Adenuga Salami, an energy professional in the oil and gas industry with experience across well engineering, completions and project delivery.

Her experience highlights the importance of looking beyond production targets to how efficiently projects are planned, delivered, and brought into production.

From more barrels to more efficient barrels

The industry understandably focuses on production volumes. However, Nigeria should also focus on the efficiency with which those barrels are delivered.

A barrel brought online months earlier has economic value. A well delivered with lower non-productive time has economic value. A rig campaign that reduces repeated mobilisation and demobilisation has economic value.

The objective, therefore, should not simply be more barrels, but efficient barrels: safely delivered, cost-competitive and brought to production within predictable timelines.

This is where Integrated Project Management (IPM), turnkey contracting and other integrated delivery models can become important.

Rather than managing numerous contractors with fragmented responsibilities, operators can integrate engineering, drilling, completions, well services, logistics and project management around clearly defined delivery objectives.

When structured properly, this can reduce interfaces, improve accountability and accelerate decision-making.

But IPM is not a magic solution; poorly structured integrated contracts can simply transfer inefficiencies from one contracting model to another.

Success depends on clear scope definition, appropriate risk allocation, competent project leadership, transparent commercial structures and measurable performance indicators.

The question should therefore not be whether Nigeria needs more IPM or turnkey contracts. It should be how we design them better.

Collaboration could unlock another level of efficiency

There is another opportunity that deserves greater industry attention: shared resources and collaborative campaigns.

Operators frequently execute drilling and development programmes independently, even where assets are located within similar geographical areas.

Yet rigs, marine vessels, helicopters, warehouses, logistics bases, specialised tools and other resources represent significant portions of project expenditure.

Where technically and commercially feasible, operators could coordinate campaigns and share selected infrastructure and services.

Imagine several operators within the same basin aligning their drilling schedules and utilising a rig sequentially rather than each independently mobilising similar equipment.

The potential benefits are significant: lower mobilisation costs, reduced idle time, improved equipment utilisation, greater negotiating leverage and potentially faster project execution.

This thinking is already consistent with the direction of Nigeria’s upstream regulator. NUPRC has highlighted cluster and nodal development strategies as mechanisms for using shared infrastructure, capturing economies of scale, reducing project costs and shortening development timelines.

Collaboration should therefore become more than an occasional commercial arrangement. It can become part of Nigeria’s production-growth strategy.

We must rethink what ‘Lowest Cost’ means, and procurement.

The lowest-priced contract does not necessarily deliver the lowest-cost barrel.

Consider a contractor whose commercial proposal is marginally higher but whose technical capability, equipment reliability and execution model bring a well online several weeks earlier.

The additional production gained through earlier first oil may substantially exceed the initial contract-price difference.

Commercial evaluations should therefore increasingly consider total value delivered, rather than focusing predominantly on initial price.

Performance-based contracting can help.

Contract structures can reward outcomes such as reduced non-productive time, improved safety, faster well delivery, cost optimisation and accelerated production.

When operators and contractors succeed economically from the same outcomes, behaviours begin to align.

Indigenous capability must evolve with the opportunity

The changing upstream landscape also creates a major opportunity for Nigerian service companies. But indigenous participation must continue evolving beyond the provision of personnel and individual services.

Nigeria needs more local companies capable of integrating engineering, wells delivery, project management, technology, logistics and commercial responsibility.

That requires investment in systems, people, governance, technology and partnerships.

It also requires operators to evaluate indigenous companies not simply by the services they currently provide, but by the capabilities they can build when given appropriately structured opportunities.

The emergence of stronger Nigerian integrated service companies would create employment, retain more value locally and deepen the technical capacity required to sustain production growth.

Technology is an enabler, not the strategy

Digitalisation also has an important role to play. Real-time operational monitoring, digital well planning, predictive analytics, remote operations and integrated performance dashboards can improve decision-making and identify problems earlier.

But technology by itself will not solve execution challenges. Its value comes when technical, operational and commercial information is connected, allowing decision-makers to see emerging risks and act quickly.

The objective should therefore not be digitalisation for its own sake, but technology that improves execution.

Leadership will ultimately determine the outcome

Nigeria’s 3 million barrels per day ambition cannot be delivered by operators alone. It requires alignment among government, regulators, asset owners, financiers, service companies and the professionals responsible for execution.

NUPRC’s Project 1MMBOPD initiative itself recognises the importance of collaboration across operators, service providers, financiers and other participants in the upstream value chain.

Government and regulators must continue creating an enabling environment. Operators must improve project maturation and execution discipline. Service companies must strengthen their capacity to take greater responsibility for delivery. And industry leaders must become more willing to collaborate where collaboration creates value.

Nigeria does not lack opportunities.

What will determine whether we reach the next production milestone is our ability to convert opportunities into executable projects, projects into producing wells, and producing wells into sustainable barrels.

IPM and turnkey delivery can contribute to that journey. Shared rigs and infrastructure can contribute. Technology can contribute. Better commercial models can contribute.

But none of these will work effectively without disciplined planning, competent people, strong leadership and accountability for results.

The path to three million barrels per day will therefore require more than investment.

It will require a fundamental shift towards integrated thinking, collaboration and execution excellence. Because ultimately, production targets are set in boardrooms and policy documents, but barrels are delivered in the field.

The London Organisation of Skills Development (LOSD) brought its global Excellence Awards celebration to Cambridge, Massachusetts, honouring professionals, educators, healthcare experts, business leaders, media personalities and community changemakers from different parts of the world.

Held at the Science Center, Cambridge Massachusetts, the celebration, led by Prof. Parin Somani, Founder and CEO of LOSD, brought together more than 250 guests from over 40 countries to recognise individuals whose leadership, dedication and achievements have contributed to their professions, communities and wider society.

The LOSD Excellence Awards recognise achievements across five categories, Business, Health, Social, Media and Education, with emphasis on innovation, leadership, service and a sustained commitment to excellence. The Cambridge gathering provided an international platform for bringing together individuals from diverse professional backgrounds to celebrate achievement and exchange experiences.

The celebration opened with a red-carpet reception featuring artistic canapés and colourful mocktails, creating an elegant setting for awardees, guests and dignitaries. The reception also provided an opportunity for participants from different countries to network and celebrate their respective achievements.

The occasion featured Star Wars Stormtrooper mascots, carnival dancers and an appearance by Elmo, adding an entertainment dimension to the celebration. Guests also participated in a Silent Disco experience, further contributing to the social and celebratory atmosphere of the event.

In the Business Excellence category, Anum Mir was recognised as Women Fashion Entrepreneur of 2026, while Begum Walji received the Woman Tech Visionary of 2026 award. Chetan Bhuta received the Worthy Dog Brand Award, Jordi Caralt Coloma was recognised as Global Hospitality Icon, and Ivanka Zakharchuk received the Empowerment Champion Award. Boston Grazing Company LLC was honoured for Culinary Aesthetics, while The Maharaja Restaurant received the Outstanding Culinary Excellence award.

The Social Excellence category recognised individuals contributing to community development, sustainability, empowerment and social impact. Ellen Mannaert was named Global Change Maker, while Memori Yamato received the Impactful Personality of 2026 award. Agnes Lai Ying Ng was recognised as Women Empowerment Leader 2026, while Dr. Ignacio Bonasa Alzuria received the Visionary Impact award.

Other social award recipients included Dr. Carmelo Santillán Ramos, recognised as Sustainability Innovator of the Year; Simran Ahuja, Most Inspiring Person 2026; Rahim Bhimani, Visionary Design Leader of 2026; Somya Gupta, Community Builder of 2026; Dr. Nisha Thayananthan, Community Champion; and Yaseen Ali, recognised for Best Customer Services at Indigo Airlines.

The Health Excellence category highlighted professionals contributing to healthcare and wellbeing. Gregory Kunst received the Pioneer in Regenerative Medicine award, while Dr. Francisco Martinez Peñalver was recognised as Healthcare Visionary. Dr. Chris B. O. Okumu received the Global Healthcare Governance award, while Dr. Manal Guen was honoured with the Healthcare Transformation Leadership Award.

Education also featured prominently, with the Education Excellence category recognising contributions to learning, research, skills development and educational leadership. Theodoor Mannaert received the Visionary Leadership award, Dr. Salwa Arfaoui was recognised for Global Wealth Education, and Dr. Deborah Greenhut received the Visionary Educator award. Strongroots – Empowering Knowledge received the Skills Development Impact Award.

In the Media Excellence category, Ivan Siyanko of PHOTO. VIDEO. LONDON was recognised for Photography Impact.

The Cambridge celebration formed part of LOSD’s broader international programme in education, skills development, research, leadership and professional recognition under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Parin Somani. Through its programmes, LOSD continues to create platforms for recognising individuals across different professional and social fields.

Beyond the presentation of awards, the Cambridge gathering created an opportunity for participants from more than 40 countries to connect around shared interests in excellence, lifelong learning, professional development and social contribution.

For the recipients, the recognition provided an opportunity to celebrate their achievements while becoming part of an international community of professionals and changemakers. Their contributions across business, healthcare, education, media and social development also demonstrated the diverse ways individuals can contribute to their communities and inspire others.

The LOSD Excellence Awards in Cambridge, Massachusetts, therefore added another international dimension to the organisation’s programme of recognition and empowerment. Bringing the celebration to a global academic environment such as Harvard University also provided a setting for professionals from different backgrounds to meet, network and celebrate excellence.

LOSD has announced that its next Excellence Awards will take place at an iconic venue in London in October 2026, with nominations open to individuals who have demonstrated excellence across Business, Health, Social, Media or Education.

The Cambridge edition ultimately reinforced LOSD’s stated focus on recognising excellence, leadership, service and lifelong development, while providing an international platform for individuals whose work continues to make an impact across their respective fields.

I arrived at Basic Combat Training on a Tuesday – August 25th. I remember the date the way you remember the day something in you quietly ended and something else, harder and less certain, began.

The decision itself had started long before I ever stepped off that bus. It began with a flip, almost casual, decision to do it – the kind you make late at night and half-forget by morning. Then came a second, more serious decision: the one where you actually mean it. And then the long third beginning – weeks of training, shopping, eating less, packing, preparing. I hired a personal trainer. I watched TikTok and YouTube videos of soldiers I’d never met, absorbing their advice like scripture. I joined a WhatsApp group of incoming recruits and current soldiers trading tips and tricks to survive what was coming. None of it prepared me for what was coming.

There was unemployment before all this. There was running a for-profit company and a non-profit at the same time, trying to make both survive. There was the move from Pennsylvania to Oklahoma, then Tulsa – remote work, layoffs, and certification after certification, chasing whatever would keep me employed. There were warehouse shifts and caregiving jobs, taken not out of ambition but out of necessity, to fund conferences I couldn’t really afford, hoping the debt would be worth it. Nobody tells you that the road to a decision is sometimes more exhausting than the decision itself.

When I got my uniform, I was elated. The black shirt and shorts with the Army insignia. The green pants, green underwear, green long-sleeve shirt with my name stitched on it. I wore it with pride. I also wore it as penance – as an offering to God, calling on Him to make my visions and resolutions real. That is the part people rarely say out loud: for some of us, service is also prayer. Psalm 23 marched through my head more nights than I can count. The Lord is my Shepherd. I personalised it. Please, God, have mercy on me.

And then there was the real thing – the doing it. I have scars from listening to a Drill Sergeant yell, even in my sleep. I feared breaking a bone during exercise. I was told, mid-training, that I had a sickle cell trait – and I pleaded, quietly and honestly, that the blood test results would never be my portion. I cried. I breathed intentionally, deliberately, and then forgot to breathe altogether. I fainted once. There was a Caribbean song coming over the speakers in the van as we drove to sick call, standing shoulder to shoulder with soldiers who had entirely different reasons for being there, their blood pressure taken alongside mine.

There was the exhaustion and sleep deprivation, carrying heavy objects, the sound of grenades on the first day of basic, the sting of a vaccine injection. There was blood from my arms while I screamed, the cold and the heat, hostility from the bay like I was watching myself age a decade in a single scene – moving from victim to villain and back again. The monotony and the pain. The thirst and the hunger. The MREs. The ghost that haunted my formations, morning, afternoon, and evening. And finally, at reception, learning I didn’t have 20/20 vision and needed glasses that would take two weeks to arrive.

Truthfully, my journey as a soldier hadn’t even begun the day I made the decision. It began the day I realized what that decision actually cost – my marriage, or at least the life I imagined for it. My spouse laid down her own career and dreams to provide shelter, to hold our life together while I chased mine. I thought about a master’s in cybersecurity, about earning Top Secret clearance with the Department of Defense. I thought about my mother’s burial, which I could not fully participate in because life – training, conferences, distance – kept pulling me elsewhere.

In the ER, in the examining room, struggling to get an IV in, moving my shirt slightly for an EKG, I remember thinking something simple: I am not poor. I would say it to myself, quietly, like a rebuttal to everything that felt like loss. I am rich in love.

I am still in that journey. Along the way, I have met other Africans and Caribbeans, each carrying a different story and a different injury. One man was inspired to enlist by his 19-year-old daughter, already serving in the Air Force – a father following his own child into duty. Another got married and joined just two months later, choosing to build a family and a service career in the same breath. One had just received his green card and was now nursing a fracture, still standing, still counting the cost of a new country and a new commitment. A mother was doing it all for her four-year-old, training with a child’s face in her mind on the hardest days. Different nations, different wounds, the same aspiration underneath.

Nobody knows tomorrow. I certainly didn’t know, that Tuesday in August, everything tomorrow would ask of me – my body, my marriage, my faith, my sense of who I was. But tomorrow came anyway, the way it always does, indifferent to whether we feel ready. My journey isn’t finished. I don’t know how many more Tuesdays stand between me and wherever this road ends. But I look up to God, and I lean on the support of my partner, and I keep walking. The lesson I carry, still, isn’t about weapons or drills. It’s this: uncertainty is not a reason to wait. It is simply the terrain you walk while becoming who you’re meant to be – and you rarely walk it alone.

. Inegbedion is a technology entrepreneur, journalist, and social innovator. He is the Head of Happiness at ConcordeApp, an AI platform transforming how people build meaningful professional relationships, and the Head of Failure and Social Experiments at Semaform Foundation, a nonprofit advancing technology for social impact and health equity. Chaste serves as Global Editor of DA News and is a regular contributor to BellaNaija, BusinessDay, and Premium Times, where he writes on artificial intelligence, innovation, entrepreneurship, and global development. His reporting has covered major international forums, including the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, CES, Cannes Lions, Afrotech, the World Bank, and AI for Good.

After four days of thought-provoking conversations, bold ideas, and meaningful connections, the curtains have fallen on the 58th International Conference and Exhibition (ICE) of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), leaving thousands of HR professionals with a renewed commitment to create measurable value and lasting impact in their organisations.

The conference brought together over 4,000 physical delegates and over 1,000 virtual delegates from across Nigeria and beyond, reinforcing its position as Africa’s largest gathering of human resource professionals.

Delivering his closing remarks, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir, the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIPM, reflected on the journey of the conference and the significance of the conversations that shaped the event.

‘We came, we learned, we networked, and we connected,’ he said, capturing the essence of a conference that brought together business leaders, HR professionals, policymakers, academics, and global experts around the theme, ‘Repositioning for Value and Impact.’

Mallam Gobir noted that while the conference sessions had come to an end, the real work was only beginning.

‘The real conference begins when we return to our boardrooms, leadership teams and organisations. What we have learned here must be translated into action, measurable value and lasting impact,’ he charged.

According to him, the conference succeeded in providing delegates with more than just knowledge.

‘This conference has given us knowledge and memories to take home. The challenge before us now is to ensure that the lessons learned become catalysts for transformation in our workplaces and institutions,’ he said.

Expressing appreciation to participants, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and partners, the CIPM President acknowledged the vital role delegates played in making the event a success.

‘There is no conference without the people, and you all brought this one to life. We are grateful to every delegate who travelled from different parts of Nigeria and the world in search of knowledge, collaboration and professional growth,’ he added.

Throughout the conference, delegates engaged in insightful discussions on some of the most pressing issues shaping the future of people management, including human-centred leadership, public sector transformation, organisational performance, governance, workforce productivity, artificial intelligence, human capability, HR standards, career development and the evolving expectations of business leaders from the HR profession.

A major highlight of the conference was the announcement of a growing international recognition of CIPM and its commitment to advancing global standards in people management.

Mallam Gobir noted that the Institute continues to deepen its global footprint through mutual recognition and strategic partnerships with leading professional bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA).

He described the partnerships as a testament to the growing influence of Nigerian HR professionals on the global stage and a reflection of CIPM’s commitment to ensuring that its members remain globally competitive.

In another significant announcement, the CIPM President revealed that the Third African Human Resource Summit will be held alongside the 59th International Conference and Exhibition (ICE 2027) next year, a development expected to further strengthen collaboration among HR practitioners across the continent and consolidate Africa’s voice in the global people management ecosystem.

The conference featured an impressive lineup of renowned speakers, business executives, public sector leaders and HR thought leaders who challenged participants to rethink conventional approaches to people management and embrace innovation, data-driven decision-making and value creation.

Many delegates described the conference as one of the most impactful editions in recent years. They praised the quality of the speakers, the relevance of the sessions and the diverse networking opportunities that enabled meaningful exchanges among professionals from different industries and countries.

As delegates departed Abuja with fresh insights, new partnerships and renewed inspiration, the closing message remained clear: the success of the conference will not be measured by the number of sessions held or contacts exchanged, but by the value created and the impact delivered in workplaces, organisations and communities.

With the curtains drawn on the 58th International Conference and Exhibition, CIPM has once again reinforced its position as the leading voice of people management in Africa, leaving participants with a renewed commitment to reposition themselves and their organisations for greater value, relevance and impact in an increasingly dynamic world of work.

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has urged President Bola Tinubu to strengthen and comprehensively review the federal government’s social intervention programmes to cushion the impact of economic hardship on Nigerians.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, said interventions targeting youth employment, skills development, cash transfers, school feeding, agriculture and social protection must be properly implemented and monitored to deliver measurable benefits.

‘Such interventions must have clear targets, transparent beneficiary selection, strong monitoring and measurable performance indicators to minimise leakages, duplication and abuse,’ he said.

Oyintiloye also urged the President to strengthen workers’ allowances and welfare packages, arguing that improved incomes would boost purchasing power and stimulate local businesses.

He commended Tinubu for allocating N462.66 billion to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction in the 2026 Appropriation Act, but said the scale of poverty required more effective intervention.

‘Since the intervention programmes are meant to alleviate poverty among the masses, every necessary strategy must be in place to ensure that allocated money has positive impacts on the lives of less privileged Nigerians,’ he said.

Oyintiloye urged Nigerians to remain patient, saying, ‘The hardship Nigerians are presently facing will soon be a thing of the past.’

The decision by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to formalize their cooperation through a Memorandum of Understanding on fiscal and monetary policy coordination marks an important development in Nigeria’s economic management. For an economy in which government spending, public borrowing, liquidity conditions, exchange-rate movements, inflation and private-sector credit are deeply interconnected, the institutionalization of regular policy coordination is both timely and economically significant. The MoU provides a framework for cooperation that goes beyond personal relationships between the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the CBN, establishing structured mechanisms for information-sharing, aligned macroeconomic assumptions and the resolution of areas where fiscal and monetary actions might otherwise work at cross-purposes.

The logic behind the initiative is straightforward. Fiscal and monetary policies may be administered by different institutions, but they operate within the same economy and ultimately affect many of the same variables. Government borrowing and expenditure can influence liquidity, aggregate demand, interest rates and inflation, while monetary policy affects the cost and availability of credit, government debt-servicing costs, investment and economic activity. When the two arms of economic policy pull in different directions, one authority can end up attempting to offset the unintended consequences of the other. Conversely, when they operate within a coherent macroeconomic framework, their respective instruments can reinforce rather than undermine one another.

This is particularly important as Nigeria seeks to consolidate the macroeconomic gains of recent reforms while addressing the continuing burden of high prices and expensive credit. The International Monetary Fund, in its 2026 Article IV assessment, noted that reforms since 2023, including tighter monetary policy, the removal of fuel subsidies, deficit-monetization reforms and exchange-rate liberalization, have strengthened macroeconomic stability, rebuilt external buffers and improved foreign-exchange market functioning. At the same time, the Fund noted that conditions remain difficult for many Nigerians and that inflationary pressures remain a concern.

The MoU is therefore significant not simply because it creates another mechanism for meetings between government officials, but because it recognizes an elementary truth of macroeconomic management: price stability cannot sustainably be pursued by monetary policy in isolation from fiscal policy. The agreement provides for more consistent forecasts of inflation, economic growth, government revenue, liquidity, financing requirements and the external sector. It also envisages stronger information-sharing and a coordinated approach to inflation that combines fiscal discipline with measures directed at food, energy and logistics costs.

Such coordination, however, should never be confused with subordination of the CBN to the fiscal authority. The distinction between coordination and interference is fundamental. Central-bank independence does not mean that monetary authorities should operate in an economic vacuum. Rather, it means that, once the objectives and institutional framework of monetary policy have been established, the central bank should retain the freedom to determine the instruments and timing required to achieve those objectives without undue political pressure.

Nigeria’s own legal framework recognizes this principle. Section 1(3) of the CBN Act 2007 provides that the Bank shall be an independent body in the discharge of its functions, while Section 30 gives the Bank powers over open-market operations and other securities for liquidity management. The challenge, therefore, is not to choose between coordination and independence, but to design institutions in which both can coexist: coordinated objectives and information-sharing on one hand, and operational and instrument independence on the other.

Indeed, international experience demonstrates that central bank independence does not necessarily require a central bank to possess complete goal independence. In several advanced and emerging economies, governments or legislatures establish the broad monetary-policy objectives or inflation targets, while central banks retain substantial independence over how those objectives are achieved.

The United Kingdom provides a particularly instructive example. The Government sets the Bank of England’s 2 percent inflation target, while the Monetary Policy Committee determines the monetary-policy instruments used to achieve it. The Bank’s current framework also requires the MPC to support the Government’s economic policy, including growth and employment, subject to maintaining price stability. The important institutional distinction is that the government defines the destination while the central bank retains considerable discretion over the route.

The United States offers another example. The Federal Reserve does not possess unrestricted goal independence: Congress has established maximum employment and stable prices as key statutory objectives of monetary policy. The Federal Reserve nevertheless exercises considerable independence in determining how to pursue those objectives. Its current framework continues to define monetary policy around the statutory goals of maximum employment and stable prices.

New Zealand similarly provides for government determination of the broader monetary-policy framework. The Reserve Bank currently operates with a government-set inflation objective of maintaining inflation between 1 and 3 percent over the medium term, with a focus on the 2 percent midpoint, while its Monetary Policy Committee independently makes monetary-policy decisions. South Africa also offers a useful illustration. The South African Reserve Bank states that its inflation target is set by government in consultation with the Bank, while the Bank independently determines monetary policy and the policy rate needed to achieve that target.

These examples suggest that there is nothing inherently inconsistent between joint determination of broad macroeconomic objectives and central-bank independence in the use of policy instruments. Indeed, as Nigeria advances towards a more explicit inflation-targeting framework, the question of who should establish the target deserves careful institutional consideration. A credible arrangement could involve the fiscal and monetary authorities jointly determining an inflation objective within a transparent legal framework, while leaving the CBN free to determine the policy rate, liquidity operations, reserve instruments and other monetary tools necessary to pursue that objective.

Such an arrangement would also strengthen democratic accountability. Inflation is not merely a monetary statistic; it has profound consequences for household welfare, business planning, wages, investment and public finances. If an inflation target is ultimately a national economic objective, there is a legitimate argument for ensuring that its determination reflects the broader economic policy framework rather than being treated exclusively as the preserve of the monetary authority. The critical safeguard would be to ensure that the process is transparent, rules-based and insulated from short-term political pressures.

The argument for stronger coordination is reinforced by the experience of recent Nigerian monetary policy. The CBN has pursued a significantly tighter monetary stance as part of the effort to bring inflation under control and stabilize the macroeconomic environment. The IMF has specifically welcomed progress towards inflation targeting and noted that monetary tightening, together with broader reforms, has contributed to improved macroeconomic stability.

These developments deserve recognition. Exchange-rate stability, improved foreign-exchange market functioning, stronger external buffers and greater liquidity in the foreign-exchange market are important foundations for restoring confidence in the Nigerian economy. The CBN itself has identified operational independence, clearer inflation targeting and stronger communication as important components of its evolving monetary-policy framework.

But monetary tightening cannot be an end in itself. Once tight monetary policy has served its stabilization purpose, attention must increasingly turn to the cost and availability of credit. Persistently high borrowing costs can restrain private investment, working capital, housing finance and business expansion. An economy cannot achieve durable growth simply by suppressing demand; it must also create conditions under which productive investment can obtain financing at sustainable costs.

This is where fiscal-monetary coordination becomes particularly important. If fiscal operations generate avoidable liquidity pressures or excessive government demand for domestic financing, monetary policy may be forced to remain tighter for longer than would otherwise be necessary. The result can be higher borrowing costs for businesses and households and weaker private-sector credit. The MoU’s emphasis on coordinating government financing and cash management to reduce the risk of crowding out private-sector credit is therefore economically consequential.

There is another institutional issue that deserves attention: the importance of genuine debate within the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee. An independent committee is most valuable when its members are able to bring different analyses, assumptions and assessments of economic conditions to the policy table. Repeatedly unanimous decisions are not, by themselves, evidence of a problem; consensus may sometimes genuinely reflect the evidence available to policymakers. But if unanimity becomes so persistent that independent members rarely disclose meaningful differences in their assessment of risks, the public value of a committee structure can be diminished. Diversity of views can improve scrutiny, reveal uncertainty and strengthen the quality of monetary-policy deliberations.

The next logical step, therefore, should be to move fiscal and monetary coordination from administrative practice towards a durable institutional framework. The present MoU can provide a useful foundation, but an arrangement of such economic importance should ultimately rest on clear statutory provisions. Nigeria could consider reviewing and, where appropriate, amending the relevant provisions of the CBN Act 2007 and other fiscal-governance legislation to establish a transparent framework for fiscal-monetary coordination, clarify the respective responsibilities of the fiscal and monetary authorities, establish procedures for setting broad inflation objectives, and protect the CBN’s instrument and operational autonomy.

Such legislation should not create a mechanism through which fiscal authorities can dictate monetary-policy decisions. Rather, it should codify the distinction between shared macroeconomic objectives and independent policy instruments. The fiscal authority should remain responsible for fiscal policy, taxation, public expenditure and debt management, while the CBN should retain the authority necessary to conduct monetary policy. At the same time, both institutions should be required to exchange information, publish relevant assumptions and explain publicly how their policies interact. The broader objective should be a coherent economic policy architecture in which monetary, fiscal, trade, financial and structural policies reinforce one another.

Indeed, Nigeria’s current circumstances make this institutional question especially urgent. The country has made measurable progress in rebuilding macroeconomic stability, but inflation, financing costs, food and transport pressures, weak monetary transmission and the need for stronger private-sector credit continue to present difficult policy challenges. The CBN’s own 2026 outlook anticipates further disinflation and a lower interest-rate environment while recognizing the importance of monetary conditions, fiscal operations and financial-market stability.

The newly signed MoU should consequently be viewed as the beginning of a more mature phase of economic management rather than the conclusion of one. Its success will depend not merely on the number of meetings held but on whether the two institutions actually develop common macroeconomic assumptions, coordinate fiscal and liquidity management, communicate consistently with markets and the public, and avoid policies that unnecessarily neutralize one another.

All said, the ultimate test of the arrangement will be whether it helps Nigeria achieve what monetary and fiscal policy are supposed to achieve together: a stable price environment, sustainable public finances, functioning financial markets, improved access to productive credit and conditions conducive to sustainable economic growth. Coordination can make those objectives more attainable, but coordination must be designed around clear institutional boundaries. The CBN must be able to determine how monetary objectives are achieved, while the fiscal authorities must take responsibility for the fiscal choices within their mandate. Properly institutionalized, that balance would not weaken central-bank independence; it would give independence a more coherent economic framework within which it can operate effectively.

Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have been crowned champions of the 2026 WAFU-B U17 Girls’ Cup after thrashing Togo 4-0 in the final on Sunday in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.

The Hakeem Busari-led side completed a perfect campaign, winning all five matches, including victories over Ghana and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

Harmony leads Flamingos to emphatic final victory

Captain Chidi Harmony set the Flamingos on course for the title with a first-half brace, converting two penalties in the 15th and 35th minutes to give Nigeria a 2-0 lead at the break.

Olubebube Umejiaku added a third in the 67th minute before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi completed the emphatic victory with a 90th-minute strike.

The win capped an unbeaten tournament for the Flamingos, who won all five of their matches.

Harmony said the team was proud of its achievement, particularly after overcoming Ghana and the hosts.

‘We are so proud of what we have achieved. It is not easy winning all five matches. Our main achievement is beating Ghana and the hosts, Ivory Coast,’ she said.

Flamingos turn focus to Morocco World Cup

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to preparations for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco from October 17 to November 8.

Nigeria are drawn in Group B alongside North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland.

NFF backs Flamingos for global challenge

Emmanuel Ikpeme, acting general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), commended the players and officials for their performance and expressed confidence in their prospects at the global tournament.

‘The Flamingos have done very well and made the nation proud, and I have this faith in the players that they are not done yet. I have confidence in the team to go to Morocco and achieve great things at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup that is starting next month,’ Ikpeme said.

He described winning all five matches as a significant achievement and said the WAFU-B tournament provided valuable preparation for the World Cup.

‘It is no mean feat to win five matches out of five in a tournament. That is a distinction. The NFF is appreciative of the WAFU-B headquarters for organising the tournament as a premium preparatory event for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, and I believe the Flamingos have benefitted immensely ahead of the global competition,’ he said.

The victorious 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup bronze medallists are expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday.

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.’