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FCCPC Vows Sustained Media Engagement On Consumer Protection

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has vowed sustained media engagement on competition and consumer protection issues, which helped Nigerians become more familiar with the agency. Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Tunji Bello stated this when he received executive members of the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He highlighted the role of the media in increasing public awareness of the commission and its activities, adding that many Nigerians were largely unaware of the FCCPC until recent years. Bello commended journalists for assisting to raise its public profile, adding that the commission would consider the association’s request for training and further engagement. He said: “If FCCPC is becoming more known to the public, it is as a result of the kind of publicity you have given us. When something happens here, and ...
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AfDB Trains 572 Young Nigerians On Housing Devt

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja Female graduates celebrate at the African Development Bank (AfDB) Supported FAST Programme graduation ceremony The African Development Bank (AfDB) has trained and certified 572 572 young Nigerians across Abuja and Katsina State, linking them to employment opportunities in the built sector. Implemented by Family Homes Funds Limited, the beneficiaries received training in six trades critical to Nigeria's housing and infrastructure development such as masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electrical works, painting and tiling. Through a $1 million grant from the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF), the bank combined classroom instruction with hands-on experience on active construction sites, the programme equipped beneficiaries with industry-recognised skills and practical workplace experience. As Nigeria expands its housing and infrastructure footprint, demand for skilled construction workers continues to grow, even as wom...
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EU Invests $2.5m On Nigeria’s Tomato Processing Plant

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The European Union-funded Agriculture Financing Initiative (AgriFI) has invested $2.5 million to expand production, processing and engagement with smallholder farmers in Nigeria’s tomato processing company in the North. Already, EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC) signed the agreement through the AgriFI ACP Regional Window as a structured convertible note on behalf of Tomato Jos Inc., a vertically integrated tomato farming and processing company. The financing will support the acquisition of packaging equipment, factory upgrades and expansion of drip irrigation, while helping Tomato Jos introduce new product formats and reach additional markets, including business-to-business and hospitality customers. Interestingly, more than half of the company’s raw materials are currently sourced from smallholder farmers in Kaduna State, even as the investment is expected to lower energy and production costs while strengthening the economics of local tomato processin...
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Lagdo Dam: FG Engages Govs To Manage Excess Water

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja Prof Joseph Utsev The Federal Government is currently engaging with relevant state governors, including discussions with Kebbi State, to implement sustainable water-resource management and handle excess water from the Lagdo Dam. Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, who stated this on Monday in Abuja to mark the 2026 World Rivers Day, said that the government is identifying dams requiring rehabilitation as part of measures to manage excess water and mitigate flooding. World Rivers Day is observed annually on the fourth Sunday of September to raise awareness of the importance of rivers and promote their conservation and sustainable management. Utsev enjoined Nigerians to end open defecation and indiscriminate dumping of refuse, plastics and effluents into drains, streams and rivers, calling for conservation of forests and wetlands, responsible wastewater management, efficient water use and stronger collaboration among stakehold...
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Infrastructure: PenCom, PFAs To Invest N300bn In 2027

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The National Pension Commission (PenCom) and Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) have set a fresh target of investing N300 billion pension funds in infrastructure development across the country in 2027. Director General of PenCom, Ms Omolola Oloworaranm stated this while addressing journalists after the fourth edition of the Pension industry Leadership Council meeting in Lagos. She noted that the actual deployment of the funds commences by the second quarter of 2027 with N241billion already mapped out by pension fund operators for investment in infrastructure, followed by additional funds to hit N300 billion. Already, the PFAs have mobilised the N241 billion under an infrastructure framework established in conjunction with FSD Africa, as they are mandated to participate in infrastructure investment. “As part of that initiative, our pension fund managers have committed a total of N241 billion and we expect that to touch up to N300billion and we do have a...
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NCGC: 661, 291 Nigerians Secure Jobs As Banks Issue N46.95 bn

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja President Bola Tinubu At least, about 661,291 Nigerians secured direct and indirect jobs through businesses supported by the National Credit Guarantee Company (NCGC) scheme. This was even as 33.5 per cent of the beneficiaries are first-time formal borrowers, bringing more than 22,000 Nigerians into the formal credit system for the first time. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated this on Monday in a post via his official X handle, @officialABAT. He said: “Credit matters because of what people can do with it. A trader can restock before the festive season. When a manufacturer takes a bigger order and buys another machine to fill it, another Nigerian gets a job. NCGC estimates that the businesses it has supported account for 661,291 direct and indirect jobs.” Tinubu informed that the development provides the beneficiaries with progressive credit records, saying that successful repayments could strengthen their records and improve the prospects of securing f...
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NBC advocates Accelerated Investment In Niger Basin

BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja The Niger Basin Authority (NBA) has advocated accelerated implementation of strategic investments especially in infrastructure and agriculture within the member countries, describing them as important drivers of peace, stability and shared prosperity. Executive Secretary of NBA, Mr Kocou Houanye disclosed this on Tuesday at the Regional Conference on Hydro-Diplomacy and Strategic Investments for Shared Prosperity in Transboundary Basins in Abuja. NBA is an intergovernmental organisation that promotes cooperation and integrated resource management among nine member countries of the Niger Basin such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Chad, even as NBA based in Niger coordinates activities for the region. Houanye called for stronger regional cooperation and strategic investments to promote peace, stability and shared prosperity in the Niger and Lake Chad basins. He stated that the conference provided an opportunity f...
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