Christiano Ronaldo’s second-half strike was enough to sink Germany in the first UEFA Nations League semi-final at the Munich Football Arena on Wednesday.

But beyond that, the 40-year-old is definitely not showing any sign of dipping in his goal-scoring form, as his goal records both in Portugal and Al Nassr’s colours have continued to amaze football fans across the world.

The following are some of the records the five-time Ballon d’Or award winner has recorded so far at his present club, Al Nassr.

•Highest goals in a single Saudi Pro League season

By scoring 35 goals in the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season, Cristiano Ronaldo set a new benchmark and surpassed Abderrazak Hamdallah’s previous record of 34 goals in 2018-19.

The record, which was achieved in 31 matches, is a testament to Ronaldo’s prolific scoring rate (averaging a goal every 75.6 minutes). This makes it a formidable record to beat.

•The first player to score against 200 different opponents

The Portuguese became the first footballer to find the back of the net against 200 different opponents (152 clubs and 48 national teams) in November 2024 after scoring against Al Qadisiyah.

In a career spanning over two decades, Ronaldo has shown his scoring prowess across different leagues and international competitions.

•Most hat-tricks for Al-Nassr

Since he joined Al-Nassr in 2023, Ronaldo has scored six hat-tricks in 111 appearances across all competitions, contributing to his career total of 66, the highest among active players.

Despite his age (40 in 2025), Ronaldo’s ability to deliver multiple goals in a single match sets a high standard for future Al-Nassr players.

•The first player to clinch top scorer honours in four different top-flight leagues

Ronaldo had a phenomenal 2023–24 Saudi Pro League season.

He won the Golden Boot that season, making him the first player to win top scorer awards in four different top-flight leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and Saudi Pro League).

The feat is unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

•Highest-scoring European player in Al-Nassr history

As of May 2025, Ronaldo is the highest goalscoring European player in Al-Nassr history with 99 goals in 111 appearances.

The above also makes him the fifth-highest overall in the club’s history.

[Punch]

Visa fees and application requirements are often major hurdles for Nigerians seeking to explore new countries in Europe.

While Europe may seem out of reach for budget travelers, several countries on the continent offer relatively affordable visa fees—under ₦150,000—making it easier for Nigerians to pursue tourism, business, study, or family visits.

This article lists eight countries in Europe outside the Schengen Area where Nigerian passport holders can apply for visas without breaking the bank.

1. Ireland

Visa Fee: €60 for single entry; €100 for multiple entry

While Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area, it remains a top destination for education, tourism, and business. Applicants must pay additional service fees, but the base visa fee is relatively low

2. Croatia

Visa Fee: €90

Though Croatia joined the Schengen Area in 2023, its visa application process and fees remain accessible. It’s an emerging tourist destination known for its coastline and historic towns.

3. Romania

Visa Fee: €80

Romania is known for its castles and scenic landscapes. It’s not part of the Schengen zone but still offers an affordable visa for Nigerian travelers.

4. Bulgaria

Visa Fee: €80

While not in the Schengen zone, Bulgaria’s rich cultural heritage and Black Sea resorts attract budget-conscious tourists.

5. Cyprus

Visa Fee: €60

Cyprus offers scenic beaches and a blend of European and Middle Eastern cultures. The visa is valid for short stays and comes with a relatively low fee.

6. Serbia

Visa Fee: €60

Serbia is an underrated European gem with a vibrant cultural scene. The affordable visa fee makes it attractive for Nigerian visitors.

7. Ukraine

Visa Fee: $20

Although Ukraine is currently navigating conflict zones, parts of the country remain accessible. E-visa processing resumed in early 2025, making it an option again.

8. Georgia

Visa Fee: $20

Georgia is popular for its natural beauty, hospitable culture, and affordability. The online visa process is quick and traveler-friendly.

Vanguard News

In violation of the order by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Ministry of Housing, officials of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) have recommenced the allocation of car parks and open spaces earmarked for public conveniences in their estates. Most affected are the Cornershops within their estates where parking spaces, access roads and setbacks are being allocated for development by individuals.

Last Tuesday, some of the legal shop owners whose buildings and access roads are most impacted by the illegal developments, petitioned the Executive Director (Estate Services), Arch. Ezekiel Nya-Etok over the matter. They demanded a halt to such private developments, and the indiscriminate allocations of setbacks and open spaces meant for public convenience within the Sector ‘F’ Corner shops.

In 2023 when the controversial allocations first started at the Cornershops of the FHA Estate in Lugbe, a violent confrontation had ensued when owners of Corner shops at Sector ‘F’ resisted attempts to build new shops on the setbacks from the adjourning road which would block entrance to existing shops.

The indiscriminate building of new shops on setbacks between existing buildings and the roads were allegedly approved by officials of the Federal Housing Authority which owns the estate, in clear violation of their own masterplan.

One of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Amos Adebayo, who said he was allocated one of the setbacks for his private office, was prevented from building the office. The adjourning shop owners had alerted the Lugbe police station when the matter nearly resulted into violent confrontation between Adebayo’s workers and staff of Fingerprint Communications Limited which operates the DSTV franchise in Lugbe. They insisted that the space was the only setback between their office, which was once occupied by Happy Note Microfinance Bank, and the access road.

The Police officer, Inspector Samuel Olusola, who arrived at the site to forestall any violence, eventually took Mr. Adebayo and his construction workers to the Lugbe police station. The DPO, Supt. Ugochukwu later ordered Mr. Adebayo to stay action while all the parties seek further clarification from the Federal Housing Authority.

A copy of the building approval in Mr. Adebayo’s possesion was signed by one Ms. Queen Phillips, a staff of the FHA field office in Lugbe. Our enquiries at the office however revealed that Ms. Phillips who purportedly signed the document has since been redeployed to the FHA office in Gwarinpa. It is not clear whether her deployment had to do with such controversial allocations.

Head of the Town Planning department at the Federal Housing Authority, Surveyor Eyong had denied knowledge of such allocation. He however met some of the allottees and shop-owners mostly impacted by the illegal allocations, and thereafter halted any further developments. 

Last week, following the retirement of Surveyor Eyong, Mr. Adebayo and other allotees returned to site, prompting another round of heated exchanges at the Cornershops.

Investigations reveal that the controversial allocations commenced shortly before the Housing and Urban Development Minister, Alhaji Musa Dangiwa, assumed duty. 

Many of the shop owners at the Lugbe Cornershops who spoke to reporters on the matter, lamented that many of the Cornershops in Lugbe have been turned into residential homes allegedly with the connivance of FHA field office in Lugbe. The FCT Minister who has frowned at such indiscriminate constructions, insists that such buildings which have turned Lugbe and other settlements into big slums and hide-outs for hoodlums, will be demolished.

Sapphire Egemasi, a Nigerian tech enthusiast, is facing potential prison sentence of over 20 years in the United States following her arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

She was arrested in connection with a large-scale fraud scheme that targeted multiple US government agencies.

A programmer, Egemasi, who operates a Devpost account, was arrested around April 10, 2025, in Bronx, New York, alongside other co-conspirators, including Samuel Kwadwo Osei, who appeared to have led the syndicate.

Their arrest stems from a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024, charging the suspects with multiple counts of internet fraud and money laundering for crimes said to have occurred between September 2021 and February 2023.

Egemasi and her Ghanaian co-defendants allegedly conspired to defraud the city of Kentucky of millions of dollars.

Her role, investigators say, involved designing spoof websites impersonating official US government domains to steal login credentials and facilitate the transfer of stolen funds.

Before her arrest, Egemasi was reportedly based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, although authorities believe she previously lived in Ghana, where she likely established ties with her co-conspirators.

She allegedly served as the syndicate’s tech lead, orchestrating the creation of fake sites and overseeing wire transfers to accounts under the gang’s control.

Text message records show that in August 2022, the syndicate rerouted $965,000 stolen from Kentucky into a PNC Bank account.

In a separate transaction around the same time, $330,000 was funnelled into an account with Bank of America.

To conceal the origins of her wealth, Egemasi reportedly claimed to have held multiple roles, mostly internships, at major multinational companies, including British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara.

Widely known online as ‘tech queen’, Egemasi assumed a polished digital persona, especially on LinkedIn, where she showcased her skills and “flaunted a luxurious lifestyle”.

Her social media profiles featured photos of lavish vacations to destinations like Greece and Portugal, funded, according to prosecutors, through illicit proceeds.

Egemasi and her co-accused are currently in federal custody and are being held pending trial in Lexington, Kentucky.

If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in prison, significant financial penalties, and eventual deportation to their home countries upon completion of their sentences.

[TheCable]

Boarding announcements were not an issue when I used to commute in Lagos by danfo, the ubiquitous yellow buses, or molue, the mass-transit lorries, which were improvised for public transportation.

The conductors often had a melodious and entertaining way of calling passengers that was enjoyable to hear. They called out in a drawl, accompanying each announcement with a warning for passengers to board with their change in hand or risk a “forced marriage,” which meant giving a fixed sum, usually a bank note, to two or more passengers to share at disembarkation.

Flying is a luxury – or should be – with no room for bus conductors and their outrageous threats of forced passenger marriages. But vehicle conductors across the country might be surprised to know that, however lowly their jobs, there are several areas where they do far better than their cousins at airports across the country, who, for want of a better description, carry the elegant titles of flight announcers, when quite frankly, they perform the job of conductors.

A conductor’s life

There is no intention to deride or demean, please. Conductors, whether at the motor park, opera, or the airport, provide the vital link that helps us understand and enjoy the moment, as we make a rite of passage.

But that vital function is threatened at many airports nationwide, even among crew announcers onboard several flights. I could have missed a recent flight from Asaba to Abuja because I wasn’t sure what the announcer said: “This is a broaden hannouncement on Flight PA7861 from Hum, Hum, Hum, to Ham, Ham, Ham…all persongers on this flight should phulease proceed to the gate to broad…a phust departure call phulease…”

I didn’t understand. The babble was neither British, American, nor trans-Atlantic. It was not even Ingili-Igbo (a variety of standard British English mixed with Igbo phonemes) as Chief Zebruddaya Okorigwe-Nwogbo alias 4.30 might have called it in the New Masquerade. It was indecipherable. But I noticed some passengers rushing to line up or scampering in different directions. I stayed put, waiting for a second, hopefully clearer announcement. It was the same thing.

Accra bound?

I looked at my colleague with whom I was travelling and asked, “Did you hear what the announcer said?” “I think she said something like it’s a flight to Accra,” he responded. “No way,” I replied. “You mean that flights now depart from the Asaba Airport to Accra? And see the number of passengers lining up.”

Time was ticking. We hurried to the line, which is often the typical response when there’s no airline staff in sight, where a passenger smiled a knowing smile and told us it was a flight to Abuja, not Accra. At that time, something that sounded like the final boarding announcement had been made.

I had experienced a similar thing on my outbound trip from Abuja, where the flight announcer seemed more concerned about how her fake imitation of an Oyinbo accent than the clarity of what she was saying. I got up twice to ask at the desk.

Suupri…suupri…suupri

The second time, the announcer who faked an Oyinbo accent told me in plain, audible language that my flight had not been announced. “Is it impossible to announce as you have just told me, Ma?” I asked. She smiled and adjusted the PAS: “This is a boreding announcement on Flight PA74862 from suupri, suupri, suupri, to ham, ham, ham…all persongers on this flight should phulease proceed to the boreding gate…a phust departure call phulease…”

I gave up.

Sometimes, the noise in the departure lounge can make things worse. At other times, the lack of coordination and/or the poor sound quality of the PAS can also compound the problem. There’s hardly such a thing as a level key. The volume is too high, too low or a garbled screeching static sound. As for the tone of voice, that’s something else altogether.

What was that, pilot?

It happens onboard, too. For aerophobics like me, a pilot’s calming voice before departure, midflight, or shortly before landing has a huge calming effect. Often, however, you’ll have to strain to hear. There’s such a deafening noise in the inflight PAS that it’s difficult to decipher what even the pilot says, whether it will be fair weather, or you should brace up for a bumpy ride. On this last trip to Asaba, it wasn’t very different, but it was the attendant who had me cracking a rib.

From her appearance, she seems a full-blooded Nigerian woman, likely from the Southeast. As we neared landing, she unleashed a torrent of fake accents. She concluded by welcoming passengers to “Asaaabhaaa,” pronounced like a JJC would say Asaba, with enough drawl of the “Icheku” variety (the Nigerian TV drama series based on the foibles of the colonial courtroom) to spice the miserly inflight passengers’ lunchbox. Where did she acquire that accent from?

Oyinbo blues

I might be a latecomer to this flourishing business of phonemical jiggery pokery. Farooq Kperogi flagged it in an article two years ago, entitled “Fake Accents on Nigerian Airplanes and Airports,” in which he narrated how an Oyinbo man approached a passenger to interpret what the flight announcer said. It was his second article on the subject in seven years.

Although recent aviation concerns have focused more on air traffic control staffing shortages, technology and flight delays, it would be interesting to see statistics on how indecipherable announcements may have contributed to passenger misery, including perhaps, missed flights.

It wouldn’t be a big issue if the humour of Oyinbo wannabes were all there was to it. It would, in fact, be a good source of entertainment when flights are delayed, as they frequently are. But passengers who bank on in-flight announcers who use them to practice phonology risk missing their flights.

Lessons from the motor park

In many parts of the world, airports are enhancing the quality of announcements. Tools like PAXGuide, for instance, can monitor every announcement, including who made it and when. Instead of terminal-wide announcements, announcements can be targeted and localised to specific gates, while automation through display boards and technological upgrades can also help to improve the passenger’s experience.

There’s also something that airports, with a bit of humility, can learn from the motor parks. I’m serious about this. The conductors in the motor parks hardly ever pretend to be someone they’re not or borrow a language they’re uncomfortable with. Apart from the points suggested, is it also possible for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to authorise using pidgin English (perhaps the most widely spoken language across the country), as the second language for flight announcers at least for domestic routes?

It would take a truly wayward flight announcer to nasalise pidgin English and not sound ridiculous in his or her own ears.

The political tragedy unfolding in Rivers State has reached its lowest point: Governor Siminalayi Fubara, supposedly the chief executive of Nigeria’s oil-rich powerhouse, has been reduced to begging President Bola Tinubu for reinstatement after being suspended from office. This is not just a personal failure—it is an unconscionable surrender of Rivers’ political dignity and a direct assault on constitutional democracy. A governor elected by millions now crawls to Abuja, confirming what many have long suspected: Fubara lacks the courage, strategic vision, and political will to defend either his mandate or the autonomy of Rivers State.

First, let us be clear: Nigeria’s constitution does not grant the president the power to suspend or remove a sitting governor. That authority resides solely with the state legislature through impeachment or with the judiciary in cases of gross misconduct. Tinubu’s purported suspension of Fubara—and Fubara’s subsequent groveling for reinstatement—represents an illegal federal power grab, one that Fubara is now legitimizing through his compliance.

This is not mere political maneuvering; it is a constitutional crisis. If a sitting governor can be removed by presidential fiat, then Nigeria’s federal structure is dead. Past governors facing political crises—from Peter Obi’s battles in Anambra to Rotimi Amaechi’s defiance during the Jonathan era—understood this. They fought through legal and political means, refusing to let Abuja dictate their fate. Fubara, by contrast, has chosen submission over resistance, setting a dangerous precedent that weakens not just Rivers but all Nigerian states.

Fubara’s capitulation reveals a leader fundamentally unfit for the office he seeks to reclaim. Rivers State, as the economic engine of Nigeria’s oil industry, possesses immense political and financial leverage that a courageous leader could have mobilized. The governor’s office comes with constitutional protections and political tools designed precisely to resist such federal overreach. Yet Fubara has demonstrated neither the political acumen to rally legislative allies nor the legal savvy to mount proper constitutional challenges. His immediate recourse to Tinubu exposes a shocking lack of strategic thinking – does he truly believe that a president who suspended him illegally will restore him with any real authority?

The historical context makes Fubara’s weakness even more glaring. Rivers State has produced formidable political figures who understood the weight of their mandate. From the early days of Alfred Diete-Spiff to the confrontational era of Rotimi Amaechi, Rivers governors have traditionally fought to maintain state autonomy against federal encroachment. Even Nyesom Wike, for all his later contradictions, built his political brand on defiant independence from Abuja’s control. That Fubara cannot muster even a fraction of this political courage speaks volumes about his leadership deficit.

Tinubu’s intervention is not an act of statesmanship but a calculated power play. The president recognizes Rivers’ crucial importance in Nigeria’s political and economic architecture. By establishing himself as the arbiter of who governs Rivers, Tinubu effectively neuters the state’s political independence while expanding federal control over Nigeria’s oil wealth. Fubara’s willing participation in this scheme makes him complicit in the erosion of state rights. Even if reinstated, he will govern as a puppet, his every move subject to Abuja’s approval.

The damage extends far beyond Fubara’s political future. Rivers people now face the grim reality that their votes can be nullified by presidential fiat. Nigeria’s federal system suffers another blow as the precedent is set that governors serve at the president’s pleasure rather than the people’s will. Other state executives will face similar pressures, knowing resistance has been weakened. Most tragically, this episode emboldens those who believe Nigeria’s democracy is merely ceremonial, with real power concentrated in Aso Rock rather than state houses.

True leadership would have demanded an immediate legal challenge at the Supreme Court, forcing a constitutional reckoning on the limits of presidential power. It would have required rallying Rivers’ civil society, political class, and business elite in defense of democratic norms. At minimum, it should have involved a public campaign to shame this assault on state sovereignty. Fubara has chosen none of these paths, revealing himself to be precisely the kind of weak executive that enables democratic backsliding.

As this sordid episode unfolds, one truth becomes undeniable: Rivers State deserves better. The people who braved rains and sun to cast their ballots deserve a leader who will defend their mandate, not trade it for personal survival. Nigeria’s democracy deserves guardians who will uphold constitutional principles, not undermine them for temporary advantage. History’s judgment will be harsh on Fubara – not merely for losing power, but for how willingly he sacrificed Rivers’ dignity to beg for its return.

The tragedy is not that Fubara was suspended, but that he lacks the courage to fight for reinstatement on principle. In his desperate scramble to keep his job, he has proven himself unworthy of the office. Rivers State needs leaders, not beggars – and Nigeria’s democracy needs defenders, not collaborators.

Jeff Okoroafor is a social accountability advocate and a political commentator focused on governance, accountability, and social justice in West Africa.

There is a looming electricity blackout in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, as electricity workers under the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) and Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies have declared their intention to embark on strike.

The two unions who work for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) said the strike is related to the company not implementing its demand following the suspension of another strike in November 2024.

Daily Trust reports that AEDC supply electricity to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi states.

The suspended strike in November saw the picketing of AEDC’s headquarters by its workers, but an agreement was reached on the day the strike began.

In separate letters by the union sent to the Managing Director of AEDC and signed by Opaluwa Eleojo Simeon and Rosemary Odeh, NUEE’s Assistant General Secretary, Liaison, and SSAEAC’s Deputy General Secretary (Corporate Communications) respectively, they said its notice of strike was to inform the management that the strike would start any day.

The letter read: “Recall that we reached an agreement with you on the 27th of November 2024, to suspend an industrial action following a trade dispute declared over lingering labour issues in the company (see copy as attached).

“It is also pertinent to remind you of some of these issues: Non-remittance of pension deduction for 16 months. Non-implementation of the National Minimum Wage. Non-promotion and the continuous stagnation of members of staff for over 10 years. Non-confirmation of staff on acting appointment. Non-regularisation and proper placement of appointments. Refusal to convert Ad-hoc staff to permanent status.

“The complete collapse of health services owing to the non-payment of hospital bills. Non-remittance of 10 months’ PAYE. Refusal to complete the work on review of conditions of service. Non-implementation of the already completed work on career path. Undue board’s interference with the day to day running of the company.

Non-payment of union check off dues and other third-party deductions, and non-payment of the 2024 productivity bonus. It added that the demands were not implemented despite the workers generating N94bn for the company within the last 90 Days.

They said the milestone was achieved through dedicated services without the provision of necessary working materials and business districts, no longer funded.

“It is also worthy of note that we have significantly lost a huge number of members to death owing to pressure and precarious work conditions.

“Consequent upon the above, you are hereby put on notice of our readiness to resume the suspended action on the 27th November, 2024, and this shall commence anytime from the date of the receipt of this letter without an additional notice.

“Councils are by this letter directed and put on notice to commence full mobilization across the AEDC franchise areas of Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and FCT for an effective action.

“The struggle shall be sustained until victory is achieved, as a people united can never be defeated.”

[DailyTrust]

A public health expert has raised serious concerns over the increasing health risks posed by the consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) in Nigeria.

The expert warned that the country is facing a growing crisis of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases.

DAILY POST in an exclusive interview with Abayomi Sarumi, Associate Director at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), said the widespread intake of sugary drinks commonly called soft drinks is silently fueling a health emergency, especially among young people.

“SSBs are drinks that contain added sugars such as sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, or other sweeteners like honey and molasses,” Sarumi explained.

“Examples include sodas, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and sports drinks. These drinks are full of sugar and give the body far more energy than it needs.”

According to him, an average bottle of SSB contains nearly 14 cubes of sugar, more than the daily sugar intake recommended by health experts.

“This excess sugar is dangerous to the body. It causes a sudden rise and crash in blood sugar levels, leading to fatigue, mood swings, and over time, serious health problems like heart disease, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes.

“All these outcomes are risk factors for noncommunicable disease (NCDs) which are now responsible for more than 30% of total deaths in Nigeria,” he said.

Sarumi pointed out that SSBs are easily available, aggressively marketed, and often seen as a normal part of daily life.

“They’re ultra-processed and wrongly sold as essential. This marketing has made people believe they are harmless, but that is far from the truth,” he added.

Over 54 Billion Litres of SSBs Consumed in Nigeria

Citing data, Sarumi said Nigeria is now one of the largest consumers of sugary drinks in Africa.

“For more than 4 years, it was reported that Nigeria was the fourth largest consumer of SSBs, with 38 million litres consumed in Nigeria. In April 2025, ahead of convergence of food and beverages companies who now target Nigeria for its young and large population, the organisers informed members of the press that Nigerians consumed over 54 billion litres of SSBs in 2024.

This rise, he noted, is happening alongside an increase in fast food and processed snack consumption, contributing to what he calls “a diet-related disease explosion.”

“We’ve seen more than 150% increase in cardiovascular diseases in the last decade, with over 27.5 million Nigerians living with hypertension as of 2022. And with poor diets, tobacco, and alcohol use, the World Health Organization (WHO) says 22% of Nigerians now face the risk of dying early from non-communicable diseases,” Sarumi warned.

Are Nigerians aware of these dangers?

While some people know sugar can be harmful, Sarumi said most Nigerians don’t fully understand the link between sugary drinks and long-term illnesses.

“From our interactions, many people don’t realise just how dangerous SSBs can be,” he said.

He also described how some myths and misleading advice make things worse.

“There are even cases where patients are told by health workers to take sugary drinks before using medication. In a religious and cultural society like ours, many see diabetes or heart disease as spiritual attacks, not linked to their diet.”

Why SSBs are popular especially among young people?

Sarumi believes the food industry plays a major role in promoting SSBs, especially among the youth. “These products are cheap, everywhere, and heavily advertised. They are shown as symbols of fun, status, or success, without any warning about their dangers,” he said.

“The companies behind SSBs also position themselves as ‘friends of society’ through Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, which makes it harder to question their products,” he added.

The way forward

To reduce consumption, Sarumi supports the implementation of a strong SSB tax. But he says this must go beyond raising revenue.

“A good SSB tax should not only reduce intake but also fund healthcare, especially for people living with diabetes and other diet-related conditions,” he explained. “Government must use the tax money for public health campaigns to educate citizens.”

He also called for other supporting measures like: Clear warning labels on sugary products, limits on how much salt or sugar companies can use, banning celebrities from endorsing SSBs, restricting marketing aimed at children.

“These combined policies will protect Nigerians especially children and help improve the overall health of the country,” Sarumi concluded.

[DailyPost]

Lagos State, in collaboration with various partners, is intensifying efforts to combat Nigeria’s alarming annual post-harvest losses, a crisis currently estimated at a colossal N3.5 trillion. This significant drain on the nation’s agricultural sector not only exacerbates food insecurity but also severely impacts the livelihoods of countless farmers and the broader economy.

This was the spearpoint of the Ecotutu Chain in Agriculture Roundtable held yesterday in Lagos. The roundtable was themed “Accelerating Cold Chain Adoption for a Sustainable Agricultural Future in Nigeria.”

Experts highlight that up to 40 per cent of harvested crops in Nigeria perish before reaching consumers, a figure that far exceeds the African average. The immense wastage is primarily attributed to inadequate storage facilities, inefficient transportation networks, limited access to modern preservation technologies, and a critical lack of cold chain infrastructure.

Lagos Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Abisola Olusanya, reiterated the determination of the government to support young innovators and startups to develop storage solutions and post-harvest technologies for farmers.

She emphasised the importance of collective action from all levels of government, private enterprises, and consumers to build a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector. 

According to her, the government is developing a unified database for farmers and the broader food industry. The purpose, she indicated, was to create a more efficient, transparent, and responsive food system within the state.

The database will be a central repository of vital information, not only on farmers and their produce but also on food purchase and consumption patterns across Lagos.

She indicated that data will be gathered from the Central Food Systems and Logistics hub in the Epe on completion and existing and proposed food hubs. The real-time information, she maintained, will provide invaluable insights into the flow of food from farm to table.

She highlighted the critical need for reliable data in addressing food security challenges and optimising agricultural productivity.

She commended Ecotutu for its solar powered cold chain facility that has helped to reduce food losses, adding that the government appreciated other such efforts towards creating a more robust and responsive food system for Lagos, promising enhanced food security for the rapidly growing population.

The Deputy Consul General of the Netherlands in Lagos. Peter Keulers  said as part of efforts to provide market-led solutions to postharvest losses, the Netherlands government in partnership with Lagos State, developed and launched the Polar Store, an innovative solar-powered cold storage infrastructure in the state. He said the Polar Store serves as both a demonstration site and a training hub, showcasing the potential of renewable energy in cold storage applications.

He said that post-harvest losses have remained a major challenge confronting the Nigerian agricultural sector for so long.

In a spotlight session, the Managing Director, Bank of Agriculture, Jide Sotinrin, said there were ongoing reforms to improve access to finance for farmers.

He said the bank was   putting  in place a system which will enable faster processing of agricultural loans.

According to him, digitalisation of agricultural lending will ensure instant doorstep delivery of credit to farmers while improving the advancing the bank ‘s mission of fostering rural prosperity.

He said the bank will raise the N250,000 maximum limit micro loans  for  smallholder farmers, in the light of the realities in the industry.

According to him, the bank will continue to prioritize responsive agricultural finance , aimed at fostering a robust rural economy, alleviating poverty, and promoting self-reliance through agribusiness.

The Managing Director, Ecotutu, Babajide Oluwase said the Cold Chain in Agriculture Roundtable 2025 roundtable aims to address post-harvest losses and fortify Nigeria’s food supply chain.

The roundtable, he indicated ,brought  together important players from the agricultural value chain, to discuss scalable solutions to Nigeria’s growing food preservation problems.

[TheNation]