Category: Nigerian Tribune

Four people have reportedly lost their lives due to the collapse of a two-story building in the Ilorin metropolis, the capital of Kwara State, early Tuesday morning.

According to reports from Tribune Online, the structure collapsed in the Popo Giwa area of Ilorin West Local Government at approximately 5:30 a.m.

Hassan Adekunle Hakeem, the public relations officer (PRO) of the state Fire Service, confirmed the incident, stating that eight individuals were initially trapped. Unfortunately, four of them later died as a result of the collapse.

Hakeem also mentioned that one of the victims is in critical condition at the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) in Ilorin, while three others were rescued with minor injuries.

He also said that the building was dilapidated and structurally weak before it collapsed.

He said emergency workers, like the State Fire Service, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), NSCDC and the police, had continued efforts to clear the rubble and debris.

According to Hakeem, the affected structure was a complicated two-storey building, with both the lower and upper sections among the portions that collapsed.

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State, Hon. Hayatu Tafida Aminu, has faulted the defection of the party’s former state chairman, Muhammad Bello Aliyu Goronyo, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying Goronyo had effectively left the PDP months before his formal resignation.

Goronyo resigned his membership of the PDP in a letter dated August 30, 2026, and was subsequently appointed Director-General of the campaign organisation of the ADC governorship candidate in Sokoto State, Manir Muhammad Dan’Iya.

Speaking to newsmen in his office on Tuesday, Aminu said Goronyo’s resignation was a formal confirmation of his activities outside the PDP over the preceding months.

According to him, Goronyo had been participating in ADC activities while still presenting himself as chairman of the PDP in the state.

‘Bello Goronyo was the former chairman of the PDP, but he left the party about nine months ago because, in the Nigerian context, he cannot be in two parties at the same time,’ Aminu said.

‘He was acting as a de facto member of ADC, as well as parading himself as the chairman of the PDP, which is not possible.’

Aminu said Goronyo’s appointment as campaign director-general of the ADC was consistent with his activities in the party over the past several months.

He said, ‘Goronyo has always been a loyal party member on their side of the ADC, but in disguise, because he attends ADC activities as well as parading himself as the party chairman of the PDP, which is not possible.’

The PDP chairman also dismissed the argument by members of Goronyo’s camp that a previous court judgment did not categorically recognise one faction as the authentic leadership of the party in Sokoto State.

‘That is their own argument and their own interpretation of the judgment,’ Aminu said.

‘But everybody has left. If they think they are authentic, why are they leaving the party? Why are they leaving the party?’

He argued that the movement of some prominent members associated with the faction to other political platforms indicated that they were no longer committed to the PDP.

Aminu, who acknowledged that Goronyo was previously his superior in the party, said their political relationship dated back several years.

‘Unfortunately for the leadership of Bello, he was my boss actually, because I was in the PDP before under his leadership when we were together. All of us, I even contested under his leadership then,’ he said.

He, however, rejected suggestions that the PDP would institute legal proceedings against Goronyo over his resignation or subsequent appointment by the ADC.

‘We have not had and we do not intend taking any legal action against him or the other people of the so-called PDP,’ Aminu said.

‘We have been together for a very long time and it is now that we realised that they have been going in another direction.’

Aminu maintained that the PDP structure under his leadership remained the recognised structure of the party in the state, adding that the party had conducted its internal processes and submitted candidates for the 2027 elections.

He said Goronyo’s departure would not affect the party’s preparations for the elections.

‘The PDP is one, under the leadership of Umaru Bature, who is our National Secretary, and I, Hayatu Tefida, as the chairman. We do not have any other faction of the PDP,’ he said.

The development comes as political activities intensify in Sokoto ahead of the 2027 elections, with Goronyo’s defection to the ADC and appointment as Dan’Iya’s campaign DG adding to the political realignment in the state.

The Ohimegye Igu of Koton Karfe, Dr. Saidu Akawu Salihu, has called for urgent Federal Government intervention on the Lokoja-Abuja highway to avert worsening traffic congestion, accidents and possible fatalities during the Ember months.

The traditional ruler made the call on Tuesday when he visited the Federal Ministry of Works office in Lokoja to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of critical sections of the highway.

According to him, the visit followed a resolution of the Koton Karfe Traditional Council, which mandated him to personally engage the relevant authorities over the challenges confronting motorists and communities along the corridor.

Dr. Salihu appealed to the Ministry of Works to urgently address several problematic sections of the road between Abaji and Lokoja.

He specifically identified the stretches between Chikara and Abaji, Aseni and Omoko, Idu Bridge, Gegu Egba and Ahoko, Manyare and Gegu-Beki Gaba, Okpana and Ozi Community, as well as the diversion in Koton Karfe.

He also called for immediate intervention at the first and second bridges and around Iziho Community, stressing that the identified locations had become major sources of concern for motorists and residents.

While acknowledging that the completion of the Abuja-Lokoja highway remains the ultimate expectation of road users, the monarch said immediate repairs on the critical sections would help reduce gridlock, prevent accidents and provide relief to motorists.

‘Every day we live in fear of mishaps that lead to calamity. This is why the Traditional Council asked me to personally visit and express our concern over the state of the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Road,’ he said.

The monarch further warned that persistent gridlock on the route was causing motorists and residents to spend hours in traffic, resulting in loss of productive time and, in some cases, fatalities.

He urged the Federal Ministry of Works to act swiftly as the Ember months approach.

‘Our people and motorists plying the Abuja-Lokoja Federal Highway have suffered untold hardship. I urge you to take responsibility as we enter the Ember months,’ he added.

Responding, the Acting Federal Controller of Works in Kogi State, Engr. Owoniya Bankole, acknowledged the concerns raised by the traditional ruler and described the Koton Karfe-Abaji axis as a major hotspot.

He, however, expressed optimism that measures had already been activated to reduce the hardship being experienced by communities and road users along the corridor.

Bankole explained that some of the delays on the road were linked to the Federal Government’s decision to convert the highway from asphalt to concrete pavement.

According to him, although concrete construction takes longer to execute, it offers greater durability, longer service life and reduced maintenance requirements.

He assured the monarch that the problematic sections would receive priority attention, while apologising to residents and motorists for the inconvenience caused by the ongoing works.

The Controller also disclosed that the Ministry of Works would strengthen collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps and other security agencies to tackle factors contributing to traffic congestion and improve safety along the Abuja-Lokoja highway.

The visit ended with the presentation of a letter addressed to the Minister of Works by the Ohimegye Igu, formally outlining the concerns and requests of the Koton Karfe Traditional Council.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has commended security agencies and other stakeholders for the successful rescue of 16 Corps Members abducted in Kogi State while travelling from the Bayelsa State Orientation Camp to Abuja.

The Corps Members were abducted on August 26, 2026, while relocating to Abuja after completing their Orientation Course in Bayelsa State.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, the management of NYSC, through its Director, Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, expressed appreciation to those who participated in the search and rescue operation.

The NYSC particularly commended the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), Kogi State vigilante groups, and other individuals and groups who contributed to the recovery of the Corps Members.

Embu said the professionalism, courage, commitment, and coordination demonstrated by the security agencies during the operation were commendable.

The scheme also acknowledged the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his commitment to the safety and welfare of Corps members across the country.

According to the statement, the security agencies were motivated by the president’s concern and determination to ensure the corps members were rescued safely and urgently.

The NYSC also appreciated the contributions of the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Minister of Youth Development, noting their roles in the recovery efforts.

The scheme commended the families of the affected corps members for their patience and cooperation throughout the period, as well as the media for its handling of the incident.

It said the media’s responsible coverage helped protect the safety of the Corps members while they were in captivity.

‘Management is relieved that all affected Corps Members have been safely recovered and are in high spirits, eager to resume at their places of primary assignment,’ the statement said.

The NYSC said the resilience demonstrated by the rescued Corps Members was ‘humbling and instructive,’ adding that the Scheme would continue to provide them with the necessary support as they recover from the traumatic experience.

The scheme reaffirmed its commitment to the safety and welfare of all Corps members and pledged to strengthen collaboration with government and security agencies to improve protective measures.

It added that lessons had been learned from the incident and that relevant protocols would be reviewed to help prevent a recurrence.

‘Salute to courage, duty, and patriotism. Nigeria is ours; Nigeria we serve,’ the NYSC stated.

THE proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has given the Federal Government 14 days to ensure the listing and hearing of Namdi Kanu’s appeal, threatening to mobilise for a boycott of the 2027 general election across the South-East and other parts of what it describes as Biafraland.

IPOB’s Head of Directorate of State (DOS), Mazi Chris Nwaogu, issued the ultimatum on Monday in a video broadcast, accusing the government of deliberately delaying the appellate proceedings after moving swiftly to secure Kanu’s conviction.

The threat came amid renewed concerns by Kanu’s family over the delay in hearing his appeal against the conviction and life sentence passed on the detained IPOB leader.

The family recently disclosed that Kanu wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the President of the Court of Appeal, requesting the immediate listing and hearing of his pending cases.

According to the family, the request followed what it described as prolonged delays in proceedings concerning Kanu’s continued detention, conviction and life sentence.

Zwaogu accused the Federal Government of avoiding the appellate court, despite its earlier efforts to secure Kanu’s conviction.

‘The Federal Government has not filed a respondent’s brief, they have not listed the appeal, they have not come to court. A country that rushed to convict is now too frightened to defend the conviction,’ he alleged.

The IPOB official said the group would consider mobilising for an election boycott if the government failed to act within the 14-day deadline.

‘We are giving them 14 days to list Kanu’s appeal. If they refuse, we will consider boycotting the coming elections across Biafraland and beyond. A government that cannot face its Court of Appeal has no right to demand our votes,’ Nwaogu said.

He also criticised the judiciary’s handling of Kanu’s case, alleging that proceedings from the trial court through the appellate stages had raised concerns about the state of Nigeria’s judicial system.

‘This judicial conspiracy through the trial court to the remittal and the present silence will shame the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and all lawyers who still pretend this system is healthy. This case will either reset the Nigerian judiciary or expose it,’ he said.

Nwaogu further challenged the Supreme Court’s decision which overturned Kanu’s discharge and acquittal by the Court of Appeal, particularly faulting the judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba.

He argued that the apex court exceeded its constitutional powers by pronouncing on individual counts that had already been quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Justice Garba crossed a line that the constitution does not allow. This is the heart of the matter,’ he said.

According to him, the Supreme Court could have corrected the Court of Appeal on whether the trial court retained jurisdiction to continue hearing the case, but should not have gone further to determine the validity of individual counts that had already been quashed.

‘Justice Garba did more than that. He went down the individual counts the Court of Appeal had already quashed and declared that the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to try those particular counts,’ Nwaogu argued.

The national president of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Muhammad Haruna Ibrahim, in this interview with CHRISTIAN APPOLOS, speaks on the situation, two months after the Federal Government and the leadership of the non-teaching staff unions, signed a new agreement on June 29 following the review of the 2009 agreement.

Two months after the Federal Government and the non-teaching staff unions signed the agreement, what is the current state of implementation?

The struggle of workers in our tertiary institutions, especially our public universities, has been going on for 17 years, from 2009 until today. We have been in the trenches since 2009. In between, we had the Jonathan administration, then eight years of the Buhari administration, and now this government.

We struggled hard to get the government back to the table to renegotiate the 2009 agreement. The agreement itself was a document signed with the government, with a provision that after three years, it would be subject to review. It covered conditions of service and other associated issues relating to university governance and funding. Part of it dealt with university autonomy and non-interference by the core civil service. Those were some of the issues we reviewed in the agreement you have been hearing about.

Then, we came to the financial aspect. The financials have to do with salaries, allowances and other associated payments. The government deliberately said that it would not discuss salary review because it was considering a general review of salaries for all civil servants and other public servants, of which university workers are also part. So it focused on improving the allowances and making available allowances specific to teaching and non-teaching staff. That of non-teaching staff is called CONTTA.

So, what exactly is CONTTA?

CONTTA means Consolidated Non-Teaching Staff Allowance. It is for non-teaching staff. The government agreed to review it after 17 years of struggle. So, CONTTA was reviewed upward by 35 percent. meaning that whatever you are receiving today, if it is N100, there is a 35 percent increase on that N100.

The increase is also meant to cater for data subscriptions, membership of professional bodies and other things we do, including attendance at conferences, seminars and presentations, so that workers will no longer have to take these expenses from their salaries.

In addition to that, there are some specific allowances such as responsibility allowance, excess workload allowance and hazard allowance. But these are not for everybody. They are paid to specific categories of staff. For example, responsibility allowance is only paid to those heading departments, divisions, units and sections. It is not for every staff member.

Then, there is the excess workload allowance. This is for officers on Levels 9 to 12, who have to do more work beyond the regulated hours or beyond the quantum of work they are expected to do. The rate is N2,500 per hour, up to a maximum of 52 hours in a month, for senior staff. For those on Level 13 and above, the rate is N3,500 per hour. Those are the things the government reviewed. It was a very tough job done under the leadership of distinguished Nigerians. We got the agreement signed on June 29. We thanked the government and everybody was happy. A lot of people had been waiting for this. We lost so many members in the course of this struggle. Some could not live to see the outcome because they died from ill health and because they could not afford medication.

Two months after the agreement was signed, how far has implementation gone?

No federal university has been able to get one dime, one naira for the implementation. Because of this, the enthusiasm and celebration have died down. People’s morale is dampened. People are not happy. So, this is where we are: agreement signed, but payment has yet to start. Implementation has yet to start. No money has been released.

This is coupled with the non-remittance of pension contributions. They deduct your money and then, the money is not remitted to the PFAs.

The new law now permits you to take 25 percent from your PFA when you retire, but when you get there and they tell you that the government has not remitted the money in the last one or two years, where is the money going?

With government revenues reportedly increasing, what, in your view, is responsible for the delay in releasing funds for implementation?

What is happening in Nigeria today, especially with regards to funding of our universities, is a case of the more you see, the less you understand. We read in the newspapers and see on television how the government keeps saying that so much revenue is being received. We also see governors celebrating the President and the Federal Government for tripling or quadrupling their allocations. And you can see that in the states because every state is now competing over flyovers. That seems to be the thing now.

But for us working in the Federal Civil Service and those working in our universities, we have not seen that. It is yet to come. So, it is a case of: who do you believe?

Let me shock you. The capital budget of our federal institutions in the last three years is nothing to write about. The releases in 2024, 2025 and now 2026 have been very poor. In 2024 or 2025, only 30 percent was approved, and it was only 30 percent of that 30 percent that was released. All the projects in our institutions are suspended. Contractors are not paid, and universities are finding it extremely difficult to fund their activities, especially payment for electricity.

We also celebrated when this government came with the idea of solar grids for universities. For those that are lucky to have them, they are happy because a lot of burden has been taken off their heads. But how many universities have this? Less than 10, or not more than 10 universities, out of over 100 universities.

The idea of the government generating more revenue is something that is not explainable and cannot be understood by us because we don’t see the corresponding releases. A clear exam is the government approved upward review of allowances for workers in the universities, particularly non-teaching staff, but no dime has been released for implementation two months after.

As we speak, vice-chancellors are finding it extremely difficult to operate. But you know they cannot say much because they are appointees of the government. We can speak because our members deserve to know the situation. For us, if we see what is good, we will say it. If we don’t see, we will also say it.

From your engagements with the ministers and other government representatives, what are they telling you about the delay, and where exactly is the bottleneck?

No matter how a minister wants to perform, he cannot perform magic. We see the enthusiasm in our Minister of Education to get the job done. Any day I call him, he picks up the phone and explains things. But, all ministers eventually run to the Minister of Finance. I will not be able to speak on his behalf, but I can tell you that there are so many approvals lying on the table of the Minister of Finance.

We have been reliably told that the Minister of Education has done his bit. In conjunction with the Budget Office, everything required to implement the CONTTA for non-teaching staff for the whole year has been calculated. But we have not seen the money till now.

As president of a union representing thousands of non-teaching staff, how are your members coping with the delay?

It is a very pathetic situation. My members cry to the leadership ear all the time. They call on phone to know what is happening, they lament, and their morale is very dampened. The most disheartening part of this situation is that we are losing so many members due to their inability to access medical care, their inability to provide good food for their families and their inability to even afford transportation to work five days a week. So many of our people have parked their cars because they cannot afford to fuel them. You cannot fill your tank with N100,000 and use it for one week, and it is finished. When you calculate it over four weeks, that is N400,000 on petrol alone. Where will you get money for electricity? Where will you get money for gas to cook? Where will you get money to pay school fees?

Today in Nigeria, to treat malaria, even at primary healthcare centres, you need nothing less than N30,000 because you have to do the blood tests, get diagnosed and then get drugs for five days. That is a minimum of N30,000.

With the concerns of your members growing by the day, what is your message to President Tinubu on the implementation of the agreement?

My very sincere call to the President of this country is that he came with good intentions. He has shown that he is willing to improve the lives of workers. He approved the minimum wage review, which is now also due for another review. He has approved allowances for the military, the police and other sectors.

And now, coming to our own constituency, universities are the lifeline of human development in this country.

If you don’t have good universities and a well-educated population, you should also expect that your economy will not thrive. People will not be able to give their best, whether in the public or private sector.

So, if universities are poorly funded and the staff are angry and hungry, you will continue to have bad products, and then the country will be in for it.

Our call to the President and his lieutenants is to prioritise expenditure. They need to prioritise expenditure. University education and education generally are priorities anywhere in the world.

If we continue to have this drop in releases in the education sector, definitely, the system will crumble. The government must seriously prioritise expenditure, and fund our universities. Education occupies a very, very strategic place in the development of every nation.

AS campaigns towards the 2027 general elections gather momentum, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has said it would remove billboards, not approved by the agency, while individuals or corporate bodies, behind the installation of such billboards, will be prosecuted.

Giving the warning in a statement signed by its Director General, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, on Monday, the apex regulatory body in the nation’s advertising sector, added that every campaign signages must be approved by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), as stated by the nation’s Advertising Law, before being exposed to the public.

It expressed concerns at the activities of some politicians, political parties, support groups, advertising agencies and media owners, who engaged in the exposure of unapproved adverts, some of which have been found to violate religious and ethical guidelines.

The agency, therefore, enjoined all actors in the nation’s political and advertising sectors to exercise caution and ensure that all advertising, advertisement and marketing communications activities align with the nation’s Advertising Law and other relevant extant laws.

It warned that the exposure of unapproved advertisements on the traditional and online media platforms without approval of the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), constitutes an offence under Section 34(3) of the ARCON Act No 23 of 2022.

‘All political parties, elective political office aspirants, political campaign organisations, advertisement agencies and media owners are hereby advised to immediately cease and desist from exposing advertisements without prior approval of the ASP as required by the ARCON Act,’ the agency added.

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has acknowledged growing reservations about the direction of the Nigerian economy.

At a policy roundtable held in Abuja on Tuesday and organised by the All Progressives Congress Professional Forum, the APC Chairman assured Nigerians that the present administration would soon shift its focus from macroeconomic stability to microeconomic prosperity.

Checks revealed that amidst growing external reserves, an increase in Gross Domestic Product, and relative stability in the foreign exchange rate, Nigerians have continued to groan over poor purchasing power.

Professor Yilwatda, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the event to present the scorecards of his administration, declared that the next phase of Renewed Hope would translate to more food, stronger purchasing power for the average Nigerian.

He said: ‘A good GDP number does not automatically put food on a family’s table. Stronger reserves do not pay school fees. A stronger stock market does not automatically put money into the pocket of a market woman.

‘Therefore, we are in the next phase of Renewed Hope which must translate macroeconomic stability into microeconomic prosperity: more food, more jobs, lower inflation, affordable credit, reliable power, more manufacturing, greater exports and stronger purchasing power.’

In a veiled allusion to the declaration by the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, to return to the fuel subsidy regime, the APC National Chairman advised Nigerians to pick between consolidation of the progress in the economy and a return to the years of fiscal pressures.

He said: ‘As we approach 2027, Nigerians will hear many promises. Some will promise to reverse the reforms; others will promise prosperity without confronting the structural problems that brought us here. The question is whether we go backwards or consolidate and improve the progress we have begun.

‘Do we abandon infrastructure investment or accelerate it? Do we discourage investors or make Nigeria one of Africa’s preferred investment destinations? Do we allow our ports to serve our domestic economy or position Nigeria primarily as a maritime gateway to the wider African hinterland?

‘For the All Progressives Congress, the answer is clear. We choose progress, productivity, investment, infrastructure, innovation, Nigerian enterprise, exports, human capital, and we choose President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And we choose the ambition of a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by 2030 by Mr President for our common prosperity.

‘We must power our industries, develop our digital economy, educate our young people and mobilise the private capital required to transform our productive capacity. Above all, we must begin to see Nigeria differently, not merely as a large domestic market, but as a potential maritime, industrial, digital and logistics powerhouse for Africa.

‘The foundation has been laid. The opportunity is before us. The work has begun. Now we must take Nigeria from reform to results, from results to growth, from growth to prosperity, and from prosperity to a $1 trillion economy by 2030.’

Stretching further the narrative of the gains of the present economic policies, the APC National Chairman listed the establishment of social investment programmes such as NELFUND and CREDICORP, which he cautioned must not be reversed.

‘We are investing in the future of our young people because they are the greatest asset of the Nigerian economy. Through NELFUND, we are expanding access to higher education so that financial circumstances do not prevent young Nigerians from acquiring the knowledge they need to succeed. We are also supporting young people in technical and vocational education through grants and skills-development opportunities, while programmes to train young Nigerians in digital technologies are equipping a new generation with the skills required for the global digital economy.

‘At the same time, through initiatives such as CREDICORP, we are expanding access to responsible credit so that workers, entrepreneurs and businesses can acquire productive assets, grow their enterprises and create jobs. This is not simply social investment; it is an investment in the productive capacity of Nigeria and in the young Nigerians who will ultimately build and drive our $1 trillion economy.’

Leadership is often confused with authority. A promotion can give someone a title, a team and the power to make decisions, but none of those things automatically make that person a good leader.

Real leadership shows up when a problem has no obvious solution or when a difficult decision has to be made and someone has to take responsibility for the outcome.

The encouraging part is that leadership is not reserved for people who seem naturally confident or charismatic. It can be developed through deliberate practice, with honest feedback and experiences that stretch the way you think.

A recent report on developing leadership skills through an entrepreneurial mindset similarly emphasises the value of initiative, problem-solving and learning to recognize opportunities rather than waiting for them to appear.

Therefore, if you want to become a stronger leader, you do not have to wait until someone gives you a management position. Hence, Tribune Online recommend these practical things you can start doing.

Take ownership when you notice problems

One of the clearest signs of leadership is the ability to see beyond your job description. If something is slowing down your team, frustrating customers or wasting resources, you can either wait for someone else to deal with it or take the initiative to understand what is happening.

Suppose customers keep complaining about delayed responses. Instead of forwarding every complaint to your manager, examine where the process is breaking down. Speak to the people involved, identify the bottleneck and suggest a realistic improvement. Even if your solution is not perfect, the exercise teaches you to think in terms of outcomes rather than simply completing assigned tasks.

This is also where an entrepreneurial mindset becomes useful. You begin to ask better questions: What problem are we actually trying to solve? What can I change? What happens if my first solution fails? That habit of taking initiative can make you more valuable long before you receive a leadership title.

Make use of feedback

Self-confidence can become a weakness when it prevents people from recognizing their blind spots. You may believe you communicate clearly while your colleagues find your instructions confusing. You might think you are giving your team independence when they actually feel unsupported.

Honest feedback can expose those gaps, which is why it is an important part of leadership development. Research from the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) found that coaching, peer feedback and 360-degree feedback were frequently identified by participants as valuable elements of leadership development, particularly because they improve self-awareness.

You do not need a formal assessment to begin. Ask someone you trust, ‘What is one thing I could do differently to become a better leader?’ Then resist the temptation to explain yourself immediately.

Not every criticism will be accurate, but patterns matter. If several people identify the same weakness, it deserves attention. More importantly, feedback should lead to action. If you interrupt people too often, practice listening. If your instructions are unclear, slow down and confirm expectations before ending important conversations.

Volunteer for challenges that stretch you

You cannot learn leadership entirely from books, podcasts or seminars. Eventually, you need situations that force you to make decisions, coordinate people and deal with consequences.

Look for opportunities that are challenging without being reckless. Lead a small project, coordinate an event, mentor a junior colleague, handle a client presentation or volunteer to improve a process that has been frustrating your team. These assignments create a safe but realistic environment for developing judgment.

You may discover that delegation is difficult because you want to control everything. Perhaps difficult conversations make you uncomfortable, so you avoid them until the problem becomes larger. Maybe you become indecisive when people with different opinions are involved.

Those discoveries are useful. Leadership development is partly about identifying weaknesses while the consequences are still manageable. CCL’s leadership-development research also emphasizes on the importance of applying learning through experience, feedback and real-world challenges rather than treating development as something that happens only inside a classroom.

Find people who will challenge your thinking

The right mentor, coach or experienced colleague can shorten your learning curve because they can see things you may miss. A good adviser should not simply praise your progress; they should be willing to ask difficult questions and challenge your assumptions.

For example, after a difficult meeting, a mentor might ask why you responded defensively to criticism. A coach might help you understand how your behavior affected the team and develop a different approach for the next meeting. CCL’s research on coaching, similarly highlights its role in helping leaders reflect, set goals and apply what they learn to their actual work.

It is also worth building relationships with people who think differently from you. Leadership becomes harder as responsibilities increase because decisions rarely involve one perspective. Learning to listen to disagreement without becoming defensive can therefore be just as important as learning how to speak with confidence.

Leadership starts before the promotion

The best time to develop leadership skills is before you desperately need them. Take responsibility when problems appear, ask for feedback even when it may be uncomfortable, volunteer for work that stretches your abilities and surround yourself with people who challenge your thinking.

You do not become a leader simply because your business card says so. You become one through repeated decisions, responsible action and the ability to help other people perform better.

A title may give you authority, but your behavior determines whether people are willing to trust your leadership.

All On and Energise Africa (EA) have invested a total of $4 million in the development and deployment of solar-powered mini-grids across 19 communities in Jigawa and Bauchi states.

The investment is aimed at expanding access to renewable energy and providing reliable electricity to underserved communities in the two states.

The project will be executed by Maskh Nigeria Limited, a company comprising professionals in renewable energy, construction, engineering, electrification and procurement services.

Speaking on the investment, the Chief Executive Officer of All On, Caroline Eboumbou, said the project would provide reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity to households, businesses and public institutions currently without dependable access to electricity.

Eboumbou said the investment was being made under the Demand Aggregation for Renewable Energy Technology (DART) Programme.

She added that the project was expected to impact about 100,000 people, while supporting local enterprise development, improving access to essential services and reducing dependence on traditional energy alternatives.

Her words: ‘For communities across Jigawa and Bauchi where energy access remains limited, decentralised energy infrastructure can play an important role in enabling economic and social activity. Through the deployment of solar-powered mini-grids, the project will extend reliable electricity to homes, schools, health facilities and small businesses, while creating opportunities for productive use of energy and strengthening local economies.

‘Energy access is not simply about connecting communities to electricity; it is about creating the conditions for people and businesses to thrive. This investment demonstrates All On’s commitment to backing indigenous energy companies that can deliver practical, scalable solutions to some of Nigeria’s most persistent energy access challenges. This is the kind of catalytic investment that can help move Nigeria’s energy transition forward in practical and meaningful ways.’

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Energise Africa, Ray Coyle, said the investment would support lasting social, economic and environmental benefits in the beneficiary communities.

Coyle stated that by helping to bring clean and reliable electricity to 19 communities across Jigawa and Bauchi states, UK investors were supporting an initiative that would benefit thousands of Nigerians.

On his part, the Director of Operations, Maskh Nigeria Limited, Qaim Mahmood, expressed appreciation to All On and Energise Africa for entrusting the company with the project.

He said the project would contribute to the development of underserved communities while strengthening the capacity of the indigenous company.

‘We are deeply moved to play such an instrumental role in bringing clean, reliable power to underserved communities across Jigawa and Bauchi.

‘As an indigenous company, we are proud that these 19 mini grids will impact almost 100,000 people, helping businesses thrive, improving essential services and creating opportunities for the next generation. This investment also marks a transformative step for Maskh, strengthening our capacity, creating jobs and positioning us for greater opportunities. We are deeply grateful to All On, EA and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for their trust and partnership,’ Mahmood said.