Category: PM News

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria was on the brink of economic collapse when President Bola Tinubu assumed office in 2023, insisting that tough reforms taken by the administration prevented the country from ‘falling into pieces.’

Shettima spoke on Saturday while addressing journalists after visiting Tinubu at his residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to the Vice President, Nigeria’s foreign reserves had fallen below $3.9 billion when the administration took office, a situation he said left the country unable to fund even one month of fuel imports.

‘When we assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign reserves were a staggering below $3.9 billion that was not enough to import fuel for one month,’ Shettima said.

He defended Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy and unify the country’s multiple exchange rates, describing both measures as necessary responses to the state of the economy.

‘The withdrawal of the fuel subsidy, the realignment of the multiple exchange rate were far-reaching decisions.

‘The economy was actually on the verge of collapse. He saved the economy,’ he said.

Shettima compared Nigeria’s economic trajectory at the time to the crisis experienced in Venezuela.

‘I want Nigerians to understand this fundamental truism. We were on the road to Caracas. He saved our economy; he saved the nation from falling into pieces.’

The Vice President acknowledged the hardship facing Nigerians but said the government was introducing programmes aimed at reducing the pressure on households.

‘We appreciate the pains Nigerians are going through, but tough times do not last forever; tough people do,’ he said.

‘The government is rolling out programmes and projects to assuage the pains of our people.’

Shettima disclosed that the administration would soon launch an e-logistics programme in the North-West as well as thousands of electric tricycles, buses and taxis in other parts of the country.

‘In the next couple of weeks, we are going to launch e-logistics in the North-West. We are going to launch 10,600 electric tricycles to ease the pains of the people in the North-East, and 300 buses and e-taxis; all these are meant to ameliorate the suffering of our people,’ he said.

He also described Tinubu as a leader who has ’empathy for the common man.’

The meeting was the first public interaction between Tinubu and Shettima since the President returned from his vacation in Europe and the Vice President returned from the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has solicited international partners’ support for establishing vaccine manufacturing facilities in the country.

The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the call in a statement on Sunday. Adeyeye was speaking at the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo in Lagos.

The expo was organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, PMG-MAN, in collaboration with PGE Expo PVT Limited.

Adeyeye acknowledged international partners’ continued support to NAFDAC trajectory at the event jointly organised by PMG-MAN and PGE Expo PVT Ltd.

She said their contributions would be immensely appreciated toward fill-and-finish modular vaccine manufacturing, adding that NAFDAC had met eight of nine functions required for medicines and vaccines benchmarking requirements overall.

‘We want to call on our international partners that have been of tremendous help. Without them we would not have been here, while urging support for vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria.’

The director-general said Nigeria had all it took to attain Vaccine Lot Releases Maturity Level Four, aside from local vaccine manufacturing, adding that estimated costs would not be excessive if eventually successfully.

‘To get Lot Release-Maturity Level Four, we have figured it out in a way we have estimated. It’s not going to cost too much. NAFDAC used to manufacture vaccines and it’s high time we go back to that era and regain that capacity nationwide,’ she added.

Adeyeye commended President Bola Tinubu for the 2024 Executive Order, which she noted brought life to NAFDAC’s persistent clamour for incentives for local pharmaceutical manufacturers nationwide over time.

She noted that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and Minister of State for Health bought into the rationale for incentives, partly leading to unlocking the value chain initiative.

According to her, the journey started with the Good Manufacturing Practice Roadmap, during which NAFDAC inspectors conducted compliance audits of over 165 companies across the country for eight months continuously nationwide.

She said the initiative, funded by USAID and executed by the United States Pharmacopeia, helped ensure manufacturers produced quality products, improving positive patient health outcomes during treatment without failure ultimately.

Adeyeye stated further that data showed imports under ‘Five plus Five’ and the Ceiling Initiative decreased by 70 per cent from 2021 to 2025, as manufacturers took up the challenge fully themselves.

She said NAFDAC’s improving staff competence, laboratory recognition and successful re-benchmarking also strengthened the agency, adding that NAFDAC became the first agency in Sub Saharan Africa to be re-benchmarked successfully again.

The Chairman of PMG-MAN, Mr Oluwatosin Jolayemi, said the expo brought manufacturers, regulators, investors and development partners together, calling for the extension of the executive order beyond March 2027, deadline period industry.

Jolayemi noted that medicine security and pharmaceutical sovereignty required policy consistency, investment, capability development and a predictable operating environment, adding that 132 companies from several countries participated in the expo overall.

An estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases globally in 2024 were attributable to infections, accounting for about 12 per cent of all new cancer cases, a study published in The Lancet Oncology has found.

The study, titled ‘Global Burden of Cancer Attributable to Infections in 2024: A Worldwide Incidence Analysis’, provided an updated assessment of cancers linked to infectious agents.

Led by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the study used data from the Global Cancer Observatory’s GLOBOCAN 2024 database.

It assessed cancers attributable to 12 infectious agents classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the IARC Monographs Programme.

The researchers estimated population-attributable fractions, absolute numbers and age-standardised incidence rates by sex, age and country.

They found that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) accounted for the largest number of infection-attributable cancer cases, with about 760,000 cases globally.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) followed with about 750,000 cases, while hepatitis B virus (HBV) was linked to 360,000 cases.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) accounted for about 260,000 cases, while hepatitis C virus (HCV) was associated with approximately 160,000 cases.

The five infections accounted for the majority of cancers attributable to infectious agents in the study.

The researchers said the findings underscored the importance of infection control in cancer prevention, noting that several of the infections could be prevented or treated.

They identified interventions including HPV and HBV vaccination, testing and treatment for HIV, H. pylori, HBV and HCV, as well as safe injection practices.

Other measures include condom use and pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission, alongside screening for precancerous lesions linked to HPV-driven cervical and anal cancers.

The study found that eastern Asia recorded the largest absolute burden, with about 990,000 infection-attributable cancer cases, representing 42 per cent of the global total.

Sub-Saharan Africa, however, recorded an age-standardised incidence rate of 28.5 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the global average of 22.7 cases per 100,000.

Central and eastern Europe recorded 24.3 cases per 100,000, while southeastern Asia recorded 23.1 cases per 100,000.

The researchers said the analysis incorporated newly established infection-cancer associations and additional infectious agents, including HIV and Merkel cell polyomavirus.

It also included additional cancer types associated with previously established carcinogenic infections, including the recently established link between EBV and gastric cancer.

A focused analysis of EBV-attributable cancers also showed substantial regional differences in the distribution of cancer types associated with the virus.

The researchers said the findings could inform research and development investments in new cancer prevention tools, especially those targeting EBV.

They said strengthening vaccination, screening, diagnosis and treatment programmes could help reduce the global burden of cancers associated with infectious agents.

The study noted that infectious agents remained an important preventable cause of cancer globally, making infection control a key component of broader cancer-control strategies.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu influenced the award of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to Hitech Construction Company, saying he alone was responsible for the procurement decision.

Umahi made the clarification on Sunday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amid continuing questions over the procurement process, funding and the choice of Hitech for the multibillion-naira project.

According to the minister, Tinubu never instructed him to hand the project to the company.

‘The president never asked me to give it to Hitech. Till today, the president will not tell you that he called me to say, ‘Give this project to Hitech.’ Never!

‘Don’t forget that I also have my integrity. Don’t also forget that I have a journey of life and that I’m accountable for any decision I take as Dave Umahi.’

Umahi also dismissed allegations that the coastal highway was being used as a vehicle for money laundering by the administration.

He explained that Hitech was chosen because of its previous experience in dealing with coastal erosion and its work in restoring parts of Victoria Island.

The minister said the procurement process used for the project was permissible under Nigerian law, arguing that the law provided for different methods depending on the circumstances surrounding a project.

‘Can we talk about the procurement first because that’s the first thing you asked? There are three kinds of procurement, and it’s allowed by the law of the National Assembly.

‘We have the Kind of procurement where you advertise; we have the restrictive selective tendering where you can call, maybe if the project is very urgent, about five to six companies, run it through the BPP, ask them to qualify them, return them, then go for commercial bidding,’ he noted.

On why Hitech emerged as the preferred company, Umahi referred to its earlier intervention in Lagos, particularly its work on coastal erosion.

‘Do you know how long it took the President, when he was a governor, to invite Hitech (Construction Company)? Hitech initially resisted, but their methodology is what killed the ocean menace and then restored Victoria Island. That’s the reason why we did this special procurement using Hitech.’

The minister also dismissed suggestions that Tinubu’s relationship with the owner of Hitech, Lebanese-Nigerian businessman Gilbert Chagoury, played a role in the award.

‘Have you lived with your enemy before? Does it matter if they are friends or not friends? It doesn’t matter because it has nothing to do with my procurement. I take full responsibility for all my decisions.’

Umahi further argued that the President had no reason to interfere in the procurement process after assigning the project to the Ministry of Works.

He said the project had to pass through the Bureau of Public Procurement before the relevant processes could be concluded.

‘Again, why would the President be involved? He gave me the job to do. Do you know the process by which projects are approved? It has to pass through the Bureau of Public Procurement. They have to look at it.’

Responding to questions about why the coastal highway project was not taken to the National Assembly for approval, the former Ebonyi State governor said parliamentary approval was necessary for the borrowing arrangement, rather than the procurement procedure itself.

‘Why should it go to the National Assembly? That’s not the procurement procedure. It doesn’t have to go to the National Assembly. It is the borrowing plan that has to go to the Assembly.’

Umahi also provided details of the infrastructure being incorporated into the coastal highway project to address flooding and improve access for communities and property owners along the route.

He said the Federal Government was constructing hydraulic channels and service lanes to move floodwater towards the lagoon.

‘What we are doing is that at every 50 metres, we are creating channels from the Southern part of the coastline, that is, from the ocean side, and we are taking it to the northern part of the coastal highway, which is where the lagoon is.

‘The Lagos State government has several channels running from point to point, taking floodwaters to the lagoon. Some of these channels are blocked. Some have not been fully constructed to take the surrounding drainages and evacuate the water.’

According to Umahi, the service lanes would serve a dual purpose by helping to address flooding while also improving movement for residents and property owners along the corridor.

‘What we are doing now is to create service lanes. So, we are not just trying to solve the problem of the flooding. We are also making life very easy for the people of Lagos State who have properties within that location. So we are creating very serious hydraulic channels in the form of drainages.’

On the expected lifespan of the coastal highway, Umahi said the road was designed to remain functional for decades with relatively low maintenance requirements.

‘It will last between 50 and 100 years with low maintenance.’

The Centre for Credible Reforms and Institutional Accountability (CCRIA) has commended the Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, for promoting transparency and accountability in the ongoing reforms of Nigeria’s insurance industry.

The centre said the implementation of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025 had ushered in a new phase of development for the sector, with stronger regulatory standards, improved capitalisation and greater emphasis on protecting policyholders.

Dr Aminu Abubakar Aminu, president of the centre, said this in a statement at the weekend.

Aminu commended President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly for the enactment of NIIRA, describing the legislation as a major step towards addressing longstanding challenges in the insurance industry.

‘The enactment of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act is a significant milestone in the development of Nigeria’s insurance sector. We commend Mr President and the National Assembly for recognising the need to modernise the legal and regulatory framework governing the industry. NIIRA provides the foundation for an insurance sector that is better capitalised, more accountable, more responsive to policyholders and better equipped to contribute meaningfully to the Nigerian economy,’ he said.

The centre also praised Omosehin for his leadership of NAICOM, saying his extensive experience as an insurance professional had positioned him to effectively implement the new regulatory framework.

‘We consider the appointment of Mr Olusegun Ayo Omosehin as Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive Officer of NAICOM a timely and appropriate decision. He is a seasoned insurance professional with many years of experience in the industry, and his understanding of the sector gives him the practical knowledge required to lead an important reform process of this nature. We commend him for the direction he has provided since assuming office and for his commitment to strengthening the industry,’ Aminu said.

According to the centre, the ongoing recapitalisation exercise was among the important steps taken to strengthen the financial capacity of insurance companies and improve their ability to meet obligations to policyholders.

Aminu said the reforms were already producing early gains and should be sustained through consistent implementation.

‘The early developments under NIIRA demonstrate that the reform is not merely a legislative exercise but a process capable of producing measurable improvements in the industry. Stronger capital requirements, improved supervision and greater attention to policyholder protection will ultimately create an insurance market that Nigerians can trust. We encourage NAICOM to remain focused on the implementation of the Act and to continue providing clear guidance to operators and other stakeholders,’ he said.

The centre noted that the reforms would also help deepen insurance penetration and strengthen the industry’s contribution to national economic development.

It urged insurance companies, brokers, reinsurers, professional bodies and other stakeholders to embrace the new framework and work with NAICOM to achieve the objectives of the legislation.

‘The success of NIIRA will require the cooperation of every stakeholder in the insurance ecosystem. Operators must see the reforms as an opportunity to strengthen their institutions, improve their services and regain the confidence of Nigerians. A well-regulated insurance industry can mobilise long-term capital, protect businesses and households against risks and support investment and economic growth. These are benefits that go beyond the insurance industry itself,’ Aminu said.

Aminu emphasized that the centre was particularly encouraged by the emphasis on policyholder protection under the new framework, noting that public confidence remained critical to the growth of insurance in Nigeria.

He said Nigerians should be able to purchase insurance products with confidence that operators had the financial capacity and institutional structures required to honour legitimate claims.

The president further urged NAICOM to sustain its engagement with stakeholders while ensuring that the provisions of NIIRA were implemented transparently and consistently.

‘What is required at this stage is continuity, professionalism and commitment to the objectives of the law. The reforms must be sustained beyond the initial implementation period so that the gains can become permanent features of the industry. We believe NAICOM, under the leadership of Mr Ayo Omosehin, has an important responsibility to ensure that the momentum is maintained, and we encourage all stakeholders to support the commission in delivering on this mandate,’ he said.

The centre said the successful implementation of NIIRA would strengthen confidence in the insurance sector, improve the protection available to policyholders and position the industry to play a greater role in Nigeria’s economic transformation.

It also called for continued collaboration between NAICOM, insurance operators and other stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the new law were fully achieved.

African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has revealed why he attended the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) National Thanksgiving service in Lagos and what transpired during his private meeting with the church’s General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.

Sowore, who is seeking to contest the 2027 presidential election, said his appearance at the church’s headquarters in Ebute Metta was not driven by political calculations.

According to him, he attended the service as part of his personal mission and to seek spiritual guidance and prayers ahead of the challenges facing Nigeria.

Sowore said he was accompanied by the AAC National Chairman, Pastor Samuel Ajeigbe, during the visit.

He disclosed that after the service, he had a private conversation with Adeboye, who offered to pray for him.

Sowore said the RCCG leader told him that he had been following his activities closely and described his political journey as an honourable one.

According to the AAC candidate, Adeboye also expressed confidence in his eventual triumph.

Sowore said: ‘Pastor Adeboye received me privately and told me he follows my activities religiously. He described my path as honourable and expressed confidence in my triumph.’

He added that the meeting was significant because it was not his first encounter with the RCCG leader.

Sowore recalled that he first met Adeboye at the same Ebute Metta location in 1996, shortly after completing his National Youth Service Corps programme.

He said that at the time, he was involved in efforts to mobilise people against campus cultism and the activities of cult groups.

‘Thirty years later, we met again at the same place,’ Sowore said.

The presidential candidate expressed appreciation to members of the church for their reception and particularly thanked Adeboye for the private conversation and prayers.

Sowore stressed that his presence at the church should not be interpreted as part of a political strategy ahead of the 2027 election.

He has previously contested the presidency under the AAC in the 2019 and 2023 elections and is again seeking to lead the party into the 2027 presidential race.

Former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, has urged leaders and institutions to ensure that technological advancement protects human dignity rather than deepen exclusion and inequality.

Anyim made the call on Saturday at the 2026 International Convention of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Alumni Association (NAUAA) in Abuja, with the theme: ‘Innovation, Integrity and Inclusion: Rekindling the Zik Vision for a New Era.’

He said rapid changes driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, biotechnology and other emerging technologies, required deliberate efforts to protect human dignity.

‘There is no time in human history when the dignity of man has been so challenged as it is now.

‘The benefits of technological revolution can only be achieved when innovation is guided by integrity and used to improve the lives of people.

‘Integrity is not a title, integrity is rather a personality trait. Integrity is a virtue,’ he said.

Anyim challenged institutions and professionals to develop strategies to harness technological advancement while ensuring that its benefits were accessible to all.

In his keynote lecture, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said innovation should go beyond adopting new technologies to developing solutions to Nigeria’s specific challenges.

Ali said Nigeria needed to move from being predominantly a market for other countries’ inventions to becoming a laboratory for solutions to its own problems.

‘Information is power and a society that cannot inform itself cannot fully govern itself.

‘Innovation is not simply about technology; it is the capacity to see possibilities where others see limitations and to turn ideas into solutions,’ he said.

The NAN managing director said education should also focus more on knowledge creation, enterprise and societal impact, rather than merely acquiring certificates.

He said integrity was the ‘invisible infrastructure of development’, stressing that transparent rules, accountable leadership, credible institutions and responsible management of public resources were essential for sustainable progress.

In his remarks, Prof. Bond Anyaehie, Vice-Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said the institution was implementing reforms aimed at improving students’ experiences and making its operations more efficient.

Anyaehie said the university had introduced digital clearance, allowing students to complete the process remotely, while provisional certificates could be generated online after clearance.

He added that the institution had also digitised transcripts to reduce delays and improve access to academic records.

‘We are growing a university that fits the name Nnamdi Azikiwe.

‘The journey has started, but we can do more together,’ he said.

Earlier, Prof. Ikechukwu Umeh, Global President of NAUAA, said the association was focusing on initiatives to support students, strengthen the university and create opportunities for younger graduates.

Umeh said the association had instituted a scholarship programme that provided tuition support to 50 indigenous students, while mentorship programmes were being strengthened to connect students and young graduates with experienced alumni.

He said the association had also established a temporary secretariat within the university and was working towards completing the Alumni Centre as a permanent hub for meetings, conferences, networking and mentorship.

Umeh urged alumni, branches, graduating sets and corporate partners to support the completion of the centre and other initiatives designed to strengthen the relationship between the association and the university.

BBNaija housemates, Tram and Oyin have set the internet on fire with their intimate act on their last night in Biggie’s House. They made it out under the duvet, and hell has been let loose.

Still, despite their show of bravado, the duo have never hidden the fact that they are attracted to each other. They have never hidden the fact that they were always there for each other. All through the storms in Biggie’s House, they kept to each other, finding solace in each other’s company.

And together with Flora, they formed a family. They formed a strong weapon fashioned against any housemate who tried to dare them, who ventured to cross their path.

Still, even when Oyin tried to flirt with Barry, like a fly being drawn to palm wine, she always returned to Tram. But something salacious never happened. Yet something audacious happened on the last night in Biggie’s House.

That night was one the duo decided to give vent to their emotions and allow them to get the better of them. They threw caution to the wind. They finally made it out under the duvet, daring the consequences.

After all, that was their night in Biggie’s House. Since the show was about to end, the duo believed that even if they made out, nothing would happen. And netizens would only talk about it for a while, since they no longer needed their votes to remain in the house. That was why they let their guards down and made it out under the duvet.

However, the irony of the whole thing is that while Tram has always been the bad boy, Oyin has always kept a low profile. She has always carried a moral banner, as though she wasn’t cut out for salacious things, as though she was Holy Mary on a mission to win souls for Christ.

But now she has revealed her true colour. She has shown herself. There was a time she advised Nomy against getting into a ship with Tram, adding that she (Nomy) was doing something in this show that people outside loved about her. And that getting into a ship with Tram might spoil the support she already had.

Oyin also used an incident in the 10/10 season as an example. According to her, Koyin had a lot of fans from the beginning of the show. But the moment he entered a ship, he lost some of his supporters.

Still, the intriguing thing about their intimacy is that while it was going on, Flora was lying on her bed, watching everything in wild consternation.

Video footage shows her eyes wide open, watching them make it out. Social media has been awash with comments from netizens who wonder what was going on in Flora’s mind during the proceedings. Was she disappointed in her friend Oyin?

Whether she felt disappointed or not, netizens are saying Flora should blow it out the way she and Oyin always talked about housemates’ intimate acts. And since Oyin herself has become the victim of what she had turned into fodder for gossip, is she going to talk about it? But sadly, your guess is as good as mine.

The Osun State Police Command has stepped up security operations in Osogbo following a fresh wave of suspected cult-related violence that left two people dead and another injured.

The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Zungura, ordered the deployment of the command’s tactical teams to strategic locations across the state capital to prevent further attacks and restore calm.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Ojelabi, announced the development in a statement on Sunday, quoting Zungura as describing the killings as ‘disturbing and unacceptable.’

The latest violence reportedly began on October 2 around the Owo-Eba area of Osogbo, where suspected members of rival cult groups engaged in a clash.

According to the police, two men, identified as Adebayo Taoreed, aka ‘Small Rugged,’ and Oluwaseyi Daniel, aka ‘OSHA,’ were shot dead during the incident, while several others sustained gunshot injuries.

Another attack was reported on October 4 in the Arowomole area, where suspected cultists allegedly shot a man identified as Rasak Wahab, aka ‘Ojo Iku.’

Wahab was subsequently taken to a hospital and was responding to treatment as of Sunday, the police said.

In response to the attacks, Zungura directed the command’s tactical units to move into the Oke-Baale area and remain there until security was fully restored.

The teams were also ordered to carry out intelligence-led raids and other operations against suspected cult members, criminal hideouts and locations linked to criminal activities.

The commissioner directed that the operations must be conducted professionally and within the ambit of the law.

The police said the cases had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation.

Zungura also ordered Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and tactical commanders to intensify patrols, strengthen intelligence gathering and maintain a sustained security presence at identified flashpoints across Osogbo.

He warned cultists and their sponsors that Osun would not provide a safe haven for anyone involved in shootings and killings.

The commissioner assured residents that the command was in control of the security situation and urged them to go about their lawful activities without fear.

The General Manager of Glocient Hospitality, Lanre Sharafa Balogun, has said Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort is not partisan and remains focused on investment, job creation and adding value to Ekiti State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Balogun made the clarification at the JAGZ Hospitality Conference 2.0, held at JAGZ Hotel in Ibadan, where stakeholders in the hospitality industry, security agencies and other participants discussed security, regulation and the role of hotels ahead of the 2027 elections.

The conference also featured contributions from security officials, including the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, who warned against allowing hotels to become political offices as political activities intensify ahead of the elections.

Speaking on the position of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, Balogun said its partnership with the Ekiti State Government was purely aimed at business development, investment and employment creation.

‘First of all, we are not partisan. We are a private business.’

He explained that Glocient Hospitality entered into a multi-year concession arrangement to transform the resort, which he said had previously been abandoned.

‘What we’ve done is to partner with the states, with the state governments to create employment by getting a multi-year concession of the resort.’

Balogun said the company had invested billions of naira in the transformation of Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, describing the investment as an effort to revive the facility and preserve its heritage.

‘Don’t forget the resort was abandoned, it was a dead asset. We’ve invested billions to transform the resort, transform the heritage.’

According to him, the investment has also created employment opportunities for residents of Ekiti State.

He said more than 250 people had been employed at the resort, with about 70 per cent of the workers coming from the state.

‘We’ve employed over 250 people. 70% of that 250 are individuals of the state.’

The Glocient Hospitality executive said the employment figures reflected the company’s objective of using its investment to create opportunities and contribute to the development of the state.

‘That is adding value, transforming lives to the state. We are not partisan. We are there to impact and transform lives.’

Balogun added that, beyond creating employment and transforming the resort, the company was also seeking a return on its investment.

‘What we are there for is to create employment and also, at the end of the day, have a return on investments.’

He described Ikogosi as a model for Glocient Hospitality’s broader plan to transform moribund hospitality assets across Nigeria.

‘Our goal is to transform moribund assets in major states of Nigeria. Ikogosi is our model business that we’re transforming to show to the world.’

Balogun said the transformation of Ikogosi demonstrated the capacity of Nigerian expertise to revive abandoned assets and turn them into viable business and tourism destinations.

He maintained that the resort’s activities should therefore be viewed from the perspective of investment, employment and development rather than partisan politics.

On security and regulation, Balogun said hotel owners and managers could not avoid working within the law, stressing that regulation was necessary to protect hospitality businesses and their customers.

‘As practitioners, as hotel owners, and as managers of hotels, we can’t shy away from being regulated. We are governed by law, we are regulated by law.’

He said criminal incidents in hotels could have a damaging effect on their businesses, citing kidnapping and fraud as examples of incidents capable of affecting public confidence.

Balogun explained that when such incidents occur, prospective customers could begin to associate the hotel with criminal activities, thereby affecting its reputation and patronage.

He consequently called for stronger collaboration between hospitality operators and security agencies to ensure the safety of hotels and resorts.

‘The take home is that we must be regulated, and let’s partner with the regulatory authorities to ensure that our hospitality industry and our hotels and resorts are safe.’