General News
Tony Elumelu Foundation Announces Three Senior Executive Appointments

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering African entrepreneurs, has announced three senior executive appointments, effective February 1, 2021.

Tony Elumelu
This follows the launch of the 2021 TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, on www.TEFConnect.com, which this year prioritises the economic recovery of small and medium scale enterprises and young African entrepreneurs, following the disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which marked ten years of impact in 2020, has trained, has mentored and funded over 9,000 young African entrepreneurs from 54 African countries, through the US$100m TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, and provides capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to over 1 million Africans through its digital networking platform, TEFConnect.
Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, stated “We are extremely pleased with these appointments. Somachi Chris-Asoluka becomes Director, Partnerships and Communications, from her prior role as Head of Policy and Partnerships. Titilope Akinola, who is now Director of Operations, served as head of our platform, TEFConnect, Africa’s leading digital hub for entrepreneurs; and Nkem Onwudiwe, who newly joins our Marketing and Corporate Communications team, brings formidable corporate experience, across digital marketing, content creation, PR and strategy.”
“It is particularly encouraging to see women at the forefront, demonstrating expertise in their fields and highlighting impeccable drive to succeed not just for their benefit but for ours, collectively, as Africans. With their proven track record, and enormous passion, I have no doubt that they will greatly impact the work that we do towards the development of Africa”.
Since 2010, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has addressed key challenges faced by entrepreneurs in Africa, including lack of access to funding, mentoring, training and creating valuable networking opportunities on a global scale. The Foundation is increasingly sharing its unique ability to identify, train, mentor and fund young entrepreneurs across Africa, through partnerships with institutions such as the European Union, the United Nations Development Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other global development agencies. Beneficiaries receive $5,000 non-refundable seed capital and skilled support as they grow, expand their businesses, and contribute to the creation of more jobs in Africa.
TEF’s work is inspired by our founder’s economic philosophy of Africapitalism, which positions the private sector, and most importantly entrepreneurs, as the catalyst for the social and economic development of the African continent. To address the unique challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, lift people out of poverty and create sustainable employment across the continent, the Foundation will empower over 3,000 young African entrepreneurs in 2021. Prospective applicants should apply on the digital networking hub for African entrepreneurs, www.tefconnect.com.
General News
Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.

Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
General News
NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.

The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
General News
EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.

The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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