Category: Nigerian Tribune

Kidney transplant programmes across Africa are achieving encouraging patient and graft survival rates despite severe financial, infrastructural and health-system challenges, according to a scholarly work published in International Urology and Nephrology.

The research, titled Kidney transplantation in Africa: a systematic review of treatment outcomes and strategies for enhancing care and sustainability, noted that kidney transplantation remains the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Still, access remains severely limited across much of the continent. One-year patient survival exceeded 90 percent in several countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt.

This research, led by Dr Chidera Stanley Anthony and Dr Victor Oluwatomiwa Ajekiigbe, warned that these gains remain vulnerable due to high treatment costs, inadequate transplant infrastructure, limited access to immunosuppressive medicines, and weak long-term follow-up.

One-year patient survival was 90.7 percent in Nigeria, 91.2 percent in Tanzania, 90.4 percent in South Africa, 92.3 percent in Ethiopia and 98.4 percent in Egypt. Living-donor procedures dominate transplantation in Africa, largely because deceased-donor systems remain underdeveloped. One-year graft survival among living-donor recipients was 87 percent in Nigeria and 96.7 percent in Tanzania.

The researchers said expanding deceased-donor programmes could increase access while reducing dependence on family members but stressed the need for strong ethical protections for living donors.

Affordability remains one of the greatest threats to kidney care. Patients with end-stage renal disease often face the costs of repeated dialysis, medicines, investigations and hospital care. The investigation cited evidence that as many as 98 percent of patients in one setting discontinued dialysis within 12 weeks because they could no longer afford treatment.

But the shortage of kidneys raises a question beyond money and medicine: if someone agrees to sell a kidney because they desperately need the money, is that truly informed consent-or can poverty turn consent into exploitation?

The study noted that demand for kidney replacement therapy far exceeds supply in Africa, creating incentives for illegal markets such as organ harvesting. Commercial donation involving financial compensation has also raised ethical concerns.

The question is therefore not simply whether a person agreed to the transaction, but whether the circumstances surrounding that decision allow for genuinely informed and voluntary consent. Weak regulatory frameworks and limited educational resources further complicate informed consent and donor protection.

Culture and religion add another dimension. The study noted that some religious denominations do not support receiving organs, while others regard donation as a virtuous act. Attitudes towards brain death may also affect deceased-donor transplantation.

Dr Chidera Stanley Anthony, and Dr Victor Oluwatomiwa Ajekiigbe also acknowledged another Nigerian study where very few respondents had previous knowledge of brainstem death, while more than half wanted a brain-dead relative to remain on a ventilator and would not donate the relative’s organs.

The study also identified a striking gender pattern. Women were reported to donate kidneys more often than men, despite end-stage renal disease being more prevalent among men. This has been linked to emotional factors, including closeness to the recipient.

Yet women were also found to receive fewer living-donor kidney transplants than men, while men may be more likely to be excluded from donation because of conditions such as hypertension and ischaemic heart disease.

These findings raise broader questions about consent, culture, gender and fairness in a system already struggling with organ shortages.

Long-term success also depends on access to lifelong immunosuppressive medicines and follow-up. Acute rejection rates ranged from 8 to 43.4 per cent, while delayed graft function and HLA mismatches were associated with poorer outcomes. Loss to follow-up could leave recipients vulnerable to complications and interruptions in treatment.

The study also found that appropriately selected people living with HIV can benefit from transplantation, with HIV-positive-to-HIV-positive programmes recording 84 per cent survival at both one and three years.

The researchers called for stronger national transplant programmes, better financing, improved infrastructure, wider access to immunosuppressive therapy, reliable medicine supplies, transplant registries and stronger long-term follow-up systems.

For Africa, the message is both promising and urgent: transplant centres can achieve strong outcomes despite limited resources, but sustaining those gains will require health systems that make transplantation affordable, accessible and capable of supporting patients throughout their lives.

The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Dr. Jobson Oseodion Ewalefoh, says Nigeria’s newly unveiled Model Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement is designed to end years of uncertainty, lengthy negotiations and inconsistent risk allocation in infrastructure concession deals.

Ewalefoh said the new agreement, unveiled in June 2026, would provide government agencies and private investors with a dependable framework for negotiating PPP contracts while strengthening protections for the public interest.

According to him, Nigeria’s approach to PPPs for nearly two decades after the enactment of the ICRC Establishment Act in 2005 was largely based on project-by-project and ministry, department and agency (MDA)-by-MDA negotiations.

He said the system meant that key provisions, including definitions, risk allocation, default clauses and dispute-resolution mechanisms, were often developed from scratch and differed significantly from one transaction to another.

‘This carried real costs,’ Ewalefoh said, explaining that concessions sometimes took years to negotiate, while disputes could escalate into litigation because of unclear risk allocation.

He added that lenders were also reluctant to provide long-term financing because critical protections, including step-in rights, direct agreements and predictable termination compensation, were either missing or inconsistently applied.

The new Model PPP Agreement, he explained, was developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice and benchmarked against Nigerian law and international best practices.

Ewalefoh stressed that the document was not intended to be a rigid, one-size-fits-all contract, but rather a standard starting point from which MDAs could negotiate individual transactions more efficiently.

At the heart of the agreement, he said, is a deliberate risk-allocation framework that assigns each risk to the party best positioned to manage it.

The agreement also establishes clearer default and termination provisions, including cure periods and compensation formulas, while protecting project financiers through a Direct Agreement that gives lenders defined cure and step-in rights before a concession can be terminated.

On dispute resolution, Ewalefoh said the framework adopts a graduated process, beginning with consultation and negotiation, followed by confidential intervention by the ICRC where necessary, before arbitration in Abuja under the Arbitration and Mediation Act, 2023.

The agreement also provides clearer rules on Conditions Precedent, insurance, Force Majeure and Change in Law, while introducing a Contract Management, Reporting and Performance Monitoring Framework that continues throughout the life of a concession.

According to the ICRC chief, anti-corruption and ethical conduct have also been incorporated throughout the agreement.

He said the standardisation would not create additional bureaucracy but should instead accelerate PPP transactions by giving investors greater clarity before negotiations begin.

‘It gives investors a clear picture of what they are getting into before negotiations even begin,’ he said, adding that this would reduce the back-and-forth that had historically characterised PPP contract negotiations.

Ewalefoh said the Model PPP Agreement was also designed to strike a balance between investor protection and the interests of Nigerians, particularly in sectors providing essential services.

He described the philosophy behind the framework as ‘predictability for Government, protection for investors, and performance for the Nigerian public.’

‘These three objectives are not in competition; they are designed to reinforce one another,’ he said.

On investor protection, he explained that the agreement shields private-sector participants from measures that unfairly or disproportionately target their projects, while also protecting government from liability arising from routine policy and legislative actions.

Investors and lenders would further benefit from the Direct Agreement and the structured dispute-resolution process, which provides opportunities to resolve disagreements before arbitration becomes necessary.

At the same time, Ewalefoh said public accountability would remain central to concessions involving essential services.

The Contract Management, Reporting and Performance Monitoring Framework, he said, would give government continuous visibility and oversight over concession performance and provide the government with step-in capability where necessary.

He noted that long-term concessions could not be expected to operate indefinitely according to assumptions made at the time of signing.

Instead, the agreement allows for periodic reviews and recalibration as circumstances change.

Ewalefoh said the approach would help protect private capital and investor confidence while ensuring that infrastructure and essential services remain accountable to the Nigerian public.

The ICRC chief expressed confidence that the new framework would help create a more predictable PPP environment, attract long-term investment and improve the delivery and sustainability of infrastructure projects across Nigeria.

A rescued National Youth Service Corps member (NYSC), David Ayodele, has recounted how kidnappers allegedly threatened to kill him and other victims after abducting them and taking them into a forest in Kogi State.

Ayodele said the abductors warned that the victims would remain in captivity for one month before being killed, while also threatening to shoot anyone who moved without their permission.

The corps member said the victims were forced into the forest after their vehicle, which was travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja, was intercepted following their relocation from the NYSC orientation camp.

According to Ayodele, the driver tried to escape when the kidnappers appeared, but the occupants were eventually forced out of the vehicle as the abductors fired shots into the air.

‘Driver tried to escape, but he said, Who’s the driver? Who’s the driver? And I held the driver, then they opened the door, and they started leading us to the bush while they were shooting, you know, rounds of bullets in the air,’ he said.

He said the abductees were subjected to flogging, kicking and other forms of physical abuse as they were marched into the bush.

‘Then we made our way to the bush with flogging and kicking and shouting and stuff,’ he said.

After taking the victims deeper into the forest, Ayodele said the kidnappers told them they would spend a month there before being killed.

‘We reached one kind of bushy area; they asked us to sit down, they asked us who would drink water, that we would be here for one month, so they would kill all of us,’ he recounted.

He said the captors’ warning that anyone who moved without authorisation would be shot kept the victims from attempting to escape or move freely.

‘They warned us that if anybody moved without permission that they will shoot the person, so none of us really attempted to move because of fear and stuff,’ he said.

Ayodele said the victims were subsequently made to cover a considerable distance through the forest before security personnel eventually reached them.

‘So we moved a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot and then thank God the Nigerian Army came to meet us,’ he said.

He commended the security agencies involved in the operation, including the military, police, Department of State Services and local hunters, for their role in securing the victims’ freedom.

Ayodele said he had completed his NYSC orientation programme at the Bayelsa camp before travelling towards Abuja after being relocated.

‘I did my orientation camp in Bayelsa camp,’ he said.

He explained that corps members were being transported in organised vehicles to their various destinations when he joined one heading for Abuja.

‘So, on our way from Bayelsa, because we did relocation back to Abuja, so we were going to Abuja from Bayelsa camp. There were organised vehicles going to different states, so luckily we saw an Abuja vehicle,’ he said.

Ayodele was among 15 NYSC members and six other Nigerians rescued from a kidnappers’ den in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is set to introduce Facial Biometric Verification (FBV) as part of measures to strengthen the security of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and curb impersonation and examination malpractice.

According to the Board, the new technology will complement the existing biometric verification system and provide an additional layer of authentication for candidates sitting the UTME.

JAMB announced this in its weekly bulletin, obtained on Monday in Abuja, noting that the initiative aligns with the ongoing reforms by the new Registrar of the Board, Professor Segun Aina.

The Board explained that Facial Biometric Verification uses unique facial features to confirm candidates’ identities, offering advantages over conventional biometric methods such as fingerprint and iris scanning.

To implement the system, the Board said it would partner with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to ensure that candidates’ live facial images captured during the UTME are matched against their identity records.

Under the arrangement, candidates’ facial images captured during the examination would be forwarded to NIMC through an application, which would generate a code to be sent back to JAMB, confirming or rejecting the candidate’s identity.

JAMB explained that the move followed the Board’s efforts in recent years to deploy appropriate technology to improve the integrity of its examinations and ensure that all accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres possess the required CCTV cameras and other facilities.

The Board said the new facial verification process would not require physical contact with a scanner, unlike fingerprint authentication, as it would rely on cameras to capture candidates’ faces.

It added that the technology was designed to be fast and convenient, with facial verification taking less than a second under appropriate conditions.

According to the Board, the system also works with standard user-facing cameras commonly found in smartphones, tablets and computers, eliminating the need for dedicated fingerprint or retina-scanning hardware.

JAMB noted that the facial verification system was expected to be more reliable than fingerprint scanners, which could fail when candidates’ fingers are dirty, wet, greasy or worn down.

It said such fingerprint-related failures had, in some cases, resulted in system errors, anxiety, frustration and even tension among candidates.

The Board said it would, however, retain its existing 10-fingerprint biometric format in the immediate future while integrating facial verification into the examination process.

It disclosed that, in the long term, facial verification could replace the use of One-Time Passwords (OTP) and eventually phase out fingerprint authentication within the next two to three years.

JAMB said the adoption of facial biometric verification would also reduce the incidence of unverified candidates and minimise the need to reschedule examinations for candidates affected by biometric verification failures.

Beyond improving examination security, the Board said the contactless nature of facial scanning would help reduce the spread of microbes in examination centres.

The initiative, it added, forms part of JAMB’s broader commitment to deploying technology to enhance the credibility, efficiency and security of the UTME.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday night expressed satisfaction over a report attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, which shows that Gross Domestic Product for the second quarter of 2026 grew by 4.43 per cent, up from 4.23 per cent in the second quarter of 2025.

The report also shows growth in agriculture, manufacturing, the oil and gas sector, and the service sector, which now dominates the economy in terms of contribution to aggregate GDP.

In nominal terms, the country’s aggregate GDP in the second quarter stood at N119.27 trillion, up by 18.43 per cent from N100.7 trillion recorded at the same time last year.

The NBS disclosed this in its Gross Domestic Product Report for the second quarter of 2026, released on Monday.

The NBS report indicated that economic activity continued to expand during the quarter, extending a gradual recovery recorded over the past year.

A statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, disclosed that President Tinubu said the report could not have come at a better time, as the opposition has been trying to diminish his administration’s efforts since May 2023 and even promising to reverse the policies if, perchance, Nigerians voted for them.

‘In the past three years, we tried to do the hard part by implementing the necessary reforms to stabilise the economy. Now the economy is stabilised, and we have laid the foundation for a prosperous nation. We didn’t do the reforms to create challenges, but to ensure prosperity reaches all our people.

‘The results of the efforts are becoming very clear to all: The Renewed Hope Agenda is working. Because of those tough decisions, today Nigeria has trade surpluses. Our foreign reserves are at their highest in 17 years. Our credit rating has moved up several notches. We are building roads, railways and superhighways that will last for a long time. Investors who left are returning. Oil and gas production is increasing. And in our universities – for the first time in a long time – there are no strikes. Our children are in class. And through NELFUND, student loans are putting education within reach, and affordable credit is going to our civil servants through Creditcorp.

‘In the next few weeks, we are addressing some of the challenges being faced by our vulnerable population by providing cheaper means of transport, ramping up food production and implementing various relief programmes that will touch lives at the grassroots.

‘Under our watch, the economy is on the irreversible path to experience even more growth that all homes will feel at the dining table and in their pockets. We are not resting on our oars. We are fully committed to translating consistent, stronger economic performance into better microeconomic outcomes for our citizens. We must stay vigilant by ensuring the sustainable progress we are recording remains irreversible’, President Tinubu stated.

The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Monday announced the interception of 204 pump-action rifles concealed among declared household goods in a 20-foot container imported from Turkey through the Lagos port.

The seizure, according to the Service, was based on credible intelligence and sustained surveillance aimed at preventing the importation and circulation of illicit firearms in the country.

The Customs Service said the container, with number TEMU 184536/9, arrived at the Tin Can Island Port aboard the vessel MV Algeciras Express from Turkey on August 16, 2026, and was flagged for examination based on intelligence.

It was subsequently subjected to a 100 per cent physical examination on August 18, during which firearm components were discovered concealed among declared used goods, including furniture, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.

The development comes barely two weeks after the Command intercepted another shipment of knocked-down firearm components which were assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and subsequently handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Speaking at a press briefing on the latest seizure, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, DCG Timi Bomodi, said the latest interception demonstrated the determination of the Service to frustrate the activities of arms traffickers.

He said, ‘I welcome you all to this important press briefing to mark yet another significant seizure by the Nigeria Customs Service, Tincan Island Port Command which was preceded by credible intelligence and sustained efforts to prevent the importation and circulation of illegally imported firearms into Nigeria.’

Bomodi recalled that Adeniyi had visited the Tin Can Island Port Command on August 18, 2026, where he briefed journalists on the interception of knocked-down firearm components.

He said those components were subsequently assembled into 399 pump-action rifles and officially handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

According to him, the activities of arms traffickers had once again necessitated the latest gathering, noting that the Customs officers had succeeded in frustrating another attempt to introduce illegal firearms into the country.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, the activities of these agents of darkness have once again necessitated our gathering here today and I am glad to inform you that once again, triumphed evil. the efforts and commitment of our brave and dedicated officers have made good to triumphed evil,’ he said.

Giving details of the latest interception, the Customs boss said intelligence received by the Service led to the identification and examination of the container.

‘Based on credible information gathered a 20-foot container with No. TEMU 184536/9, arrived from Turkey aboard vessel MV Algeciras Express on 16 August 2026, was flagged and subjected to a 100 percent physical examination on 18 August, 2026,’ he said.

‘After thorough examination, the container was found to contain knocked-down firearm components concealed among declared used goods, including furnitures, refrigerators, solar panels and detergent.’

He added that discrepancies were also discovered in the documentation accompanying the consignment, particularly with respect to the identity of the consignee.

‘Further discrepancies were also discovered in the consignment documents, particularly regarding the identity of the consignee. These discrepancies are part of the ongoing investigation into the shipment and those connected to it,’ Bomodi said.

Following the discovery, the Command assembled a team of experts from the Nigeria Customs Service Armament Unit and the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Office of the National Security Adviser, to examine and assemble the intercepted components.

The exercise, he said, resulted in the recovery of 204 MAS 49 ALTER MAGNUM pump-action rifles, alongside several leftover firearm components.

Bomodi listed the recovered components as 39 trigger pins, 58 locking lugs, 53 charging handles, 55 pistol grip screws, 56 springs, 56 trigger groups, 38 forward grips or hand guards, 67 forward grip latches, 56 pistol grips, 54 barrels and two U-plates.

He described the seizure as another indication that the Customs Service had sustained heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through Nigeria’s ports and borders.

‘The current seizure is a further indication that the Service is maintaining heightened surveillance and intelligence-led enforcement against the illicit movement of firearms through our ports and borders,’ he said.

According to him, the intercepted items had been secured and documented and would be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action.

He also stressed the importance of inter-agency cooperation in combating arms smuggling and other security threats.

‘The items have been secured, documented and will be formally handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons for appropriate statutory action,’ he said.

‘This operation underscores the importance of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies.’

He added that the whole-of-government approach to combating arms smuggling and other criminal activities at the nation’s ports and borders was yielding positive results.

‘This whole of Government approach to the menace of Arms smuggling and other criminal activities at our ports and borders has proven to be very effective as attested to by this seizure,’ he said.

Bomodi further issued a stern warning to smugglers, arms traffickers and their collaborators, saying the Customs Service had continued to strengthen its systems to detect attempts to conceal prohibited items in legitimate consignments.

National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, has urged the party’s governorship candidates to shun hate speech and unrealistic promises as they prepare to kick off campaigns on September 9 ahead of the 2027 general election.

Mark made the call on Monday in Abuja during a consultation meeting with ADC governorship candidates from across the states.

He warned that making commitments they have no intention of fulfilling would damage both the candidates’ credibility and the party’s integrity.

‘We are ADC. Our campaign must reflect the kind of country that we would like to build. Avoid hate speech, ethnic or religious profiling. We cannot be associated with violence in whatever form,’ Mark said.

‘Unlike the ruling party and the President, ADC does not believe that all is fair in politics.’

The party chairman also asked the candidates to study the party’s Governance and Ethical Principles as outlined in its ‘Orange Book’, as well as the ADC manifesto.

The candidates, in turn, thanked the party leadership for the platform to contest and expressed support for the party’s decision, alongside its presidential candidate, to focus the campaign on reducing the cost of living for Nigerians.

They specifically highlighted the proposal to restore the fuel subsidy to bring down petrol prices.

The governorship hopefuls pledged their loyalty to the ADC and promised to work hard to deliver victory for the party in their respective states.

NIGERIA’S midstream gas sector faced a challenging month in July, as the country’s major gas processing facilities operated at an average capacity utilisation of just 49.21 percent.

According to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA)’s performance factsheet, there were severe operational bottlenecks and infrastructure limitations across the country, with facilities processing an average volume of 7.966 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/day).

The report said the fact that while select localised assets showed high performance, the wider sector struggled with sub-optimal efficiency.

It gave a detailed breakdown of Nigeria’s primary gas assets, revealing massive disparities in processing performance.

The Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, running at a near-perfect utilisation rate of 99.56 per cent. The Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant also maintained a robust output, tracking a 92.79 per cent utilisation rate on a design capacity of 1.250 Bcf/day.

On the other hand, severe underutilisation plagued other critical pieces of national infrastructure. The OB/OB AG Gas Plant recorded the lowest performance, operating at just 22.95 per cent utilisation, despite possessing a sizable design capacity of 1.300 Bcf/day.

Furthermore, the largest processing asset, NLNG (Train 1-6), which accounts for a massive 3.500 Bcf/day design capacity, could only manage a 78.82 per cent utilisation rate, reflecting a downward trend from previous periods.

The NMDPRA’s factsheet attributed these volatile numbers to operational constraints, noting that utilisation rates across various hubs are actively impacted by ongoing bottlenecking, supply disruptions, and critical asset optimisation needs.

Also, the report showed that the downstream segment felt the pressure of the processing bottlenecks, as total natural gas utilisation fell to 4.723 Bcf/day in July 2026.

This signifies a noticeable slump compared to the peak volumes seen earlier in the year, such as the 5.141 Bcf/day distributed in April 2026.

On the export market, the report showed that the average daily gas supplied to the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) plant stood at 2.695 Bcf/day, accompanied by a downward performance indicator.

On the domestic end, local industries and power grids faced tightening constraints as the average daily gas supplied to the domestic market contracted to 2.028 Bcf/day.

Industry analysts warned that if major processing corridors like the OB/OB facility do not recover their operational footprints, the persistent deficits in domestic supply could lead to supply volatility for domestic gas-based industries and power generation networks across the country.

The report showed a significant progress on critical pipeline infrastructure alongside a noticeable dip in domestic industrial gas consumption.

It also showed that the pipeline megaprojects are nearing the finish line as the landmark Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project has reached a critical milestone, hitting a 94.8 per cent completion rate as of July 2026.

The pipeline is expected to serve as the backbone of northern Nigeria’s industrial transit network, connecting gas supplies from the south to power plants and factories in the north.

Simultaneously, the vital Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) pipeline project is on the cusp of operation.

The main OB3 project has reached 96 per cent completion, while its highly anticipated River Niger Crossing section is now 100 per cent complete. Other major distribution links showed upward momentum; the ELPS Midline Compressor Project advanced to 95.77 per cent, while the Odidi-Warri Expansion and the Escravos-Odidi (EOP) projects reached 75.47 per cent and 25.72 per cent completion, respectively.

Domestically, daily gas utilisation reflected diverging trends.

According to the report, the gas allocated to the power sector saw positive growth, averaging 0.534 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/day), indicating a stabilisation in gas-to-electricity distribution across the national grid.

However, it showed that the growth came at the expense of local commercial and industrial sectors as gas supplied to commercial markets fell to 0.552 Bcf/day, and supply to gas-based heavy industries dropped to 0.507 Bcf/day, signaling a temporary slowdown in industrial uptake despite the expanding infrastructure.

Big Brother Naija (BBN) Season11 housemate, Abisola Ayoola, popularly known as Abi, has emerged as the Head of House for week six, becoming a second-time female leader in the show.

The Head of House challenge featured a combination of physical and mental games, including the fan-the-fishes game.

After several rounds, Abi and Gerard progressed to the final stage, where they competed in a Sudoku challenge.

Abi completed the puzzle ahead of Gerard to secure victory and emerge as the new Head of House for the week.

The victory marks another HoH win for Abi, who has continued to perform strongly in the season’s leadership challenges.

However, this week’s Head of House arrangement comes with some changes.

Unlike previous weeks, the winner will not have veto power, while no lucky dip will be required.

The housemate who emerged victorious in Monday’s challenge will also be the first to use the HoH lounge this season.

Following her victory, Abi will be eligible to participate in next week’s Head of House challenge, giving her an opportunity to defend her title and potentially retain the position.

Abi’s latest achievement comes as the housemates continue their quest for the grand prize in the 11th season of the reality show, themed ‘Show Ya Self.’

However, committing your hard-earned savings to an unbuilt structure requires extreme caution. When you buy off-plan, you are buying a developer’s promise on paper rather than a physical asset you can inspect. If that developer runs out of money, ignores town planning approvals, or mismanages project funds, your capital can disappear into an abandoned construction site for years.

According to real estate advisory, thorough legal auditing and independent site checks are the primary safeguards against developer default and construction abandonment across global housing markets.

In this article, Tribune Online examines the major red flags you must watch out for when buying off-plan properties and how you can protect your investment step by step.

Unverified land title and missing planning approvals

A major warning sign in any off-plan project is a developer who hesitates to show complete ownership documentation or statutory building permits. Every legitimate developer must possess an undisputed title to the land and formal approval from local urban planning authorities before selling single units to the public.

When a developer begins marketing units without these clearances, the entire project stands on illegal ground. Regulatory authorities can halt construction halfway, seal off the premises, or order complete demolition of unapproved structures, leaving buyers trapped in endless court battles.

Absence of an independent escrow account

A trustworthy developer should never ask you to transfer staged payments directly into an unrestricted personal or general corporate account.

In well-regulated global property hubs, buyer payments are placed in an independent, project-specific escrow account that is managed by an authorized financial institution.

Funds in an escrow structure are only released to the builder in batches after a certified independent quantity surveyor confirms that a specific construction milestone has been reached. If a firm insists on direct transfers without third-party milestone verification, they may use your deposit to fund other struggling developments.

Unrealistic prices and projected returns

If an off-plan property is priced drastically lower than the prevailing market average for that specific neighborhood, you should proceed with caution. Many fraudulent or inexperienced builders artificially depress entry prices to raise quick cash from unsuspecting buyers to cover existing company debts.

Constructing a durable, modern building requires substantial capital for quality materials, professional labor, and regulatory clearances. A developer offering massive, below-market discounts will eventually face severe cash deficits, leading to substandard materials, structural failure, or total project abandonment.

Lack of verifiable track record

A developer’s past performance is the most accurate indicator of how they will handle your investment. Before paying any commitment fee, examine the projects the builder has successfully completed and delivered over the past five to ten years.

Speak with residents living in their previous estates and inspect the build quality of those completed structures firsthand. If the developer operates as a newly formed entity with zero completed developments, vague corporate directors, or a history of prolonged project delivery delays, you are taking an unacceptable financial gamble.

One-sided contracts without clear delay penalties

The contract of sale should protect both the buyer and the seller equally, but predatory off-plan agreements place all risks onto the investor. A fair contract must clearly state the exact handover date and define explicit financial compensation the builder will pay you if delivery is delayed without a genuine legal emergency.

Be wary of vague ‘force majeure’ clauses that allow the builder to extend construction deadlines indefinitely without penalty. Ensure that your property lawyer reviews the dispute resolution framework, the refund policy, and the termination clauses before you sign any binding document.

Total lack of independent milestone audits

Reliable property developers welcome independent third-party inspections from structural engineers and quantity surveyors hired by the buyer. If a firm refuses site access or avoids sharing third-party progress reports, they may be hiding structural errors or slow construction speed.

Ensure your contract ties every installment payment directly to physical verification by your own building surveyor rather than automated monthly calendar dates. This step-by-step verification ensures you only pay for actual work completed on-site.

Investing in off-plan real estate remains a viable strategy for wealth creation when handled with discipline. By hiring an independent property lawyer, verifying land titles at the relevant registry, and insisting on milestone-based escrow payments, you can eliminate fraudulent schemes and protect your capital.