Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

Great Britain’s Aled Sion Davies secured his seventh consecutive F63 shot put title on the final day of the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.

The Welshman, 34, threw a distance of 16.44m in his fifth attempt to finish ahead of Kuwait’s Faisal Sorour, who won silver with an effort of 16.28m, and clinch the 11th world title of his career.

Davies had missed out on gold at a fourth consecutive Paralympics last year as Sorour threw 15.31m to win in Paris.

F63 is a classification for athletes with a single leg amputation above the knee who use a prosthesis. Davies has vowed to break his own world record at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Union Bank of Nigeria has affirmed its commitment to employee well-being and sustainable workplace development as it held its first-ever Stay Recharged Health Walk.

The walk kicked off at the Stallion Plaza, Union Bank’s Head Office in Marina. It concluded at the Bank’s Sports Complex, The Stable, on Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, tracing an energising 7.5km route through Lagos’ vibrant streets. The overwhelming participation and enthusiasm from employees from diverse departments and locations made it a celebration of physical fitness, mental health, and the power of community spirit.

Stay Recharged is a featured event drawn from a cornerstone of Union Bank’s employee value proposition: employee wellness, thoughtfully crafted to foster a culture where health, happiness, and productivity flourish. The initiative responds directly to the urgent need for purposeful wellness programmes that nurture both physical and mental health at work. It reflects the Bank’s recognition that employee wellbeing is fundamental to sustained productivity, engagement, and organisational excellence.

Omayuli Wale-Ajayi, Chief Talent Officer, emphasised the significance of this milestone event: ‘At Union Bank, well-being is not an afterthought; it is part of how we work. Our inaugural Stay Recharged Health Walk reflects our commitment to building a culture where our people are energised, supported, and thriving. When we take care of ourselves, we build stronger teams and stronger institutions.’

The Stay Recharged Health Walk aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. This initiative reflects Union Bank’s commitment to fostering a workplace culture that prioritises employees’ wellness, supports decent and productive work, and contributes to long-term organisational sustainability.

By investing in these wellness experiences, Union Bank not only strengthens its internal community but also reinforces its reputation as an employer of choice.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has withdrawn from the Spanish national team after picking up a muscle injury on Sunday.

Although the issue is not believed to be serious, the decision was made as a precaution. In a statement shared by Fabrizio Romano yesterday, the Spanish international explained: ‘I’m feeling better, but I don’t want to take any risks with the national team. I hope to be available in two weeks for the Everton game.’

Rodri’s absence will be a setback for Spain ahead of their upcoming fixtures, but head coach Luis de la Fuente is expected to test alternative options in midfield during this international window.

The Federal Government, in collaboration with development partners, has held a Community of Practice Summit in Abuja to domesticate the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration on Food Systems.

The African Union (AU) had, in January 2025, adopted the Kampala Declaration (2026-2036), which focuses on transforming agrifood systems and enhancing food security across the continent.

The summit followed a two-day meeting of non-state actors (NSAs) on the CAADP Kampala Declaration on Strengthening Food Systems and Enhancing Food Security and Nutrition (2026-2035). The event was supported by GIZ Global AgSys Programme Nigeria and ActionAid Nigeria (AAN).

More than 46 non-state actors, including civil society organisations, farmers’ associations, academia, research institutions, development partners, media, and private sector representatives from across Nigeria, participated in the summit.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stressed the urgency of revitalising the agricultural sector.

‘We must move beyond business-as-usual approaches and embrace bold reforms that will make our food systems more productive, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. This transformation is essential to ensure food security in the country,’ he said.

Dr. Karin Jansen, Head of Development Cooperation at the German embassy, stressed the importance of Nigeria’s leadership in the process, noting that the successful domestication of the CAADP Kampala Declaration depends on coordinated action at both national and state levels.

‘This meeting marks a pivotal step toward defining Nigeria’s agricultural transformation roadmap. Germany, through the BMZ, has reaffirmed its cooperation with the African Union on CAADP and the Kampala Agenda as a key framework for food systems transformation,’ she said.

In their communique, the non-state actors urged the federal government to strengthen rural infrastructure and services-including roads, irrigation, storage facilities, markets, and ICT-and to increase investments in strategic areas such as extension services, access to credit, women and youth in agriculture, labour-saving technologies, input supply, post-harvest loss reduction, climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture, nutrition, irrigation, research and development, as well as monitoring, evaluation, and coordination.

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun State has said that all the local government secretariats in the state remain closed.

In a statement on Monday, the president of the union in the state, Nathaniel Kehinde Ogungbangbe, insisted that its sit-at-home directive is still in force.

Governor Ademola Adeleke had, in February, ordered the closure of all the 30 local government secretariats in the state following a power tussle involving the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress regarding the control of the council areas.

The NULGE president Monday commended workers for their ‘discipline and loyalty’ despite political pressure.

‘Our members have shown uncommon courage by refusing to be misled or intimidated. They stand for justice, due process, and lawful governance at the grassroots,’ he said.

He alleged that ‘some hired political agents’ attempted to pose as council workers to create a false impression of resumed activities.

‘These impostors only came to collect payments from their sponsors and left. True Osun workers have refused to participate in such acts of sabotage,’ he said.

Ogungbangbe stressed that the union’s action would continue until, in his words, ‘the autonomy, safety, and legitimacy of local government administration are guaranteed.’

He urged members to remain peaceful and law-abiding, while calling on the state government and security agencies to protect local councils from political interference.

‘We will not compromise the interest of our members or the sanctity of the law,’ Ogungbangbe added.

Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) has donated essential drugs to the Sickle Cell Clinic of the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, as part of the centre’s renewed effort to support vulnerable patients battling chronic illnesses.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Alhaji Ubale Ibrahim Rano, dRPC’s Program Officer for health, said the gesture underscores the Centre’s ongoing commitment to strengthening healthcare access for indigent patients.

‘This donation reflects our belief that every life matters, regardless of social or economic background. It highlights the urgent need to sustain mechanisms that promote the welfare and survival of sickle cell patients, many of whom struggle to afford essential drugs,’ Alhaji Ubale stated.

He added that the medications would be dispensed strictly based on prescriptions issued by the Sickle Cell Clinic, ensuring they reach patients who are most in need. He explained that since 2023, the centre has consistently provided both material and technical assistance to the Sickle Cell Foundation as part of its broader health improvement initiative.

With this latest contribution, the organisation expressed optimism that its continued collaboration with healthcare institutions will further strengthen efforts to improve the welfare and survival rates of sickle cell patients across Kano State and beyond.

In her remarks, Officer-in-Charge of the Sickle Cell Clinic, Mrs Sadiya Abdulqadir, expressed gratitude to dRPC for the intervention, describing it as both timely and lifesaving.

‘Most of our patients cannot afford their medication, and sometimes, our staff have to contribute from their own salaries to help them. Therefore, this support from dRPC will go a long way in easing the burden on both patients and caregivers,’ she said.

The donation includes 22 packs of Aceclofenac 100, 16 packs of Folic Acid, and 40 packs of Lonart DS.

Nigerian-born global investor and Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Adebayo Ogunlesi has disclosed his intention to develop a local aviation infrastructure in Nigeria.

He spoke to newsmen after a closed door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at his residence in Lagos, expressing strong confidence in the President’s economic reforms.

He described the reforms as a solid foundation for renewed international investment in the country, commending the administration’s economic direction citing removal of fuel subsidies, ongoing tax reforms, and the revival of the national refinery.

‘We had an excellent meeting where we discussed strategies to put Nigeria front and centre for global investment. The President was very encouraging, and we exchanged valuable ideas on driving economic growth,’ he said in a statement made available to Daily Trust yesterday.

Ogunlesi added that his firm is actively investing in Nigeria and evaluating new opportunities across multiple sectors.

‘Watch this space. Nigeria may not yet be the most exciting investment destination, but that’s what we are working on,’ he noted.

He highlighted energy, gas, aviation, ports, and renewable energy as the areas of focus, stressing that Nigeria’s vast gas reserves remain significantly underdeveloped.

Drawing on his firm’s experience in LNG projects in Texas and Australia, he described Nigeria’s energy sector as ‘ripe for sustainable partnerships.’

Ogunlesi hinted his interest in developing local aviation infrastructure, revealing that one of his companies operates ports in Cotonou and Lomé, but none in Nigeria, a point the President humorously challenged him on.

‘He forgave me but said, ‘You must bring port investment to Nigeria,” Ogunlesi recounted with a smile.

Also present at the meeting, international investor Hakeem Bello-Osagie emphasized the importance of diaspora involvement in Nigeria’s economic transformation.

‘When Nigerians at home and abroad invest in the country, it sends a powerful message to the global community,’ he said.

Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), noted that the administration’s fiscal and structural reforms are laying the groundwork for an export-led economy.

‘We have done the fundamentals, and now it is time to deliver growth,’ he said.

Residents of Ebaji community in the Abaji Area Council of the FCT said it has been extremely difficult to move their farm produce to the nearest market as a result of abandoned road project in the area

The agrarian community is therefore appealing to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to intervene on the dilapidated road that links Ebaji-Rimba to the neighboring Pandagi village in the council.

Some residents who spoke when Abuja Metro visited the community on Saturday, said the deplorable road continues to cause them significant hardship, especially during the annual rainy season.

They noted that the road is one of the rural routes that was awarded by the FCT Administration through the Satellite Town Development Department (STDD), connecting Pandagi to Ebaji village.

Aliyu Ndatsu, an Ebaji resident, told our reporter that the deplorable state of the road has become a nightmare not only for villagers but also for farmers who find it difficult to transport their crops to the Abaji market.

He explained that farmers often mobalise to fix some bad portions of the road before their harvested produce can be transported to the market.

‘I don’t know if you noticed some of the bad portions of the road that were repaired on your way here. Just on Friday, we mobilized ourselves to fix some dilapidated sections so that vehicles can enter. Abaji market is on Sunday, and we needed to make sure our crops are taken to the market,’ he said.

Another villager, Yunusa Ibrahim, said residents are always cut off from accessing neighboring villages during the rainy season due to the road’s condition.

He said only those with motorcycles manage to ride through, while appealing to the government to intervene and rehabilitate the road.

‘Actually, a section of the road was graded, and some culverts were constructed across streams years ago by the FCT Administration, but the work suddenly stopped then, making the road impassable,’ he said.

Monarch expresses concern

Also speaking to our reporter at his palace, the Ohiodumi of Ebaji community, HRH Alhaji Mohammed Tsado, noted that the Rimba-Ebaji road is an essential access route that links not only to Abaji town but also to neighboring villages in Niger State.

He said the road’s deplorable state has become a source of serious concern to his subjects, especially the farmers who transport their farm produce to Abaji market every five days.

‘Although this is not the first time my subjects have complained about the dilapidated Ebaji-Rimba road-it has been in the media on two occasions-since the present FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, assumed office, and we have been seeing the road projects he has been executing across Abuja city and the FCT area councils, we decided to draw his attention to also come to our aid on this Ebaji-Rimba road, which has been a nightmare for us for over 18 years,’ he said.

He appealed to the authorities of the Abaji Area Council under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Umar Abdullahi to liaise with the FCT Administration so that the road will be included among the roads the minister will be awarding.

‘To be fair to the present FCT Administration under Wike, the man is truly working, especially on the construction of roads across the FCT. We feel we should also use this medium to draw his attention to the Ebaji-Rimba road so that he will consider the road in any subsequent road project he awards,’ he added.

The monarch also expressed concern over the lack of a bridge connecting Ebaji to neighboring Egyesha, Gayankpa, Kenigi, Etebetse, and Padawa communities in Niger State.

He said the construction of a bridge across the river in the community would significantly boost socio-economic activities between Ebaji residents and the neighboring villages in Niger State.

‘Residents of these villages I mentioned, which are under Niger State, share a boundary with us, and they ply through the river into Ebaji to transport their farm produce to Abaji market. Whenever it rains heavily, people from those villages cannot cross that river,’ he stated.

The village chief recalled how members of the community contributed money about three years ago to construct a wooden bridge across the river, which was later left uncompleted due to financial constraints.

‘If you go there, you will see for yourself the kind of efforts my subjects made when they tried to contribute money to construct a wooden bridge, but unfortunately, they could not complete it due to financial constraints. So we are also appealing to the government to assist in constructing a main bridge that will connect us with neighboring villages in Niger State,’ he said.

He also lamented the insufficient number of boreholes in the community, saying residents mostly trek to the river to fetch water for domestic use.

‘I think the only functional borehole in this village is one solar-powered borehole, and it’s not enough to serve the entire households. So our women mostly go to the river to fetch water, even though some of the boreholes have been broken down for years,’ he said.

Council confirms intervention request

An official in the works department of the council, who craved anonymity, confided in our correspondent that the council chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Abdullahi, had already presented a proposal to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, requesting the rehabilitation of the Ebaji-Rimba road.

‘Actually, when Wike came to commission the Unguwar Hausawa road a few months ago, the Chairman tendered the request to the Minister about that, which I am telling you confidently that the issue of the Ebaji-Rimba road is already before the Minister,’ he said.

The official noted that the Ebaji-Rimba road project was abandoned during the administration of the past FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, revealing that the present FCT Administration would likely revoke the road project and re-award it afresh.

On a recent trip from Kano to a neighbouring state, I witnessed a familiar scene that perfectly captured Nigeria’s moral decay. At a police checkpoint, our driver casually slipped a crumpled banknote into a security officer’s hand. As we drove off, a passenger muttered under his breath, ‘Barayi kawai!’- ‘Thieves.’ That single phrase carried the weight of a nation’s frustration, a resigned acknowledgment that corruption has become an everyday transaction.

We can no longer pretend to be shocked. Corruption in Nigeria has long crossed the line from scandal to culture. From petty bribes on the highways to multimillion-naira scandals in high places, it has seeped into our national DNA. Conversations at motor parks, markets, and dinner tables often revolve around the same themes-rising costs, falling incomes, and a deep sense that the system is rigged against the honest. For many Nigerians, the dream of prosperity has been replaced by the daily struggle to survive.

At the upper echelons of power, the story is even more disheartening. High-profile figures accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of looting public funds continue to move freely, enjoying influence and protection. The irony is glaring: some of the very institutions created to combat corruption appear to have been compromised by it. The notorious ‘brown envelope’ culture-stretching from journalism to government contracts-has become a national malaise that corrodes integrity and silences truth.

This erosion of ethics has not gone unnoticed. On July 4, 2025, the Africa Polling Institute (API), an independent and non-partisan research organization, released its 2025 Nigeria Social Cohesion Survey. The findings were damning. Nigeria’s Social Cohesion Index was pegged at 46.8 per cent, below the neutral benchmark of 50 per cent. Though it may sound like a number, it tells a profound story: Nigeria is a nation struggling to hold itself together.

According to the survey, public trust in government and institutions has sunk to historic lows. Citizens increasingly believe that those in power serve themselves rather than the people. Ironically, what now unites Nigerians is not shared vision or progress, but shared suffering-an equal-opportunity frustration shaped by economic hardship, broken promises, and relentless inflation.

This moral decay cuts across all levels of society. Many public officials chase wealth and influence with no thought for the public good, while ordinary citizens-exhausted by hardship-are tempted to cheat the system just to survive. From vote-buying with noodles and a few thousand naira to elaborate scams and exploitative contracts, deception has become a survival strategy. It is now so normalized that many no longer even recognize it as wrong.

The present administration insists that reforms are underway-billions allocated, progress assured, and ‘renewed hope’ promised. But beyond the televised briefings and photo ops, the grim reality tells a different story: chronic power outages, rampant kidnappings, hunger, unemployment, currency chaos, and palliatives that never reach the poor. The official narrative of reform collapses under the daily evidence of dysfunction.

We are being deceived-not once, not occasionally, but every single day. Yet perhaps the hardest truth to confront is our own complicity. We tolerate mediocrity, normalize corruption, and reward empty rhetoric with applause. Every time we pay a bribe, ignore wrongdoing, or justify abuse of office because the culprit is ‘our own,’ we deepen the rot we claim to despise.

It is time for a civic awakening. Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved by endless press conferences or cosmetic reforms designed to impress foreign donors and deceive local voters. What this nation needs are moral courage-a rebirth of conscience that values honesty over hype, accountability over ambition, and genuine reform over political theatre.

Toothless reforms and selective prosecutions must become relics of the past. We must rebuild public institutions on integrity, not slogans. Until that happens, indices like the Social Cohesion Survey will keep falling-not because of statistical models, but because our lived reality already confirms the decline.

The death of trust is more dangerous than corruption itself. Once people stop believing that the system can be fair, society begins to unravel. To save Nigeria, we must first recover our moral compass. Only then can we hope to rebuild a nation where justice is not for sale, truth is not silenced, and patriotism is not punished.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and CARE Nigeria, has launched a programme to empower 6,389 households in Yobe State.

The initiative, known as the Resilience and Social Cohesion (Peace) Project, aims to restore essential services, rebuild livelihoods, and promote sustainable transformation in the state.

Speaking during the state-level stakeholders’ meeting on the project in Damaturu, CARE Nigeria’s Area Manager, Abatcha Abubakar, said the beneficiaries would receive training, agricultural inputs, crop processing machines, and monthly stipends to enhance their livelihoods.

He explained that the project, funded by BMZ in partnership with WFP, UNICEF, and CARE Nigeria, seeks to increase productivity and revenue among smallholder farmers, targeting a total of 31,945 individuals across Yobe State.

According to him, the intervention focuses on five wards in Jakusko Local Government Area, where households will benefit from improved dietary diversification and access to financial services through the establishment of Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs).

‘We implement crop production initiatives where participants are grouped and provided with inputs to build resilience and self-sufficiency. Also, we have an Income Generating Activity (IGA) component that supports agro-processing and income diversification beyond farming,’ Abubakar said.

He noted that beneficiaries would be grouped into VSLAs-community-based savings schemes that empower members, particularly women, to save collectively and access small loans to improve their livelihoods.

‘The project will provide seeds for maize, groundnuts, and rice for wet-season farming, while also promoting backyard vegetable gardening to improve nutrition and food security. Each selected household will also receive a monthly stipend for six months, and warehouses are being constructed to support post-harvest storage,’ he added.