Late dramatist and playwright, Prof Ola Rotimi, once wrote a play, Holding Talks. In this work, which falls under the genre of theatre of the absurd, two characters are having a conversation forever or will ad nauseam be a better word? In this conversation, there is neither head nor tail and the repetition can be boring or annoying except you spice the cast with exciting or energetic actors. Lovely stuff of academic distinction.

In this country, we love holding talks. So many of them. And the outcomes are pretty predictable, and the place of the papers and reports guaranteed – kept where they may never be revisited!

We had one last week, and please bear me witness that I do not have the capacity to ever suggest that the Telecoms Colloquium which held in Lagos under the auspices of the House Committee on Communications at the National Assembly, will end in the manner of Holding Talks, a play which Rotimi used to satirise our propensity to talk as a people with very little results.

There were two significant developments in the sector as the colloquium was holding. One, a residual trade dispute between MTN and Kogi State which led to service disruption in parts of the state, and the other, MTN returning to the path of profit after consecutive trade losses. Also be mindful that I am not saying here that MTN is like the tortoise that appears in every story; I am just trying to zero on the point that while the issue with Kogi may not enjoy any attention, the latter which has to do with the organisation making profit is the kind of stuff the lawmakers would love. But MTN featured in the two stories in such a variegated form I thought should engage the interest of our lawmakers.

For the telecommunications industry, there is always something very positive to acknowledge, much unlike the power and energy sectors, among others, where there exists a dismal dearth that increases widespread concerns among the people. In spite of seeming inadequacies in the telecoms sector, the stakeholders who gathered in Lagos – lawmakers, operators, lawyers, finance industry operators, equipment manufacturers and vendors, and subscribers, all agreed to the great strides recorded in the industry since early 2003.

“The Nigerian Communications Act 2003 has been instrumental in shaping our telecommunications landscape. However, 22 yers later, it has become essential to reassess its provisions, identify challlenges, and explore opportunities for growth and development in our rapidly changing world,” Chairman of the House Committee, Peter Akpatason, pointed out most succintly.

His position can hardly be faulted. Even the EVC of the Nigerian Communications Commmmission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, agreed completely as he said the Act has heralded a new era for the telecommunications sector in just over two decades.

It is true that the industry is worth over $75bn today with over 153m lines in the hands of subscribers across the nation. It has become an enabler of other sectors giving rise to a wave of unanticipated developments. It is also true that the industry has been straining at the seams causing a lot of service issues that make subscribers unhappy. Modernity is playing a role in the sector that can hardly be overlooked.

In 2003, at the birth of the Act, Nigerians craved for basic telecoms services, nothing more. At the time, there were no Internet of Things (IoT), Over-the-Top (OTT) services – WhatsApp, Instagram, Netflix, Uber, just to name a few, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI) – nobody was thinking that you could go to a restaurant and a humanoid will have to serve you tea, no Space Tourism – some guys waving to humans from the edge of space, and no Autonomous Self-Driving Cars. It hardly occurred to anybody then that life would throw its entire weight on telecommunications and force the sector to buckle somewhat, tethering for survival. It has been a good ride for the industry but time has come to grow the Act to enable it cope with all these nuanced developments and pave the way for a fresh foundation for sectorial infrastructural growth.

So, without doubt, I totally agree with former regulator and now legal practitioner, Yetunde Akinloye, when she observed in her paper, The Nigerian Communication Act 2003 – Impact Analysis on the Communications Sector, that the Act is “not in tune with Current realities – Fines, Digital Economy Policy, National Broadband Plans, Technology Evolutions, AI, OTT, IOT and Data Driven Services.”

But the Act was bold on a number of things, for instance, the independence of the regulator but silent on the things it never anticipated. The Act did not make provisions for this wave of cyber criminality, of people living their life in cyberspace, fleecing others of their fortunes or even stalking them to death. The Act did not anticipate that a state in the federation would wake up one morning and vandalise telecommunications facilities in pursuit of taxes in dispute. The Act did not envisage a number of things because the visioning didn’t happen at the time.

A piece of good news from the colloquium is the agreement by stakeholders of the industry, including the regulator, NCC, to work with the National Assembly to review the Act and equip it to cope with unfolding industry issues. They see it as a task that must be done. When was the last time you heard that expression?

The lawmakers must take cognisance of a number of bills going through legislative processes that all seem to derive from, or detract from the efficacy and substance of the 2003 Act. I am happy that she particularly referenced the regulatory overlaps between NCC, FCCPC and NITDA. Many more are in the making. The reviewers should watch out for regulatory overlaps that portends evil for the industry.

The hallmark of the 2003 Act is the independence of the regulator. But that independence was trampled to the mud under the previous administration which pushed the regulator and industry close to a precipice from which they are still trying to find stability.

It is good that a review process has started but Akinloye warns that “Laws must grow with the people and be responsive to any given peculiar circumstances. Nigerians will be counting on the legislature to review and produce a better version of the NCA, just as it did in 2003”.

The NCA 2003 gave Nigeria an industry. Will Akpatason and his team move the nation beyond Holding Talks and add value to the sector with a new Act?

The senate has announced a minor reshuffle of its standing committees.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the changes are part of efforts to improve legislative productivity.

“We will continue to make adjustments where necessary in order to deliver on our legislative mandate,” Akpabio said.

He also directed Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader, to ensure all committees submit activity reports for deliberation on the senate floor.

In a welcome address at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio urged his colleagues to recommit themselves to national service with integrity and patriotism.

He implored the lawmakers to prioritise legislative efforts on issues that promote national unity.

Simon Lalong, the senator representing Plateau south, has been named chairman of the committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and electoral matters.

Lalong replaces Sharafadeen Ali, senator representing Oyo south, who has chaired the committee since the inauguration of the 10th national assembly.

Ali has been reassigned as chairman of the committee on agricultural institutions and research, a role previously held by Lalong.

Anthony Ani, senator representing Ebonyi south, will no longer serve as chairman of the committee on tourism.

Pam Nwadkon, senator representing Plateau north, will now chair the tourism committee.

Eze Kenneth Emeka, senator representing Ebonyi central, has been removed as the vice-chairman of the committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC). That position has been given to Ani.

Emeka, however, retains his role as chairman of the committee on information and remains vice chairman of the committee on water resources.

[TheCable]

Pope Francis I (Jorge Bergoglio) who recently died, was the first ever pontiff from Latin America and the first non-European one in 1,300 years. The 88-year old Argentinian’s 12-year papacy transformed the 1.3 billion-strong Catholic Church into one more inclusive of global South perspectives (its fastest growing congregations are in Latin America, Asia, and Africa), and 80 per cent of the more diverse cardinalate that will shortly elect a new Pope was appointed by Francis.

In a Europe where Catholicism had long become the religion of kings and queens and nearly empty churches have become museums, Bergoglio adopted the name of 13th- century saint,Francis of Assisi as a clear signal of a desire to follow the Italian friar’s pious commitment to Jesus Christ’s humble lifestyle, his commitment to the “wretched of the earth”, his outreach to Islam, and his attachment to nature. Pope Francis described himself as a “callejero” (a man of the streets), insisting: “My people are poor, and I am one of them.”

POOR PEOPLE’S POPE

A trained theologian, chemist, and philosopher who studied in Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Germany, Francis despised the Vatican’s ostentatious opulence. He thus declined to live in the plush 12-room Apostolic Palace apartment, opting instead for a modest two-room suite in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta guest house, eating in the common canteen.

He surrendered the bullet-proof papal limousine for a small Ford Focus. As a “Slum Bishop” in Buenos Aires, Francis had similarly given up his official residence for a modest room, cooked his own meals, and travelled by public transport. As Archbishop of Buenos Aires (1998-2013), he established food kitchens, schools, and drug rehabilitation centres, though some criticised him for not directly confronting the brutal “Dirty War” and forced “disappearances” of Argentina’s military caudillos (1976-1983). As Pope, he continued to berate “peacock priests” and “airport bishops” who did not visit poor neighbourhoods to save souls.

The United Nations (UN) was founded 80 years ago by largely Christian nations on lofty Christian ideals, with its secretary-general sometimes referred to as the “Pope on the East River”. These were the very struggles that Francis embraced: poverty, human rights, conflict resolution, climate change, migration, and nuclear disarmament. He articulated clearly the UN’s concept of human security that sought to prioritise the security of people over that of states.

Francis’s first trip outside Rome as Pope in July 2013 was to the squalid migrant camp on Italy’s island of Lampedusa, where he comforted desperate African migrants fleeing poverty, persecution, and conflict. These were the invisible people who have been widely despised and denigrated across a Europe rife with xenophobia.

The new Pope castigated the “global indifference” towards Africa’s boat people, calling for a “reawakening of conscience” among rich nations. During Europe’s 2015 “migrant crisis”, Francis relentlessly spoke out for the rights of refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He later gave sanctuary at the Vatican to a dozen Syrian refugees, noting: “Welcoming the stranger to the door is fundamental to the faith.” When Donald Trump pledged to build a wall to keep Mexican migrants out of America during his 2016 presidential campaign, Francis chided him as “not Christian”, arguing that countries should build bridges rather than walls. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, the Pope consistently condemned the West’s “vaccine nationalism”.

FIGHTING POVERTY, DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS

Francis was the good shepherd who tended his flock, providing hope and succour to destitute, downtrodden, and desperate people in prisons and hospitals, often washing their feet while feeding and sheltering the homeless. Though a Jesuit, he did not embrace the Marxist-inspired “liberation theology” of many radical Latin American theologians. Francis was more pragmatic, arguing that while the Left worshipped the state, the Right tended to overglorify the market.

He, however, scathingly castigated an exploitative capitalism, which he dismissed as “greed looking for easy gain”, insisting that “money must serve, not rule!” For the pontiff, capitalism spawned perverse inequalities both within states and between the rich North and the global South, insisting: “Without a solution to the problems of the poor, we cannot resolve the problems of the world.”

Francis not only defended Catholics, but spoke out forcefully against Israel’s brutalities against Palestinians in Gaza. He championed the rights of Rohingya on visits to Myanmar and Bangladesh; defended Yazidis in Iraq; and apologised for the failure of the Catholic Church during the 1994 Rwandan genocide and the abuse of First Nations indigenous children forcibly placed in Canadian Catholic schools between 1881 and 1996. Before his visit to the US in September 2015, Francis invited Black Lives Matter activists to brief papal advisers on America’s racial challenges.

During his address to the US Congress in Washington, DC, the Pope invoked African-American Nobel Peace laureate Martin Luther King Jr., who had been inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s use of Jesus’s love ethic in his non-violence struggles in South Africa and India. Francis also appointed Wilton D. Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, as the first black American cardinal in 2020. Francis discreetly worked with the first African American president, Barack Obama, to broker a deal between Washington and Cuba that led to a thaw in relations in 2014.

PROMOTING PEACE, PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

The Pontiff was a peacemaker who declared the possession of nuclear weapons by any nation to be “immoral”, calling instead for total nuclear disarmament. He visited the world’s neglected “peripheries”, falling at the feet of South Sudan’s warlords, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, exhorting them to turn swords into ploughshares. He did the same in the Congo – with its powerful Catholic Church – urging a silencing of the guns and an end to widespread rape. He further preached peace and reconciliation in Mozambique.

Francis called on everyone to protect “Mother Earth”, condemning the “iniquitous exploitation of natural resources”. He railed against the impact of climate change on the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations, particularly castigating lacklustre politicians and climate change denialists. He bemoaned Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 UN Paris Climate agreement because “the future of humanity is at stake”. The “green” Pope also organised environmental conferences with the UN and called a synod of bishops from Brazil’s pan-Amazon region in 2019 to draw attention to the plight of the 33 million people in the Amazon Basin facing an onslaught from exploitative multinationals and the country’s pyromaniac new right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro.

LEGACY

For all his smiling charisma and understated humility, Francis was an astute and sometimes ruthless political operator. He faced much opposition from powerful conservative cardinals in America, Australia, and Canada (often allied with well-funded right-wing movements) who had strongly backed the Eurocentric status quo of Polish Pope John Paul II and his German successor, Benedict XVI. These religious rebels often challenged Francis’s “heresy” and his perceived threat to a Western Christian identity. Unlike his autocratic predecessors who brooked no dissent, Francis allowed ideological debates to flourish.

He managed to reform the stuffy and opaque Roman Curia bureaucracy, restoring the Vatican’s finances, and sought to decentralise decision-making away from Rome to local parishes. His critics opposed many of his policies: his attempts to make the Church more racially, sexually, and gender-inclusive; his attacks on capitalist greed, climate change, and the arms industry; his reaching out to Muslim leaders by attending a conference at Cairo’s ancient Al-Azhar centre in 2017, and visiting Islamic religious leaders in the Arabian peninsula two years later to promote inter-faith harmony; his opposition to the death penalty as contrary to church teaching; and his impatience with continuing archaic Latin liturgical rites.

Even in death, Francis embodied humility, choosing to be buried not in Rome’s St Peter’s Basilica like most popes, but in the more modest St Mary Major Basilica with a simple tombstone bearing the inscription “Franciscus”. As we await the white smoke to emerge from the Conclave of the College of Cardinals that will elect a new pontiff, the world has much to celebrate in the legacy of the global South’s “Poor People’s Pope”: a true servant leader who was born a week before Christmas, and died on the day Christ is believed by his followers to have returned to Earth following his Resurrection.

Professor Adekeye Adebajo is a senior research fellow at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship in South Africa. 

Nigeria is at a crucial juncture in its political and economic journey. Once buoyed by the promise of post-colonial growth, the country now grapples with poverty, inflation, and public dissatisfaction. A recent World Bank report highlights the severity of the crisis: over 56% of Nigerians approximately 129 million people live below the national poverty line, a staggering increase from 40.1% in 2018. Urban poverty has doubled, inflation exceeds 30%, and while structural reforms have been well-intentioned, they have often intensified hardships.

In this climate of uncertainty, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, made remarks that compared today’s economic challenges with those of the 1960s. With clarity and empirical depth, he noted that real GDP per capita has plummeted from $1,847 at independence to just $824 today a reality that underscores Nigeria’s regression despite its abundant resources. He attributed this decline to decades of weak institutions, policy missteps, and chronic underinvestment in essential public goods.

Adesina’s analysis was not a political attack; it was a data-driven assessment grounded in the realities faced by millions of Nigerians. His comments strongly resonated with the World Bank’s statistics indicating that rural poverty now exceeds 75%. Projections suggest that Nigeria, despite being one of the world’s resource-rich nations, faces one of the steepest uphill battles against poverty.

In response, the Presidency, through Bayo Onanuga, quickly dismissed Adesina’s figures as “inaccurate” and “narrow,” citing a GDP per capita of just $93 in 1960 to counter his comparison. However, this rebuttal not only relied on outdated or inconsistent data but also deflected from a broader truth: Nigeria’s quality of life, institutional coherence, and social infrastructure were demonstrably stronger in the immediate post-independence era than they are today.

This rebuttal reflects a troubling trend in Nigerian public discourse, where defensiveness and political loyalty often overshadow facts. Rejection of the symptoms does not change the underlying condition, akin to ignoring a medical diagnosis. As the proverb states, “Raising your voice cannot make a deaf person hear.”

Amid this contention, HURIWA emerged as a vital voice of reason and solidarity. Standing firmly behind Adesina, HURIWA criticized the Presidency’s response as “unwarranted, disrespectful, and indicative of a broader refusal to engage honestly with Nigeria’s realities.” The organization commended Adesina not only for his statistical rigor but also for his moral clarity in articulating the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

HURIWA’s support underscores the idea that truth-telling is a civic duty rather than merely a political act. By defending Adesina, HURIWA highlighted the importance of expert analysis in policymaking and reaffirmed that challenging authority with facts is a hallmark of democratic engagement, not an act of treason.

The organization emphasized the need for a candid reckoning. Adesina’s intervention was a call for strategic change, not a censure. The facts he presented demand an accompanying policy shift one that combines prudent macroeconomic reform with intentional investments in job creation, education, health, and institutional integrity. This framework must also include robust social protections to support the most vulnerable during economic transitions.

The core of Adesina’s clarion call was about Nigeria rising, elevating itself from deepening and widespread poverty, and achieving a much faster pace of economic growth. Adesina is not someone to ignore. His outstanding leadership and achievements at the African Development Bank and the ingenuity of his innovative ideas have earned him the trust of Presidents and leaders around the continent and globally. His very thoughtful speech (for anyone who actually reads it, is unbiassed and dispassionate) is actually solutions oriented, forward looking and very pragmatic on what Nigeria should be in 2050.

The Presidency should not politicise the patriotic assessment of Adesina, which if taken seriously has the potential to set Nigeria on a faster pace of economic growth and prosperity. As Adesina said, it is time to turn Nigeria into a developed economy. How can that be wrong and missed in the raging rush to smear his well-intentioned push? 

Interestingly, Onanuga forgot that in the same speech Adesina’s patriotism as a Nigerian comes out strongly as he helped to mobilise $2.9 billion to support the development of special agro-industrial processing zones for 28 States in Nigeria, all in support of the same Presidency that is pillorying him? Few weeks ago when Adesina was in Nigeria, he launched the groundbreaking of the first set of 8 special agro-industrial processing zones, together with Vice President Kashim Shettima and Governors of Kaduna State and Cross Rivers State, all APC controlled States. Adesina does not play politics. He is a serious minded, selfless and patriotic Nigerian who works relentlessly and passionately with everyone to advance the economic progress of Nigeria. 

Nigeria cannot achieve long-term growth through selective amnesia. It requires a willingness to confront painful truths and to recalibrate governance accordingly. As Adesina has made clear, acknowledging decline is not an act of defeat but the first step toward renewal.

In defending Adesina, HURIWA reminded the nation that public officials owe citizens more than dismissive rebuttals; they owe accountability. Their intervention helped steer the national dialogue back to what truly matters: the lived experiences of millions, the credibility of national data, and the moral imperative to respond with empathy and evidence-based policies.

History will judge not only those who spoke but also those who listened. Whether Nigeria chooses to embrace truth as the foundation for recovery or continues to disguise the crisis with noise will ultimately shape its legacy for generations to come.

How do you begin a book about one of Nigeria’s best known serial entrepreneurs and one of the richest men on the continent? Do you begin from when he was born or from a dramatic moment of outstanding achievement?

Mike Adenuga or Niyi as his friends call him or The Bull as admirers, rivals, and traducers hail him defies easy categorisation or classification. He is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.

To commemorate his 72nd birthday, I have begun cataloguing attributes that not only define Chief Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr CSG GCON, the founder of Globacom, and the moving spirit behind Conoil but which can also be seen as business primer for those wishing to follow in his prodigious footsteps.

Strive to be the primus inter pares:

In 1990 after the FG granted discretionary licences to 11 Nigerian businessmen to play in the oil and gas space, Mike Adenuga’s Consolidated oil (now Conoil) was the first to strike oil making him the first amongst equals. It wasn’t happenstance or luck, it was thanks to a planned, intentional and deliberate business strategy which has not flagged with Conoil still leading the pack decades after and even after more indigenous players have joined the fray.

You must learn to eat adversity for breakfast:

Think about it. Mike Adenuga has a high adversity quotient! How so? The man wins an auction, pays $20m deposit and then has his licence revoked leading to the loss of said deposit. What does he do? He returns years later and puts down over 10 times the amount he lost to obtain another licence and once he does so he powers on to change the telecom industry in Nigeria by unveiling innovative and people-oriented solutions all the other telcos said was impossible. Never say die!

Excellence must define your game:

What is excellence but the ability to excel and be the best. It speaks to greatness but not just a passing one. It speaks to greatness defined by consistency. Think about it; very few Nigerian businessmen have managed to excel in different sectors of the economy. You can probably count them on the fingers of one hand, but this is not a comment on their ability but a recognition of what it means to excel. Austin Avuru, oil man extraordinaire acknowledges this in his book, My Entrepreneurship Journey where he writes – “Globacom was established by Mike Adenuga a serial participant in Nigeria’s privatisation and liberalisation efforts across four major sectors (Banking, Petroleum Downstream, Telecoms and Petroleum Downstream).”

You must have a marathoner’s mindset:

To run a marathon you require speed, but not just speed, you need strength, persistence, and a mind focused on the long term. That is the difference between athletes like the Olympic champions – sprinter Usain Bolt and marathoner Eliud Kipchoge. The marathoner does not rush off with speed, he paces himself, conserves his energy, studies his competitors and plots his path to victory.

Make money but have a heart for people:

Mike Adenuga, like every businessman, set up his businesses to make money but there is always an altruistic element and this is evident from Conoil and its pocket friendly lubes to Globacom and its mass market and people-friendly innovations and the philanthropic works he carries out, quietly and without fuss through the Mike Adenuga and Glo Foundations something that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu highlighted in his 72nd birthday tribute – “Nigerians will always appreciate Globacom’s ingenuity in disrupting the billing template in the telecommunications sector. By pioneering per-second billing, Glo expanded telephony and digital access to millions of Nigerians… Dr. Adenuga’s philanthropy, through the Mike Adenuga Foundation, has touched many lives—supporting tertiary education, healthcare, and cultural advancement across our nation.”

Learn to move in silence but with impact:

Anyone of age in 1986 and who was able to read and write and listen to the radio or TV must remember the fever that gripped the world as we braced ourselves for the return of Halley’s comet which astrologers say orbits the earth once every 75 years to 76 years. Adenuga’s appearance in public is like Halley’s comet, rare but heralded by pageantry and as newsworthy as can be. Mike Adenuga is the master of savvy exclusivity. We don’t see him, but we can’t stop talking about him.

It’s a job but it’s not just a job:

When you go to work for Mike Adenuga, there are two things he would almost always demand from you – honesty and loyalty but not the type that sees you being dragged to Okija shrine. He just wants you to be a committed member of the team and what does he offer, not just a good salary and perks but an opportunity to become a member of his very large family. Your employees should feel seen, appreciated and part of a whole.

Be always plugged into the zeitgeist:

What does Mike Adenuga do with his time since no one sees him in public? Good question. While no one has the full details of his daily itinerary, the fact is that Mike Adenuga like most business leaders keeps a finger on the pulse of the world – news, music, movies, politics, books and everything happening around him because you won’t mention the name of a musical artist or actor or politician in his presence and get a blank stare. Nah!

Have a generous heart:

There is philanthropy and then there is generosity. Both must never be conflated because while philanthropy can be a corporate strategy, generosity is personal, selfless and from the heart. The distinction is important in situating Mike Adenuga’s large heartedness. When corporate Nigeria was falling over themselves to ride upon the popularity of hot and young actors, Mike Adenuga’s Globacom went above and beyond by initiating a nostalgia project that revived the careers of stars from decades before from Amebo to Madam Kofo, Zebrudaya to Femi Jarret, Nelly Uchendu to Bright Chimezie and many others.

Be bullish, be resilient, be stable:

Why is Mike Adenuga called The Bull? Is it because he is a Taurean, the zodiac sign symbolised by a bull or a recognition and celebration of his masculine energy, his strength of character, his power and resilience. Wherever it came from, it is not wide off the mark because it refers to a man who is stable, grounded, likes luxury and loves the finer things in life. A man’s man.

Our headline says 72 things and you have just read 10. Well, wait for the book, but in the meantime raise a toast to Otunba Mike Adenuga.

. Kan was a former Head of PR at Globacom.

A fast-rising African cryptocurrency exchange, ZendWallet, has launched a new stablecoin payment feature, Zendfx.

This feature allows users to make easy global business payments using USDT and USDC.

ZendWallet has processed over $3 billion in transactions, with 95% of payments completed within 48 hours.

Now, with Zendfx, the platform is making cross-border payments quicker, more affordable, and more reliable using USDT and USDC.

Businesses across Africa can now make faster, simpler cross-border payments with ZendWallet’s new USDT and USDC stablecoin payment feature.

Through Zendfx, businesses can send payments directly from their Zend Business accounts in USD, EUR, CAD, or GBP to countries such as China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the United States of America, and 150 others.

To access Zend Fx, businesses must sign up on ZendWallet.com and complete the KYB verification on a ZendBusiness account.

Once verified, they can fund their accounts with USDT or USDC and execute transactions swiftly.

Payments require an invoice for verification and are processed within 24 to 72 business hours.

Users must also provide essential beneficiary details, including SWIFT codes, for accurate fund transfers.

Zend Fx’s key highlights include multi-currency transactions, a minimum payment threshold of $1,000, and a maximum limit of $1,000,000 per transaction.

According to the CEO, Elujoba Adedamola, “Businesses in Africa often face challenges with cross-border payments due to restrictions and high fees. Zendfx addresses this issue by offering a reliable and clear payment method using stablecoins,” he said.

The feature improves international transactions, removing the complexities of traditional banking while ensuring compliance through the Know Your Business (KYB) verification process.

ZendWallet’s move signals the growing use of stablecoins in Africa’s financial ecosystem, providing businesses with more flexibility and better ways to make cross-border payments.

For more details, read the full blog post here or visit ZendWallet.com.

[Nairametrics]

The future of Umuezeukwu, a community in Nsulu’s Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area, hangs in the balance as residents and landowners of the Abia Airport project site make a desperate plea to Governor Alex Otti for a more equitable resolution.

Residents spoke to journalists within the community today, expressing deep concerns that the current land allocation for the airport project will not only displace them from their ancestral homes and farmlands, but will also jeopardise the community’s very existence.

The crux of the issue is the community’s repeated, unanswered requests for dialogue with the Abia State government about the amount of land allocated for the airport.

They are specifically demanding a minimum 500-meter buffer zone between the airport perimeter and their homes, which they claim has been consistently ignored, resulting in some homes and farmlands falling within the airport’s boundaries.

Chief Uche Ubani, a respected community leader, emphasised the project’s far-reaching consequences. “We are facing a stark reality,” he said. “Our ancestral lands, which have supported generations, are being taken away. Our children will have no place to build homes or farms, and, tragically, we may not even have a place to bury our dead.

The community acknowledges previous land size reductions for the airport project, noting that these adjustments benefited other communities such as Agburuike, Umuogu, Ikputu, and parts of Umuosu and Umuode.

However, Umuezeukwu claims they have been overlooked, prompting an urgent request for assistance. “We urgently request that the government implement the minimum 500-meter setback from our homes. “We are not asking for much, just enough to ensure our community’s future,” Chief Ubani emphasised.

Ebere Adieze, President General of Umuezeukwu, expressed his deep concern and denied that he had previously approved the project as is. He also lamented alleged harassment and intimidation against the community for simply seeking dialogue.

“It is even more concerning that their desperation has led them to tell the Federal High Court in Abuja that I had a meeting with the Attorney General of Abia State on April 24, 2025, where I accepted what they were doing well and discredited the Court action; all of those statements are false. I have never met with anyone at all.”

Adieze clarified that their concerns go well beyond compensation. “The issue is not compensation; it is about our survival and providing us with alternative sources of income, as we are all agrarians in this village. What we saw in Umuezukwu was that instead of 500 metres, our houses and farmlands were now inside the airport,” he said.

“Our children and future generations will no longer have a place to build homes or live. If all of the lands are taken in this quantum, I am concerned that our lives will be jeopardised. “We might not have a place to bury our dead.”

Exacerbating the situation, the community claims that the government is now acquiring additional land for an airport access road, which they claim was not originally planned.

“We invited the government, but they are not listening. The same government has gone through the back of our village to mark another area for the construction of an airport access road, which was not part of the original plan for the proposed airport,” Adieze added.

The emotional toll on residents is clear. Victoria Anya Ugochukwu, a widow, expressed her despair. “I am a widow. My husband’s land is completed. We do not even have a place to bury the dead.

“We agreed to everything, but they are intimidating and attempting to arrest our youths.”

Favour Uche, another resident, expressed similar concerns about homelessness and displacement.

Community leaders Chidiadi Ehilegbu and Chijioke Orji reiterated the need for a roundtable discussion and further land reduction.

“We are not talking about compensation,” Ehilegbu said. “The government is supposed to serve the people, and as a community, we have some rights as well. We are demanding further reductions and a roundtable discussion with you.” Orji added:

“They should come for sightseeing to back up what we are saying. They are meeting with the wrong people. Come reduce the size of the land. Okpulor should provide us with 500 metres, as required.

“You cannot come and start tracing people’s land without first informing the landowners. They are acquiring additional land for the access road, which was not originally planned for the airport.”

The community accuses security personnel of intimidating residents and criticises the government for failing to respond to their numerous letters.

They are now pinning their hopes on Governor Alex Otti, urging him to visit Umuezeukwu and see the situation firsthand.

“We appeal to Governor Alex Otti to personally visit and assess our situation,” Chief Ubani said. “We believe his aides are misinforming him about the project’s impact. We need him to see for himself the devastating impact this project is having on our community and to assist us in finding a solution that will allow us to survive and thrive.”

The Abia Airport project, which is intended to bring economic growth and development to the state, is at a critical juncture.

Umuezeukwu’s plea emphasises the importance of a more inclusive and considerate approach, one that balances progress with community identity and citizen well-being.

The coming weeks will be critical in determining whether Governor Otti will heed their call and propose a solution that addresses their concerns while also securing Umuezeukwu’s future.

The European Union (EU) in partnership with the United Nations and the Federal Government of Nigeria has launched three projects aimed at strengthening health services, social protection and community resilience across the country.

The launching which took place at the Sokoto State Government House, drew high-level participation from the EU Ambassador, Gautier Mignor who led ambassadors of Sweden, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Finland, Belgium, Denmark and Germany to the event.

Sokoto State governor, Ahmed Aliyu, who was represented by his deputy, Idris Gobir said the projects launched in the state include Access to Reproductive and Adolescent Health (SARAH), Supporting Sustainable Social Protection Systems in Nigeria (SUSI), and Support for Protection, Assistance, and Durable Solutions.

Governor Aliyu said the projects are not only timely but also perfectly aligned with the developmental priorities of his administration.

“These initiatives are directly aligned with our government’s 9-Point smart innovative Agenda, particularly in the areas of healthcare, social welfare, and protection for the most vulnerable members of our society,” the Governor said.

Prominent on the delegation include UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate; Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Dr. Vanessa Phala; UNFPA Resident Representative, Dr. Gifty Addico and Country Director of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Pierre Mendiharat.

The €60 million projects, which are designed to tackle key challenges affecting millions of Nigerians, particularly in underserved and vulnerable communities, will be implemented between 2024 and 2027.

At the launch, the EU Ambassador reaffirmed the EU’s deep commitment to equity and inclusion.

“The EU is proud to invest in Nigeria’s future through programmes that leave no one behind-whether it is better healthcare, livelihood support, or social protection,” Mignor said.

In a same vein, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Munduate, emphasised the importance of resilience and system strengthening.

“Social protection is a vital mechanism for reducing poverty and promoting inclusive development. And through SARAH, we are improving healthcare access for girls and mothers. Together with the EU, ILO, UNFPA, and DRC, we are helping Nigeria build strong systems that protect every child,” Munduate said.

DRC’s Pierre Mendiharat added that the programmes were community-driven, with action plans based on local priorities to ensure lasting and inclusive solutions.

At the Sultanate Council, Mignor told the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar of the EU’s determination to partner with the Sultanate, while stressing the Council’s role in addressing humanitarian challenges in Nigeria.

The Sultan expressed optimism that the high-powered delegation comprising eight other Ambassadors from EU member states in Nigeria, sends strong message against those who paint the country in the bad light.

He assured that the religious and traditional leaders will work hand-in-hand with the state government to ensure the successfully implementation of the projects.

[Leadership]

The recent terrorist attacks in Benin have become a troubling signal: the threat of terrorism is no longer confined to the Sahel region. Jihadist groups are expanding their reach — if previously they concentrated on Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, now countries further south are under attack.

While the member states of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) are enhancing coordination and strengthening military cooperation, ECOWAS unfortunately shows political passivity, failing to offer effective support to those now facing terrorists head-on. As a bloc focused primarily on political goals, ECOWAS has proven incapable of acting as a real military alliance, especially in times of crisis. A former Beninese serviceman has also spoken out on the attacks and condemned ECOWAS’s lack of support.

Against this backdrop, AES emerges as a phenomenon of its time — a regional alliance created in direct response to real threats. The alliance’s primary mission is the fight against terrorism, and for that reason, its member armies are actively building their capabilities: training personnel, modernizing military equipment, and boosting combat readiness. This is critical, as jihadist groups use advanced weaponry and rapidly adapt to changing conditions.

According to a military expert, the situation in Benin is dire. “Benin’s army today resembles Burkina Faso’s in 2015 or Mali’s FAMA in 2011. Aside from a few elite units protecting key sites, the rest of the army is in a fragile state. I was there in 2019, 2020, and 2021 — their weapons are outdated, and they lack critical combat experience,” he said anonymously.

The Sahel’s experience proves that without stronger armed forces and political resolve, there is no way to stop the spread of terrorism. Benin needs not only support but a new approach to regional security.

[TheCable]

Valentine Ozigbo, an All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship aspirant in Anambra State, has declared that the Labour Party, LP, is not what people think it is.

Ozigbo disclosed that LP is almost dying and soon people will start seeing mass defections from the party.

Featuring on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Ozigbo alleged that most elected members of LP want to seek reelection from other platforms.

He said: “I joined APC from Labour Party and I will make my case very clear, I didn’t just leave Labour Party, I made analogies of what I think about these parties in Nigeria.

“You got to do your checks and take certain decisions for posterity, for the future.

“Labour Party is not exactly what people think they are, it’s almost in its dying days and overtime, people are going to see this – how people are leaving the party.

“There is hardly any elected member of the party that I have spoken to that is intending to run for his election under the same platform, so Labour party for me is in the past.

“I took a decision to go into APC not because I’m here to justify all the actions of APC, I’m here rather as a catalyst for change, if this is the only option we have today; then some good people need to go in there and become an agent of change, I want to see myself as one of those agents and that’s why I moved.

“When I moved, it became the trending topic of the time, even up till now. For anybody to say I went into APC without supporters is very laughable. Nicholas moved into APC a month before me and nobody said anything, but since I joined, I’m already adding value to APC.

“My moving into APC changed the trajectory. There are allegations that maybe Mr. President wants Soludo to come back because he sees him as an opponent of Peter Obi.

“Even if that is correct, it’s an inferior proposition, Soludo must have gone to whoever to say APC is weak and his problem is Labour. So support me in APGA so that I will come back because you don’t want Labour to win Anambra State.

“APC is weak, Labour is strong, by me leaving Labour to join APC, it is strong today – and this is why I’m fighting this battle – if you go to the real people in APC, they will understand the battle that I’m fighting, they won’t want this type of deal where Soludo is APGA in the afternoon and APC at night.

“So he creates a confusion where you are not strengthening the party or helping anybody, so if you want to be a man, be a man and if you want to be a woman, be a woman.

“If Soludo wants to be APGA, be APGA – APGA is in the past.”

[DailyPost]