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A member of the House of Representatives, Leke Abejide, has launched a grassroots mobilisation and empowerment drive targeting one million Yoruba residents across Kano State in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency of Kogi State, announced the initiative after inaugurating a 27-member committee to coordinate the programme across Kano’s 44 local government areas.

He said the scheme would focus on widows, youths, women, artisans, entrepreneurs, vulnerable persons and other residents requiring economic support.

Speaking at the palace of the Oba Yoruba Kano, the lawmaker said the programme was designed to combine economic empowerment with community mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

He charged members of the committee to ensure that the initiative was implemented transparently and that assistance reached people who genuinely needed it.

‘This committee must be transparent and upright. We must ensure that the empowerment gets to the people who genuinely need it, particularly our widows, the less privileged and vulnerable members of our community,’ he said.

Abejide said his relationship with Kano predated his political activities, noting that he had lived and conducted business in the state and established longstanding relationships with residents.

‘I belong to two states in Nigeria, Kogi State and Kano State. Kano has been an important part of my life. I lived here, I did business here and I have built strong relationships with the people,’ he said.

He described the initiative as an opportunity to give back to the community while mobilising support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

The lawmaker said the committee would work with relevant community stakeholders to identify beneficiaries and coordinate activities across the state.

The committee coordinator, Seyi Olorunsola, pledged that members would place the interests of the people above personal considerations.

Olorunsola said the initiative would provide a platform for engaging Yoruba residents across Kano while extending economic support to thousands of individuals and families, particularly widows and vulnerable persons.

The organisers said the programme would combine grassroots engagement, economic empowerment and political mobilisation as the 2027 general election approaches.

Unknown assailants on Wednesday reportedly murdered Igbu Job Terhemen, Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Fiidi Council Ward, Makurdi Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State.

Terhemen was said to have been attacked at about 2:00am by suspected hoodlums, who allegedly tied him with ropes, injected him with substances suspected to be poisonous and abandoned him near his residence around the NNPC depot along Makurdi-Otukpo Road.

He was reportedly found in an almost unconscious state and unable to speak or communicate before he eventually died.

A friend of the deceased, who preferred anonymity, told journalists in Makurdi, that Terhemen left his residence on Tuesday evening to watch a local football match in the Kanshio axis of the town but did not return home.

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He said, ‘He left home to watch the match Tuesday evening and he was expected back home, but nobody saw him. It was while people were looking around for him that he was discovered around 2am Wednesday in a bush near his residence unconscious.

‘Unfortunately, he died before he could get medical attention. Strangely, his attackers did not take his phone, which was discovered on him when he was taken to the morgue.

‘There was also a needle-like injury on his body, indicating that he could have been injected with a substance by his attackers, dumped in the bush and left to die.’

Reacting to the incident, the state chairman of the NDC, Ohini Ojegbe, described the killing as a ‘broad-daylight evil’ and called on security agencies to urgently investigate the incident.

Ojegbe urged the security agencies to arrest those responsible for the alleged killing and ensure they were brought to justice.

The party in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Agile Bem, described Terhemen as a committed and dedicated member whose contributions to the growth of the NDC would be greatly missed.

The NDC expressed condolences to the deceased’s family, the Fiidi community and members of the party, praying God to comfort them and grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Peter Aondongu, said the command was yet to receive a report on the incident.

The Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, has commenced training for 200 youths in construction-related trades.

The training is in collaboration with the Nigeria Youth Employment through Skills Acquisition Fund (NYESAF), an integral component of the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS Project).

The President of FOCI, Mr Vincent Barrah, said the initiative was aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills needed to contribute to the country’s infrastructural development.

Barrah congratulated the beneficiaries and urged them to take the training seriously, explaining that participants comprised of 100 trainees in masonry, 50 in plumbing and 50 in carpentry.

‘FOCI Skills Academy was incorporated in 2019, with the goal of providing vocational training for the construction and general contracts to bridge both skills and gender gaps in the construction industry.

‘Through our Academy we have seen firsthand, the transformative power of Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET),how a simple skill in masonry plumbing, carpentry, electrical work etc can lift a person ,a family, a community and the nation.

‘FOCI Skills Academy has become a household name in the skills acquisition training sector. The Academy has earned the respect and admiration of both national and international trainers.’

Barrah said the new NYESAF project went a step further by placing emphasis on women and youths to greatly impact in alleviating social imbalance because a truly modern industry could not be built while leaving half of the nation’s population underrepresented.

According to him, FOCI has more than 100 member companies and is involved in advocacy, collective bargaining, training, standard-setting, representation and publication of relevant industry journals.

National Project Coordinator, IDEAS Project Nigeria, Blessing Ehi-Ogwu, said the programme was designed to help reduce unemployment and other social vices by equipping young Nigerians with skills that could provide sustainable livelihoods.

Ehi-Ogwu disclosed that beneficiaries must maintain at least 65 per cent attendance to qualify for the final starter pack and monthly stipend.

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Idris Bugaje, commended FOCI Skills Academy for its commitment to equipping young people with practical, industry-relevant skills.

Bugaje said the country’s economic future depended significantly on competent, innovative and employable young people capable of creating value, securing decent employment and contributing to national development.

Nigeria must boost productivity and private sector output if it is to achieve its $1 trillion economy target by 2030, the President and Chairman of Council, Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria (CIoD), Mr Adetunji Oyebanji, has said.

Oyebanji spoke at the 42nd Omolayole Management Lecture held in Lagos, with the theme, ‘What Will It Take to Build a One-Trillion-Dollar Nigerian Economy?’

He said Nigeria’s current Gross Domestic Product (GDP), estimated at $291 billion, leaves a gap of more than $700 billion to be closed in less than four years.

According to him, closing the gap requires accelerated, productivity-led growth and coordinated action by government, the private sector, academia and civil society.

Oyebanji said the challenge was not simply about reaching a particular figure but about addressing the structural and institutional weaknesses that constrain economic growth.

He stated that the government must ensure consistent and transparent governance, strengthen institutions and create an environment that encourages investment and long-term economic development.

For the private sector, Oyebanji called for patient capital and the development of globally competitive businesses driven by innovation and integrity.

He also urged citizens to embrace innovation and entrepreneurship while supporting reforms aimed at strengthening institutions.

The CIoD president said the focus should be on building the fundamentals required for sustainable economic growth rather than concentrating solely on the 2030 deadline.

‘If we build an economy characterised by productive sectors, strong institutions, competitive industries and investor confidence, the trillion-dollar milestone becomes the consequence of sound economic management, not the objective in itself,’ he said.

The President of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Richard Ayibiowu, said the $1 trillion target was ambitious and would require more than economic reforms on paper.

Ayibiowu noted that the government had undertaken major reforms in recent years, including exchange-rate reforms, removal of fuel subsidy and changes to the tax system.

He, however, said the reforms must translate into increased production, investment and job creation.

‘The private sector remains the engine through which investment is converted into production, jobs into incomes, and incomes into improved living standards,’ Ayibiowu said.

He said the private sector must become productive enough to create jobs, expand output and enable Nigerian businesses to compete in the global market.

‘This is an ambitious target and we should be candid about the scale of the challenge,’ he added.

The Omolayole Management Lecture, now in its 42nd year, honours Dr Michael Omolayole, a renowned business leader and management expert who became the first Nigerian Chairman and Managing Director of Lever Brothers Nigeria, now Unilever, in 1975.

Omolayole, an alumnus of St Gregory’s College, Lagos, University College Ibadan, Oxford University and Harvard University, served as President of the Nigerian Institute of Management from 1971 to 1976, pioneer President of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and President of NECA from 1980 to 1986.

Nigeria’s Muhammad Bello Bala-Shagari has been elected Chairperson of the Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization (NAMYO) for the 2026-2029 term.

Bala-Shagari emerged winner after a competitive four-round election held in Baku, Azerbaijan, defeating candidates from Qatar, Tanzania, Uganda and Uzbekistan.

The contest was eventually narrowed to a final-round battle between Nigeria and Qatar.

A total of 58 ballots were cast out of 65 eligible voters in the final round, with Bala-Shagari securing 39 votes against 19 obtained by Qatar’s Khadeja Ahmad Albuhaqliqa.

His election makes him the first elected Chairperson of NAMYO since the organisation was established in 2022.

NAMYO is the youth arm of the Non-Aligned Movement, providing a platform for young people from member states to promote youth cooperation, leadership, peacebuilding, sustainable development, international solidarity and civic participation.

Bala-Shagari brings considerable experience in youth leadership and international engagement to the position.

He previously served as NAMYO Vice Chairperson for Africa and headed the organisation’s Nigerian national chapter. He was also President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and has been involved in youth development, civic engagement, international cooperation and documentary filmmaking.

His emergence also continues a political leadership legacy associated with his family.

Bala-Shagari is the grandson of former Nigerian President Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, who became Nigeria’s first democratically elected executive president in 1979.

While his grandfather emerged through Nigeria’s first presidential election under the Second Republic, Bala-Shagari has now secured an elected leadership position on an international youth platform.

Bala-Shagari is expected to assume office on October 1, 2026, succeeding Azerbaijan’s Leyla Hasanova, who previously served as NAMYO Chairperson.

At least three people were feared dead after a flood ravaged parts of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, following a heavy downpour that lasted for almost two hours on Monday.

The flood submerged several bridges and caused a bridge along Afao Road to collapse.

Many houses, shops and churches were flooded, while some residential and business buildings, fences and electricity poles were also damaged.

An elderly woman, another woman and an Okada rider were reportedly swept into a canal by the flood. Their bodies had yet to be recovered as of Tuesday.

Four other people who were also swept away by the flood were later rescued.

Some residents who could not return home after the downpour reportedly stayed away until Tuesday morning before reuniting with their families.

It was gathered that two people were swept away by the flood in the Olorunda area, where a bridge was said to be nearing collapse.

The Afao bridge also caved in on Monday during the flooding.

When contacted for comment, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Sunday Abutu, said he would respond later.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Mrs Tosin Aluko-Ajisafe, has urged residents across the state to prioritise their safety and exercise caution during heavy rainfall.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will address the nation on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the address to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary will be delivered by 7 am.

Onanuga, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, advised all television and radio stations, and other electronic media outlets to join the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria for the broadcast.

The President is currently in Lagos where he is expected to mark the August occasion.

Africa’s richest businessman, Aliko Dangote, on Wednesday commenced the construction of a $16 billion oil refinery in Kenya.

Dangote, alongside Kenyan President William Ruto, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and other African leaders, performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the refinery at Lamu Port in northern Kenya.

The project is expected to become one of the largest investments in the region’s energy sector and is scheduled for completion in 2030.

The proposed refinery is expected to increase the supply of refined petroleum products within East Africa and reduce the region’s reliance on imports, while helping countries conserve foreign exchange spent on importing fuel.

Dangote said the project was conceived to help the region achieve greater self-sufficiency in refined petroleum products.

‘When you look at East Africa, and indeed most of Africa’s 54 countries, they import petroleum products. Our goal is to make the region self-sufficient,’ the businessman said while speaking at the ceremony.

Dangote said the refinery would build on the experience of his 700,000-barrel-per-day Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria, while serving the wider East African market.

He disclosed that his company had offered regional governments a combined 30 per cent equity stake in the project, in a move aimed at giving participating countries a direct interest in the refinery.

He also said a $450 million engineering contract for the project had been awarded to Engineers India Limited.

The groundbreaking ceremony attracted regional and continental leaders, with Ruto joined by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Togolese President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové.

The presence of the leaders underscored the regional importance of the project and its potential impact on energy supply, trade and industrial development across East Africa.

The refinery is to be located at Lamu Port, a major infrastructure project on Kenya’s northern coast that forms part of the country’s broader transport and trade corridor.

The Lamu Port is designed to connect Kenya’s northern region and neighbouring landlocked countries to international maritime trade routes.

With the refinery expected to be integrated into the area’s wider infrastructure network, the project could further strengthen the corridor and support the movement of petroleum products and other industrial goods across the region.

Kenyan officials estimate that East Africa’s annual demand for petroleum products is between 20 million and 30 million metric tonnes.

Industry experts have also estimated that the region would require refining capacity of more than one million barrels per day to meet its growing demand for petroleum products.

Beyond refining fuel, the project is expected to support the development of related industries, including petrochemicals and bitumen production.

It is also projected to create more than 50,000 jobs and generate wider economic opportunities through increased industrial activity, local supply chains and associated infrastructure development.

The project comes amid concerns over high fuel prices and East Africa’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products.

RMRDC targets 1.2m jobs with 30% raw materials value addition By Musa Luka Musa The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) says its proposed mandatory 30 per cent value addition on Nigerian raw materials before export could generate more than 1.2 million skilled jobs within five years. The Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, disclosed this on Tuesday at a press briefing in Abuja ahead of the 2nd Africa Raw Materials Summit (ARMS 2026), scheduled for October 19 and 20. He said the proposed Raw Materials 30% Mandatory Value Addition Bill, which is awaiting presidential assent, was designed to shift Nigeria from the export of unprocessed commodities to domestic processing and manufacturing. According to him, the legislation would also help conserve foreign exchange through import substitution, strengthen the country’s foreign reserves and increase the contribution of manufacturing to the economy. The DG said the bill formed a major pillar of this year’s Africa Raw Materials Summit, which will be held at the Abuja Continental Hotel under the theme, ‘From African Feedstock to African Factories.’ He said the summit would bring together more than 1,800 delegates from all 54 African countries and global industrial partners, almost twice the attendance recorded at the inaugural edition in 2025. Ike-Muonso said the council was seeking to address what he described as the structural barriers preventing African raw materials from reaching local manufacturing plants. He identified logistics and infrastructure, value addition, circular economy, regional value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and technology commercialisation and access to capital as the five major pillars of the summit. On logistics, he said poor transportation networks, inadequate cold-chain facilities, rural roads and gaps in testing and certification continued to limit the movement of raw materials from farms and mines to processing facilities. He said the summit would bring together logistics operators, relevant government agencies and standardisation bodies to explore ways of establishing reliable supply corridors for local industries. The RMRDC boss also said the council had developed the Nigeria Integrated Information Statistical System for Raw Materials and Products (NISSRAMP), a digital platform designed to provide information on raw material deposits, specifications, production outputs and industrial absorption rates. He said the council had also secured ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification and was certified by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission as a Data Controller/Processor of Major Importance. According to him, RMRDC has also entered into an operational agreement with the Bank of Industry to support commercial-scale post-harvest processing and reduce supply-chain losses in commodities including onions, grains and industrial minerals. He added that the council had established a technology transfer partnership with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence (NICE) in Shanghai, China, to facilitate the commercialisation of local research and development. The summit will feature policy dialogues involving African ministers and other stakeholders, interactive panels, an advanced raw materials and technology exhibition, industrial site visits and the African Raw Materials Industry Awards. The maiden Africa Raw Materials Summit was held in May 2025 under the theme, ‘Shaping the Future of Africa’s Resource Landscape,’ and attracted more than 1,000 delegates. Ike-Muonso said the 2026 edition was intended to deepen the implementation of the policies and initiatives launched at the maiden summit and strengthen efforts towards resource-based industrialisation across the continent. He urged the media to scrutinise the policies and track the implementation of the proposed 30 per cent value-addition requirement. ‘You are not spectators; you are partners in continental development,’ he told journalists, urging them to hold relevant institutions accountable and report developments around Africa’s industrial transformation.

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has condemned the reported arrest of five youths in Borno State over T-shirts bearing the inscription ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ saying the coalition of opposition parties will take up the matter.

The PRP National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, who spoke through the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Muhammed Ishaq, also said opposition leaders were working to strengthen their coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a statement on Wednesday, the party said Baba-Ahmed joined other opposition coalition leaders in a meeting with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at his residence on Tuesday.

The statement said the delegation met with Atiku and members of his campaign council as part of consultations among opposition parties and political leaders.

It said the meeting was ‘a source of tremendous inspiration’ to the delegation, adding that the coalition planned to engage other party leaders and candidates in the coming days.

‘Leaders of coalition parties, as well as others interested in joining, recognise the need to broaden and strengthen the coalition’s capacity to defeat the APC in 2027 and give Nigeria a new lease on life,’ the statement said.

On the reported arrests in Borno, the PRP condemned what it described as the treatment of citizens as ‘hostages’ and said the coalition would take up the matter.

‘The reported arrest in Borno State of young people wearing T-shirts bearing political messages is unequivocally condemned,’ the statement said.

‘Nigeria must not become a country where citizens are treated as hostages and released only when political conditions are met.’

The Borno chapter of the ADC has separately condemned the arrests, while Amnesty International has also criticised the detention.

The police have reportedly maintained that the case relates to alleged conduct capable of causing a breach of public peace, rather than merely the expression of a political opinion.