The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Group reports gains across maritime sector

    Group reports gains across maritime sector

    The country’s maritime industry has achieved zero piracy incidents and 10-15 per cent improvement in ship turnaround times in 2025 while recording double-digit export growth in non-oil segments, but stakeholders warn the sector must urgently address cargo dwell times of 10-18 days and operational costs 30-40 per cent above regional competitors to consolidate gains in the critical year ahead.

    The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre, in its New Year Maritime Outlook Communiqué, described 2025 as “neither one of dramatic transformation nor systemic collapse” but a transition year marked by policy articulation, institutional repositioning and early-stage reforms alongside persistent structural challenges threatening Nigeria’s competitiveness within the Gulf of Guinea.

    Head of Research at SEREC, Eugene Nweke, stated the industry operated within four dominant realities: a new policy identity under the Federal Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy, intensifying regional competition particularly within the Gulf of Guinea, disruptive but inevitable port and customs modernization efforts, and severe macroeconomic instability, notably foreign exchange volatility.

    He emphasised that 2026 offers a critical opportunity to convert policy intent into measurable performance outcomes.

    Zero piracy incidents against commercial vessels were officially reported within Nigeria’s maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea in 2025, reflecting sustained collaboration among the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Navy, and licensed private maritime security operators including Tantita Ltd. This achievement gained, the centre said, added significance following Nigeria’s election into the International Maritime Organisation Category C Council, while the country maintained full compliance with key IMO instruments including the ISPS Code, SOLAS, and relevant safety and environmental conventions.

    According to the report, the Nigeria Customs Service’s migration from NICIS II to the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System dominated trade facilitation discourse, recording short-term disruptions including system downtime and 10-20 per cent longer processing times in affected commands during early deployment. However, structural gains, it said, included deployment of non-intrusive inspection scanners across major ports and borders, expansion of the Authorized Economic Operator programme with compliant traders benefiting from reduced inspections, operationalisation of Advance Ruling aligning Nigeria with WCO best practices, introduction of geo-spatial surveillance and truck tracking reducing physical checkpoints, and strengthened centrally coordinated Post Clearance Audit.

    “Overall, customs modernization in 2025 was disruptive but strategically irreversible, requiring consolidation in 2026,” the report stated, noting that Nigeria’s appointment of the Comptroller-General of Customs as Chairman of the WCO Council significantly enhanced the country’s global customs governance profile.

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    Average ship turnaround time, it said, improved by an estimated 10-15 per cent in Lagos ports, primarily due to improved access roads and reduced truck congestion, while the most improved operational indicator was truck round-trip time, which reduced from 3-5 days in the pre-Electronic Truck Call-Up era to 24-48 hours in controlled corridors. However, it said the nation’s ports still trail regional competitors with Apapa and Tin Can typically requiring 5-7 days compared to Lome Port’s 2-3 days and Tema Port’s 3-4 days, while total ship calls into Nigerian ports were largely flat with marginal declines in some container and general cargo segments.

    Port development and automation remained “one of the most articulated but least consummated reform areas in 2025,” according to the SEREC assessment. As of end-2025, it said, Nigeria operated over 15 distinct trade-related digital platforms across port agencies with limited interoperability, while human interface accounts for an estimated 60-70 per cent of cargo clearance touchpoints compared with below 30 per cent in leading regional ports. The National Single Window project, though widely accepted, remained largely at pilot and coordination stages, delaying expected reductions in clearance time, transaction costs and informal charges.

    Average cargo dwell time, SEREC said, remained between 10-18 days compared to 7-10 days at Lome and Tema ports and global best practice of 3-5 days, with primary causes including multiple agency inspections, documentation duplication, and partial automation with system overlaps, though associated logistics costs remain above regional averages.

    The cost of doing business in the country’s ports remained among the highest in West Africa, with key contributors including arbitrary and non-transparent charges, terminal handling costs estimated 30-40 per cent higher than comparable regional ports, overlapping levies and fees, and implementation of the 4 per cent FOB charge further increasing import costs. The report stated these factors “reduced Nigeria’s cargo competitiveness, accelerated cargo diversion, and reinforced the loss of trans-shipment hub status to Lome Port.”

    Despite policy recognition, intermodal transport integration remained weak with rail evacuation accounting for less than 5 per cent of total port cargo movement, while inland waterways and pipeline logistics remain largely underdeveloped for cargo evacuation. “Without functional intermodal connectivity, Nigerian ports will continue to face higher logistics costs, congestion risks and limited regional dominance,” the report warned.

    The unstable foreign exchange regime remained the single most destabilizing macroeconomic factor in 2025, causing frequent duty recalculations, rising cargo abandonment rates, import throughput decline in real volume terms, reduced ship calls, and heightened investor caution. “Given that over 80 per cent of maritime transactions are FX-denominated, currency stability remains non-negotiable for industry sustainability,” Nweke emphasised.

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    According to the maritime think tank, the proposed National Revenue Authority and evolving Nigeria Economic Port Regulatory Agency generated stakeholder debate throughout 2025, underscoring the need for clarity, phased implementation and confidence-building measures, while the freight forwarding professional regulatory framework remained relatively inactive, limiting its impact on compliance and industry professionalism. In an encouraging development, it said, Nigeria recorded double-digit percentage increases in non-oil export segments in 2025, demonstrating growing diversification and providing foundation for optimising the maritime sector’s economic role.

    SEREC’s overall scorecard rated Policy Direction as “Strong” and Institutional Visibility as “Improved,” reflecting government commitment and strategic positioning, while Port User Experience was assessed as “Moderately Improved” and Trade Facilitation remained “Transitional,” indicating progress but incomplete implementation. However, it said, Cost Competitiveness was rated “Weak,” Macroeconomic Stability “Fragile,” and Investor Confidence “Cautious,” highlighting vulnerabilities that could undermine achieved gains if not urgently addressed.

    In conclusion, the research body projects 2026 will be decisive for the sector, contingent on consolidation of port automation and operationalisation of the National Single Window, achievement of foreign exchange stability for trade predictability, significant reduction in port costs and arbitrary charges, functional intermodal transport integration, clear operationalisation of port economic regulation frameworks, sustained maritime security gains, and continued export growth support through facilitation measures.

    “The Nigerian maritime industry in 2025 laid important institutional and policy foundations, but competitiveness, predictability and cost efficiency must define the next phase,” the communiqué concluded, reaffirming SEREC’s commitment to objective analysis, constructive engagement and evidence-based advocacy in support of a globally competitive Nigerian maritime industry.

  • Don Pedro Obaseki’s ordeal

    Don Pedro Obaseki’s ordeal

    In a disturbing incident, the former Managing Director of Daar Communications and prominent Nollywood filmmaker, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, was attacked on December 28, 2025 while playing football at Uwa Primary School in Benin City.

    A viral video showed assailants stripping him naked, beating him, and dragging him through the streets to the palace of the Oba of Benin over alleged disrespectful comments made during a public event in London. His attackers labelled him an ‘Oghionba’ (enemy of the Oba).

    Reports said he was later taken to Oba Market Police Station, and released after about five hours in detention.

    In a statement he issued after he was released, he narrated his ordeal: “The attackers, some of whom were armed and brandishing guns, forcibly kidnapped me. The individuals who led this attack identified themselves as Kapuepue Adun, Osayande Obakhavbaye, Osamede Nomoless Eriyo and Osamiefan (also known as ‘Sales Guy’).

     “I was severely beaten up, dragged along the streets and stripped naked. I was dragged along Igbesanmwan Road, taken to the front of Holy Aruosa Church and publicly paraded in my nakedness.

    “From there, I was further dragged around Ring Road and forcibly taken to the Oba’s Palace. The public beating, stripping and humiliation occurred over a distance of approximately five kilometres.”

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    Amnesty International Nigeria, in a statement, described the assault and public humiliation of Obaseki as “barbaric and unlawful,” saying it showed “complete disdain for due process.” It added that the police “must investigate the incident and ensure that all those suspected of involvement in this crime are brought to justice.”

    The human rights organisation also said what happened to Obaseki “is unacceptable in a free society. It is also prohibited under international human rights law and standards aimed at safeguarding human dignity and protecting people from violence.”

    Obaseki was reported saying he would pursue justice through legal means, adding that his lawyers were already putting a petition together. This is the right thing to do.

    Curiously, in response, Edo State Police Public Relations Officer Eno Ikoedem was quoted as saying the situation had been brought under control, noting that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, had met with the parties involved.

    It is unclear if he meant the issue had been settled. Meeting with the concerned parties cannot be the end of the matter; the police have a duty to find the attackers and bring them to justice.

  • Against the tyranny of small minds

    Against the tyranny of small minds

    Something broke in the Nigerian psyche in 2025, and it was not a bridge, a budget, or an election promise. It was subtler and therefore more dangerous. I’d call it the ghastly coronation of small minds. Not the smallness of birth or circumstance, but the deliberate dwarfing of thought, empathy, and civic duty.

    The same year that paraded bandits in the forests and terrorists in the streets, also enthroned Lilliputian minds in the civic sphere: little men with loud mouths, brittle tempers, and a crippling addiction to discord.

    These men are scarcely defined by stature or age but by a meanness of spirit, like the religious and ethnic collective that desperately urged United States’ invasion of Nigeria over fictitious claims of a “Christian genocide.”

    Their minds are cramped rooms with low ceilings where no generous idea can stand upright. They speak in absolutes, breathe in grievances, and exhale venom. They are convinced that Nigeria exists to validate their moods, and when it does not, they declare war on reason itself. They are the termites of the civic house: rarely seen, endlessly gnawing, and often mistaken for harmless.

    Nigeria has always contended with visible enemies: herdsmen with machetes, kidnappers with guns, bandits with motorcycles, terrorists with flags, and coupists with manifestos. These are brutal afflictions, and their violence is immediate. Yet the greater danger in 2025 manifested in the invisible army of the petty, those who sabotage Nigeria with cynicism and bile. I speak of those who season our hopes with incessant bad faith. They are the ones who poison the well and then complain that the water tastes foul.

    This is a civilisational problem before it is a policy issue, as these characters wear different faces across ethnic, professional and religious divides. Ultimately, they share the same impulse: to reduce citizenship to a tribal, political or religious audition. Patriotism, in their lexicon, is obedience to their prejudice. If you do not mirror their anger or chant their slogans, you must be an enemy. They claim ownership of truth and revoke it from anyone who dares to think differently. In their warped republic, disagreement is treason, nuance is weakness, and restraint an unforgivable betrayal.

    Their bigotry is not always loud; sometimes it comes wrapped in sanctimony. They speak of nationhood through the smokescreen of ethnicity and religion, insisting that only their pain counts and only their fears are legitimate. They are unmoved by context and allergic to complexity. Every issue must bend to their bias or be broken. And when reality doesn’t comply, they curse it in bad faith.

    The same voice that cheers or excuses the daily slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza suddenly becomes hysterical over spurious claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria. Children, nursing mothers, fathers, sons—entire families—can be murdered elsewhere, and he will gloat, rationalise, or wave it away as geopolitics. But if a rumour surfaces at home that flatters his religious anxieties, he will howl to the heavens in performative grief.

    I’d call him a moral speculator; trading in tragedy, he would not mourn deaths that defund his penchant for artifice. To him, empathy is a commodity to be spent only where it profits bias. Such a man is dangerous precisely because he presents himself as principled. He latches onto every movement wired to derail Nigeria’s fragile peace, not because he seeks justice, but because chaos flatters his resentments.

    He contributes enthusiastically to the poisoning of minds, offering wildly abrasive and juvenile takes on conflicts he barely understands. Duelling in ignorance and the arrogance of unearned wisdom, he mistakes noise for knowledge and cruelty for courage.

    Rather than enlighten, he inflames, amplifying discord while posing as a dispassionate truth-sayer. Yet truth neither trolls nor stalks dissenters across platforms like a hungry ghost. But this creature does. And in doing so, he becomes cancerous to the polity and the intimate lattices of life: family, neighbourhood, and the workplace. Wherever he goes, conversations curdle. Laughter stifles as people brace themselves for his next outburst.

    One such character’s wife once issued a weary plea after one of his juvenile outbursts in a public forum, begging forgiveness, she explained that her husband has the build of a grandfather but the emotional maturity of a three-year-old. Beneath her lighthearted joke was a diagnosis. “Age has visited my husband’s body, but growth has skipped his soul,” she inwardly railed.

    Yet the culprit persists. His takes are juvenile but abrasive, his certainty loud but thin. He prowls social media like a nocturnal animal, sniffing for disagreement, pouncing on nuance, and tearing at strangers to feel alive. If events or debates do not suit his bias, he comes out guns-a-blazing, lashing out at anyone who dares to think differently. He argues, never to persuade but to harm and conquer.

    His tragedy was domestic before it became public. At home, he is the toxic relative who notices the speck in every eye except his own. Declaring himself as the only voice of reason in a room full of fools, his truth is the only truth and the final word. Unsurprisingly, he is tolerated out of politeness and avoided out of self-preservation at home, in the neighbourhood and the workplace.

    For all his pretensions, he affects only a mood ring that changes colour with his interests. He gloats over recorded atrocities when they inconvenience his enemies, then performs the most tiresome form of virtue-signalling when tragedy aligns with his agenda. This does not make him brave or informed. It makes him morally hollow.

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    Like a hunter who dares not enter the wild to hunt big game because he is past his prime and lacks the courage to fail, he scurries instead to hunt tadpoles and sewer rats. He attacks the vulnerable, the thoughtful, the moderate—anyone he deems unlikely to fight back with equal savagery. His bravado thrives only where the risk is minimal. In this, his smallness is complete.

    How, then, does Nigeria survive men like this? Not by silencing them—that would flatter their persecution fantasies—but by starving them of the attention they crave and confronting the culture that enables them. The first remedy is civic humility: the recognition that no single tribe, faith, or ideology owns the nation. Citizenship must be reclaimed as a shared burden, not a sectarian trophy. Nigerians must learn again to argue without annihilating one another, to disagree without demonising.

    The second remedy is moral consistency. Grief must not be selective. Justice must never be tribal. A life lost anywhere should trouble us everywhere. Until Nigerians reject convenient compassion and affect inward integrity, the petty will continue to masquerade as principled.

    Third, we must rehabilitate public conversation. Social media need not be a sewer. It can be a school, where voices with reach model restraint, context, and empathy. Families, too, must stop indulging the toxic relative. Silence brokers no peace when it enables harm. Sometimes, love demands correction.

    Finally, the Lilliputian mind must be challenged to grow, reading beyond echo chambers and listening without preparing to strike. Accepting that being wrong is not death. Nigeria’s survival depends not only on defeating armed enemies but on outgrowing emotional infants masquerading as patriots.

    Nigeria will endure, not because of the loud and the petty, but despite them. When enough of us grow tall in mind and spirit, the tyranny of small minds will collapse under the weight of its own insignificance.

  • JUST IN: Explosion causes panic at Kebbi Hospital

    JUST IN: Explosion causes panic at Kebbi Hospital

    By Ahmed Baba Ahmed, Birnin Kebbi

    Panic gripped the Bagudo area of Kebbi State in the early hours of Tuesday following a loud explosion at the General Hospital.

    In response, a joint security team comprising police, military personnel, and vigilante groups was deployed to cordon off and secure the affected area.

    The Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi State Police Command, SP Bashir Usman Anisma, said specialist EOD-CBRN teams were on the ground conducting a detailed assessment of the situation at the hospital.

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    He confirmed that no casualties were recorded, although a building within the hospital’s staff quarters sustained damage. The occupants of the affected building were safely evacuated.

    Anisma added that the Commissioner of Police has reinforced security in the area with additional tactical deployments to ensure public order, while a comprehensive investigation into the incident is ongoing.

    The police also urged members of the public to remain calm and stay away from the immediate vicinity to allow security and investigative operations to proceed unhindered.

  • Foundation empowers youths, supports elderly in Lagos, Osun, Oyo

    Foundation empowers youths, supports elderly in Lagos, Osun, Oyo

    The Okanlomo Foundation has concluded its multi-state empowerment and humanitarian intervention across Lagos, Osun and Ibadan, Oyo State.

    The foundation reaffirmed commitment towards sustainable community development, social inclusion and promotion of human dignity.

    Its founder, Oluwatosin Akinyemi, said the initiative combined youth skills empowerment with elderly welfare support, addressing economic vulnerability and social care needs in underserved communities. 

    According to her, the programme was designed to create long-term impact through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support and targeted humanitarian assistance.

    Akinyemi said: “Okanlomo Foundation is a non-governmental organisation focused on empowering individuals and communities through skills development, entrepreneurship promotion and social welfare initiatives. 

    “The Foundation programmes are aimed at providing sustainable solutions that improve livelihoods, support vulnerable populations and contribute to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria.

    “As part of the empowerment programme, the Foundation implemented a four-month intensive training in fashion design and makeup artistry, during which eight beneficiaries were trained and certified. 

    “The training was delivered in collaboration with Phitos Glam and Anike Clothings, providing participants with hands-on, industry-relevant skills targeted at self-employment and economic independence.

    “To further strengthen sustainability outcomes, beneficiaries also participated in a comprehensive entrepreneurship and business development session facilitated by Temitayo Adewole, National Business Development Service Provider  (NBDSP). 

    “The session covered enterprise structuring, customer acquisition, pricing strategies and business growth, equipping participants with practical tools to successfully launch and manage their businesses.”

    Akinyemi thanked partners, facilitators, volunteers and supporters for their contributions to the success of the programme. 

    She emphasised importance of collaboration in achieving sustainable development, noting that the Foundation remained open to partnerships with government institutions, corporate organisations, individuals and other non-profit bodies to scale its impact.

    “Beyond youth empowerment, the Foundation also extended its humanitarian outreach to elderly citizens. In partnership with Omojolagbe Geriatric Care Foundation, Ibadan, food items and essential gift packages were distributed to 90 elderly persons across Lagos and Ibadan. 

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    “The intervention was aimed at providing immediate relief while promoting dignity, care and social inclusion for senior citizens.”

    Founder of Omojolagbe Geriatric Care Foundation, Dr. Ojo Florence, expressed gratitude for the support received and commended Okanlomo Foundation for its commitment to elderly welfare.

    She prayed for the organisation and expressed hope for continued collaboration in serving the aged population.

    The Foundation noted that the initiative aligned with several SDGs, including SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

    One of the beneficiaries, Ogunowo Valentina described the programme as life-changing, stating that it enabled her to acquire her desired skill despite financial limitations. 

    She however said the training has positioned her for self-reliance and economic empowerment.

  • DICON-D7G pledges stronger defence collaboration in 2026

    DICON-D7G pledges stronger defence collaboration in 2026

    The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria–D7G (DICON-D7G) has said it remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s defence and security architecture.

    It promised to deepen collaboration with government institutions, private sector partners and global allies in 2026.

    The corporation made the promise in an end-of-year message by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Osman Chennar.

    During the event, the organisation took stock of its operations in the outgoing year and outlined strategic priorities it will pursue next year and beyond.

    Chennar expressed appreciation to stakeholders, partners and the general public for their sustained trust and cooperation.

    The CEO described the outgoing year as a defining period in the pursuit of national security and sustainable development.

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    “As we draw the curtain on another defining year, we extend our profound gratitude to our esteemed stakeholders, partners and the general public for their unwavering trust, collaboration and shared belief in our collective mission,” he said.

    Reaffirming support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the DICON-D7G chief executive said the policy framework continues to provide purposeful leadership, inspire national resilience and drive strategic transformation across critical sectors.

    “We proudly reaffirm our resolute support for the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places security, stability and sustainable development at the heart of nation-building. At DICON-D7G, we remain deeply committed to national service and fully aligned with this vision,” Chennar stated.

    Looking ahead to 2026, the DICON-D7G boss said the organisation would enter the new year with renewed confidence and determination.

    He said fresh opportunities would be explored to deepen innovation, strengthen partnerships and deliver robust defence solutions.

    According to him, DICON-D7G will continue to work closely with relevant government agencies, private sector players and international partners to safeguard national interests and contribute meaningfully to a safer and stronger Nigeria.

    Chennar assured the Federal Government, stakeholders, and the general public that 2026 would be marked by impactful growth, strategic expansion and purposeful engagement within the defence and security ecosystem.

    “Together, we will continue to build trust, enhance capacity and champion initiatives that promote peace, security and sustainable national development,” he added.

  • Insecurity: SDP faults political interference in military operations

    Insecurity: SDP faults political interference in military operations

    • Party urges stronger intelligence, foreign partnerships

    The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Shehu Gabam, has raised concerns over what he called political interference in Nigeria’s military operations.

    He warned that countermanding battlefield decisions without clear constitutional authority poses grave dangers to national security.

    In a televised interview on Nigeria’s security situation, Gabam argued that the President bears the ultimate responsibility for both kinetic and non-kinetic security strategies, stressing that no individual or institution has the constitutional power to override presidential directives to the military.

    According to him, reports of troops being ordered to stand down at critical moments, sometimes when they were on the verge of reclaiming territory or making strategic arrests, are deeply troubling and require explanation at the highest level.

    He said: “We have seen communications, though unofficial, suggesting that the military had made serious inroads and were about to record major successes, only for them to receive instructions to withdraw. The question is: who has the authority to give such an order apart from the President? If anyone else can countermand a presidential directive, then we are in a very dangerous situation.”

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    He referenced unresolved controversies surrounding the withdrawal of troops in parts of Kebbi State during incidents involving mass kidnappings, noting that despite debates at the National Assembly and complaints by state authorities, there has been no official clarification on who ordered the military to leave those locations.

    Gabam insisted that Nigeria has the capacity to defeat non-state armed groups if decisive leadership is exercised, citing past administrations where firm presidential directives led to swift security responses.

    He said: “When a president gives a direct order on security, it is final. No minister, no appointee, not even the Chief of Defence Staff can counter that order without reverting to the President. That chain of command must be respected.”

    Gabam urged the Federal Government to revive security negotiations with Washington, recalling that under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria successfully negotiated the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft following discussions with then U.S. President Donald Trump.

    “There is no reason why that level of understanding cannot be restored,” he said, adding that Nigeria should also explore partnerships with other technologically advanced countries.

    Turning to regional security, Gabam expressed concern over instability in the Sahel following the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic from ECOWAS, warning that porous borders have allowed armed fighters and weapons to flow into Nigeria.

    He also warned that Nigeria’s security risks are compounded by political tensions, approaching elections, logistical challenges, poverty, and widespread social frustration.

    “You have hungry, angry populations, weaponized poverty, and political crises converging at the same time,” he said. “There must be deliberate efforts to reduce national tension.”

  • Otedola divests 77% equity in Geregu power plant

    Otedola divests 77% equity in Geregu power plant

    Femi Otedola yesterday divested his 77 per cent controlling stake in Geregu Power Plc in a $750 million deal. The power plant uploaded the filing on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) website.

    According to the details cited, the transaction was consummated through the sale of Otedola’s 95 per cent stake in Amperion Power Distribution Company Limited to an indigenous firm, MA’AM Energy Limited, an Abuja-based integrated energy company engaged in electricity generation and supply, energy trading and marketing.

    According to the NGX filing, Amperion Power Distribution Company Limited, the majority shareholder of Geregu Power, has undergone a significant restructuring of its ownership.

    The document confirms that “MA’AM Energy Ltd has acquired a 95 per cent equity interest” in Amperion Power, effectively making it the new controlling shareholder of Geregu Power Plc.

    Consequently, the indirect controlling interest previously held by Calvados Global Services Limited and Otedola “has been transferred to MA’AM Energy.”

    READ ALSO: Bridging the gaps in budget implementation

    The transaction, which closed yesterday, was financed by a consortium of Nigerian banks led by Zenith Bank, with Blackbirch Capital acting as financial advisers.

    While the sale involved Otedola’s stake in Amperion, Geregu Power clarified that this “does not involve the direct sale or transfer of shares of Geregu Power Plc,” meaning the company’s public shareholding structure on the NGX remains unchanged.

    Geregu Power is currently valued at N2.85 trillion, trading at N1,140 per share and remains one of the most capitalised and profitable firms on the Nigerian Exchange.

  • Adeoye Temitope introduces JERCE framework, open, anonymous iReporting

    Adeoye Temitope introduces JERCE framework, open, anonymous iReporting

    Rising insecurity, delayed emergency responses, and declining trust in reporting channels have prompted Adeoye Temitope to propose a national safety initiative anchored on the Joint Emergency Response and Citizen Engagement (JERCE) framework. 

    The initiative leverages open and anonymous iReporting through the Kaci Help App (Know, Act, Care, Inform) to enhance coordination and citizen.

    Temitope explained that many Nigerians hesitate to report kidnappings, accidents, or security threats due to fears of delayed action, information leaks, or escalation, resulting in widespread underreporting and weakened early response.

    Through collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigeria Police Force, DSS, Defence Headquarters, NSCDC, FRSC, NEMA, Fire Services, private entities, and other relevant agencies, the government can partner with FactCheck Initiative and IDC Platforms, the operators of Kaci Help, to establish a coordinated reporting system.

    The JERCE framework addresses gaps in citizen reporting by integrating emergency response and citizen engagement into a unified structure. It ensures information submitted by citizens is received, tracked, and acted upon rather than lost across fragmented systems.

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    Building on Kaci Help’s platform, citizens can report incidents publicly or anonymously, request assistance, and engage authorities through Emergency, SOS, iReport, and Consultation features. These tools allow users to trigger alerts, share information, and monitor progress with improved transparency.

    Beyond technology, JERCE proposes a national Situation Room to coordinate responses, monitor incidents in real time, and support decision-making. Using data analysis and artificial intelligence, the unit would identify patterns, prioritize incidents, and strengthen early warning capabilities across federal, state, and local levels.

    Citizens would receive updates through live chat and status tracking, a step critical to rebuilding public trust. Temitope noted that a trusted system reduces reliance on personal police escorts by addressing safety challenges systemically.

    Funding for the framework would be sustained through Kaci Help subscriptions, supporting infrastructure, responder training, system maintenance, and performance incentives without burdening government budgets.

    “With a dedicated JERCE Situation Room and structured reporting, incidents across Nigeria can be accurately tracked, counted, and addressed,” Temitope said. “This enables better analysis, transparency, and informed decision-making.”

    He concluded that modern national safety relies not only on physical response but also on communication, trust, coordination, and data, describing the JERCE framework as a necessary evolution in how Nigeria engages citizens and responds to emergencies.

  • Group calls for stronger security coordination in Zamfara, decries recent attack

    Group calls for stronger security coordination in Zamfara, decries recent attack

    The Northern Front for Peace and Accountability (NFPA) has expressed concern over the security situation in Zamfara State, calling for stronger leadership coordination and renewed efforts to address ongoing safety challenges in the state.

    In a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, the president of the group, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi Kaura, referenced recent security incidents, including a suspected bomb explosion along the Yar’Tasha–Dansadau road in Maru Local Government Area, which reportedly affected travellers using the route.

    Kaura said the incident had heightened public anxiety and underscored the need for improved security coordination across the state, particularly along major highways and in rural communities.

    According to the group, residents of Zamfara have continued to express concern about their safety, as attacks by armed groups have disrupted daily activities, travel, and farming in several areas.

    The NFPA noted that effective leadership during periods of insecurity requires visible engagement, clear direction, and sustained collaboration with security agencies and local stakeholders.

    The group also sought official engagements in order to prioritise the prevailing security challenges in Zamfara and to reassure residents and strengthen public confidence.

    Kaura said previous efforts to tackle insecurity in the state showed that progress was possible through political commitment, community involvement, and coordinated strategies involving state and federal authorities.

    He encouraged the current administration to review past approaches to security management in the state and adapt relevant measures that emphasise community intelligence, regular security consultations, and close cooperation with federal security institutions.

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    The group called for the convening of a security summit involving traditional rulers, community leaders, security agencies, and federal authorities to develop a unified and sustainable response to the challenges confronting the state.

    The NFPA also appealed to the federal government to pay close attention to developments in Zamfara, stressing the importance of timely intervention and support to prevent further deterioration of security conditions.

    As investigations continue into the Maru road incident, the group said residents across Zamfara remain concerned about their safety and are hopeful that enhanced leadership engagement and a clear security strategy will help restore stability and public confidence.