Category: Nigerian Tribune

Three siblings have drowned after the canoe conveying them capsized on Tiga Dam in Tudun Wada Local Government Area of Kano.

The incident occurred at about 2 pm on Saturday, turning what began as an ordinary afternoon into tragedy for the family of the victims in Yalwan Rugu-Rugu community.

The deceased were identified as Murjanatu, Atikatu and Bilkisu, popularly known as Amira, all daughters of the same family.

Family members said the three sisters were travelling together in a canoe when it suddenly overturned on the dam, leaving them struggling in the water.

The three siblings reportedly drowned before help could reach them on the multi-purpose dam.

Confirming the incident, the Chairperson of Tudun Wada Local Government Area and Chair of the Kano State Association of Local Government Chairpersons, Hajiya Sa’adatu Salisu Soja Maijama’a, described the incident as a devastating loss to the family and the community.

She condoled with the bereaved family and prayed for the souls of the deceased.

‘We share the pain of the bereaved family and pray that Almighty Allah forgives the deceased, grants them Aljannatul Firdaus, and gives their loved ones the strength to bear this painful loss,’ she said.

Residents of Yalwan Rugu-Rugu have since been thrown into mourning following the death of the three sisters.

However, as of the time of filing this report, emergency or marine safety authorities had not issued an official statement on the circumstances of the canoe capsize or its possible cause.

Adambay Kitchen Equipment has strengthened its supply of commercial food processing and industrial kitchen machines to Nigerian businesses.

The development comes as restaurants, bakeries, packaged water producers and other food businesses continue to depend on specialised equipment to improve production capacity and maintain efficient operations. For many operators, access to suitable machinery remains an important part of setting up or expanding a commercial food business.

Responding to this need, Adambay Kitchen Equipment has built its operations around supplying machinery for different areas of commercial food production, while also supporting businesses that require complete kitchen setups and other industrial equipment.

Based at 19 Olojo Drive, Ojo, along Alaba International Market in Lagos, the company was founded by Adam Musa Muhammed and has operated in the equipment supply business for about 10 years.

Over that period, the company says it has remained focused on supplying equipment that meets the practical demands of commercial operators, with attention to product quality, dependable service and timely delivery.

Adam stated that the company’s experience has helped it understand that businesses require equipment that can support both daily production and future growth.

‘Commercial food businesses need equipment that can support the volume of work they handle every day. Our focus is to provide machines that fit the practical needs of different businesses,’ he said.

Bakery equipment forms a major part of the company’s offering, serving businesses involved in bread, pastries and other baked food production. The machines are targeted at operators that need equipment capable of supporting commercial production beyond small-scale manual processes.

The company also supplies food processing equipment for businesses involved in preparing and producing food at larger volumes.

This extends into restaurant and fast-food equipment, where operators require reliable machinery for preparation, cooking and daily service. Refrigeration equipment also forms part of the company’s range, supporting businesses that need appropriate storage for ingredients and finished products.

Another major area of Adambay Kitchen Equipment’s operations is packaged water production.

Setting up or expanding a packaged water business requires machinery that can support consistent production and packaging. Sourcing suitable equipment can become an important challenge when businesses are trying to increase output or establish a production line capable of meeting commercial demand.

To tackle this challenge, Adambay Kitchen Equipment supplies machines for pure water packaging and bottled water production, serving entrepreneurs establishing new operations as well as existing producers looking to increase their production capacity.

According to Adam, the right equipment becomes more important as businesses move from smaller operations into larger production.

‘As production grows, the machines also need to support that growth. Businesses need equipment that can handle their workload and make the production process more efficient,’ he said.

Beyond individual equipment supply, Adambay Kitchen Equipment also carries out commercial and industrial kitchen setups.

This area of the business brings together the equipment required to establish functional kitchens for restaurants, fast-food outlets and other commercial food operations. It allows operators to structure their production environment around the machinery needed for day-to-day activities.

The company’s wider range also includes industrial laundry machines and supermarket equipment, allowing it to serve businesses outside core food production.

However, bakery machinery, bottle and pure water production equipment, commercial kitchen setups and food processing machines remain central to its activities.

The company says its experience has also shaped how it approaches equipment supply, particularly in understanding that commercial operators need more than access to machines. Businesses need equipment that suits their production requirements and can support the scale at which they intend to operate.

Adam said this understanding remains important as more entrepreneurs establish businesses across food production and related sectors.

‘Many businesses start with a clear production idea, but the equipment determines how well they can execute it. Getting the right machines from the beginning can make the setup and production process much easier,’ he said.

Adambay Kitchen Equipment has therefore continued to serve businesses at different stages, from entrepreneurs establishing new bakeries, restaurants and water production operations to existing companies adding machinery as their production needs expand.

Its location in Ojo, Lagos, also places the company close to one of the state’s major commercial trading areas, where businesses regularly source equipment for different industries.

As production businesses place greater importance on efficiency, capacity and reliable machinery, Adambay Kitchen Equipment is strengthening its place in the commercial equipment market by supplying the systems businesses need to move from setup to sustained production. For the company, the wider opportunity lies in ensuring that the right machinery becomes a foundation for businesses seeking to operate effectively and grow with demand.

The senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District, Adeniyi Adegbonmire, on Sunday, said constituency representation should not be measured solely by the number of physical projects located in individual communities, insisting that his interventions cut across the six local government areas in the district.

Adegbonmire stated this in reaction to claims that Ijare in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State had been excluded from his constituency interventions.

This was contained in a statement from the media office of the senator, signed by Marthins Fasusi, who said such claims were either borne out of ignorance of the senator’s constituency programmes or an attempt to create a false narrative about his representation.

He said his constituency interventions cut across the six local government areas in the district, with programmes covering empowerment, agriculture, education, healthcare, youth development and infrastructure.

Fasusi in the statement cited the Renewed Hope Mega Empowerment Programme as one of the senator’s major interventions, saying thousands of constituents had benefited from various economic empowerment items.

He listed the items distributed to include tricycles, motorcycles, refrigerators, generators, grinding machines, sewing machines, hairdryers, educational materials and financial assistance.

He stressed that beneficiaries were drawn from across the senatorial district, adding that sons and daughters of Ijare were among those who benefited from the programme.

He further explained that the senator had prioritised youth empowerment and job creation through efforts to facilitate employment opportunities for youths from Ondo Central in Federal Government agencies, the Nigeria Police Force, paramilitary organisations and other public institutions.

According to Fasusi, youths from Ijare and other parts of Ifedore had also benefited from skills acquisition programmes and the distribution of start-up kits aimed at enabling beneficiaries to establish sustainable livelihoods.

He highlighted the senator’s intervention in agriculture, particularly his facilitation of fertiliser distribution to farmers’ associations across Ondo Central, as well as training and the provision of agro-allied inputs to farmers.

‘Being a farming community, Ijare stands to benefit significantly from these agricultural interventions. The senator facilitated the distribution of fertilisers to Farmers Associations across Ondo Central as part of efforts to boost agricultural production and food security.

‘He also facilitated training and the supply of agro-allied products to farmers, helping farmers improve their productivity and access the inputs required for better agricultural output, where Ijare farmers were also not left out,’ he said.

The Kano State Government has inaugurated a Special Committee on Diphtheria Outbreak Response to strengthen efforts to contain reported cases and deaths from the disease across some Local Government Areas, particularly Rano LGA.

This was contained in a statement signed at the weekend by Nabilusi Abubakar Ahmad, Public Relations Officer, Kano State Ministry of Health.

The committee, chaired by the Director-General of the Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC), Prof. Muhammad Adamu Abbas, is mandated to coordinate ongoing interventions, investigate reported cases and deaths, and prevent further spread of the disease to neighbouring local government areas.

Other members include the Director-General of the State Primary Healthcare Management Board (SPHCMB), Prof. Salisu A. Ibrahim; Executive Secretary, Hospitals Management Board, Dr. Mansur M. Nagoda; Director of Disease Control, SPHCMB, Dr. Tijjani Habibu; Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ibrahim Aliyu Umar; and State Epidemiologist, KNCDC, Sulaiman Iliyasu Hamisu.

Representatives of the Kano, Rano, Karaye and Gaya Emirate Councils are also members, while Hussaini Rufai of the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of KNCDC serves as secretary.

The committee is expected to conduct a comprehensive investigation to verify reported diphtheria cases and deaths in affected LGAs, strengthen disease surveillance and ensure daily reporting by Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers across the state.

It will also establish a centralised data registry for tracking suspected and confirmed cases, identify immunisation gaps through intensified community mobilisation and sensitisation, and ensure the availability and timely distribution of essential medical supplies to designated treatment centres.

According to the state government, the committee will work closely with health personnel in affected LGAs to facilitate rapid information sharing, early detection of cases, and effective management of the outbreak.

The government urged residents, community leaders and other stakeholders to cooperate with health authorities by promptly reporting suspected cases and supporting public health interventions.

The state government assured residents of its commitment to protecting public health and taking all necessary measures to contain the outbreak and prevent its spread to other parts of Kano.

As Nigerians count down the days to the 2027 general election, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has called for unity among the opposition parties, urging them to find a common front to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and incumbent president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Duke, who was the governor of Cross River State from 1999 to 2007, like Tinubu in Lagos, gave the advice while featuring on Politics Today, monitored by Nigerian Tribune, on Monday night in Abuja.

However, he added that a divided opposition would pave the way for Tinubu’s second term effortlessly, as he charged them (the opposition) to put their arsenal together to fight a common battle rather than expressing regret for failure to plan well ahead of the poll.

He nonetheless said he is ready to sacrifice his presidential ambition and back a formidable candidate presented by the opposition to give Tinubu a fight for his money.

Duke said, ‘The reality is that things are bound to happen on that (election) day, how to mitigate those things should be the major concern of the opposition. I don’t like people who cry wolf after it has happened and all that. We have done this several times over. We should anticipate it and united we stand if we do it. If we don’t, then we will only have ourselves to blame because it has repeated itself’ and on stepping down his ambition, he added, ‘Absolutely. First of all, once we have commonality in objective, the next question is who is best suited for this? You need some voice of reason amongst the lot of them.’

The presidential candidate also said that Tinubu’s government has pushed more Nigerians into poverty, saying the President’s style of governance has taken hope away from Nigerians in place of the renewed hope he promised in 2023, adding that Tinubu no longer enjoys the support he previously had then while seeking the presidency.

‘I don’t think so, I think his governance has exposed the weakness of the contraption called. I don’t think he has the sympathies he had in 2023. Things have gone harder for people, a lot of people are disillusioned by his style of governance, hope has turned into despair. Yes, you talk about structures and all that but I think on the election day they will be fighting for their own survival.

‘Give it to him, he is a formidable politician, my issue with him is governance not politics. He is weak on governance, from what we have seen over the last three years he is very weak on governance,’ the former governor added.

While promising that he would introduce a better governance structure in place if elected as president, he said another term in office for Tinubu will spell doom for the country, saying Nigerians deserve a better alternative as the election year approaches.

Ten members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been rescued from the Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi following a coordinated operation by security agencies.

The Kogi State Police Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat.

According to the command, the operation involved personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, the military, the Department of State Services (DSS), and other auxiliary security forces.

The police said the rescue was achieved through a sustained, intelligence-driven operation aimed at securing the safe recovery of the abducted corps members and dismantling criminal elements operating in the area.

The command, however, disclosed that the operation was still ongoing as security personnel continued efforts to locate and rescue other victims who may still be in the hands of the kidnappers.

It added that the security forces were also pursuing the perpetrators responsible for the attack, with a view to bringing them to justice.

The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, commended the personnel involved in the operation for their gallantry, professionalism and resilience.

He also appreciated residents of the affected communities for providing timely and credible information to security agencies, stressing that public cooperation remained critical to the success of the operation.

The police urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant while encouraging them to report suspicious movements or information that could assist security agencies in rescuing the remaining victims.

The command assured residents that all available operational resources were being deployed to ensure the safe recovery of the remaining victims and the arrest of the perpetrators. It said further updates would be provided as operational circumstances permit.

For a small business owner, that can be more than an annoyance. A brand may appear on packaging, social media pages, invoices, storefronts and advertising campaigns. If another party has stronger legal rights to a confusingly similar trademark, changing that identity after years of investment can be expensive.

This is why trademark registration should not be treated as something businesses do only after they become large. It is part of protecting the value being created from the beginning.

Difference between CAC registration and Trademark Registration

One of the most common misunderstandings among Nigerian entrepreneurs is assuming that registering a business name with the Corporate Affairs Commission automatically protects the brand. It does not.

The CAC’s function is to register and maintain records of companies, business names and other corporate entities. Its business-name registration process involves checking the availability of a proposed business name and completing the registration through its Company Registration Portal.

A trademark serves a different purpose. It protects a distinctive mark used to distinguish particular goods or services in the marketplace. That means a business can have a CAC-registered name while still needing to consider whether the name, logo or other brand element is available for trademark registration.

The distinction matters because a business name registration is primarily about the identity of the business entity, while trademark protection concerns the identity used to distinguish goods or services.

What does a Business Trademark mean?

A trademark does not necessarily have to be the name of the company. Depending on what qualifies for registration, businesses may seek protection for elements such as: brand names; logos; words or combinations of words; distinctive symbols; labels and other representations; and certain colour limitations or combinations associated with a mark.

The key consideration is whether the proposed mark satisfies the legal requirements for registration. A mark that is too generic, deceptive, scandalous, indistinctive or confusingly similar to an existing mark may encounter problems.

The Trade Marks Act specifically addresses the registrability of marks and provides restrictions around identical or resembling trademarks. This is why putting a logo on Instagram and using it for two years does not necessarily mean that it has been legally secured.

Phase 1: Search before spending money

The first practical step is availability checking. Imagine launching a food brand, printing 10,000 packages and spending months building social-media recognition, only to discover that a similar trademark already exists in the relevant class.

The search should therefore happen before major investment in the identity. An applicant should investigate whether an identical or confusingly similar mark already exists, particularly in relation to the goods or services for which protection is being sought.

This is also where professional assistance can be useful. A trademark search is not simply: ‘Does anyone have exactly this spelling?’ Two marks can create problems even when they are not literally identical. Similarity in appearance, sound, meaning or commercial context may matter.

Phase 2: File the application

Once the applicant has established that the proposed mark is worth pursuing, the next stage is filing the trademark application with the appropriate registry. The application identifies the mark and the goods or services for which protection is being sought.

This classification matters. A business should not assume that registering a name automatically protects every possible commercial activity associated with that name. For example, a company operating in food production may have different trademark considerations from a company using the same or similar brand in technology services.

The application therefore needs to accurately reflect the commercial use for which protection is being sought. The Trade Marks Act provides for an application for registration, followed by examination and publication where the application is accepted.

Phase 3: Examination and publication

Filing an application does not mean the trademark is immediately registered. The application goes through the relevant examination process. The Registrar of Trademarks examines the application to confirm distinctiveness and ensure the mark is not descriptive, deceptive, generic, or contrary to public order/morality.

If approved, the Registry issues an official Acceptance Letter, which serves as preliminary evidence of registrability.

Once accepted, the application is advertised in the Trade Marks Journal. This publication serves an important purpose: it gives other parties an opportunity to object.

Under the Trade Marks Regulations, any person may oppose registration within two months from the date of advertisement in the Journal. This is an important part of the process because trademark registration is not simply a private agreement between an applicant and the registry. Other businesses may have legitimate reasons to object.

For example, an existing trademark owner may believe that the proposed mark is too similar to its own mark and could create confusion in the marketplace.

Phase 4: Registration and issuance of certificate

Where the application successfully proceeds through the registration process, the Registrar issues a certificate of registration. At that point, the business has something considerably more valuable than simply having used the name publicly.

It has registered trademark rights within the scope of the registration. The Trade Marks Act provides that registration gives the registered proprietor rights in relation to the registered mark, subject to the limitations and provisions of the law.

That is why the certificate should be treated as an important business asset and retained alongside other corporate and intellectual-property records.

Time frame for Nigerian Trademark

This is another area where business owners can easily get confused. Under Nigeria’s Trade Marks Act, an initial trademark registration lasts for seven years. It can then be renewed for successive periods of 14 years, provided the relevant renewal requirements are met.

In other words, registering the mark is not the end of the story. The owner should keep track of renewal dates and maintain accurate ownership and contact information.

A valuable brand that is allowed to lapse because nobody remembered the renewal date is an unnecessarily expensive administrative mistake.

FAQs

What is the legal difference between CAC business-name registration and a trademark?

CAC registration establishes and records the business entity or business name with Nigeria’s corporate registry. A trademark registration protects a mark used to distinguish goods or services. They are separate legal processes serving different purposes.

How long does a registered trademark remain valid in Nigeria?

The initial registration lasts seven years. It may subsequently be renewed for successive 14-year periods, subject to the applicable renewal requirements.

Can a Nigerian business trademark a specific colour combination used in its logo?

The Trade Marks Act permits registration with or without limitation as to colour. However, the scope of protection depends on the actual registered mark and the terms of the registration. Businesses seeking protection for a distinctive colour combination should obtain professional advice on how the mark should be presented and claimed.

How long does the public have to oppose a published trademark application?

Under the Trade Marks Regulations, a person may give notice of opposition within two months from the date the application is advertised in the Journal.

Does registering my business name mean nobody else can use a similar trademark?

Not necessarily. Business-name registration and trademark registration are different legal protections. A CAC registration should therefore not be treated as a substitute for checking and protecting the relevant trademark.

FORMER Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos Chapter, Dr (Mrs) Nkechi Ali-Balogun, has charged Nigerian brands to always reflect the cultures of their operating environments in their corporate value to enable such brands seamlessly bond with the people.

Speaking at ‘The Industry’s Top 50 Nigerian Companies of Impact 2026’ held over the weekend in Lagos, Nkechi argued that not identifying with the people’s passion and culture would only alienate such brands from their existing and potential customers, a development, she argued, might serve as a huge disincentive to such brands.

The former Lagos NIPR boss commended the organisers of the award, The Industry newspaper, for coming up with an initiative aimed at celebrating Nigerian brands that had made impact over a period of time in the country.

She argued that Nigerian businesses had, over the years, demonstrated remarkable resilience in the midst of economic volatility, infrastructural gap, technology disruption, energy crisis, Naira instability, and other challenges.

Nkechi added that despite those challenges, they had continued to innovate, create jobs and expand beyond the borders, a development that made them deserving of every commendation.

The former Lagos NIPR boss, however, tasked the businesses to move from seeing resilience as survival to using resilience as a strategy since the next decade would be more demanding for individuals and businesses.

A call has gone to Nigerian engineers who are based outside the country to return and contribute their quota to the development of engineering in the country.

The call was made by the past chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ibadan branch, Mr Ibraheem Folarin Bello FNSE, while presenting a paper titled: ‘The Role of Diaspora Engineers In The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, during a Technical Session, hosted by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Manchester, UK branch.

He stated that Nigerian engineers in diaspora can come back to Nigeria and act as mentor to younger engineers, consultants, investors and advocates, adding that their experiences are national assets.

Bello noted that the task of making the country’s engineering sector viable is limited to engineers who are home-based but requires the contributions of their counterparts who are based abroad. He urged Nigerian engineers living abroad to come home and contribute meaningfully to the development of the profession, particularly as it affects the livelihood of the entire populace.

He advised the government to regard diaspora engineers as valuable national infrastructure, support fellowship programmes, guarantee their investments, and ensure adequate security for them and their investments.

He called on the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Council for Registration of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to champion diaspora/local engineers’ collaboration and build the bridge between the talent abroad and the sector at home.

He appreciated the Chairman, NSE, Manchester branch, Professor Bamidele Adebisi, MBE, other members of the executive and the entire members of the branch for the opportunity to speak on the topic at this critical time.

Massive protest trails the uploading of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu’s name as the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for Adamawa State in the forthcoming general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The protesters, mostly supporters of Ambassador Omar Suleiman across party lines, took to some major streets in Yola, the state capital, to protest the non-appearance of his name on the INEC portal.

A visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Adamawa State office, on Sunday showed the names of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu and Rev. Iliya Kevin Aguwa as the governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Adamawa State Governorship Election.

Speaking on behalf of supporters of Omar Suleiman’s governorship candidacy, Abdulaziz Goje explained that they gathered at the party’s state secretariat to register their displeasure over what he described as the undemocratic development at the INEC headquarters, where the name of Amb. Omar Suleiman was replaced with that of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

Goje said, ‘We have written a formal letter of complaint to the national headquarters of the party and INEC, with a view to ensuring that the popular choice of Adamawa ADC members, who voted through the electoral process enshrined in the party’s constitution, is respected.

‘We are calling on the leadership and our respected stakeholders in the party to give us whom we unanimously chose as our candidate.’

Massive protest trails the uploading of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu’s name as the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for Adamawa State in the forthcoming general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The protesters, mostly supporters of Ambassador Omar Suleiman across party lines, took to some major streets in Yola, the state capital, to protest the non-appearance of his name on the INEC portal.

A visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Adamawa State office, on Sunday showed the names of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu and Rev. Iliya Kevin Aguwa as the governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Adamawa State Governorship Election.

Speaking on behalf of supporters of Omar Suleiman’s governorship candidacy, Abdulaziz Goje explained that they gathered at the party’s state secretariat to register their displeasure over what he described as the undemocratic development at the INEC headquarters, where the name of Amb. Omar Suleiman was replaced with that of Hamman Tukur Modibbo Ribadu as the party’s candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

Goje said, ‘We have written a formal letter of complaint to the national headquarters of the party and INEC, with a view to ensuring that the popular choice of Adamawa ADC members, who voted through the electoral process enshrined in the party’s constitution, is respected.

‘We are calling on the leadership and our respected stakeholders in the party to give us whom we unanimously chose as our candidate.’