Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Actress Mo Bimpe has shared a heartwarming video ahead of the grand Thanksgiving ceremony for her triplet sons.

On Instagram, Bimpe shared beautiful moments as she prepared to celebrate her children’s arrival with family, friends and loved ones.

In the video, Mo Bimpe appeared excited and grateful as she reflected on her journey to motherhood.

Accompanying the video on her Instagram page, she wrote: ‘From waiting to wonder. From tears to thanksgiving. There are stories only God can write. A journey that began with prayers, faith, hope and countless moments of trusting God’s timing has brought us here today celebrating His goodness and faithfulness.’

Mo Bimpe and her husband, actor Lateef Adedimeji, welcomed their triplet boys earlier this year, making the children’s arrival a major talking point among their fans.

The upcoming grand Thanksgiving is expected to bring together loved ones and well-wishers as the couple formally celebrates the birth of their sons.

Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued nine more travellers abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Ajaokuta-Itobe road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The rescue came two days after a joint security team comprising military personnel, police officers, local vigilantes and hunters rescued 16 travellers abducted along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in the state.

According to a statement by the Nigerian Army, the latest operation was conducted by troops deployed at Patrol Base Itobe after receiving reports that suspected kidnappers had ambushed commuters and abducted several passengers along the route.

The troops, on arriving at the scene, discovered a Toyota Hiace bus and a Toyota Sienna vehicle abandoned by the roadside, with their passengers missing.

The Army said the troops immediately launched a pursuit operation, exploiting the route used by the fleeing kidnappers.

The pursuit led the troops to the outskirts of Adumu community in Dekina Local Government Area, where they made contact with the kidnappers.

‘During the ensuing firefight, the troops overwhelmed the criminals with superior firepower, compelling them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding bush with suspected gunshot wounds,’ the statement said.

The operation resulted in the rescue of nine victims comprising two elderly men, two elderly women, four other adult males and an infant.

The Army said the rescued victims were immediately evacuated to safety before being handed over to the Nigeria Police, Itobe Area Command, for further action and reunification with their families.

It added that troops had sustained the pursuit of the fleeing kidnappers, while coordinated search operations continued to rescue any remaining victims and apprehend those responsible for the attack.

When Nasarawa State Governor, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, says Dele Alake has become ‘a better mining engineer than myself,’ Nigerians should pay attention. Not because the statement is flattering, but because it comes from a governor who understands mining, has witnessed the sector’s transformation firsthand, and has a front-row seat to the economic possibilities embedded in Nigeria’s mineral wealth.

Sule’s admission was particularly revealing because he confessed that he initially doubted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to appoint a media professional as Minister of Solid Minerals Development. His reasoning was understandable. Mining is technical, complex and capital-intensive. Yet, as the governor acknowledged, Alake quickly immersed himself in the sector, mastered its language and, more importantly, embraced the President’s policy direction with uncommon seriousness.

‘He grabbed it, he took it, he’s serious about it,’ Sule said. That may well be the most concise description of Alake’s stewardship. The minister has not treated mining as another government portfolio. He has approached it as a strategic instrument for economic transformation.

For decades, Nigeria behaved as though possessing mineral deposits was itself an economic achievement. It was not. The real value lies in what happens after discovery: exploration, responsible extraction, processing, manufacturing, employment, exports, technology transfer and government revenue. Alake’s policy emphasis on local processing and value addition therefore represents a significant departure from the old extract-and-export model.

The results are beginning to show. The Federal Government reported that revenue from solid minerals increased from about ?6 billion in 2023 to more than ?38 billion in 2024, and moved up to N71 billion by 2025, while attracting more than $2.6 billion in processing projects to the sector. These figures matter because they demonstrate that reform is moving beyond speeches into measurable economic activity.

Nasarawa offers perhaps the most compelling case study. The state’s lithium resources have attracted international attention, while a major lithium processing facility has positioned the state closer to the global critical-minerals value chain. The Federal Government has described the facility as West Africa’s largest lithium processing plant, with a reported processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes daily.

Sule’s story of a major Chinese lithium buyer sending a customised aircraft to bring him and the governor of Zamfara to China may sound dramatic, but its policy implication is more important than the spectacle. It demonstrates that Nigerian minerals are increasingly being viewed as strategic assets in global supply chains.

This is where Alake’s contribution becomes particularly significant. His ministry is helping to reposition mining from an informal, poorly integrated activity into a structured economic sector capable of attracting serious investment, supporting industrialisation and generating sustainable public revenue.

The challenges remain substantial: illegal mining, insecurity, environmental concerns, geological data, infrastructure and host-community benefits cannot be wished away. But successful policy is not the absence of challenges. It is the capacity to build institutions capable of confronting them.

Perhaps that is why Sule’s praise resonates. He began as a sceptic and ended as a witness. The consummate, astute media man did not need to become a geologist to make an impact. He needed to understand the policy, master the brief and deliver.

As digital commerce expands across Africa, concerns over fraud, failed deliveries and payment disputes continue to challenge buyers, sellers and businesses conducting transactions online.

Against this backdrop, Nigerian technology entrepreneur Mgbeoji Austin has introduced PaySureFy, a platform designed to provide escrow-based transaction protection and fraud intelligence for cross-border commerce.

The company described PaySureFy as Africa’s first AI-powered cross-border escrow and Trust Infrastructure, aimed at helping individuals and organisations conduct transactions with greater confidence by combining identity verification, escrow workflows, fraud detection and dispute management within a single platform.

Unlike conventional payment platforms, PaySureFy says it operates a non-custodial model, meaning it does not hold customers’ funds. Instead, payments are processed and settled through licensed banking and payment partners, while the company provides the technology layer governing transaction conditions, verification, authorisation and dispute resolution.

Austin said the platform was developed in response to a growing need for trust mechanisms as digital payments become more common across the continent.

‘Africa has made significant progress in digital payments, but payment speed alone does not solve fraud. The next challenge is ensuring the people involved can be verified, transaction conditions are trusted and disputes can be resolved fairly,’ he said.

According to the company, the platform integrates identity verification, milestone-based escrow payments, AI-assisted fraud analysis, multilingual support and structured dispute resolution to support online marketplaces, freelancers, merchants, procurement agents, businesses and diaspora users.

Industry analysts have increasingly argued that while payment infrastructure across Africa has improved rapidly in recent years, trust remains one of the biggest barriers to wider adoption of online commerce, particularly in transactions involving unfamiliar parties or cross-border payments.

Austin said the idea behind PaySureFy dates back to 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when remote work and digital transactions accelerated. He explained that the concept evolved from focusing solely on secure payments to addressing broader issues surrounding trust in commercial transactions.

‘The question eventually became bigger than making payments safer. Before money moves, the people involved, the transaction itself, the risks and the agreed conditions should all be trusted.’

The company said users can establish transaction terms before payment is made, while release or refund of funds follows agreed conditions supported by identity authentication and transaction evidence where necessary. Where disputes arise, parties may submit evidence for review before settlement instructions are issued through regulated financial partners.

PaySureFy also said it is applying artificial intelligence to identify potential fraud indicators, including suspicious transaction behaviour, identity inconsistencies, unusual device activity and possible off-platform manipulation before transactions are completed.

According to Austin, AI is intended to function as a decision-support tool rather than replacing human judgement.

‘Fraud usually leaves detectable signals. AI can help identify those signals earlier, support review and help users make more informed decisions.’

The platform has also incorporated multilingual capabilities, with support being introduced across several African and international languages, including Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Swahili, Twi, French, Mandarin and Spanish, as part of efforts to improve accessibility for users across different markets.

Beyond individual users, the company said it is developing a Trust-as-a-Service offering that would allow marketplaces, digital platforms and institutions to integrate escrow workflows, identity verification and dispute-resolution capabilities into their own systems through application programming interfaces (APIs).

As part of its expansion plans, PaySureFy announced that Adeleye Raymond has joined the company as Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer. The company said Raymond will oversee financial strategy, internal controls, compliance readiness and banking relationships as the business scales.

Austin said building a trusted transaction ecosystem requires more than technology.

‘Trust is not only a technology issue; it also requires sound financial controls, compliance and operational discipline.’

The company said PaySureFy is targeting users across social commerce platforms, freelance marketplaces, procurement services, small businesses and diaspora communities that frequently conduct transactions involving multiple jurisdictions.

With online commerce continuing to grow across Africa, industry observers say platforms that combine payment infrastructure with identity verification, fraud management and dispute resolution could play an increasingly important role in addressing confidence gaps that still limit digital trade.

Everton have completed the signing of Brennan Johnson from Crystal Palace in a rare player-swap deal that sees Dwight McNeil move to Selhurst Park.

The deal was reportedly confirmed on Monday, with Johnson signing a four-year contract at Everton.

The Wales international joined Palace from Tottenham in January for £35 million but struggled to make the desired impact.

The 25-year-old previously enjoyed a productive spell at Nottingham Forest, and his move to Everton offers him the chance to make a fresh start and rediscover the form that made him one of England’s most sought-after attacking players.

McNeil, meanwhile, is heading to Palace after spending four years with Everton.

Both players have agreed four-year contracts, and the unusual swap gives Everton and Palace the opportunity to reshape their attacking options ahead of the new Premier League season.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said crude oil producers surpassed Dangote Petroleum Refinery by 5.1 million barrels (mb) in the second quarter of this year (Q2 2026).

The request followed the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) in accordance with the provisions of Section 109 of the Petroleum Industry Act.

In the period under review, whereas the refinery sought 63mb, the crude oil producers offered 68.1mb and accepted 52.6mb. This is an indication that the refinery rejected 5.5mb in the period under review.

The NUPRC’s Q2 2026 statistics on the enforcement of the DCSO, which quoted the figures, stated that the refinery accepted 52.6mb of the offered feedstock.

A statement yesterday in Abuja by NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, Mr. Eniola Akinkuotu, said: ‘At the level of refinery participation, the statistics show that the Dangote Refinery required 63 million barrels in Q2 but the producers offered higher volumes of 68.1 million barrels.

‘The 68.1 million barrels offered to the Dangote Refinery by producers represents 98 per cent of all offered volumes.

‘Eventually, 52.6 million barrels were accepted by Dangote Refinery. This implies that the refinery only accepted 78 per cent of what it was offered.’

According to the statement, a total of 53.7 million barrels of crude oil and condensate was supplied to local refiners between April and June, showing an overall performance of 97.4 per cent for Q2 2026.

The statistics show that DCSO was being actively administered and enforced by the NUPRC.

Every month, the commission meets with stakeholders, including crude oil producers and local licensed refineries, after which the producers are allocated a specific volume of their crude oil and condensate, which should be offered to local licensed refineries.

But in line with the PIA, the framework operates on a ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ basis, which shapes eventual outcomes.

In April, following consultations with stakeholders, 18,127,638 barrels were allocated to producers. However, the producers exceeded expectations, offering 19,312,476 barrels to refiners. Eventually, 20,879,381 barrels were supplied to local refiners, meaning the producers met 114.9 per cent of their allocation.

In May, the commission, in enforcing its DCSO, allocated 18,778,392 barrels of crude oil to the producers but the producers, exceeding their expectation once again, offered 23,187,893 barrels to the local refiners.

But the producers’ actual supply to the refiners by the end of the month stood at 14,228,865 barrels, representing 75.8 per cent compliance.

In June, the commission allocated 18,172,638 barrels to the producers.

The producers offered 26,835,119 barrels to refiners, which in turn took 18,606,026 barrels, representing a 102.4 per cent performance.

The commission observed that the improvement in DCSO coincided with an increase in local oil production and the signing of the long-term crude supply agreement supported by a bankable Sales and Purchase Agreement between the Producers and Domestic refiners.

The commission reaffirmed its commitment to achieving the government’s objective of energy sufficiency. Leveraging the framework of the PIA, 2021, the commission said it aimed to sustain recent gains in crude oil production while continuously enforcing the DCSO.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is set to mobilise its senior officers and policing experts to develop a comprehensive security roadmap for the 2027 general elections.

The initiative will form the centrepiece of the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026), scheduled to be held from September 21 to 23 in Owerri, Imo State.

Organised by the Nigeria Police Force in conjunction with Lenders Consult International, the three-day conference will bring together officers at the rank of Commissioner of Police and above, policing experts and other key stakeholders to review emerging electoral security threats and develop practical strategies for peaceful and credible elections.

The conference is themed ‘Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.’

According to a statement on Tuesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, deliberations at the conference will focus on intelligence-led policing, police-community partnerships, digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI), among other contemporary approaches to policing.

The Force said the gathering would provide an opportunity for senior police officers to engage in strategic discussions on strengthening the police’s capacity to manage security before, during and after elections.

It said the outcome of the conference would include actionable strategies for protecting voters, electoral officials, candidates, election materials and members of the public during the 2027 elections.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, September 21, in Owerri.

The move comes as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum, with security agencies expected to play a critical role in maintaining law and order throughout the electoral process.

Election security has remained a major concern in Nigeria, particularly because of the risks posed by political violence, vote-buying, intimidation, misinformation, attacks on electoral infrastructure and other forms of electoral malpractice.

The police, as the lead agency responsible for maintaining internal security during elections, are expected to provide security for voters, candidates, electoral personnel and materials while ensuring that citizens are able to exercise their franchise without intimidation.

The CARSPO 2026 deliberations are therefore expected to provide a platform for senior police officers to assess lessons from previous elections and incorporate emerging technologies and intelligence-gathering methods into the Force’s operational planning for 2027.

The Force said it remained committed to strengthening strategic leadership, professionalism and operational preparedness to ensure a peaceful, safe and secure environment for the 2027 general elections.

The conference is expected to conclude with a strategic framework to guide police preparations and operations for election security ahead of the 2027 polls.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has received a battalion of Nigerian Army troops deployed to Omu Aran in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

AbdulRazaq received the troops at the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi Barracks, Ilorin, on Tuesday, alongside the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), Nigerian Army 2 Division, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, and the Commander, 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume.

The governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the swift deployment of the troops to the state.

‘We are here to welcome the troops. Our coming here is truly significant because when the Chief of Army Staff announced the deployment of brigades in Kwara, we thought it was something that would take some time.

‘We can see that they are now here, hitting the ground running. Another team went to Pategi yesterday to make sure that they locate the new base there for the battalion in Pategi,’ AbdulRazaq said.

He said the troops deployed to Omu Aran would strengthen security operations in the area, adding that the state government welcomed and appreciated their presence.

‘These troops are going to Omu Aran. We welcome them to Kwara and appreciate what they are doing. We also appreciate the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ he said.

AbdulRazaq also commended the President for approving improved salaries and welfare packages for soldiers, saying the measure would boost the morale of military personnel.

‘Obviously, we came here with a welfare package to settle, but most significant is the approval by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in increasing their salaries and welfare packages. That is the major thing,’ the governor said.

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) says the Nigeria economy is showing strong signs of full recovery and accelerated growth following a series of ‘painful’ reforms by President Bola Tinubu.

‘The Nigerian economy has moved decisively from acute macroeconomic distress toward a more stable and increasingly resilient footing,’ the revenue service said in an internal report.

This, it explained, is as a result of Tinubu’s economic management acumen and doggedness in implementing his reforms as part of his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country.

The NRS explained that the Tinubu administration inherited ‘four mutually reinforcing distortions’: a fiscally unsustainable fuel subsidy regime, an opaque forex system that discouraged investment, a non-performing oil sector, and a tax base ‘far below its potential’.

But with the reforms and after the initial economic pains, the NRS said, all indices now point to a significant recovery as evident in retreating inflation rates, balance of payments swinging from deficit to surplus, first-ever net petrol export, doubling of tax collections in nominal terms, and the reshaping of the country’s productive base.

Minimum wage has also doubled between 2023 and 2026, the report said, while policies and incentives introduced by the government have reduced out-of-school children from 20 million to 18.3 million, according to estimates by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

It also noted that the government’s naira-for-crude arrangement with Dangote Refinery and other local refineries has ensured that Nigeria has become a net exporter of petroleum products after decades of being net importers. Ghana recently decided to pursue a similar policy in its oil sector.

From approximately 1.2-1.3 million barrels per day in 2023, production has risen to 1.73 million barrels per day by July 2026, equivalent to 104% of the country’s OPEC quota.

Listing the benefits of economic stability, the revenue authority said the NGX has grown from a market capitalisation of N30.36 trillion in 2023 to N161 trillion in 2026, creating wealth for millions of Nigerians who invest in the stock market.

The report attributes the rally partly to improved macroeconomic credibility, banking-sector recapitalisation and the growing pool of domestic institutional investment.

Tax collections more than doubled from N12.3 trillion in 2023 to N27.1 trillion as of July 2026 with the ‘digitisation of tax systems, four new tax reform laws, the transformation of the revenue service and an executive order that closed loopholes in the system’.

Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio that was rising for years is now falling as result of economic growth, which has moved from 2.74% in 2023 to 3.8% in the first half of 2026, while external reserves moved from an unrestricted $3.99 billion in 2023 to a 17-year high $51.9 billion as of July 2026.

At the same time, the country’s balance of payments moved from a $3.34 billion deficit to a S$2.38 billion surplus in the first quarter of 2026, according to the report.

Nigeria’s trade position has undergone an equally striking turnaround.

?e country moved from a marginal trade surplus of about N44.7 billion to a N7.55 trillion surplus in the first quarter of 2026.

?e composition of exports is also beginning to change. Crude oil remains dominant, but exports of other oil products rose 51 per cent year-on-year to N6.78 trillion in Q1 2026.

Annual capital importation increased from US$3.9 billion in 2023 to US$23.22 billion in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, inflows reached US$10.37 billion, the report highlights.

Foreign portfolio investment has been particularly strong, while foreign direct investment has also improved.

Three years ago, Nigeria had no large-scale CNG programme and depended overwhelmingly on imported petrol and diesel.

By 2026, more than 100,000 vehicles had reportedly been converted, with more than $2 billion in investment mobilised and over 10,000 jobs created.

The report estimates that CNG running costs can be 40-60 per cent cheaper than petrol. For commercial drivers, some monthly fuel bills have reportedly fallen from around N50,000 to N18,000 following conversion.

The government has also significantly increased its policy focus on food security.

Following the declaration of a state of emergency on food security in July 2023, measures included the release of strategic grain reserves, a N100 billion National Agricultural Development Fund, fertiliser distribution and an agricultural mechanisation programme.

Federal agricultural allocation rose from N228.4 billion in 2023 to N826.5 billion in the 2025 budget.

?e report said food prices had fallen by about 50 per cent by March 2026, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, although it also cautions that agriculture requires several planting seasons for increased policy support to translate fully into higher output.

At first glance, Nigeria’s debt stock appears to have worsened, rising from N87.4 trillion in 2023 to N159.28 trillion in late 2025.

But the more meaningful measure – debt relative to the size of the economy – has moved in the opposite direction.

The debt-to-GDP ratio fell from 38% in 2023 to 35.5% in 2025 and then to 32.3% in 2026.

The report described this as the first sustained decline in more than a decade.

Debt servicing as a share of revenue has also fallen from 68% to an IMF-projected 53%.

eTranzact International Plc has partnered with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to improve financial inclusion across the country.

The company reiterated its commitment at the SMEDAN/eTranzact Town Hall Engagement with the theme, ‘Financial Literacy and Inclusion for MSMEs Leveraging on Fintech Innovation,’ held in Lagos.

Divisional Head, Merchant Services, eTranzact, Mrs. Abimbola Reis, described MSMEs as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, noting that the country has almost 40 million SMEs that contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation.

She said despite their importance, many businesses continue to struggle with access to finance, inefficient payment systems, poor financial reporting, cash flow challenges and limited digital platforms.

According to her, trust issues also hinder access to finance, while cash-based transactions expose businesses to theft and make payment reconciliation difficult.

She explained that eTranzact had developed customised digital infrastructure to address these challenges and support business growth.

‘At eTranzact, we build infrastructure to help businesses grow. A lot of our products are customised solutions because we look at the specific challenges businesses are facing. We innovate because we believe small businesses are accelerators of the economy,’ she said.

She highlighted the company’s digital payment gateway, Credo by eTranzact, describing it as a business toolkit that enables merchants, SMEs and operators in the informal sector to accept and process payments seamlessly.

Reis also showcased PocketMoni, eTranzact’s mobile money platform licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which allows users to send and receive money, purchase airtime and data, and pay utility bills through their mobile devices.

Representing the Director-General of SMEDAN, Prof. Yinka Fisher said the town hall meeting was organised to generate ideas and practical solutions that would move MSMEs to the next level.

‘The essence of this engagement is to share ideas and concepts that will help MSMEs thrive and expand. Our partnership with eTranzact is about expanding the frontiers of MSMEs and ensuring they continue to grow,’ he said.

Also speaking, Dr. Praise Adedigba, who represented the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), said businesses can no longer rely solely on hard work but must embrace digital capabilities and strategic partnerships.

He said the success of MSMEs would translate into increased productivity, more employment opportunities and shared national prosperity.