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Policy makers, reserchers and development partrners are set for the 11th Africa Think-Tank Summit on taxation and domestic resource mobilisation across the continent.

The summit, which is being organised by The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance, will be held in Addis Ababa, with the theme, ‘From Taxation to Action: Bridging Policy and Implementation in Public Financial Management in Africa.’

The ACBF Head of Communications, Fatou Diouf, disclosed at a recent virtual media briefing that the gathering would focus on one of Africa’s most urgent priorities: strengthening public financial management as a vehicle to drive fiscal sovereignty and sustainable development.

In his remarks, the Foundation’s Executive Secretary, Mamadou Biteye, described the think-tank summit as the continent’s leading platform for dialogue between think tanks, policymakers, civil society organisations and development partners.

He said this year’s edition would go beyond abstract discussions, insisting that ‘knowledge without implementation has no impact.’

Biteye explained that the programme would feature high-level ministerial dialogues, stakeholder sessions, networking forums, and practical workshops designed to inspire actionable solutions to Africa’s fiscal challenges.

The 2025 think-tank summit will run alongside the 34th Annual Meeting of the ACBF Board of Governors, scheduled for October 7, bringing together finance ministers and senior policymakers to review progress and chart new strategic directions.

The highlights of the summit include ministerial roundtables on domestic resource mobilisation, training workshops on strengthening fiscal systems, a PFM Hackathon aimed at generating innovative digital solutions, and the launch of a landmark book documenting the role of African think tanks in shaping evidence-based policymaking.

Biteye stressed that the summit represents a call to action for Africa and the wider world, noting that the lessons and best practices drawn from the sessions would be disseminated to inform future reforms in public financial management.

He added that the objective is to provide Africa with stronger fiscal management tools, reduce overreliance on external aid, and reinforce transparent and accountable governance.

‘Together, through collaboration, innovation, and strategic action, the 2025 Summit in Addis Ababa will chart a path toward stronger public financial management systems and more resilient economies,’ he said.

Governor Uba Sani has brought succour to the 50 year quest of Danbushiya village in the Millennium City in Chikun local government, by commencing the construction a 15 kilometer road when he assumed office.

Sarkin Danbushiya, Alhaji Muktar Haruna, disclosed this on Wednesday when the governor went on an inspection tour of the Keke-Danbushiya road project which will link over 15 communities.

The Village Head said that the people of the community have been promised that the road will be constructed since the military era, adding that the dream only came true when Governor Uba Sani came on board.

Alhaji Muktar thanked the Governor for bringing dividends of democracy to the area, which include a Primary Healthcare Centre, schools and enhanced security.

He further said that lessons have commenced in the Science Secondary School that Governor Uba Sani built in the area as students are presently receiving instructions in the school.

According to him, the Governor has so demonstrated love for the people of the area, so much that ”We want the name to change from ”Millennium City” to ”Governor Uba Sani Millennium City”

Speaking at the event, Governor Uba Sani recalled that when he came on board, ”we made it clear to everyone that we will try as much as possible to take development to every part of Kaduna State.”

The Governor said that he met with the people of Danbushiya, ”sat down with them, discussed with them and realised that this is a very important road that links about 15 communities.”

”As a Government, we found it extremely important and necessary, to put in a lot of money, to ensure that we construct an asphaltic road that will connect these communities,” he added.

The Governor who promised that the road will be commissioned in nine month’s time, commended the community for giving the contractor all necessary support.

Governor Uba Sani also inspected the ongoing reconstruction of Ahmadu Bello Stadium which will to become a safer and more modern sports arena that meets international standards when completed.

He also inspected the ongoing renovation of a Primary Healthcare Centre at Mando community in Igabi local government area

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that the reforms started by his administration is already yielding results.

In a nationwide Independence Day broadcast, the President said, ‘Under our leadership, our economy is recovering fast, and the reforms we started over two years ago are delivering tangible results.’

The President who also gave account of his stewardship said the second quarter 2025 Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23%-Nigeria’s fastest pace in four years-and outpaced the 3.4 per cent projected by the International Monetary Fund. Inflation declined to 20.12% in August 2025, the lowest level in three years.

According to the President, the present administration is working diligently to boost agricultural production and ensure food security, reducing food costs.

He further revealed that, ‘In the last two years of our administration, we have achieved 12 remarkable economic milestones as a result of the implementation of our sound fiscal and monetary policies:

‘We have attained a record-breaking increase in non-oil revenue, achieving the 2025 target by August with over N20 trillion. In September 2025 alone, we raised N3.65 trillion, 411% higher than the amount raised in May 2023.

‘ We have restored Fiscal Health: Our debt service-to-revenue ratio has been significantly reduced from 97% to below 50%. We have paid down the infamous ‘Ways and Means’ advances that threatened our economic stability and triggered inflation.

‘Following the removal of the corruptpetroleum subsidy, we have freed up trillions of Naira for targeted investment in the real economy and social programmes for the most vulnerable, as well as all tiers of government.

‘We have a stronger foreign Reserve position than three years ago. Our external reserves increased to $42.03 billion this September-the highest since 2019.

‘Our tax-to-GDP ratio has risen to 13.5 per cent from less than 10 per cent. The ratio is expected to increase further when the new tax law takes effect in January. The tax law is not about increasing the burden on existing taxpayers but about expanding the base to build the Nigeria we deserve and providing tax relief to low-income earners.

‘We are now a Net Exporter: Nigeria has recorded a trade surplus for five consecutive quarters. We are now selling more to the world than we are buying, a fundamental shift that strengthens our currency and creates jobs at home. Nigeria’s trade surplus increased by 44.3% in Q2 2025 to ?7.46 trillion ($4.74 billion), the largest in about three years. Goods manufactured in Nigeria and exported jumped by 173%. Non-oil exports, as a component of our export trade, now represent 48 per cent, compared to oil exports, which account for 52 per cent.’

Society thrives best where people love and help one another. Where the Where members of the community makes sacrifices by sharing and caring for one another. It is indeed difficult to have such a model society but in many societies we have such people who drive satisfaction in not only sharing with their neighbours but reaching out to the larger community to make an impact, assist and put a smile on the faces of those who are less privileged. These are the people Daily Trust go out to search for every year and present them to the nation so that we appreciate their sacrifices and learn from their efforts.

We are presenting these heroes, who we got through your nominations:

Octogenarian Musa Ibrahim Sagagi dedicated his time, energy and resources to ensuring no one in his community is denied education just because he cannot afford it. Through his College of Islamic Studies many went through primary and secondary education and some graduating from universities. At the other end is Idris Lau, who at 17 embarked on a mission of building strong people and ensuring sustainable development in communities. Through his Concerned Youth for Accountability and Development Initiative he provided water, education and health facilities to various communities in Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa states. Favour Abatang’s passion is to ensure that girls in her Cross River communities and beyond are free from all those harmful traditions that inhibit their growth. Her Voice Foundation works to discourage early marriage, money marriage and all forms of gender violence. Her near fatal experience during pregnancy also motivated Rukaiya Kushu to set up Abubakar Kushu Foundation to provide succour to pregnant women in dire situations. For Maryam Bello the task is how to bring medical care close to rural communities. She leveraged on technology to set up Parker Mobile Clinic to bring healthcare to hard-to-reach communities using technology.

History will be made on the Lagos waterways as the Electric Powerboat Racing Championship E1 Series lands in Africa for the very first time.

The highly anticipated event will light up the Victoria Island Lagoon from Saturday, October 4 to Sunday, October 5, 2025, with Lagos hosting nine elite global racing teams in what promises to be a spectacular contest on water.

Fans will see the adrenaline and innovation of electric-powered racing boats as teams including Team Drogba, Team Rafa, Westbrook Racing Team, Aoki Racing Team, Blue Rising Team, Team AlUla, Team Miami, Team Brady, and Team Mexico battle for supremacy.

To ensure the smooth hosting of this landmark championship, the Lagos State Government has announced temporary road closures around 1st Lekki Junction inward Ozumba Mbadiwe, with diversions clearly mapped out for motorists across Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and the Mainland.

Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, urged residents to embrace alternative routes, assuring that traffic management officers will be on ground, while the Coastal Road will remain open throughout the two-day event.

The Lagos leg of the E1 Series is not just about racing-it is a showcase of cutting-edge green technology, a boost for Lagos tourism, and a celebration of the city as a hub for world-class sporting spectacles.

President Bola Tinubu may go into record as the first number one citizen to return to Lagos to mark Independence Day since the relocation of the capital city to Abuja.

The Independence Day was first held on October 1, 1960, when the Union Jack was lowered and replaced with Nigeria’s Green-White-Green flag.

At that inaugural event which held when Lagos was Nigeria’s capital city, Princess Alexandra of Kent who represented Queen Elizabeth II, presented the constitutional instruments of independence, while Azikiwe was sworn in as Governor-General.

Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa delivered a national address at that auspicious occasion which marked the country’s sovereignty.

After Nigeria’s capital was relocated to Abuja, virtually all leaders, military and civilian, have been marking the symbolic occasion in the capital city.

This year was not going to be an exception until Tinubu, an indigene of Lagos, decided otherwise.

Early signs that this year’s celebration would be marked outside Abuja were noticed after Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, issued a statement on September 26, 2025.

While the opening line of the statement indicated that the president was in Lagos, the subsequent paragraphs were unclear.

The itinerary showed that Tinubu was to visit Imo on the last day of September, then commission the remodelled National Theatre, which has been renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

But the statement didn’t say if Tinubu would return to Abuja from Imo or would fly to Lagos for the commissioning after marking the historic occasion in Abuja.

However, by Monday, the cancellation of the Independence Day parade was announced. No key reason was given for this development.

The canceled military parade is a significant part of the Independence Day Celebration.

Before the announcement of the cancellation, some had thought the line-up of activities would go on under Vice-President Shettima, but as of the time this report was filed, the Vice President had not returned to the country from his trip to Germany.

Shettima had departed New York, where he represented Tinubu at the United Nations General Assembly, and headed for Germany.

Text of the speech of the president released by his media team showed it was read in Aso Rock, but the Independence Day celebration certainly goes beyond speech. It is usually accompanied with a whole lot of activities.

The absence of the usual parade and the schedule to commission projects in Lagos have therefore set this year’s celebration apart from all others in recent history.

For many, it rekindled memories of Nigeria’s earliest independence anniversaries when Lagos still served as the capital.

But for others, it raised questions about how future commemorations may be shaped by the personal choices of those in power.

What remains clear is that Tinubu’s ‘decision’ has opened a new chapter into the narrative of Nigeria’s Independence Day celebrations.

The declaration of a low-key celebration should not be for Independence Day alone. This has been the style in recent years, as the nation comes to terms with its realities. However, scaling down on celebrations should not be merely symbolic. It should be part of a national strategy to confront the tragedy that has happened to the country so that the time to celebrate can come.

This is a hard fact that Nigerians have come to accept because the mood of the nation at the moment does not agree with any form of flamboyant or elaborate festivities.

This is why many young Nigerians, especially the Gen Z generation and younger, have lost or missed the joy of nationhood. Every year, the citizens look forward to a celebration of the beauty of being born in Nigeria. However, for several years now, this expectation has turned out to be a mirage.

Nigeria’s conditions at the moment make celebrations of any sort irrelevant or impractical. Nigeria is besieged on virtually all fronts. The country is facing financial difficulties, making grand celebrations impractical.

Nigeria is facing perhaps the worst national turbulence. On the economic front, times are hard for many citizens. On the social front, there is evidence of discontent. On the physical plane, Nigerians have not been so unsafe and vulnerable. Indeed, the nation is besieged on every side, grappling with crises, conflicts, health, and security emergencies. These warrant a more subdued tone of any form of merrymaking.

Nigeria’s crisis state is not sectional or regional. What we have is a nationwide conflagration that requires deep thinking and reflection, and then strategies to confront it. It is not a short-term phenomenon either. It has lingered for years now and has since widened. It is also evident that without concrete efforts being deployed to arrest it, the crisis portends wider and deeper social, economic, and physical dislocations.

There are a million reasons why Nigeria must suspend all forms of celebrations. Celebrations cost money, to start with, and whatever the government can do now to cut expenses must be done from now on. A time when the government is experiencing an economic crunch, the emphasis must be on cutting off all forms of extravagant expenditures, and the national independence celebration at a time such as this is one of such events. After all, the value of everything must be viewed contextually.

Often, these celebrations merely reflect the notions of national greatness that countries or governments confer on themselves. Sometimes, these notions of national greatness are misplaced, especially at times when the overall well-being of the citizens is at stake. The truth now, however, is that any such notions that we carry of ourselves and the country have been greatly impacted. Nigeria’s notion of greatness has been seriously dented, and the government must focus on the restoration of the greatness of the country first. Based on the above facts, celebrations should wait.

Besides, who indeed will be celebrating in Nigeria now? Celebrations are done within physical and social milieus. Which of these is fit for elaborate or even moderate celebrations, if we are not out to deceive ourselves? Celebrations are not held in environments of fear and intimidation, which is what Nigerians are going through currently. We are harvesting the deaths of citizens on different fronts. Nigerians are being plucked off their vehicles – whether cars or buses – and marched into the forests by bandits. At home, they are not safe because death – whether from armed robbers or kidnappers – also comes calling with so much ease.

The above realities have left deep cuts or disruptions on our economy, the very foundation of our national life. The economy is feeling the impact of insecurity on different fronts. Farmers are running away from their farms because of bandits who now see them as easy prey. So, farming communities are getting deserted as those who are expected to produce the food for the nation run for their lives. Any wonder then that the country suffers or will suffer from a food crisis? If it is not evident now, it will soon be, should the trend continue. Who would be holding lavish celebrations at such a time?

What is happening to farmers in the rural areas is also confronting some in the cities. The roads are not safe for them as they travel in their luxury vehicles or by public transport. Therefore, the economy faces constraints because goods can no longer be transported easily from where they are produced to where the consumers are. This is a redefinition of economics because being produced and not getting to those who need them means that there is a break in the cycle of economic activities.

What Nigeria needs now, more than any other thing, is a cap on irrelevancies and a focus on the matter of the moment. That matter is the restoration of the nation’s sense of dignity- the dignity of the country and the dignity of each citizen, big or small. We need a return to the stage where each citizen counts.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, Kaduna, has handed over a massive seizure of donkey bones and skins to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), describing the move as a critical step in protecting Nigeria’s biodiversity.

The seized items – 700 bags of donkey bones and 2,500 pieces of donkey skins – were intercepted in separate anti-smuggling operations and formally handed over to NESREA’s Kaduna State Coordinator, Mr. Hene Emmanuel, during a brief ceremony on Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, Comptroller Aminu Sule said the illegal slaughter and trade of donkey parts posed severe ecological and socioeconomic risks.

‘The Nigeria Customs Service is committed to enforcing environmental laws, protecting endangered species, and preventing Nigeria from being used as a transit point for illegal wildlife trade,’ he declared.

According to him, donkeys remain an essential means of transportation and livelihood for rural communities, making their illegal exploitation a direct threat to local economies.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has responded to the 65th independence speech delivered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, saying ‘the pot is not only empty but cracked – and the people remain hungry.’

Tinubu had earlier in the day spoke of ‘turning the corner,’ laying foundations ‘in concrete and not on quicksand,’ and of supposed victories in education, healthcare, the economy, and national security in his nationwide broadcast.

But responding, Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Phrank Shuaibu, said, ‘The yam may be plentiful, but if the pot is empty, the stomach still rumbles.’

According to Shuaibu, the president cited the multiplication of schools since 1960, but in many places, pupils still sit on bare floors and write in dust, while teachers abandon classrooms because their salaries cannot buy food.

FULL SPEECH: Tinubu’s independence Day broadcast

I started community service at 17 – Idris Lau

‘He boasted of more hospitals, but our mothers and fathers still carry candles, syringes, and drugs into wards before treatment can begin. A man who builds many huts without roofs has only built shade for goats,’ he said.

On the economy, Atiku said, ‘We were told of bold reforms. But Nigerians know the pain in their pockets. Food prices are higher than the rooftops, transport has swallowed incomes, and many families now eat less than one meal a day. If these are the ‘seeds’ of reform, then the fruit is still bitter. When the roof is on fire, it is folly to declare the rain has quenched it.’

On security, Atiku remarked that Tinubu saluted the courage of armed forces and declared victories over terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, but ‘Nigerians still sleep with one eye open, and families still pay ransom as if it were the daily price of gari.’

Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said, ‘Villages continue to bury their dead. Most tragically, just this week, we lost Somtochukwu, a young female news anchor with Arise TV, killed in a robbery attack in the early hours of Monday.

‘Her death is a painful reminder that no one – not even the voices that bring us the news – is safe in today’s Nigeria. A farmer cannot boast the bush is cleared while weeds still choke his yam.

‘We were told that billions have been disbursed to poor households. Nigerians ask simply: where? ‘if the yam was truly cooked, neighbours would perceive the aroma.’ Across the land, poverty still walks naked and hunger knocks daily, yet the government sings of generosity that citizens cannot see or feel.

‘Our young people, the supposed ‘future,’ are promised wings to fly. But many graduates hawk sachet water or ride okada to survive. You cannot tell a child to dream big while you steal the mat he sleeps on. Nigerian youths need real opportunities, not more applause lines.

‘Yes, 65 years is a long time. We have endured civil war, dictatorships, and crises. Nigerians are resilient – that much is true. But resilience must not be mistaken for endorsement. Our founding fathers dreamed of a land flowing with justice and opportunity. Today, the riverbed is dry for many, and only a privileged few fetch from the little water left.

As Nigeria today marks its Sapphire Jubilee (65 years of existence) as an independent nation, after gaining independence on October 1st, 1960, the dispensation calls for deep reflection over the journey so far and a new vision, having undergone significant rites of passage over time.

Firstly, there is the need to congratulate this great nation and its people for having weathered the challenges of nation-building and remaining as one political entity for this long. It needs to be recalled that several nations, both in Africa and other parts of the world, which not only started before and after Nigeria’s formation but also shared the same dream of nationhood, are no more due to a multiplicity of both endogenous and exogenous factors.

The story of Nigeria could also have been otherwise, given its leadership circumstances. Assembled from a collection of disparate ethnic nation-states by the British colonialists in 1914, and subjected to different leadership scenarios comprising colonial and serial rule alternation between democratically elected civil administration and the frequent truncation of same by military incursions into governance through coup d’états in 1966, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1985, and 1993, the country’s retention as a single entity today remains one of the most successful exercises in unity in diversity, as far as nation-building is concerned. Of even more significance is that Nigeria has, since 1999, enjoyed an unbroken run of democratic rule for all these 26 years. This political positive accentuates the merit of celebrating Nigeria at 65, for holding on to the vision and sustaining the mission of its founding fathers, even in the face of vicissitudes.

Yet, the fact remains incontrovertible that Nigeria could have achieved much more at 65, given its innate, humongous potentials and resources. With a population of 45 million at independence in 1960 and 220 million at present, the country has always been a giant on the African continent, as well as a voice to be reckoned with across the world. In terms of economy, Nigeria is endowed with a rich variety of strategic resources, ranging from large expanses of arable land for agriculture, lush flora and variety of fauna, as well as humongous oil and gas deposits and other minerals, which guarantee its position as a rich nation.

However, against the backdrop of its endowments and potentials, Nigeria has, for this long period, been a victim of arrested development, courtesy of multiple leadership failures. While it was hailed as the giant of Africa in the light of its status and promise at independence, the current state of Nigeria leaves much to be desired, due to generations of leadership whose failures denied it a better course of progress. Hence, Nigeria is currently reeling from the ravages of insecurity, with insurgency and other tendencies that have negatively conditioned daily life across the entire country. For instance, on a daily basis, insurgents attack one community or the other with fatal consequences. To further accentuate the ravages of insurgency in today’s Nigeria is the fact that several communities, and even local government areas, are at the mercy of insurgents, with residents paying ransom to the occupying insurgents.

The crime of kidnapping human beings for ransom has become a growing business venture in today’s Nigeria. So bad is the situation that senior government officials at various levels are discreetly and openly negotiating peace deals with insurgents.

Beyond the scourge of insurgency lies the more pervasive syndrome of endemic corruption in literally all aspects of government business. Courtesy of the deep-seated malaise of corruption, public largesse has been largely privatized by the political leadership community, leaving the masses to their wits. As a result of the widespread syndrome of corruption, Nigeria loses the bulk of the public largesse to private interests, as public interest-oriented projects suffer. Also, courtesy of the syndrome of corruption, even the political space remains compromised, as the country serially fails to elect the right calibre of leaders to take charge of its affairs. In the final analysis is the concern over the prospect of redeeming the country from its largely self-inflicted challenges.

That is why the need for a new vision that will propel the country along a new course remains mandatory. This new vision needs to be anchored on the premises of a united Nigeria, as well as the rule of law. With respect to the fostering of unity, the leadership needs to work assiduously along the course of integrating the disparate ethnic nation-states that make up the country, as the amalgamation process that spawned Nigeria under the colonial rule of Britain in 1914 is not yet completed.

The goal of unity will hardly be realized unless there is a deliberate attack on the freedom of impunity. This is where the rule of law needs to be actualized to ensure that the constitution and the laws of the country are obeyed by all and sundry.

We at Daily Trust believe that this task is for all Nigerians to key in, put in their best, be more patriotic, and have a strong belief in Nigeria. Once we can do this, our journey to the Promised Land can be realized.

Daily Trust wishes every Nigerian a happy 65th Independence Anniversary.