Category: Business Day

What motivated you to enter the beauty industry?

My journey into beauty started from a genuine interest in how beauty influences confidence and self-expression. With my background in Cosmetic Science, I became interested in creating products that didn’t just enhance beauty but actually solved problems for women, particularly women with melanin-rich skin. That led to the creation of Rubellite Cosmetics in 2018, which started with just two products: Premium Lashes and Velvet Matte Lipstain. Today, we have grown into a broader beauty brand with products across different categories. What continues to motivate me is seeing women use our products and feel more confident. For me, beauty is ultimately about confidence, self-expression and helping women feel comfortable in their own skin.

The beauty industry in Nigeria is highly competitive. What makes your products unique from others?

For Rubellite, our difference is that we don’t just want to sell beauty products; we want to understand the African woman and create products around her reality. Our products are developed with melanin-rich skin and the Nigerian climate in mind. We pay attention to pigmentation, undertones, texture, longevity and how products perform in our heat and humidity. Products like our Undercover Soft Matte Concealer, Bake Me Setting Powder, and Noir Glide Eyeliner are designed around performance and everyday usability. But beyond the products, we listen to our customers. Rubellite has evolved because we pay attention to what women need and what is missing in the market.

We are building a brand where African women feel seen, represented and confident in their beauty.

What are the major challenges facing the beauty industry in Nigeria, and what is the way out?

Some of the biggest challenges are access to capital, unstable foreign exchange, high production costs, dependence on imported raw materials and packaging, counterfeiting and limited manufacturing infrastructure. For beauty businesses, the cost goes beyond the product itself. There is research and development, raw materials, packaging, testing, manufacturing, regulatory compliance, logistics and marketing.

The way forward is to treat beauty as a serious economic sector. We need more investment in local manufacturing, research and development, technical training and affordable financing.

Nigeria has a huge consumer market and incredible creative talent. If we build the right ecosystem, Nigerian beauty brands can move from simply importing products to developing, manufacturing and exporting products made for Africa and the world.

In what ways do you think government can support the industry?

Government can support the industry by making it easier for beauty businesses to manufacture and scale locally. We need affordable funding, tax incentives, support for local manufacturing, reduced duties on essential production inputs and investment in skills and research. Regulation is also important. We want regulators to protect consumers while creating an environment where legitimate Nigerian businesses can thrive. Ultimately, I would like to see a Nigerian beauty entrepreneur being able to develop a product here, manufacture it here, employ people here and eventually export it from Nigeria. That is the kind of ecosystem I want Rubellite to contribute to.

A lot of Nigerian women use skin-lightening products. What do you think are the implications, and what is your advice to users?

I think we need to have an honest conversation about this because it goes beyond skincare. It is also about how we have been taught to perceive beauty and our skin colour. Some skin-lightening products, particularly unregulated ones or those containing harmful ingredients, can have serious consequences for the skin and overall health. My advice to women is to understand what is in the products they are using and not choose something simply because it promises to make them lighter.

At Rubellite, our philosophy is not about changing who you are. It is about enhancing and caring for what you already have. African women should be able to look at their skin and see beauty, not something that needs to be corrected.

How have issues like naira fluctuations, import duties and the rising cost of raw materials affected your production and pricing?

They have had a significant impact. Beauty manufacturing is sensitive to foreign exchange because many raw materials, packaging components and production inputs are still imported. When the naira fluctuates, it affects everything from production and inventory planning to pricing and logistics. As a business, we have had to become more strategic with procurement, supplier negotiations, inventory and product planning.

The challenge is balancing sustainability as a business with affordability for the consumer. We don’t want to compromise quality simply to reduce price, but we also understand that consumers are dealing with increased costs. So, we continue to look for ways to improve efficiency while maintaining the quality customers expect from Rubellite Cosmetics.

BBL surgery is trending despite the risk associated with it. What is your take on this as a beauty expert?

I think we need to separate the desire to look good from the pressure to conform to a particular body ideal. There is nothing wrong with someone wanting to change something about their body, but any cosmetic procedure should be approached as a medical decision, not a beauty trend.

My concern is when women make permanent decisions about their bodies because of social media trends without fully understanding the risks.

If someone is considering a procedure, they should consult a properly qualified medical professional, understand the risks and make an informed decision.

Beauty should give you confidence, not pressure you into putting your life at risk.

There are a lot of fake and substandard products in the Nigerian market. In what ways do you think regulatory agencies can address this issue?

Counterfeit and substandard products are a major concern because they put consumers at risk and also undermine legitimate Nigerian brands. At Rubellite, we invest heavily in product development, quality and regulatory compliance, so counterfeiting affects both the brand and the trust we have built with our customers. Regulatory agencies need to strengthen market surveillance and enforcement, especially across online platforms where counterfeit products are increasingly sold. There should also be stronger collaboration between regulators, customs, e-commerce platforms and beauty brands.

Consumer education is equally important. Customers need to know how to identify authentic products and purchase from verified channels.

What is your advice to young people who want to go into the beauty industry?

My biggest advice is: don’t enter the beauty industry simply because you think there is money in it. Enter because you are prepared to solve a problem.

Beauty is much bigger than selling makeup. There are opportunities in formulation, manufacturing, retail, technology, marketing, content creation, packaging, logistics and education.

I also encourage young entrepreneurs to learn the business side of beauty. Understand your numbers, your customers, product development, regulations, sourcing, branding and distribution.

Rubellite started in 2018 with just two products. Today, we have grown significantly because we started small, listened to our customers and kept evolving. Start small, learn, improve and remain consistent.

Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has remained trapped in single-digit contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the past decade, losing ground to peers including South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, and Ghana despite successive policy reforms aimed at accelerating industrialisation.

Despite several government initiatives aimed at revitalising industrial production, including business environment reforms by The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Central Bank intervention funds for the real sector, tax incentives, and support for MSMEs, the productive engine of the economy has failed to budge.

The removal of petrol subsidy in 2023, intended to free fiscal resources for productive investment, although it also sharply increased manufacturers’ operating costs and the recently unveiled National Industrial Policy (2025-2030) launched in 2026, targeting an increase in manufacturing’s contribution to GDP to 20-25 per cent by 2030, the sector has remained below 10 per cent of GDP throughout the period, highlighting the gap between policy formulation and implementation.

Data compiled from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the World Bank showed that manufacturing contributed 9.43 percent to GDP in 2015 but declined to 8.05 percent a decade after, highlighting what industry experts have described as a ‘lost decade’ for Nigeria’s industrial sector.

Experts explained that the sector recorded 8.68 percent during the 2016 economic recession before recovering to 9.65 percent in 2018, its highest contribution within the decade. However, the gains proved short-lived as manufacturing slipped to 9.10 percent in 2019 and further dropped to 8.08 percent in 2020, following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the sector posted modest improvements to 8.82 percent in 2021, 9.14 percent in 2022 and 9.27 percent in 2023, it resumed its downward trend, falling to 8.66 percent in 2024 before declining further to 8.05 percent in 2025.

Industry stakeholders say unless structural challenges, including erratic power supply, high interest rates and policy inconsistency are addressed, Nigeria may struggle to break out of the prolonged cycle of industrial stagnation and achieve its ambition of becoming Africa’s leading manufacturing hub.

Dele Kelvin Oye, chairman of the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics Ltd/GTE, described the sector’s performance as evidence of a prolonged period of industrial stagnation.

According to him, while manufacturing was once a major pillar of Nigeria’s economic diversification strategy, its contribution to GDP has remained stuck between eight and nine per cent over the last decade despite the country’s growing population and expanding consumer market.

He said the country’s industrial base has steadily weakened over the past three decades, noting that manufacturing contributed more than 20 per cent to GDP in the early 1990s before sliding into its current state.

‘The manufacturing sector has been caught in a persistent ‘9% trap’, operating far below its potential and failing to keep pace with the country’s demographic expansion

‘Nigeria’s manufacturing sector has long been considered a vital engine for economic diversification, job creation, and sustainable development. However, an analysis of the sector’s performance over the last decade reveals a troubling trajectory of stagnation and structural weakness.

‘Despite its vast potential and a rapidly growing population, Nigeria has experienced what can only be described as a ‘lost decade’ in industrialization, with the sector’s contribution to the national economy remaining stubbornly low,’ Oye said.

He noted that the sector’s performance remains heavily concentrated in the food, beverage and tobacco subsector, making manufacturing vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, foreign exchange volatility and declining consumer purchasing power.

Oye also pointed to low capacity utilisation, persistent electricity shortages, poor transport infrastructure, multiple taxation and dependence on imported raw materials as major constraints limiting industrial growth.

Comparatively, Nigeria lags behind several African economies, according to World Bank World Development Indicators for 2024, with Morocco recording a manufacturing value added of 15.27 percent of GDP, Egypt 13.89 percent, South Africa 12.80 percent and Ghana 9.84 percent.

‘When placed in a continental context, Nigeria’s industrial stagnation becomes even more apparent. As Africa’s largest economy by nominal GDP, Nigeria’s manufacturing base is proportionately smaller than many of its peers. According to recent World Bank data, Nigeria’s manufacturing value added at 8.65% of GDP lags behind Morocco (15.27%), Egypt (13.89%), South Africa (12.80%), and even Ghana (9.84%)

‘This disparity poses a significant sovereignty risk; a nation of over 230 million people that cannot manufacture what it consumes remains perpetually vulnerable to external economic shocks,’ he noted

He, however, expressed optimism over the federal government’s recently introduced National Industrial Policy (NIP), which targets increasing manufacturing’s contribution to GDP to between 20 and 25 per cent by 2030.

According to him, achieving the target would require massive investments in infrastructure, stable industrial policies, improved access to finance and the elimination of structural bottlenecks affecting manufacturers.

Similarly, Muda Yusuf, chief executive officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), said the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP has hovered between nine and 10 per cent throughout Nigeria’s democratic era, reflecting limited progress in industrial development.

He described industrialisation as the engine of economic transformation, stressing that a strong manufacturing base is critical for job creation, value addition, export competitiveness and reducing dependence on imports.

‘The sector’s contribution to GDP has hovered around nine to 10 per cent for most of the period, underscoring the absence of a decisive industrial transformation despite successive policy pronouncements and reform initiatives,’ Yusuf said.

He identified the collapse of Nigeria’s public refineries as one of the clearest examples of industrial decline, blaming poor governance, policy failures, weak accountability and entrenched rent-seeking practices.

According to him, similar declines have occurred in the textile, tyre, battery and automobile assembly industries, resulting in factory closures, job losses and increased dependence on imported products.

He identified inadequate electricity supply, poor logistics infrastructure, expensive financing, policy inconsistency, smuggling and growing import competition as major factors undermining manufacturing competitiveness.

‘No manufacturing economy can achieve global competitiveness when power is unreliable, logistics are inefficient and capital is prohibitively expensive,’ Yusuf argued.

To reverse the trend, Yusuf urged the government to accelerate power sector reforms, expand rail infrastructure, strengthen development finance institutions, provide concessionary long-term funding for manufacturers and enforce local content policies while prioritising locally manufactured products in public procurement.

The Federal Government is set to begin the deployment of about 3,700 telecommunications towers across underserved communities in Nigeria from October 2026, as part of efforts to expand mobile and internet access to millions of Nigerians currently outside the country’s digital economy.

Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, disclosed this as the government intensifies its efforts to close Nigeria’s digital connectivity gap and extend critical infrastructure to rural, riverine and hard-to-reach communities.

The project is being implemented under the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project (NUCAP), a major federal initiative designed to bring connectivity to more than 20 million Nigerians living in unserved and underserved communities.

According to Tijani, the Federal Government has completed the resource mobilisation and contractual processes required for the project, paving the way for physical deployment.

‘The government plans to begin deploying about 3,700 telecommunications towers from October to improve mobile network coverage in underserved communities,’ Tijani said.

The minister said the initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and ensure that communities that have historically been excluded from commercial telecommunications investment can gain access to reliable connectivity.

Connecting more than 20 million Nigerians

The NUCAP rollout is expected to target communities where telecom operators have historically found it difficult to justify investment because of low population density, challenging terrain, or limited commercial returns.

The government has argued that leaving these communities disconnected has consequences beyond telecommunications, limiting residents’ access to digital financial services, online education, healthcare, e-government platforms, markets and employment opportunities.

Earlier reports on the programme put the number of Nigerians targeted by the initiative at more than 20 million, while previous government statements have referenced more than 23 million people who could benefit from rural connectivity expansion.

Tijani has framed the investment as infrastructure for economic participation rather than simply a telecommunications project.

The latest push also gives attention to riverine communities, many of which face geographical and infrastructure challenges that make conventional network deployment more difficult.

China-backed infrastructure investment

In June, Tijani announced that China Industrial Bank (CIB) had expressed support for the initiative following a meeting with a delegation led by Peng Shuang, general manager of the bank’s Strategic Emerging Industries Business Headquarters.

CIB’s support is significant because the bank has committed to helping deliver at least 1,000 tower sites by the end of 2026. Tijani described the bank’s involvement as its first investment in Nigeria.

The minister has also described the project as a ‘green’ telecommunications network which reflects the government’s intention to deploy infrastructure capable of providing sustainable connectivity in locations where conventional infrastructure can be difficult to operate.

Towers form part of wider connectivity strategy

The 3,700 towers are only one component of the Federal Government’s wider digital infrastructure programme.

The government is also pursuing the deployment of a 90,000-kilometre fibre-optic backbone intended to extend high-capacity connectivity across Nigeria.

Tijani said the fibre project is designed to cover every state, geopolitical zone, local government area and ward, creating the backbone required to improve the quality and reach of broadband services nationwide.

The government is also working on strengthening satellite infrastructure through NIGCOMSAT, while the Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC) has been pushing network upgrades by operators.

The NCC has said telecom operators committed to upgrading thousands of network sites in 2026, including the migration of legacy infrastructure to 4G and 5G technologies.

Together, these initiatives are expected to address different layers of Nigeria’s connectivity challenge, which is backbone infrastructure and last-mile mobile access.

Rural connectivity becomes economic infrastructure

For Nigeria, the significance of the tower rollout goes beyond improving phone calls or internet speeds. A larger connected population means more people can participate in digital payments, e-commerce, online learning, remote work, and digital government services.

For farmers and rural businesses, connectivity can improve access to market information and financial services. For schools and health facilities, reliable internet can expand access to digital learning and telemedicine.

The government believes these benefits will also support its ambition of building a larger digital economy. The challenge now will be ensuring that the towers do not simply get deployed but remain operational.

Reliable electricity, fibre backhaul, security, maintenance and affordable data services will be critical to translating the infrastructure investment into meaningful connectivity.

For the millions of Nigerians living in communities where mobile coverage remains weak or unavailable, the October rollout could mark an important step toward bringing the country’s digital economy within reach.

Caroline Lucas, Director Special Projects at TEXEM UK, the United Kingdom based leadership development organisation has observed that lack of good ecosystem designs has become a huge challenge for most African leaders and CEOs.

Lucas made the observation in a statement posted on TEXEM’ website, www.texem.co.uk while speaking about the organisation’s next programme on ‘Winning in the age of ecosystems’ coming up later this month.

‘We are proud to be bringing African leaders and CEOs together around a theme that speaks directly to the defining challenge of this business era: Winning in the Age of Ecosystems.

‘Across boardrooms and strategy sessions on the continent, we continue to see a troubling pattern, that is, organisations with sound strategies, capable leadership, and strong market positions still struggle to execute.

‘The reason is rarely a failure of ambition or intellect. It is, more often, a failure of ecosystem design,’ she said.

Lucas noted further that strategy no longer succeeds or fails within the four walls of a single organisation.

‘It succeeds or fails within a web of relationships, which includes suppliers, regulators, technology partners, distributors, financiers, communities, and competitors who increasingly collaborate as much as they compete.

‘When this ecosystem is poorly designed, disconnected, or an afterthought bolted onto strategy after the fact, even the most capable organisation will find its execution weakened at every turn,’ the director said.

According to Lucas, fagmentation is the silent killer of good strategy.

‘When departments operate as silos, when partners are engaged transactionally rather than strategically, when digital platforms don’t talk to each other, and when leadership fails to architect coherence across the value chain, the result is friction, slower decisions, duplicated effort, misaligned incentives, and initiatives that stall before they scale.

‘We have seen strong organisations, with strong people and strong balance sheets, lose ground not because they lacked vision, but because their ecosystems worked against them rather than for them.

‘This is especially urgent for African businesses today. As markets integrate under frameworks like the AfCFTA, as digital platforms reshape customer expectations, and as global capital and talent become more mobile, the organisations that win will not simply be the ones with the best internal strategy,’ she said.

Lucas said they will be the ones that design, curate, and orchestrate ecosystems deliberately by building interoperability, trust, and shared value with the partners, institutions, and communities around them.

She said the coming TEXEM programme exists to equip African leaders and CEOs with precisely this capability that is, the mindset and tools to move from managing organisations to architecting ecosystems.

Lucas said TEXEM is inviting participants from Africa to interrogate their own fragmentation including where silos exist, where partnerships are underleveraged, where coherence has been sacrificed for speed, and to leave the programme with a sharpened ability to design ecosystems that amplify, rather than undermine, their strategic intent.

‘In this age, the leaders who win will not be those who build the strongest fortress. They will be those who build the strongest network,’ she said.

The statement also announced that the TEXEM programme, ‘Winning in the Age of Ecosystems’ will be from 24th to 27th August 2026 in York, United Kingdom adding that African leaders and CEOs will acquire more insights on how to excel in an age of ecosystems during the occasion.

Three reputable TEXEM faculty, Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke, Professor Nic Cheeseman and John Peters, are expected to deliver the programme.

Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke is a global authority on Digital Transformation, a Professor (Emeritus) of Digital Strategy and Transformation at the University of Antwerp and Antwerp Management School recognised worldwide for advancing open innovation and ecosystem management.

On industry – focused research, his work explores how digital strategies and innovation ecosystems reshape sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and energy.

With respect to prestigious academic appointments, he has held visiting professorships at top institutions including the National University of Singapore, Zhejiang University (China), ESADE Business School (Spain), and Politecnico di Milano (Italy).

As an influential scholar, he has published in leading journals such as Organization Science, Research Policy, Technovation, and California Management Review.

He is also a renowned author and editor who has co-edited four books on open innovation and authored Managing Open Innovation in SMEs (Cambridge University Press); Editor-in-Chief of Technovation, the leading innovation management journal.

He advises global corporations and public organisations on ecosystem strategy, sustainability – driven innovation, and digital transformation; delivers executive and MBA programmes worldwide.

As a thought leader bridging academic and practice, he combines rigorous research with practical insight to help leaders harness collaboration and innovation for competitive advantage in the digital era.

Professor Nic Cheeseman is a former Professor and Director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Oxford.

He has advised world leaders including the Secretary-General of the UN, Presidents of nations as well as Global CEOs.

He is a leading scholar on democracy, elections and governance in Africa. Also a regular media commentator and editor of Democracy in Africa.

He has advised governments and international organisations on democratic accountability, good governance, strategic leadership, geopolitics and electoral integrity.

John Peters (RAF officer) is a former Chair of Association of MBAs (Accreditors of top Business Schools such as Harvard, London Business School, Stanford and IMD).

Also a world-renowned Resilience expert with documentary on his life winning Independent Documentary of the Year and was also nominated for a BAFTA award.

He is a former RAF fast jet pilot and Gulf War Prisoner of War; and later Director of Performance at Aston Business School.

He is an international keynote speaker leadership under pressure and leading in turbulence.https://texem.co.uk/winning-in-the-age-of-ecosystems/

Interested participants in the York programme are expected to click on the link:

‘This programme is designed to equip you with the frameworks necessary to lead that evolution, transforming institutional hurdles into collaborative gateways for unprecedented success,’ Lucas said.

The following testimonials from past delegates of TEXEM programmes were also shared in the statement.

‘We’re dealing with an organisation that’s relevant in today’s world and bringing in all that knowledge to bear. And so its quite a remarkable organization. So TEXEM will be good on my lips for recommendations going forward. Thank you,’. -Previous TEXEM delegate, Mr Abel Nsa Senior Technical Adviser (TSA) to the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ministry of Petroleum Resources Abuja.

‘Wow! It’s so fully packed and the quality of the faculty is second to none…I think the quality of their presentation really got to me. I’ve realized… that practical and operational issues can be left to the middle level officers in the organisation while I focus more on the strategy to deliver and make my organisation better able to achieve its objective’.

-Previous TEXEM delegate, Mr Oluwatoyin Ahmed Edu, Executive Director, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Bank of Industry.

‘The programme is quite rich, the content is very insightful, impactful and the content is in fact directed and tailored towards the contemporary leadership challenges we have in the country, or specific and that are directed towards leadership challenges in the country which is strategic leadership in the digital age because we are evolving and we have to be futuristic’. -Previous TEXEM delegate, Kingsley Emeka Egwuh, Assistant Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service.

NNPC/Seplat Energy Joint Venture (JV) has conducted a graduation ceremony for its first cohort of teachers in Imo State under the Seplat Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP), equipping 127 teachers and education evaluators with digital skills, STEAM-focused teaching techniques/approaches and alternative income-generation skills to strengthen their professional development.

The maiden Imo State edition brought together teachers from communities across the State for an intensive training programme over a 3-month-period, designed to go beyond conventional classroom instruction.

Participants received practical training in digital learning, communications, entrepreneurship and skills development, with a focus on empowering them to apply the knowledge gained in their classrooms and communities.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Chioma Afe, Director of External Affairs and Social Performance, Seplat Energy PLC? represented by Esther Icha, the General Manager, Corporate Social Investment and Social Performance, said that the Joint Venture’s investment in education was driven by its belief that empowering teachers is one of the most effective ways to create lasting impact in communities.

She noted that the STEP programme had previously been implemented in Edo and Delta States, where more than 2,000 teachers had been trained and empowered, adding that the Imo edition marked the programme’s first intervention in the state.

According to Afe, the programme was deliberately designed to extend beyond conventional teaching skills by equipping teachers with digital competencies to integrate technology into teaching and learning, improve productivity and better prepare students for an increasingly digital world.

She also highlighted the programme’s focus on alternative sources of income, noting that economic empowerment could strengthen teachers’ financial resilience, encourage entrepreneurship and provide opportunities for additional income beyond their primary profession.

To the graduating teachers, Afe urged them to view their certificates not as the end of their journey, but as the beginning of a greater responsibility to apply their knowledge and share it with others.

‘Take the digital skills you have acquired into your classrooms, share your knowledge with fellow teachers, encourage your students to learn, explore and innovate,’ she said.

She challenged the teachers to become examples of responsible entrepreneurship and financial empowerment in their communities, stressing that the true measure of the programme would be the impact created after the graduation.

‘The true measure of this programme will be in the impact you create after today, the students you inspire, the colleagues you support and the communities you influence,’ Afe added.

Olanrewaju Igandan, Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), who was represented by Chizoba Onyike, Subsurface Operations Advisor, NUIMS, said the graduation represented more than the completion of a teacher-training programme, describing it as an investment in the future of host communities.

He noted that teachers serve as critical channels through which knowledge and opportunity are transferred to younger generations.

‘Today is not just the graduation of trained teachers; it also means our impact in host communities. Because we very well know that if you educate the teachers, you empower the community,’ Igandan said.

He thanked the partners, facilitators, government representatives and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the programme and wished the graduating teachers success in their future endeavours.

emPLE Nigeria has met the recapitalisation requirement set by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), reinforcing its financial strength and capacity to deliver sustainable value to customers and stakeholders across its Life and General Insurance businesses.

This marks a significant milestone in emPLE’s growth journey, reinforcing the company’s financial capacity to meet its obligations, pursue strategic growth opportunities and remain a long-term partner to individuals, families and businesses.

The company’s ability to deliver on this commitment was further demonstrated by the payment of over N7 billion in claims by emPLE Life Assurance Limited and emPLE General Insurance Limited in 2025, providing critical financial support to customers and beneficiaries and underscoring emPLE’s track record of standing by its customers when it matters most.

Speaking about the development, Olalekan Oyinlade, managing director, emPLE General Insurance Limited, said, ‘Meeting the recapitalisation requirement is important, but what matters most to us is what that strength enables us to do for our customers. Insurance is built on confidence. The confidence that when an unexpected event occurs, your insurer has both the capacity and the commitment to respond. Our strengthened capital position affirms that promise and gives us an even stronger foundation from which to serve our customers.’

He added, ‘The continued confidence of our shareholders and investors also reflects the strength of the business we are building, the quality of our leadership and the long-term opportunities we see in the Nigerian insurance market. We remain focused on building an institution that customers, partners and other stakeholders can rely on for many years to come.’

Commenting on the development, Jolaolu Fakoya, managing director, emPLE Life Assurance Limited, said, ‘Our business has always been centered on the people and the responsibility we carry when they entrust their families, businesses, assets and aspirations to us. A stronger capital position gives us greater capacity to fulfil that responsibility, deepen customer confidence and continue developing solutions that meet the real protection needs of Nigerians.’

He added, ‘As we look towards the next decade, our ambition goes beyond becoming a financially stronger insurer. We want to make insurance simpler, more accessible and more relevant to everyday Nigerians. That means investing in customer experience, embracing digital innovation, strengthening our partnerships and developing products that empower more people to protect what matters to them.’

For emPLE, this milestone highlights key fundamentals such as financial strength, the ability to pay claims, customer confidence and long-term trust on which insurance is built. With a stronger foundation in place, the company remains focused on building a people-centred insurance business that protects and empowers Nigerians today and into the future.

emPLE is a Nigerian insurance brand operating through emPLE General Insurance Limited and emPLE Life Assurance Limited, focused on delivering accessible protection solutions grounded in governance -, operational excellence, and sustainability

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has signed 26,272 Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) in the first three years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Olayinka said the move was aimed at improving ease of doing business in the FCT, in line with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the figure surpassed the 8,697 C of Os produced and signed between 2010 and 2023.

According to him, 5,500 C of Os were signed during the five-and-a-half-year administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, while 3,197 were produced and signed during the eight-year administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said many allottees who benefited from the 26,272 C of Os obtained their land allocations more than 10 years ago.

Olayinka said C of Os served as collateral for commercial loans, mortgages and business expansion.

He said the inability of property owners to obtain C of Os when needed remained a challenge for small and medium-sized businesses, as it restricted access to funding.

‘To address this challenge, the FCT Administration under President Tinubu has streamlined the process to enable land allottees to receive their documents within two weeks of completing payments.

‘The moment necessary payments are made, land allottees can now get their C of O within two weeks.

‘Also, automated notifications have been introduced to ensure that land allottees are informed when their documents are ready for collection,’ Olayinka said.

He attributed previous delays to inefficiencies that discouraged landowners from completing their payments.

Olayinka said, in addition to the 26,272 C of Os, the FCT Administration granted 2,521 Consents to Assign and 177 Consents to Mortgage in the last three years.

He said this compared with 753 Consents to Assign and 180 Consents to Mortgage granted during the Jonathan administration, and 684 Consents to Assign and 164 Consents to Mortgage under Buhari.

He explained that Consent to Assign was a legal document required for the transfer of property ownership, while Consent to Mortgage was required before a property could be used as collateral for a loan.

Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, has visited Governor Ademola Adeleke, to congratulate him on his victory in the August 15 governorship election.

Obasanjo was received by Adeleke at the governor’s residence, where the two exchanged pleasantries and embraced.

Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, secured 511,067 votes to defeat Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 444,815 votes.

The result gave Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes over his closest challenger.

The visit by Obasanjo followed the governor’s successful bid for a second term in office after the conclusion of the off-cycle governorship election.

West Ham United have signed 22-year-old Belgium international Arne Engels from Scottish champions Celtic for £22m to break the EFL transfer record.

The Belgium international signed a five-year contract after West Ham disclosed that a ‘record fee paid by an EFL Championship club’ was paid.

Engels is West Ham’s fourth summer signing after the recruitment of Venezuela midfielder Keiber Lamadrid, Dutch defender Joel Veltman and Israel winger Manor Solomon.

‘Arne is a player we have been tracking for some time as a key target.

‘For a player who is still very young with his best years in front of him, he has very good experience and has established himself at a big club, showing consistency and confidence.’

Nils Koppen, West Ham director of player recruitment, told the club website.

According to Koppen, the Belgium international has the right traits, both as a player and as a character, to fit into what West Ham is trying to build moving forward. ‘He is very motivated to be here for this challenge.’

Engels, who has made four appearances for Belgium, won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles with Celtic after arriving from Augsburg in August 2024, having begun his career at Club Brugge.

‘It’s a really nice project to come into,’ he said. ‘To try to go back to the Premier League. That’s the big goal.

‘It’s just up to me to hopefully help the team with it and together with the supporters to get some wins. Hopefully it’s going to be a good year.’

Engels signing tops the £17.5m paid by Ipswich Town a year ago to sign Norway forward Sindre Walle Egeli.

Following relegation in May, West Ham started their first Championship season since 2012 with a trip to Burnley on Sunday.

But Engels, who can play in midfield, right-back or right-wing, will not be available to make his debut until the home league derby against Charlton Athletic at the London Stadium on Saturday, 22 August.

Authur Javis Archibong, governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, has criticised the Administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu, accusing it of being disconnected from the people and failing to deliver meaningful development across the State.

Archibong made his position known on Thursday, during a press conference on the state of Cross River, where he said he had deliberately refrained from publicly criticising the administration over the past three years to give the governor sufficient time to demonstrate his capacity for good governance.

According to him, with less than one year remaining in the governor’s four-year tenure, continued silence would amount to a betrayal of the people who deserve purposeful leadership.

Archibong alleged that the Administration had become disconnected from the people, particularly because of what he described as the governor’s limited presence in the State. He questioned how the governor could adequately understand the challenges facing Cross Riverians without regular interaction with citizens across the State.

He also criticised what he described as the delegation of governance to individuals who were not elected into office, arguing that such a practice had affected the quality and speed of decision-making in the state.

The PDP candidate further accused the Administration of concentrating governance around Calabar, saying the governor’s activities outside the state capital had been limited.

‘Calabar is not Cross River State. It is only the State capital, and the Governor is clearly the Governor of Cross River, and not the Governor of Calabar,’ he said.

Archibong expressed concern over what he described as inadequate supervision of projects across the State, arguing that contracts awarded without regular inspection by the chief executive could result in poor execution, abandonment and inaccurate evaluation.

He also faulted the Administration for what he described as the absence of a major signature project after almost four years in office.

According to him, much attention had been devoted to the renovation and completion of structures inherited from previous administrations, while the state lacked new projects capable of defining the present administration.

He acknowledged the importance of continuity in governance, but questioned whether the Administration had entered office with a clear development plan for Cross River State.

Archibong listed the refurbished library complex, the Governor’s Office, the completed Local Government building, the ongoing renovation of the cultural centre and some road projects as examples of projects he believed had not adequately reflected the development needs of the state.

He further compared Cross River with neighbouring States, including Akwa Ibom, Abia and Enugu, which he said were implementing infrastructure projects with long-term developmental impact.