Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) will begin implementing its 10-year Universal Basic Education Roadmap, 2026-2035, in the first week of October, its Executive Secretary, Dr Aisha Garba, has said.

Garba disclosed this in Abuja on Monday at a two-day consultative workshop with chairmen of the 36 State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and UBEC directors.

She said the roadmap would replace the implementation of isolated infrastructure projects with a ‘whole school approach’ that addresses the comprehensive needs of individual schools.

Garba also unveiled the Basic Education Action Plan Management System (BEAPMS), a digital platform designed to improve planning, transparency and monitoring of basic education interventions nationwide.

Under the new approach, she said, states would have to identify and address all critical gaps in a school before their intervention plans could be approved by UBEC.

‘For any state to do renovation, you have to do a whole school approach. A whole school approach means, you take a school and you look at all the gaps,’ she said.

Garba said the reform would end the practice of constructing classrooms or supplying furniture without providing other essential facilities.

She explained that where a school lacked fencing or toilets, such facilities would be included in its intervention plan, while additional classrooms would be matched with adequate toilet facilities based on projected enrolment.

The UBEC boss also announced a revised matching-grant formula that would allow states to deploy UBEC funds according to their specific education needs.

She said the previous formula focused largely on new infrastructure, while some states now required funding for the maintenance and improvement of existing schools.

‘The new formula allows each state to look at their own needs. If their needs on the ground is furniture, if their needs on the ground is renovating all schools to ensure that our schools now have fencing, have computers, have furniture, then they are allowed to do that,’ she said.

‘The revised framework could also support enrolment materials and additional teachers where states identify increased enrolment as a priority,’ she added.

On BEAPMS, Garba said the platform would allow parents and communities to monitor projects, funding and the quality of interventions in their schools.

She said information on funds accessed by each state and projects being implemented would be published on UBEC’s website.

The UBEC chief said the platform had been in development for more than a month and that SUBEB chairmen had been onboarded ahead of its full implementation in October.

Also speaking, the Dean of SUBEB Chairmen, Prof. Shehu Adaramaja, said the consultation would help stakeholders establish a common direction for basic education delivery over the next decade.

Adaramaja, who is also Chairman of the Kwara State SUBEB, said directors of research and statistics would participate in developing the framework that would guide states in preparing their basic education action plans.

He said UBEC’s intervention mandate was no longer limited to physical infrastructure, with other components being incorporated to strengthen basic education service delivery.

Earlier, UBEC Director of Physical Planning, Arc. Nura Ibrahim, said the workshop would enable stakeholders to review and validate the proposed roadmap based on their technical expertise and experience in implementing basic education programmes across the states.

The Oyo State chapter of the African Action Congress (AAC) has unveiled Oloye Saheed Oladele, the Baàm?`k?´ of Ibadanland, as its candidate for the 2027 governorship election in the state.

In an official statement released by the Oyo State Publicity Secretary of the AAC, Mr Ismail Olalekan, the party described Oladele as a selfless leader whose candidacy in the party was a much awaited homecoming.

He also portrayed Oladele as a committed Nigerian and a people-focused leader and educationist of repute with exceptional achievements in youth development and public affairs.

The statement read further that Oladele’s emergence followed rigorous internal processes and consultations within the party, and with stakeholders across Oyo State.

The party further said his candidacy reflects its commitment to presenting a candidate who understands the aspirations of ordinary residents of Oyo State, and is prepared to advance the party’s principles.

The party also unveiled Mrs Damola Jaye as Oloye Saheed Oladele’s running mate. According to the statement, Mrs Jaye brings deep political lineage and a robust Oke Ogun collaboration to the ticket, while the duo of Oladele and Jaye represent an electoral platform focused on taking Oyo State back from the shackles of modern slavery, abject poverty, educational retrogression, poor development at the local government level, and unnecessary mortgaging of the future of Oyo State.

With the 2027 general elections approaching, the emergence of the Oladele/Jaye AAC ticket has disrupted the political permutations ahead of the gubernatorial contest in Oyo State.

An ex-governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have prayed a Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a suit challenging Bello’s emergence as the candidate of the APC for the Kogi Central Senatorial District in the 2027 National Assembly election.

Bello, APC, and INEC made their positions known in the separate responses they filed against the suit marked FHC/ABK/CS/1085/2026, filed by Chief Momoh Obaro.

Obaro is, among others, praying the court to declare that, having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the May 18 primary poll of the APC, he was the lawful winner whose name should be submitted to INEC as the party’s candidate.

He, therefore, prayed the court to restrain APC from forwarding Bello’s name as party’s candidate to INEC for the 2027 senatorial poll.

Obaro also sought an order of mandamus compelling the APC to forthwith recognize and forward his name to INEC as the duly and validly nominated candidate for the senatorial seat, among others.

In a supporting affidavit, Obaro alleged that Bello was not screened and cleared as an aspirant in the poll.

Bello, in his counter affidavit, denied withdrawing from the contest and urged the court to dismiss the suit.

In a preliminary objection filed by his lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), Bello wants the court to dismiss the suit as fundamentally defective and incompetent, and for vesting no jurisdiction in the court to adjudicate thereon.

He argued that the plaintiff’s written address failed to comply with the mandatory provision of Paragraph (7) of the Federal High Court (Pre-Election) Practice Directions, 2026 (as amended), among other reliefs.

In a counter affidavit, Bello stated that, contrary to Obaro’s claim, he scored the highest number of lawful votes, while the plaintiff polled a distant third.

He said that while the plaintiff polled 188 votes, he scored 72,999 votes.

Bello argued that Obaro had failed to produce before the court the authentic and official result sheet by the duly constituted primary election committee.

He said he was screened, cleared, and certified and found qualified to contest in the poll, contrary to the plaintiff’s claim.

He said that after his declaration as the winner of the poll monitored by INEC, the party submitted his name as a valid candidate.

The ex-governor denied withdrawing from the election in his further counter affidavit.

The APC and INEC, in their responses, also urged the court to dismiss the suit.

On Monday, Obaro’s lawyer, A. T. Hassan (SAN), made his final submissions and urged the court to grant the reliefs sought by his client.

APC’s lawyer, Ibrahim Mohammed (SAN); Bello’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN); and INEC’s lawyer, S.A. Omole, urged the judge to dismiss the suit.

Justice Inyang Ekwo has adjourned till November 19 for ruling on Obaro’s motion for amendment and judgment on the substantive suit.

Lagos State representative Danielle Adewusi has emerged as Miss Universe Nigeria 2026 after defeating 19 other contestants at the grand finale in Lagos.

The keenly contested finale was held on Sunday at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, following weeks of camp activities, advocacy projects, talent displays and runway showcases.

According to organisers, Silverbird Adewusi won over the judges with her confidence, intelligence, elegance and commitment to social impact, clinching the crown after the final question-and-answer round.

The top 10 finalists were Danielle Adewusi (Lagos), Anita Osikhena (Edo), Myya Jones (Cross River), Melissa Toghanro (Delta), Oluwafunmibi Ajaja (Ekiti), Benedicta Iferike (Abuja), Chidinma Oluku (Abia), Precious Chinah (Rivers), Eno Idungafa (Akwa Ibom) and Edidiong Udoidua (Ebonyi).

At the end of the night, the final placements were announced as:

Winner: Danielle Adewusi – Lagos

1st Runner-up: Anita Osikhena – Edo

2nd Runner-up: Myya Jones – Cross River

3rd Runner-up: Oluwafunmibi Ajaja – Ekiti

4th Runner-up: Melissa Toghanro – Delta

Silverbird disclosed that Jones secured the highest votes in the fast-track voting, earning an automatic spot in the Top Five.

Toghanro will represent Nigeria at Miss Supranational, while Osikhena emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners.

Osikhena won the Pitch Your Dream Competition, receiving N1 million from Yolo Island and a two-night all-expenses-paid stay at Yolo Island Beach Resort.

She also clinched the Best Advocacy Project award, receiving a N500,000 cash prize and a one-year supply of Golden Penny products.

Other special awards went to Miss Akwa Ibom (Most Photogenic), Miss Ekiti (Miss Amity), Miss Edo (Best Evening Dress), Miss Oyo (Top Model), Miss Osun (Best National Costume) and Miss Ogun (Best Talent).

Silverbird Group President and National Director of Miss Universe Nigeria, Guy Murray-Bruce, crowned Adewusi the new queen.

Adewusi will represent Nigeria at the 75th Miss Universe festival, scheduled for November 24 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she will showcase her ‘Scrub the Stigma’ advocacy focused on women’s health.

An accomplished Endocrinologist, Administrator and Entrepreneur, Dr. Sonny Kuku, has urged members of Yoruba Tennis Club (YTC) to preserve the club’s heritage, values and tradition of service as the institution begins its second century.

Olorogun Kuku, Special Guest of Honour at the club’s Centenary Gala and Awards Night,

who spoke in Lagos, described the club’s 100-year journey as a testament to the vision, courage and foresight of its founders, who established an indigenous social institution at a time Nigerians faced exclusion from some colonial-era exclusive clubs.

He recalled that YTC was founded on September 15, 1926, when 25 young Nigerians came together to create a platform for fellowship, excellence and community.

‘They did not just form a club; they created a space where Nigerians could build their own institution of excellence,’ Kuku said.

He noted that from its modest beginning, YTC had evolved into an institution with an important place in the social and historical development of Lagos and Nigeria, providing a meeting point for Nigerians who distinguished themselves in politics, business, industry and public service.

Kuku hailed the organisers of the centenary programme for using seminars, lectures, cultural activities and exhibitions to celebrate the club’s history, while positioning it for future.

He advised current members to ensure the values that sustained the club for a century were preserved and transmitted to future generations.

‘We must preserve our roots and invent a future that carries everyone along,’ he said, stressing the importance of service, respect, integrity and community.

YTC Chairman, Chief Olawumi Gasper, said the centenary was not merely a celebration of survival, but also a call to strengthen the institution for generations yet unborn.

He said the club stood today because previous generations made sacrifices, enjoining present members to preserve the founding ideals and ensure YTC remained relevant and distinguished.

‘We stand today because others stood before us. We enjoy the privileges of this club because others made sacrifices before we arrived. And one day, another generation will stand where we stand today,’ he said.

He expressed appreciation to Dr. Kuku, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Vice Patron and Trustee, Dr. Abayomi Finnih, other trustees, elders, members and friends for their contributions.

The gala also featured awards to individuals and organisations for their contributions to the club. Recipients included City People Magazine, Bisi Olatilo Show, BOS, Arise TV News, Eweso Online, Nigerian Breweries, LASRAB, Chief Adebutu Kessington, Chief Rasaq Okoya, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, former Governor Babatunde Fashola and the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Nigerian filmmakers Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo on setting a Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening.

Osikoya of Switch Visual Production and Awolowo of Rixel Studios achieved the feat with the screening of Black Market in Lagos on September 26, 2026.

Tinubu, in a statement on Monday, described the record as further evidence of the extraordinary talent and enterprise driving Nigeria’s rapidly expanding creative industry.

The President celebrated the filmmakers for their creativity, ambition and determination to take Nigerian filmmaking to a larger audience.

According to him, the achievement shows what is possible when the creativity for which Nigerians are renowned is combined with enterprise and the capacity to operate at scale.

Tinubu said, ‘The achievement of Black Market shows what is possible when Nigerian creativity is matched with enterprise and scale’.

He noted that Nigeria’s creative economy was increasingly becoming an important source of businesses and jobs while opening new markets for talented Nigerians at home and abroad.

The President said the country’s film, music, fashion and art industries had also become powerful vehicles for Nigeria’s stories and culture to reach audiences worldwide.

Tinubu said his administration remained committed to creating an enabling environment and expanding opportunities for young Nigerians to turn their talents into sustainable livelihoods and globally competitive businesses.

He said the record achieved by Osikoya and Awolowo reflected the creative sector’s potential to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth while strengthening the country’s cultural influence internationally.

The President also commended other members of the Black Market team whose efforts contributed to the record-breaking screening.

He wished Osikoya, Awolowo and the entire production team greater success in their future endeavours.

A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Professor Moke Ozekhome and one other before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has said the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) cannot issue passports that do not meet the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Ozekhome and Ponfa Useni, a son of the late General Jeremiah Useni, a military-era FCT Minister, are being prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) on a 12-count charge bordering on forgery and impersonation.

The prosecution alleged, among others, that both Ozekhome and Ponfa Useini conspired in 2020 and made ‘a false Nigerian International Passport No. A07535463 with the name Shani Tali.

While being cross-examined on Monday by Useni’s lawyer, F.R. Onoja (SAN), the witness, Bamaiyi Haruna Mairiga, insisted on the distinction he made between a forged document and a counterfeit document during his evidence-in-chief on June 29.

The witness, who said he stood by that distinction, added that he concluded the disputed passport’s data page was forged to bear Shani Tali.

He said, ‘My conclusion is that the data page of passport A07535463 is forged to bear Shani Tali as the holder of the passport.

‘The reason for this is that ICAO has set the standard for forged character between the visual character and machine-readable character recognition.

‘What I am saying is that passport number A07535463, date of birth 2nd February, 1973 and expiry date 1st July, 2026 all failed the ICAO optical character recognition test. Hence, I conclude it was forged to reflect Shani Tali as the holder.

‘The Nigerian Immigration Service cannot issue a document that does not meet ICAO standards for passport recognition.’

Mairiga, the second prosecution witness (PW2), said the data page of a passport could be counterfeited, and entries on the page could also be altered and referred to as forged.

The witness said the Nigerian passport, which he accepted was a continuous document, was machine-readable.

Mairiga recalled that in conducting forensic analysis of the disputed passport, he consulted the NIS E-passport verification system portal, which he said was designed to check for the authenticity of every Nigerian passport.

PW2 added that he did not refer to the outcome of the consultation with the NIS E-passport verification system portal in his forensic analysis report of the disputed passport, which was earlier tendered as Exhibit P7a.

He said, ‘In my report, I did not reference the outcome of the consultation with the Nigerian Immigration Service E-passport verification system portal. The reason is that ICAO set a standard for all its 193 members. ICAO is superior to NIS.’

While being cross-examined by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), Ozekhome’s lawyer, Mairiga said he was specifically asked to conduct a forensic analysis of the disputed passport to check whether the content of the visual zone matched the machine zone.

Mairiga said the passport in question failed all elements required to ascertain an authentic passport: the passport number, the date of birth of the holder, and the date of expiry of the passport.

The PW2 said the A series of the Nigeria E-passport, at the inception, did not carry the National Identification Number (NIN), adding that when the A series passport was run on the ICAO passport document checker with passport number or NIN, it usually returned a pass.

He added, ‘When a data page is subjected to the ICAO E-passport document reader, what the system does is that it captures every data in that data page. It shows the issuing country and also the sex, surname, given name and nationality of the holder.

‘However, the key elements set aside for checking substitution of data or forgery of data are simply the date of expiry, passport number and date of birth,’ the PW2 told the court.

At the conclusion of the cross-examination session, Justice Chizoba Oji postponed the further hearing till Tuesday (today).

Ahead of the commencement of state-to-state presidential campaign activities, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was engaged in a flurry of activities at the weekend.

It started with the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, after which the party expressed its readiness for the full take-off of the campaigns, which it said would lead to nationwide victory for the party.

The meeting was presided over by National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda.

The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which kicked off a few days ago with whistle-stop visits to four traditional rulers – the Sultan of Sokoto, the Oba of Lagos, the Oba of Benin and the Shehu of Borno – led to the palaces by Director-General Abdulaziz Yari, gave reasons yesterday why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves a second term in office.

In Maiduguri, Governor Babagana Zulum defied a downpour to kick-start the 2027 campaign for President Tinubu and Borno State governorship candidate Mustapha Gubio.

In Kano, reputed to have the highest voter turnout in previous elections, Governor Abba Yusuf inaugurated 50 campaign vehicles donated by the President Tinubu Door-to-Door Movement, led by businessman Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo).

In Edo State, echoing Governor Monday Okpebholo’s remarks that no party can beat the APC in the state, the Director of Media of the state campaign council, John Mayaki, said there was no serious opposition.

With the President expected to return from his working vacation tomorrow, the stage is set for the full-blown presidential campaign tours across the states.

The PCC urged Nigerians to re-elect Tinubu in the January 16, 2027 election.

The campaign council said the administration’s economic reforms were unavoidable decisions necessary to save the country’s future.

To the APC-PCC, the 2027 poll would be a choice between maintaining economic stability and returning to an era of unviable subsidies, artificial exchange rates and reckless borrowing.

One of the PCC spokesmen, Mallam Alwan Hassan, said Tinubu’s re-election was critical for stability, sustainability and consolidating the progress achieved over the past three years.

Hassan said Nigerians would make a wise decision by voting for Tinubu, adding that no voter would choose the path of retrogression.

He said: ‘The choice before Nigerians is clear: we can continue along the path of reform, stability, investment and sustainable growth, or return to a system of waste, privileged access, uncontrolled subsidies and debt-funded consumption.’

He added: ‘Nigeria is making progress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We will keep that momentum, complete the work, and move from recovery to shared prosperity.’

Highlighting what he described as the gains that would accrue to ordinary Nigerians from a second Tinubu term, Hassan listed household relief, expanded domestic food production, job creation and grassroots development as elements of the administration’s consolidation plan.

He said Tinubu had completed the ‘painful work’ of resetting Nigeria’s macroeconomic foundation, adding that more direct dividends were underway for Nigerian families.

Hassan said: ‘Our sacrifices will soon produce relief. I can assure you that. And that is why the next phase of this administration will concentrate relentlessly on lowering the cost of living, expanding food production, creating jobs, improving electricity supply, and ensuring that the benefits of reform reach households.’

The spokesman said that if the President governed until 2031, Nigerians would enjoy the benefits of the macroeconomic sacrifices made during his first term.

He said the next phase would bring cost-of-living relief by stabilising consumer prices as inflationary pressures ease, following greater foreign exchange market transparency and reduced debt-funded money creation.

Hassan said federal backing for agrarian corridors would enhance food security by expanding food production, reducing market prices, and tackling logistical bottlenecks for farmers.

He also alluded to the expansion of employment opportunities driven by sustained capital inflows, following more than N3 trillion in fresh investments recorded in the telecommunications sector alone between 2025 and 2026.

On grassroots financial empowerment, Hassan said there would be continued direct resource allocation to local governments, in line with the Supreme Court judgment that freed local councils from state joint-account dependencies.

He said: ‘This is not the time to abandon the journey halfway. You do not dismantle a bridge because crossing it is difficult. You complete it so that millions can reach the other side.’

Hailing Tinubu for what he described as courage, the spokesman said the administration chose long-term economic survival over short-term political popularity.

He said: ‘Upon assuming office, President Tinubu took two immediate, decisive policy steps that reshaped the national economy: ending the decades-long, unsustainable fuel subsidy regime and unifying the fragmented foreign-exchange market.

‘Every serious economist understood that Nigeria was heading towards a fiscal crisis. Fuel subsidies had become unsustainable. We were borrowing to subsidise consumption. We were sitting on a time bomb. And President Tinubu chose to defuse it rather than leave it for our children.’

Hassan said the moves eliminated arbitrary arbitrage that previously enriched a privileged few while depriving critical public sectors such as health, education and security of funding.

To support its case for re-election, the APC campaign cited infrastructural, educational and security projects executed across the six geopolitical zones.

They included what the campaign described as a tripling of monthly disbursements from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the federal, state and local governments compared with pre-2023 levels, which it said enabled governors and council chairmen to fund local roads, healthcare and civil service salaries.

Hassan also cited the establishment and rollout of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides interest-free tuition coverage and monthly living stipends to tertiary students.

He said: ‘Every parent who no longer has to borrow money or sell family property to pay school fees understands the value of NELFUND…

‘It is a declaration by President Tinubu that no capable Nigerian child should be denied an education simply because his family does not have the resources.’

On road infrastructure, Hassan cited the completion and ongoing work on critical transport corridors, including the Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala corridor in Cross River State, the East-West Road in Rivers State, the New Artisan Bridge in Enugu, the Shendam Bridge in Plateau State and the Apo-Wasa corridor in the FCT.

He also disclosed a 500-kilometre, three-lane highway contract awarded to connect Jos, Bauchi, Gombe and Biu across the Northeast.

Hassan also referred to the rehabilitation and re-equipping of more than 4,000 primary healthcare centres.

On insecurity, he said the country had recorded improvements in military hardware and operational capacity, resulting in the elimination of notorious bandit commanders, including Halilu Sububu, and the restoration of commercial farming in previously affected areas of the Northwest and Northeast.

Zulum: there is need for continuity

Zulum, who defied a downpour to kick off the Borno APC campaigns, called for continuity in what he described as progressive governance under Tinubu.

The governor, who returned from a trip to the United States and Canada, spoke at a rally in Maiduguri attended by party members and residents.

Addressing the crowd at the Government House, Zulum underscored the importance of continuity in governance.

He attributed the relative peace and stability in Borno and the wider Northeast to the collaborative efforts of the state and Federal Government.

The governor said Federal Government support had been instrumental in the state’s recovery efforts, citing infrastructure rehabilitation and the resettlement of displaced persons.

He said returning the APC to power at both state and federal levels was necessary to sustain the gains and prevent a regression into insecurity.

Zulum said: ‘In the first four years of our administration, we worked hard to ensure the security of the lives of our people, and with the help of Almighty Allah, relative peace was attained.

‘Let us understand that the peace we are enjoying today is a result of our collective resilience and the Federal Government’s support.’

He urged party members, community leaders and residents to mobilise support for APC candidates.

He added: ‘Let us support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our governorship candidate, Mustapha Gubio, and let us support all our National and State Assembly candidates.’

The governor also emphasised the need for a cohesive legislature that would work in harmony with the executive to deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots.

Yusuf unveils Tompolo’s 50 vehicles

Yusuf unveiled 50 vehicles donated by Ekpemupolo to boost the APC’s campaign activities in Kano State.

A statement by the State Director-General, Media and Publicity, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said the vehicles were presented under the auspices of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Door-to-Door Movement to support mobilisation across the 44 local government areas.

Yusuf said the vehicles would be distributed to the local governments to facilitate grassroots engagement and enhance mobilisation.

He said effective mobility was critical to political campaigns because it enabled party officials to reach communities across the state.

Speaking on behalf of the donor, Chief Pondi Kestin said the President Tinubu Door-to-Door Movement was established to promote awareness of the policies, programmes and projects of the Federal Government.

He said the movement focused on grassroots engagement and sensitising Nigerians on government initiatives, adding that it would sustain its mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

‘We have no opposition in Edo’

The Edo APC Campaign Council said opposition parties were no longer a major force in the state, claiming that political blocs associated with former Governor Godwin Obaseki had become dispersed across different parties.

Director of Media, John Mayaki, said in a statement that 70 per cent of Edo PDP leaders had moved to the APC, while others had withdrawn from active politics.

Mayaki was reacting to comments by Rev. Olu Martins, who criticised Governor Monday Okpebholo over his statement that the state would deliver 2.5 million votes for Tinubu.

He said the 2.5 million target required the party to increase the scale of its organisation, membership mobilisation, voter registration, PVC collection and turnout efforts.

Mayaki said Okpebholo had intensified grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu by setting up a multi-layered structure extending from the state and local government levels to wards and polling units.

He said: ‘There are arrangements for unit-by-unit and ward-by-ward mobilisation. There are several layers of organisation on the ground.

‘We will organise, mobilise and work at a scale proportionate to that ambition. The 2.5 million is not a prediction. It is an aspiration that defines the level of effort required.

‘There is nothing wrong with setting a high standard or target for oneself. What matters is the degree of mobilisation, the number of registered voters and ultimately the number who turn out to vote.’

Worried about the stifling environment that confronts most of the budding talents across the different verticals of the creative arts and culture sector, a group under the aegis of Nehemiah Project has set machinery in motion to turn around the fortunes of the practitioners.

The initiative, a brainchild of Apostle Obii Pax-Harry, founder of the Nehemiah Apostolic Centre, for starters, has set in motion a 12-week talent incubation project with plans to discover, mould and transform raw talents to national assets and ultimately boost the Gross Domestic Product to over three per cent up from its current 2.3 per cent.

Following a meeting with some of the resource persons and facilitators last July, this culminated in an interface and discussion session with some select team of journalists in Lagos, recently, where the programmes and objectives were laid bare to the public.

Speaking separately during the media briefing, the trio of Eniola Akinbo-Niyola, Maliz Mahop and Shawn Faqua not only shared interesting insights on the modus operandi, but also the thematic areas of the initiative.

Firing the first salvo, Akinbo-Niyola, singer, actor, filmmaker, presenter/TV show host, who justified the need for the initiative, said human capacity development is shared responsibility, hence the Nehemiah Project is the immediate response to the clarion call to support the budding talents.

‘It is a structured mentorship initiative designed to connect emerging creatives with experienced professionals who can provide guidance, knowledge, access and practical industry experience.

‘The aim is to help young creatives develop not only their craft, but also the professionalism, discipline and understanding required to build sustainable careers and contribute meaningfully to the creative economy.

‘By 2050, one in every four people on the planet is projected to be African. We have a responsibility to prepare the people who will shape that future. So today, we are inviting our pioneers, senior colleagues, industry leaders, institutions, organisations and potential partners to be part of this work. Nation-building can begin in many places. Sometimes, it begins when an experienced person sits with someone coming behind them and says, ‘I’ve walked this path before. Now, let me show you the way.’ That is where the Nehemiah Project begins.’

While shedding more light on the initiative, Maliz Mahop, Mentor, Global Communications and Partnership Strategist, said: ‘The Nehemiah Project grew from a conversation about that power within Nigeria’s creative industry. We recognised that Nigeria already has extraordinary talent and global cultural influence. The question was: how do we intentionally develop that talent and equip emerging creatives to steward their influence with excellence, purpose and integrity? These questions became the seed of the Nehemiah Project which is what I’ll be talking about today. The Nehemiah Project is a sector-focused mentorship programme for emerging creatives in Nigeria’s entertainment industry. It is a nation building tool through talent development.’

At the centre of the programme is a structured 12-week mentorship journey, she stressed, adding that ’emerging creatives will be paired with experienced professionals based on their areas of interest, professional aspirations, experience and development needs. We are also exploring technology-assisted matching, with human oversight, to help identify areas of compatibility between mentors and mentees.’

Participants, she emphasised, ‘will have the opportunity to learn from people who have already walked the road on how to navigate the industry, build professional relationships, understand the business of their craft, develop discipline, protect their work, manage opportunities and build sustainable value from their creativity.

‘Our mentorship pipeline model is for 12 weeks where we’ll take the creatives from Talent to Professionalism and from Professionalism to National assets. Lagos is already a major creative hub, attracting talent and professionals from across Nigeria and beyond.

‘As Nigeria’s creative economy continues to grow and Africa’s population and creative markets expand, we must also think about the infrastructure required to develop and accommodate the talent that will come.

‘Our longer-term vision includes an academy and appropriate accommodation and learning infrastructure where creatives from outside Lagos, across Nigeria and eventually from across Africa can come to learn, live, collaborate and develop their craft in a structured environment an ecosystem that requires mentors, institutions, investors, industry professionals, technology partners and organisations willing to contribute their expertise and resources. The vision is to develop ethically grounded creatives who are capable of building sustainable careers and enterprises that contribute to Nigeria’s national identity and creative economy and we are inviting you to join us to build that pipeline together.’

On his part, Shawn Faqua, Actor/Filmmaker, said: ‘The Nehemiah project is driven largely by Assistive AI technology and data. One huge challenge in our creative industry is that we still do not have enough structured data both experiential or numerical without which it is harder to understand the sector, measure growth, identify gaps and design effective interventions.

‘This also makes it more difficult for investors and institutions to properly understand where opportunities exist. With the Nehemiah Project, we are designing a technology-enabled system that will use AI-assisted matching to identify areas of compatibility between mentors and mentees, while retaining human oversight in the final process. ‘Participants will provide information about their creative disciplines, experience, aspirations, goals and development needs which will be matched to the corresponding mentees.

‘The technology helps us organise the information but the relationship remains human. And importantly, this system allows us to begin building a more reliable picture of the creative ecosystem that supports better decision-making, accountability, collaboration and future investment.

‘We also believe we need to move more deliberately from an informal creative economy towards a more structured and formal ecosystem. That means better records, stronger professional networks, clearer pathways, measurable outcomes and systems that can give investors, institutions and partners greater.

‘We acknowledge that we cannot build that system without the people who built the industry in the first place. So our invitation to the older generation is very simple: come and build with us. By bringing your experience, and wealth of knowledge you can become a mentor and help us create the systems that will allow the next generation to go further and to take what they receive and build what comes next. The Nehemiah Project is about creating that connection between generations, between talent and opportunity, and between creativity and the systems required for it to thrive.’

In the view of Eliora Eberechukwu, Head of Business Lifestyle, Entertainment, T2 Mobile (formerly 9Mobile), ‘The Nehemiah Project is bigger than a 12-week mentorship programme.

‘It is the beginning of a sustainable pipeline for African creative talent, bringing together mentorship, technology, institutional support and marketplace opportunities to develop the people who will shape our creative future. There is a role for everyone in this room, and there is a role for everyone watching. So I want to leave you with one question: What can you bring to the table? Your time. Your knowledge. Your platform. Your resources. Your network. Your investment. Your talent. Whatever it is, we invite you to bring it. If you are interested in becoming a mentee, mentoring, partnering, funding or supporting the project, we want to hear from you.’

The composition of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council has not been concluded, Phrank Shaibu, media aide of the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, said yesterday.

He said the omission of prominent party members, such as National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola and National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, would be rectified.

Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communications of the council, said the list was not final.

The exclusion of important National Working Committee (NWC) members raised some dusts among party members and political watchers after the list was unfolded on Thursday.

Despite their misgivings, both Aregbesola and Abdullahi kept mum at the weekend.

Sources said they remained angry, especially because Abdullahi went all out to knock the APC PCC list when it was released, only for his party’s list to become more controversial.

Shaibu assured party members whose names were absent that additional appointments would be made as the campaign structure expands.

‘The campaign is still evolving. Consultations are continuing, and further responsibilities will be assigned as the structure expands across the country,’ he said.

The omission of Aregbesola, Abdullahi and other prominent party figures had raised questions, particularly as no specific reasons were given for their absence from the initial list.

Shaibu said Atiku remained conscious of the contributions of members and supporters who had worked with him over the years.

‘His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, remains deeply conscious of the sacrifices made by those who have stood with him over the years. Loyalty is remembered. Sacrifice is respected. Friendship is valued,’ he said.

He urged those disappointed by their omission from the list to remain patient, saying their contributions had not been forgotten.

‘To those who may feel disappointed that their names have not appeared yet, we ask for patience and understanding.

‘No one should believe that years of commitment and sacrifice have been forgotten,’ Shaibu said.

He added that the campaign would draw on party members, experienced leaders, professionals, young people and other Nigerians willing to contribute to its activities.