The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has underwritten $2.5 billion of a $4 billion senior syndicated term loan for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, reinforcing its role in financing large-scale industrial projects across Africa. The five-year facility, arranged with Access Bank as co-mandated lead arranger, will refinance existing debt, optimise the refinery’s capital structure, and align financing with its current operational needs. With a refining capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the Dangote facility remains Africa’s largest refining and petrochemical complex. The new financing is expected to strengthen its balance sheet while supporting ongoing expansion plans. President and Chairman of…
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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced a mandatory Cybersecurity Self-Assessment Tool (CSAT) for all regulated financial institutions, in a decisive move to strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s banking sector against escalating cyber threats. In a statement issued by the apex bank, the initiative was anchored on its statutory mandate under the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 2020, reinforcing its oversight role in safeguarding financial system stability. The CSAT is designed as a supervisory instrument to evaluate the robustness of cybersecurity frameworks across banks and other financial entities. It focuses on critical areas such as risk management protocols,…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (US-DEA) have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation to dismantle drug cartels and cut off funding sources for terrorism and other transnational crimes. This resolve was expressed on Tuesday at a joint strategic counter-narcotics workshop held at the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja, where both agencies outlined plans to intensify intelligence sharing, joint operations, and coordinated enforcement actions over the next year. The Chairman of NDLEA, Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the workshop as “strategic and timely,” noting that it aims to align enforcement leadership from Nigeria…
Governors of the 19 northern states, under the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), have reaffirmed their support for Bola Tinubu, citing ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity and drive development across the region. The position was reached after a meeting held at the Gombe State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, where the governors pledged closer collaboration with the Federal Government and security agencies to address evolving threats. Chairman of the forum and Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, who issued the communiqué, said the governors were aligned with the President’s approach to restoring peace and stability, noting that joint efforts were already…
While the term “war” may suggest a confrontation between equals, the USA/Israel-Iran conflict is marked by a significant imbalance in power and resources. Thus, a more accurate analogy would be a struggle between a cat and a rat, emphasizing Iran’s disadvantage. Still, international conflicts are complex, often defy logic, and are rarely resolved by force alone; the ‘might-is-right’ doctrine does not hold water. The Middle East crisis must be understood through the lens of these imbalances and complexities, forming the basis of this analysis. On February 28, 2026, the world experienced a seismic shift, one that many people did…
Massive protests against President Donald Trump’s second-term policies are set for Saturday, with organizers expecting millions to rally nationwide under the “No Kings” banner. This grassroots movement, now in its third major outing since January 2025, channels opposition to what critics call authoritarian tactics and erratic governance. The spark? Trump’s recent military push alongside Israel in Iran, layered atop grievances like executive overreach, Justice Department targeting of rivals, fossil fuel priorities amid climate woes, and crackdowns on diversity initiatives. CLICK TO WATCH https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C8wgqKEyu Past events drew crowds: June’s protest on Trump’s 79th birthday pulled several million, coinciding with his Washington…
The Principal Investigator of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) programme at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, Dr. Bashir Mohammed Farouk, has emphasized that effective tracking of neonatal mortality begins with monitoring pregnancies. Dr. Farouk made this known when members of the Maternal and Child Health Champions in Bauchi State, under the Advocacy and Implementation of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Innovations in Nigeria project, paid an advocacy visit to the CHAMPS office. He explained that the programme conducts pregnancy surveillance by enrolling women early in pregnancy and following them through delivery and up…
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Y. Suleiman, has said the House plans to enact a law to discourage home delivery among women of reproductive lol age as a strategy to curb maternal and infant mortality in the state. Suleiman made this known during a two-day high-level engagement with policymakers and legislators on improving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), as well as Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition, held in Jos. He expressed concern over findings from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2023/24, which reveal that about 69 per cent of…
Yesterday, I participated in a workshop organised by the Alumni Association of the National Association of Security Studies on the theme of credible elections and national security in Nigeria. In his opening remarks, the Chair of the occasion, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan SAN argued that elections and security are no parallel tracks but two sides of the same coin of national stability. He promised that under his leadership, the Commission’s approach to electoral administration would be anchored on the supremacy of the Constitution and the Electoral Act. He assured participants that INEC is committed to a free, fair and credible…
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has stressed that Nigeria’s quest for macroeconomic stability hinges on credible monetary policy and strong coordination among key economic actors. Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the CBN’s Monetary Policy Forum, Cardoso said sustainable stability cannot be achieved in isolation, but through alignment between monetary authorities, fiscal institutions, the private sector, and the broader public. The forum, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Macroeconomic Stability Through Effective Monetary Policy: The Role of Critical Stakeholders,” brought together policymakers and industry players to deepen engagement on reform outcomes. Cardoso described the theme as both…