Gombe Student Maryam Dan-Azumi Wins N120m in Historic Saudi Qur’anic Competition

Maryam Ibrahim Dan-Azumi has emerged as the winner of the second category at the 46th King Abdulaziz International Qur’an Recitation Competition in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, giving Nigeria a notable success at one of the world’s major Qur’anic competitions.

The Gombe State student recorded 97.70 marks in the category covering memorisation of the entire Holy Qur’an with Tafsir. The category also assessed recitation and Tajweed. Her first-place finish came with a prize reportedly valued at N120m.

There was an added dimension to Maryam’s victory especially as the 2026 edition was the first in the competition’s 46-year history to admit female contestants. She not only became part of that first female cohort but finished at the top of her category while representing Nigeria.

Maryam’s record did not begin in Makkah as her Qur’anic training was developed at the Abubakar Siddiq Community School for Qur’an Memorisation in Herwagana Quarters, Gombe, and she had established a strong competitive record in Nigeria before her international appearance.

In February 2024, she won the National Qur’an Recitation Competition of Nana Asma’u. She subsequently took first place in the female category at the 40th National Qur’anic Recitation Competition in Maiduguri, Borno State, where she scored 97.70 marks in the memorisation of the entire Qur’an with Tafsir. The prizes from that competition included a brand-new Toyota Corolla and an Umrah seat, among others.

Her rise through the competition circuit followed a steady path, beginning at the local government level, advancing through Gombe State and national competitions, and culminating in her representation of Nigeria in Makkah.

Maryam is also pursuing a university degree as a final-year student of Physics Education at Gombe State University, placing her Qur’anic scholarship alongside formal academic training.

Her family has its own record of international Qur’anic distinction. Her elder sister, Hajara Ibrahim Dan-Azumi, won the 18th Hashemite Jordan International Qur’anic Competition for Females in Jordan in 2024.

Hajara’s victory was followed by a reported gesture from Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, who gifted her a car and paid her university scholarship fees in full. She studied Botany and has completed her university education.

Maryam’s victory has now put both sisters among the winners of major international Qur’anic competitions, with Hajara succeeding in Jordan and Maryam following in Saudi Arabia.

President Bola Tinubu congratulated Maryam on Friday, describing her performance as a source of pride for Nigeria. He praised her commitment to Qur’anic scholarship and noted the connection between her achievement and Hajara’s earlier international victory.

The President described the sisters as an inspiration to young Nigerians and said their accomplishments had brought honour to the country.

Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya also congratulated Maryam, her family, teachers and the Muslim community. He described the result as a source of pride for Gombe State and Nigeria.

“I am deeply proud of our daughter’s exceptional achievement on the global stage. Maryam’s triumph exemplifies the excellence and rich educational heritage of Gombe State,” Yahaya said.

Yahaya said he expected to receive and personally honour Maryam when she returns to Nigeria.

Maryam’s achievement now stands on its own remarkable record: a 97.70 score, a first-place finish, a N120m prize and a place in the history of the King Abdulaziz International Qur’an Recitation Competition at the moment female contestants were admitted for the first time in 46 years.

From a Qur’anic school in Herwagana Quarters to the winner’s podium in Makkah, Maryam’s journey has put a Nigerian name at the centre of a historic chapter.

In Makkah, Maryam did not simply compete for Nigeria, she won for Nigeria.

Nigerian-Born ‘London Bus Aunty’ Gets London Bus Stop Named in Her Honour

A Nigerian-born nurse and social media personality, Bemi Orojuogun, popularly known as “London Bus Aunty,” has received a remarkable honour in the United Kingdom, with a London bus stop named in recognition of her connection to the city’s famous transport network.

Orojuogun announced the recognition on social media on Wednesday, sharing her excitement at seeing a bus stop bearing her name. In a video, she expressed her appreciation to Transport for London (TfL) and the people who work behind the scenes to keep London’s extensive transport system running.

“Bus Aunty have her own bus stop. My goodness, I’m very lucky. Thank you so much, TfL. I love you guys. I love everyone that works so hard on behalf of all Londoners,” she said.

TfL responded to her post with a simple but significant message: “What an honour for us.”

The recognition is a fitting moment for a woman whose public identity has become closely associated with London’s iconic red buses.

From nurse to London’s ‘Bus Aunty’

Orojuogun has lived in the United Kingdom for more than three decades and works as a nurse. Alongside her professional career, she has developed a distinctive presence on social media through videos featuring London buses and her interactions with the city's transport environment.

Her content, often showing her posing in front of passing red buses, has attracted millions of views across social media platforms. What began around an everyday feature of London life gradually developed into a recognisable personal brand, earning her the affectionate name “London Bus Aunty.”

Her appeal lies in the simplicity and personality of her content. Rather than presenting London through the usual tourist attractions, Orojuogun has made the city's buses, streets and everyday transport experience part of her storytelling.

Her videos have connected with audiences far beyond London, particularly Nigerians and members of the African diaspora who follow her distinctive take on life in Britain.

Her meeting with Andy Burnham

Her growing visibility has also taken her beyond social media.

Orojuogun previously attracted attention after meeting Andy Burnham in Bath during an event surrounding the announcement of a £2 single bus fare in England.

The encounter reflected another dimension of her public profile: she had moved from simply being a social media personality fascinated by buses to becoming a recognisable voice around public transport and the everyday experiences of passengers.

That connection with the transport sector has now reached an extraordinary point, with her name being associated with a London bus stop.

A recognition built around something ordinary

There is something particularly fitting about the honour.

For years, London buses have been central to Orojuogun's online identity. The distinctive red vehicles became the backdrop for her videos, while her cheerful personality turned ordinary bus journeys and roadside encounters into content that people wanted to watch and share.

Millions of views later, the same transport network has now returned the gesture by celebrating her connection to it.

Orojuogun also used her announcement to praise TfL employees, acknowledging the work that takes place behind the scenes to keep London moving. Her message showed that the recognition was not only about her own achievement but also about the people responsible for maintaining the transport system used by millions of Londoners every day.

A Nigerian story in an unexpected place

Orojuogun's journey is another example of the many ways Nigerians are building identities and making an impact around the world.

Her story is especially distinctive because it did not emerge from a conventional celebrity career. She is a nurse by profession who developed a large social media following around her love of London buses and everyday life in the city.

That combination of professional life, personality and consistency transformed an ordinary interest into a recognisable public identity.

Today, “London Bus Aunty” is no longer simply a social media nickname. It has become a name associated with a Nigerian woman who has spent more than 30 years in Britain and built a remarkable connection with one of London's most recognisable institutions.

Having a bus stop named in her honour therefore carries a symbolism that goes beyond a sign on a London street.

The woman who spent years standing beside London's buses, creating videos and entertaining millions has now become part of the story of the city's transport landscape herself.

For Bemi Orojuogun, the London bus stop is a memorable milestone. For Nigerians watching her journey, it is another reminder that impact can come from the most unexpected places, sometimes from simply finding something you love and giving it your own identity.

Victoria Oluwakotanmi: The Former US Navy Officer Now Wearing the Miss Grand USA Crown

Victoria Oluwakotanmi has added an international pageant title to a remarkable journey that has taken her from a Nigerian-American upbringing in Texas to the United States Navy Reserve, higher education, youth mentorship and now the Miss Grand USA crown.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Oluwakotanmi is the daughter of Nigerian immigrants. She has spoken publicly about growing up in a Nigerian-American family and the influence of her heritage on her identity.

Her rise to the title took an unexpected turn. At the Miss Grand USA final on August 10, 2026, Oluwakotanmi finished as first runner-up while Mekayla Li was crowned winner. The Miss Grand USA organisation later terminated Li’s reign and released her from the title and its associated duties. Oluwakotanmi was subsequently elevated to Miss Grand USA 2026. She will represent the United States at the Miss Grand International pageant.

However, the woman now wearing the crown had already built a distinctive record before entering the pageant spotlight. In March 2019, Oluwakotanmi enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve as a Logistics Specialist. She has been associated with the Naval Operational Support Center San Antonio at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. Her military service became a notable part of her public profile as a young Black woman who served in the US armed forces.

Alongside her Navy career, she pursued chemical engineering at Northwest Vista College. Her commitment to education also has a personal dimension. In 2018, she and her family established the Oluwakotanmi Promise in honour of her late grandmother. According to Oluwakotanmi’s public accounts, her grandmother was denied the opportunity to attend college because of her gender.

The scholarship and mentorship programme was created to help young people access education, guidance and other opportunities. Oluwakotanmi has continued to share the progress of its beneficiaries, including members of its first cohort who graduated from high school in 2026.

Her entry into pageantry came in February 2020, when she competed in Miss Black San Antonio. It was her first pageant, and she entered without the extensive preparation commonly associated with beauty competitions.

The experience opened a new path as she later held the Miss Grand Illinois title and competed in Miss Texas USA as an at-large contestant before reaching the Miss Grand USA stage.

The crown may have arrived through an unexpected change in circumstances, but Oluwakotanmi’s story extends well beyond the pageant result. Her journey brings together Nigerian heritage, military service, academic pursuit, community development and a growing presence in international pageantry.

Now, as Miss Grand USA 2026, she moves onto the global stage carrying a background shaped by service, education and a commitment to creating opportunities for others.

Nigeria’s New Digital Postcode Set to Transform Addressing From October 1

From October 1, 2026, Nigeria will begin deploying a National Digital Alphanumeric Postcode System designed to give individual buildings unique digital location identities.

The move replaces the limitations of the existing six-digit postcode system, which generally identifies areas rather than specific buildings. Each addressable building will receive an 11-character code covering five levels: State, LGA, District, Area and Building. NIPOST’s example is FC 02 A09 DB 09, with FC representing the Federal Capital Territory.

The GIS-enabled system links each code to a mapped location and is intended to support far more than mail delivery. E-commerce, banking, identity verification, emergency response, policing, social intervention programmes and government services could all use the same location reference.

NIPOST estimates that weaknesses in Nigeria’s current addressing system contribute between N50 billion and N80 billion in annual losses through missed first deliveries and failed shipments. For Nigerians, the change would mean replacing directions such as “opposite the filling station” or “after the second junction” with a code that identifies the exact building.

Postmaster General Tola Odeyemi said the system will account for Nigeria’s diverse geography. Mapping models will differ between states because of variations in terrain, population distribution and building density, while postcode areas will follow existing administrative boundaries and remain within individual Local Government Areas.

The service is expected to be accessible through digital platforms, mobile apps and USSD. NIPOST is also developing an AI-powered routing feature to help logistics companies estimate delivery costs and timelines.

The financial sector could benefit through stronger address verification. Odeyemi has identified know-your-customer checks as a key application, with verified postcodes potentially linked to National Identification Numbers. Emergency services, policing and social programmes could similarly use more precise location information.

The project follows years of attempts to modernise Nigeria’s addressing infrastructure. The digital addressing push began in 2009 under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. NIPOST later partnered with what3words in 2017, launched the Address Verification System and Digital Addressing System in 2018, collaborated with the Nigerian Communications Commission on SIM-related address verification in 2020, and signed an MoU with the National Population Commission in 2022 to digitise the postcode system.

A promised full digital postcode system for June 2023 did not materialise, although NIPOST conducted an Abuja pilot that helped refine the model now being deployed.

This time, the agency is building on existing national mapping data rather than starting from scratch. Information from the Office of the Surveyor General, the National Population Commission and the National Space Research and Development Agency is being incorporated, including the NPC’s Enumeration Area Demarcation exercise conducted between 2014 and 2022.

That exercise digitally mapped buildings, roads, footpaths and waterways across Nigeria, providing an important foundation for the new system.

Data protection remains a consideration as precise building locations become part of a national database. Odeyemi has said ownership rests with the Federal Republic of Nigeria through NIPOST, while access will operate under a tiered framework developed with the National Data Protection Commission. Some information will be public, some restricted, and sensitive data available to authorised institutions through appropriate agreements.

October 1 will mark the start of the major rollout, not an instant nationwide activation. Large population centres will be prioritised, with Odeyemi saying in July that more than 90% of the country was expected to have been captured by launch day. NIPOST is targeting completion across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory by December 2026, with eventual coverage of all 774 Local Government Areas.

Field teams are currently validating aerial mapping against conditions on the ground. Nigerians can already search for postcodes through postcode.gov.ng, while NIPOST is finalising a developer portal for businesses, logistics companies and technology platforms. Startups, enterprises and government agencies can submit expressions of interest for integration.

If successfully implemented, the system could fundamentally change how Nigerians identify their locations. A building that once required landmarks, verbal directions or a phone call to find would have a standard digital identity recognised by banks, businesses, emergency services and government agencies.

Nigeria is therefore not simply changing its postcode format but building a digital location infrastructure that would make it easier to locate people, deliver services and connect physical addresses to the country's growing digital economy.

Dr. Gideon Christian’s Research Helps Modernize Canada’s 130-Year-Old Evidence Law

A Nigerian-born legal scholar at the University of Calgary has achieved a significant academic and judicial milestone after research on digital evidence was cited by Canada’s highest court in a landmark ruling.

Dr. Gideon Christian, an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, contributed scholarship that the Supreme Court of Canada relied upon as it reconsidered one of the country’s longstanding rules governing the destruction and concealment of evidence.

The development is particularly significant because the legal doctrine at the centre of the case had remained largely untouched for approximately 130 years.

The Supreme Court addressed the issue in its July 31 judgment in SS&C Technologies Canada Corp. v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., using the case to establish a uniform four-part test for determining when spoliation has occurred and to clarify what can happen when a party intentionally destroys or conceals evidence relevant to a legal dispute.

Christian’s contribution came from research that anticipated a problem created by the transformation of record-keeping itself.

His 2022 paper in the Alberta Law Review, titled “A ‘Century’ Overdue: Revisiting the Doctrine of Spoliation in the Age of Electronic Documents,” examined how a legal principle developed in an era of physical records could function in a world where evidence is increasingly digital.

Today, information can be distributed across computers, mobile phones, servers and other systems. Records may also disappear through automated deletion or routine data-retention procedures, creating circumstances that could scarcely have been contemplated when the doctrine was developed in the 19th century.

That technological shift was central to the Supreme Court’s consideration of how Canadian spoliation law should operate.

The Court drew on Christian’s scholarship while examining the need to update the doctrine for electronic evidence. His research also featured in the Court’s discussion of the preservation obligation underlying its new test and the application of remedies that can be tailored and proportionate to individual circumstances.

His scholarship had already entered the judicial record before reaching Canada’s highest court, having been cited by the Ontario Court of Appeal as the case moved through the appellate process.

The Supreme Court’s decision now gives greater consistency to an area of law in which lower courts had previously adopted different formulations of the applicable test and varied approaches to remedies.

Yet the judgment deliberately leaves some questions for future consideration which include whether negligent destruction of evidence can amount to spoliation and whether spoliation should be recognized under Canadian law as an independent tort.

For Christian, the ruling extends beyond the technical development of evidence law. Its central lesson, he argues, is that a litigant should not be allowed to benefit from an absence of evidence that the party deliberately created.

He also sees the decision as a reminder that evidence preservation can no longer be treated as an issue that begins only after litigation has commenced.

Organizations, lawyers and litigants increasingly operate in environments containing vast and complex digital records. How those records are managed, retained and protected can ultimately affect the integrity of legal proceedings.

Christian’s research therefore speaks to a greater transformation in the justice system: laws built around physical documents must increasingly account for the realities of digital information.

For the scholar himself, the Supreme Court’s reliance on his work represents an extraordinary professional achievement.

“For any legal scholar, seeing your work cited by the courts is a great honour; but to have that work cited by the country’s highest court is one of the most significant forms of scholarly recognition. It is both humbling and, for me, a career-defining moment,” Christian said.

The journey of his research from an academic paper to consideration by Canada’s highest court illustrates the practical influence that rigorous scholarship can have on the development of law.

In this case, research examining how evidence survives and disappears in the digital age has helped inform a major judicial effort to bring a centuries-old legal principle into the realities of modern record-keeping.

Nigeria’s Single Window Processes N11.27bn in Five Months

Nigeria’s National Single Window has processed 114,122 licences and permits and facilitated N11.27bn in payments since the platform’s Phase One rollout began on March 27, 2026.

The figures, covering the period through August 17, point to a substantial volume of trade-related regulatory activity moving onto the digital platform, which is designed to bring traders, government agencies and other players in the import and export chain onto one system.

A total of 10,818 importers and agents have registered, while more than 8,000 users have been trained. Five Ministries, Departments and Agencies are fully onboarded.

The strongest transaction activity has come from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria. SON has completed its readiness requirements and recorded 100 per cent platform usage compliance. Its licences, permits, certificates and other regulatory documents component accounted for 78,957 processed documents and N9.02bn in payments.

NAFDAC recorded the next highest volume, with 34,815 documents processed and N2.20bn in payments. The National Agricultural Quarantine Service handled 38 documents and received N30m, while the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency processed 311 documents and recorded N10m in payments.

The aviation sector has also moved rapidly into the system. Twenty-four of the 27 airlines have been onboarded, with 2,139 air cargo manifests transmitted through the platform. Compliance for air cargo manifests stands at 89 per cent.

Shipping lines present a different pictur as only 23 of 88 shipping lines have been onboarded, and 43 manifests have been transmitted, leaving shipping-line cargo manifest compliance at 26 per cent.

The Nigeria Customs Service, importers, freight forwarders and clearing agents have attained full readiness for the relevant National Single Window processes. The platform recorded 100 per cent compliance for NCS licences, permits, certificates and other regulatory documents, although the reporting framework marked the number of documents and payments processed under that category as not applicable.

Two major maritime institutions have also completed their readiness requirements. The Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency are prepared for the system, with their operational integration still being worked through.

The rollout comes as Nigeria prepares to enter Phase Two of the National Single Window programme. The next stage is intended to cut paperwork, improve transparency, reduce cargo clearance times and tighten the connection between traders, regulators and other participants in the country’s trade processes.

The early numbers give the programme a sizeable base to build on: 114,122 licences and permits processed, N11.27bn in payments facilitated, 10,818 importers and agents registered and more than 8,000 users trained within the first five months.

The remaining task is broader adoption, particularly across the maritime sector, and the completion of operational integration for agencies that have already met the platform’s readiness requirements. If that expansion keeps pace, the Single Window could become a central point for handling the regulatory transactions that underpin Nigeria’s trade with the rest of the world.

Osun’s Green Transition Wins Adeleke Top Leadership Award

Osun State’s push into renewable energy, sustainable transport, recycling and climate-focused development has earned Governor Ademola Adeleke a Green Leadership Award at the 1st International and 3rd National Women Green Summit and Exhibition 2026 (WIGSE-26) in Lagos.

The honour, presented by the Women in Renewable Energy Association (WIRE-A), recognises the state’s efforts to advance climate action, environmental sustainability and a green economy.

At the centre of Osun’s strategy are four major policy frameworks: the Osun State Climate Action Plan, Renewable Energy Policy, Circular Economy Action Plan and Climate-Smart Investment Portfolio.

The state has backed these policies with practical interventions, including the operationalisation of a recycling hub, recycling and waste-to-wealth programmes, ecosystem restoration projects and initiatives to promote cleaner transportation.

Its renewable-energy drive also includes the IMOLE solar lantern initiative, designed to improve access to clean and reliable lighting for students, while electric-motorbike initiatives form part of the state’s sustainable transportation agenda.

Adeleke was represented at WIGSE-26 by the Director-General and Special Envoy on Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Professor Chinwe Obuaku-Igwe, who received the award and delivered the Governor’s goodwill message.

She said Osun’s approach connects environmental responsibility with economic opportunity, arguing that climate policies should produce tangible benefits for citizens.

“Climate action must translate into opportunities for our people. It must create jobs, strengthen livelihoods, expand energy access, encourage innovation and build a more resilient economy,” she said.

Obuaku-Igwe also highlighted the importance of women and young people in Africa’s transition to a green economy. She identified access to finance, technology, skills, markets and supportive public policies as essential to helping women-led green enterprises grow.

The state welcomed the summit’s emphasis on policy reform and capital mobilisation for women’s participation in the sector, noting that the agenda aligns with Osun’s efforts to attract green investment and expand renewable energy and circular economy initiatives.

Obuaku-Igwe reaffirmed the government’s readiness to work with investors, development institutions, private-sector organisations, researchers and other stakeholders to scale climate-smart projects and create additional opportunities for women and young people.

She commended WIRE-A for bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders to advance discussions around Africa’s green economy.

“Women are not merely beneficiaries but critical drivers of Africa’s green transition,” she said.

The award provides fresh recognition for Osun’s effort to make sustainability part of its wider development agenda, linking cleaner energy and environmental protection with employment, innovation, investment and improved livelihoods.

University of Ibadan Rises as Nigeria’s Top-Ranked University in July 2026 Global Ranking

The University of Ibadan has taken the lead among Nigerian universities in the latest Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, placing the institution ahead of the University of Lagos and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

The July 2026 edition ranks UI 1,291st in the world, making it Nigeria’s highest-ranked university out of 32,148 universities and higher education institutions assessed globally.

The result puts one of Nigeria’s oldest universities at the front of the country’s higher-education landscape, with its performance measured against institutions across the world.

The University of Lagos secured second place nationally, ranking 1,355th globally, while the University of Nigeria, Nsukka came third among Nigerian institutions and 1,397th worldwide.

Covenant University, Ota, maintained a strong position in the national ranking, coming fourth in Nigeria and 1,522nd globally. Landmark University followed at 1,659th, while the University of Ilorin occupied the sixth position nationally with a global ranking of 1,883rd.

Nigeria’s top 10 also included Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Port Harcourt and the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

The Webometrics ranking, published twice each year, looks beyond conventional academic measures. Its assessment considers indicators connected to an institution’s online visibility, openness and research excellence, including the accessibility of academic resources, digital presence and the reach and influence of research.

For Nigerian universities, the latest standings offer another indication of the growing importance of digital visibility and the global accessibility of research and academic resources.

At the international level, Harvard University retained the number-one position. Stanford University came second, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Oxford and the University of Washington.

While UI’s 1,291st global position leaves Nigeria’s leading institution outside the global top 1,000, its rise to the top of the national table represents a notable showing for Nigerian higher education on an assessment covering more than 32,000 institutions worldwide.

The July 2026 ranking therefore places the University of Ibadan at the head of Nigeria’s university system, with UNILAG and UNN completing the country’s top three.

United Nigeria Airlines Pledges N20m to Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction

United Nigeria Airlines has pledged N20 million to the Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction, committing N2 million each year to the Association of Nigerian Authors for the next 10 years.

The commitment was announced on Tuesday by the airline's Executive Chairman, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, after discussions with ANA President, Dr Usman Akanbi.

The prize, established in 2021 by the Anambra State Government in partnership with the Association of Nigerian Authors, bears the name of a writer whose work changed the place of African literature in the world.

For Okonkwo, that alone makes its preservation worth the commitment.

“Prof Achebe is too precious in our consciousness for the award to continue to suffer the current epileptic funding,” he said.

He said Achebe's influence extended well beyond his novels and essays, pointing to his lectures, speeches, intellectual activism, ethical conduct and interventions in public affairs.

“Very few men and women of letters and culture in recent history have brought as much attention and honour to the black race and the African world as the great Achebe through his writings, lectures, speeches, intellectual activism, ethical conduct, and intermittent interventions in political affairs which has made him an authentic conscience of the Nigerian people,” Okonkwo said.

Akanbi described the airline's intervention as patriotic and said it would help protect an important part of Nigeria's literary heritage.

“We are immensely grateful to Prof. Okonkwo and his airline for their patriotic intervention,” he said.

Achebe's place in the history of ANA is equally significant. He founded the Association of Nigerian Authors in 1981 at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and became its first president.

Akanbi recalled that the late writer was not only a world-class raconteur and essayist but also the person who gave the association its early institutional foundation.

“Prof was not just a world-class raconteur and essayist, but also the ANA founder who started our association in 1981 at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka and accepted to serve as its first president, thus giving it the credibility and platform that has made the association highly respected beyond Nigeria's shores,” he said.

The sponsorship is not UNA's first gesture in honour of Achebe. In June, the airline named one of its newly acquired Boeing 737-800NG aircraft after the literary icon. The other aircraft was named after the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe.

The new 10-year commitment brings the airline's support for the Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction into a long-term arrangement, ensuring that the award can continue to recognise writers under the name of a Nigerian whose work remains a defining part of African literature.

Nigerian Technologist Joins 30 Global Rising Stars Shaping the Future of Learning

A career that has taken him from visual art and science to classroom teaching, digital learning and artificial intelligence has earned Nigerian learning technologist and independent learning consultant Mustapha Salaudeen a place among 30 young professionals recognised globally for advancing the future of learning.

Salaudeen is the only Nigerian and African selected for The Learning Guild’s 2026 Thirty Under 30 programme, which highlights emerging professionals making significant contributions to learning and development.

His recognition comes as artificial intelligence and digital technologies reshape how organisations train employees, how educators deliver knowledge and how people acquire new skills.

Salaudeen's professional journey began in visual art and design before he trained as a scientist and later worked as a classroom teacher. He eventually moved into learning experience design, developing multimedia-based learning solutions that combine technology, behavioural science and design.

His experience includes working with multinational organisation Sky on workplace learning initiatives, as well as contributing to projects involving Google-powered learning campaigns.

Through Upskill Universe, he worked on the redesign of a Google-powered training campaign for policymakers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The wider programme has trained more than 18,000 small and medium-sized enterprises since its inception.

He has also pursued independent initiatives, including Listening Trivia, a personal project designed to improve learning engagement and assessment.

Artificial intelligence has become another important part of his work. At AI for Global Education, a UK-based non-profit organisation, Salaudeen leads the development of an AI literacy curriculum for higher education. The course series currently reaches 58 institutions across 14 countries.

His broad experience across design, science, education and technology has shaped an approach that connects the technical possibilities of AI and digital platforms with the way people learn and develop skills.

The Learning Guild created the Thirty Under 30 programme to recognise young professionals contributing to the learning and development industry. Salaudeen's selection places his work alongside that of emerging specialists from around the world at a time when the sector is undergoing rapid technological change.

For him, the honour carries a significance that goes beyond professional recognition.

“It is a validation I’d long waited for; validation that I can do it too, that certain positions are not barricaded against me, and that I can inspire the next person to keep at what they believe in,” he said.

He hopes the achievement will also encourage young Nigerians and Africans pursuing emerging careers to build their skills and consider opportunities outside conventional professional paths.

“To be recognised as one of only 30 people under the age of 30 making giant strides in learning design and technology is not just an achievement for me,” he said.

As organisations and educational institutions continue adapting to artificial intelligence, the ability to combine technology with effective learning strategies is becoming increasingly valuable. Salaudeen's work reflects that emerging demand, particularly through his efforts to advance AI literacy in higher education and technology-driven learning in the workplace.

The 2026 Thirty Under 30 programme will culminate at DevLearn in November in Las Vegas, where Salaudeen will join the other honourees to celebrate emerging professionals in learning and development.

His selection as the only Nigerian and African in the cohort offers a fresh international spotlight on Nigerian expertise in fields that are helping define the future of education, workforce development and technology.

From design and science to teaching, learning technology and AI, Salaudeen's journey demonstrates how diverse skills can converge into a career with global relevance.

Dangote Refinery Draws $1bn Institutional Backing Ahead of IPO

The planned Initial Public Offering of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has received a $1bn underwriting programme, creating a substantial institutional funding base around one of Nigeria’s biggest industrial investments.

The arrangement consists of a $600m private placement that has been completed and funded, alongside a $400m underwriting commitment for the proposed IPO. Marob Strategies and Consulting DIFC Ltd and Lilium Capital Group structured the programme.

Pan-African Refinery Investment SPV, a subsidiary of Lilium Capital Group, underwrote and funded the $600m private placement and provided the additional $400m commitment.

The focus has now shifted to investor distribution. Marob Strategies and Lilium Capital are engaging sovereign wealth funds, governments, institutional investors and other eligible investors across Global Africa, including African and Caribbean institutions.

The advisers said the response has been strong, reflecting institutional interest in large-scale African assets with the capacity to generate long-term economic value.

By directing institutional funds towards a major Nigerian industrial asset, the programme is expected to stimulate intra-African capital flows and contribute to a more integrated African capital market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Industries Limited, said the transaction represented an important milestone for both the refinery and African capital markets.

“This is an important milestone for DPRP and for African capital markets,” Dangote said.

He said the completed placement and underwriting commitment demonstrate confidence in the refinery’s strategic role, while creating room for participation by African and Caribbean sovereign wealth funds, governments and institutional investors across Global Africa.

Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, Chairman of Marob Strategies, said the deal demonstrates the potential for African-led capital-market transactions to connect institutional investors with transformative assets on the continent.

He said Marob Strategies is pursuing disciplined distribution across Global Africa and engaging the investor groups targeted by the programme.

“The level of interest confirms the appetite for African-led capital markets transactions that provide investors with access to transformative assets on the continent,” Oramah said.

He added that the transaction could help open the way for more deals of a similar nature.

For Simon Tiemtoré, Chairman of Lilium Capital Group, the refinery transaction forms part of the firm’s effort to connect major African opportunities with institutional investors in Global Africa and international markets.

“This mandate reflects Lilium Capital’s commitment to connecting world-class African opportunities with institutional investors across Global Africa and international markets,” Tiemtoré said.

He said mobilising long-term funding for strategic projects such as the Dangote refinery supports industrialisation, strengthens capital markets and contributes to sustainable economic growth across Africa.

The $1bn programme therefore combines immediate financing already secured with additional backing for the refinery’s proposed market debut. As distribution continues, the transaction is set to bring a wider pool of institutional capital into a major Nigerian industrial project while testing the depth of investor demand for African-led assets.

Three Civil Servants Honoured for Transforming Public Service

Excellence within Nigeria’s public service has received fresh recognition as three civil servants whose work spans education, institutional reform and public-sector accountability have been honoured by the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation.

The recognition was presented on Saturday at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, through the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Memorial Endowment Fund, which was established to celebrate public servants whose dedication, professionalism and contributions are helping to improve the delivery of government services.

This year’s honourees include Abumoye Ayo Emmanuel, Anthony Okechukwu Ogwo and Ochoche Emmanuel Peter, with each recognised for a distinct contribution to strengthening public administration in Nigeria.

Emmanuel, a senior education officer at the Federal Ministry of Education, received the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award for his contribution to education reform, innovation and youth development. He was also presented with a cash award of N500,000.

Ogwo, an assistant chief education officer at the Federal Ministry of Education, was recognised with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation EPIC Award. His recognition was linked to his role in advancing initiatives designed to improve efficiency, accountability and citizen-centred service delivery within the ministry.

The same award went to Peter, an assistant director at the Ministry of Regional Development, for his pioneering contribution to the development and implementation of Nigeria’s federal civil service reform frameworks. Ogwo and Peter each received N250,000.

Beyond the financial rewards, the recognition places attention on the often technical and sustained work required to make Nigeria’s public institutions more effective. From education reform and youth development to administrative restructuring and accountability, the achievements of the three officials demonstrate how individual contributions can influence the functioning of government.

The awards are part of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation’s effort to promote a culture in which professionalism and measurable contributions to public service are acknowledged and encouraged.

Chioma Njoku, director of programmes at the foundation, said the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Memorial Endowment Fund reflects the organisation’s conviction that celebrating excellence can contribute to stronger public institutions.

“Public servants play a vital role in shaping the quality of governance and improving outcomes for citizens,” Njoku said.

She said the fund celebrates public servants whose commitment to excellence, integrity and service provides a standard for others while reinforcing the principles required to build an effective and citizen-centred public service.

The recognition of Emmanuel, Ogwo and Peter highlights the importance of capable professionals working within Nigeria’s public institutions and the role their expertise, initiative and commitment can play in advancing reforms that ultimately affect citizens.

By placing these contributions in the spotlight, the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is reinforcing a significant message: stronger public institutions are built not only through policies and reforms, but also through the people who consistently turn those reforms into results.

LASU’s Best Graduating Student Finishes With 4.97 CGPA in Aerospace Engineering

Adebanjo Samuel Oluolamide has emerged as Lagos State University’s overall best graduating student for the 2025/2026 academic session, capping his university education with a 4.97 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and First-Class Honours in Aerospace Engineering.

Oluolamide’s result placed him at the top of the graduating class as LASU celebrated its 29th and 30th combined convocation on Monday at the Olatunji Bello Auditorium, Epe Campus.

His academic record is particularly notable given the demands of Aerospace Engineering, a discipline that combines advanced mathematics, science and engineering principles. Finishing with a 4.97 CGPA marks him out as the university’s leading graduate for the session and places his achievement among the academic highlights of the convocation.

The distinction also came with financial recognition as the Sunbeth Excellence Partnership Programme (SEPP) awarded Oluolamide N10 million in recognition of his outstanding academic performance.

The cash award was presented as part of SEPP’s commitment to recognising academic excellence and encourage innovation among LASU students through partnerships with corporate organisations.

However, the defining figure in Oluolamide’s story is not the N10 million prize but the 4.97 CGPA that earned him the university’s highest graduating honour after years of study in one of its technically demanding programmes.

His achievement offers a compelling reflection of the calibre of talent being developed within Nigeria’s higher education system. Aerospace Engineering is closely connected to areas such as aviation, advanced manufacturing, technology and other specialised fields, making strong academic preparation in the discipline particularly significant.

For Oluolamide, the distinction opens a new chapter providing a strong foundation for what comes next.

Nigeria Targets $750m Investment in National Cloud Infrastructure

Nigeria is setting its sights on a bigger role in Africa’s digital infrastructure market, with the Federal Government targeting $750 million in private investment for cloud and data infrastructure within 24 months.

The National Digital Cloud Policy, unveiled on Monday, August 17, 2026, by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is designed to increase local cloud and data-centre capacity, generate jobs, deepen indigenous digital expertise and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a base for digital services across the continent.

The investment programme has an initial target of $250 million in private capital during the first year, rising to $750 million by the end of the second year.

Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said Nigeria needed to move beyond its role as a major consumer of cloud infrastructure and develop into a competitive destination for infrastructure, investment, talent and digital services.

He said the framework would remain open to Nigerian and international providers, giving them room to invest, expand capacity, develop skills and serve customers in Nigeria and other African markets.

The policy also establishes a distinction between ordinary commercial information and data requiring national protection. Commercial data will not be subject to a blanket localisation requirement. Sovereignty provisions will apply to defined categories of government and regulated data where national control is considered necessary.

Government demand is expected to play an important role in making the market attractive to investors. Cloud requirements from multiple registered providers will be aggregated, while shared government cloud services will help reduce duplicated expenditure and improve purchasing terms.

A National Digital Marketplace will coordinate public procurement of cloud and digital infrastructure services. The framework also provides for dedicated cloud budget arrangements and an anchor-capacity mechanism intended to create dependable demand for private-sector investment.

Implementation responsibilities have been distributed among key government institutions. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will handle regulatory oversight, standards and assurance. Galaxy Backbone (GBB) will lead operational delivery, shared infrastructure and aggregation, while the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) will ensure compliance with public procurement requirements.

The first six months of the 24-month roadmap will focus on activating the policy, conducting baseline assessments and establishing the necessary institutional arrangements.

From months six to 12, the government plans to operationalise the National Digital Marketplace, commence priority migration of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, and onboard registered providers.

The remaining 12 months will be devoted to scaling migration, increasing capacity, bringing participating states into the programme and pushing the export of digital services.

The regional market is a significant part of the plan. Through cross-border data flows, regional interconnection and alignment with international standards, Nigeria intends to enable cloud and data services hosted locally to reach customers across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the wider African market.

The cloud policy also connects with two major national initiatives. Project BRIDGE is expected to deploy at least 90,000 kilometres of additional fibre-optic infrastructure, while the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme is developing expertise in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software engineering.

With connectivity, skills and computing infrastructure being developed alongside a policy aimed at attracting capital, Nigeria is seeking to strengthen the foundations on which its digital economy can expand.

The immediate goal is $750 million in private investment. The larger opportunity is to build enough capacity for Nigerian businesses, public institutions and technology companies to rely more heavily on infrastructure within the country, while enabling locally hosted digital services to reach markets across Africa.

Meta, Federal Government Launch AI Academy for Nigerian Startups

Nigeria’s artificial intelligence ambitions are moving into a more practical phase, with a new initiative offering developers, entrepreneurs and young technology professionals a route from acquiring AI skills to building products, competing for funding and taking Nigerian solutions to international platforms.

At the centre of the new opportunity is AI Academy Nigeria, launched through a partnership involving Meta, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), the ministry’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).

The academy is designed as a national capacity-building initiative, combining practical AI training, technical learning and startup support for developers, startups, students and early-career professionals.

For Nigerian startups already building with artificial intelligence, one of the immediate opportunities is the AI Startup Pitchathon. Early-stage Nigerian companies using Meta’s AI technologies will have the chance to present solutions developed around real-world problems and compete for financial and technical support.

Applications close on August 21, 2026. Ten startups will subsequently be selected to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3, putting their ideas before a wider technology and business audience.

The two startups that emerge as winners will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits.

Both winners will receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent the country and pitch at the AI Summit by Meta in Istanbul, Türkiye, on November 23 and 24, 2026.

AI Academy Nigeria will also feature AI Skills Development and a six-week Developer Bootcamp, giving participants a pathway that extends from learning and technical development to building functional solutions.

Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said the partnership is intended to equip developers, entrepreneurs and young professionals with practical AI capabilities while creating pathways for innovation and globally competitive startups.

He said the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to developing Nigeria’s AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships and strengthening the country’s place in Africa’s digital economy.

Meta’s Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, said Nigeria already possesses significant AI talent but needs wider access to practical training, funding and platforms that can help founders and developers turn their capabilities into impactful solutions.

Dada said the academy would expand AI skills among Nigerians while creating opportunities for promising startups to move from the local market towards regional platforms.

For RAIN, whose Founder and CEO Dr. Olushola Ayoola described the collaboration as an example of coordinated action between government, technology companies and local innovation organisations, the partnership represents an opportunity to broaden Nigeria’s AI capabilities.

The initiative comes as evidence of Nigeria’s growing engagement with artificial intelligence continues to accumulate.

A Google report developed with Ipsos, Our Life with AI: Helpfulness in the Hands of More People, identified Nigeria as an emerging global leader in AI adoption, particularly across learning, work and entrepreneurship. The report highlighted the rapid embrace of AI tools by Nigerians and the optimism surrounding their use.

The shift is also being reflected among formal businesses. The World Bank’s World Development Report 2026: The Promise of Artificial Intelligence reported that AI adoption among Nigerian formal businesses has surged over the past three years, placing the country on par with the United States in business AI usage.

Nigeria and Kenya were identified in the report as two African countries that have experienced a sharp increase in AI adoption among businesses.

The growth of AI also brings questions about how the technology should be governed as its economic influence expands.

Debola Ibiyode, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CarbonAI, has warned that Nigeria could weaken the economic potential of artificial intelligence without strong regulatory guardrails.

According to Ibiyode, AI offers enormous opportunities for economic growth, but sustaining those gains will depend on public trust, responsible regulation and what she described as “AI Diplomacy.”

She said Nigeria’s expanding adoption of AI could unlock new economic value if governments, businesses and technology providers work together to establish responsible governance frameworks.

Against that backdrop, for AI Academy Nigeria and with its combination of skills development, a developer bootcamp, startup competition, direct funding, advertising support and international exposure gives Nigerian innovators a pathway to move from learning about artificial intelligence to building with it.

For a country whose AI adoption is already accelerating, the bigger opportunity lies in converting that growing appetite into Nigerian-built technologies, stronger startups and solutions capable of competing beyond the domestic market.

Terra Industries Takes African Defence Technology Global With $52 Million Seed Round

A Nigerian-founded defence technology company is expanding its manufacturing footprint in Africa and establishing its first international office in London after securing an additional $18 million, bringing its seed funding to $52 million.

Terra Industries, founded in 2024 by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, is using the latest capital to scale autonomous security technology designed to protect critical infrastructure across Africa and the wider Global South.

The funding round includes continued participation from 8VC, Silent Ventures, Nova Global, Belief Capital and SV Angel, alongside new investor Norleo Space Investments and angel investor Grant Gordon. Terra plans to direct the funds towards expanding production, accelerating deployments across the Global South and strengthening its engineering, operations and business development teams.

The London office will give Terra closer access to institutions that influence global defence and infrastructure markets, while also opening a pathway to international operations and artificial intelligence talent. The company, however, intends to keep manufacturing rooted in Africa as it expands into additional international markets, with plans reaching into the Gulf, South America and South Asia.

That African manufacturing base is set to grow substantially. Terra's Pax-2 facility in Ghana is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, following the company's 15,000-square-foot Pax-1 flagship facility in Abuja, Nigeria.

At 34,000 square feet, Pax-2 is expected to become the largest drone factory on the African continent once fully operational. Terra projects that it will reach an annual production capacity of 50,000 units across the company's aerial systems portfolio by 2028.

The expansion comes as governments and infrastructure operators across Africa and the wider Global South confront persistent threats including infrastructure sabotage, illegal mining, organised crime and terrorism.

For decades, many of these security challenges have been addressed with imported systems. Terra argues that technology developed for different operating conditions can be expensive to maintain and may not adequately reflect local terrain and operational realities. Dependence on external suppliers can also create geopolitical and supply-chain exposure while limiting local control over software and data.

The company is therefore building its systems around a different proposition: security technology developed for the environments in which it will operate and manufactured, increasingly, within the regions it is designed to protect.

Terra's technology is already deployed around power plants, mines and other nationally critical assets valued at approximately $11 billion across multiple African countries.

Its portfolio spans long-range and mid-range autonomous drones, interceptor drones, sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles, with the systems connected through ArtemisOS, Terra's proprietary software platform. ArtemisOS supports real-time threat detection, autonomous mission planning and coordinated responses across large and difficult environments.

The company's strategy reflects its view that security operations will increasingly move beyond troop-heavy and reactive approaches towards predictive and autonomous systems capable of responding across varied terrains.

Data sovereignty forms another important part of that approach. By controlling the systems and information used to monitor critical assets, governments and infrastructure operators can strengthen their ability to identify, deter and respond to threats without being as dependent on external technology providers.

Terra is applying this model across air, land and maritime environments, serving sectors that include energy, mineral resources, urban infrastructure, maritime assets, border security and counterterrorism operations.

Nwachuku, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terra Industries, said the company's expansion is rooted in building security capabilities around the realities of the regions they are intended to serve.

“Critical infrastructure across the Global South is best protected by systems designed for these environments and built in the regions they protect. This funding lets us scale that work and deepen our manufacturing base. It also puts us in the rooms where global defense decisions are made.”

Terra describes itself as a multi-domain systems and data intelligence company building a defence prime for Africa and the Global South. Its integrated air, land and maritime systems are powered by ArtemisOS, with the company seeking to give countries across the Global South greater technological capacity to secure critical assets and infrastructure.

The company's product portfolio includes ArtemisOS, Archer VTOL, Iroko UAV, Duma UGV and Kallon. Terra works with governments, infrastructure operators and strategic partners across Africa and internationally.

With $52 million now secured at seed stage, a 34,000-square-foot facility advancing in Ghana, an established manufacturing base in Abuja and a new London presence, Terra Industries is positioning an African-built defence technology business for a wider international role while keeping the continent at the centre of its production strategy.

Nigeria Targets Sugar Self-Sufficiency as N10 Billion Fund Supports $1 Billion Investment Pipeline

For a country that uses about 1.8 million tonnes of sugar every year, Nigeria’s dependence on imported supplies represents both a major economic outflow and a significant opportunity for domestic production.

The country currently spends roughly $1 billion annually importing sugar, but a new push by the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) is seeking to redirect more of that value into Nigerian farms, processing facilities and rural economies.

Under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan 2.0, the Council is working towards domestic production of approximately 2 million tonnes of sugar, enough to meet local demand while creating room for growth.

The strategy is being supported by two major financing initiatives: a N10 billion Sugar Project Acceleration Fund established with the Bank of Industry (BOI), and a $1 billion Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Finance (EPC+F) agreement with Chinese industrial giant SINOMACH.

NSDC Executive Secretary, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, outlined the strategy during a courtesy visit by the Abuja Chapter of the Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD), stressing that the next phase of the sector’s development will depend heavily on turning existing policies and investment commitments into operating projects.

The N10 billion fund is intended to tackle one of the challenges that often prevents large agricultural projects from reaching investors: the preparation stage.

Through the facility, developers of greenfield sugar projects can receive technical, financial and advisory support for feasibility studies, project preparation and other pre-investment activities. The objective is to develop credible, investment-ready projects that can attract larger financing.

The facility is not a grant programme but operates as a structured, performance-driven initiative with defined eligibility requirements and deliverables.

This preparation is expected to create a pipeline of bankable sugar projects capable of accessing the $1 billion EPC+F arrangement with SINOMACH, giving the sector a potential pathway from project conception to large-scale development.

The NSDC is also engaging Afreximbank and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to speed up the development of sugar estates across the country, widening the institutional and financial support available to the industry.

Nevertheless, increasing investment alone will not deliver the production target. The Council is also tightening the way companies participating in the Backward Integration Programme (BIP) are monitored.

Companies receiving sugar import quotas are expected to make verifiable investments in local production, and the NSDC plans to use satellite imagery alongside field inspections to independently track activities and production across project sites.

The approach is designed to strengthen accountability and ensure that incentives linked to import quotas translate into measurable expansion of Nigeria’s domestic sugar capacity.

Bakrin acknowledged that implementation has been one of the industry’s longstanding challenges.

“We do not lack policy. What we have struggled with is world-class execution,” he said.

The Council’s ambitions extend beyond producing more of the sugar Nigerians consume. Sugarcane itself offers multiple industrial applications that could deepen the value generated from each hectare cultivated.

According to Bakrin, the crop can be processed into ethanol and animal feed and can also support electricity generation, making sugarcane relevant to Nigeria’s wider bio-industrialisation agenda.

“We have been blessed with a crop that is one of the most generous God has ever made,” he said.

The development model is also expected to give smallholder farmers and host communities a greater role in the emerging value chain. Through the Sugarcane Outgrower Development Programme, sugar estates are required to allocate land for outgrowers and invest in initiatives that support their host communities.

That structure could allow large estates and smaller farmers to participate within the same production ecosystem, while spreading the economic benefits of expanding sugar production beyond the boundaries of industrial plantations.

The NSDC is equally looking to strengthen governance across the sector. Bakrin urged the Chartered Institute of Directors to contribute to improved corporate governance standards for sugar estates, mills and outgrower companies, with the aim of supporting the long-term sustainability of investments.

The sugar strategy is unfolding alongside efforts to improve agricultural financing and productivity. The federal government recently approved a N250 billion facility for the Bank of Agriculture to extend credit to smallholder farmers at single-digit interest rates.

The programme is expected to support mechanisation, raise productivity, improve market access and ease financing constraints confronting farmers across the country.

Taken together, the measures point to an effort to reposition sugar from an import-dependent commodity into a Nigerian industrial value chain. If the planned projects move from feasibility and financing into actual production, the opportunity could extend beyond replacing imports to include farming, processing, energy, manufacturing, employment and rural development.

With a domestic target of about 2 million tonnes against current annual consumption of 1.8 million tonnes, Nigeria is seeking not merely to produce more sugar, but to build the capacity to meet its own demand from within the country.

Lagos Accelerates Ojo, Somolu Hospital Projects as Specialist Healthcare Capacity Expands

Lagos State is advancing two major healthcare infrastructure projects that are expected to significantly expand public hospital capacity and strengthen access to specialised medical services across the State.

The 280-bed Ojo General Hospital is now about 85 per cent complete and is expected to be ready for commissioning by the end of 2026 or the first quarter of 2027, while construction of the new 180-bed Somolu General Hospital has reached approximately 15 per cent.

The progress of both projects came under review during an inspection tour led by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, accompanied by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, Dr. (Engr.) Adekunle Olayinka.

At Ojo, construction has moved into the finishing stage, with high-tech medical equipment and furniture already ordered ahead of the facility’s completion.

“We are at the point where we’re doing the finishing touches. We’ve ordered the high-tech equipment. We’ve ordered the furniture,” Abayomi said.

He explained that the government was addressing outstanding areas before completion and would increase the frequency of inspection visits to ensure that the hospital is delivered according to the required standards.

Olayinka confirmed that the project was about 85 per cent complete, adding that government quality assurance and control teams had identified minor areas requiring correction and communicated them to the contractor.

The hospital’s energy infrastructure is also being prepared for long-term operations. Olayinka said its solar installation meets the required specifications and will provide an alternative power source when the facility becomes operational.

The Somolu project is taking a different approach to healthcare delivery, with the new seven-floor hospital being developed as a specialist facility rather than simply an expanded version of the existing hospital.

Construction is taking place on the former Somolu Local Government headquarters site following the relocation of the council administration to another facility. The decision to construct an entirely new hospital was driven by the scale of demand in the area and the limitations of the existing 60-bed Somolu General Hospital.

Abayomi disclosed that about 107,000 registered patients currently access services at the existing facility, while its wider catchment population is estimated at between five million and 10 million people.

The existing hospital will continue providing uninterrupted clinical services while the new facility is being constructed. Once the 180-bed hospital is completed and operationalised, the old facility is expected to be demolished, with its site redeveloped for parking and other supporting services.

The new Somolu hospital is planned to become Lagos’ Head and Neck Super-Specialty Centre. Its specialist services will include Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial Surgery, Ear, Nose and Throat, Ophthalmology and Dentistry, alongside Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The designation is part of Lagos State’s strategy of developing selected general hospitals into centres of excellence with specific super-specialties. The objective is to increase access to advanced medical interventions within the State and reduce the need for residents to travel outside Nigeria for specialised treatment.

“Over the next five to ten years, we believe that every kind of medical intervention will be available in Lagos in both the public and the private sector, so that outbound medical tourism will stop, and in fact, it will reverse,” Abayomi said.

The new hospital designs are also being shaped around environmental sustainability and operational efficiency. Abayomi said they incorporate renewable energy, low-carbon technologies, improved movement systems for patients and staff, water catchment, sewage management, and infection prevention and control measures.

According to Olayinka, the Somolu project encountered some challenges during its initial phase, but the identified issues have been resolved and construction is now progressing. Completion is targeted for the third quarter of 2027, with modern engineering systems, green technologies, carbon-reduction measures and solar power incorporated into the project.

The inspection involved officials from the Ministry of Health’s Medical Project Implementation Unit, the Office of Works, the management of Somolu General Hospital, contractors and technical project management teams.

Beyond the construction of individual hospitals, the State is positioning the projects within a wider healthcare reform programme that includes healthcare financing reforms, compulsory health insurance and the proposed University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Together, these measures are intended to strengthen Lagos’ healthcare system, expand the availability of specialised treatment and create greater capacity for residents to access advanced care within Nigeria.

The long-term ambition is not only to serve Lagos’ growing population but also to strengthen the State’s position as a regional destination for specialised medical care, while reducing the flow of Nigerians seeking treatment abroad.

BOI’s N250 Billion Bond Draws Strong Investor Demand, Expands Funding for Nigerian Businesses

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has secured more than the N250 billion it offered in its first domestic bond issuance, giving the development finance institution a major boost in its efforts to mobilise long-term funding for Nigerian businesses.

Issued through BOI Financing SPV Plc under the bank’s $1 billion Multi-Currency Instruments Programme, the Series 1 Fixed Rate Bond marks BOI’s debut in Nigeria’s domestic debt capital market. The strong response came from a broad mix of institutional investors, including pension fund administrators, commercial banks, development finance institutions, corporates and other major market participants.

The transaction also attracted significant anchor investments from the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), adding further depth to the offering and reinforcing confidence in BOI’s credit standing and development mandate.

The capital raised is intended to strengthen BOI’s capacity to provide long-term financing to businesses in priority sectors. Its eventual impact is expected to extend into industrial expansion, job creation, local value addition and efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy.

BOI Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olasupo Olusi, said the response showed the capacity of Nigeria’s domestic capital market to mobilise substantial funding for productive investment.

“The strength of the investor response is a vote of confidence not only in BOI, but also in the capacity of Nigeria’s domestic capital market to mobilise long-term capital for productive investment,” he said.

Olusi said the bank’s objective is ultimately to move the capital into Nigerian enterprises that can expand production, strengthen local value chains, create employment and improve economic competitiveness.

Government-backed incentives also formed part of the environment surrounding the transaction. Olusi credited President Bola Tinubu’s executive approvals for measures designed to encourage investor participation, saying the support helped strengthen the attractiveness of the offering.

He said the strong demand achieved within five working days would not have been possible without the approvals and described the intervention as a positive signal to investors.

A separate N100 billion fund approved for BOI is expected to support the bond’s pricing and reduce the borrowing-cost burden for manufacturers and other businesses that receive financing from the bank.

The structure of the bond reflects BOI’s focus on longer-term lending. The five-year instrument provides semi-annual coupon payments and a two-year moratorium on principal repayment before amortising repayments begin.

Subscriptions ran from August 5 to August 11, with Chapel Hill Denham serving as Lead Issuing House. The bond was priced within a yield range of 17.35% to 17.50% and is expected to be listed on the FMDQ Securities Exchange once the issuance process is completed.

BOI said the final subscription and allotment figures will be released after obtaining approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The domestic transaction adds another layer to BOI’s funding strategy, complementing the institution’s access to international capital markets with a stronger pipeline of domestic institutional funding. The quality of demand, competitive pricing and range of participating investors point to an established appetite for long-term instruments backed by institutions with strong development mandates.

The bond also comes as BOI expands financing for specific productive sectors through international partnerships. Last month, the bank unveiled an €85 million long-term financing facility with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Union to support cocoa processing and dairy production in Nigeria.

About 70% of that facility is expected to go towards the cocoa and dairy value chains, which are regarded as important to employment, export growth and foreign-exchange retention.

Taken together, the financing initiatives give BOI additional resources to connect long-term capital with businesses capable of expanding production and increasing value creation within Nigeria.

The success of the N250 billion bond therefore strengthens the pool of capital available to Nigerian enterprises seeking to invest, expand capacity and contribute to the country’s industrial development.

FG Resets Profit-Oil Terms to 70:30 for New Deep Offshore Projects

Nigeria has introduced a new fiscal incentive that could improve the commercial outlook for fresh deep offshore oil and gas developments, allowing qualifying projects to begin their profit-oil sharing arrangement at 70 per cent for contractors and 30 per cent for the government.

The measure is contained in the Deep Offshore Oil and Gas Projects Incentives (Tax Remission) Order, 2026, signed by President Bola Tinubu on August 6, 2026, and gazetted by the government.

A central feature of the order is the Profit Oil Reset, which gives an eligible new development its own starting point on the profit-oil sliding scale. This means a greenfield project entering an existing contract area will not automatically take on the higher government share that may already apply to older production in that area.

Once approved, the reset begins at 70:30 between the contractor and government for the eligible project. The Gazette specifies that the sliding scale will restart only for the approved development, regardless of the profit-oil ratio that existing production elsewhere in the same contract area has already reached.

The arrangement is targeted specifically at new developments rather than existing fields. To qualify, a project must be a greenfield crude oil or non-associated gas development for which a Final Investment Decision had not been taken when the order commenced.

The FID must be reached by December 31, 2029. An extension may be granted where force majeure prevents the operator from meeting the deadline.

The qualifying development must also be ring-fenced for cost recovery and tax purposes. Following approval of the reset, the contractor and government are required to execute an addendum to the relevant Production Sharing Contract within 30 days.

The fiscal support does not stop at profit-oil sharing. The order introduces a Standard Production Tax Credit of up to $3 per barrel for qualifying projects with producible reserves of up to 400 million barrels. Projects with reserves above that level can receive up to $4.50 per barrel.

Future leases may qualify for another $1 per barrel, subject to the conditions set out in the order.

For deep offshore gas projects, qualifying gas with lower hydrocarbon liquids content can attract a tax credit of up to $1 per thousand standard cubic feet, while gas with higher liquids content can receive up to $0.50 per thousand cubic feet.

A Supplementary Production Tax Credit may also be granted on a case-by-case basis. The combined standard and supplementary credits cannot exceed $11.50 per barrel for oil projects or $8 per barrel of oil equivalent for non-associated gas projects.

The incentives are being introduced into a sector where offshore developments demand large amounts of capital, advanced technology and long investment horizons. Geological uncertainty, project costs and market conditions can further influence the economics of such developments, making fiscal certainty an important consideration for investors.

Professor Emeritus of Petroleum Economics, Wumi Iledare, welcomed the investment objective but urged that the policy should ultimately be judged by the additional value it creates for Nigeria.

He said the critical petroleum economics question was how much incremental value the tax remission would generate for the country compared with the economic rent and government revenue forgone.

Iledare also warned that an incentive that merely transfers rent from government to an investor on a project that would have proceeded regardless would not necessarily create additional public value.

The potential investment impact is nevertheless significant. Iledare pointed to reported prospects of unlocking up to $50 billion in investment, beginning with the approximately $10 billion Bonga Southwest project. He stressed, however, that investment announcements alone should not determine whether the policy succeeds.

The order also places emphasis on activities being carried out within Nigeria. Project work is expected to be undertaken domestically except where an activity is on the critical path or carrying it out in Nigeria would cost more than 10 per cent above the alternative. Such exceptions must be covered by an approved Nigerian Content Plan.

The Nigeria Revenue Service is expected to publish implementation guidelines within 45 days. These will cover the application procedure, economic valuation methodology, computation templates, monitoring arrangements and ring-fencing requirements.

There are also provisions for recovering benefits obtained improperly. Tax credits may be withdrawn and recovered where an applicant has used false statements, misrepresentation or incorrect data, or has breached the conditions attached to the approval.

For Nigeria, the new framework represents an attempt to improve the investment case for undeveloped deep offshore resources while protecting the country against incentives that fail to produce corresponding economic gains. Its success will ultimately depend on whether the fiscal concessions translate into projects, capital, production and broader value for the Nigerian economy.

NAL Honours Scholars, Tunde Kelani at 28th Convocation

The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) has honoured veteran filmmaker and cinematographer Tunde Kelani while welcoming distinguished scholars and personalities into its fellowship at its 28th Convocation, Induction of New Members and Investiture of Regular and Honorary Fellows.

Kelani received the NAL Award of Excellence in Humanistic Practice for a career spanning decades and his role in projecting Nigerian, particularly Yoruba, culture and literary traditions through film. His recognition placed creative practice alongside academic scholarship in the Academy’s celebration of the humanities.

Renowned playwright and scholar Professor Emeritus Femi Osofisan was honoured as a Distinguished Life Fellow, while historian Professor Nwando Achebe was invested as an Overseas Fellow. Achebe is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University in the United States, President of the African Studies Association and founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of West African History.

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, CFR, and Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas were invested as Honorary Fellows.

Among the 2026 Regular Fellows was Professor Oladele Abiodun Balogun, whose academic career spans more than three decades of teaching, research, mentorship, leadership and public service.

A product of the philosophical tradition of the University of Ibadan, Balogun has built his scholarship around African and Yoruba philosophy, indigenous epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, jurisprudence, metaphysics and conceptual decolonisation. His research has examined Ori , the Yoruba understanding of destiny and personhood, as well as causality, communal ethics, democracy, human rights, meaningful life and indigenous knowledge.

He has authored and co-authored books, journal articles, book chapters and conference papers published nationally and internationally, including contributions to works associated with Springer, Routledge, Wiley-Blackwell, IGI Global, Academic Press and Carolina Academic Press.

Balogun served as Vice President of the Nigerian Philosophical Association from 2012 to 2016 and received the Thabo Mbeki Award of Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017 for his contribution to African intellectual development, leadership and scholarship.

The other 2026 Regular Fellows were Professors Emmanuel Taiwo Oladipupo Babalola, Nosa Owens-Ibie, Oladipupo Jacob Ajiboye, Boniface Anthony Chijioke Obiefuna, Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, AbdulRasheed Abiodun Adeoye, Oyeronke Olademo and Rasaki Ojo Bakare.

Professor Remi-Raji Oyelade, listed as a Regular Fellow for 2025, was also part of the convocation programme.

Held at the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, the ceremony was presided over by NAL President Professor Andrew Haruna, FNAL, and coordinated by the Academy’s Secretary, Professor Olakunbi O. Olasope, MNAL.

As Nigeria’s apex body of scholars in the humanities, the NAL promotes scholarship, intellectual excellence and the development of the humanities. The latest convocation reflected that mandate through honours spanning philosophy, history, literature and filmmaking.