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General News

5 Biggest Losers If Jonathan Wins

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General Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
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With only hours to go until the most closely contested presidential election in Nigeria’s history, Naij.com, a Nigerian news portal has listed top five potentially losers if President Jonathan braves the odds and reclaims the iron throne for himself

The two main oppositions are President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The list according to Naij include:
1. Olusegun Obasanjo
The ex-president of Nigeria will have some awkward diplomacy to embark on if Jonathan manages to hold on to Aso Rock despite his open campaign against the GEJ-led government. Obasanjo, himself a power broker, realizes that his words hold sway in the political climate of Nigeria thus his actions will be judged as deliberately trying to truncate Presiden Jonathan’s lifespan on the throne.

2. Governor Amaechi
The Rivers state governor and director of the APC presidential campaign has stuck his neck out farther than most people in the APC
 Political analysts would suggest that a Jonathan win will end Amaechi’s political career (and even business opportunities) in Nigeria. However – in the spirit of defections, one can never totally seal the fate of any politician.

3. Gen Muhammadu Buhari
The curtains – whether he likes it or not – will be closing for the general if he doesn’t hit gold this time. The 72 year old veteran will have to make it or break it this time, or it’s the end of the political road for him. If the votes are counted and President Jonathan comes out on top, a million court cases may not suffice to wrest power from the fist of the genial Ijaw man.

4. Bola Tinubu:
The jagaban is another man who has dyed his agbada the deep hue of the APC party, and if Buhari falls short of the kingdom, the buzzards will be coming for his wingman.
As repayment for his hounding the president through his own rejuvenated party may chance upon the bright idea to discredit Tinubu further.

5. Emir Sanusi:
One might be inclined to argue that the emir is removed from national politics and as such none of the aftermaths of the election will matter to him, but the fact remains that Sanusi’s words live after him and there is still room for maneuverability – accusations and counter-accusations – as we suspect that the OPEC president and petroleum minister Alison-Madueke may have a trick up her sleeve to serve the ex-CBN governor.

If it is revealed that Sanusi’s accusations were not facts but politically-motivated polemics, the media would swoop in on it along with the international community.

There is also the possibility of Sanusi’s removal as emir, if the former emir’s son can be persuaded to show interest in the seat and if the recently-reelected President Jonathan has the ears of the new governor.

It is important to note that the personalities mentioned above might not necessarily flee as democratic institutions will likely protect them if the Jonathan presidency (assuming he is re- elected) decides to persecute them.


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General News

FG Faults AfDB’s Adesina on Nigeria’s GDP Per Capita Figures

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The Presidency has faulted claim of Akinwumi Adesina, president, African Development Bank (AfDB),  on the current Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita figures versus the level it was in 1960 when Nigeria attained independence.

FG Faults AfDB's Adesina on Nigeria's GDP Per Capita Figures

Akinwumi Adesina, president, African Development Bank

The outgoing AfDB President had in a recent viral statement claimed that Nigerians are worse off today than in 1960 when Nigeria’s GDP per capita was $1847..

The AfDB President claimed that in contrast to the level of the GDP per capita at Nigeria independence, the country’s current GDP stands at $824 today, a reflection of the current rampant poverty and low human development in the country.

But in a rebuttal of the claim, the presidency, in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, the spokesperson to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu accused the AfDB President of failure to carry out proper research and speaking like a politician in his assertions.

“Adesina spoke like a politician, in the mould of Peter Obi and did not do due diligence before making his unverifiable statement,” the presidency said while faulting the claim of the AfDB President.

While countering the claim of Adesina, the presidency noted in the statement that available data indicated that Nigeria’s GDP was $4.2 billion in 1960, and per capita income for a population of 44.9 million was $93, not even one hundred dollars.

“Our country’s GDP did not rise remarkably until the 1970s, when crude earnings ballooned. In 1970, our GDP rose to $12.55 billion. In 1975, it was $27.7 billion, $64.2 billion in 1980, and $164 billion in 1981. Up until 1980, per capita income did not exceed $880. It rose to $2187 in 1981 and dropped to $1844 in 1982. In 2014, after rebasing, it reached an all-time high of $3,200.

“These facts raise questions about the source of Dr Adesina’s figures,” Onanuga said.

However, the presidency also faulted the AfDB President, a former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture of making inferences on the state of poverty or human development in Nigeria solely based on the GPD per capita numbers. .

“Dr Adesina should know that GDP per capita is not the only criterion used to determine whether people live better lives now than in the past. Indeed, it is a poor tool for assessing living standards.

“Its primary usefulness is in giving us the metrics to compare economic output in a country or between countries.

“GDP masks many activities in a country’s economy. It neither discloses wealth distribution or income inequality nor accounts for the informal economy, which experts have said is enormous. It does not account for subsistence farming or income transfer from one family member to another,” the presidency said.

The Presidency also noted that GDP per capita is not reflective of the fact that Nigerians in 2025 have better access to healthcare, education, and transportation, such as rail and air transport, than in 1960.

“This premise alone suggests why Dr Adesina should not have arrived at his conclusion.

“Compared with 1960, Nigeria today has more primary, secondary, and tertiary schools.

“We have more road networks and more medical facilities, private and public. We have phenomenal access to telephones.

“At Independence, we had 18,724 operational phone lines for a population of about 45 million. Over 200 million Nigerians now enjoy near-universal access to mobile phones and digital services, indicating we are better off today than 65 years ago.”

Furthermore, the presidency noted that Nigerian policymakers know that whatever GDP figure NBS publishes may not capture our economy’s full depth and breadth as it usually excludes the greater part of the informal economy, which some pundits have said may even be more significant than the formal economy.

“This underscores why Dr. Adesina should have considered all aspects of our economy before concluding.”

“When Vodacom, a telecommunications company, considered entering the Nigerian market in 1999 or 2000, its consultants, using the available GDP metrics, advised against it.

“They believed that Nigerians were too poor to afford GSM services. However, MTN and other companies that entered the market later proved them wrong, demonstrating that GDP figures alone do not provide a complete picture of a country’s economic potential or the living standards of its people.

“MTN and other adventurers came later, and they laughed all the way to the bank. More than 20 years later, they are still laughing despite some setbacks in 2023 and 2024. In its first-quarter results this year, MTN declared revenue of N1 trillion and an increase of 8.2 percent in subscriptions, which took the number of its voice and data users to 84 million. Does this MTN experience correlate with a country worse off than in 1960, when we had analogue telephones and the number of lines was fewer than 20,000?

“No objective observer can claim that Nigeria has not made progress since 1960. Today, as we await the NBS’s recalibration of our GDP, we can comfortably say without contradiction that it is at least 50 times, if not 100 times, more than it was at Independence.”

 

 

 


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SeamlessHR, AOPN Push Payroll Innovation for Nigeria’s Outsourcing Growth

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Nigeria’s outsourcing industry, valued at approximately $980 million in 2023 and projected to exceed $1.8 billion by 2028, is at a pivotal moment. Despite an impressive annual growth rate of 12.56 per cent, the sector is weighed down by financial inefficiencies. Thin margins, inconsistent client payments, and outdated payroll systems have created conditions where salary delays are frequent and talent attrition is on the rise.

Across the industry, many workers now view delayed wage disbursements as normal, with employees often waiting weeks or even months to be paid. For outsourcing firms, the consequences extend beyond cash flow. Delayed salaries damage brand perception, undermine operational efficiency, and threaten long-term growth. The urgency for innovation in payroll and financial operations has never been greater.

In response, SeamlessHR, Africa’s leading human resource and payroll technology company, in partnership with the Association of Outsourcing Professionals of Nigeria (AOPN), convened over 30 CEOs and managing directors from Nigeria’s top outsourcing firms on Thursday, April 30, 2025. Hosted at Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, the high-level roundtable focused on transforming financial operations across the sector.

Themed “Enhance Business Efficiency Through Automation and Immersive Workflows,” the session spotlighted how intelligent financial infrastructure, fully integrated within HR and payroll systems, can drive business continuity, and improve employee satisfaction.

Key industry leaders in attendance included David Asama Dogeni, Senior Vice-President of Technology, UAC Group; Adebola David, Group Head, Human Capital at Halogen; Victor Adebayo, Chief Executive Officer, Diversity Talent Management Ltd; and Oke Egbi, Director, Embedded Finance, SeamlessHR. Also present were leading outsourcing firms such as Resource Intermediaries Ltd, Phillips Outsourcing Ltd, Workforce Group Ltd, Tribest Corporate Support Ltd, HR Indexx Ltd, among others. Together, they explored how the convergence of financial technology and workforce automation is emerging as a critical advantage for progressive businesses navigating economic uncertainty.

Speaking at the event, the President, Association of Outsourcing Professionals of Nigeria (AOPN), Mope Abudu, said, “This roundtable addresses a critical challenge in our industry. As key contributors to Nigeria’s economy, we cannot afford to be left behind in the wave of digital transformation shaping the future of work. The outsourcing sector must lead in efficiency and innovation, and the integration of intelligent systems that support workforce management. Today’s theme speaks directly to that need. By exploring solutions like embedded finance, we open new opportunities to enhance value delivery and improve operational efficiency across our industry. I extend my gratitude to SeamlessHR for bringing this event to life.”

A key focus of the discussion was the transformative impact of SeamlessHR’s Embedded FInance for employers and employees. SeamlessHR’s solution enables workers to access earned wages on-demand, bypassing the traditional pay cycle. Through seamless integration with payroll systems, employees can withdraw accrued earnings in real-time to address emergencies or manage cash flow gaps. Additionally, low-interest salary advances and built-in financial tools empower staff to avoid exploitative lenders and plan their finances with confidence.

For employers, the benefits are equally compelling. The solution provides up to ₦1 billion in payroll credit while offering bulk disbursement capabilities, enabling seamless salary payments for entire workforces at once. Tailored to Nigeria’s outsourcing realities, It eliminates reliance on external loans and equips companies with real-time access to funds, making salary payments faster, more efficient, and more transparent This financial infrastructure not only stabilizes businesses but restores worker trust, a critical factor in an industry where talent retention is of great importance.

“Outsourcing companies face daily liquidity issues, irregular cash flow, and growing payroll obligations,” said Oke Egbi, Director, Embedded Finance, SeamlessHR. “SeamlessHR’s Embedded Finance closes that gap by integrating capital into the payroll system to ensure people get paid on time, operations run seamlessly, and CEOs sleep better at night. When employees no longer stress about delayed salaries, their engagement and output improves dramatically. ”

The partnership between SeamlessHR and AOPN signals a shared commitment to transforming Nigeria’s outsourcing sector through smarter, more efficient financial systems. By combining SeamlessHR’s embedded finance solution with AOPN’s industry reach, the collaboration delivers a scalable model that boosts competitiveness, simplifies workforce operations, and supports sustainable growth.


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How Investments in Reskilling and Trust Help Businesses Succeed in the Agentic AI Era

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Linda Saunders
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The ascent of agentic AI, systems that can perform tasks without human intervention, represents not just an incremental technological advancement but a fundamental reshaping of the business landscape. The possibilities for enhanced productivity and innovation are immense. Using AI agents, businesses around the world are unlocking a piece of the potential $6 trillion digital labor market opportunity.
Linda Saunders

Linda Saunders

Businesses that fail to adopt agentic AI, however, risk disruption by competitors or savvy upstarts. This demands a proactive and strategic response from leaders. In this new era of human-AI collaboration, leaders must center their efforts around two key pillars: large-scale employee reskilling and establishing a trustworthy AI ecosystem.

Reskilling for the agentic AI era

With just 15% of workers saying that they have the education and training necessary to use AI effectively, reskilling must be a priority for every business leader.

Employees must be given access to learning opportunities so they can adopt human-AI collaboration skills, including a foundational understanding of agentic AI and prompt engineering — a way to provide clear and effective instructions to AI systems.

Consider, for instance, the evolving role of developers. With AI agents capable of handling routine coding, developers can focus on bigger-picture tasks like system design and future planning.

According to Salesforce’s latest State of IT survey of software development leaders‌, more than nine in 10 developers are excited about AI’s impact on their careers, and an overwhelming 96% expect it to change the developer experience for the better. More than four in five believe AI agents will become as essential to app development as traditional software tools, the survey found.

In addition to technical abilities, cultivating human and business skills is vital for fostering a trusted environment where teams feel comfortable experimenting with AI. And, as every employee increasingly manages individual or even teams of agents, developing basic managerial skills across the workforce will become increasingly important.

Identifying the skills is just the first step. To succeed in the agentic AI era, businesses need to develop a comprehensive strategy that incorporates these skills into their workforce plan. This includes setting clear, measurable goals and actively tracking progress.

Managers need to provide active guidance and support to employees throughout this transformation, ensuring the workforce remains relevant and engaged.

Adopting trusted AI across the ecosystem

As the capabilities of agents grow, so too does the responsibility to manage ‌associated risks. It’s imperative to ensure these systems are fair and prevent stereotypes or alienation. The very qualities that make AI transformative can also lead to biases and erode trust if not managed.

To fully harness the potential of agentic AI, businesses must prioritize trust and safety at every stage of development and deployment. This means implementing strong security measures and adhering to ethical AI practices to safeguard data and ensure responsible use.

Guardrails for AI agents can be established using natural language topics and instructions specifying when an agent should escalate or transfer a task to a human. Concerns around data privacy and potential biases must be proactively addressed through strong data protection protocols and transparent communication.

Equally important are tools that foster transparency and empower users to make informed decisions regarding task delegation to AI. Employees need a clear understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the AI agents they collaborate with, alongside having control over the tasks being automated.

A key feature of Agentforce is its capacity for autonomous operation within specifically defined guardrails. This means that while ‌AI agents can operate independently, making decisions and taking actions, they do so within boundaries established by human teams, ensuring alignment with business objectives and policies. The Einstein Trust Layer enables Agentforce to use any LLM safely by ensuring that no Salesforce data is viewed or retained by third-party model providers.

The power of reskilling and trust to drive innovation

The transition to an AI-powered future will bring challenges, particularly ensuring employees have access to the right infrastructure, high-quality data, and relevant skills.

However, by investing in reskilling and comprehensive training programs, organizations can empower teams to work effectively alongside AI agents, adapt to the evolving nature of work, and ultimately drive innovation in this age of digital labor.

Building a robust infrastructure that prioritizes trust and safety, and fosters transparency, will also be instrumental in mitigating disruptions and unlocking new opportunities for growth.

Ultimately, investing in both AI agents and human employees, and actively fostering their collaboration in a trusted way, will enable businesses to operate at scale and realize their full potential in the agentic AI era.


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