Category: Business Day

Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, and members of the National Association of Bloggers have mobilised support for the second-term bid of Bassey Otu, Cross River State Governor, and his Deputy, Peter Odey, staging a one-million-man march in Calabar at the weekend in endorsement of the administration ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The mobilisation, organised under the auspices of the Grassroots Initiative for Otu/Odey and led by the President of the National Association of Bloggers, Prince Imonikhe, followed what the organisers described as an independent assessment of the administration’s performance.

The group said its decision to endorse the Otu/Odey ticket was informed by what its members personally saw and experienced in the state, rather than by government-sponsored publicity or political persuasion.

Addressing the gathering, Imonikhe said the initiative deliberately undertook its own assessment of the government because its members wanted to establish whether the positive reports about the administration were consistent with realities on the ground.

‘We came here to see for ourselves. We did not want to depend on what anybody was telling us. We wanted to come privately, look at the projects, interact with the people and determine whether the things being said about Cross River were actually happening,’ he said.

According to him, he had earlier visited the state privately with members of his team before the mobilisation, adding that their observations during the visit changed their perception of the administration.

‘What we saw was beyond our expectations. We came with an open mind, but what we met on ground was impressive. We saw developments that speak directly to the people, and we felt that when a government is doing something commendable, people should have the courage to say so,’ Imonikhe stated.

He said the Cross River State Library was one of the facilities that particularly impressed the delegation, describing it as a manifestation of the government’s commitment to education and the future of young people.

‘When we visited the library, we were impressed. You could see that somebody had thought about the students and the future of the children of Cross River State. This is the kind of intervention that should be encouraged and replicated,’ he said.

Imonikhe maintained that the endorsement was therefore not merely a political declaration but a product of what he described as the group’s interaction with the state and its people.

‘We are here to appreciate what we have seen. We are also here to encourage the government to do more. Our message is simple: where a government is working, let us acknowledge it; where it is not working, let us point it out. That is the responsibility of responsible citizens,’ he added.

Phyna, who joined the initiative after discussions with Imonikhe about developments in Cross River, said her first visit to the state had given her a fresh perspective about the administration.

‘I have never been to Cross River before, and coming here for the first time, I was actually surprised by what I saw,’ she said.

According to the reality television star, the journey from the airport into Calabar immediately caught her attention, particularly the condition of the roads and the level of street lighting.

‘From the airport coming into Calabar, I saw the roads and the street lights. I was like, okay, something is actually happening here. And when I started speaking with people and hearing from residents, it made me understand that the things I was seeing were not just for show,’ Phyna said.

She urged Nigerians to develop a culture of celebrating positive developments instead of concentrating exclusively on criticism of public officials.

‘I believe we should all come together and also appreciate the governments that are working, so that people know there are governments and governors that still work in this country,’ she said.

Phyna added that recognising good performance should not be interpreted as abandoning accountability, stressing that public officials should be encouraged when their efforts produce tangible benefits for the people.

Receiving the endorsement, Deputy Governor Peter Odey described the one-million-man mobilisation as significant because, according to him, it was coming from individuals who had undertaken their own assessment of the state.

‘What makes this endorsement particularly significant is that it did not originate from government. These are people who came here, looked around and made their own assessment. They have seen what we are doing and have chosen, on their own, to identify with the administration,’ Odey said.

He said Governor Otu’s administration was founded on a people-first philosophy, explaining that government had deliberately directed its resources towards projects and programmes capable of improving the living conditions of Cross Riverians.

‘Our philosophy is very simple: government must work for the people. Every project we undertake, every intervention we make and every policy we introduce must ultimately answer the question: how does this improve the life of the ordinary Cross Riverian?’ he stated.

Odey cited the administration’s extensive road construction programme, interventions across Local Government Areas, developments at the Marina Resort and projects in Ogoja, Obudu, Odukpani, Ikom and other parts of the state as evidence of its commitment to balanced development.

‘We are not developing only Calabar. We are taking development to Ogoja, to Obudu, to Odukpani, to Ikom and to other communities. Cross River belongs to all of us, and our development agenda must therefore be inclusive,’ he said.

On security, the Deputy Governor said the administration had strengthened the security architecture of the state, creating a safer environment for residents, businesses and visitors.

‘We know that no meaningful development can take place where people do not feel safe. That is why security has remained a major priority of this administration. We are creating an environment where our people can sleep with their eyes closed and investors can come into Cross River with confidence,’ Odey said.

He also spoke on the administration’s efforts to improve air connectivity, saying the state had acquired more aircraft to boost flights into Calabar, while work was progressing on the Obudu Cargo Airport.

‘Our air connectivity is improving. We have acquired more aircraft to boost flights to Calabar, and we are also advancing work on the Obudu Cargo Airport. Our objective is to make it possible for people to move directly from Lagos and Abuja to Obudu, while opening up the northern part of the state to greater economic opportunities,’ he said.

Odey commended bloggers and influencers for their growing influence in shaping public discourse, but challenged them to deploy their platforms responsibly.

‘You have enormous power in your hands. With one post, one story or one video, you can influence public opinion. That power must therefore come with responsibility,’ he admonished.

He urged them to distinguish between legitimate criticism and deliberate misinformation, warning against what he described as ‘falsehood, insults, gossip and politically motivated attacks.’

‘We welcome criticism. In fact, criticism helps government to improve. But criticism must be based on facts. We should not deliberately manufacture falsehood, insult people or circulate gossip simply because we disagree politically,’ Odey said.

He added: ‘If you see something that is wrong, tell us. If you see something that needs correction, point it out. But let us not destroy the fabric of our society by promoting lies and hatred. Responsible journalism and responsible blogging will always serve the public better.’

The Deputy Governor further appealed to the bloggers and influencers to return to Cross River in December for Carnival Calabar, assuring them that the state was preparing an edition that would surpass previous celebrations.

‘Come back in December. Come with your cameras, come with your phones, come with your followers and come and experience Carnival Calabar,’ Odey said. ‘We are preparing what we believe will be our best carnival yet, and we want you to be part of it.’

He said the administration would continue to pursue programmes capable of placing Cross River on the national and international map, while insisting that the ultimate measure of its success would remain the wellbeing of the people.

The one-million-man mobilisation, coming months after the governor secured the endorsement of his party for a second term, has added a fresh layer of grassroots visibility to the Otu/Odey campaign, with the organisers insisting that their support is rooted in what they described as visible development and the administration’s growing profile across the state.

For the organisers, the message from Calabar was unmistakable: where development is visible and governance produces tangible results, citizens and influential voices should not hesitate to acknowledge it. The Otu/Odey campaign, they said, now has an expanded coalition of bloggers, influencers and grassroots supporters as the state begins to look towards the 2027 political contest.

The Federal Government has reviewed agricultural curricula for tertiary institutions to increase practical training and equip Nigerian youths with job-ready skills for the agricultural sector.

Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the report of the National Implementation Committee on the Review and Development of Agricultural Curricula for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.

According to a statement signed by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser to the Minister on Media and Communications, the reviewed curricula will shift agricultural education from the previous 70 percent theoretical and 30 percent practical model to 80 percent practical training and 20 percent theory.

Alausa said the reform was part of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to reposition agriculture as a skills-based sector capable of creating productive opportunities for young Nigerians.

He said the increased practical component would give students hands-on experience and enable them to apply their knowledge beyond the classroom.

‘The shift to 80 per cent practical training is a major step towards equipping Nigerian youths with relevant skills and advancing the economic objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda,’ the minister said.

He expressed optimism that the new approach would produce a better-trained workforce, strengthen capacity across the agricultural sector and translate education into productive economic activity.

Alausa also called for a comprehensive rollout of the revised curricula, stressing the need to sensitise industry players, academics, teachers and other stakeholders on the rationale behind the reforms.

He said adequate teacher training and institutional support would be critical to ensuring that the new practical-oriented curricula are effectively implemented.

Speaking earlier, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, commended members of the implementation committee for their work and acknowledged the contributions of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the Skills Council, industry representatives and academics to the review process.

Ahmad said the collaboration among stakeholders had strengthened the exercise and contributed to the development of curricula that could respond more effectively to the needs of the agricultural sector.

She called for sustained engagement with stakeholders and the public to improve understanding and acceptance of the reforms, particularly the increased emphasis on practical training.

Presenting the report, Idris Muhammad Bugaje, Executive Secretary of NBTE, said the exercise produced 36 new and reviewed National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) curricula, three National Certificate in Education (NCE) curricula and 31 National Occupational Standards.

He said 27 of the occupational standards were newly developed, while four existing standards were reviewed, expanding the framework for skills development in agriculture.

Bugaje said the assignment had been completed and that the resulting documents had been considered and approved by the relevant regulatory bodies.

He described the outcome as a significant boost to agricultural skills development, adding that the complete set of curricula would be formally presented at a later public event.

Alausa assured that the Ministry of Education would work with NBTE, tertiary institutions, industry and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the revised curricula.

He said the government’s focus remained on equipping young Nigerians with practical skills, strengthening the agricultural workforce and transforming the country’s agricultural potential into productive opportunities.

The minister said the reform was consistent with the administration’s broader objective of using education and skills development to support economic growth and employment under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, the pioneer and leading composite Takaful insurance firm in Nigeria, and its subsidiary, Noor Health Ltd., have distributed a combined total of N427.96 million as surplus to participants and enrollees who did not make claims on their insurance during the 2024 financial year.

Shuaibu Ahmed, chairman Board of directors, Noor Takaful Insurance Limited made the remark during the 2024 Surplus Distribution and Claims Celebration Ceremony themed ‘Promise Kept: Celebrating Takaful’s Commitment to Shared Reward,’ held in Lagos .

According to Ahmed, whilst over 1,000 participants will receive various sums as surplus, a total of 22 participants received surplus payments from Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, while 2 enrollees received surplus payments from Noor Health at the event. He described the payment of surplus as a demonstration of gratitude, accountability, reflection, and celebration of promises made and kept.

The Chairman explained that the company has proven over the years that surplus distribution is not a theoretical concept but a model that works in practice, as evidenced by its consistent payments to participants. He acknowledged that there is growing acceptance of Takaful, as it is increasingly recognised as a credible and established alternative to conventional insurance.

‘At Noor, however, we believe it is more than just an alternative. We believe it is a better alternative. We say this because Takaful is built around values that are fundamental to how financial protection should work: equity, fairness, mutual responsibility, transparency, and shared benefit,’ he said.

Also speaking at the event, Aminu Tukur, , vice chairman of Noor Takaful Insurance Limited, stated that the 2024 surplus distribution was based on the performance of the participants’ risk pool after claims and other obligations had been settled.

Tukur disclosed that the company had grown from a humble beginning of about 60 participants at its inception to approximately 4,000. He noted that the company would continue to collaborate with regulators and other stakeholders to promote Takaful and deepen insurance awareness across Nigeria. He added that the company will mark 10 years of operations in 2027.

He explained further that since inception, the company has cumulatively paid N22 billion in claims to beneficiaries/participants, with General Takaful accounting for N7.4 billion and Family Takaful contributing N14.5 billion. ‘Our role is to ensure proper management and administration of funds, which includes investments. Secondly, we have a responsibility to ensure that every genuine claim is paid on a timely and stress-free basis,’ he stressed.

In his remarks at the event, Ayo Omosehin, commissioner for Insurance/ CEO, National Insurance Commission who was represented by Usman Jankara, deputy commissioner for Insurance Technical at NAICOM, described the payment of surplus to participants as a practical demonstration of the values that define cooperation, shared responsibility, fairness, ethical conduct, and collective prosperity.

Jankara stated that the distribution of surplus by Noor Takaful clearly demonstrates that participants are not merely purchasers of protection but contributors to a system built on cooperation and mutual benefit. ‘This has sent a strong message that Takaful can create measurable value while remaining faithful to its ethical foundation,’ he added.

Speaking on the recapitalisation exercise for Insurance companies recently carried out by NAICOM, he stated that Takaful operators were exempted as they had undergone a similar exercise four years ago. According to him, there is no compelling need at the moment for recapitalisation of the Takaful segment of the insurance industry, as all the Takaful operators are well capitalised.

While commending the company for reaching the milestone and promoting participants’ education and engagement, he stressed that NAICOM would continue to support Takaful’s growth while ensuring proper regulatory oversight.

Some of the participants that received surplus payments include Jaiz Bank, Lotus Bank, Sterling Bank, The Alternative Bank, Payvantage Limited, Integrated Indigo Limited, Smadac Securities, and Taxaide Logistics.

Noor Takaful Insurance Ltd., a takaful insurance firm established and duly licensed by NAICOM in April 2016 as the first full-fledged composite takaful insurance operator in Nigeria with a 100 percent indigenous Nigerian shareholding. The company currently plays a pioneering and leading role in unlocking the potential of takaful insurance in Nigeria. Its operational framework is regulated by NAICOM.

Recently, a friend needed to renew his Nigerian passport.

Among the supporting documents requested was proof of his state of origin. Like many Nigerians, he expected the process to involve travelling home, visiting government offices, filling out paper forms and waiting days, perhaps weeks, for the document to be issued.

Instead, he discovered something unexpected. His state government had digitised the process.

He completed the application online, submitted the required information, made payment electronically and later received a verification call from government officials. Within a few hours, the certificate was ready to download.

The experience was not remarkable because it involved technology, as government websites and online portals are becoming increasingly common.

It was remarkable because the technology solved a real problem.

The citizens saved time, the government collected revenue through a transparent digital process, official records became easier to verify and a service that once depended on physical presence and paperwork had become accessible from anywhere.

This experience also raised a bigger question.

If one part of the government can deliver services this efficiently, why do citizens so often encounter completely different experiences elsewhere? Why does one agency feel modern and connected, while another still requires information that the government may already possess?

The answer, I believe, is that Nigeria’s biggest digital challenge is no longer digitisation but digital coordination.

For much of the last decade, Nigeria has pursued an ambitious programme of government digitisation. Citizens can now register businesses online, renew driver’s licences, apply for passports, pay taxes electronically, verify identities and increasingly access government services through digital platforms.

On paper, this represents significant progress. Yet the everyday experience of many Nigerians tells a different story.

A citizen may have to update the same personal information across multiple government portals, while an agency may request documents already held by another agency. Similar digital systems are procured independently across ministries, departments and agencies, each with its own login credentials, verification process and technical architecture. So rather than experiencing one digital government, citizens interact with dozens of disconnected digital islands.

Digitisation is about moving services online while digital transformation is about ensuring those services work together. In simple terms, one is about creating websites and applications, while the other is about building institutions capable of sustaining, improving and connecting them all.

The distinction may seem subtle, but it has profound implications for public service delivery. A ministry can digitise a paper form by making it available online. It can even build a mobile application for citizens to access that service. Yet if the application cannot securely exchange information with other government systems or requires citizens to repeatedly submit information that the government already holds, then the underlying experience remains the same.

Digital transformation is therefore less about technology itself and more about coordination. It requires common standards, shared infrastructure, interoperable systems and institutions that encourage collaboration rather than duplication. Without these foundations, governments risk creating a collection of modern-looking digital services that function as isolated islands instead of an integrated public service.

The state of origin application demonstrated what digital transformation looks like when it is done well. The challenge is ensuring that such successes become the norm rather than the exception.

But it also exposed a broader question: why are these successes still isolated?

Nigeria is beginning to recognise this institutional problem. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has recently introduced stronger requirements for the planning, development, testing and quality assurance of government IT projects. The new framework places greater emphasis on standards, cybersecurity, data compliance, interoperability and independent quality assurance, while NITDA has also highlighted the need to reduce duplication and encourage shared digital services across government.

These measures are important. A government that wants reliable digital infrastructure needs to know that the systems it commissions are secure, interoperable and fit for purpose.

But there is another question that quality assurance alone cannot answer: what happens to the knowledge and software after a project is completed?

A system can be secure, well-tested and compliant and still become another isolated government platform. The agency that commissioned it may retain the code, documentation and expertise, while another institution elsewhere in government commissions a similar solution from scratch.

This is where the conversation needs to move beyond software quality towards software stewardship.

If Nigeria wants to build a digital government that improves over time, it needs institutions that do not only ask whether a system works but also whether what has been built can be reused, improved and shared across government where appropriate.

That is precisely the gap an Open Source Programme Office can help address.

For years, digital transformation in Nigeria has largely been approached as a procurement exercise. When an institution identifies a need, it commissions a new system. Another agency facing a similar challenge often starts from scratch, engaging a different vendor and adopting different standards.

This challenge is not unique to Nigeria. Governments around the world have discovered that the greatest obstacle to digital transformation is rarely the ability to build software but the inability to build upon what already exists. That is why a growing number of governments and organisations are embracing Open Source Programme Offices (OSPOs).

Earlier this year, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) argued that governments should think beyond open-source software as merely a way to reduce licensing costs. For governments, its greater value lies in the collaboration, transparency and reuse of knowledge that open source can enable.

Turning that idea into everyday practice is the role of an Open Source Programme Office (OSPO).

An OSPO is a small team within an organisation that helps different teams work better together. It exists to develop the policies, standards and practices that encourage teams to reuse existing solutions, document what they build, share code where appropriate and collaborate instead of working in isolation.

In government, this means ministries and agencies are less likely to commission similar systems independently. They can build on existing work, adopt common technical standards and treat software developed with public funds as a shared national asset rather than a collection of isolated projects.

GitHub’s 2023 Octoverse report highlighted the growing institutionalisation of open source, noting that 30% of Fortune 100 companies had established OSPOs, while many others were planning similar initiatives. The shift reflects a broader recognition that software governance is a strategic capability, not simply an engineering concern.

Companies, such as Microsoft, Google, Meta, Comcast, JPMorgan Chase, and Mercedes Benz, for example, have OSPOs.

Governments are reaching the same conclusion. France has adopted a national strategy to strengthen the use of open source across the public sector, recognising its role in improving digital sovereignty and reducing long-term dependence on proprietary technologies.

The model is also gaining traction in developing economies. In 2025, Trinidad and Tobago partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to establish a government OSPO as part of its national digital transformation agenda. The message is that regardless of a country’s size or level of economic development, sustainable digital transformation depends not only on building software but also on building the institutions that govern it.

These countries are not embracing open source simply because software licences can be expensive.

They are embracing it because institutional knowledge is priceless.

Software can always be rewritten. What is far harder to replace is the knowledge accumulated while building and maintaining it, especially why certain decisions were made, how systems interact, what standards were adopted, and what lessons were learned along the way. When that knowledge resides only with a vendor or a handful of contractors, the government remains dependent on them long after the original project has been delivered.

An OSPO helps change this. By encouraging documentation, shared engineering practices, reusable code and collaboration across institutions, it ensures that knowledge becomes a public asset rather than a private one. Every digital project leaves behind not just an application but also the expertise, standards and lessons that future projects can build upon.

For Nigeria, the logical starting point is not 50 different OSPOs across the government but one.

An OSPO would not replace existing ministries or technology agencies. Nor would it eliminate the need for commercial vendors. Instead, it would provide the governance framework that encourages ministries to reuse existing solutions before commissioning new ones, publish appropriate software developed with public funds, adopt common interoperability standards and cultivate communities of public sector engineers who learn from one another instead of working in isolation.

A Federal Government Open Source Programme Office could develop national guidance, maintain reusable software assets, establish API standards, provide legal and licensing expertise, support ministries adopting open-source technologies and create a shared developer portal where government institutions exchange code, documentation and best practices.

Such an office would represent a shift in philosophy.

From procurement to capability.

From isolated projects to shared platforms.

From vendor dependence to institutional ownership.

Nigeria’s digital future will not ultimately be determined by how many new government applications are launched over the next decade. It will depend on whether the government learns to treat software developed with public funds as a strategic national asset, institutional knowledge as public capital and digital collaboration as a core function of the modern state.

Before commissioning another platform, the government should first ask a simpler question: What have we already built that others can build upon?

Answering that question may do more to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation than any single new application ever could.

Tosin Odeyemi, chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Osun State and chieftain of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), has urged voters, political parties and security agencies to ensure that Saturday’s governorship election is conducted peacefully, transparently and without rancour.

Odeyemi, in a statement issued in Osogbo on Friday, described the August 15 election as another opportunity for the people of Osun to exercise their constitutional right to choose leaders capable of driving development across the state.

He urged registered voters to come out in large numbers and vote according to their conscience, warning that voter apathy could create room for undemocratic forces to influence the outcome of the election.

‘Going to vote is your civic responsibility. Do not sell your vote. Do not allow anyone to intimidate you. Your PVC is your power to determine who governs you for the next four years,’ he said.

The IPAC chairman also charged security agencies deployed across the state to maintain professionalism, neutrality and vigilance before, during and after the poll.

According to him, security personnel must protect voters, electoral officials, election materials and collation centres across the 30 local government areas of the state.

Odeyemi warned that acts capable of undermining the electoral process, including ballot snatching, thuggery and violence, must be dealt with decisively in accordance with the law.

‘The duty is to protect voters, electoral officials, materials and result collation centres across the 30 local government areas of the state. You must ensure you do your job diligently without compromise,’ he said.

He also appealed to parents and guardians to caution their children and wards against allowing themselves to be recruited as political thugs or used to perpetrate violence during the election.

The IPAC chairman further urged political actors to respect the rules of the contest and accept the outcome of a free and credible election, stressing that the interest of Osun State should remain above partisan considerations.

The appeal comes as political parties intensify mobilisation ahead of Saturday’s poll, with stakeholders expressing concerns over possible attempts by desperate actors to disrupt voting and the collation of results.

Odeyemi urged all stakeholders to contribute to a peaceful electoral environment, saying the credibility of the election would depend not only on the conduct of the electoral body but also on the behaviour of political parties, candidates, voters and security agencies.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured voters in Osun State that adequate security measures have been put in place to enable them to participate peacefully in Saturday’s Governorship election, urging them to vote wisely.

President Tinubu, who was represented by Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President at the All Progressives Congress (APC) mega rally in Osogbo on Thursday, urged the people of Osun State to remain peaceful, assuring them that nobody would be harassed or intimidated during the election.

‘Feel free to go out and vote for the candidate of your choice. Feel free to go out and ensure that you vote for the party of your choice. But my advice would be: choose wisely,’ Akpabio said.

He said Tinubu’s commitment to democracy was reflected in his decision to ensure that citizens were able to participate freely in the election, urging voters not to allow social media attacks or intimidation to discourage them from going to the polling units.

He also urged voters to go out and vote for the candidate and party of their choice, but advised them to choose wisely.

The Senate President also used the rally to appeal to voters to support Oyebamiji, arguing that there was a need to link Osun State with the Federal Government, while noting that more than 30 governors were already members of the APC.

Similarly, Hope Uzodinma, Governor of Imo State and Chairman APC National Campaign Council for Osun State Governorship Election, appealed to the people of Osun State to vote for Oyebamiji, saying the APC is not known for violence, trouble or intimidation but was built on a good ideology.

Governor Uzodimma also urged the people to support President Tinubu in his efforts to build a better Nigeria.

A major development at the rally was the declaration of support for Oyebamiji by Chris Imumolen, Professor and factional National Chairman of Accord Party.

He said that the National Working Committee of the party had endorsed the APC candidate.

‘We have stated our support for Oyebamiji. Today, we declare our support for Oyebamiji. Come Saturday, all Accord members in Osun State should go to their polling units and vote for Oyebamiji’, he stated.

The rally attracted several APC leaders and political figures, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; former APC National Chairman, Adebisi Akande; former Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Ekiti State Governor, Abayomi Oyebanji; Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda; Adams Oshiomhole; Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu; Godswill Akpabio; the Senate President; Sarafadeen Alli, Oyo APC Governorship candidate and several other party leaders and supporters.

Nigeria has taken a significant step towards building a more coordinated national skills system following the formal transfer of responsibility for coordinating the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and implementing the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

The transition, undertaken in line with the directive of the National Council on Skills, seeks to address a longstanding challenge in Nigeria’s skills ecosystem: fragmented institutional responsibilities, overlapping mandates and weak coordination between government, industry, training institutions and professional bodies.

For employers, the issue goes beyond institutional structure. Nigeria’s ability to build a productive workforce depends on whether the skills being taught, assessed and certified correspond with what industries actually need.

The handover therefore places greater emphasis on an industry-led, demand-driven skills architecture, with occupational standards, assessment and certification expected to become more closely aligned with the requirements of employers and international labour markets.

The ceremony at ITF Skills House in Abuja brought together representatives of the Presidency, ITF, NBTE, National Council on Skills, Sector Skills Councils, industry, professional bodies, regulators, training institutions, development partners and the artisan community.

Participants described the transition as an important institutional reset for Nigeria’s skills development system.

Why the Sector Skills Councils matter

More than 20 Sector Skills Councils have been established across priority areas of the economy. Yet the progress report presented at the ceremony showed that only a limited number are fully operational.

Funding constraints, weak sector ownership, limited institutional support, inadequate monitoring and coordination gaps have restricted the effectiveness of several councils.

Where they are functioning, however, the councils have demonstrated their potential. They have supported the development of occupational standards, engaged employers and training providers, promoted occupational assessment and certification, and created stronger links between industry and the skills system.

The challenge now is to move from establishing councils to making them effective institutions with measurable industry outcomes. Under the new arrangement, the priority will be stronger governance, sustainable financing, monitoring, quality assurance and closer industry participation.

The bigger economic question

The reform comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy. Participants argued that achieving such an ambition requires more than capital investment and policy reform. It requires a workforce equipped with skills relevant to manufacturing, construction, technology, services, creative industries and other productive sectors.

This makes occupational standards increasingly important.

Qualifications need to demonstrate what a worker is capable of doing, while employers need confidence that certification reflects genuine competence. Aligning Nigerian standards with international benchmarks also has implications for labour mobility and Nigeria’s ability to participate in global value chains.

A new framework for artisans

One of the more consequential proposals discussed at the meeting was the development of a national licensing framework for artisans and technicians. Under the proposed approach, professional practice would increasingly be linked to recognised occupational qualifications, competency assessments and certification.

The objective is broader than regulation. A credible licensing system could improve service standards, strengthen consumer confidence, create clearer career pathways and make Nigerian artisans more competitive in domestic and international markets.

For an economy with a large informal workforce, the formal recognition of occupational competence also has the potential to improve workforce mobility and create a more structured skills marketplace.

What this means for Nigeria’s fashion industry

For the Nigerian Fashion Council (NFC), the transition has particular significance. The NFC serves as the Sector Skills Council for the Fashion, Leather, Accessories and Textile (FLAT) sector, one of the country’s largest employment ecosystems, with an estimated 40 million people engaged across its value chain.

The sector’s challenge has never been a shortage of talent. It has been the absence of sufficiently structured systems for defining skills, validating competence, professionalising practice and connecting training with industry demand.

The NFC says its five standing committees are already developing foundational frameworks covering skills, certification and professional practice across the sector. The transfer to ITF therefore provides a stronger institutional platform for taking this work from framework development to implementation.

What happens next

The immediate test is execution. The new structure will need to translate institutional realignment into functioning Sector Skills Councils, validated occupational standards, credible assessment systems, recognised certification and stronger employer participation.

For the NFC and other councils, the opportunity is equally clear: move from representation to measurable industry impact.

If successfully implemented, the reform could give Nigeria something its skills system has long lacked – a more coherent link between what industries need, what institutions teach, what workers can demonstrate and what employers are prepared to recognise and reward.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is weighing a domestic petroleum swap deal designed to optimize supply chain networks and deepen crude delivery to local refineries.

Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Commission Chief Executive, NUPRC, disclosed this move during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in Abuja.

The move according to Eyesan aims to streamline fulfillment of Domestic Crude and Gas Supply Obligations by allowing producers to trade delivery locations, thereby reduce cost and increase availability of products in the country.

Eyesan noted that once all the modalities are finalised, there would be an improved compliance with the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) and the Domestic Gas Supply Obligation. This, she said, would also be coordinated along with the Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (GACN).

Latest statistics by the Commission showed an improvement in domestic crude supply to local refiners, with a total of 53.7 million barrels of crude oil supplied to local refiners between April and June, showing an overall performance of 97.4 percent for Q2 2026.

She said, ‘How the swap works is that I have an obligation somewhere and I am close to an export facility. Somebody else has an obligation inland and his own (facility) is close to a domestic offtaker.

‘So, instead of trying to move from one end to the other, we just agree on a swap arrangement and there is a mechanism for them netting off.’

The NUPRC boss noted that in the case of crude oil, discussions were still at an early stage, adding that the commission will deepen collaboration with the NMDPRA in the overall interest of the sector.

In his remarks, Rabiu Umar, Authority Chief Executive, NMDPRA, commended the Commission’s effort that led to a seamless and credible 2025 licensing round.

He also lauded the NUPRC for the improvement in the enforcement of the domestic crude supply to local refiners, adding that even though the Petroleum Industry Act stipulates that all transactions will be done on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, issues of pricing remain a major factor.

Umar further pledged the support of the NMDPRA towards the creation of strategic reserves which will boost energy security and ensure price stability.

Peter Okoye has turned the intense public attention on his ongoing family dispute into measurable commercial success for his clothing line. In a post on X on 9 August 2026, the singer known as Mr P announced that nearly 3,000 units of the red ZR cap he wore throughout his multi-part Instagram video series had sold within seven days.

At a retail price of N20,000 each, the reported figure places sales for Zipp Republic at more than N60 million in that short window, with orders still arriving. He described the response as unexpected and asked customers for patience while the brand worked to fulfil every request. The post also signalled plans to expand into gym wear, sportswear and possible children’s items.

The red cap became a visual constant in the videos Peter released in early August, videos in which he detailed alleged financial irregularities involving his brothers Jude and Paul Okoye and the companies linked to the P-Square brand.

Viewers watching the series repeatedly for more than a week saw the same branded accessory, creating an immediate association between the story and the product.

The resulting spike in demand illustrates how a personal narrative, when sustained across multiple instalments, can drive direct consumer action for an associated brand. Whether the outcome was planned as a deliberate marketing sequence or simply followed from the visibility of the videos, the numbers show a clear commercial effect.

Psquare feud and the missing documentation that turned family trust into court battles

That commercial moment sits against the deeper structural problems that the same videos and related court proceedings have exposed. The long-running dispute among the Okoye brothers over Psquare earnings, brand control and company structures offers a clear lesson in what happens when family businesses operate for years without precise written agreements.

Peter and Paul Okoye burst into the Nigerian music industry in the early 2000s as a twin duo with singing prowess and well-choreographed dance steps. With records like Omoge mi and Señiorita, they hit the airwaves and fan base long before the era of digital streaming.

Psquare, under the Square Records label, managed by their elder brother Jude Engees Okoye and his company Northside Entertainment Limited, went on to give Nigerians hit songs over the next decade. Songs like Do Me, Ifunnanya, Alingo, Personally, No one like you, Chop my Money, and others across six albums together became household music and became classics.

Nigerian lawyer Benedicta Wokocha has examined the P-Square dispute from a contractual perspective and identified the documentation gaps that allowed ordinary family disagreements to escalate into years of litigation and public confrontation. Her analysis begins with a basic fact confirmed in court: when Jude Okoye took on the role of manager around 2004 or 2005, after earlier managers had worked with the group, there was no written contract or formal letter of employment setting out his duties, remuneration or limits of authority.

An MOU later produced by Jude outlined income shares of 30 percent each for Peter and Paul, 25 percent for Jude as manager, and 15 percent for projects and staff of Northside Entertainment. Even that document has not resolved competing claims about whether the percentages applied to gross or net revenue, whether they covered later streaming royalties, or how they interacted with new corporate structures.

When Northside Music Limited was incorporated with Jude and his wife as directors and the wife holding a substantial shareholding, the absence of a clear prior agreement on the relationship between the original group entities and any new company left open the question of where royalties properly belonged.

Wokocha’s central observation is that family trust cannot replace paper. Brothers who begin a business together frequently assume shared understanding about bank access, transfer authority and exit rights. In this case the early years appear to have operated on that assumption. Jude functioned as primary manager and signatory for extended periods.

Peter and Paul were later added as Category B signatories on certain Northside Entertainment accounts, yet Peter has testified that he never personally signed cheques. Bank mandates and statements later placed before the court show transfers that each side interprets differently. Without a single governing agreement that fixed decision-making thresholds, reporting obligations and equal access to financial records, each brother could later reconstruct events according to his own recollection.

A second missing element is an effective dispute-resolution clause. When disagreements arose over property division, catalogue access and royalty statements, the parties had no agreed private process that required mediation or arbitration before petitions or public statements. The result was a sequence of open videos, cross-allegations and parallel court cases that have continued for years.

A properly drafted partnership or shareholders’ agreement normally contains a staged mechanism for resolving deadlocks, appointing independent valuers and protecting the brand while differences are sorted. The absence of that mechanism turned every disagreement into a contest of public narrative and legal endurance.

Ownership of the intellectual property and the brand name itself remained similarly unsettled. Jude has asserted rights that would restrain Peter from performing certain songs. Peter has maintained that the catalogue belongs to the performing twins. Company registrations, bank mandates and contracts with digital distributors exist, yet they do not form a complete chain that settles every claim.

When income was directed into a similarly named company, the challenge could only be mounted after the fact through investigation and litigation rather than by reference to a pre-existing prohibition or consent requirement.

The commercial success of the red ZR cap therefore sits in instructive contrast to the contractual failures that produced the dispute itself. One brother used the visibility of his account of events to generate immediate sales for a personal brand. The underlying conflict, however, continues because the original business relationship lacked the written framework that would have defined roles, money flows and exit paths from the start.

Wokocha warns that artists and managers who work with family or close friends should treat the P-Square experience as a practical warning. Register the company early and record exact shareholdings. Execute a written management agreement that states the manager’s duties, remuneration, reporting frequency and limits on authority.

Include a shareholders’ agreement that covers capital contributions, profit distribution, intellectual-property ownership, brand use, and what happens on death, disability or exit. Insert a dispute-resolution clause that requires good-faith negotiation, then mediation, before any party may go to court or the press.

Keep every bank mandate, royalty statement and third-party contract in a shared repository so that no one can later claim surprise. Update the documents whenever the business model changes, for example when streaming replaces physical sales or when a new company is formed to hold specific assets.

These steps do not eliminate conflict. They do, however, convert conflict into a process with known rules and known evidence. The Okoye brothers built one of Africa’s most successful music brands while relying largely on blood ties and informal understandings. When those ties frayed, the missing paperwork left each side free to reconstruct history in its own favour.

Other artists can avoid the same outcome by insisting on clear contracts from the first day money or rights begin to move.

Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to activate contingency logistics arrangements to prevent delays in the distribution of revised ballot papers and result sheets ahead of Saturday’s Osun governorship election.

Asmau Maikudi, Chairman of the 2026 Osun Election Observation Mission, Yiaga Africa, made the call on Thursday while presenting the organisation’s pre-election assessment of the election in Osogbo.

Maikudi said INEC must ensure timely delivery of the revised election materials to all Registration Area Centres and polling units before voting begins, following the late inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the ballot.

She also urged the Commission to strengthen coordination within the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure proper security for polling officials deployed to Registration Area Centres ahead of election day.

On election technology, Maikudi called on INEC to resolve all outstanding technical issues with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), warning that failures could cause ‘disenfranchisement, delays, and other operational disruptions arising from technical failures.’

‘Immediately activate contingency logistics arrangements to mitigate delays arising from the late arrival and redistribution of revised ballot papers and result sheets, ensuring timely delivery of materials to all Registration Area Centres and polling units before the commencement of polls,’ Maikudi said.

She also urged INEC to uphold transparency and strict compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and its Regulations and Guidelines on results management, while guaranteeing accredited party agents, observers and media practitioners unhindered access to collation centres at all levels.

Maikudi further called for proper and consistent communication between INEC and transport unions and companies providing logistics support for election-day deployment, including contingency plans where transport providers withdraw from contracts or fail to deploy.

On security, she urged security agencies to maintain strict neutrality and professionalism in securing the election and sanction personnel who violate rules requiring impartiality, objectivity and non-partisanship.

‘Maintain strict neutrality and professionalism in securing the election, and sanction any security personnel who violate the rules of engagement requiring impartiality, objectivity and non-partisanship,’ she said.

She also called on security agencies to respect the rights of citizens, media practitioners and accredited observers, including their freedom of movement on election day, and urged better coordination with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in tackling vote buying.

On political parties and candidates, Maikudi urged them to commit to the terms of the Peace Accord, ensure peaceful engagement and call on their supporters to remain peaceful before and during the election.

‘Political parties, candidates and their supporters must refrain from vote-buying and the related practice of compromising the ballot’s secrecy and undermining the value of the vote so that the voters of Osun State are free to vote their preference for governor,’ she said.