Author: TheLagosianMagazine

In a nation where small businesses drive innovation and job creation, the importance of sustainable financing cannot be overstated. With over 40 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) contributing nearly 50% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing over 80% of the workforce, according to data from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank, the SME sector occupies a pivotal place in national development conversations. Yet, despite its significant contribution, the sector remains burdened by a considerable financing gap—estimated at over $158 billion, as reported by the IFC. This gap leaves millions of businesses underfunded, undercapitalised…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 11, 2025 — Senate President Godswill Akpabio has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo on his victory at the Supreme Court, describing the ruling as a reaffirmation of democracy and the will of the Edo people. In a statement personally signed and issued from Abuja on Friday, Akpabio commended the apex court’s decision, which upheld Okpebholo’s election as the duly elected governor of Edo State following the September 2024 gubernatorial polls. “The Supreme Court has affirmed the will and wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Edo State,” Akpabio said. “It shows that the election…

Babatunde Odubanwo It has been four years since Nigeria lost one of its most resonant voices, Sound Sultan. But while the man—Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi—may no longer walk among us, his legacy is far from silent. It reverberates through music, theatre, film, and the countless lives he touched. Sound Sultan wasn’t just an entertainer; he was a cultural architect, a conscience in rhythm, a griot of the modern era. From his earliest days on the scene, Sound Sultan distinguished himself by refusing to follow the crowd. He fused Afrobeat, hip-hop, highlife, and reggae into a sound that was unmistakably his own.…

Nigeria Rejects U.S. Pressure to Accept Venezuelan Deportees — Foreign Minister Abuja, July 10, 2025 — The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, has disclosed that the United States is pressuring African nations, including Nigeria, to accept Venezuelan deportees — some of whom are reportedly ex-convicts — a proposal he said would be “difficult” for Nigeria to accept. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Tuggar firmly rejected the idea, stressing that Nigeria is already grappling with internal challenges and cannot afford to bear the burden of foreign deportees from other continents. “We cannot accept…

By Peter Omopo  Benue, July 10, 2025 — Four members of a joint security patrol have been confirmed dead following an ambush by suspected armed herders in Udei, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The attack occurred on Tuesday evening as the operatives were conducting a routine patrol along the Daudu–Yelewata axis, a security source told journalists on Thursday. The victims were members of the Buffalo Squad under Operation Zenda, a multi-agency security unit comprising personnel from the Mobile Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Police Counter-Terrorism Unit, and the Benue…

By Peter Omopo  Ibadan, July 10, 2025 — The Oyo State Government has approved the appointment of 116 new staff members across multiple professional cadres to address staffing gaps at the Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery, Eleyele, Ibadan. In addition, the government has confirmed the appointments of four principal officers into substantive positions. These include the Registrar, Librarian, Bursar, and Director of Works. The development was announced on Thursday by the Provost of the College, Dr. Gbonjubola Owolabi, during a ceremony to mark the donation of furniture by the college’s 1976–79 alumni set. According to Owolabi, the newly…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 10, 2025 — Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on his Supreme Court victory, describing the ruling as a “resounding affirmation of democratic integrity and the enduring will of the people.” In a statement released on Thursday by her Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Jonathan Eze, the minister praised the apex court’s judgment and lauded Governor Okpebholo’s composure throughout the legal battle. The Supreme Court earlier on Thursday upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed Senator Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC)…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 10, 2025 — The House of Representatives Sub-Committee on the Protection of Critical National Assets has dismissed a corruption petition filed against the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), declaring the allegations unsubstantiated and affirming the agency’s legal standing under Nigerian law. The petition, submitted by the Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA), had accused NELMCO of financial misappropriation and questioned its continued operation more than a decade after the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The group argued that the agency should have ceased to exist in 2017. However, at the…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 10, 2025 — The Presidency has faulted the United States government over its recent visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens, rejecting Washington’s claims that the policy change was driven by a lack of reciprocity from Nigeria. In a statement issued Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency described as “misleading” and “inaccurate” the justification given by the U.S. government, while reaffirming Nigeria’s continued commitment to a reciprocal five-year, multiple-entry visa policy for U.S. nationals. “We want to reiterate that the U.S. government’s claim of reciprocity as the…

By Peter Omopo  Jos, July 10, 2025 — The Plateau State Police Command has commenced the trial of 22 individuals arrested in connection with the brutal killing of 13 wedding guests in the Mangun community of Mangu Local Government Area. The victims, passengers from Kaduna State en route to a wedding in Qua’anpan Local Government Area, were attacked on June 20, 2025, after reportedly losing their way and entering Mangun market square. The assailants, described as an angry mob, descended on the group, leaving 13 dead and several others injured. Speaking to journalists at the Command Headquarters in Jos on…