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The Zamfara Government has reiterated its commitment to promote peace building and conflict resolution and commended partners and Civil Society Organisations support towards achieving sustainable peace in the state.

The state Deputy Governor, Malam Mani Mummuni, gave the commitment in Gusau on Tuesday while declaring a one-day meeting on ‘Empowering Community Security (ECOS) Early Programme for Katsina and Zamfara’.

The meeting was organised by the Civil Society Organisation, Voluntary Aid Initiative (VAI), in partnership with NEEM Foundation.

The meeting was organised under a project ‘Empowering Community Security (ECOS)’, on Regional Early Warning -Early Response (EWER).

The meeting was attended by traditional and religious leaders, members of the Community Peace Committees, farmers, herders, CSOs, religious organisations, and other relevant stakeholders from Katsina State and Zamfara.

The deputy governor described the meeting as one of the key achievements of the ECOS project in both Katsina and Zamfara.

‘This is timely, considering the needs and importance of peace and stability to society.

‘This aligns with the state government’s commitment under Gov. Dauda Lawal’s administration to promote peacebuilding, community dialogue, and conflict resolution and to ensure sustainable peace and stability among communities in the state.

‘As we all know, Gov. Lawal was fully prepared and committed to continue partnership with local, national, and international NGOs to promote peace, stability, and general development of Zamfara.

‘On behalf of the state government, I would like to commend VAI and NEEM Foundation for their contribution to peacebuilding in the state.

‘This initiative is not only timely but commendable considering the choice of the time and the target stakeholders from the two states currently affected by insecurity,’ Mummuni said.

In their separate remarks, the Emirs of Gusau, Abdulqadir Ibrahim-Bello and Kaura Namoda, Dr Sanusi Muhammad, assured the commitment of traditional institutions in the state to continue supporting projects for peace building.

In a determined effort to stem the tide of drug and substance abuse among students and youths in Calabar, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in strategic partnership with Devongnosis Education Ltd, has intensified its commitment by organizing a high-impact sensitization rally across Calabar state.

This initiative is in commemoration with the International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, underscoring the urgency and global significance of the fight against substance abuse.

The comprehensive campaign aims not only to raise awareness but also to instill lasting behavioral change and resilience among young people who remain vulnerable to the pervasive influence of drugs.

The rally, themed; ‘The Evidence is Clear: Invest in Prevention, Break the Chain, Say No to Drug Abuse,’ brought together stakeholders from across the community, including the NDDC Calabar state office led by the state Director, Chief Daniel Ajunwa PhD, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), NYSC members, the Police amongst others.

The march covered key strategic locations, including Mary Slessor Road, Calabar Technical College, General Hospital, and the University of Calabar, ensuring that the message reached a broad and diverse audience. Participants actively engaged in distributing educational materials, including colorful banners, informative flyers, T-shirts, and caps, all designed to reinforce the campaign’s anti-drug message.

Beyond the rally, the campaign incorporated vital health talks and counseling sessions aimed at equipping students with factual knowledge and practical tools to resist peer pressure and avoid drug experimentation. Several secondary schools, including Government Secondary School State Housing, West African People’s Institute (WAPI), Government Girls Secondary School Big-Qua, Government Secondary School Barrack Road, and Government Secondary School Akim-IBB way, among others, embraced the campaign, demonstrating a united front against substance abuse.

The event garnered robust participation from students, NDDC staff, youth corps members, security agencies, and community leaders, highlighting the collective responsibility and collaborative spirit needed to address this societal menace.

The Director Calabar state office, Chief Daniel Ajunwa, along with coordinators from Devongnosis Education Ltd, addressed the audience with compelling insights into the dangers of drug abuse, emphasizing its detrimental effects on mental health, academic achievement, and overall well-being.

‘It is deeply alarming to witness the rising cases of substance abuse among adolescents. This not only undermines their mental and physical health but also jeopardizes their academic futures and societal contributions,’ the speakers cautioned.

They strongly advocated for early prevention education as a frontline defense, urging students to embrace drug-free lifestyles and become champions of positive change in their communities.

The speakers further underscored that drug abuse is not merely an individual problem but a wider social challenge fueled by a network ranging from cultivators to traffickers, hence the necessity for a comprehensive, community-wide response. They encouraged vigilance, awareness of drug abuse indicators, and a collective commitment to breaking the cycle.

School representatives expressed deep appreciation to the NDDC and Devongnosis Education Ltd for spearheading such a transformative initiative. They lauded the campaign’s role in empowering young people to make informed decisions and resist negative peer influences.

This landmark event embodies a significant stride towards fostering sustained community engagement, enhancing drug prevention education, and ultimately promoting a healthier, drug-free generation.

The partnership between the NDDC and Devongnosis Education Ltd has set a powerful example of how strategic collaboration can empower youths with the knowledge and resilience they need to flourish without reliance on harmful substances.

Moving forward, this campaign lays the groundwork for ongoing initiatives aimed at nurturing a safer, stronger, and more enlightened youth populace across Calabar and beyond, demonstrating a resolute stand against the scourge of drug abuse in the Niger Delta region.

Determined to transition Lagos from a consumption-based economy to a productive, innovation-driven one, Lagos State Government has adopted the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) programme to promote education and skill acquisition in science.

Marking the second edition of the Innovate Eko STEAM Day at the Government College, Lagos, Eric-Moore, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Basic and Secondary Education, Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, held a sensitisation exercise aimed at promoting and integrating creativity and critical thinking into STEAM education.

Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, highlighted the importance of collaboration, accessibility, career guidance and educator support in harnessing technology to drive societal change and equip students with problem-solving skills.

‘Our focus in Lagos State is on having science-oriented students. In the past three years, we have prioritised recruiting science-oriented teachers because we believe the future starts from now.’ Alli-Balogun said.

He said the state was not just ensuring improvement in teaching and learning outcomes, but was also committed to nurturing students who were confident, courageous, and who could define their career paths while still in school.

Recounting the state’s achievements in STEAM education, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mrs. Abisola Dokunmu-Adegbite, said the Ministry had witnessed a 25 per cent increase in enrolment of STEAM subjects in participating schools.

She said Lagos State had dominated in STEAM education nationally, with its students winning top spots in the National Engineers and Scientists Competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Education.

She said in the 2024 High State Assessment, 70 per cent of tracked primary school girls scored 70 per cent or above in STEAM-related subjects.

‘This is a testament to our success in dismantling barriers and engaging our young girls as future scientists and engineers’, she stressed.

Mrs. Dokunmu-Adegbite said since 2021, Lagos State had developed over a hundred students’ innovations, including prototypes for green energy and AI-driven tools.

She added that about 30 per cent of the innovations had advanced to the patent stage through dedicated funding from the Lagos State Research and Innovation Council.

She noted that the researches were not just statistics, it was proof that the youth were prepared for global issues, from climate change to digital development.

‘This search is interesting as it directly correlates to the ministry’s shift, through enquiry-based, hands-on delivery and funding of student-led projects that tackle our local challenges, like urban sustainability and digital inclusion,’ she said.

Renowned educationist and former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola, called for a complete overhaul of teaching and learning methods in Nigeria, insisting that the future of African development lied in a robust Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) ecosystem.

Delivering a keynote address at a high-profile education summit in Lagos with the theme: ‘Rethink, Recycle, Innovate,’ Prof. Okebukola declared that ‘STEAM education demands that we rethink outdated pedagogies, recreate collaborative learning ecosystems, and innovate with technology to empower the next generation of African problem-solvers.’

Mr. Opeyemi Eniola, the senior special assistant on Basic and Secondary Education, and convener of the programme, affirmed the demonstration of Lagos State in tackling challenges and preparing children for the future, adding that the platform aimed at inspiring creativity, encouraging problem-solving, and celebrating ”the ingenuity of our students.”

They came together with a shared vision to provide first-class education, combined with excellent moral and spiritual upbringing. Today, 30 years down the line, a group of Christian professionals from diverse fields consisting of captains of industry, bankers, teachers, doctors, accountants, architects, pharmacists, retired military officers and education enthusiasts, who initiated what is now known as Trinity Group and Trinity International College sure has a story to tell.

Accordingly, the Board of Governors of Trinity Group, last Thursday, visitedThe Vintage Press, the head office of The Nation Newspapers to tell their inspiring story of how they nurtured the group after its formation 30 years after. The delegation, which was led by Chairman, Board of Trustees, Trinity Group, Pastor Samuel Olatunji, included Chairman, Board of Trustees, Trinity University, Deacon Adebowale Tade; and Chairman, Board of Governors, Trinity International College, Engr. Bayo Kolade.

Others included Director of Education, Trinity International College, Mrs. Oluponle Rebecca Adeyemo; Principal, Junior School, Trinity International College, Mr. Nelson Omomo; Head, Corporate Affairs, Trinity University, Mr. Michael Bamigbola; and Human Resource Manager, Trinity International College, Mr. Smith Mukoro.

The school: Journey so far

Head, Corporate Affairs, Trinity University, Mr. Michael Bamigbola, who narrated the delegation’s mission to the Vintage Press editors, said in 1995, Trinity International College opened its doors to eight pioneering students at its temporary site in the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ikeja, Lagos.

He also narrated that three years later, the college moved to its permanent site at Trinity Hills, Ofada, where it has since grown into a thriving community of faith, learning and excellence.

According to him, through the years, this mission has become a living legacy, carried forward by a dedicated community of administrators, teachers, parents, alumni, and board members – all working in one accord to build an enduring educational institution.

Bamigbola said the anniversary commemorates three decades of dedication to academic excellence, moral discipline, and holistic development of young people. He titled the theme of their celebration as, A Legacy of Excellence: 30 Years of Learning, Leadership, and Lifelong.

Welcoming the visitor

The Editor of The Nation, Mr. Adeniyi Adesina, who represented the newspaper’s managing director, Mr. Victor Ifijeh, said he was not around because he had an appointment.

Adeniyi, who was joined by the Managing Editor (Editorial Services), Mr. Lawal Ogienagbon, said: ‘We were to receive you together, but our managing director just called in this morning to say that he had to go to Abuja, which he didn’t plan earlier. So, then he delegated that we should receive you.

‘We are honoured to have you. Well, we didn’t know you have this large number of people coming. So, you are welcome. Briefly, I will just say one or two things about our organisation. This is the headquarters of the Vintage Press, publishers of The Nation newspaper.

‘We have bureaus in Abuja, Enugu, Abuja, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt. We also have correspondents in all the states of the federation. We cover the entire country.

‘This newspaper was founded on July 31, 2006. When it came into life, those who founded it felt that they wanted to cover this country simultaneously in real time. At that time, newspapers were doing what they called first and second editions. So, the publishers felt that we had reached a stage that this country would be reading the same stories.

‘So, they decided that it was time for Nigeria to be in that mood. To do that, they had to buy three presses – one in Lagos, one in Port Harcourt, and another one in Abuja.

‘That way, we were printing simultaneously in three places. We produced paper in Lagos, but printed simultaneously in those two other places. That way, we were able to cover the whole country.’

With that decision and within six months of publication, the editor said the newspaper became among the top three in the country. He added that the organisation also publishes Sporting Life and Gbelegbo, a Yoruba Language newspaper.

Vintage Press hailed for its remarkable feat

The leader of the delegation, Pastor Olatunji, congratulated the Vintage Press for the remarkable feat it has achieved in a short time.

‘It is remarkable in many respects and of course no great surprise, the antecedents of the brains and the persons behind this great media organisation, who deliver nothing less than what we are seeing and witnessing today.

‘So, on behalf of our group, we will like to commend this great initiative and the great accomplishment in the few years you have been in existence. And the innovation, the change and the impact you have made in different sectors, both in your industry and outside your industry and especially in the Nigerian community – East, West, North and South – and also in our mother language, with a newspaper like Gbelegbo. We are assured that our mother language, which is dear to many of us, will remain preserved ad infinitum.

The college’s mission

The college, according to leader of the delegation, was established as a co-educational and full boarding institution that would nurture students into godly, competent, and responsible leaders, with a mission to provide a world-class education that develops the intellectual, moral, and spiritual capacities of each learner, while nurturing leadership and responsibility towards the society.

On how the Trinity Group started, the leader of the delegation recalled that people of their ages had good education, even though not with popular access.

‘It was not so affordable. Our parents were agrarian and they were poor. So, even in the same family, from the same mother, some would go to school, some would not go to school. Others would go to the farm, and all that. And that high-quality delivery waned in the course of time.

‘It got watered down. Missionaries lost out. They were taken out at one time. And increasingly, professionals were declining, country was declining, curriculum was stale, character was disappearing, discipline collapsed, and it was becoming increasingly worrisome to any normal parent.

‘And for us, coming from the generation of the 60s and 70s and early 80s, that had tested good world-class education, we reminded ourselves what we received, and what we believed we owed our children and generations coming behind and to make a difference, to make an impact? We came together. That was 30 years ago, in 1995.

‘So, that started this experiment. We started with the secondary school. And that tiny dream, but very passionate, had flourished exceedingly so well beyond our imagination.’

He said to the glory of God, committed members of the earlier group stayed together, and remain together over these 30 years.

‘Seven years ago, we got a university licence, by the grace of God, and we have three locations today. The Ofada, our dominant location, where we have three of our schools, the college, the high school, and the primary school.

‘We have a permanent site, a main site for our university, a few kilometres away from that same Ofada. But the university is operating what we call the city campus, just next door to Queens College. We have those three locations to confirm that we are Trinity in truth and in deed, by the grace of God.

‘Our deliverables are solid, and we have continued to defend the values that we stand for, like the missionaries of old did, to ensure that pupils are not just clever intellectually, but also good in character and in values.

‘This is the news I brought to you. And we are doing what we can to ensure the vision is preserved for every generation by the grace of God. So, that is the story we are celebrating.’

Others members of delegation like Deacon Tade and Engr. Kolade also spoke on why they kept low in the past and then decided to tell their story while celebrating the anniversary.

Mrs. Adeyemo said the Trinity’s journey has been a journey of faith, excellence, consistency and growth. She also reeled the editors with the landmark laurels and awards won by the school locally and internationally.

‘We are making an impact. And of course, to the glory of God, we satisfy parents with our legacy of excellence,’ she said.

The Nation’s counsel

Mr. Adeniyi and Mr. Ogienagbon lauded the delegation for their tenacity and commitments.

They asked them to keep telling their stories for others to learn from them. They pledged the support of the newspaper’s management to the group.

A real estate firm, Akmodel Homes and Properties, said it has expanded its foothold to the United Kingdom (UK), Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

The company which is celebrating its fifth anniversary of resilience, innovation and commitment to excellWnce in the Nigerian real estate sector already has presence in Lagos, Awka, Uyo, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ilorin, and Enugu.

Its CEO, Dr. Abdulhakeem Odegade, said in the few years of the company’s existence, it has expanded its portfolio with strategic projects, modern estates, empowered realtors, and strengthened its reputation as a brand with vision.

According to him, the company’s growth story is a testament to consistency, dedication and the belief that Nigeria’s real estate industry can thrive when excellence is placed at the center of service, he added.

He expressed gratitude to their loyal clients, partners, realtors, staff and supporters whose trust and commitment have fueled its journey.

Odegade said the company remained committed to raising industry standards, creating more opportunities, building sustainable communities and shaping the future of real estate in Nigeria.

From a humble beginnings, Akmodel Homes and Properties has grown into a trusted and influential brand, known for delivering quality housing solutions, fostering meaningful partnerships, and contributing significantly to economic development. Over the past years, the company has maintained its focus on integrity, professionalism, customer satisfaction and community impact values that continue to guide its operations.

The appearance of two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) each claiming to have the authority to represent General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) yesterday stalled proceedings in the suit filed by the company against the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and others.

The matter is before Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

The confusion arose when the two lawyers – Dr. Abiodun Layonu (SAN) and Mr. Oluseye Opasanya (SAN) each announced appearance for the claimant.

Layonu informed the court that he was representing GHL.

Opasanya, who AMCON appointed as the Receiver/Manager over the company, also clamed to be the lawful legal representative of the claimant, given the company’s status in receivership prior to the commencement of the action which was not disclosed to the court.

The dual appearances triggered a prolonged legal argument over who was the proper counsel authorised to speak for the company.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa repeatedly sought clarification, asking both senior lawyers to identify the authentic representative of the claimant in view of the pending receivership.

With no resolution in sight, the court directed both counsel to file formal written addresses on the issue of representation. The matter was adjourned till December 3.

The disagreement over legal representation also frustrated the contempt proceedings initiated by GHL against AMCON.

The contempt application was predicated on earlier interim orders in which Justice Lewis-Allagoa had restrained AMCON and its agents from taking any recovery steps against the company, interfering with its assets, or appointing a receiver pending the hearing of a motion.

The underlying suit concerns Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 120 and 121, which were granted within a structured commercial and regulatory framework aimed at assisting First Bank of Nigeria to recover a substantial non-performing loan issued to Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited.

To safeguard the repayment of the loan, described as Outstanding Exposure, the former Department of Petroleum Resources (now NUPRC) considered permitting a qualified operator to run the assets and apply production revenues towards the debt.

It was in this context that GHL proposed to operate the two assets.

The Tripartite Agreement signed by GHL, First Bank, and AMCON expressly stated that one of GHL’s key considerations was resolving the Outstanding Exposure, while advancing Nigeria’s economic interests. GHL undertook financial commitments and received support from First Bank and later AMCON.

Under this framework, GHL became responsible for operating OMLs 120 and 121 and for applying production proceeds toward repayment of the exposure.

But AMCON and First Bank later alleged serious operational and financial misconduct by GHL’s former management, including revenue diversion, chronic non-payment of contractors, operational breakdowns, and the imminent risk of demobilisation of the FPSO operator-conditions that threatened the assets with shutdown and possible licence revocation.

Acting under sections 34 and 48 of its Act, AMCON appointed a Receiver over GHL on September 18. The appointment, by law, suspended the powers of GHL’s former directors from that date.

Despite this, the former directors initiated the present suit in the name of the company, allegedly without lawful authority, in what AMCON describes as an attempt to obstruct the receivership.

Since the Receiver assumed control, steps have been taken to stabilise operations and safeguard the assets. However, instead of recognising the receivership, the former directors have been accused of attempting to weaponise interim court orders obtained after the Receiver’s appointment, framing a restructuring measure as contempt aimed at undermining the Receiver and his counsel.

The Nursing Leadership Conference, themed ‘Developing the Next Generation of Quality Leaders,’ held on 10th November 2025 and hosted by Dr. Malvis Humphrey of the London Professional Training Centre, offered a transformative experience for over 500 nurses nationwide, attending both physically and virtually at no cost. The event was designed to inspire nurses while equipping them with practical leadership skills to enhance patient care and foster professional growth.

Attendees benefited from the expertise of a distinguished line-up of speakers, including the Director of Nursing Services of Lagos State, the Head of Nursing at the University of Lagos Medical Centre, and other prominent nursing leaders. Presentations provided insights into effective leadership practices, quality care delivery, and the evolving responsibilities of nurses in modern healthcare systems, emphasising how strong leadership can improve patient outcomes and institutional efficiency.

A blend of training sessions and interactive panel discussions allowed participants to engage directly with speakers, ask questions, and tackle real-world challenges. Nurses reported that these sessions helped them reflect on their leadership styles, identify areas for growth, and learn strategies for team and resource management. Peer-to-peer interactions fostered knowledge exchange and expanded professional networks beyond the conference. All participants received Certificates of Participation, with three additional days of follow-up training providing actionable tools for leadership, decision-making, and team management. Many nurses highlighted networking and mentorship opportunities as key benefits, noting that learning directly from seasoned leaders would enhance their immediate practice.

Afrobeats singer Tems has opened up about her alternative career paths if music hadn’t worked out.

During an interactive session with fans on X, she revealed she’d have been an accountant or a mathematics teacher.

‘If music didn’t work, what else do you think you would be doing today?,’ a fan asked.

Tems responded, ‘I might have been an accountant or a mathematics teacher.’

Before rising to fame, Tems worked as a digital marketer, a job she left in January 2018 to focus on her music career.

Just a few months later, she released her debut single ‘Mr Rebel’ in July 2018, which gained traction in Nigeria.

Tems’ breakthrough came with her feature on Wizkid’s 2020 single ‘Essence’, which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after the remix with Justin Bieber.

Sir: The recent warning from the World Food Programme about rising hunger in northern Nigeria confirms a reality many of us who study and report on this crisis have been following closely for years. Terrorist attacks and the widening insecurity across the region are now pushing nearly 35 million people toward severe food shortages as the 2026 lean season draws closer.

This figure is not inflated; it reflects conditions that have been building quietly across rural communities where violence, displacement, and economic strain collide every day.

In Borno State, where the Boko Haram conflict began, the situation is even more troubling. I grew up in this region and witnessed the early stages of this war. The estimate that around 15,000 people are heading into famine-like conditions is consistent with what local monitors, aid workers, and community leaders have been worried about for months.

When entire villages lose access to farmland because of IEDs, ambushes, and shifting control between ISWAP and JAS, hunger stops being a risk and becomes a certainty.

The conflict has already claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced close to two million people. Yet the crisis has expanded well beyond the northeast. The spread of armed groups into the northwest and north-central, commonly called ‘banditry,’ although their tactics now resemble insurgent operations, has opened a second front.

The recent mass kidnappings in Niger, Kebbi, and Kwara states are not isolated. They fit a clear pattern of criminal and terror networks blending forces, extending influence, and testing the state’s capacity to respond.

While the war is not as intense as it was in 2015, the pace of attacks has risen sharply this year. From my own fieldwork across Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, and Katsina, it is evident that security agencies are stretched thin.

Reinforcements often arrive late, community warnings go unheeded, and local vigilante groups that once helped stabilize villages are now worn out or deliberately targeted.

Economic hardship is adding more pressure. The lean season has always been difficult, but inflation has stripped families of the little safety net they once relied on. In many rural towns, the cost of staple grains has more than doubled, forcing households to depend on aid that is itself shrinking.

The WFP’s reduced capacity is already visible on the ground. Nearly a million people rely on their support in the northeast, yet funding cuts have shut down hundreds of nutrition centres.

In Jibia, Damasak, Zurmi, and Sabon Birni, families now walk long distances seeking help, only to find that the nearest facilities have closed. When a fragile system loses a third of its capacity, a surge from ‘serious’ to ‘critical’ malnutrition is the natural outcome.

The growing presence of jihadist groups adds another layer of concern. The recent claim by JNIM, a group rooted in the Sahel, marks a troubling shift. Their operations reaching into Nigeria suggest the slow merging of the Sahel and Lake Chad conflict zones; an escalation that regional analysts have anticipated for years.

The situation described by the WFP matches what communities across the north have been living through daily: shrinking farmland, repeated attacks, volatile markets, and aid pipelines drying up just when they are needed most. People who once showed remarkable resilience are now reaching breaking point.

As 2026 approaches, the humanitarian outlook is shaping into one of the hardest seasons since this conflict began. The numbers tell part of the story, but those of us from these areas have seen how hunger takes hold long before the statistics reflect it. The warning is credible, and it deserves urgent attention.

New International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Kirsty Coventry fought back tears as she urged nations to come together in the 2026 Winter Games, as the torch relay set off from ancient Olympia in Greece.

Addressing guests during the torch ceremony at the Olympia archaeological museum, as the first woman to head the Olympic movement, a tearful Coventry stressed the power of sport to unite.

‘I wasn’t supposed to get emotional, but this place is very special,’ the 42-year-old Zimbabwean, who is also the first African to lead the IOC, added to applause. ‘In a divided world that we live in today, the Games hold a truly symbolic place. It is our duty, our responsibility, to ensure that the athletes from around the world can come together peacefully,’ she said.

The former swimmer and Africa’s most successful Olympic athlete with seven medals from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, Coventry repeatedly veered from her prepared speech to stress her emotional connection to the Games.

‘The Olympic Games will always continue to exist, to break down walls that are put in our way,’ said Coventry, who was elected 10th IOC chief in March.

‘The flame we light today, carries not just the hopes of the athletes, but the dreams of all of those who believe in the power of sport,’ she added.

She later told reporters that the Olympics bring out ‘the best of humanity’.

‘We have to really fight very hard to ensure that the Olympic movement and the field of play remains neutral for all athletes to be able to compete, and for them to live out their childhood dreams,’ she said.

The torch was carried initially by Greek rower Petros Gaidatzis, a bronze medallist in Paris 2024, and then jointly with Italian cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo, a two-time Olympic champion, as the relay began the countdown to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, which will open on February 6.

The pair ran from the museum to the grove in Olympia, the birthplace of the ancient Games, where the heart of modern Olympics founder Baron Pierre de Coubertin is kept, and handed over the torch to Italian luge great Armin Zoeggeler, another double Olympic champion.

The flame ceremony was flanked by sculptures from the Temple of Zeus, the patron god of the ancient Olympics – and also rain.

The ceremony to light the Olympic flame is usually held among the ruins of the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera, near the stadium where the Olympics were born in 776 BC.

But a rainy weather forecast – which proved mistaken – raised concerns that the sun’s rays would not be able to sufficiently heat up the parabolic mirror used by actresses dressed as ancient priestesses to light the flame.

That forced organisers to head indoors for Wednesday’s ceremony where they used a flame lit on Monday, during an outdoor rehearsal under the sun.

In addition to the venue change, organisers also had to switch the first runner after their original choice – Greek-American alpine ski racer AJ Ginnis – was injured during training last week.

Following a December 4 handover ceremony at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, where the first modern Olympics were revived in 1896, the flame will head to Rome for a 63-day, 12,000-kilometre (7,500-mile) course through Italy’s major cities and the archaeological site of Pompeii.

Giovanni Malago, President of the Organising Committee for Milano-Cortina, said the relay will respect the ‘classical heritage’ of Greece and Italy by passing through sites such as Rome’s imperial monuments, Pompeii and parts of Magna Graecia.

Organisers were forced to head indoors for the Olympic flame ceremony due to a rainy weather forecast

The Games themselves will take place at various venues spanning a vast area from Milan to the Dolomite mountains in Italy’s north-east.

Ice sports will be held in Milan while Bormio and Cortina will host alpine skiing.

Across the Dolomites, the biathlon will be in Anterselva and Nordic skiing in Val di Fiemme, with Livigno in the Italian Alps hosting snowboarding and freestyle skiing.

The Paralympic Winter Games will be held from March 6-15.

More than 90 percent of Italy’s ski slopes use artificial snowmaking systems, according to an April report by Legambiente, and organisers of the Milan-Cortina Games are stockpiling artificial snow, just in case.

A December 2024 study published in the International Journal of Climatology indicated snow cover in the Italian Alps had decreased by half in the past 100 years.