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Malam Garba Shehu, who served as spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari till he died in July, has countered ex-President Goodluck Jonathan who said the insurgents nominated Buhari as a mediator.

Speaking at the launch of ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (rtd), Jonathan had said Boko Haram insurgents once chose Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the Federal Government.

Reflecting on the insurgency that defined much of his presidency, Jonathan said his administration had established several committees to explore options for peace with Boko Haram.

But responding after the story went viral, Shehu dismissed Jonathan’s claim, accusing the former President of targeting 2027 votes.

‘We are compelled to make a response to a terrible statement made on the late President Muhammadu Buhari by his predecessor in office, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to the effect that Boko Haram had nominated him to represent them in a dialogue with government.

‘If this is a campaign statement towards his bid for the presidency in 2027, we want to say to him that ‘Mr. Jonathan, you are making a false start.’

‘Muhammed Yusuf or Abubakar Shekau, the deceased leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist group, never nominated Muhammadu Buhari for any such role. In fact, Shekau routinely denounced and threatened Buhari, and their ideologies were in direct opposition.

‘In 2014, Muhammadu Buhari escaped a bomb attack on his life by Boko Haram in Kaduna, in which his personal staff suffered various degrees of injury. Buhari’s campaigns focused on fighting Boko Haram and restoring security to Nigeria whenever he became president, putting him in direct opposition to the terrorist group’s leader.

‘Contrary to the news making the rounds in those years that the radical Islamist extremist -Boko Haram had nominated General Muhammadu Buhari as the mediator between them and the Federal Government of Nigeria in the proposed peace talk, the retired Military General denied knowledge of his nomination.

‘In a statement issued by the then National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Engr Buba Galadima, Buhari, the national leader of the CPC said he not aware of the appointment: ‘As at 10pm yesterday (Thursday) when I spoke with him, he said he has not even heard about it,’ Galadima said.

‘Continuing, the party secretary told reporters the ‘he (Buhari) said the whole thing to him, is just speculation. And since nobody has contacted him as a person for him to even know who is behind what, and what the motives of the whole exercise are, he would not speak to the press.’ He revealed that Buhari, the 2011 presidential candidate of the CPC, further told him that as an elder statesman and a patriotic Nigerian, he will continue to pray until peace and tranquillity return to Nigeria.’

Shehu explained that the claim which he described as ‘misleading information’ started after a faction of the terrorist group, possibly sponsored by Buhari’s opponents, staged a press conference in Maiduguri, Borno State, through a certain Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, who claimed to be the Boko Haram commander in charge of Southern and Northern Borno.

According to Shehu Abdulaziz had claimed that the sect would prefer Buhari; the late Bukar Abba Ibrahim; first Nigerian Minister of Petroleum; Shettima Ali Monguno, also late, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Insecurity in the North-East, Ambassador Gaji Gatimari, and other prominent members of the Borno Emirate to mediate between them and the federal government.

‘Abdulaziz was roundly condemned by the leaders of Boko Haram who claimed that he had ‘no mandate of their leader, Imam Abubakar Shekau,’ Shehu said.

Shehu ended by saying, ‘To win in 2027, Dr. Jonathan should look for a better story to tell Nigerians.’

A police officer, Mr Ezra John, attached to the Lade Division in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, has been abducted.

The incident happened on Thursday morning while he was returning from night duty at the Patigi General Hospital to his base in Lade.

Residents, who came across his motorcycle abandoned by the roadside without any trace of him, immediately raised the alarm.

Police spokesperson in Kwara, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the incident in a chat with Daily Trust.

She said, ‘We are aware of the incident, and effort is ongoing to unravel it and rescue him. He closed from night duty and was on his way back to his division when the incident happened.

‘According to the information we have, his motorcycle was seen by the roadside with no traces of him or his whereabouts. It happened around 6:20 am,’ she added.

Armed bandits have reportedly abducted a mother and her two children in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The incident occurred at 2am on Friday when the gunmen invaded the house of one Tokpe Gody at Bareke-Egbe, and took away his wife and two of their children after sporadic shooting in the town.

It was gathered that the man sustained serious gunshot injuries while trying to escape.

Gody, a farmer, was said to be critically ill and on admission at Egbe hospital where he is receiving treatment. Locals said the family and the entire community members are gripped with fear as the kidnappers have not made any contact.

According to a resident of the community, Samuel Adeyemi, ‘Tokpe Gody escaped by whiskers from the invading bandits who struck his resident around 2am today Friday. But his wife and two of his children were not so lucky as the bandits forcibly carried them away to their hideout in the community.

‘He received gun wound in his body and legs in the process of trying to escape from his assailants. His condition is not stable as at this morning. He is an ordinary farmer who struggles to keep his family afloat amid the current challenges of today’s Nigeria.’

The incident came on the heels of another attack in the area, where a commercial motorcyclist, popularly known as Okada rider, was killed by bandits on Thursday in Ejiba community.

The Okada rider, whose identity was yet to be established, and with serial number 256 on his motorbike, was said to have been ambushed while riding along the Isanlu road.

According to a resident of Ejiba, Musliu Agabi, the bandits opened fire on the victim for refusing to stop after being flagged down.

Agabi said, ‘He was on a high speed when he rode into the ambush of his killers around 12 pm. For his inability to stop immediately, when he was flagged down, the bandits shot and killed him instantly.’

In a separate incident, a pastor and his wife were kidnapped by bandits on Wednesday along Egbe-Eruku Road on Wednesday while travelling to Illorin from Mopa.

It would be recalled that on September 10th 2025, gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Egbe, killing three police officers. The same day, the bandits invaded a vigilante post located along Egbe-Eruku road towards Kwara State, killing two vigilante members.

The Kogi State police command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP William Aya, could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.

The immediate past FCT Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Tpl. Lami A. Ayuba, made several attempts beginning from April 26, 2024 to get approval for a courtesy visit to the FCT Minister, but was not granted. On February 3, 2025, when all attempts failed, she submitted a formal letter to the FCT Minister, detailing the dire consequences of conversions and redesign of green areas to mixed use/ estate/ residential and commercial uses.

Accordingly, she stressed that, most places designed as green areas may have certain physical, natural or man-made encumbrances that determine their designation to be reserved as green areas. These include serving as district storm drainage waterways. Any permanent development will block the storm ways and cause flooding with time. Some serve as paths for underground sewer lines. Any heavy construction over, will damage them underneath.

Some serve as paths for national grid power lines. Development cannot take place under power lines, due to the hazards and risks associated with them. Some of these areas have heavy rocks outcrops that are part of larger underground basement complex. Construction work on them can cause pseudo earth tremor around the area and expose other residents to the risks of building collapse. This was exactly what is already experienced in the Mpape area as we have previously discussed.

Other economic consequences of these conversions would be the refusal to grant building plan approvals as a result of the violations of development control standard and regulations. Certainly, the allottees are liable to losing the allocations in the event of change or reversal of government policies, and will be a colossal waste to the investors, who spent billions in the inappropriate land purchase. She ended the submission with the request for the reversal of these conversions in order to protect the environment, protect investors and assure the integrity of land tenure and administration in the FCT.

As previously discussed, the three principles of ‘environmental conservation’, ‘city beautiful’ and ‘functional city’ were adequately factored in the formulation of the Abuja Master Plan, in order to ensure the production of a new city much better by far than Lagos. What it means is that the violations of the plan would take us back to where we earlier belonged or even worst. This exactly is what we must avoid.

It was due to the significance of the landscaping components in city management and functionality that informed the master planners to devote 33 per cent of the total land budget of Abuja City for greening. Unfortunately, the wanton greed for land acquisition for material benefit overshadowed the minds of the people in authority to convert most of these provisions for other uses. The results are the dire consequences of the environmental challenges being unfolded, and could dramatically deteriorate if not addressed.

The repercussion of the violations can only emerge when the developments were effected. Already, even before the advanced implementation of the violated areas, the floods have started, in less than two years. Guzafe and Asokoro are neighbouring districts and are the epicenter of the latest waves of land use violations perpetrated by the current FCT Administration. They never experienced any floods similar to the one during the last heavy downpour about two weeks ago. The truth is more and more should be expected as the developments continue, if the violations are not reviewed.

It could be recalled that Trademore Estate along the Airport Road is notoriously known for constant floods recurrence with devastating consequences every year. If not addressed, the backlash of land use violations at Asokoro and Guzafe has the tendency of rendering the Trademore situation a child play.

Recounting the experience, areas along the airport road, running along Lokogoma District and Galadimawa, to areas constituting the Trademore estate and the other surrounding developments were bunch of violations of land uses with impunity. Due to the surrounding higher grounds, runoff as a result of torrential rainfall increase in speed and volume as it races along the smaller streams with humongous expansion in no time, with high speed to the lower grounds. Loss of lives and property are constant recurrence every raining season.

The natural ground has its in-built capacity for the absorption of the rain water through infiltration. This capacity is lost due to surface pavements, hence the astronomical increase in the surface runoffs. The natural solution is, no developments at all in areas constituting natural runways for precipitation. Hence the designations of such areas for green developments only. The wisdom was for the plants to aid absorption thereby minimising runoffs. And, in the absence of human residences no life is threatened in case of any emergency.

It is instructive to note that in almost all the areas where lives and property were lost as a result of floods, development were made in violations of the rules and regulations. In some instances some of the culprits with so-called high profile, would have the temerity to take legal actions against the Authority, to prevent enforcements. According to Gilbert White, ‘Floods are acts of God, but flood losses are largely acts of man.’

Congratulations on your new computer, as a powerful PC is exciting, yet it will not do much until an operating system is installed. Assuming you are asking how to install Windows 11 on new PC, this will be a step-by-step guide that will see you through the process. We will address all the details that you will need.

How to prepare installation media, how to install Windows 11 without issues, and how to solve some of the most typical problems, such as missing drivers. Also, to help you if you would prefer seamlessly bringing your old files and settings over, we will demonstrate how to remap files and settings without the pain of reinstalling all of them.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Make sure you have the required items ready before you begin the process: The USB drive will be erased during setup. Save any important files before using it.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Windows 11 Installation Media

The simplest installation media is a Microsoft-prepared Windows 11 USB tool. It is also known as the Media Creation Tool. Below is the detailed guide on how you can work with it:

Go to the Microsoft site and then download the media creation tool on a different working computer.

Run the program, accept the license terms, and select ‘Create installation media for another PC’.

Select a USB flash drive as a destination and choose your empty USB stick.

Mikano Motors is set to participate at the 2025 edition of the Nigeria Mining Week showcasing advanced mining machinery to customers of various segments.

General Manager, Mikano Motors LHCV, Arab Gazi, has expressed confidence ahead of the event, stating the company’s focus on showcasing cutting-edge machinery designed to advance Nigeria’s mining and extractive industries.

The 3-day conference and exhibition will take place from Monday, October 13, to Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at the Abuja Continental Hotel.

According to Gazi, the machinery from Lovol Heavy Industry Group is purpose-built to meet the demanding needs of both the mining and construction sectors.

‘We are proud to participate once again in Nigeria’s premier mining event, where we will present the latest innovations from our Lovol heavy equipment range. Mikano remains dedicated to equipping Nigerian professionals with reliable, high-performance machinery that delivers productivity, efficiency, and long-term value,’ Gazi said.

Also speaking ahead of the event, Aaron Lee, Sales Manager for Lovol’s Overseas Department, praised Mikano Motors LHCV as a trusted strategic partner.

‘We are pleased with our continued collaboration with Mikano Motors LHCV. Their deep market understanding and commitment to quality allow us to deliver machinery that meets and exceeds the needs of mining professionals in Nigeria,’ Lee stated.

Li further highlighted that Lovol’s heavy-duty vehicles are built to withstand the toughest conditions, ensuring durability and performance for the country’s mining and infrastructure projects.

The Lovol lineup on display will include the excavator and wheeled loader – each engineered for superior efficiency, productivity, and operational reliability.

Mikano Motors’ participation in Nigeria Mining Week 2025 underscores its commitment to powering the future of Nigeria’s mining industry through world-class equipment and expert support.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated former President Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in negotiations with the Federal Government.

Jonathan spoke on Friday in Abuja at the public presentation of ‘Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum’, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor.

According to him, the nomination came during peace efforts initiated by his administration.

‘One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with government,’ Jonathan said. ‘So, I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and have a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.’

Jonathan stressed that the persistence of the insurgency beyond his tenure showed the complexity of the crisis.

‘I thought that after I left, within a reasonable time, General Buhari would wipe them out. But even today, Boko Haram is still there. The issue of Boko Haram is far more complex than it is often presented,’ he said.

The former president described the 2014 abduction of Chibok schoolgirls as a ‘permanent scar’ on his administration.

‘It is a scar I will die with. No plastic or cosmetic surgeon can remove it,’ he said.

Jonathan called for fresh strategies beyond conventional approaches, warning that the insurgency was not driven solely by poverty. ‘If it was only about hunger, the value of the weapons they use shows they are not just hungry people. External hands are also involved,’ he said.

Meanwhile, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who reviewed the book and wrote its foreword, urged a whole-of-society approach to address the country’s worsening insecurity.

‘In 2011, after the UN House attack in Abuja, I went to find out who these people were and what they wanted. I found that they were not really aiming for anything political or religious. In short, they were looking for a better life,’ Obasanjo said.

He warned that Boko Haram and banditry should not be treated as separate problems. ‘Those who have things to say about Boko Haram do not even know when Boko Haram stops and banditry starts. They are all mixed together. We must begin to do something about it, and we must do it collectively,’ he said.

The event was attended by Defence Minister Muhammad Badaru, Service Chiefs, lawmakers, royal fathers, diplomats, and other dignitaries.

Nigeria has expressed concern over the absence of an appellate mechanism in the ECOWAS Court of Justice, calling for reform.

Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 2025/2026 legal year of the Court, on Thursday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said that while finality of judgments is important, the inability to review decisions raises questions about fairness and access to justice.

According to him, the absence of a separate appellate process limits opportunities to correct errors of law or procedure.

‘It is concerning that there is currently inadequate room for appeal against the judgments of the ECOWAS Court.

‘While finality is important, justice must also be seen to be fair and revisable. The absence of a separate appellate mechanism limits access to justice, especially in cases where errors of law or procedure may have occurred.

‘As we expand the Court’s reach, we must also ensure that its decisions are subject to the same standards of review and accountability that underpin robust judicial systems,’ he said.

The minister urged the Court to draw lessons from other regional judicial institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, the East African Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which, according to him, offer valuable models of transparency, judicial independence and procedural innovation.

He said, ‘As we navigate these challenges, it is imperative that member states pursue greater uniformity in legal standards, reciprocity in enforcement, and peer review in judicial performance. The ECOWAS legal space must not be a patchwork of divergent systems, but a harmonised framework that promotes predictability, fairness, and mutual respect. ‘You will all agree with me that comparative learning is not imitation-it is evolution. By studying how other regional courts manage appellate review, enforce judgments, engage with civil society, and balance sovereignty with supranational authority, the ECOWAS Court can refine its own processes and strengthen its legitimacy.’

He reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for the ECOWAS Court as host country, describing it as central to regional integration, human rights enforcement and stability.

In his address, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Ricardo Goncalves, said the Court handled 34 new cases in the past year, including matters relating to civil and political rights, economic freedoms, and disputes between member states.

He disclosed that the Court held 79 judicial sessions and issued 54 rulings, many of which reaffirmed key principles such as the justiciability of socio-economic rights and the supremacy of community law over conflicting national legislation. According to him, 112 cases are currently pending before the Court.

Many motorists and road users are feared dead as a fuel laden tanker on Friday fell and triggered fire along the Abeokuta-Sagamu expressway in Ogun State.

It was gathered that the tanker fell on its side and spilled its content along the Abeokuta-Kobape-Siun-Sagamu/Interchange stretch of the expressway.

The spokesman of Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, in a traffic alert, said the development resulted into a fire outbreak.

He blamed the crash on speeding and loss of control on the part of the driver.

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Akinbiyi said the casualty figures could not be ascertained yet, but rescue and emergency services are ongoing.

The statement read, ‘The case of an inferno caused by a 30,000 fuel laden tanker which fell on its side and dispensing its content in the wee-hours of today around 0100hrs (1am), along the Abeokuta-Kobape-Siun-Sagam/Interchange stretch of the PMB Expressway, due excessive speed and loss of control has been reported.

‘The effect of the unfortunate incident also extended to the burning of a truck and a tow vehicle along the road side, as well as the destruction of a cable supplying electricity to Mowe and environs.

‘Though the casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue/emergency services made of the TRACE, Ogun State and Nestle PLC Fire Service, FRSC and the Police are still on ground to restore normalcy and orderliness after quenching the fire and decantation process.

‘The general public, particularly the motoring public on transit along the route are implored to be calm, patient and cooperate with the diversion and re-routing of traffic put in place by TRACE, Police, Ogun State Fire Service, FRSC, AMOTEKUN and the NSCDC.

‘However, any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident is highly regretted.’

The positive rally of the local currency against the dollar continued yesterday with the naira exchanging at N1,455 to one dollar even as forex speculation declined, at an all-time low as the gap between the official and parallel market rates has significantly dropped.

The naira, which has sustained rally across markets in recent months, trading at N1,455/$ as of yesterday according to the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) and N1,460 to N1,470,$ at the unofficial black market.

Daily Trust reports that the naira is making its strongest gain in the year with the improvement attributed to surge in foreign reserves to $43.05 billion and drop in speculative FX activities as the impact of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) reforms continue to drive positive sentiments and confidence across markets, according to analysts.

A country’s currency is an instrument of her pride. For the Nigeria naira, a turbulent past that saw it lose its significant value is almost over, according to analysts.

The local currency rebound is being driven by a combination of stronger demand for the naira, reduced speculative trading, and rising foreign reserves now at $43.05 billion.

Besides, the forex reforms instituted by the CBN Olayemi Cardoso are now yielding great benefits from reduction in forex speculation and narrowing of gaps between official and parallel markets.

The CBN leadership has continued to take major steps to keep the naira stable in line with its exchange rate stability objective.

The apex bank is boosting FX supply to retail end users, reducing distortions in the market and maintaining effective foreign reserves management and accretions.

The injection of liquidity into the market and rising compliance with FX regulations have reduced sharp depreciation of the naira at official and parallel markets and buoyed foreign investors’ interest in the domestic economy.

The naira stability is also driven by inflows from Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), substantial contributions from International Oil Companies (IOCs), and the CBN’s interventions to authorised dealers.

There is also renewed interest of Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in the FX market-driven by improved market confidence, a more efficient FX framework, and strengthening macroeconomic conditions.

The CBN chief Cardoso recently announced that gross external reserves remained robust at $43.05 billion on September 11, 2025, compared with $40.51 billion at end-July 2025 with an import cover of 8.28 months.

‘Similarly, the second quarter 2025 current account balance recorded a significant surplus of $5.28 billion compared with $2.85 billion in the first quarter of 2025,’ Cardoso stated during the 302nd monetary policy committee meeting held in Abuja last week.

FX speculations drop

A Bureaux De Change (BDC) trader based in Marina, central Lagos, Garuba Sarki, said many dealers lost huge funds as they sold below purchase rates as exchange rate gap narrowed.

‘I know some BDC operators that sold dollars below the purchasing rate. This is expected to continue in the weeks ahead. Also, the expected dollar inflows to the economy will help strengthen the naira position against the dollar,’ he said.

Analysts at Commercio Partners attributed the rally and gradual narrowing of the exchange rate gap to a combination of stronger demand for the naira, reduced speculative trading, and improved foreign reserves.

Head of Research at Commercio Partners, Ifeanyi Ubah, expressed optimism that the positive sentiment would be sustained in the near term, supported by increasing external buffers.

‘Nigeria’s rising external reserves are reflecting a healthier external position for the country. With reserves strengthening, speculative activity subsiding, and oil earnings supporting inflows, many market watchers believe the naira’s current rally has a stronger foundation compared to previous cycles of volatility,’ he said.

Call for caution

However, other experts caution that sustaining this momentum will depend on the government’s ability to maintain macroeconomic discipline, boost crude oil production, and diversify export earnings.

President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, said key policies like the Foreign Exchange (FX) Code, rising investors’ confidence, and foreign direct investment supporting policies are effectively putting FX speculators in check.

He said the FX Code implementation is comprehensively addressing various aspects of market conduct and practices.

Daily Trust reports that the policy authorises the CBN to establish and enforce directives regarding the standards for financial institutions under which FX deals are to be conducted.

Gwadabe said the code further entrenches transparency and accountability in the FX market, and continually sustains naira stability and rally.

He also backed CBN’s position that all institutions engaged in the foreign exchange market must also provide the CBN with a detailed implementation plan outlining how they intend to achieve full compliance with the FX Code.

Cardoso had at the launch of the Nigeria Foreign Exchange Code (FX Code), emphasised integrity, fairness, transparency, and efficiency as critical pillars for driving Nigeria’s economic growth and stability.

According to Cardoso, ‘The FX Code represents a decisive step forward, setting clear and enforceable standards for ethical conduct, transparency, and good governance in our foreign exchange market. The era of opaque practices is over. The FX Code marks a new era of compliance and accountability. Under the CBN Act 2007 and BOFIA Act 2020, violations will be met with penalties and administrative actions.’

Gwadabe, said the policy shifts showed the level of creativity, policy and hard work the Cardoso puts in ensuring that more forex flows into the economy and remain accessible to businesses.

Boosting remittances inflows

As part of its efforts to boost diaspora remittances and support naira stability, the CBN recently announced the introduction of two new financial products designed to serve Nigerians living abroad.

The Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account and the Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account was created to streamline remittances, encourage investments, and foster financial inclusion among Nigerians in the diaspora.

It said, ‘The Central Bank of Nigeria is pleased to inform the general public of the introduction of the Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account and Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account targeted at Nigerians in diaspora.’

The Non-Resident Nigerian Ordinary Account was designed to facilitate remittances by allowing non-resident Nigerians to remit foreign earnings into Nigeria and manage funds in foreign currency or naira.

Deposits from sources such as salaries, allowances, and dividends are supported, alongside spending on family maintenance, education, and healthcare.

On the other hand, the Non-Resident Nigerian Investment Account provides an opportunity for NRNs to invest in Nigeria’s financial markets, including foreign currency-denominated bonds, fixed deposits, and local assets like equities, government securities, and mortgage products.

The CBN explained that both accounts offer currency flexibility, enabling holders to maintain balances in either foreign currency or naira.

Account holders will also be able to convert funds between the two currencies at prevailing exchange rates through authorised dealers.

The CBN’s initiatives have supported continued growth in these inflows, aligning with the institution’s objective of doubling formal remittance receipts within a year.

The remittances in the economy is expected to increase based on CBN’s ongoing efforts to bolster public confidence in the foreign exchange market, strengthen a robust and inclusive banking system, and promote price stability, which is essential for sustained economic growth.

In a report: ‘Diaspora remittances: The power behind Africa’s sustainable growth’, Regional Vice President of Africa at Western Union, Mohamed Touhami el Ouazzani, said remittances may be measured through the movement of money, but their real impact is measured in lives changed.

He disclosed that in 2023 alone, $90 billion flowed into Africa from its global diaspora, an amount that rivals the Gross Domestic Product of the entire region.

He said that remittances symbolize deep ties that keep communities connected across borders. ‘Families with a breadwinner working abroad depend on these funds to provide vital support for day-to-day needs. They also build the foundation for broader financial stability,’ he said.

For remittances to be truly transformational, it begins with understanding and meeting people’s aspirations. Ensuring individuals who strive for more can send and receive funds, regardless of their financial status, is crucial. We must cater to diverse needs.

‘In a continent renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, offering multiple channels for remittance access is key. Whether through bank accounts, digital wallets, mobile money apps, or cash pickups, this flexibility ensures that funds are delivered in ways that best suit local realities. Providing innovative and inclusive solutions empowers individuals to not only manage their immediate needs but also to invest in long-term growth opportunities,’ he added.

According to him, every remittance is a seed of change – a deliberate investment in a future where borders blur.

‘The future of remittances in Africa transcends mere financial support. By strategically directing funds into sectors that need them most, Africa’s diaspora is not just sending money home; they are building resilient economies and challenging traditional models of progress,’ he said.