NAIJAFEED

Video - Nigerian inventor’s bionic arm makes TIME’s best inventions of 2026 list

2026-10-30T08:26:52.560-04:00

Inspired by his personal experience with limb loss, Nigerian inventor Ubokobong Amanam has developed a lifelike bionic arm designed to restore movement and confidence for amputees. Recognized by TIME magazine as one of its Best Inventions of 2026, the innovation highlights Africa’s growing role in technological advancement, although affordability remains a major challenge.

CGTN Africa

Nigerian families and survivors seek justice over miners' deaths

2026-10-30T08:21:50.178-04:00

Families of 37 artisinal miners who died in custody in Nigeria want ‌swift justice and the return of property seized during their arrest, saying no financial compensation will make up for their loss.

A presidential panel on Tuesday found that the detainees, who were suspected of being illegal miners, had died from overcrowding, extreme heat, dehydration and neglect while being held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger state last month.

Nigeria's government welcomed the panel's ⁠findings, and Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo said the panel's report had been sent to the attorney-general for immediate judicial action. He did not respond to requests for comment on when victims' families and survivors would receive compensation.

The deaths, including of teenagers, triggered protests in Nigeria, raising new concerns about conditions in detention facilities and the treatment of suspects awaiting trial.

"What we wanted was for our children to be alive and return to us," said Zainab Salihu, whose son was among the dead.

She said the deaths in detention had led to the deterioration of the health of her husband, who later died. Reuters was unable to ‌verify ⁠the circumstances of her husband's death.

"No matter how much money they give us, it will never bring our children back," Salihu said.
Dantala Tanko, whose 25-year-old son Suleiman died in detention, is struggling to come to terms with his loss.

"Now he is gone, and this is deeply painful for me. I know he will never return," he said ⁠after praying at his son's grave.

Some survivors said they appreciated the investigation's findings, but wanted accountability.
"Officers who demonstrate such disregard for human life should not remain in positions of authority. They must be held accountable, and appropriate disciplinary action ⁠should be taken," said said 25-year-old Dauda Shehu.

Abdulsalam Yakubu, 23, said government action had been slow. He said he wanted the government to return motocycles, phones, mining equipment and gold which he said had ⁠been seized during the victims' arrest.

"We have suffered enough. We are asking for justice, the promised support, and the return of our property so that we can begin to rebuild our lives," he told Reuters.

By Ibrahim and Ndiamitso, Reuters

Video - Nigerian govt panel finds 37 detained miners died from overcrowding and neglect

2026-10-29T08:25:22.117-04:00

A government investigation in Nigeria has found that 37 suspected illegal miners died in custody in Niger State due to overcrowding, extreme heat, poor ventilation and neglect. The panel recommended 1.4 billion naira in compensation for bereaved families and survivors, while authorities pledge disciplinary action against officers implicated in the case.

CGTN Africa

Google Wallet and Google Pay Launch in Nigeria

2026-10-29T08:21:26.856-04:00

Google has launched Google Wallet, including Google Pay, in Nigeria, allowing Android and Wear OS users to make digital payments and store essential items such as loyalty cards, event tickets and boarding passes on their devices.

The service enables users to add supported payment cards from participating financial institutions and make contactless payments at physical stores, as well as payments within apps and on websites. The launch is intended to simplify everyday transactions by allowing users to pay with compatible devices without needing to present a physical bank card.

Beyond payments, Google Wallet provides a digital storage space for items users may need throughout the day, including loyalty cards, event tickets and airline boarding passes. This allows users to access these items from one place rather than carrying physical copies.

Google said security measures are built into the service, with multiple layers of protection and industry-standard encryption designed to safeguard financial information during transactions.

Users whose phones are lost or stolen can also use Google’s Find My Device feature to lock their devices remotely, set a new password or erase personal information to help protect their data.

Google Wallet is available for download through the Google Play Store. Contactless payments require a compatible Android device with near-field communication (NFC) support and a payment terminal that accepts contactless transactions.

Tech Africa News

Dangote refinery IPO draws three times target demand

2026-10-28T08:26:49.809-04:00

Nigeria's $1.6 billion Dangote refinery initial public offering has drawn about three times the total targeted orders, two people with knowledge of the situation said, underscoring strong demand for what has been billed as "The People's IPO".

The share sale, which closes on Tuesday, has about 6.4 trillion naira ($4.78 billion) of orders from Nigerian retail and institutional investors, one person involved told Reuters.

Aliko Dangote, the ⁠billionaire owner of the Lagos refinery, has said the sale is targeting millions of ordinary Nigerians and Africans who can buy shares with as little as $4.

He said in a statement on Wednesday all 54 African countries had participated in the IPO while applications were received from 120 countries, calling it "a historic achievement."

The order book is expected to grow once subscriptions from investors in other African countries are included, one of the people said, adding that Dangote had received subscriptions from more than 2 million investors through digital channels so far.

Given the demand, Dangote was expected to exercise a greenshoe option that ‌would allow ⁠it to increase the size of the offering to as much as $2.1 billion, the person added.

A Dangote spokesperson declined to comment on the demand and possibility of exercising the greenshoe option.

The IPO comes as Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has benefited from stronger margins, with higher crude oil prices linked to the Iran war ⁠lifting earnings.

The refinery, which began commercial operations in early 2024, has steadily increased output and expanded exports, including shipments of jet fuel to Europe and other African markets, helping position Nigeria as a potential net exporter of refined ⁠petroleum products.

Share allocation will begin next week ahead of the stock's planned listing on the Nigerian Exchange later in November, the company's IPO prospectus said.

Built at a cost of about $20 billion, the refinery ⁠has transformed Nigeria's fuel market since it began operating.
It processes about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day and aims to double capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2029.

By Chijioke Ohuocha and Macdonald Dzirutwe, Reuters

Nigeria panel says 37 detained miners died from overcrowding and neglect

2026-10-28T08:24:05.394-04:00

A group of 37 suspected illegal miners died in detention in ‌Nigeria as a result of severe overcrowding, poor ventilation and neglect, according to a government investigation into their deaths.

The investigating committee, set up after the deaths last month sparked outrage in Nigeria, rejected earlier claims by officials that an outbreak of disease was to blame and called for compensation for victims and survivors as well as an overhaul of the agency ⁠involved.

The deaths, which included many teenagers working in artisanal gold mines, triggered protests in Nigeria, raising fresh concerns about conditions in detention facilities and the treatment of suspects awaiting trial.
Jonathan Kure, chairman of the committee, said the deaths were "entirely preventable" and a result of severe overcrowding, deprivation of basic necessities and ignored warnings.

"The tragedy demonstrates the consequences of systemic disregard for detention standards, supervisory responsibilities, and the welfare of persons in custody," Kure said after his committee reviewed evidence, including detention records, autopsies, hospital reports and communication logs.

NSCDC officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The evidence showed the ‌victims ⁠died from asphyxia, an acute respiratory failure caused by prolonged confinement in a severely overcrowded, poorly ventilated cell, worsened by heat stress and dehydration, Kure said.

"The evidence did not support claims that the deaths resulted from a disease outbreak," Kure said.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the paramilitary agency that locked up the ⁠miners as part of efforts to regulate mining, initially suggested the detainees may have died from an unspecified disease before later saying the cause had not been established.

The panel recommended 30 million naira (about $22,500) in compensation for each ⁠victim's family and 10 million naira for each of the 41 survivors.

The findings are in line with testimonies from survivors who told Reuters that dozens of artisanal miners were crammed into a small ⁠holding cell and repeatedly ignored after complaining of overcrowding.

The government has suspended senior NSCDC officials pending the investigation, but the panel called for a sweeping overhaul of the agency's leadership.

By Camillus Eboh, Reuters

Video - Nigeria moves closer to decentralised policing

2026-10-27T07:42:58.265-04:00

Twenty-five of Nigeria’s 36 state assemblies approved a constitutional amendment allowing states to establish their own police forces. Supporters say the reform could improve local security and response times, while critics warn of potential political interference and concerns over funding, human rights and accountability.

CGTN Africa

Burna Boy makes history at Ballon d’Or awards

2026-10-27T07:40:17.557-04:00

Nigerian singer Burna Boy became the first Nigerian artist to present an award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, handing the 2026 Sócrates Award to Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka at the London Palladium on Monday night.
The Grammy-award-winning singer presented the award to Saka, an England international of Nigerian heritage, during the 70th edition of football’s prestigious individual awards ceremony.

The honour recognises footballers who make significant contributions to humanitarian causes and social development beyond the pitch.

Burna Boy used his appearance to talk about his football academy in Nigeria, explaining that he established the initiative to support the sport’s development in his home country.

“Something I started a few years ago, just to support the football culture back home. Hopefully, inshallah, one day I’ll come back here to see one of my people getting an award in the Ballon d’Or,” he said.

The Grammy-winning singer was introduced on stage by the ceremony’s hosts, Kate Scott and former France international Thierry Henry, before presenting the trophy to Saka.

The appearance adds to Burna Boy’s growing association with major international football events. He previously performed at the 2023 UEFA Champions League final kick-off show in Istanbul, Turkey.

Meanwhile, Burna Boy and Wizkid have also explored the connection between music and football in their 2021 collaboration, “Ballon d’Or,” using the prestigious award as a symbol of excellence and success. His appearance at Monday’s ceremony amplifies his association with football’s biggest stages.

Saka honoured for humanitarian work

Saka received the Sócrates Award for his charitable work with BigShoe, an organisation that provides medical assistance to children in need.

Through the initiative, the Arsenal forward supported life-changing surgical procedures for about 120 children in Kano State, Nigeria, in 2022.

He undertook the effort in recognition of his Nigerian heritage and helped children access treatment for conditions requiring medical intervention. He subsequently supported procedures for another 100 children in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania in 2023.

During his acceptance speech, Saka thanked France Football and highlighted the importance of giving children opportunities to live healthy lives and pursue their ambitions.

He also read a letter from Biringiro, a 14-year-old boy from Rwanda whose eyesight began deteriorating when he was 12. BigShoe provided the child with eye care after his condition made everyday activities, including moving around his home and reading in school, increasingly difficult.

In the letter, Biringiro described how the treatment had changed his life.

“Then thanks to BigShoe, I received the eye care that I needed. Today, I can read the blackboard even from the back of the classroom,” he was quoted as saying.

Reflecting on the initiative, Saka said helping children regain opportunities they might otherwise lose was important to him.

“We know how it feels to be a child and have a ball at your feet and how much joy you have. Every time I have the opportunity to help another kid have that feeling again, that’s important to me,” the striker said.

The 25-year-old footballer added that he worked with his family and BigShoe to support children who lacked access to opportunities others had.

“It’s an honour to be here, and it’s an honour to receive this award. On behalf of all the children we’ve been able to help, thank you,” he said.

France Football established the Sócrates Award in 2022 in collaboration with Peace and Sport. Named after the late Brazilian footballer Sócrates, the honour recognises humanitarian and social initiatives supported by players and their foundations.

Previous recipients include Senegalese forward Sadio Mané, Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior and Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso.

Historic 70th edition

The 2026 ceremony marked the first time the Ballon d’Or awards were held in London. The venue was chosen to commemorate the award’s 70th anniversary.

England captain and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Englishman to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001. Spain’s Alexia Putellas won the women’s prize for the third time.

Other winners included Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, who received the men’s young talent award, while Unai Simón and Cata Coll won the men’s and women’s goalkeeper honours, respectively. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named men’s and women’s clubs of the year.

Meanwhile, Nigerian footballers have featured in the Ballon d’Or rankings, with Nwankwo Kanu, Finidi George and Victor Ikpeba among the early nominees. Victor Osimhen recorded Nigeria’s highest finish, placing eighth in 2023, while Ademola Lookman finished 14th in 2024.

However, no Nigerian has won the award. Liberia’s George Weah remains the first and only African to win the men’s Ballon d’Or in 1995.

Adekunle Gold joins Afrobeats representation

Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold also attended the ceremony’s red carpet, joining Burna Boy in representing the country’s music industry at the event.

The singer, popularly known as AG Baby, shared his excitement, saying, “Another year that I’ll be invited for the Ballon d’Or, and this time, I’ll be performing at the after-party”.

Afrobeats on football stages

Their appearances follow other occasions when Nigerian artistes have featured at major international football events.

In 2023, Rema became the first African artiste to perform at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, delivering his hit song Calm Down in Paris. He also performed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Burna Boy also performed at the 2023 UEFA Champions League final, while Davido performed at the closing ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Recently, Ayra Starr also made history as the first African artist to headline a halftime show at the NFL International Games. The latest appearances highlight the growing presence of Nigerian music stars at major international sporting events.

By Ozaveshe Precious, Premium Times

Video - Nigeria tightens Ebola measures as patient recovers

2026-10-26T07:20:31.951-04:00

Nigerian health authorities have intensified screening and surveillance measures following a confirmed Ebola case in Abuja, as the patient shows signs of recovery. Contacts have been traced and quarantined, while investigations continue into the source of the infection amid efforts to prevent further transmission.

CGTN Africa

Honeywell Technologies launches new AI platform at Dangote's Nigeria refinery

2026-10-26T07:16:47.654-04:00

Honeywell Technologies said on Monday it was launching a new industrial AI platform, "Forge ‌Plant Cognition", at Nigeria's Dangote refinery to boost the plant's productivity.

The platform, being launched at Dangote's Lekki refinery in Lagos, will use NVIDIA and Dell Technologies' capabilities in a bid to drive up productivity and profitability in complex industrial settings, a statement said.

Honeywell is already helping the refinery more than double its nameplate capacity from 650,000 million barrels per day (bpd) ‌to ⁠1.4 million bpd by 2028.

Based on preliminary data and not guaranteed, Honeywell said its AI platform could deliver operational ⁠benefits of more than 29 cents a barrel at Lekki, or around $60 million a ⁠year in gross benefits at full-capacity throughput.

Honeywell has also been selected to help ⁠Dangote build a new mega-refinery in Kenya's Lamu County.

Reuters

Death toll in Nigeria village raided by gunmen rises to 48

2026-10-26T07:13:02.382-04:00

The death toll from Friday's attack on a remote village in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Taraba has risen to at least 48, police have told the BBC.

The police had initially reported 10 deaths after unidentified gunmen on motorcycles raided the village of Binnari, looting shops and setting houses ablaze.

More bodies were discovered on Sunday, according to state police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah, who said some of the victims had drowned while trying to escape the attackers while others were killed in nearby bushes.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International's director for Nigeria said his organisation had confirmed 52 deaths, citing sources on the ground and members of the local community.

The attack happened just after midday Muslim prayers, and the rampage went on for up to four hours.

State police had initially recovered 10 bodies with gunshot wounds after officers responded to a distress call.

The attackers had fled by the time officers arrived - but they continued to patrol the area to restore calm, Taraba's police told the BBC on Saturday.

"We were able to disperse the unknown gunmen though there was no casualty on their side and ours because the terrain is difficult and they're used to the terrain," Assistant Superintendent of Police Victor Mshelizah said.

Community leader Malam Abubakar Saifullahi told news agency AFP that the attackers had arrived on about 50 motorcycles, two men apiece.

"They looted shops and took cash, foodstuffs and other provisions," he said. "They also took motorcycles abandoned by people fleeing the attack."

Isiyaku Musa, who survived the attack, told AFP: "People were running in different directions to escape the attack. Nobody knew where it was safe to go."

Amnesty's Nigeria director Isa Sanusi has called for an impartial investigation into the killings, accusing the authorities of leaving rural communities "at the mercy of gunmen that are repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity".

Parts of north-eastern Nigeria have been affected by years of violence involving jihadist groups and armed gangs, which raid communities, abduct residents and demand ransoms.

Similar armed groups operate in the country's north-west and central regions.

The latest attack comes as Nigeria prepares for elections next year, with insecurity expected to feature prominently in political debates.

Survivors who spoke to AFP said they had counted at least 20 dead.

"People were running in different directions to escape the attack," Binnari resident Isiyaku Musa said. "Nobody knew where it was safe to go."

Another survivor, Sa'idu Nuhu, said that some people were still missing.

Amnesty's Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, told BBC News on Saturday that the NGO had spoken to some of the bereaved families who said up to 50 people had died.

"The initial funeral had 37 people," he said.

Sanusi called for an impartial investigation into the killings, accusing the authorities of leaving rural communities "at the mercy of gunmen that are repeatedly commit atrocities with impunity".

BBC

Nigeria's Ebola patient on medical evacuation flight to Switzerland, condition stable

2026-10-26T07:11:18.647-04:00

Nigeria's Ebola patient left the country on a medical evacuation flight to Switzerland on Monday morning, the health minister said, adding that her clinical condition was much improved.
The patient, the Ugandan-born wife of a Swiss diplomat based in Abuja, is ‌Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade.
The outbreak, which started in Democratic Republic of Congo, has now been reported in four countries in East, Central and West Africa, giving it the widest geographic spread of any Ebola outbreak on the continent to date.

The possibility that the Nigerian patient became infected in Uganda, where officials say she spent a two-week holiday before returning to Abuja, has ⁠fuelled concerns about undetected transmission in a country where the outbreak had appeared to be under control.
Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate said in a post on X that the woman was "stable, conscious, communicating, and her clinical laboratory test results closing towards baseline" before her evacuation flight departed.
Her spouse has remained asymptomatic and left Nigeria on the same flight, Pate added.
The Swiss foreign ministry and Uganda's health ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATING HOW PATIENT CAUGHT RARE STRAIN

A team of leading Ebola scientists will travel to Nigeria to help investigate how the patient caught the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, Africa ‌CDC ⁠Director-General Jean Kaseya told Reuters in an interview.
Switzerland said last week that she had not travelled to Congo, contradicting statements from Ugandan officials.
Her travel documents show she had not visited Congo, Kaseya said.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo species, which has now caused almost 10,000 cases and more than 4,800 deaths in Congo, and ⁠spread to three other countries in Africa – Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.
Kenya has reported nine cases and two deaths, all linked to a man who had travelled from Congo via Uganda's Entebbe airport.
Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June ⁠but has not recorded any since and was declared free of the virus by the World Health Organization in August.

The WHO's Africa director congratulated Nigeria's government and health workers for stabilising the patient's condition, ⁠allowing her to be evacuated.
"The Nigerian medical team successfully managed her through the acute phase of the illness and stabilized her condition," Mohamed Janabi said on X.

Reuters

Nigerian actor Francis Duru die at age 57

2026-10-23T07:40:40.665-04:00

Veteran Nigerian actor Francis Duru has passed away at the age of 57, his family announced on his official Instagram account.

His family made the announcement in the early hours of Friday, October 23, stating that Duru passed away following a brief illness.

"We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness. We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen," the family wrote.

His passing comes one month after the death of another iconic actor, Olu Jacobs, who died at the age of 84 following a long battle with Lewy body dementia.

Francis Duru, whose full name was Francis Ogide Duru, was a celebrated Nigerian actor and one of the most recognizable faces in Nollywood.

Born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State in southeastern Nigeria, he grew up in Cameroon before moving to Nigeria for his higher education.

He built an acting career that spanned more than 30 years in the Nigerian film industry.

Duru studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, graduating in 1996. His academic background helped prepare him for a professional career in acting and the performing arts. Before establishing himself in Nollywood, he gained experience in stage theater and television, which contributed significantly to his development as an actor.

Duru began his film career with Missing Mark in 1989. His major breakthrough came with the 1995 film Rattlesnake, produced by Amaka Igwe, in which Duru played the character Ahanna. The film established his reputation and opened the door to numerous opportunities in Nollywood.

Over the years, Duru featured in dozens of films, including Blood Money, Nnenda, The Good Husband, Eagle Wings, and Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons.

Beyond acting, he also worked as a film director, producer, writer, master of ceremonies, and television personality.

In 2020, he won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) at the Best of Nollywood Awards for his performance in Mboputa. He was also honored with the United Nations Ambassador for Peace Award in 2007 for his positive impact on young people.

Duru contributed to the development of Nigeria's entertainment industry through professional leadership and mentorship. In 2010, he served as the interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and held several other roles within industry organizations.

He was married to Adokiye Duru, and they had four children together. In August 2024, the family suffered a tragedy with the loss of their 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi. Speaking publicly about the loss in January 2025, Duru shared that the painful experience had ultimately deepened his faith in God.

BBC

Woman with Ebola in Nigeria confirmed as wife of Swiss diplomat

2026-10-23T07:34:00.027-04:00

Switzerland's foreign ministry has confirmed that the woman who has tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss diplomat.

The woman, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born national who lives in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, tested positive for the virus on 20 October, becoming the country's first confirmed Ebola patient in more than a decade.

They both travelled to Uganda earlier this month. Her husband is currently in isolation but has not developed any symptoms, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.

The ministry told the BBC that all 25 staff at its embassy in Nigeria were in good health and did not need to isolate.

The ministry said the woman had spent about a week at a private clinic in Abuja with symptoms before her diagnosis.

It believes she contracted the virus while travelling in Uganda, although health authorities have yet to establish the source of her infection.

Uganda borders Democratic Republic of Congo, where some 4,600 have died in the country's most deadly outbreak of Ebola. Two people died in Uganda shortly after the outbreak began in May but it has been declared free of Ebola since August.

The ministry said the decision not to isolate the embassy's eight Swiss and 17 local employees was taken in consultation with Nigeria's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It added that the embassy remained open and operational, with health and safety measures in place.

The woman is receiving treatment in isolation and is showing signs of improvement, according to the WHO.

She returned to Nigeria on 3 October after spending about two and a half weeks in Uganda.

The patient did not travel to DR Congo, the Swiss ‌government told Reuters news agency on Friday, contradicting accounts from Uganda.

She developed symptoms four days after arriving in Abuja and sought treatment at two private health facilities before testing positive for Ebola on 20 October.

Health officials are now investigating whether she may have crossed paths with a Kenyan man who died from Ebola and had travelled through Uganda's main airport on the same day.

Investigators are examining whether they could have been exposed through shared equipment or other contact, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday.

Dr Wessam Mankoula, the agency's head of emergency preparedness and response, said this was "one of the possible scenarios", but stressed that no link had been established.

"One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport," he told journalists.

The Kenyan man had travelled from DR Congo through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on 3 October. He died shortly afterwards, becoming Kenya's first recorded Ebola death.

Kenya has since confirmed nine infections, including the fatal case.

Although both patients passed through Entebbe airport on the same day, health officials have not established whether they met, used the same facilities or had any other contact.

Investigators are also examining whether the two infections could have a common source.

The WHO said it was too early to determine where the woman in Nigeria became infected.

"The source of exposure is still not known. The travel history of the patient is still being pieced together," said Dr Patrick Otim, a WHO emergency response official.

He said investigators had struggled to obtain a complete account of her movements because opportunities to interview her were limited while she remained in hospital.

Nigeria's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said it was carrying out genomic sequencing, which could help establish whether her infection is linked to other cases.

"The investigation is reconstructing the full travel and exposure history. Genomic sequencing is given a high priority," said Dr Pavel Ursu, the WHO's representative in Nigeria.

Ugandan health officials previously said the woman had travelled to eastern DR Congo for business.

However, the WHO, Africa CDC and Nigeria's health ministry said they had not received verified information confirming that she had visited the country.

Uganda has maintained that it has no confirmed active Ebola cases and says the woman's travel through the country does not necessarily mean she contracted the virus there.

Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities are tracing more people who may have been exposed to the woman, beyond the 44 contacts initially identified.

Kenya's Health Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth said all nine confirmed infections were linked to the first patient, with no evidence of wider community transmission.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and not panic but warned: "We are not out of the woods".

He said the remaining eight patients were still in isolation and responding well to treatment.

The developments have renewed concerns about the movement of infected people across international borders, particularly between DR Congo and neighbouring Uganda, where thousands cross daily for trade, work and family visits.

Dr Otim warned that the long and porous border between the two countries made it difficult to screen everyone entering or leaving, as many people used unofficial crossing points.

The WHO's regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, called for "regional vigilance" and urged countries to strengthen surveillance, investigate infections and protect frontline health workers.

Ebola is a serious viral disease that spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated objects. It does not spread through the air like flu.

The virus can cause fever, severe weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea, and can be fatal. People are not considered infectious before they develop symptoms.

Health authorities say tracing contacts quickly, isolating suspected cases and providing early treatment are crucial to preventing further transmission.

BBC

Video - Nigeria confirms first Ebola case amid regional outbreak

2026-10-22T07:32:20.504-04:00

Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case since 2014. The patient is a woman who recently travelled from Uganda and later tested positive in Abuja. Health authorities have begun contact tracing, identified 44 contacts for monitoring, and urged healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen surveillance and infection-control measures as the outbreak spreads across Africa.

CGTN Africa

Grammy-winning Burna Boy launches first sneakers with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer-backed On, priced up to $180

2026-10-22T07:28:33.442-04:00

Grammy-winning Nigerian musician Burna Boy is launching his first sneaker collection with On, expanding his partnership with the Swiss sportswear company into products priced at up to $180. The collection consists of three shoes spanning tennis-inspired footwear, everyday wear and On’s signature cushioned sneaker category.

The Roger Clubhouse BB is priced at $150, while the Cloudtilt Remix costs $170. The most expensive shoe in the collection is the red Cloudmonster BB, which carries a retail price of $180.

The shoes are scheduled to go on sale on Thursday, 22 October, through On’s website and selected retailers. They will be available in unisex sizes.

According to On’s official retail platform⁠, the collection brings together Burna Boy’s music and cultural influence with the company’s sportswear technology. Its product listings describe the range as connecting sport and music while placing Burna Boy’s branding on established On designs.

The launch follows a multi-year partnership announced by On⁠ on 4 September 2025. The company said Burna Boy would collaborate on products and experiences spanning sport, culture and creativity, although the financial terms were not disclosed.

From Afrobeats to global footwear

Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, is one of Africa’s most internationally recognised musicians. The Nigerian artist won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for Twice as Tall and has built an audience extending beyond Africa through recordings, international tours and partnerships with global brands.

His debut footwear collection includes a white version of The Roger Clubhouse, a tennis-inspired shoe bearing the name of Roger Federer. The design has a leather upper, tonal laces, a marble-effect outsole and embroidered On x Burna Boy branding.

The Cloudtilt Remix comes in a dark brown colourway and is positioned for walking and everyday use. The Cloudmonster BB is presented in a bold Sienna red and uses On’s CloudTec cushioning, Helion foam and Speedboard technology.

The collection represents the commercial phase of a partnership that initially introduced Burna Boy as On’s symbolic “Clubhouse President” for its tennis campaign. The original campaign combined tennis with Nigerian-inspired imagery, music and fashion.

Federer’s connection to On

On was established in Switzerland in 2010 by Olivier Bernhard, David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti. The company sells footwear, clothing and accessories in more than 90 countries and is publicly traded in New York.

Federer joined On in 2019 as an investor and “co-entrepreneur”, rather than under a conventional athlete-sponsorship agreement. The retired Swiss player, who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, has worked with the company on product development, marketing and its tennis business.

Burna Boy’s collection consequently connects one of Africa’s biggest musical exports with a Swiss company seeking to expand beyond specialist running shoes into lifestyle, tennis, apparel and other sporting categories.

On said in September that it was targeting net sales of at least CHF5.6 billion—nearly $7 billion—by 2029. It identified sneakers, running products and apparel as important drivers of that expansion, alongside its planned entry into football and golf.

By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa

Nigeria’s first Ebola case matches DR Congo strain

2026-10-22T07:24:20.450-04:00

Nigerian health officials say test results have confirmed the country’s first case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind a major outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the disease’s first spread to West Africa in the current outbreak.

The case involves a woman who travelled from Uganda to the capital, Abuja, on October 3, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said.

She was tested for Ebola on October 19 after health officials learned she had recently travelled to Uganda, one of the countries affected by the current outbreak. Officials confirmed the positive result on Tuesday.

“We did three levels of tests, but all molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Olajumoke Babatunde, director of the public health laboratory service at the NCDC, said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed the strain, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment.

‘Multi-organ failure’

An unnamed official told the AFP news agency that the woman is a diplomat whose condition has deteriorated into “multi-organ failure”.

Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician who co-chairs a G7 committee for investment in global health, said that it had taken 12 days since the woman fell sick for her to be tested for Ebola, potentially exposing many other people to the infection.

Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts, most of them healthcare workers. They include the patient’s husband, a Swiss national, who lives with her in Abuja.

Officials are also tracing passengers who travelled with her from Uganda to Nigeria but do not believe she was symptomatic during the flight.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told public broadcaster NTA that the woman was in isolation and receiving treatment.

Earlier cases

In 2014, the first Nigerian case, detected in Lagos, raised fears the virus would spread rapidly, but it was brought under control within three months, resulting in 20 infections and eight deaths.

That epidemic killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa between late 2013 and 2016.

The WHO says Nigeria is the fifth country to detect the virus in the outbreak, which this past week widened across the continent, with Kenya in the east reporting nine cases since October 6.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya said on X on Wednesday that the outbreak was “no longer one country’s fight”, and that he would hold a meeting of Africa’s health ministers next week to strengthen the cross-border response and review hospital capacity.

The DRC is the epicentre of the outbreak, its deadliest on record.

There have been more than 9,000 Ebola cases and more than 4,000 deaths there since mid-May.

Al Jazeera

Mexican cartels target Nigeria as US crackdown squeezes drug routes

2026-10-21T07:01:22.305-04:00

The United States has warned that Mexican drug cartels are seeking to turn Nigeria into a manufacturing base for methamphetamine and use West Africa as an alternative trafficking corridor to reach markets in the United States, Europe and Asia.

The warning followed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) dismantling of four methamphetamine laboratories in Nigeria this year, which US officials said highlighted the importance of intelligence sharing and international cooperation in tackling the growing threat posed by synthetic drugs.

Michael Gonzales, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for Africa and the Middle East, gave the warning on Tuesday during a visit to the NDLEA headquarters in Abuja.

Gonzales commended the agency for its operational successes, particularly the discovery and dismantling of the methamphetamine laboratories, describing the operations as evidence of effective intelligence gathering, inter-agency cooperation, coordinated action, investigations and prosecution.

He said he chose Nigeria as his first destination after assuming office four months ago because of the country’s strategic importance on the continent and the NDLEA’s record in combating illicit drug trafficking.

“I became the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement just four months ago, covering all countries of Africa and the Middle East. And when I was thinking where it makes the most sense to visit first, Nigeria was a clear answer,” he said.

Gonzales described Nigeria as a continental leader and economic powerhouse, while commending the NDLEA’s leadership and its achievements in collaboration with other government agencies.

He said the visit was also intended to provide an opportunity to assess the agency’s operations firsthand, citing the longstanding partnership between the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the NDLEA.

“Because as a leader, as an economic powerhouse on the continent, but also particularly NDLEA for the leadership and the impressive wins that you and your team and your interagency counterparts have delivered time and again.

“In addition to the very robust partnership between INL and NDLEA, I wanted to see firsthand where the magic happens, as we say in the United States,” he said.

The US official identified the four methamphetamine laboratory busts recorded by the NDLEA this year as a demonstration of the agency’s ability to deploy intelligence-led investigations, coordinate operations across agencies and national boundaries, and pursue cases through to prosecution.

“The four meth lab busts just this year alone are a testament to the deployment of some of the best practices in our tradecraft, the intelligence-based knowledge collection, the coordination across national lines and agency lines, the operational excellence that goes into the actual bust, and then the interrogations, the investigations and prosecutions.

“They’re all so critical because ultimately counter-narcotics work, the work that each of us does day in and day out, truly delivers for the people,” he said.

Gonzales said the importance of counter-narcotics operations extended beyond the countries where illicit drugs were produced or intercepted, noting that the international nature of the trade meant that trafficking networks could affect communities across different regions.

He said narcotics trafficking remained a foreign policy concern for the United States because of its impact on families and communities, adding that efforts by the INL and the NDLEA served the interests of both countries.

“When I am talking to American audiences in the United States, I tell them there’s virtually no other issue of foreign policy that so tangibly affects the lives of every community, virtually every family across our country, than narcotics.

“And the reality of the narcotics trade is international. It knows no boundaries, very few constraints. And so, the work that INL does in the United States and globally and the work that NDLEA does fundamentally delivers for the Nigerian people, for the American people,” Gonzales said.

He said the United States had more than four decades of experience supporting counter-narcotics operations globally, including through the provision of training and equipment.

According to him, changes in trafficking patterns have made international cooperation increasingly important, particularly as criminal organisations adapt their operations in response to enforcement pressure.

Gonzales likened the effect of intensified US pressure on cartels in the Western Hemisphere to “squeezing a balloon”, explaining that traffickers were seeking alternative routes through Africa to reach markets in Europe and beyond.

He also highlighted the growing shift from plant-based narcotics to synthetic drugs, which he described as more difficult to detect and potentially deadlier.

He said counter-narcotics efforts must therefore address criminal organisations as interconnected networks, including their financial flows, rather than focus solely on individual drug seizures.

In his response, Mohamed Marwa, Chairman of the NDLEA, said the agency’s recent operations had exposed what he described as a deliberate attempt by Mexican drug cartels to establish Nigeria as a manufacturing base for methamphetamine.

Marwa said the discovery of the laboratories demonstrated the growing convergence of drug trafficking, illicit arms dealing and terrorist financing, warning that the activities of criminal networks could not be treated as separate security challenges.

“Crime has no borders, and neither does the threat. The drugs we seize, the arms we intercept and the terrorist financing we trace are not separate problems.

“When we seize narcotics and illicit weapons in the same operations and along the same routes, we are looking at the convergence of crime. Drug money buys guns, guns sustain armed groups, and armed groups sustain terrorism,” he said.

He added that the cross-border nature of terrorism and organised crime required coordinated responses, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel region.

“Terrorism has no borders. What festers in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin does not stay there, and what is trafficked through West Africa does not stop at our coastline,” the NDLEA chairman said.

Marwa detailed the agency’s operations against the laboratories, beginning with what he described as the largest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in Nigeria.

“The Mexican cartel threat is real, and we are confronting it,” he said.

According to him, NDLEA operatives recently dismantled the laboratory in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, where three Mexican methamphetamine experts and their Nigerian collaborators were arrested.

He said illicit substances worth more than $360 million were recovered during the operation.

Marwa said the agency subsequently raided another industrial-scale laboratory in Tapa Village, neighbouring Oyo State, barely four weeks after the Ogun operation.

During the raid, a Mexican methamphetamine expert allegedly brought in to oversee large-scale production was arrested alongside four Nigerian collaborators, he said.

The NDLEA Chairman added that the agency had also dismantled similar facilities in Enugu and Ebonyi states in south-east Nigeria, which he said were linked to Mexican drug cartels.

He said the discoveries were not isolated incidents but indicated an attempt by the cartels to establish Nigeria as a production centre for synthetic drugs.

Marwa said the operations had implications for the United States and other international markets, arguing that the cartels were seeking to use West Africa as a corridor for transporting methamphetamine in industrial quantities to Europe, Asia and American cities.

“Let me be plain about why this matters to Washington. These cartels are not setting up in our forests to supply Nigerian consumers alone.

“They want a West African corridor to ship industrial quantities of methamphetamine to Europe, to Asia, and to American cities.

“Especially taking into consideration the President Trump hammer that is smashing cartel traffic en route to America. These cartels are now seeking alternative routes to get to the same America,” he said.

He said the dismantling of each laboratory disrupted a potential supply chain to international drug markets, including the United States.

“Every meth-producing laboratory that we shut down is a supply line that never reaches an American street, and every cartel operative we arrest is one fewer in the pipeline.

“Our forensic chemists, our investigators and our tactical teams are, in effect, forward defence for communities in the United States,” Marwa said.

The NDLEA chairman also acknowledged the contribution of the US partnership to the agency’s operational capacity, saying the support had strengthened its capabilities in forensic and chemical analysis, professional training, investigations, financial-crime detection and equipment maintenance.

He said the collaboration had contributed to the agency’s operational results over the past five years, during which it arrested 96,157 drug offenders, including 250 drug barons, and seized more than 15.8 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs.

Marwa added that 16,691 drug traffickers, including major operators in the illicit drug trade, had been convicted within the same period.

He, however, warned that a withdrawal of US assistance could create gaps that criminal and terrorist networks might exploit, urging Washington to sustain or increase its support for the agency.

“This great partnership has fueled our offensives that yielded the arrest of 96,157 drug offenders including 250 drug barons, the seizure of over 15.8 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and conviction of 16,691 drug traffickers including the kingpins, in the last five years,” he said.

Marwa appealed to Gonzales to convey to the US government the need to maintain its assistance to the NDLEA, saying the agency required continued support to sustain its operations against increasingly sophisticated transnational criminal networks.

He urged the United States to retain its existing level of assistance, if not increase it, arguing that drug traffickers, arms dealers and terrorists continued to cooperate across national boundaries.

“Traffickers, arms dealers and terrorists cooperate across borders every day, and governments confronting them must do the same,” Marwa said.

By Ojochenemi Onje, Business Day

Nigeria confirms Ebola case in Abuja, begins contact tracing

2026-10-20T18:55:44.099-04:00

Nigeria is on high alert after the federal government confirmed one case of Ebola disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.

The patient, a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, is currently in isolation and receiving medical care at a private hospital in the FCT, according to a statement signed by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate.

Contact tracing has commenced, with 44 close contacts identified so far, according to the statement. The contacts include healthcare workers, patients, caregivers, and travel contacts, while public health teams identify and monitor people who may have been exposed.

“The FG calls on all public and private healthcare facilities nationwide to be on high alert. Healthcare workers must maintain a high index of suspicion, promptly identify and isolate suspected cases, observe strict infection prevention and control measures, and immediately report suspected cases to public health authorities,” it noted.

Public urged to stay alert

The statement urged Nigerians to remain calm and vigilant, advising people to maintain hand hygiene and avoid direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of people suspected to have Ebola.

Symptoms to watch for include severe weakness, headache, vomiting, and diarrhoea, particularly among people who may have been exposed.

“Report any possible exposure immediately, even if you feel well. If you develop symptoms, avoid close contact with others and call public health authorities for guidance before visiting a healthcare facility,” it noted.

The government also urged people contacted during the tracing exercise, including potentially exposed airline passengers, to provide the required information and comply with public health instructions.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or through contaminated materials.

Nigeria had raised surveillance

The confirmation comes weeks after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) raised the country’s preparedness level following the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In a 22 September advisory, the agency said travellers from countries with active or relevant Ebola transmission could be required to complete a Health Declaration Form as part of enhanced surveillance and follow-up measures. The form captures travel history, countries visited in the previous 21 days and health information.

It is not yet clear whether the Health Declaration Form or other entry-point surveillance measures helped identify the woman now receiving treatment in Abuja.

Nigeria’s Ebola experience

Nigeria recorded an outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller from Liberia arrived in Lagos. WHO later declared Nigeria free of Ebola transmission on 20 October 2014, after 42 days without a new case.

WHO records show that Nigeria’s 2014 response involved rapid case detection, isolation and extensive contact tracing. Nineteen confirmed cases and one probable case were recorded, with eight deaths.

“Nigeria successfully contained Ebola in 2014, and we have the experience and public health systems to respond to this case. However, containing Ebola requires everyone to play their part,” the federal government noted.

“The federal government, FCT authorities and other partners are working together to protect healthcare workers, patients and the wider public. Investigations are ongoing, and we will continue to provide accurate and timely information.”

The government said investigations are ongoing and that the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease and NCDC will continue to provide updates.

It added that “NCDC free call centre is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For information or to report a suspected case, please call NCDC toll-free number 6232.”

Regional outbreak continues

The Nigerian case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, where the disease has spread across several provinces.

WHO reported more than 8,700 confirmed cases and more than 4,200 deaths in the DRC as of 6 October, with transmission continuing across dozens of health zones. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus.

Kenya reported its first imported case on 6 October: a Kenyan citizen who had been living in the DRC and travelled to Kenya via Uganda.

On 20 October, Kenyan authorities confirmed a ninth case involving a close family member of the first patient.

Uganda, from which the Nigerian patient recently travelled, recorded 20 cases between May and June 2026. The country subsequently ended its outbreak after completing the required 42-day period without a new confirmed case.

By Mariam Ileyemi, Premium Times

Video - Nigeria’s 30-day fuel discount reignites subsidy debate

2026-10-20T07:45:33.248-04:00

Nigeria’s temporary fuel price relief measure has reignited debate over petrol subsidies, following their removal in 2023. While the government explores targeted support for vulnerable households, the IMF warns against reinstating broad subsidies, citing the potential risks to the economy.

CGTN Africa

Nigerian troops kill 103 suspected terrorists, destroy logistics hubs

2026-10-20T07:42:49.642-04:00

The military has sustained precision air strikes against Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the North-east, killing 103 fighters and destroying several logistics hubs and storage facilities between 10 and 18 October.

The Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Mohammed Goni, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Maiduguri.

Mr Goni said the operations involved coordinated air assets from Nigerian Army Aviation, the Nigerian Army Remotely Piloted Aircraft Regiment (NARPARS) and the Air Component.

He said the campaign comprised seven strikes targeting terrorist locations around Gudumbali in Guzamala Local Government Area (LGA), Badu and Mairari in Monguno LGA, Duste Uku in Gombi LGA of Adamawa, and the Arina Woje area of Monguno LGA, Borno.

According to him, a major success was recorded on Sunday when the air component conducted a precision strike against the alternate residence of Abu Saleem, the ISWAP Wali of South Lake Chad, following intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities.

He said subsequent human intelligence confirmed the killing of Jindullah, a prominent ISWAP fighter reportedly serving as Abu Saleem’s chief security guard, and Abul Kissa, a member of the group’s Shura Council.

Mr Goni added that other prominent fighters were also killed during the strike.

He said the targeted structure was completely destroyed alongside key logistics assets, including nine boat engines and several motorcycles stored within the premises.

He also said that the destruction of the facility had further undermined the group’s ability to use the location as a safe haven and logistics base within the forested area.

Mr Goni added that an earlier operation on 13 October involved a Guardian air asset tracking a group of 16 terrorists from the Mairari axis to a gathering of more than 100 fighters accompanied by several motorcycles.

He said the gathering was located approximately 23 kilometres east of Badu and 19 kilometres west of Monguno.

According to him, a subsequent precision strike on the gathering resulted in the assessed killing of about 30 terrorists, although the extent of damage to the motorcycles remained unconfirmed.

He said other strikes during the period targeted terrorist elements and facilities around Gudumbali, Badu, Mairari and Duste Uku.

MrGoni said the operations reflected sustained military pressure on terrorist concentrations, leadership structures and logistics networks across the theatre.

He added that the coordinated use of air assets and ground forces remained central to efforts to degrade terrorist capabilities, disrupt command structures and deny insurgents freedom of action.

The military, he said, remained committed to sustaining operational momentum and advancing efforts to restore lasting peace and security across the North-East.

Premium Times

U.S. Signs a Mining Agreement with Nigeria

2026-10-20T07:38:25.169-04:00

Nigeria and the United States signed an agreement on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on September 24 to expand American investment in Nigeria’s $700 billion mining sector. The $700 billion represents an estimate of Nigeria’s mineral resources and not a $700-billion investment commitment by the United States. Public information on the framework agreement is limited, with details on specific projects, financing commitments, mineral volumes, and pricing yet to be disclosed.

The Trump administration is looking to build an independent supply chain for critical minerals and rare earth metals needed for the high-tech industry, clean energy systems, and defense applications. Partnering with the United States is expected to help Nigeria sell its minerals globally. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and rich in energy and mineral resources. The agreement, signed with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, covers geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity.

In June, the Nigerian government announced the discovery of platinum metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements in Kaduna State, in the country’s northwestern region. The area contains high-grade deposits of strategic minerals needed for clean energy technology and advanced manufacturing. Lithium and other battery materials are in demand as essential components in batteries that power electric vehicles, energy storage systems, and renewable energy infrastructure. A private company, Steron Mining, discovered the deposit, and the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency verified it, which could boost the nation’s position in the global race for critical rare earth minerals. Nigeria also has significant deposits of tin and columbite-tantalite, bauxite, and manganese, as well as gold, iron ore, lead-zinc, and phosphate.

According to Steron Mining, its Abuja-area operation holds approximately 3.3 million metric tons of lithium reserves. Company geologists say the broader project hosts an estimated 94.8 million metric tons of mineral resources, including lithium-bearing ore and granitic rock.

Nigeria aims not only to be a source of raw materials but also to increase local processing, skills development, job creation, and Nigerian businesses’ participation in the critical minerals value chain. Onshoring mineral refining could create local jobs, as Nigeria has largely exported ore. The countries expect to turn the framework agreement into projects, investments, and results in the coming months. These goals come as Nigeria’s mining sector remains hindered by safety concerns and environmental challenges.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, faces significant structural challenges in diversifying its economy away from oil and strengthening its mineral industries. Industry cautions that significant hurdles remain before discoveries can translate into large-scale production. Infrastructure constraints, power shortages, artisanal mining, and regulatory challenges continue to weigh on Nigeria’s mining development.

Nigeria’s lithium potential, however, has attracted growing international interest. Nigeria reestablished a strategic partnership with China in 2024 and signed agreements on trade, economic cooperation, technology, and investment. Chinese companies, including Jiuling Lithium and Canmax Technologies, have committed more than $1.3 billion toward processing facilities in the country, including Kaduna State, and foreign investors continue to acquire exploration and mining licenses in several states.

Conclusion

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has recently found $700 billion worth of mineral resources, including platinum metals, gold, nickel, copper, lithium, and rare earth elements in Kaduna State, in the northwestern region of the country, needed for the high-tech industry, clean energy systems, and defense applications. The United States has signed a framework agreement with Nigeria to expand American investment in Nigeria’s mining industry toward building an independent supply chain for critical minerals and rare earth metals. The agreement seeks to pair U.S. expertise with Nigerian resources to benefit both nations. Nigeria wants not only to supply raw materials but also to increase local processing, develop skills, create jobs, and increase Nigerian businesses’ participation in the critical minerals value chain. Significant hurdles, including Infrastructure constraints, power shortages, artisanal mining activity, and regulatory issues, challenge that development.

IER

Fuel subsidy debate takes center stage ahead of Nigerian election

2026-10-19T07:34:17.235-04:00

The leading contenders in Nigeria’s presidential election face a defining question: should the fuel subsidy be restored to ease the burden of rising energy costs?

President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking a second term in January, has repeatedly defended his decision to scrap a years-long subsidy program in 2023 to avoid wasteful spending and invest in infrastructure development. But his government’s introduction of a short-term petrol price discount this month to counter rising costs driven by the Iran war has reignited the debate as to whether a subsidy would make a more lasting return.

Tinubu’s main rivals say they plan to restore some form of consumer support if elected and have accused the president of panicking in the face of pressure to account for his decision, with polls opening in less than 100 days. SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based advisory firm, found in a survey published in September that more than two-thirds of voters want the government to reinstate a fuel subsidy of some kind. Insecurity, which has worsened around the country, is also set to figure as a major point of contention.

The revived subsidy debate is shaping just about every conversation concerning the coming vote in Africa’s biggest democracy. Tinubu and his 17 challengers are hitting the campaign trail to sway voters whose collective purchasing power has weakened sharply in the last three years, in large part due to the five-fold rise in fuel prices in that period which has driven inflation and spawned a cost-of-living crisis. Its resurgence reflects Nigeria’s history as the continent’s top oil producer and exporter that has consistently failed to convert its energy riches into broad-based prosperity.

For years, the vast majority of the crude oil produced in the country was exported because none of the government’s domestic refineries were fully functional. Imported refined products were then subsidized by payments from the state-oil company NNPC, enabling a multibillion-dollar largesse that grew into an increasingly opaque and corrupt scheme, according to government fact-finders and international observers. It was also costly: The program’s $10 billion in 2022 exceeded the combined budget for healthcare and education.

Tinubu has largely not faced widespread protests or strong political opposition since ending the subsidy. He has told Nigerians that his policy approach is shifting from offering “emergency treatment” — ostensibly to fix the faulty foundations of the economy he inherited — to enabling shared prosperity.

But in Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, he faces familiar challengers who are eager to make the coming election a referendum on the impact of energy costs. “Bola made life expensive. I will work to make life affordable again,” Atiku said in a campaign video last week. Obi, the other heavyweight in the race, pledged to judge his leadership by metrics that would show Nigerians “eating better, living better, and escaping poverty.”

The sharp rise in energy costs that followed Tinubu’s subsidy removal led several businesses to shutter or reconsider operations in Nigeria. But while many questioned the absence of safety net measures to cushion the impact of Tinubu’s so-called shock therapy, the International Monetary Fund praised the subsidy removal, as did several economists. An IMF official last week cautioned Nigeria to avoid the temptation of reinstating a subsidy for political reasons.

The Dangote refinery in Lagos, which started supplying fuel in Nigeria two years ago, provides about 70% of Nigeria’s domestic fuel needs. But the country still imports refined fuels. Both Dangote — which buys more than a third of its crude from international suppliers — and fuel importers are vulnerable to global oil price shocks.

The potential for further escalation in the Iran war, underscored by recent Iran-backed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, raises the question of how long Nigeria is prepared to extend the price cap that is initially planned to be in place for 30-days. “I think it’s highly likely that this gets extended, at least through the elections into Q1,” said Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM.

BMI, a subsidiary of Fitch Group, expects the price cap to amount to up to 0.4% of Nigeria’s gross domestic product by the second quarter of next year.

Nigeria’s subsidy debates are divisive because the program — once seen by many Nigerians as the only benefit they got from the state — has swallowed historically mammoth sums and is inextricably associated with corruption and state capture by a cabal of favored oil traders.

Many analysts say Nigeria’s fuel subsidy burdened public finances and encouraged adverse behaviors like fuel smuggling. Together with changes that allowed the naira currency to float freely by market forces, Tinubu’s subsidy removal helped to improve Nigeria’s fiscal stability and strengthen reserves.

But trialling a short-term fuel price cap points to a government reckoning with the pain it has inflicted. “The removal of the fuel subsidy has been economically necessary, but socially painful,” Jervin Nadioo, an analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, told me. He believes Tinubu is “well positioned to secure re-election” but growing public frustration over living costs suggests that an improved economic picture has not translated into sufficient relief for households.

Stop-gaps and sweeteners may sway some voters towards Tinubu in January. But it is more likely that the difficulties of the last three years have already hardened views about the candidates.

The battle for political advantage ahead of elections should not obscure a reasonable expectation that governments can intervene to soften the pain of citizens, said Vahyala Kwaga, country head for Nigeria at policy research group BudgIT.

“Anything that can alleviate the hardship that the masses suffered from the day it was announced that the subsidy is gone is certainly welcome,” Kwaga said. Ultimately, though, his concern is with transparency and accountability: “Who is going to be held responsible if the subsidy doesn’t work?”

By Alexander Onukwue, SEMAFOR

Video - Nigeria’s CNG transition faces long queues and refueling challenges

2026-10-15T07:18:28.790-04:00

Nigeria is promoting compressed natural gas as a cheaper alternative to petrol amid rising fuel prices. However, long queues and limited refueling stations in Abuja are leaving motorists frustrated and reducing drivers’ earnings.

CGTN Africa

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, reveals how much you must have before he prioritizes you for his refinery’s IPO

2026-10-15T07:08:00.495-04:00

Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group and majority shareholder of the Dangote Refinery, recently said investors with N50,000 ($37.59) and below will receive more attention concerning the Dangote Refinery’s initial public offering (IPO).

He made the revelation at the nationwide IPO roadshow in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as the event ended.

Addressing investors, financial market experts, business leaders, and other stakeholders, Africa’s richest man reiterated a message he has insisted on since he decided to take his refinery public, and that is the fact that the IPO was initiated for the average and below-average African investor.

“We will prioritise people with 50,000 and below,” Dangote stated, according to a Wednesday statement by the Dangote Group.

During the event, Dangote also revealed that investors from across the globe had already committed significant capital to the refinery.

However, the public offering is intended to enable Nigerian citizens to secure direct ownership in the enterprise.

“African investors have invested in this refinery. Now it is time for Nigerians to invest in themselves and participate in a project that is creating value, jobs, and opportunities for generations to come,” Dangote stated.

The Nigerian billionaire urged potential investors to take a long-term view of the IPO, noting that it could offer opportunities to build wealth and diversify their investment portfolios, as reported by the Punch.

It was recently reported that the refinery has returned to profitability, raking in $4.725 billion in net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2026.

Revenue more than doubled to $22.5 billion as the refinery processed up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

The company reported $650.8 million in cash, compared with $1.7 billion in debt a year earlier.

This improved financial performance coincides with the refinery's efforts to secure capital amounting to billions of dollars through the IPO, which is projected to be the largest equity offering in African history.

Dangote IPO

The Dangote Refinery IPO is intended to attract investors across Africa, starting from its home base, Nigeria.

The Refinery IPO aims to broaden ownership of the $20 billion facility, which has a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels per day, by bringing in up to 10 million retail investors in Nigeria and across Africa.

The IPO was launched on September 14 and was initially scheduled to close on October 13, before being recently extended to October 27.

The initial public offering currently consists of 4.1 billion new ordinary shares priced at N525 per share, with a minimum purchase requirement of 10 shares valued at N5,250.

The issuance of 4.1 billion new ordinary shares at N525 each is expected to raise roughly N2.15 trillion upon full subscription.

By Chinedu Okafor, Business Insider Africa