The Federal Ministry of Finance deserves credit for bringing Nigeria’s economic reforms into the public domain through its “Nigeria’s Economic Reforms: By the Numbers” platform. The initiative addresses an important question: where did the money come from, where did it go, what has changed since 2023, and what do those changes mean? This is a welcome move towards evidence-based fiscal communication and public accountability. But because the Ministry has put the numbers at the centre of the reform narrative, those numbers should be subjected to equally rigorous scrutiny. The government’s scorecard tells Nigerians what changed. It does not yet tell…
Author: Editor
Today, August 24, 2026, marks the 70th birthday of one of Africa’s most distinguished traditional rulers, one of the Muslim world’s influential voices, and, most importantly for Nigeria, a leader whose influence extends far beyond the walls of his palace. His Eminence, Ambassador Dr. General Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, Sultan of Sokoto, President-General of both the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Jama’atu Nasiril Islam (JNI), turns 70 today. For those of us privileged to know him closely, this is more than a birthday. It is a celebration of a life of service, discipline, faith, courage,…
I first met Prof. Michael Oladimeji Faborode in September 1999 at the annual conference of the Nigerian Society of Agricultural Engineers (NSAE) at Federal Polytechnic Bauchi, where I served as an academic staff member for over eight years. I left in 1998 to join Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Although I was no longer working in Bauchi, I still had significant influence at the conference, having served as the pioneer local chapter ASUP chairman and the first National Financial Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) under the leadership of Mallam Hadi Auwal, of blessed memory. At the end…
Nigerian politics is so serious that it is no longer left in the hands of politicians. Or so it seems. We can see how Davido, carrying the South and a segment of Northern youths, and Rarara, with a huge fan base in the North, stand at the vanguard of the music industry, with their influence now extending into national politics, where their reach can shape public loyalties and political momentum. Davido and Rarara are Nigerian musicians and household names in the Nigerian music industry. Each has his own genre, audience, style and appeal, shaped by his background. Born on November…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has constituted the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections, appointing former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, as Director-General. The list, released on Saturday, named President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima as chairman and vice chairman of the council, respectively, while APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, will serve as another vice chairman. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was appointed secretary of the campaign council, with APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, and Hadiza Bala-Usman serving as deputy and assistant secretaries. The council’s chairman, President Tinubu, will be…
Nigeria’s consecutive declines in inflation have strengthened the case for a possible interest rate cut at the September Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, but analysts expect the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to maintain its current monetary policy stance, citing its new Open Market Operations (OMO) rules and other liquidity management measures. Nigeria’s headline inflation decelerated in July 2026 to 15.43 percent year-on-year from 15.91 percent in June, marking a second consecutive decline and the sharpest monthly slowdown so far this year. On a month-on-month basis, inflation eased to 1.57 percent from 1.66 percent in June. However, the data masks…
Nigerian businesses continued to face significant operating pressures in July, with high or multiple taxation, insecurity and elevated interest rates emerging as their biggest constraints, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) latest Business Expectations Survey. The July 2026 survey, conducted among 1,900 businesses across the industry, services and agriculture sectors, showed that high or multiple taxation ranked as the leading challenge, recording an index of 70.8 points. Insecurity ranked second at 69.7 points, while high interest rates ranked third at 66.3 points. Unfavourable political conditions and high bank charges were also identified as significant pressures on businesses. Despite…
The 46th Ordinary Summit of Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government, held in Durban on 17 August 2026, has placed critical minerals, infrastructure and industrialisation firmly at the centre of the region’s development ambitions. Its theme — “Resilient, Sustainable, and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World” — is ambitious and, on the surface, compelling. I welcome the recognition that critical minerals, agriculture and infrastructure will shape the region’s economic future. I also welcome the communiqué’s commitments to women’s leadership, gender-based violence prevention, climate preparedness and inclusive…
Nigeria’s banking system entered the second quarter of 2026 with ample liquidity, but tighter monetary operations by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are changing the amount of cash available to lenders and shaping how banks deploy their funds across the economy. The CBN, in its monthly economic report for April 2026, said the banking sector remained resilient, with most financial soundness indicators within prudential limits. The industry liquidity ratio rose to 74.16 percent in April, from 67.32 percent in March, and remained significantly above the 30 percent regulatory threshold. However, average net liquidity in the banking system fell sharply…
One year into Olayemi Cardoso’s drive to strengthen Nigeria’s banking system, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says its reforms have reshaped how banks are supervised, how risks are managed, and prepared for future shocks. The measures, outlined in the apex bank’s latest Annual Report, show a shift from reacting to banking problems to identifying vulnerabilities before they threaten financial stability. At the heart of the reforms is a risk-based supervisory framework that places greater emphasis on prevention. Rather than relying solely on routine compliance checks, the CBN intensified both offsite surveillance of banks’ financial returns and onsite examinations, including…