News
AfDB Deepens Partnership with Enugu Govt on Investment
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has reiterated its commitment to partnering with the Enugu State Government in the areas of investment, infrastructure, and other projects that would attract development and transform the lives of the citizens in the state.
This was even as the President of Skipper Seil Group, a globally renowned engineering, power and infrastructure company, Jitender Sachdeva, lauded Enugu State governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, over the positive steps taken in the energy sector, assuring that the company would partner to assist the state in developing its infrastructure.
Speaking at the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday, during a meeting with the governor at the Government House, Enugu, the Director-General of AfDB’s Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, said Nigeria was strategic to the development bank’s programmes.
He said that phase one of some of the programmes, especially in the area of Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ) which was worth about $18 million had been approved.
He explained that the African foremost development and financial bank was in the process of rolling out the second phase, which would integrate the needs of Enugu State Government.
Barrow further said the phase two of the programme would support the implementation of the SAPZ project, which the state had already undertaken, pointing to agro-allied crops such as cassava, maize, among other strategic staples where the state commands competitive advantage.
“What the SAPZ is doing is to help develop value chains for these crops, adding value to primary crops, help in reducing post-harvest losses, develop strong linkages with stakeholder farmers, training and creating financial support for the farmers’ activities, but most importantly, driven by anchor private-sector investors”, he stated.
The DG of the AfDB also said the bank would assist the state in de-risking investment flow in its efforts to strengthen and enhance production, and drive agricultural produce beyond food security to export for the state and Nigeria in general.
On his part, Skipper Group President, Jitender Sachdeva, said his company had already concluded plans with the governor to construct the green special agro-allied industry zone, which also falls within the AfDB’s programme.
He said the infrastructure, which the company was collaborating with AfDB to step up, would facilitate the ease of doing business in the state and ensure self-sustained green electricity for each factory operating in the state.
“We are here for you in terms of infrastructure, power, agro-processing zones, among other projects. With the kind of energy, positivity, simplicity I have seen in you, around you, I can assure you we are going to start immediately,” he concluded.
Reacting, Governor Mbah expressed excitement over the choosing of Enugu State by the AfDB and other development partners for the second phase of the Special Agro-Processing Zone, saying his administration had already committed huge capital in the sector and would be ready to explore the opportunities AfDB presented to the state.
He assured the AfDB that Enugu had fulfilled all the pre-conditions for the project to take off.
“I want to inform you that Enugu State is ready and we have prepared all the prerequisite documentations, and all the surveys you need to be able to get started with this project.
“We have done the environmental and social impact assessments. We have identified a sizeable land that will host a Special Agro-Processing Zone, putting aside over 1000 hectares very close to the city that would be used for the Special Agro-Processing Zone. We have also done the feasibility studies”.
While underscoring that the state has a fertile land, almost performing better than other states in the cultivation and production of soya beans, cassava, rice, maize, cashew nuts, pineapple, among other food crops, the governor reiterated the effort of his administration to continue to make the state attractive to investors and tourists.
He explained that the state was full of economic and investment opportunities, calling on investors to see Enugu as their first choice for investment in the country, and promised that the ongoing state of emergency declared on the health sector would guarantee a healthy workforce.
The governor equally expressed interest in working with the bodies in the power sector to drive the state’s industrial revolution, insisting that Enugu was being positioned to play leadership role in the power industry given the recent enactment of the Enugu State Electricity Law.
“We’re now ready to play the role of a regulator in the electricity value chain, whether it’s generation, transmission or distribution. So in terms of the ease of obtaining your operating license, your construction licenses, you do not need to go beyond the state when we are in the position to provide those licenses, generating license, transmitting license and distributing license.
“We now have the regulatory commission to provide those licenses. In terms of the demand, you also have a huge demand for electricity. We have quite a number of industries here and we’re also even on the verge of bringing more because we’re already talking to some prospective investors,” he concluded.
Two Nigerian lawyers have sued promoters of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) over allegations of electoral fraud and unlawful use of personal data.
The legal actions follow the recent election conducted by the NLS, a breakaway association formed as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to elect its national officers.
In one of the suits, marked FHC/ABJ/05/1506/2025 and filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, a lawyer, Timothy Tersugh Ahua, is challenging the conduct of the election and the legitimacy of the electoral process.
Ahua named several NLS promoters, including prominent lawyers, as defendants.
They include Senior Advocates, Chief Mela Audu Nunghe, Dr. Ugoji Eze, Secretary of the NLS Electoral Committee, and Chief Bolaji, Chairman of the NLS.
Others named in the suit are Ferguson Chioma Blessing, Chief Emeka Ichoku, and Tejumola Adigun.
Citing provisions of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, Ahua is asking the court to declare that the NLS electoral process violated its constitution.
He is seeking a declaration that all unopposed candidates, including himself, be declared elected, as published by Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, the alternate Chairman of the NLS Electoral Committee.
Ahua claims he was duly nominated for the position of Secretary General but was unjustly excluded, accusing the defendants of hand-picking candidates in breach of the rules.
He further alleged that the exclusion caused him financial loss, reputational damage, and personal hardship, urging the court to correct what he described as a grave injustice.
In a separate suit before the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, another lawyer, Oluwadare Thomas, sued Chief Mela Nunghe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Ugoji Eze, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), over alleged violation of his data privacy rights.
Thomas is asking the court to determine whether the use and publication of his personal data by NLS election officials without his consent amounts to a breach of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
He also wants the court to consider whether the use of the NLS name for the election, despite a CAC notice and a pending suit, constitutes contempt of court and abuse of legal process.
He is seeking several declaratory and injunctive reliefs, including a court order restraining the continued use of his personal data and an order compelling NITDA and NDPC to investigate and sanction the respondents.
Thomas is also demanding N50m in compensation for the alleged unlawful processing and exposure of his personal information.
The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has congratulated Chief Owolabi Salis on his successful space flight. He becomes the first person of Nigerian birth to travel to space.
Chief Salis privately funded his space mission, demonstrating the deep interest of Nigerians to participate in scientific, exploratory, tourism and commercial space activities. His achievement highlights new opportunities for private sector engagement in space Program.
This milestone brings significant international attention to Nigeria’s space program, capabilities, while positioning the nation among countries where citizens actively participate in space activities.
In a statement signed by Dr. Felix Ale, director, Media and Corporate Communications, NASRDA, stated that chief Salis’s successful mission represents one pathway for Nigerian space participation. “His achievement complements NASRDA’s ongoing efforts to expand access to space exploration for Nigerian citizens.
“NASRDA received notification of Chief Salis’s mission through our partner organization, Space Research and Exploration Agency (SERA), prior to the flight. His success demonstrates the expanding opportunities now available to Nigerians in the space sector.
“However, it must be emphasized that the NASRDA-SERA collaborative mission, announced in June 2024, remains on course for an upcoming Blue Origin flight. This program represents a different pathway, providing opportunities for broader Nigerian participation through open competition.
“Our collaborative mission will enable Nigerian citizens to participate in astronaut selection and contribute to the development of research proposals. Eligibility extends to all Nigerian citizens aged 18 and above through transparent, merit-based selection criteria.
“Research priorities for the NASRDA-SERA mission will also be determined through public input from Nigerian citizens. This approach ensures the mission addresses national priorities identified by Nigerian citizens,” the statement added.
The application portal for the NASRDA-SERA program will open in the coming weeks. Detailed application procedures will be announced prior to the portal’s activation.
NASRDA celebrates Chief Salis’s contribution to raising awareness about space exploration opportunities for Nigerians. His private investment demonstrates the practical commitment of Nigerian citizens to advancing our national space participation.
Chief Salis’s achievement marks a defining moment for Nigeria’s space ambitions. Nigeria now has both private citizens and government programs actively pursuing space exploration, positioning the nation as an active participant in the global space economy.
For additional information regarding NASRDA programs or the SERA collaborative mission, contact the agency’s Media and Corporate Communication Department.
The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.
In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.
The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.
In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.
“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.
“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.
“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”
Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.
“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.
17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.
Edun, Finance Minister Inaugurates NDIC New Management
Court Upholds AVRS Legal Rights to Licence Audiovisual Works in Hotels
Huawei Unveils AI Computing System to Challenge Nvidia’s Flagship Product
Lawyers Drags NLS to Court for Alleged Election Fraud, Data Violation
New Tax Law Empowers NRS to Fine Offenders up to N10m
General News3 days agoFG Plans N50m STEEM Grant to Support Student Innovation in August
E-Business3 days agoTranscorp Hotels Delivers Stellar H1 Results, Declares Over ₦1Bn Dividend
E-Financial3 days agoCardoso, CBN Boss Risks Arrest over Alleged N5.2 Trillion Unremitted Funds
E-Financial3 days agoNIBBS: Banks Close 29.4m Accounts, Dormant Accounts Hit 33.39m
Telecom3 days agoMTN Media Innovation Programme Fellows Gain Insight into Nigeria’s Connectivity Backbone
General News3 days agoExperts Champion Sustainability at Lagos Green Economy Forum
Broadcasting3 days agoNDPC Hides MultiChoice Privacy Violation Details Despite FOI Request- FIJ
Telecom3 days agoDriving Digital Inclusion: Anambra’s Mobile Tech Hub Brings Free WiFi to the People