Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, managing director, Digital Realty Nigeria has been officially inaugurated as the first Patron of the Igbo Canadian Community Association (ICCA – Umunna) in Toronto.

The investiture ceremony took place during the highly stylized ICCA Igbo Cultural and Heritage Day 2026, held at the premium Panemonte Banquet & Convention Centre in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario.

The landmark gathering brought together top-tier members of the Nigerian diaspora, Canadian civic leaders, and the multicultural public to commemorate the socio-economic and cultural contributions of the Igbo community to Canada’s diverse national fabric.

Beyond his appointment to the sacred position of Patron, the socio-cultural group bestowed upon the tech executive the prestigious Quintessential Leadership Award.

The high-level recognition honors Nnamani’s extensive, multi-decade structural accomplishments across the fields of industry, business, and telecommunications technology throughout Africa, noting his balance of professional execution with a grounded Christian character serving as a shining roadmap for the global Igbo nation.

In his formal acceptance address made available to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Engr. Nnamani mapped out a clear roadmap for his tenure, underscoring that the title is fundamentally an exercise in structural advocacy and sacred trust.

“When our ancestors spoke of the ‘Igbo spirit’, they were speaking of resilience, community, entrepreneurship, and unwavering strength,” Nnamani declared. “Whether you are a first-generation immigrant, a Canadian-born youth, or a student, those values remain your guiding light. You have successfully transplanted the rich, vibrant heritage of Igboland into the diverse and welcoming soil of Canada”.

The newly minted Patron committed to steering the association alongside its current executive council across three vital socio-economic vectors:

Preserving the Mother Tongue: Standardizing community structures to ensure that Asụsụ Igbo (the Igbo language) and fundamental communal traditions like respect for elders, hospitality, and communal love are vibrantly handed down to second and third-generation Canadian-born youths.

Socio-Economic Mentorship Ecosystems: Building robust professional networks, economic growth, and mentorship pipelines to give every Igbo Canadian the resources to thrive and succeed.

Bridges to Canadian Civic Power: Deepening engagement within the broader Canadian multicultural landscape, contributing meaningfully to the host country’s civic, economic, and social fabric.

The invitation, which was formally transmitted by the association’s executive cabinet led by President Ada Izumba and Secretary Obinna Okoye, underscored a growing trend of diaspora groups calling upon established continental business leaders to anchor their socio-cultural institutions.

Nnamani extended deep gratitude to the behind-the-scenes executives and members who work tirelessly, reinforcing the structural maxim that has driven the global migration success of the ethnic group: “Igwe bu ike”; there is strength in unity.

African Development Bank (AfDB) has revealed that 70.7 per cent of firms in Nigeria own or share generators due to persistent electricity shortages, with power outages costing businesses about three per cent of their annual sales.

The bank disclosed this in its 2026 African Economic Outlook report, which, among other items, assessed Africa’s fiscal policy and tax systems.

It warned that weak public service delivery continued to impose hidden financial burdens on households and businesses across the continent.

“Electricity outage losses amount to three per cent of annual sales in Nigeria, and because of this, generator reliance is widespread, with 70.7 per cent of firms in Nigeria owning or sharing generators,” the report stated.

The AfDB said the widespread use of generators reflected deep infrastructure and governance challenges that were weakening productivity, eroding profitability, and undermining confidence in taxation systems.

According to the report, households and firms across Africa increasingly pay privately for services that governments are expected to provide, including electricity, water, security, and logistics.

The bank described these expenses as “parallel levies” that reduce disposable income and raise operating costs for businesses.

“Higher domestic resource mobilisation without corresponding improvements in public service delivery imposes large implicit tax burdens on households and firms, which undermines the legitimacy and effectiveness of taxation and leads to a breakdown in the social contract,” the AfDB stated.

The report noted that many businesses in Nigeria had resorted to self-generated power because of unreliable electricity supply, adding that this trend continued to widen informality and reduce voluntary tax compliance.

The AfDB added that stronger delivery of electricity, healthcare, education, water supply, sanitation, and public administrative services could improve trust in government and strengthen tax collection efforts.

“By reducing the need for households and firms to self-provide these services, strengthening performance in these priority areas can enhance taxpayer trust, improve voluntary compliance, broaden the formal tax base, and reinforce the fiscal social contract,” the report stated.

The bank said Africa’s revenue mobilisation challenges remained significant despite increasing fiscal pressures caused by rising debt servicing costs, shrinking external financing, and growing development spending needs.

According to the report, nearly $469bn in potential revenue remains untapped across Africa due to weak tax compliance, poor administration, and ineffective policy design.

The AfDB also stated that more than 40 per cent of public investment spending across the continent was currently lost to inefficiencies.

“More than 40 per cent of public investment is currently lost to inefficiencies, and closing this gap could generate up to $299bn each year for growth-enhancing investments,” the report stated.

The bank further noted that Africa could unlock up to $1.43tn in additional annual financing by addressing inefficiencies in resource mobilisation and utilisation.

It added that Africa needed to sustain economic growth at seven per cent or higher over several decades to create jobs on a large scale and accelerate poverty reduction.

“Africa must raise annual growth to 7 per cent or higher, sustained over decades, to enable large-scale job creation and accelerated poverty reduction,” Dr Sidi Tah, president of the African Development Bank Group, said in the report’s foreword.

The report also highlighted the continent’s dependence on indirect taxes such as Value Added Tax, excise duties, and customs taxes, which accounted for 59.9 per cent of total tax revenue in 2023.

The AfDB noted that Nigeria, alongside other resource-rich economies, relied heavily on corporate income tax linked to extractive industries, reflecting the uneven nature of direct taxation across Africa.

Lagos State Government has intensified surveillance and emergency preparedness measures at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, even as it moved to prevent the importation of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), into Nigeria following renewed outbreaks in parts of East and Central Africa.

At MMIA, Lagos, Lagos State government health officials and Port Health Services undertook a joint inspection of the airport’s preparedness facilities to assess its capacity to detect, monitor and respond to any potential Ebola threat.

Leading a high-powered preparedness inspection and facility assessment at the country”s busiest international gateway, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State commissioner for Health, warned that MMIA remains Nigeria’s most vulnerable entry point for imported infectious diseases because it handles about 70 per cent of international passenger traffic into the country.

Abayomi said Lagos was strengthening systems for early detection, rapid isolation and emergency evacuation of suspected Ebola cases, while also improving digital surveillance and passenger monitoring for travellers arriving from countries classified as high-risk.

His words: “The primary purpose of our visit is to understand how we can support your efforts, identify existing gaps and jointly develop practical solutions. Our objective is to create a bottleneck for the virus, not for passengers.”

Recalling Nigeria’s successful containment of Ebola in 2014 after the virus was imported into Lagos from Liberia, Abayomi said the outbreak remains one of the most important public health lessons in the nation’s history.

“Almost eleven years ago, we experienced the importation of Ebola into Lagos from Liberia during the largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. We were able to contain what became a relatively small outbreak in Lagos, thanks to the sacrifices of dedicated healthcare workers, including the late Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh,” he said.

According to him, the painful memories of the 2014 outbreak continue to remind health authorities that preparedness must remain constant in an era of increasing global travel and interconnectedness.

He added that lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic further reinforced the need for close collaboration between Lagos State and federal agencies operating at the airport, noting that the partnership helped establish one of the country’s strongest passenger surveillance systems.

Abayomi disclosed that authorities were also considering measures to reduce interaction between passengers arriving from designated high-risk countries and other travellers without disrupting airport operations.

The inspection tour brought together officials from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, Port Health Services, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.

Also speaking during the visit, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, special adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Health, described airport personnel as Nigeria’s frontline defence against imported infectious diseases.

“The frontline actually begins here at our ports of entry. As passengers arrive, you are among the very first people to interact with them, making your role critical in our disease surveillance and response efforts,” Ogunyemi said.

She stressed that health security must be treated with the same seriousness as every other national security concern and assured airport workers of the state government’s continued support.

Dr. Dayo Lajide, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, commended the collaboration between airport authorities, Port Health Services and state officials, describing it as critical to strengthening preparedness against diseases of international concern such as Ebola.

Lajide urged frontline workers to remain vigilant and adhere strictly to infection prevention and control protocols while carrying out surveillance duties.

“As frontline responders, your safety is paramount. Continue to follow all IPC measures diligently because while you are protecting Nigeria from potential health threats, you must also ensure that you are protected from exposure and risk,” she said.

Earlier, Olatokunbo Arewa, the Airport Manager and Regional General Manager, South-West MMIA, disclosed that additional preparedness infrastructure, including touchless hand-sanitiser systems and temperature-detection equipment, had already been deployed across the airport.

Arewa also revealed that discussions were ongoing regarding the establishment of dedicated arrival processing channels for passengers arriving from high-risk countries as part of efforts to strengthen surveillance and screening operations.

“Ebola is a highly dangerous disease and any suspected case must be isolated quickly and professionally to prevent transmission,” he warned.

Providing updates on airport preparedness,  Dr. Lawal Abdullahi, head of Port Health Services at MMIA, disclosed that the airport reviewed and updated its Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan on March 18, 2026, ahead of the latest Ebola developments in East Africa.

According to him, the Airport Public Health Emergency Management Team had already been activated, while a comprehensive risk assessment was conducted to identify countries of concern and guide surveillance activities at the airport.

Abdullahi added that passenger screening mechanisms were deployed before the activation of the national health declaration platform and that traveller information was routinely shared with Lagos State epidemiology teams to strengthen follow-up and response activities.

Also, Dr. Bilkis Ibrahim, general manager, Aviation Medical Services, FAAN, disclosed that additional personal protective equipment, multilingual health advisories and staff training programmes were being deployed to strengthen preparedness among airport workers.

Dr. Abayomi Asunbo, Aeromedical assessor of the NCAA,  also revealed that the regulatory authority had directed all airlines operating designated international routes to comply fully with public health protocols before passengers are cleared into Nigeria.

The Lagos State officials, airport authorities and federal agencies reaffirmed their commitment to coordinated surveillance, rapid response and information sharing aimed at protecting Lagos and Nigeria from Ebola and other infectious disease threats.

The high point of the visit was the inspection of major screening points and emergency response facilities at MMIA.