By Akin Adeoya Our paths first crossed in the now-legendary newsrooms of Thisday around 1996. He spoke with a distinct Ekiti accent, much like my own, and exuded a calm, elder’s wisdom. Despite a slight limp, he projected unbounded energy. He was, in every sense, a tireless reporter. It was Isichei Osamgbi, then the energy desk penman, who first arranged a substantial collaboration between John and me. John was on the daily news desk when management decided to spring a surprise: he was to launch a new marketing section on Mondays. Though a tested reporter who had earned his spurs…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
Bolt has begun 2026 on a high note by rewarding loyal riders with premium gifts, thanking them for their consistent use of the platform throughout 2025. The ride-hailing company recently presented select riders with high-value items, including AirPods Pro, an iPhone 17 Pro, and specially curated gift hampers. According to Bolt, recipients were chosen strictly based on frequency and regularity of rides, not through competitions, raffles, or public nominations. The gesture builds on Bolt’s “12 Rides of Cheer” campaign, which ran briefly at the end of 2025. During that period, riders who booked trips as usual were randomly rewarded with…
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a 90 per cent surge in commercial revenue from the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), describing the Morocco-hosted tournament as the most commercially successful in the competition’s history. The disclosure was made in a CAF statement and corroborated by a Reuters report dated January 16, 2026. CAF attributed the sharp increase to stronger media rights deals, a growing sponsor base, and expansion into new international markets, particularly Asia, signalling AFCON’s rising global appeal. According to CAF, the number of commercial partners has grown steadily over recent editions of the tournament: Nine Sponsors…
Eterna Plc has announced a ₦10 billion rights issue, offering existing shareholders the opportunity to deepen their stake at a significant discount as the company moves to strengthen its balance sheet and fund growth. Under the offer, Eterna will issue 978.1 million new ordinary shares at ₦22.00 per share, on the basis of three new shares for every four shares held as of November 27, 2025. The rights issue opened on January 12, 2026, and will close on February 18, 2026. Key terms at a glance Qualification date price: ₦35.50 Current market price: ₦32.00 Rights issue price: ₦22.00 Discount to…
Yemi Kale, Nigeria’s former Statistician-General, has cautioned that the recent overhaul of Nigeria’s inflation data may be masking the true severity of the country’s cost-of-living crisis, raising concerns about the credibility of official figures. Kale, now Group Chief Economist at Afreximbank and the architect of Nigeria’s landmark 2014 GDP rebasing, made the remarks during the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Economic Outlook in Lagos. He suggested that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) may have rushed the transition to a new Consumer Price Index (CPI) framework, warning that key statistical principles may not have been fully observed. The…
Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of capital requirements for capital market operators, significantly raising the financial thresholds for brokers, fund managers, issuing houses, fintechs and digital asset firms. The changes were announced in a circular issued on January 16, 2026, which replaces the existing 2015 capital regime and gives operators until June 30, 2027, to comply. According to the SEC, the revised framework is designed to strengthen market resilience, eliminate undercapitalised operators and promote stronger governance across Nigeria’s capital market. Under the new rules, brokers’ minimum capital has been raised from ₦200 million to…
The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has reaffirmed January 31, 2026, as the statutory deadline for employers of labour in Lagos State to file their annual tax returns for the 2025 financial year. In a statement on Wednesday, Ayodele Subair, Executive Chairman of LIRS, reminded employers that the requirement is backed by the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025 (NTAA) and is mandatory for all organisations operating in the state. Subair explained that employers are expected to file detailed returns of emoluments and compensation paid to employees, as well as payments made to service providers, vendors and consultants, and to…
Nigeria recorded 215 deaths from Lassa fever in 2025, with the disease’s case fatality rate rising to 18.7 per cent, higher than the 16.3 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024, according to the latest Situation Report from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). The report shows that confirmed cases rose from 21 in Epidemiological Week 51 to 27 in Week 52, covering the period between December 22 and 28, 2025. New infections were reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Nasarawa and Taraba States. By the end of Week 52, Nigeria had recorded a total of…
The Lagos State Government (LASG), through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (MWAPA), has stepped up efforts to strengthen mental health support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across the state. As part of this drive, the ministry, through its Domestic Violence Unit (DVU), organised a one-day awareness and sensitisation programme on mental health for SGBV survivors at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alausa. The programme brought together key stakeholders, mental health professionals, religious leaders and survivors to address the growing need for psychological care, healing and resilience among victims of abuse and…
Maritime experts say the Dangote Petroleum Refinery has the capacity to unlock thousands of sea-based jobs across Nigeria’s shipping, port operations and marine services sectors, if the country prioritises marine transportation for refined petroleum products and boosts indigenous vessel participation. They noted that the refinery, which recorded more than 600 vessel calls in its first year of operation, has already emerged as a major driver of maritime activity, opening up opportunities in coastal shipping, crewing, vessel ownership, inspections, port services and marine logistics. Captain Tajudeen Alao, National President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), described the refinery as…