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Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten long-time rival Lionel Messi to win the inaugural Ballon d’Or of All Time (B.O.A.T.) award, with his 2008 award voted the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning campaign in history.

The Portuguese forward was recognised following a fan vote organised by France Football, which invited supporters to rank the greatest Ballon d’Or-winning seasons. The results were announced on Wednesday.

Ronaldo’s maiden Ballon d’Or award came in 2008 after a remarkable 2007/08 season with Manchester United, during which he scored 42 goals in all competitions and helped the club win the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner finished ahead of Messi’s 2012 campaign, which took second place. Ronaldo’s 2017 triumph finished third, underlining the dominance of the two football greats in the fan vote.

The B.O.A.T. award was introduced this year to identify the greatest individual Ballon d’Or-winning season. Only players who had won the prestigious award multiple times were eligible, with their respective winning campaigns considered separately.

Voting opened on October 1 and closed on October 27, with fans paying pound 1 per vote. The results were announced two days after the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony in London, where England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the men’s award.

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Messi remains the record holder with eight victories.

Ronaldo’s 2008 season was a defining moment in his career. At Manchester United, he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 31 league goals and scored in the Champions League final against Chelsea, which Man United won on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Moscow.

The final B.O.A.T. rankings placed Ronaldo and Messi in the top 12, with Ronaldo’s 2008 campaign leading the list and Messi’s 2012 season in second place.

The award recognises the best Ballon d’Or-winning campaign through a public vote; it is separate from the annual Ballon d’Or, which honours the player judged to have delivered the outstanding performance of the year.

At least 64 people have been killed and dozens seriously injured after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, in the country’s deadliest rail disaster since 2013, prompting a major rescue operation and renewed scrutiny of its rail infrastructure.

The collision occurred near Urda, south of Madrid, involving a Renfe train and an Iryo service operating on the Madrid to Seville route, according to rail operator Adif. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains, a spokesperson for the regional government said.

The Castilla La Mancha regional government confirmed the updated death toll, warning that the number of fatalities could rise as emergency workers continue searching the wreckage. At least 80 people were reported injured, including about 50 in serious condition and 15 in critical condition, according to regional officials.

Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was ‘shocked by the serious train accident’ and was in constant contact with the transport minister. He was travelling to the crash area to support emergency teams and those affected by the disaster.

‘The priority is to attend to the victims and ensure the maximum coordination between administrations,’ the Spanish government said in a statement.

Survivors described a violent impact that threw passengers from their seats, scattered luggage and left carriages badly damaged. Roberto Gómez, a Spanish journalist who was travelling on one of the trains, told Onda Cero radio: ‘The impact was terrible. You can imagine, the carriage is destroyed. All the suitcases are all over the wrecked carriage.’

Gómez, who sustained minor injuries, said passengers helped people suffering serious injuries to their chests and ribs before climbing through a window to escape the wreckage.

Another passenger, Sebastián Herrero, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that the impact threw him into the seats in front of him. He described seeing passengers with broken noses and arms as smoke filled the carriage.

Emergency services deployed ambulances, helicopters and rescue teams to the site, while injured passengers were transported to nearby hospitals and facilities in Madrid. Blood donation centres in Madrid and Toledo appealed for urgent donations in anticipation of increased demand for medical care.

The scale of the disaster places it among Spain’s worst rail accidents in decades. In July 2013, 80 people died when a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain.

The latest collision has also interrupted the country’s political campaign ahead of the 29 November general election. Sánchez’s Socialist Party and the conservative People’s Party suspended scheduled campaign events, with opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo saying the priority was to care for victims.

Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, continued campaigning while criticising the state of Spain’s infrastructure. He blamed what he described as the ‘deterioration of infrastructure and institutions in Spain’ on the current government. Authorities have not yet confirmed what caused the collision.

Spain’s rail network, long regarded as one of Europe’s strongest high-speed systems, is likely to face renewed questions over safety and infrastructure once investigators establish how the two trains came to collide.

For now, emergency workers remain focused on recovering victims, treating survivors and identifying those killed, as families wait for news of relatives who were aboard the trains.

The Bank of Mozambique plans to buy gold produced locally as part of efforts to diversify its international reserves, as the country forecasts a 44 percent recovery in gold production in 2027 following mining disruptions that have weighed on output.

Felisberto Navalha, governor of the central bank, announced the plan in Tete during the opening session of the bank’s 51st Advisory Council meeting. He said the bank was working with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy to establish a framework for purchasing domestically mined gold.

‘In the area of international reserve management, and in coordination with the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy, we are drawing up a work plan aimed at operationalising the acquisition of domestically produced gold,’ Navalha said.

The proposed purchases reflect a broader shift among central banks, including those in Africa, towards diversifying reserves through gold acquisitions. Buying from domestic producers could also provide Mozambique with another channel for building its holdings, although the scale of purchases and their contribution to reserves will depend on the final operating framework.

The bank’s gold reserves increased in value by 65 percent in 2025 to 35.03 billion meticais (pound 467 million), up from 21.21 billion meticais (pound 283 million) in 2024, according to financial statements previously compiled by Lusa. The increase was largely driven by higher international gold prices, while the physical quantity held by the bank remained relatively stable.

The plan also comes as Mozambique considers expanding its gold-processing capacity. In March, the government said investors from the United Arab Emirates had expressed interest in establishing the country’s first gold refinery, using modern technology and international certification standards.

Production recovery expected in 2027

Mozambique expects gold production to rise to 1,809.2 kilograms in 2027 from an estimated 1,255.4 kilograms in 2026, according to the proposed Economic and Social Plan and State Budget for 2027.

‘In the metallic minerals sector, gold stands out, with production potentially increasing by around 44 percent,’ the document states.

If achieved, the forecast would exceed the previous annual production peak of 1,666.4 kilograms recorded in 2023. Gold output rose from 764.4 kilograms in 2021 to 1,263.8 kilograms in 2022 and 1,666.4 kilograms in 2023, before falling to 1,625.8 kilograms in 2024 and 1,349.3 kilograms in 2025.

At current international prices, the projected 2027 output could have a gross value exceeding $230 million. Actual earnings would depend on gold prices, the quality of the output and marketing conditions.

The recovery forecast follows a period of disruption in the mining sector. Gold production fell 17 percent in 2025 to 1,349.3 kilograms, reaching about 82 percent of the annual target. Authorities attributed the decline mainly to the suspension of mining activities in Manica, one of the country’s principal gold-producing regions.

The government has also stepped up oversight of mining operations. According to the 2025 budget execution report, a multisectoral commission was established to tackle illegal mining, monitor degraded mining areas and promote local gold refining before exports.

Output remained under pressure in the first half of 2026, declining 12 percent to 713.33 kilograms, equivalent to 36 percent of the full-year target of 1,723.24 kilograms.

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy attributed the fall to the suspension of mining companies in Niassa as they regularised their licences, alongside continued interruptions to mining activity in Manica.

Purchasing gold locally could give the central bank a more direct way to convert domestic mineral production into reserve assets. However, the strategy’s effectiveness will depend on whether output recovers, how much gold the bank can buy and the terms on which it purchases the metal.

Nigeria has crossed a milestone it spent more than a decade chasing. The 2026 Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) survey by EF InA puts formal financial inclusion at 73 percent, surpassing the national target of 70 percent. Digital financial services have grown even faster, reaching 64.4 percent of adults, up from 45 percent in 2023.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has begun work on the next National Financial Inclusion Strategy, NFIS 4.0, which is expected to emphasise consumer protection, trust, digital safety and financial health. As the strategy takes shape, one risk deserves explicit attention: money mule recruitment. Expanding access must go hand in hand with protecting accounts from criminal exploitation.

Fraud needs somewhere to land.

Public discussions of digital fraud often focus on victims deceived into transferring money. Less attention goes to the accounts receiving stolen funds. Proceeds may pass through multiple accounts, be withdrawn through agents or converted into other assets, making investigations and recovery difficult.

Some accounts belong to people recruited through fake job offers, promises of easy income or requests to receive money for strangers. Others knowingly rent out their accounts. These money mules help criminals receive, move and conceal illicit proceeds. The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit’s 2025 Annual Report describes illicit funds broken into smaller transfers and routed through networks of money mules, including students, small-business owners and relatives, to avoid reporting triggers.

The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) reported that digital payment fraud losses fell 51 percent to ?25.85 billion in 2025, an encouraging development. Yet, it also flagged a 34 percent drop in fraud reporting in the final quarter, warning that unreported incidents allow perpetrators to move between institutions. These figures do not measure mule activity directly, but they show why fraud prevention cannot stop at the initial fraudulent transfer. It must also follow the accounts receiving and moving the money.

Why new customers can be exposed

Money mule recruiters can exploit financial pressure and limited awareness of financial crime. EFInA’s 2026 findings show that only about 31 per cent of formally included adults are financially healthy. Access to an account has not necessarily translated into financial security.

For someone facing economic pressure, quick money for receiving and forwarding funds may seem harmless. Yet the funds could be criminal proceeds, exposing that person to account restrictions, investigations and possible prosecution. New accounts also have limited transaction histories, making unusual activity harder to assess. The challenge is to prevent misuse without unfairly excluding legitimate customers.

Balancing financial inclusion and fraud prevention

This is the policy tension NFIS 4.0 must resolve. Inclusion policy asks institutions to bring more first-time customers into the formal system. Fraud policy increasingly requires them to scrutinise accounts receiving suspicious funds.

Under a circular in force since July, the CBN requires banks, other financial institutions and payment service providers to monitor instant payments for fraud. It also maintains a temporary watchlist for BVNs flagged in suspected fraud. The CBN’s draft guidelines on authorised push payment fraud propose early-warning systems for suspicious accounts and shared reimbursement costs for eligible victims where neither institution is found responsible.

These are sensible measures. But without safeguards, institutions could respond by restricting customers with thin transaction histories, including the very people inclusion initiatives seek to reach. A newly opened account is not suspicious in itself, and irregular income is not evidence of financial crime. Effective prevention should target patterns of misuse, not the characteristics of being new to banking.

What NFIS 4.0 should do?

Strengthen awareness of money mule recruitment. Financial literacy programmes already teach consumers to protect their PINs and recognise suspicious messages. They should also explain the dangers of renting out accounts, receiving money for strangers or accepting job offers that require forwarding funds. These warnings belong in account-opening materials, community outreach and agent banking networks, often a customer’s first contact with formal financial services.

Promote proportionate safeguards. Institutions should examine suspicious patterns, including rapid pass-through transfers, multiple unrelated senders and immediate withdrawals, without excluding customers simply because they lack transaction histories. Such behaviour may justify closer scrutiny, but not automatic conclusions of wrongdoing. Monitoring should respond to activity, not assumptions about customers.

Measure account misuse and prevention outcomes. NFIS 4.0 should track suspected account misuse, confirmed money mule cases and investigation outcomes alongside measures of access and usage. Separating allegations from established findings would help assess whether controls are detecting criminal activity without unfairly penalising new customers.

Protect customers from wrongful restrictions. Early-warning systems will sometimes flag innocent people. Where legally permissible, customers should receive clear notice, prompt reviews and accessible complaint channels when their accounts are restricted. A first-time customer locked out without recourse may lose confidence in formal banking altogether.

Safe for users and safe from misuse

NFIS 4.0’s focus on trust and digital safety should address both sides of the problem: protecting people from being defrauded and preventing their accounts from being used to defraud others. Money mule prevention and safeguards against wrongful exclusion belong in the same strategy.

Inclusion should bring Nigerians into the formal financial system, not into someone else’s fraud.

Lagos State’s efforts to strengthen emergency response capacity are drawing attention to the need for stricter fire safety enforcement, regular inspections and improved prevention measures, as the state recorded 1,685 fire incidents resulting in 133 deaths and estimated property losses of N19.72 billion in 2025.

The scale of the losses highlights the importance of identifying fire hazards before they escalate into emergencies, ensuring compliance with safety regulations and holding relevant parties accountable where negligence or non-compliance is established.

The issue featured prominently at the premiere of Burning Point: Inside Lagos Fires, a documentary produced by CBI News, a subsidiary of Baywood Group, in Lagos on Monday, where government officials and stakeholders called for stronger collaboration on fire prevention, emergency preparedness and institutional accountability.

Emperor Chris Baywood Ibe, founder and executive vice-chairman of Baywood Group, said fire safety should be treated not only as a public safety imperative but also as an economic priority and a critical component of sustainable development.

He said the impact of fire outbreaks extended beyond fatalities and property damage to include destroyed business inventories, disrupted commercial activities, business closures and diminished community confidence.

According to him, the challenge is not simply how emergency responders react when disasters occur, but how institutions and communities can reduce the frequency of incidents and prevent avoidable tragedies.

Ibe raised questions about compliance with building and business safety standards, the effectiveness of regulatory enforcement, the availability of modern emergency equipment and the use of technology, early-warning systems and reliable emergency communications.

He also stressed the need to examine whether lessons from previous fire incidents were translated into corrective action, measurable improvements and institutional accountability.

‘Journalism must do more than reporting the story. It must investigate why it happened, interrogate the systems and circumstances, establish indicative accountabilities and outline what can be done differently to achieve better outcomes in future,’ he said.

He said the documentary was intended to encourage evidence-based scrutiny of fire incidents and stimulate practical discussions on how to strengthen prevention, improve emergency response and address operational deficiencies.

Ibe called for a coordinated approach involving government agencies, regulators, emergency services, property owners, businesses, civil society and the media, noting that effective fire disaster management required sustained investment in modern equipment, professional training, accessible emergency routes, regular safety inspections and public education.

Meanwhile, Margaret Adeseye, director-general of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said the state government had procured 62 operational vehicles and recruited an additional 685 personnel between 2019 and 2023 to strengthen the agency’s emergency response capacity.

Adeseye disclosed this in her keynote address at the event, explaining that the interventions also included expanded fire station coverage, the establishment of zonal headquarters, personnel training and the development of supporting infrastructure.

She said the measures were necessary to meet the growing public safety demands of Lagos, given its expanding commercial, industrial, transportation and residential activities.

According to her, the vehicles comprise fire engines, water tankers, rapid intervention vehicles, maintenance vehicles and hydraulic ladder platforms, which support firefighting, water supply, personnel mobilisation, equipment maintenance and specialised access during emergencies.

However, she stressed that acquiring equipment must be matched with regular maintenance, proper deployment, adequate training and effective operational coordination.

‘The fundamental mandate of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is to save lives and protect property,’ she said.

Adeseye identified firefighting, fire prevention, rescue operations and human resource development as the agency’s core responsibilities, emphasising that prevention remained essential to reducing casualties and economic losses.

‘The best fire incident is the one prevented,’ she said.

She added that the government had supported local and international training programmes to improve the technical competence and professional development of firefighters and rescue personnel.

The director-general also highlighted the construction of a fire and mechanical engineering workshop to support fleet management, vehicle maintenance and operational readiness.

She said the transformation of the Fire Service from a government department into a full-fledged agency represented an important institutional reform aimed at improving its capacity to respond to emergencies.

Adeseye called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, businesses, property owners, professional bodies, communities and the media, stressing that public education, inspections and risk assessments were essential to identifying hazards before they resulted in injuries, deaths or property damage.

She also advocated evidence-based scrutiny of fire incidents to establish their causes, determine whether preventive measures were in place and assess the effectiveness of emergency responses.

According to her, findings from incident investigations should inform resource allocation, personnel training and improvements in prevention and response procedures.

The Service reported that it rescued 473 victims alive and saved property valued at N118.32 billion in 2025, highlighting the importance of effective emergency response alongside preventive measures.

Ibe urged stakeholders to move beyond general expressions of concern and develop specific recommendations on regulatory compliance, emergency response capacity, accountability and public awareness.

He said the success of the initiative should ultimately be measured by the lives protected, losses prevented, systems strengthened and tragedies averted.

The documentary premiere brought together government representatives, fire service officials, public safety professionals, business leaders and media practitioners to discuss ways of improving fire prevention and emergency preparedness in Lagos.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) has released its Unaudited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements as of September 30, 2026, to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE).

The Group posted a Profit Before Tax of N879.9 billion, driven by sustained growth across its core earnings lines, with interest income, fees and commission income and trading income growing year-on-year by 5 percent, 1.4 percent and 3.1 percent respectively.

This resilient performance was delivered despite a N87.9 billion fair value loss recognised in the period, with PBT moderating slightly by 2.3 percent from N900.8 billion in Q3 2025.

The Group’s Total Assets grew by 3.5 percent to N18.37 trillion (December 2025: N17.76 trillion), while Shareholders’ Funds closed at N3.5 trillion.

Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very strong at 34.2 percent (Bank: 33.9 percent), and asset quality improved, with IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans closing at 4 percent at Group level (FY 2025: 5 percent) and 3.4 percent at Bank level (FY 2025: 3.4 percent).

Cost of Risk (COR) also improved to 0.9 percent from 2.2 percent over the same period, while coverage for credit-impaired loans closed at 130.7 percent (FY 2025: 106.9 percent).

Deposit liabilities grew by 8.6 percent from N12.87 trillion in December 2025 to N13.98 trillion in September 2026, reflecting the continued strength of the Group’s deposit franchise, while the net loan book moderated by 4.1 percent to N3 trillion, in line with the Group’s disciplined approach to risk asset creation.

Earnings quality also improved, with funded income rising to 77.8 percent of gross earnings and net core earnings growing by 4.4 percent to N1.505 trillion, while Profit After Tax closed at N614.6 billion (Q3 2025: N699.6 billion), reflecting changes to Companies Income Tax regulation which affected capital allowance reliefs.

The Group continues to maintain a well-structured, healthy, liquid and diversified balance sheet across all the jurisdictions where it operates a banking franchise, as well as across its Payments, Pension and Funds Management businesses.

Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc said: ‘Our performance in the Q3 reflects the strength of a franchise built on scale, efficiency and discipline. Despite a challenging operating environment and significant fair value losses in the period, our core earnings continued to grow, our deposit base expanded strongly, our cost efficiency remains among the best in the industry, and our balance sheet remains strong, liquid and well capitalised.

‘Looking ahead, we will always optimise risk-free returns wherever we see them and will always be positioned to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities as market conditions evolve, without compromising the quality of our risk assets. We will also continue to evolve our platforms and adapt to new technologies to meet the changing needs of our customers, as we remain focused on delivering sustainable value and superior returns to our shareholders.’

GTCO noted that the Group continues to post some of the best metrics in the Nigerian Financial Services Industry, with a Pre-Tax Return on Average Equity (ROAE) of 34 percent, Pre-Tax Return on Average Assets (ROAA) of 6.5 percent, Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 34.2 percent and Cost-to-Income Ratio of 31.2 percent.

The Oyo State Government has expressed its readiness to strengthen collaboration with relevant stakeholders and professional bodies to promote preventive counselling and other interventions aimed at curbing drug abuse, delinquent behaviours and other social vices among young people in the State.

Olusegun Olayiwola, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, stated this when he received members of the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria (CPCN) in his office, emphasising the importance of preventive counselling in schools as a strategic measure for safeguarding the future of school-age children.

Olayiwola noted that the State Government would welcome initiatives capable of positively impacting the lives of young people, particularly those designed to prevent students from engaging in behaviours that could jeopardise their education, wellbeing and future prospects.

He disclosed that efforts would be made to fast-track the establishment of a dedicated Counselling Department within the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, elevating it from its current status as a unit under a department.

The Commissioner also expressed the Ministry’s readiness to pursue the domestication of the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria Act, 2022, in Oyo State, noting that this would strengthen the regulation and accessibility of professional counselling services across various sectors.

According to him, the domestication of the Act would provide a stronger framework for integrating counselling services into the education, health, social welfare and public service systems of the State, while aligning state-level practices with the national regulatory framework.

He stressed that effective counselling services were essential to identifying challenges confronting young people early, providing appropriate interventions and guiding them towards responsible and productive lifestyles.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bamidele Oyinloye, charged counsellors to demonstrate greater passion, commitment and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Oyinloye urged counsellors to remain proactive and resilient despite the challenges they might encounter in the course of their responsibilities, particularly in schools, noting that a more responsive counselling system would contribute significantly to improving students’ academic performance, behaviour and overall wellbeing.

Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Ayo Hammed, Professor and the Director, Counselling Institute of Nigeria, as well as the leader of the delegation, explained that the CPCN Act, 2022, establishes the Counselling Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria as the statutory regulator of the counselling profession in Nigeria.

He said the Council was responsible for setting professional standards, registering qualified practitioners, maintaining a register of practitioners, regulating professional conduct and taking disciplinary measures where necessary, adding that the Act provides a national framework for the practice of counselling in Nigeria.

Hammed further explained that domestication of the Act in Oyo State would enable state mechanisms to translate national professional standards into effective recruitment, service delivery, training and monitoring of counselling practitioners.

He noted that a coordinated approach would also make professional counselling services more accessible across public institutions, including schools, hospitals, community centres and social welfare agencies.

According to him, other benefits of domesticating the Act include stronger professional recognition and clearer standards of practice, improved safeguards against unqualified practice and professional misconduct, as well as the potential expansion of counselling services across various sectors of the State.

He therefore called for continued collaboration between the State Government and relevant professional stakeholders towards strengthening counselling services and ensuring that young people receive timely guidance and support.

Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has reaffirmed its commitment to reactivate oil exploration in Borno State following a recent halt in activities.

The oil exploration firm also pledged to work with the State government and local communities to ensure oil exploration activities in the basin, which comprises seven local councils.

NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bashir Olujari, gave the assurance when its board of directors, led by Ahmadu Musa Kida, Non-Executive Chairman, paid a courtesy visit to Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, at the Maiduguri Government House on Wednesday.

The high-level meeting featured discussions on the company’s proposed oil exploration projects in the state, including a solar power initiative in the basin.

Zulum, therefore, assured the company of the state government’s support, saying that adequate security measures were in place to protect exploration activities.

He disclosed that the suspension of exploration was not due to insecurity, saying that an adequate workforce, including soldiers, police officers, and CJTF, had been deployed to protect the sites and equipment.

The governor said the state government remained committed to working with NNPC but urged the company to honour its initial agreement to supply gas for the operations.

According to him, the gas supply was later discontinued, leading to the suspension of the oil exploration work in the state.

Zulum expressed concern that equipment had remained at the exploration sites for more than two years, saying that upgrading it would facilitate the continuation of operations.

He welcomed the proposed solar power project, stating that additional solar plants could help ease the burden of rising fuel prices on residents.

Members of the NNPCL delegation included the Executive Vice President, Upstream, Udy Ntia, and the Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekon Ogunleye.