Category: Nigerian Tribune

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has pledged to deepen its partnership with indigenous cable manufacturer, Coleman Technical Industries Limited, beyond 2027 as part of efforts to expand local manufacturing capacity and promote Nigerian businesses in international projects.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, made the commitment during a tour of Coleman’s manufacturing facilities in Sagamu and Arepo, Ogun State, where he expressed surprise at the scale of the company’s operations, investment in equipment and machinery, and the capabilities of its workforce.

Falade said the existing relationship between NLNG and Coleman had significant room for expansion, stressing that the company was interested in creating more opportunities for Nigerian manufacturers to participate in projects with global reach.

‘We’re already in partnership. That partnership will only expand. There is scope; there is opportunity,’ he said.

The NLNG chief executive said the company was also exploring ways of connecting Nigerian manufacturers with international projects, including opportunities relating to the construction of vessels for NLNG.

He said Nigerian manufacturers could compete successfully in global markets if they were able to demonstrate quality, reliability and value.

Falade described his experience at Coleman’s facilities as ‘mind-blowing’, saying he had not anticipated the scale of investment and level of operations he encountered during the visit.

‘I’m not sure I was prepared for what I saw. I mean, that’s the honest truth. I’d seen a few of Coleman events, and I knew that something remarkable was going on, but I don’t think any of that prepared me for what I saw,’ he said.

According to him, the facilities demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian businesses to achieve world-class standards through sustained investment, innovation and commitment.

He said NLNG would continue to support initiatives capable of growing Nigerian businesses, creating jobs and deepening local content, adding that the company remained committed to developing indigenous capacity.

Falade described Coleman’s facilities as a source of pride to Nigeria, citing the company’s operational standards, manufacturing capabilities and investment in local production.

He also commended Coleman’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, George Onafowokan, and Executive Director, Michael Onafowokan, for building a business which, he said, exhibited the characteristics of a world-class organisation.

Responding, Onafowokan described the visit as an endorsement of the longstanding relationship between NLNG and Coleman and the gas company’s commitment to local content development.

He said Coleman had benefited from NLNG’s local-content initiatives, including its participation in major projects such as NLNG’s Train 7 development.

Onafowokan said Coleman’s transformation from a family-owned business into a multinational and generational company had been driven by its confidence in Nigerian talent and manufacturing capacity.

According to him, the company’s growth reflected what Nigerian businesses could achieve when local talent, investment and industrial capacity were deliberately developed.

He described Coleman’s journey as ‘the Nigerian story’, one built on the conviction that Nigerians could manufacture world-class products and operate world-class facilities from within the country.

Onafowokan thanked the NLNG chief executive for the visit, saying Falade’s assessment of the company’s operations would encourage Coleman to further invest in its people, facilities and production capacity.

He said the company would continue to position itself to contribute to Nigeria’s industrial development and expand the role of indigenous manufacturers in major projects.

The renewed commitment comes as Nigerian manufacturers increasingly seek stronger links with large domestic project sponsors and international markets to deepen local value addition, reduce dependence on imported industrial products and expand employment opportunities.

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, has deployed 3,000 personnel across the FCT to ensure the safety of residents and critical national assets and infrastructure before, during, and after Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary.

FCT Commandant of the Corps, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, ordered the deployment as part of measures to enforce law and order and ensure a peaceful celebration across the nation’s capital.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSC Monica Ojobi, in a statement on Tuesday said the deployment covers specialised departments and units of the Corps, including the Arms Squad, Female Strike Force, Crack Squad, Agro Rangers, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) Unit, as well as the Counter-Terrorism Unit.

She said personnel had also been deployed to volatile areas and identified soft targets, including shopping malls, recreational centres, markets, motor parks, amusement parks and locations housing Critical National Assets and Infrastructure (CNAI).

According to the statement, undercover operatives had been deployed for covert operations and surveillance as part of efforts to prevent security breaches and respond proactively to emergencies.

Ojobi further noted that black spots, including uncompleted buildings suspected of harbouring criminal elements, are also being monitored to prevent acts capable of undermining the peaceful celebration.

Odumosu also directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Officers to ensure that their respective Area Councils remain security-conscious and maintain visible presence throughout the period.

‘As usual, I will not tolerate any form of security breaches. All hands must be on deck. Ensure your personnel comply wholesomely,’ he said.

The Commandant charged personnel to remain disciplined and conduct themselves professionally, while working in synergy with other security agencies to protect lives, property and government critical national assets and infrastructure.

He further directed personnel to adhere strictly to the rules of engagement, warning them against harassment and intimidation of citizens, as well as accidental discharge.

Odumosu assured FCT residents of a safe and peaceful Independence anniversary, saying the Command had taken necessary measures to secure the territory before, during and after the celebration.

He also urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements, individuals or groups to the nearest security agency.

‘We are ready to ensure the celebration is peaceful. You have a responsibility to carry out; you must be proactive, vigilant and ready to cooperate with us for our common good,’ the Commandant said.

He warned criminals and vandals to stay away from Critical National Assets and Infrastructure, stressing that NSCDC covert officers and patrol teams had been deployed across the city.

‘Odumosu wished residents of the FCT a peaceful and happy Independence anniversary,’ the statement added.

Exposure to extreme cold and high temperatures can increase the risk of hospitalisation among people with heart failure, a large Swedish study has found.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) and presented at the 2026 European Society of Cardiology Congress, found that short periods of extreme cold were followed by a higher risk of heart failure hospitalisation, while exposure to higher temperatures was associated with an increased risk within a shorter period.

The findings highlight the potential impact of temperature extremes on people living with heart failure and the need for health systems to prepare for weather-related health emergencies.

Researchers analysed about 482,000 heart failure hospitalisations recorded in the Swedish National Patient Register between 2006 and 2021.

They examined the effects of cold spells, heat waves and daily temperatures that were outside the optimal range for health.

Cold spells were defined as at least two consecutive days when temperatures fell at or below the fifth percentile for the local area between October and March.

The researchers found that cold spells were associated with a higher risk of heart failure hospitalisation within two to six days of exposure, with the strongest statistically significant association occurring between three and five days.

Lower ambient temperatures also increased the risk of hospitalisation, particularly three to five days after exposure.

Higher temperatures, however, were linked to a more immediate increase in heart failure risk, occurring within zero to three days of exposure.

Interestingly, the researchers found no statistically significant association between heat waves and heart failure hospitalisation.

Heat waves were defined as two or more days with temperatures at or above the 95th percentile for the local area between April and September.

Lead author Dr Wenli Ni, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said the findings addressed an important gap in understanding how temperature affects heart failure in Nordic populations.

‘High-latitude settings such as Sweden are characterised by frequent cold exposure while simultaneously facing an emerging, unacclimatised vulnerability to heat as the global climate warms,’ she said.

According to the researchers, the delayed increase in hospitalisation following cold exposure and the more immediate risk associated with higher temperatures point to the need for time-sensitive measures.

They said patients may require closer monitoring following cold-weather alerts, while heat events may demand faster responses to prevent sudden deterioration.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr Tiantian Li, deputy director of the National Institute of Environmental Health at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said cardiovascular care must increasingly take weather conditions into account.

‘We can no longer practise cardiovascular medicine in a meteorological vacuum,’ Li said.

She noted that evidence linking unsuitable temperatures to cardiovascular harm is now substantial, adding that research should move beyond simply documenting the association to developing practical early-warning systems.

The researchers said the findings could help health authorities improve preparedness for environmental stressors, particularly as climate change increases exposure to extreme temperatures.

Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed appreciation to NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for regularly checking on his detained father.

Bello said Obi’s concern came as a lesson to him, especially because he had previously been critical of the former Anambra governor.

Speaking in a video, El-Rufai’s son said several prominent politicians, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Obi, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, had contacted him to ask about his father.

He, however, singled out Peter Obi for particular appreciation.

‘Politicians like Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Kwankwaso, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and others called me to ask about my dad.

‘I would like to thank them, particularly Mr Peter Obi. He always called me to ask about my dad. And for me, at 38, it’s a lesson in life because, in the case of Obi, I used to be critical of him,’ he said.

Bello added that his father was using the period in detention to read, study the Quran, and reflect on his experiences.

‘And for Malam, he is using the time to finish books, catch up, read the Quran, so it’s also a moment for him in isolation to reflect, plan better, and tone down on things like that,’ he added.

Obi had earlier publicly criticised the detention of the former Kaduna governor, describing it as ‘political persecution’ and calling for the rule of law to prevail.

El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 18, following investigations by anti-corruption authorities. The ICPC confirmed at the time that he was in its custody in connection with ongoing investigations.

The former governor has subsequently faced legal proceedings relating to allegations brought against him by the ICPC and the Department of State Services (DSS).

First Bank of Nigeria Ltd has reassured customers that its FirstMobile application remains secure and fully operational, dismissing a viral WhatsApp voice message claiming the platform had been compromised.

The Bank, in a statement issued on Monday, described the claim as false and misleading, urging customers and other stakeholders to disregard it.

‘FirstMobile is secure and fully operational, supported by robust information security infrastructure,’ the bank said.

It’s said it continues to invest in technology and cybersecurity protocols to ensure resilience, reliability and security across its digital channels.

FirstBank assured customers that their funds remain safe and that FirstMobile and its other digital channels continue to operate securely.

The bank urged stakeholders to refrain from sharing unverified information capable of causing unnecessary concern.

It advised customers to rely solely on its verified communication channels for accurate updates.

About 150 young men and women from Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State have benefited from a free digital entrepreneurship training organised by the Otunba Lana Akintan Human Rights Foundation (OLAKHURF).

The one-day programme, held on Saturday at Aladuke Hall, Oja-Odan, was themed: ‘Digital Entrepreneurship Capacity Building Programme’.

Organised under OLAKHURF’s Empowerment Support Services (ESUS) programme, the training aimed to equip participants with practical digital skills, entrepreneurship knowledge, and opportunities for employment and business development.

The foundation, established by Otunba Ephraim Lana Akintan, also operates through three other intervention areas: Domestic Violence and Abuse (DOVA), Child Rights Education (CRED), and Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Practices (ATCLAP).

The training covered three major areas: understanding the digital economy and entrepreneurship, digital skills for employment and job creation, and digital payment systems for business and enterprise.

Samson Egbuns, Michael Jacob, and Mary Oguntuyi served as resource persons, providing practical and interactive sessions on opportunities for self-employment, digital enterprise development, and business growth.

Speaking at the event, OLAKHURF’s chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mr. Babayemi Ogundipe, said the initiative reflected the founder’s commitment to empowering young people through education, skills acquisition, and economic opportunities.

Ogundipe urged the beneficiaries to put the knowledge acquired into practice and become self-reliant, adding, ‘Apply the essence of this workshop to your lives.’

He also encouraged them to give back to society when they attain success.

The programme ended with the presentation of certificates of participation to the beneficiaries, while the facilitators offered continued mentorship and guidance to support their entrepreneurial pursuits.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Daniel Emmanuel expressed appreciation to OLAKHURF and its founder, pledging that the beneficiaries would apply the knowledge gained to build sustainable livelihoods through digital skills and entrepreneurship.

The Federal Government has launched the National Youth Data Bank (NYDB), a centralised platform designed to provide reliable information on the skills, education, employment, entrepreneurship and other needs of Nigerian youths.

Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, who formally launched the initiative on Tuesday in Abuja, said the platform would enable the government and other stakeholders to better identify young Nigerians and connect them with relevant opportunities.

Olawande, who spoke at the official launch of the NYDB, with the theme, ‘Building a Stronger Future for the Nigerian Youth through Data, Opportunity and Inclusion,’ said the initiative was aimed at addressing the fragmentation of youth-related information across government institutions and programmes.

He added that the strategic initiative was designed to strengthen evidence-based planning, improve policy formulation and enhance the delivery of targeted youth development programmes and interventions across Nigeria.

The Minister said the absence of comprehensive and reliable data had made it difficult for the government to determine the actual number, location, skills and needs of young Nigerians, as well as assess whether interventions were reaching the intended beneficiaries.

According to him, the NYDB would provide information on demographics, education, skills and professional qualifications, employment status, entrepreneurship, talents, training needs and other areas relevant to youth development.

He emphasised that the success of the National Youth Data Bank would depend on sustained collaboration among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, state governments, educational institutions, development partners, the private sector, civil society organisations and youth organisations.

The Minister said the initiative would also help bridge the gap between young Nigerians and the government, noting that the ministry had earlier established a youth help desk to improve communication and access to information.

He explained that the new platform would go beyond collecting names and figures to linking young people with opportunities in skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, digital programmes and other youth-focused interventions.

Olawande said young entrepreneurs with viable ideas would be connected to appropriate support, while graduates seeking employment would have pathways to relevant opportunities.

He noted that existing institutions already had significant youth-related data, citing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which he said had data on more than 480,000 corps members mobilised annually.

Olawande said the ministry would deploy enumerators to capture data on both formal and informal youth, including those engaged in agriculture, sports, technology and other creative fields.

He said the approach was intended to ensure that young people in rural and underserved communities were not excluded from government programmes and opportunities.

The Minister also called on young Nigerians to register on the platform and provide accurate information, stressing that the credibility of the database would depend on the quality of information supplied.

He assured Nigerians that measures would be put in place to protect personal information and ensure that data was properly managed and used for legitimate purposes.

Olawande, however, said the initiative was not being introduced as an election-related programme ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that the government was focused on building institutions that would outlive the present administration.

He said, ‘We need to build institutions. Everything should not be election, election. It is a process. Government is a process. You start something, you build on it when it is ripe enough to put out, so that it is not going to be part of those things that they just do and doesn’t see the light of the day.

‘Even when we leave office, other people can build on it. We must do something that will make sure that the Nigerian youth, or the country itself, knows that we are building an institution that will serve for a long while, not just the time we have.’

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, who was represented by the Director, Human Resources, Olaniepekun Akinwumi Adebayo, described the NYDB as a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen youth development planning.

She said credible data on the educational and skills profiles, employment status, entrepreneurial interests, locations, aspirations and vulnerabilities of young Nigerians was necessary for effective policymaking and targeting of programmes.

She called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies, state and local governments, development partners, youth organisations and private-sector stakeholders to collaborate with the ministry to make the NYDB a reliable and sustainable national resource.

According to the ministry, the NYDB will cover Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with identity verification and data validation processes incorporated to improve the reliability of information collected.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Youth Development, Senator Adeyemi Raphael Adaramodu, who was represented by Dr Ijeoma Chilean, Clerk of the Senate Committee, hailed the National Youth Data Bank as a remarkable accomplishment towards advancing a more responsive, inclusive and evidence-based approach to youth development in Nigeria.

Adaramodu commended the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, POGMA Nigeria Limited and other stakeholders for their commitment to the development and implementation of the initiative.

Two poems consider what happens to dignity when circumstance makes us dependent on the kindness of others.

There are moments when self-sufficiency becomes impossible. You are out of money, out of ideas, and someone else must now open a door or window for you. These benevolence of other, becomes the difference between continuing and stopping.

Dependence creates its own kind of vulnerability because the person who provides help also acquires, however briefly, a measure of power.

That power can preserve another person’s dignity or diminish it.

These two poems approach that experience from opposite directions. The first remembers kindness that became a bridge. The second remembers shelter that came without the dignity a home should offer. This is the question they leave us with: when another person’s vulnerability places some measure of power in our hands, what do we do with it?

THE FRIEND WHO HELD THE LIGHT

My final year arrived with a price tag

I could barely look at without fear.

My project stood before me, almost finished,

yet money had become the locked door

between effort and completion.

I had already poured hours into it,

dreams into it, pieces of myself into it.

The thought of stopping there

felt like watching a house collapse

after you had laid its final brick.

I wondered whether years of work

could end at the edge of an empty pocket.

The thought hurt differently,

because failure was not the only fear.

Waste was.

Then a friend reached out a hand

when mine had begun to fall.

No trumpet announced the kindness,

no crowd gathered to witness it,

but that gesture became a bridge.

Sometimes help does not arrive

as a miracle wrapped in light.

Sometimes it comes quietly,

through one person who says,

‘Let me help you finish.’

I learned that resilience is sometimes borrowed

until you can grow your own.

And when I finally stood again,

I carried more than gratitude.

I carried a promise to keep going.

Kindness is easiest to recognise when we are the ones receiving it. Its deeper test comes when another person must depend on us.

A ROOM THAT TAUGHT ME KINDNESS

I once slept beneath another person’s roof

and learned how quickly shelter can become shame.

The walls were standing,

but I never truly felt at home,

because kindness had been left outside the door.

There is a particular loneliness

in being somewhere you are not wanted.

You learn to fold your presence smaller,

to make your footsteps quieter,

to apologise for taking up space.

I remember measuring my movements,

wondering whether simple existence

was already asking for too much.

A roof should protect the body,

but what protects the heart beneath it?

I learned then that dependence

can make a person swallow words

they should have been allowed to speak.

Gratitude can become complicated

when kindness comes with humiliation attached.

I remember that feeling,

the helplessness of needing what someone else controls.

It taught me that a room is not enough.

A home must have dignity in it,

or it becomes another kind of cage.

So I made a promise to my future self:

whoever sleeps beneath my roof

will never have to earn the right to feel human.

If I have space,

I will make room.

About the poet

Olatinwo Yushau is a poet, performer and author whose work explores survival, resilience and human responses to adversity. He is the author of Broken Roads Still Lead Forward. His writing and performance work has appeared on platforms including Nigerian Tribune, Upwrite Magazine and Poetreel.com, and he has performed on poetry and literary stages in London and Bristol.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has donated N52 million to the families of 37 artisanal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State and survivors of the incident.

The APC National Chairman, Mr Nentawe Yilwatda, announced the donation when he led members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on a sympathy visit to the state in Minna.

Yilwatda said N1 million would be given to each of the families of the 37 deceased miners, amounting to N37 million, to help cushion the impact of the tragedy on their loved ones.

He added that N500,000 would be given to each of the artisanal miners who survived the incident, bringing the total support package to N52 million.

The APC chairman expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased, describing the incident as unfortunate and painful.

He said the financial assistance was intended to provide relief to the affected families and survivors as they dealt with the consequences of the incident.

Yilwatda also commended the Niger State Government for its response to the tragedy and called for continued efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Responding, the state governor, Umaru Bago, thanked the APC National Chairman and members of the NWC for supporting the affected families.

Bago said the visit ‘speaks volumes,’ adding that the gesture demonstrated the party’s concern for the state at a difficult time.

The governor confirmed that the N52 million would be distributed through the committee headed by the deputy governor in collaboration with the Minna Emirate.

All Progressives Congress (APC), Ward 09, Oke-Iserin, Igboora, in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, has expelled former member of House of Representatives, Hon. Dr. Saubana Ajibola Muraina from the party.

The decision as contained in a statement by Mr. Fasasi Mustapha and Mr. Afolabi Abiodun, Chairman and Secretary Ward 09 Oke Iserin Igboora, Oyo state respectively

was taken at an emergency Executive meeting of the Ward.

Hon. Dr. Muraina, a former member of the APC in Ward 09, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after failing to secure the APC ticket for Ibarapa Central / Ibarapa North Federal Constituency for the 2027 general elections, and has now emerged as the PDP candidate for the same constituency.

The Ward Executive further stated that despite his defection, Hon. Muraina has continued to parade himself as a member of the APC in a calculated attempt to cause confusion and sow division within the party in Ward 09 and Ibarapa Central LGA.

His actions were described as gross anti-party activities, in clear violation of Article 21(A)(ii), (v), and (x) of the APC Constitution (as amended).

‘Consequently, Hon. Dr. Saubana Ajibola Muraina is hereby expelled from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ward 09, Oke-Iserin, Igboora. He ceases to be a member of our party at Ward, Local Government, State and National levels and should no longer be related with or paraded as a member or leader of the APC,’ the statement read.

The Ward disclosed that the expulsion letter has been forwarded through the LGA Party Chairman to the State Chairman for ratification and onward transmission to the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja for necessary action.