The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) says it facilitated more than ₦100 billion in agricultural financing in 2025, its highest annual performance to date, strengthening credit flow to agribusinesses nationwide and supporting over 159,000 jobs. In a statement on Sunday, NIRSAL disclosed that between 2013 and 2025, it facilitated a cumulative ₦290 billion in financing across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain, covering primary production, processing, logistics, market development, and exports. These interventions have helped create more than 520,000 jobs and positively impacted over three million people in rural and urban communities. According to the institution, its…
Author: Elvis Eromosele
By Sola Fanawopo At the Africa Cup of Nations, football often pretends to be neutral. Culture, history, and identity rarely are. When Moroccans overwhelmingly rallied behind the Tunisian national football team in their clash with the Nigerian national football team at the Fès Stadium, the message was unmistakable: blood is thicker than water. This was not merely about ninety minutes of football; it was a vivid reminder that AFCON is as much a political and cultural theatre as it is a sporting competition. From Warmth to Hostility The contrast was striking. During Nigeria’s opening match against the Tanzania national football…
One of the first things many observers noticed at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco was not just football, but the pitches. Despite persistent rainfall, the playing surfaces across Moroccan stadiums have remained immaculate, lush, firm, and consistently playable. This is not a matter of luck or climate advantage; it is the product of science, planning, technology, and disciplined governance. Morocco deliberately invested in state-of-the-art hybrid natural grass pitches, a system that combines natural grass with synthetic fibre reinforcement. This technology, still rare on the African continent, guarantees durability, uniform playing conditions in varying weather, and reduced water…
The Federal Government has graduated more than 7,000 forest guards from seven states, marking a major step in its push to tackle insecurity in forested and hard-to-reach areas nationwide. The development was announced in a statement on Saturday by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, following the completion of a three-month intensive training programme under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2025. Graduation ceremonies were held on December 27, 2025, across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states. According to the statement, the initiative…
Bimbo Ademoye’s latest romantic comedy, Where Love Lives, has recorded a major digital milestone, crossing 6 million views on YouTube within 72 hours of release. Analytics from Ademoye’s YouTube channel, Bimbo Ademoye TV, show the film debuted with 2.5 million views on its first day and climbed to 6,041,086 views by December 27, just three days after its December 24, 2025, release. Produced by Bimbo Ademoye in partnership with A3 Studios, the film stars Uzor Arukwe, Chioma Nwosu, and Osas Ighodaro. It tells the story of a couple navigating love, status, and hidden tensions within one of Lagos’ most exclusive…
SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, has crossed the 9 million customer mark globally, underscoring the accelerating demand for satellite-based connectivity worldwide. The company announced the milestone in a post on X, noting that Starlink now operates in 155 countries and territories. Reacting to the achievement, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the service is “rebuilding the whole internet in space.” The growth is being mirrored in Nigeria, where Starlink has rapidly expanded its footprint. As of the third quarter of 2024, the satellite provider emerged as the country’s second-largest Internet Service Provider (ISP), a position it has continued to hold. Starlink’s…
Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) and its graduate arm, Lagos Business School (LBS), have concluded a two-week season of academic celebrations, culminating in the graduation of 436 executives from LBS on December 13, 2025. The executive graduation followed PAU’s 22nd convocation ceremonies held the previous weekend, where 266 undergraduate and 236 postgraduate students across the university’s schools were awarded degrees. The LBS ceremony, held at the Honeywell Auditorium on the school’s Lagos campus, marked the completion of seven flagship Executive Education programmes: the Global CEO Africa Programme (GCEO-A), Chief Executive Programme (CEP), Advanced Management Programme (AMP), Owner-Manager Programme (OMP), Senior Manager Programme…
By Elvis Eromosele At first touch, the Samsung Galaxy A16 makes a strong impression. It is sleek, lightweight, and comfortable to hold. This is a phone that looks and feels more premium than its budget positioning suggests. It is a phone that demonstrates that Samsung clearly understands how to deliver visual appeal, even at the lower end of its lineup. However, the unboxing experience tells a more complicated story. Straight out of the box, the Galaxy A16 comes with only a C-to-C cable. There is no charger head and no earpiece. For many users, especially in markets like Nigeria, this…
Nigeria’s sweeping tax reforms will exempt about 97 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Corporate Income Tax (CIT), Value Added Tax (VAT), and withholding tax starting January 1, 2026, the Federal Government has reaffirmed. Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, disclosed this on Friday in Lagos after briefing President Bola Tinubu on the committee’s progress. Oyedele said the reforms are designed to stimulate economic growth, promote inclusivity, and ensure shared prosperity, stressing that most small businesses will be completely removed from the tax net. “Small businesses, 97 per cent of…
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has deployed more than 200 mini-grids across underserved communities in 2025, marking a significant boost to Nigeria’s drive to expand electricity access. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, REA Managing Director, disclosed this at a media briefing in Kano, noting that the deployments were executed under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) between January and December 2025. According to Aliyu, the completion of the NEP phase represents a major milestone in improving the reliability and reach of electricity supply, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Aliyu said REA recorded substantial progress in renewable energy deployment during the year, driven…