Category: The Nation – Nigeria

Sir: With over 520 different languages, Nigeria holds the third-highest number of spoken languages in the world. Four of these – Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Ijaw – are spoken by about 78 percent of the country’s population. Yet despite this richness, most Nigerian languages remain absent from the tools shaping the lives of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, the generations who embody the future of today.

UNESCO warns that about 40 percent of the world’s 7,000 languages are at risk of extinction by 2025, with African and indigenous tongues disproportionately vulnerable. Over a hundred Nigerian languages are already considered endangered or close to extinction.

Technology illustrates the urgency. In Natural Language Processing (NLP), which powers translation apps, voice assistants, and speech recognition, Nigerian languages are classified as low-resource. This means there is not enough digital text or audio for artificial intelligence systems to learn from. Without action, entire languages risk being digitally invisible.

The Nigerian government has no structured plan to preserve or expand indigenous languages, especially in technology and research. Most languages lack basic resources such as text datasets, essential for NLP. Minority languages like Ibibio, Ijaw, and Kanuri, spoken by fewer than 10 million people each, have little or no digital representation. Even the so-called big three languages (Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba) struggle with limited and poor-quality resources.

Apps exist for Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, but hundreds of Nigerian languages remain excluded. Global technology firms are making tentative steps. In late 2024, Google expanded voice input and dictation support to Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba across Gboard, Voice Search, and Translate. Microsoft added the trio to Azure Translator earlier. Yet the depth and scale of resources for these languages remain far behind those of English, Chinese, or even Swahili.

The Nigerian constitution has never been officially translated into local languages, aside from one private Yoruba effort. Government websites remain exclusively in English. Community-driven projects like Masakhane and NaijaVoices are working to build datasets, but the scale of their efforts is minuscule compared to the need. If Nigerian languages are missing from keyboards, spell checkers, translation tools, and voice assistants, they will fade into silence.

What Nigeria needs is a deliberate digital language strategy. Such a strategy must go beyond the major three and extend to endangered and minority tongues. Crucially, it should position languages as infrastructure, gateways through which citizens access healthcare, education, commerce, and culture.

Policymakers must prioritize indigenous languages in technology and education. Researchers and entrepreneurs must collaborate to build open resources. Global technology firms must be challenged to support more Nigerian languages. And citizens must demand a future where their mother tongues are not just spoken but coded into the fabric of modern life.

Jose Mourinho insists he will receive a warm welcome from the Chelsea fans who once turned on him when the former Blues boss returns to Stamford Bridge with Benfica tonight.

Mourinho is back in west London for a Champions League group stage clash that has turned into a trip down memory lane.

The 62-year-old, who famously announced his arrival in the Premier League by labelling himself a ‘special one’, led Chelsea to three English titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup across two spells that etched him in the club’s history forever.

Fuelled by the financial backing of then owner Roman Abramovich, Mourinho turned Chelsea from underachievers to serial winners.

But those triumphs did not stop Chelsea fans chanting ‘you’re not special anymore’ at Mourinho and jeering him when he returned as manager of Manchester United and then Tottenham.

Now in charge of Benfica after his recent sacking by Turkish club Fenerbahce, Mourinho started his pre-match press conference at Stamford Bridge by claiming he was ‘not a blue anymore’.

But aware that he risked more abuse from the stands on Tuesday, Mourinho quickly backtracked, saying he still loved the club and expected to be treated with affection by the fans that used to idolise him.

‘Of course I will always be a Blue. I am part of their history and they are part of mine. I helped them become a bigger Chelsea and they helped me become a bigger Jose,’ he told reporters.

‘It was a happy marriage. It was a fantastic decision I made. The reason I came the second time is of course I was so happy the first time.

‘When I say I am not a blue I am talking about the job I have to do tomorrow.

‘I don’t think Chelsea fans will boo. At least on the street Chelsea fans are the ones that disturb me for autographs and pictures.’

Photos of Mourinho celebrating some of his greatest Chelsea moments were hung on the walls of the Ted Drake Suite to make the Portuguese coach feel at home.

It was a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Mourinho, who said: ‘There are not many clubs that do this. In many clubs it looks like there is a fear of what happened in the past.

‘Sometimes it looks like they want to delete people who made history. It shows Chelsea is really a big club.’

Mourinho, who still has a family home close to Stamford Bridge, opted against piling pressure on Chelsea’s current boss Enzo Maresca, who has come under fire after successive defeats against Manchester United and Brighton this season.

Maresca led Chelsea to Champions League qualification and won the UEFA Conference League last season.

‘There was a sad period where even me from the outside, I was putting some question marks. It looked like Chelsea lost their identity but what happened in the last season has put things back on track,’ he said.

But Mourinho couldn’t resist pointing out his own achievements with Chelsea whenever the opportunity arose.

Asked if he still ranked himself as the best manager in Chelsea’s history, Mourinho said: ‘I am the biggest one until someone wins four (titles).

‘Chelsea won something before my time. Then they stopped winning, and then my team kept winning.’

And in typically waspish fashion, he played down the two trophies won by Maresca.

‘The Conference League is an easy competition for a big club to win. I did it with Roma. Champions League is much more difficult to win than the Club World Cup but Chelsea has the potential of course,’ he said.

It is a decade since he lifted a league title but even if Mourinho’s managerial star is on the wane, he remains a box-office attraction.

After answering the last question of the press conference, Mourinho made a point of embracing several familiar faces among the British media.

He even posed for a selfie before wrapping a long-serving member of Chelsea’s media team in a warm embrace.

‘You know how I am. I love it,’ he said with a smirk before leaving the stage.

TODAY’S FIXTURES

Atalanta vs. Brugge

Kairat vs. Madrid

Atletico vs.Frankfurt

Bodø / Glimt vs. Tottenham

Chelsea vs. Benfica

Inter vs. Slavia Prague

Marseille vs. Ajax kick

Pafos vs. Bayern Munich

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is free to enter the 2027 presidential race, the Presidency said yesterday.

It however argued that Nigerians will judge the former leader on what it described as a ‘dismal’ record in office and compare his tenure with what it called the ‘giant economic strides’ of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency blamed the early presidential campaign on those angling to unseat the incumbent.

The Presidency spoke on a day that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ruled out its automatic 2027 presidential ticket to the former president, describing him (Jonathan) as one of the ‘numerous options’ on its radar.

The Presidency said the early jostling for 2027 had been prematurely foisted on the nation by the desperation of the opposition ganging up against President Bola Tinubu,’ Onanuga said in the statement, dismissing recent political rhetoric as ‘a cacophony of voices, most of them full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’

The statement singled out former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana, over his reported move to draft Jonathan into the 2027 presidential contest on PDP platform, which it described as ‘discredited’ and responsible for ‘a legacy of economic ruins after 16 years of bad governance.’

According to the Presidency, Gana ‘is free to delude himself and engage in his usual comedy,’ adding that Jonathan’s entry would ‘provide another job’ for the former university don.

Jonathan, according to sources, has intensified consultations on his ambition to return to power in 2027.

He was defeated in 2015 by former President Muhammadu Buhari in a historic election that was a referendum on his performance in the highest office.

In the past few weeks, the former president was said to have visited former military President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna, the Niger State capital, and the Interim National Chairman of the African Democratic congress (ADC), Senator David Mark.

Party sources said one of the conditions he gave to the ADC is that he should be the anointed presidential candidate at the primary, with no aspirant competing for the ticket with him.

Despite his consultations with other leaders, his wife, a source said, has maintained her position that since President Tinubu supported him in the 2011 poll, it is fair to return the gesture by supporting his second term in 2027.

Acknowledging Jonathan’s right to seek office, the Presidency said: ‘It is his inalienable right to contest the presidency again, but any such bid would face judicial scrutiny.

‘The jury will determine whether Jonathan, who was sworn in twice as president, satisfies the constitutional requirements and is eligible to contest the presidency and be sworn in, if successful, for a third term in office.’

The Presidency cautioned Jonathan to be ‘wary of the PDP sugar-coated cheerleaders,’ alleging that figures ‘of Jerry Gana’s ilk’ sought to lure him into the race for ‘personal, political, religious, and ethnic interests,’ and would ‘abandon him midstream, as they did in 2015.’

Recounting its view of Jonathan’s tenure, the statement said the administration ‘engaged in frivolous spending, ran the economy aground and put the country in dire straits,’ claiming that key indicators declined and that ‘the nation’s economic downturn. actually began under President Jonathan’.

It alleged that some business moguls ‘allocated foreign exchange to import fuel, simply pocketing the dollars without importing anything,’ and that some still face court cases.

It also accused Jonathan and his then National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), of distributing security funds to ‘friends and cronies.’

Citing figures, the Presidency said Jonathan in 2010 inherited $66 billion ($46 billion in foreign reserves and $20 billion in the Excess Crude Account (ECA), but left foreign reserves ‘below $30 billion’ and the ECA ‘depleted to $2 billion’ by 2015 ‘despite generating record revenue from crude oil sales’.

It noted that oil price averaged about $100 per barrel between 2010 and 2013, yet by December 2014 ‘the Federal Government could no longer pay salaries to Federal Civil Servants,’ while ‘at least 28 states’ owed workers arrears.

By contrast, the statement said: ‘President Tinubu has taken bold decisions over the last 28 months to reset the economy, removing fuel subsidy and abolishing multiple exchange rates that paved the way for arbitrage.’

It listed reported gains: Q2 2025 GDP growth of 4.23%, ‘the highest in four years’ and above the IMF’s 3.4% projection; inflation ‘decreased to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest level in three years’; foreign reserves at ‘$42.03 billion’; and a ‘virtually stabilised’ naira.

‘Investor confidence. has been restored, and investors are betting on Nigeria,’ it added.

Beyond macroeconomic indicators, the statement said the ‘nation has turned the corner’ and citizens are ‘reaping the gains’ of reforms.

It highlighted roads being rebuilt and new ones ‘springing up,’ listing the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, and said the government was ‘addressing security issues in some parts of the country.’

‘The PDP and Jerry Gana’s co-travellers broke the economy; President Tinubu is fixing it,’ the Presidency declared, insisting Jonathan ‘will also have his encounter with the people as to whether he has anything new to offer after his disastrous six years, for which they voted him out in 2015.

‘President Jonathan and others are welcome to the 2027 race. They broke the economy before, but millions of Nigerians who will not easily forget the recent past will not allow them to return to run it down again.’

Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Board of Trustees (BoT) has said 18 tertiary institutions have been selected to benefit from its sustainable mini grid energy solutions.

The board added that it had also approved mini grid power project under the 2025 intervention cycle, with N70 billion allocation across the instructions.

BoT member, Nurudeen Adeyemi, an engineer; said this yesterday in Ilorin, Kwara State, at a town hall meeting for stakeholders of beneficiary institutions and surrounding communities in the Northcentral.

He said the aim ”is to address one of the most persistent challenges facing our tertiary institutions and high cost of electricity.”

Said he: ‘This bold step will ensure a stable, cost effective and renewable electricity supply to campuses, thereby reducing operational costs and enhancing research and learning.

‘In the Northcentral, several projects were extended by the fund under the direction of the board of trustees.

‘Under the special high impact projects, institutions that benefited from the intervention include University of Ilorin, Kwara State, University of Jos, Plateau State, Benue State University, Federal Polytechnic, Ny’Ak Shendam, Plateau State, College of Agriculture Science and Technology, Nasarawa State and Federal Polytechnic Bida, Niger State.

‘Similarly, Federal College of Education, Odugbo, Benue State, Kwara State College of Education and Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State.

‘This town hall meeting is more than a gathering; it is a partnership for progress.

‘It symbolises the board’s determination to institutionalise transparency, accountability and inclusivity in the way we deliver educational interventions.

‘It also reflects our deep conviction that sustainable solutions must be built through dialogue, trust and collective action.’

Five-time FIFA U 17 world champions, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will tackle the Black Starlets of Ghana in the second semi-final of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship at the Stade Charles Konan Banny on Tuesday. Kick-off is 8pm Nigeria time.

The Golden Eaglets have been in good form in the tournament, scoring four goals and conceding only one, in the process amassing four points to top the three-team group B.

On their part, Ghana’s Black Starlets struggled to qualify to this stage. The team played 1-1 with Togo in their opening game in group A, came short with three goals’ deficit against host Cote d’Ivoire in their second game and were on the verge of crashing out when the score line stood at 1-1 against Niger Republic, before two late goals in second half secured a win and qualification for semi-final.

Therefore, this semi-final clash between the two West African giants promises to be an interesting encounter. However, the Eaglets have recorded more victories against their counterparts in the WAFU-B U17 Championship. Golden Eaglets defeated the Black Starlets 4-2 in the opening game of the 2022 edition hosted by Ghana in the city of Cape Coast. The same shouts of victory echoed in the camp of Golden Eaglets when the team defeated Black Starlets 3-2 in the bronze medal clash of the last edition held in Accra, Ghana.

Another win for the Golden Eaglets in Tuesday’s clash will not only secure a berth in the final, but also qualification to the 2026 Africa U17 Cup of Nations.

The technical director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Gabriel Okon, has enthused that athletics can strongly and favourably impact on the Nigerian sports economy.

Okon, who just returned from the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, noted that Nigeria is endowed with numerous talented athletes that are making positive strides in promoting the country’s image internationally.

The former Nigeria International athlete, has therefore, called on the National Sports Commission (NSC) to take concrete steps in providing sufficient financial support for the development of these athletes.

‘As of today, Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s 100mH World Champion, holds a record time of (12:12s.) and by propagating Amusan’s achievement, Nigeria can encourage others to take up sports but this endeavour requires substantial funding,’ said the former sprinter.’

‘Examples from South Africa, Jamaica, and other nations demonstrate how world-class athletes can drive sports development through targeted investments.’

The AFN TD faulted the common chorus of ‘lack of fund’ often expressed by government officials, describing it as retrogressive for the growth and development of athletics in Nigeria.

‘We don’t just attend Championships, we also learnt from how others are achieving their podium finish,’ Okon said.

He emphasized that countries achieving podium finishes in World Athletics Championships and Olympic Games invested heavily in their athletes over multiple seasons.

He argued that sports funding should come from consolidated investment funds rather than yearly budgetary allocations or personal funds.

According to him, athletes require training grants, competitions, trainers, medical care, equipment, and welfare, none of which should be compromised due to lack of funds.

Okon noted that countries like Turkey, Qatar, Spain, and Saudi Arabia lure athletes from other nations with substantial funding, leading some to change their names and forgo recognition under their birth names.

The Coach also stressed that Nigerian athletics require substantial funding, as the current ad-hoc approach has hindered many of the country’s top athletes to achieve podium finishes.

Tension gripped Akinlalu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State on Tuesday after gunmen ambushed a patrol team of the Amotekun Corps, leaving three people dead.

The Nation learnt that the assailants had earlier attacked a farmland in the area, prompting a resident to alert Amotekun operatives in Ile-Ife. However, as the patrol team made its way to the community, the gunmen, already aware of their movement, launched a deadly ambush.

Confirming the incident, Osun Amotekun Public Relations Officer, Yusuf Abass, said the patrol team was attacked while heading to Akinlalu to confront a group that had been terrorising the community.

He added that during the assault, the assailants also carted away two service rifles belonging to the operatives.

He said, ‘However, the outfit reinforced operatives who went to the town. At the T-junction leading into Akinlalu, the road was found barricaded by the assailants, who immediately opened fire on the operatives, triggering a fierce gun battle that lasted for over an hour.

‘Amotekun operatives successfully overpowered the gunmen and three lives were lost, we arrested three while several others sustained injuries and fled the scene.’

He added that the outfit recovered two firearms along with force uniforms and berets used by the hoodlums for impersonation.

These items were discovered in a hideout believed to be connected to the attackers.

Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde has increased the monthly subvention to the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso by N35m to ease operational challenges.

He spoke in Ogbomoso on Tuesday while meeting with professional bodies at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, over the ongoing industrial action by the bodies.

The Governor, who later visited the Soun of Ogbomoso in his palace, assured the monarch and people of his administration’s readiness to commence the reconstruction of inner roads in the town.

Makinde, after listening to the demands of representatives of different bodies at the teaching hospital, announced immediate measures aimed at addressing the situation, including the plan to immediately constitute a Governing Council for the hospital, approval of a monthly stipend of ?80,000 for 65 non-staff security personnel working at the hospital while instructing that they should be integrated into the hospital’s system as adhoc staff.

Other measures announced by the Governor included the approval of the payment of accumulated promotion arrears totaling ?219 million, which is to be disbursed in three equal installments in October, November, and December 2025 and a promise to offset the arrears of the new minimum wage, covering the period from January to August 2025, in three tranches, also payable from October to December 2025.

The Governor also highlighted steps that the government would take to bring about long-term resolutions of the crisis and bring lasting solutions to the institution’s challenges, adding that the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Annex in Oyo would be completed before the end of his administration in 2027.

He stated that some demands involving the review of salary structures would be addressed by the Governing Council of the hospital once it is put in place, adding that the demands raised by students of Nursing would also be addressed.

According to him: ‘This engagement is in fulfillment of what I told you when I was going round asking for your support, which you gave to me and I thank you for that. You have done your part and we are doing ours. You don’t have to beg us before we do what you want.

‘Some of the challenges that you raised have been noted. They are things I thought had been solved but they have not. That is the nature of challenges; when you are faced with challenges, if you solve the problem, it will go away, and if it is not solved, it will come back, and you have to take another go at it.

‘There are major things recurring and one of them is the issue of the Governing Council for LAUTECH Teaching Hospital. I want to assure you that before the end of this week, you will have a Governing Council. They will be here all the time and we will also give them a mandate, and a timeframe within which to achieve those things.

‘We will give the new Governing Council a list of things that we want them to accomplish within a period of time. And, for us, we will support them. You should also support them.’

Makinde maintained that the industrial action and most of the demands by the professional bodies centred on the issue of welfare and that his administration would never shy away from putting in place sustainable efforts towards addressing the issue of welfare.

He noted, however, that workers must also recognise the paramount need to develop the infrastructure of the state and ensure that it is liveable for residents and the coming generations, hence the need for those in government to manage resources with a view to ensuring a balance in the discharge of their responsibilities.

ýThe Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the police to suspend the planned enforcement of tint permits until its lawsuit challenging the policy is resolved.

In a statement on Tuesday, NBA Publicity Secretary Bridget Edokwe said continuing with the enforcement would undermine the judicial process and potentially render the court’s decision ineffective.

‘It is important to stress that once the legality of a government policy or action has been challenged before a court of competent jurisdiction, prudence, respect for the rule of law, fairness and the courts demand that the parties maintain the status quo pending the determination of the matter.

‘The Police, being a creation of law and an institution entrusted with the protection of rights, ought to err on the side of caution by allowing the judicial process to run its full course.

‘Continuing with enforcement despite a pending legal challenge risks rendering the entire suit nugatory and amounts to undermining the authority of the courts.

‘More worrisome is the possibility that the court may ultimately uphold the plaintiff’s prayers and nullify the tint permit policy for being illegal.

‘If that happens, the Police would have subjected citizens to avoidable hardship without remedy and unlawful enforcement in defiance of the very rule of law they are sworn to protect.’

The police, however, have insisted that only a court order can stop the enforcement, which is scheduled to begin on October 2.

Police spokesman Banjamin Hundeyin said: ‘Only an order of court can stop the enforcement of an existing law.

‘There is no such order! Mere service of court papers is not equal to a court order. Enforcement of the Motor Vehicle Tinted Glass law commences as planned on Thursday, 2 October 2025.’

The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) has declared its support for Nigeria’s new tax laws, describing them as vital for economic growth and sustainable development across the continent.

In a statement issued by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji, ATAF pledged technical assistance to ensure Nigeria reaps the benefits of its tax reforms.

The Executive Secretary of ATAF, Ms. Mary Baine, who assumed office recently, made this known during a courtesy visit to the FIRS chairman in Abuja on Tuesday.

Baine recalled ATAF’s intervention in Zambia’s mining sector, where the organisation helped the country improve its capacity to generate revenue. She assured that Nigeria could expect similar support in key sectors of its economy.

‘When you look at the strategic vision of FIRS, we see the things you are doing and the way you’re changing the tax system, the kind of reforms and the time that it has taken and of course the movement forward.

‘So, we applaud you, and I wanted to say that ATAF is here to say that we stand with you, we applaud you, and we’re ready to provide whatever support that could lead to its success.

‘In terms of your strategic vision-people, technology and data-we find that this is something that is really critical for the rest of the continent and that it is an area where ATAF will be happy to support as well,’ she said.

Baine also said ATAF would leverage Nigeria’s influence on the continent and beyond to mobilise other member countries towards strengthening the organisation’s work.

In his remarks, Adedeji praised Baine’s leadership qualities and expressed optimism that her tenure would advance the forum’s objectives. He urged African countries to devise their own solutions to pressing challenges rather than rely on external assistance.

‘My belief has always been that solutions to Africa’s challenges can only come from Africa. There is no free lunch anywhere. I have said that I don’t believe in aids; I believe in cooperation.

‘There is a saying that when you are not on the table, you are definitely on the menu. So, Africa must be on the table and that is it. We should stop being on the menu. That is my charge to you.

‘So, the expectation from us as a continent is also to bring what we can contribute to the work, most especially in tax matters. For us, we have to evolve our own fiscal policies which is what Nigeria has done with the new tax laws,’ he stated.

Adedeji noted that Nigeria’s new tax regime replaced colonial-era legislation that had long outlived its relevance.

‘Before now, we had tax laws that were colonial relics. We had the Stamp Duties Act of 1939 which was enacted when there was no internet,’ he added.

The new tax laws, he explained, were crafted to align with Nigeria’s current realities and position the economy for sustainable growth.