Author: Atoyebi Adenike

By Atoyebi Nike FirstBank has been named Nigeria’s Best Bank for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at the 2025 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, held recently in London. This marks the bank’s second consecutive win in the ESG category, reaffirming its status as a leader in sustainable finance and responsible banking in Nigeria. The award, one of the most respected in the global financial sector, is based on a rigorous evaluation of banks’ performance, strategy, and social impact. FirstBank stood out for integrating ESG principles across its credit systems, operations, and community development efforts. In 2024 alone, the bank assessed 237…

By Atoyebi Nike The Sokoto State Government has released 30 additional mass transit buses to the State Ministry of Transportation to improve inter-state and intra-city travel. Deputy Governor Idris Muhammed Gobir, who handed over the keys to the Commissioner for Transportation, said the move was part of efforts to ease transportation challenges for residents. Gobir explained that the buses were part of a previously acquired fleet that had been withheld pending the rollout of the state’s new e-ticketing system. With the system now active, passengers can book and pay for rides online. He added that the e-ticketing platform would promote…

By Atoyebi Nike The European Union and the United States have signed a high-stakes trade agreement that imposes a 15% tariff on most EU goods entering America while locking Europe into a $750 billion commitment to purchase U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) through 2027. The agreement, announced on Sunday, July 27, 2025, also includes $600 billion in European investments in the U.S. and major military equipment purchases. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at the announcement in Scotland, acknowledged the tariffs would challenge some EU industries but defended the deal as a means of…

By Atoyebi Nike The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called on world leaders to fast-track a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution, warning that any delay could cement a future of irreversible environmental damage. This was disclosed in a statement signed by Susan McCarthy, WWF Media Officer, and made available in Lagos on Monday, July 28, 2025. According to WWF, plastic pollution has reached alarming levels, with an estimated 30,000 tonnes of plastic waste entering the oceans daily, threatening human health, ecosystems, and global economies. WWF’s Vice President and Head of Plastic Waste & Business, Erin…

By Atoyebi Nike Tensions are escalating in Anyimbe and Awashuwa communities in Benue State’s Ayilamo district as local farmers raise alarm over the growing influx of herders and their cattle from neighbouring Nasarawa State. Residents fear the continued presence of the herders could destroy farmlands, disrupt livelihoods, and trigger violent clashes. Farmers report that cattle are already encroaching on cultivated areas, threatening their crops and income. “We can’t just stand by and allow the cattle to destroy the crops we’ve invested so much in,” said Shim Akur, a farmer in Awashuwa. “If we try to stop them ourselves, it could…

By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government has restated its commitment to developing Nigeria’s dairy sector in a bid to increase local milk production and cut down on imports. Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Mukhtar, disclosed this during a meeting with a delegation from the French Development Agency (AFD) and ECOWAS representatives in Abuja. He said the government’s dairy initiative would be led by the private sector and anchored on the Nigeria Livestock Growth Acceleration Strategy (NL-GAS). Mukhtar noted challenges facing the industry such as poor milk collection systems, limited storage, high transport costs, and weak logistics infrastructure. He said several…

By Atoyebi Nike The Rice Millers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN) has urged the Federal Government to prioritise local rice production by empowering Nigerian farmers and millers, warning that continued reliance on imported rice threatens food security and weakens the national economy. Speaking exclusively in Jos, Plateau State, RIMAN President Peter Daman said several rice millers, including himself, have shut down operations due to a lack of power supply, soaring diesel prices, insecurity, and inconsistent government policies. “We’ve invested so much in the rice value chain, but the only response we get from government is ‘we’ll get back to you,’” Daman…

By Atoyebi Nike Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has criticized recent remarks by New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, accusing him of attempting to incite the North against the administration of President Bola Tinubu. In a statement issued Tuesday, Nabena described Kwankwaso’s comments on development bias and poor infrastructure in the North as politically motivated and misleading. He said claims of Southern dominance in project allocation were false and aimed at disrupting the South’s chance to complete its constitutionally deserved eight years in the presidency. Kwankwaso, a former Kano…

By Atoyebi Nike The Federal Government may repossess and re-privatize Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies if they fail to inject new capital within 12 months, according to provisions in the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 currently before the National Assembly. Sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the bill seeks to strengthen regulatory powers and enforce performance across the power sector. It empowers the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to order share dilution, receivership, or complete re-privatization of Discos that do not meet recapitalization or service benchmarks. The amendment has passed second reading in the Senate and awaits further legislative action. Under…

By Atoyebi Nike Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court has convicted and sentenced two internet fraudsters, Stephen Ime Ibanga and Augustine Mmesoma Umunnabuike, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on charges of impersonation, cheating, and obtaining money by false pretence. Ibanga, who posed as a U.S. citizen named James Armstrong on Facebook, fraudulently obtained ₦744,968 from unsuspecting victims. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years imprisonment or a ₦100,000 fine. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 15, $70, and the proceeds of his fraud to the federal…