News
Foreign Portfolio Investors Withdraw N1.87tn under Buhari

Foreign portfolio investors(FPIs) have withdrawn a total of N1.87tn in four years, starting from June 2015, after President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office, according to the Punch.
The latest data obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed that the investors withdrew N163.77bn after his re-election in February.
Analysts at the United Capital Plc have described the delayed policy formulation and cabinet formation by President Muhammadu Buhari as a risk to capital inflow to the country.
They noted that in the absence of profound changes in the policy environment, only the FPIs in search of cheap naira assets would dominate capital importation into the county, while Foreign Direct Investments would remain on the sidelines.
An analysis of data obtained at the NSE revealed that the year 2018, the preceding year to the general elections, saw the highest withdrawals of the FPIs in four years, as they withdrew N642.65bn.
Mr Peter Ashade, group chief executive officer, United Capital, said the lack of economic policy reforms would continue to scare the FPIs off equities while policy stability and a double-digit interest rate would promote a further appetite for fixed income instruments.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that the FPI flows continued to account for the bulk of capital imported into Nigeria.
In the first quarter of 2019, the amount surged by 56.5 per cent year-on-year to $7.1bn, despite the jitters that trailed the February general elections and the eventual conduct in the Q1.
Total capital imported into the country surged by 34.6 per cent year-on-year to settle at $8.5bn, the highest since the third quarter in 2013.
This revealed that across the three components of capital imported, the FPIs accounted for the bulk of expansion observed.
According to him, weaker capital inflows reflect the impact of waning confidence in the Nigerian economy by foreign investors amid concerns about macroeconomic fundamentals of the Nigerian economy.
Analysts at United Capital said, barring any external shocks, they expected the naira to stabilise this second half of the year.
They said the stability would be buoyed by a sustained foreign exchange intervention and continued FPI inflows.
However, they expressed concerns, saying the “uninteresting macroeconomic environment is scaring the FPIs.”
The report read in part, “However, in Nigeria, we believe the lack of economic policy reforms will continue to scare the FPIs off equities while policy stability and a double-digit interest rate will promote a further appetite for fixed income instruments.
“Clearly, to boost the FPIs appetite for equities, uncertainties must be out of the way and the Central Bank of Nigeria must reduce the attractiveness of risk-free securities as monetary policy in the global economy becomes easier.”
In the second half of 2015, which was the first six months of President Buhari’s tenure, the FPIs withdrew N277.63bn, the highest being in July, when they withdrew N58.83bn.
In 2016, the FPIs withdrew N261.03bn; N435.31bn in 2017 and N642.65bn in 2018.
In the first half of 2019, the foreign investors withdrew N257.81bn, bringing the total withdrawals under the President Buhari regime to N1.87tn.
Alice Tomdio, associate Ddrector, Capital Markets, PwC Nigeria, in an interview with The Punch recently, said, “Once there is any cause to fear, portfolio investors sell out their shares and they come back when the environment is better; all of these create a lot of volatility in the market and may be one of the reasons we do not have a lot of initial public offerings in the country.”
Between 2011 and 2015, foreign transactions consistently outperformed domestic transactions. However, domestic transactions marginally outperformed foreign transactions in 2016 and 2017, accounting for 52 per cent of the total transaction value in 2017.
Also, foreign transactions, which stood at N1.5tn in 2014, declined to N518bn in 2016 but increased significantly by 133 per cent to N1.2tn in 2017. This accounted for about 48 per cent of total transactions in 2017.
Over an 11-year period, domestic transactions decreased by 62.46 per cent from N3.5tn in 2007 to N1.3tn in 2017, meaning foreign investors were dominating the market.
However, there was a significant increase in domestic transactions between 2016 and 2017 by 111 per cent from N634bn to N1.3tn.
Alice Tomdio, president, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria, said the economic policies of the country were responsible for the exit of foreign investors.
He noted that when the policies were favourable, investors would come around and if otherwise, they would flee.
Nwosu, who spoke with our correspondent, said it was not advisable for the FPIs to stay ahead of the general elections because there was no assurance given to them when the polls were approaching.
He said, “The FPIs are very careful about their money; these investors have been in this country and have enjoyed a lot. They are not willing to gamble with their money.
“When the situation in Nigeria is showing imminent doom, they will all go away and wait until things stabilise. They will want to make sure that the economic situation does not affect their investment, whereby they will lose money.”
Mr Afolabi Olowookere, head, Economic Research and Policy Management, Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC) said foreign investors understood the country and could read it well, knowing when to leave and when to stay.
He stated that there were fundamental issues in the economy that needed to be addressed not only to attract but to keep foreign investors.
Olowookere said, “We have some investors that were waiting for the President to appoint his cabinet, while some others do more serious analysis on the interest rates in the country, economic performance, efficiency and liquidity of the market and exchange rate.
“Investors will be interested in what will happen to the exchange rate and how many companies are listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Foreign investors are responsible for over 50 per cent of the transactions on the stock exchange, whether their investments are increasing or reducing.”
He said to attract and retain the FPIs, infrastructure and foreign exchange issues must be addressed.
According to him, looking at the road map of the Central Bank of Nigeria, it can be observed that the apex bank is trying to stabilise the macroeconomic environment, as everybody wants inflation to come down so that interest rate can drop.
Olowookere said, “Investors want to know how much the government is borrowing and the level of debt sustainability. They want to know how much it will weigh in on the country’s capacity to generate revenue.
“They are also interested in the level of liquidity of the market; fortunately, we had two main listings recently, which pushed the market capitalisation from about N10tn to N14tn.
“These companies can also compete with Dangote and the likes; that is if the holders are willing to transact. But investors will always come and go. It’s not just about them bringing in money; it is also about what they can buy with it.”
News
Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out further military strikes in Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed, reigniting a sensitive debate over religious violence and foreign intervention in Africa’s most populous nation.

President Donald Trump
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
At the time, the US military said the operation targeted Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria and was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
Nigeria, however, described the operation as a joint counterterrorism effort, stressing that it was aimed at armed groups designated as terrorists and “had nothing to do with a particular religion”.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
Pressed on comments by his own Africa adviser that extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims but insisted that Christians were being targeted disproportionately.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly raised alarms about the safety of Christians in Nigeria, beginning in late October when he warned that Christianity faced what he described as an “existential threat” in the country. He has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and has openly threatened US military intervention if the violence continues.
Nigeria has firmly rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians. The government maintains that the country’s security challenges are complex and largely driven by insurgency, banditry and criminal violence rather than religious targeting.
With a population of more than 230 million people, Nigeria is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are concentrated mainly in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north. Islamist insurgencies, particularly Boko Haram and its offshoots, have plagued parts of northern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions.
Nigerian authorities have repeatedly pointed out that militant attacks have claimed the lives of both Muslims and Christians, arguing that framing the violence along religious lines oversimplifies the crisis and risks inflaming tensions.
Following Trump’s earlier threats, the Nigerian government said it was willing to continue cooperating with Washington in combating terrorism but rejected language suggesting that Christians alone were under threat.
The latest comments are likely to strain diplomatic relations further, as Nigeria balances its partnership with the United States against concerns over sovereignty, security cooperation and the portrayal of its internal conflicts on the global stage.
News
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health

OpenAI maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a health-focused feature to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s used by nearly a billion users.

Named ChatGPT Health, the new feature aims to provide users with health and wellness information. This, as health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.
In a blog post, Microsoft-backed OpenAI says de-identified analysis of conversations show that over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health will also “securely” connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations with a user’s own health information, making responses more relevant and useful.
“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness – while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.”
According to OpenAI, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes making it hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own.
“ChatGPT Health builds on these so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the trade-offs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.”
According to the company, ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care, adding that it is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. “Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.
“To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”
OpenAI adds that access to ChatGPT Health has started with a small group of early users to learn and continue refining the experience, adding that users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK are eligible.
“As we make improvements, we plan to expand access and make Health available to all users on web and iOS in the coming weeks.
“Medical record integrations and some apps are available in the US only, and connecting Apple Health requires iOS.”
News
Kaspersky Shares AI Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026

Kaspersky experts outline how the rapid development of AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, both for individual users and for businesses. Large language models (LLMs) are influencing defensive capabilities while simultaneously expanding opportunities for threat actors.

Deepfakes are becoming a mainstream technology, and awareness will continue to grow. Companies are increasingly discussing the risks of synthetic content and training employees to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it. As the volume of deepfakes grows, so does the range of formats in which they appear.
At the same time, awareness is rising not only within organisations but also among regular users: end consumers encounter fake content more often and better understand the nature of such threats. As a result, deepfakes are becoming a stable element of the security agenda, requiring a systematic approach to training and internal policies.
Deepfake quality will improve through better audio and a lowering barrier to entry. The visual quality of deepfakes is already high, while realistic audio remains the main area for future growth.
At the same time, content generation tools are becoming easier to use: even non-experts can now create a mid-quality deepfake in just a few clicks. As a result, the average quality continues to rise, creation becomes accessible to a far broader audience, and these capabilities will inevitably continue to be leveraged by cybercriminals.
Online deepfakes will continue to evolve but remain tools for advanced users. Real-time face and voice swapping technologies are improving, but their setup still requires more advanced technical skills. Wide adoption is unlikely, yet the risks in targeted scenarios will grow: increasing realism and the ability to manipulate video through virtual cameras make such attacks more convincing.
Efforts to develop a reliable system for labelling AI-generated content will continue. There are still no unified criteria for reliably identifying synthetic content, and current labels are easy to bypass or remove, especially when working with open-source models. For this reason, new technical and regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the problem are likely to emerge.
Open-weight models will approach top closed models in many cybersecurity-related tasks, which create more opportunities for misuse. Closed models still offer stricter control mechanisms and safeguards, limiting abuse.
However, open-source systems are rapidly catching up in functionality and circulate without comparable restrictions. This blurs the difference between proprietary models and open-source models both of which can be used efficiently for undesired or malicious purposes.
The line between legitimate and fraudulent AI-generated content will become increasingly blurred. AI can already produce well-crafted scam emails, convincing visual identities, and high-quality phishing pages.
At the same time, major brands are adopting synthetic materials in advertising, making AI-generated content look familiar and visually “normal.” As a result, distinguishing real from fake will become even more challenging, both for users and for automated detection systems.
AI will become a cross-chain tool in cyberattacks and be used across most stages of the kill chain. Threat actors already employ LLMs to write code, build infrastructure, and automate operational tasks.
Further advances will reinforce this trend: AI will increasingly support multiple stages of an attack, from preparation and communication to assembling malicious components, probing for vulnerabilities and deploying tools. Attackers will also work to hide signs of AI involvement, making such operations harder to analyse.
“While AI tools are being used in cyberattacks, they are also becoming a more common tool in security analysis and influence how SOC teams work. Agent-based systems will be able to continuously scan infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and gather contextual information for investigations, reducing the amount of manual routine work.
“As a result, specialists will shift from manually searching for data to making decisions based on already-prepared context. In parallel, security tools will transition to natural-language interfaces, enabling prompts instead of complex technical queries,” adds Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.
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