Category: Business Day

To say that real estate in Nigeria is experiencing a bubble is no longer news. What is news instead is that the crash of that bubble is quite imminent.

Economic analysts are of the view that a 100 percent increase in construction costs over the last 24 months, and a 200 percent rent increase, especially at city centres, are just unsustainable.

The analysts also see a market correction on the way as demand and price disequilibrium persist.

Bismarck Rewane, CEO, Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), explained recently that the market correction looms for obvious reasons, one of which is oversupply of properties from overbuilding in Nigeria’s big cities, particularly Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Rewane, who spoke at the Financial Derivatives Company and Lagos Business School (LBS) Breakfast Session in August 2026, listed other reasons for the market correction, including a shift to the right in the supply curve due to excess inventory.

‘Rents have kept rising, cutting affordability; the market is experiencing rising delinquency and mortgage defaults, and property prices fall sharply, triggering a crash,’ he noted.

The rental situation in the country is dire. At the moment, the rent-to-income ratio is about 70 percent, more than double the United Nations 30 percent benchmark.

Some reports indicate that the increases have been significant in certain areas. For example, in Lagos, rents have surged by up to 200 percent over the past two years, with two-bedroom apartments averaging N2.5 million annually.

This surge has made homeownership increasingly unattainable for many Nigerians, leading to a shift in demand towards rental housing. The rental market is currently facing one of its toughest periods in recent history.

The N2.5 million annual rent for a two-bedroom apartment represents a sharp rise compared to what was obtainable a few years ago, and highlights the deepening affordability crisis confronting millions of Nigerians.

Building and construction materials costs have risen to unimaginable levels, increasingly making homeownership dreams a pipe-smoke for many home-seeking Nigerians.

The cost of building a modest residential house has risen to a point where it now requires almost double the financial commitment that it did a few years ago. Contractors are revising estimates almost monthly, developers are postponing projects, and prospective homeowners are watching their savings lose value in the face of relentless inflation.

The increase in materials costs is most pronounced in cement, which, contrary to manufacturers’ claims of local supply sufficiency, has seen prices rise from N7,500 in the last quarter of 2024 and N9,000 in the third quarter of 2025 to between N12,000 and N15,000 presently. Blocks rose from N600 to N1100; 30T of sand moved from N165,000 toN250,000; 30T of granite rose from N530,000 to N780,000, while rebars (iron) moved from N850,000 to N1,150,000 per tonne.

As a result of these price increases, Dimeji Aluko, an estate surveyor and valuer, notes that the construction industry, once regarded as one of the country’s major drivers of employment and economic activity, now finds itself navigating one of its most difficult periods in recent history.

‘Behind the soaring prices of cement, reinforcement bars, roofing sheets, electrical fittings, plumbing materials, aluminium products, tiles, paints, doors, windows, and finishing components lies a complex combination of macroeconomic challenges that continue to reshape the real estate sector,’ Aluko stated.

He also sees a possible crash of the market bubble, explaining that persistent cost escalation makes financial planning increasingly difficult. ‘Projects originally expected to generate acceptable returns suddenly become financially unviable. Developers either postpone construction, reduce project scope, seek additional financing, or pass increased costs to buyers through higher selling prices,’ he noted.

Rabiu Kwankwaso, Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has warned governors who believe they can manipulate the 2027 elections through state machinery to secure their re-election that they will be disappointed.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State, said growing political awareness among Nigerians, coupled with dissatisfaction over insecurity, poverty, unemployment and declining public services, could work against incumbent governors seeking another term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He spoke on Sunday in Abuja during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series.

His warning came as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with politicians across the major parties already positioning themselves for the contest.

Kwankwaso’s comments also followed a recent wave of defections to the APC, with several political figures seeking to strengthen their chances ahead of the 2027 elections.

He insisted, however, that political calculations and control of state institutions would not necessarily translate into electoral victory, stressing that the ultimate decision rested with the electorate.

According to him, some governors who have failed to address the concerns of their constituents are now defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), allegedly believing that joining the party would give them access to the political machinery required to retain power.

‘What I foresee in the 2027 election is that most of the governors seeking re-election will be disappointed because people will not support them,’ Kwankwaso said.

The former Kano governor argued that the control of government structures alone would no longer guarantee electoral victory, saying Nigerians were increasingly conscious of the power of their votes.

He said the level of public dissatisfaction over insecurity and economic hardship, among other challenges, could become a major factor in determining the outcome of the 2027 elections.

Kwankwaso also questioned the political calculations behind the growing movement of opposition politicians into the APC, describing the defections as an attempt by some politicians to secure political advantage ahead of the general elections.

He, however, expressed confidence that Nigerian voters would ultimately have the final say at the polls, regardless of the political structures controlled by incumbent office holders.

The NDC chieftain said the large number of out-of-school children and the worsening security situation across the country were among the issues that should concern political leaders.

He used his tenure as governor of Kano State to argue that governments could improve citizens’ welfare when available resources were properly prioritised.

Kwankwaso said his administration expanded access to primary, secondary and tertiary education for qualified residents and implemented programmes aimed at addressing the Almajiri challenge.

He added that his administration also invested in educational infrastructure, including the construction of hostels for students.

For a country that has spent decades pumping crude oil out of the ground and importing much of the fuel it consumed, Nigeria’s energy story is beginning to change.

The change is significant. It should not be understated. The Dangote refinery has reached its 650,000 barrels per day capacity and is supplying a substantial share of the domestic market. It has also begun exporting refined products to other African countries. In April alone, the refinery exported an estimated 1.66 billion litres of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.

For once, Nigeria is beginning to keep more of the value that used to leave with the crude and return at a higher price in finished form. That is progress. But it is not yet energy sovereignty.

The distinction matters.

A refinery can stand on Nigerian soil without Nigeria controlling every link that makes the refinery work. An oil asset can have a Nigerian owner without the country possessing all the capital, technology, infrastructure and managerial capacity required to extract its full value.

Ownership is important.

What happens to the value after ownership is the harder question.

Nigeria is witnessing greater indigenous participation in the oil industry while refining capacity is expanding. That is welcome. But the test of this transition cannot simply be how many strategic assets now have Nigerian names attached to them.

The real test is what the wider economy gains.

Does domestic refining make energy more predictable for manufacturers? Does it reduce the foreign exchange burden created by importing refined products? Does it create productive employment and deepen industrial capacity?

Does it make transportation less vulnerable to every disturbance in the international oil market?

Can the small manufacturer plan production without treating the cost of energy as a daily gamble?

These are not abstract questions. They determine whether an energy transition becomes an economic transformation. There is a troubling gap in the crude supply chain.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission reported that producers offered 68.7 million barrels for domestic refining in the first quarter of 2026, against 61.9 million barrels allocated to local refineries. Yet only 28.5 million barrels were actually supplied. The regulator attributed much of the shortfall to pricing differences between producers and domestic refiners.

There is something difficult to explain about an oil producing country possessing crude, possessing refining capacity and still failing to move enough of its own crude into its own refineries.

The problem is no longer simply whether Nigeria has oil. It is whether the system can connect what Nigeria produces with what Nigeria has built to process it.

That is the real test of energy security.

The chain begins in the oil field but does not end at the refinery gate. It runs through pipelines, storage, transportation, finance, regulation and distribution before it reaches the factory, the filling station and eventually the household.

A weakness anywhere along that chain eventually becomes somebody else’s cost.

The regional opportunity is considerable.

Nigeria is beginning to send refined products into African markets in quantities that could alter the country’s position in the regional energy trade. The Dangote refinery has already exported products to countries including Ghana, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon.

That could be a turning point.

Nigeria has the population, the crude resources and now the refining capacity to become a major energy supplier to West Africa. If the infrastructure, financing and production systems mature alongside the refining capacity, Nigeria could acquire an influence in the regional energy market that its enormous population and oil reserves have never fully translated into.

But there is a condition.

The Nigerian consumer cannot become an afterthought in Nigeria’s new regional ambition.

Exporting fuel is commercially useful. It can generate foreign exchange and strengthen Nigeria’s place in regional trade. But the success of an export market cannot become a convenient excuse for leaving unresolved the problems of domestic supply, pricing and affordability.

This is where the meaning of sovereignty becomes important. What exactly does energy sovereignty mean? Is it enough that the refinery is Nigerian owned?

Is it enough that crude is produced in Nigeria? Or should sovereignty mean that Nigerian businesses can obtain energy with enough certainty to plan ahead, that manufacturers can compete without carrying an extraordinary energy burden and that households are less exposed to every disturbance in the global oil market?

I would choose the latter.

There is another distinction we should not lose sight of. Indigenous ownership is not the same as indigenous capacity. Nigeria should welcome the growing participation of Nigerian capital in strategic energy assets. But ownership must eventually answer to performance. Can the companies raise capital competitively? Can they maintain production? Can they develop the technical expertise required to operate sophisticated assets? Can they build institutions strong enough to survive changes in ownership, politics and commodity prices?

If the answer is no, changing the name on the asset will not change the underlying economics.

Nigeria has lived too long with the assumption that possessing oil is equivalent to possessing an energy economy.

It is not.

The crude beneath the ground is an asset. So is the refinery. But the engineer who keeps the plant running, the pipeline that moves the crude, the storage system that prevents shortages, the financier who provides working capital and the manufacturer who turns reliable energy into jobs are all part of the same economic equation.

That is where the real opportunity lies.

Nigeria is moving beyond the old arrangement in which crude was exported and refined products returned at a cost. The transition is imperfect. Domestic crude supply remains a serious weakness. Pricing arrangements still create friction. Infrastructure needs work. The benefits of refining must travel much further into the productive economy.

But the direction is worth watching.

The country should not stop at refining enough petrol to meet domestic demand. It should use the energy base to build a broader industrial economy around refining, petrochemicals, logistics, engineering, technology and manufacturing.

That is when indigenous control begins to mean something more than ownership. It becomes indigenous value.

And perhaps that is the real measure of Nigeria’s energy journey.

Not how much oil we have. Not even how much we refine.

But what the Nigerian economy is finally able to do with what belongs beneath its soil.

Energy sovereignty will not be achieved when Nigerians merely own more of the assets. It will arrive when the value of those assets begins to strengthen the country that owns them.

The World Bank has tied $200 million in performance-based financing to Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its regulatory framework for mini-grids, putting the country’s decentralised electricity strategy under greater pressure to deliver policy reforms alongside new power infrastructure.

The $200 million represents the entire Performance-Based Conditions (PBC) allocation under the World Bank’s $750 million Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) project. The financing is linked specifically to reforms designed to create a more predictable regulatory environment for mini-grid developers.

The World Bank’s latest project paper shows that the third PBC, an improved regulatory framework for mini-grids, carries the full $200 million allocation, with $150 million linked to an intermediate target and $50 million to a subsequent target.

Under the condition, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is required to revise its mini-grid regulations to allow batch processing of licence and tariff applications, require distribution companies to provide 12 months’ notice before reaching a mini-grid site, and clarify the rights and obligations of communities in urban mini-grid projects. The condition also includes a revision of the permit limit for mini-grids.

The World Bank’s framework makes the regulatory reform particularly important because DARES was designed around the premise that concessional public financing would reduce the capital burden on private developers and attract commercial investment into distributed renewable energy.

Nigeria’s ability to unlock the financing is therefore closely connected to whether its regulatory framework can give investors sufficient certainty to commit capital to mini-grid projects.

Investor appetite is reshaping the programme

The financing milestone comes as the World Bank itself is changing the composition of DARES after implementation revealed stronger private-sector interest in some categories of mini-grid projects than others.

The bank stated that DARES has generated strong private-sector and distribution-company interest in interconnected mini-grids, with a pipeline of potential sites ‘significantly exceeding’ the number that could be financed under the original programme envelope.

At the same time, the report identified limited private-sector interest in Minimum Subsidy Tenders for isolated mini-grids.

This has prompted a proposed $95 million reallocation from isolated to interconnected mini-grids, effectively directing more of the programme’s resources towards the part of the market where developers and DisCos have demonstrated stronger appetite.

The World Bank said the early pipeline also showed that the public contribution required for mini-grids was higher than initially modelled.

‘Price discovery from the first interconnected mini-grid tender result revealed that the grant requirement for these projects is significantly higher and the private sector contribution lower than originally anticipated,’ the report said.

That finding creates a central tension for Nigeria’s off-grid strategy, indicating that the government needs private capital to scale decentralised electricity. However, the economics of serving underserved communities require a larger public subsidy than originally expected.

5.2 million people reached

DARES has nevertheless made significant progress since becoming effective in November 2024.

As of June 2026, the World Bank said more than 5.2 million people had gained access to electricity, against an end target of 16.2 million. More than one million standalone solar systems had also been deployed.

As of June 10, 2026, the project had disbursed $70.26 million. A further $128.6 million had been cleared for award for the first interconnected mini-grid Minimum Subsidy Tender.

Meanwhile, $293.6 million had been committed through signed grant agreements under the Performance-Based Grant window for isolated mini-grids.

The World Bank cautioned, however, that access results are running ahead of disbursements partly because standalone solar systems are considerably cheaper and faster to deploy than mini-grids.

‘Some of the other activities under the project, such as the isolated and interconnected mini grids, will provide this at a higher cost,’ the report said.

The $200m is not the new $243m financing

The performance-based financing should be distinguished from the $242.9 million additional financing package contained in the World Bank’s June 2026 restructuring.

That package comprises a $49.1 million U.S. Department of Justice trust-fund grant and approximately $193.8 million in JICA financing. The World Bank’s project paper records the additional financing at $242.9 million.

The $49.1 million grant will expand renewable-energy electrification to public institutions, including healthcare and education facilities, while JICA financing will help scale interconnected and isolated mini-grids and strengthen institutional capacity.

The World Bank is also replacing the original $20 million Lagos solar-rooftop pilot with a broader public-institution electrification programme covering federal and sub-national institutions.

More public money, lower private-capital target

The shift towards larger and more complex projects is already affecting DARES’ private-capital expectations. The World Bank has reduced its estimate of private capital mobilisation from $1.028 billion to $733 million following the restructuring.

It attributed the reduction partly to the higher public contribution required for mini-grids and the movement of funds towards solar-for-business initiatives and public-institution electrification, which generate less private capital mobilisation than standalone solar.

Despite the reduction, the bank expects every $1 of public financing to leverage $0.79 in private capital, with total private capital mobilisation estimated at $733 million.

The implication is that Nigeria’s decentralised power market is moving towards a more deliberate blended-finance model, where concessional funding takes on a greater share of project risk before private capital enters.

DARES target raised to 811MW

The restructuring also raises the project’s renewable-energy capacity target from 465MW to 811MW, with interconnected mini-grids accounting for the largest share of the revised capacity target.

The World Bank’s revised framework allocates 434MW to interconnected mini-grids, compared with 56MW for isolated mini-grids, alongside solar home systems, public institutions, businesses and productive-use equipment.

The project is also introducing a new target for public institutions and extending the closing date to December 31, 2029, one year beyond the original deadline, to allow sufficient time to implement the expanded programme.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has approved the immediate implementation of promotion salaries and payments of leave grants for civil servants across the state.

The implementation of the payments was conveyed in an executive approval granted by Governor Babagana Zulum following a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), held at the Government House, Maiduguri, on Monday.

Zulum issued the directive following the submission of a service proposal by the Directorate of Establishment, Office of the Head of Service, which provided a critical analysis and concrete recommendations for the statewide implementation of the national minimum wage policy across different strata of the state public service.

After an interactive discussion with stakeholders and to ensure the efficient and sustainable implementation of the wage reform, Zulum approved the Immediate implementation of the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 promotional benefits for all civil servants in the state.

Other approvals made include immediate payment of leave grants for all entitled civil servants for 2025 and a review of salary arrears for secondary and tertiary education, with a view to implementation by September 2026.

The governor also established and directed a task force, headed by the Commissioner for the Ministry of Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugun Mai Mele, to review and submit a proposal for the implementation of the new salary scale and gratuity scheme for local government staff.

Zulum charged the Task Force to consult widely with all stakeholders, review extant regulations, examine existing state-wide local government workforce, and propose viable and sustainable options for a full-scale, state-wide implementation of the enhanced salary scheme for local governments in the state.

The Committee was directed to submit its report in two weeks for speedy consideration.

The Governor also directed the Directorate of Establishment to submit a blueprint for new employment and recruitment into the civil service, based on an internal review of the existing workforce, gap analysis, and need assessment, especially for critical professions and expertise that have been depleted due to retirement and capacity flight.

Russia’s crude oil production outlook has weakened as Ukrainian attacks disrupt refineries and export infrastructure, while ageing fields and a lack of sizeable new developments limit the country’s ability to replace declining output.

Rystad Energy has cut its forecast for Russian crude production to an average of 8.95 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2026, 90,000 bpd below its previous estimate. Output is projected to fall further to about 8.6 million bpd in 2027.

The revision reflects renewed disruptions at western Russian export terminals and rising risks to seaborne exports, which have become less reliable and more expensive following a year of tighter sanctions and Ukrainian attacks on refineries, ports and tankers.

The disruption is increasingly affecting Russia’s upstream sector, with limited room to absorb further shocks.

‘The increasing frequency and effectiveness of drone attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure is no longer affecting only refineries; it’s constraining the country’s upstream sector as well,’ said Daria Melnik, vice president, Oil and Gas Research at Rystad Energy.

Russian refinery runs in June and July were among the lowest recorded in the past two decades. Rystad expected refinery throughput to average around 4 million bpd between July and December, almost 30 percent below the 2016-2023 seasonal average of roughly 5.7 million bpd.

As a result, Russia is expected to process about 1.4 million bpd less crude in the second half of 2026 than historical seasonal patterns would suggest.

The barrels that cannot be processed must either be exported, placed into storage or removed from production.

Russia absorbed the imbalance in June, but July showed that its export system could not consistently handle the additional volumes, according to Melnik.

The pressure on production is compounded by elevated onshore inventories. With stocks already above the threshold at which sustained production cuts become increasingly difficult to avoid, producers have less flexibility to maintain output while waiting for refining or export capacity to recover.

Rystad estimates Russia’s spare production capacity at around 620,000 bpd in 2026, rising modestly to 700,000 bpd in 2027. However, much of this capacity is tied to ageing, high-water-cut wells that have been shut in during the current round of production cuts.

The longer these wells remain offline, the less likely they are to return at previous production rates.

Extended shut-ins increase the risk of costly interventions, lower productivity and, in some cases, permanent abandonment when repair and water-handling costs outweigh the economics of restarting production.

This means some of Russia’s nominal spare capacity could be permanently lost, further limiting its ability to raise output from existing fields.

The problem extends beyond the immediate disruption. Russia’s mature oil fields are facing natural production declines, while the country lacks sufficient sizeable greenfield developments to offset those losses after 2027. Even if refinery and export constraints ease, Rystad sees limited scope for a meaningful recovery in crude production.

The global market could add another layer of pressure. Rystad expected the global oil market to move into surplus in 2027 if the conflict in the Middle East eases and disrupted supply flows normalise.

A surplus would put downward pressure on benchmark prices while Russian producers continue to face wider discounts, higher logistics costs and sanctions-related expenses.

At the same time, buyers in China, India, Trkiye, Hungary and Slovakia could gain greater access to non-sanctioned crude, reducing their willingness to accept the legal, financial and operational risks associated with Russian barrels without demanding deeper discounts.

For Russia, that would create pressure on both production and revenue: declining output would coincide with weaker benchmark prices, higher transportation costs and reduced pricing power with buyers.

The combination of disruptions to existing infrastructure, ageing fields and insufficient new projects is therefore narrowing Russia’s options to sustain crude production.

Meta has partnered with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN) to expand artificial intelligence skills development and startup innovation in the country.

The partnership will launch AI Academy Nigeria, a national capacity-building programme designed to give developers, startups, students and early-career professionals access to practical AI training, technical resources and opportunities to develop AI-powered products.

The initiative comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to build a domestic pipeline of AI talent and position the country as a leading technology and innovation hub in Africa.

According to the partners, AI Academy Nigeria will combine three programmes, which are AI Skills Development, a Startup Pitchathon and a six-week Developer Bootcamp, to take participants from foundational AI learning to product development and entrepreneurship.

The programme will be delivered through the 3MTT community, allowing participants across Nigeria to access training covering generative AI fundamentals and the development of applications using Meta’s AI models.

Courses will include building generative AI applications with Llama, prompt engineering with Llama 2 and Llama 3, multimodal AI with Llama 3.2, generative AI for data analytics and social media marketing, as well as an AI 101 curriculum.

The courses will be offered at no cost through platforms including Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp.

The partners said the top 100 performers will also become eligible for scholarships towards paid Meta Blueprint certifications and up to $5,000 in advertising credits.

A key component of the initiative is the AI Startup Pitchathon, which is targeted at early-stage Nigerian startups using Meta’s AI technologies to solve real-world problems.

Applications for the pitch competition close on August 21, 2026, after which 10 startups will be shortlisted to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3.

Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits.

They will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria and pitch at Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul, Turkiye, scheduled for November 23-24, 2026.

The initiative also includes a six-week Developer Bootcamp to be delivered by RAIN for selected developers and startups.

Participants will receive hands-on technical training and work towards building functional AI products and market-ready solutions, with access to technical guidance and Meta’s AI expert network.

‘Through this partnership, we are equipping developers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating pathways for innovation and globally competitive startups,’ said Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.

Sade Dada, head of public policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, said Nigeria has some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent but needs greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to develop solutions.

‘AI Academy Nigeria was built to provide exactly that, equipping more Nigerians with the skills to build with AI, while giving the strongest ideas a route from home to a regional stage,’ Dada said.

Olushola Ayoola, founder and CEO of RAIN, said building Nigeria’s AI capacity would require coordinated efforts between government, technology companies and ecosystem players.

The partnership reinforces the broader 3MTT mandate of developing Nigeria’s technical talent pipeline while linking skills development with entrepreneurship, product development and opportunities in the digital economy.

The initiative comes as AI adoption accelerates across Nigeria, increasing demand for developers and entrepreneurs capable of building applications tailored to local businesses and social challenges.

Beyond training, the programme is designed to create a pathway from AI education to product development, funding and international exposure, potentially giving Nigerian startups greater access to the growing global AI economy.

FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour has left the world governing body less than three weeks after publicly criticising President Gianni Infantino’s controversial World Cup sell-off plan to private investors.

FIFA confirmed that Lamour’s working relationship with the organisation ended on Monday, August 17, 2026, but declined to comment on reports that he had been dismissed.

‘FIFA can confirm that the working relationship between FIFA and Kevin Lamour as Chief Operating Officer has ended on 17 August 2026,’ a FIFA spokesperson said.

‘FIFA thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future.’

According to reports, FIFA staff were informed of Lamour’s departure in an email from Secretary General Mattias Grafström on Monday evening.

Lamour criticised Infantino’s plan

Lamour’s departure comes after he launched a strong criticism of Infantino’s abandoned FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal last month.

The scheme sought to create a commercial subsidiary to manage and attract private investment into FIFA’s major competitions, including the World Cup and Club World Cup.

Lamour described the project as ‘the project of one person’ and said football’s political leaders needed to ‘ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions’.

He also claimed FIFA’s administration had been ‘deceived’ over the project.

‘Our mission – the mission of the hundreds of passionate, dedicated, and exemplary FIFA employees – is to serve football,’ Lamour said.

He argued that FIFA’s leadership should unite the organisation rather than deepen divisions.

‘A president must bring people together, unite them, and inspire them. Today, we are experiencing the opposite,’ he said.

Lamour acknowledged that he had a duty of loyalty to FIFA but added that he also had a responsibility to uphold certain values and support his colleagues.

‘If that means I lose my job, then so be it,’ he said. ‘I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.’

Former UEFA executive leaves FIFA

Lamour joined FIFA in November 2024 after serving as UEFA’s deputy general secretary. He had previously worked closely with Infantino during his time at European football’s governing body.

His departure is therefore particularly notable given his previous relationship with the FIFA president and his senior position within the organisation.

The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, has said that the newly inaugurated Warri Unity Games were conceived to foster stronger unity, peace and mutual understanding among the diverse ethnic nationalities in Warri and Delta State.

Speaking at the maiden edition of the Warri Unity Games held at the Federal Government College, Warri, the monarch said the initiative was founded on the belief that the people share far more in common than what divides them, stressing that unity remains the pathway to collective progress and prosperity.

Ogiame Atuwatse III explained that the Games would henceforth become an annual event held on the first Saturday of his coronation anniversary week, saying the celebration was designed not only to preach peace but to actively promote friendship, cooperation and peaceful coexistence among all residents of Warri.

The monarch recalled that a similar carnival organised during the reign of his father, Ogiame Atuwatse II, in the early 1990s was overshadowed by violence and conflict, noting that Warri lost an opportunity to build a nationally celebrated cultural event because of division and distrust.

Determined not to allow history repeat itself, the Olu said his reign would be dedicated to promoting unity, peace, progress and prosperity, adding that the palace had taken deliberate steps to heal old divisions among neighbouring communities.

He disclosed that the palace had officially prohibited the use of derogatory terms against neighbouring ethnic groups, insisting that such expressions no longer have a place in the kingdom.

According to him, the people must abandon old grievances and focus on building a shared future founded on mutual respect.

He urged all communities to embrace one another as allies and partners rather than rivals, noting that no meaningful development could be achieved through suspicion, hatred or domination.

He maintained that today’s realities demand respect for the dignity of every human being and cooperation across ethnic boundaries.

Ogiame Atuwatse III appealed to all stakeholders to reject violence and channel their energies toward peaceful and productive ventures, urging that genuine grievances be resolved through lawful means.

He expressed hope that the gesture of reconciliation by the palace would be reciprocated, saying the streets and hearts of Warri should become places for building peace rather than conflict.

The event was attended by Her Majesty Olori Atuwatse III, the Queen Consort of the Warri kingdom; His Imperial Majesty Obi Gregory Nnamdi Oputa III of Aboh Kingdom; His Royal Majesty Kingsley Emakpo Orereh, Ataneru Igbi II, the Ovie of Agbarha Kingdom; the representatives of the Delta State Government, Commissioner for Higher Education, Nyerhovwo Tonukari, and other traditional rulers, who commended the initiative as a major step towards lasting peace, unity and development in Warri Kingdom.

The Warri Unity game is an inter-tribal sporting event which featured football, relay races, tug of war and paintball, attracting participants from the Itsekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, Bini and other tribes.

At the end of the competition, Team Ijaw emerged overall champions and received the star prize of N10 million, while Team Urhobo finished as first runners-up with N5 million. Team Itsekiri came third to earn N3 million, as participants and spectators celebrated the spirit of sportsmanship rather than rivalry.

The games also witnessed commendations for the monarch for using the sport to unite all the ethnic nationalities in the state.

Addressing the gathering, the Olu of Warri said the Unity Games would become an annual event to be held every first Saturday of the kingdom’s coronation anniversary, describing it as a platform to strengthen social cohesion and deepen the bonds among all tribes in Warri.

Nasir Idris, Kebbi State Governor, has replaced his deputy, Umar Tafida, with Ibrahim Augie, former Commissioner for Finance, as his new running mate for the 2027 poll.

The development was announced on Sunday in a statement by Suleiman Argungu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Organising Secretary and former deputy governor of the state, who attributed the change to professional legal advice concerning Tafida’s eligibility to contest alongside the governor in 2027.

The change came as political parties and their candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the choice of running mates expected to play a significant role in strengthening political alliances and meeting legal and electoral requirements.

The announcement also puts an end, for now, to speculation over the political future of Tafida within the Idris administration, with the APC leadership insisting that his removal from the ticket was based on legal considerations rather than a political dispute.

Argungu said the decision was not a result of any disagreement between Idris and his deputy, stressing that Tafida understood and consented to the change.

‘The present deputy governor was dropped as the running mate to Governor Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu for the 2027 general election based on professional legal advice,’ Argungu said.

He subsequently announced Augie as the new running mate to Idris for the 2027 governorship election.

Argungu appealed to politicians, APC members and supporters across Kebbi State to accept the development and work together to ensure the party’s success at the 2027 election.

The governor also dismissed suggestions of a rift between him and Tafida, urging APC members and supporters to remain united and continue supporting his administration.

Idris appealed for continued cooperation as his administration pursued its development agenda across the state.

Augie, the newly selected running mate, previously served as Commissioner for Finance during the administration of Atiku Bagudu, former Kebbi State governor.

He hails from Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State.