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Benedict Peters, True Nigerian Export

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Benedict Peters
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By Jackson Ugbechie

In a season when some Nigerians are being demonised across the world as agents of crime and criminalities, we cannot but raise our glasses to salute the likes of Adewale Adeyemo, Joe Biden appointee as Deputy Treasury Secretary; Dr. Onyema Ogbuagu, the Nigerian-American medic who was one of the brains behind the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Benedict Peters, True Nigerian Export

Benedict Peters

Or Benedict Peters, a Nigerian entrepreneur making waves in Africa and across the world as one who has built an enterprise from the scratch to a billion-dollar multinational.

Remember Kehinde Wiley? He’s a portrait painter of Black people who masterfully painted his way to the White House.

He was commissioned in 2017 to paint a portrait of former President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery which showcases portraits of all the US presidents.

Wiley is the first black artist to paint official portraits of any US president for the National Portrait Gallery.

The list is long.  But we must say hello to Dr. Olurotimi John Badero who earned his  medical degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State before relocating to the United States where he became a specialist and interventional cardiologist, nephrologist and cardio-nephrologist, ranking as the world’s first and only fully trained cardio-nephrologist.

There are many more Nigerians doing exploits across the globe but the name Benedict Peters strikes a resonance with what portends the greatness of Nigeria.

While others excelled as Nigerians in the White man’s land, Peters is excelling at home and successfully exporting his magical entrepreneurship skills from Nigeria to the rest of the world. He answers the question: can anything good come out of Nigeria?

Yes, many good things have come out of Nigeria, wafting across several seas and mountains to add impactful fragrance to a world in need of heroes.

Peters is one of them. He represents a true Nigerian export. He symbolises the Nigerian spirit of derring-do, chutzpah and unvarnished excellence.

Last month, his company, Bravura Holdings Ltd., made history when it successfully entered into the competitive, capital-intensive and technology-driven platinum mining marketplace of Zimbabwe.

To make good this feat, it shelled out the sum of $1 billion to engage in an industry once dominated by expatriates from Europe, the Americas and Asia.

The beauty of this venture is that Peters, being a genuine pan-Africanist, would be fair to Zimbabweans and other Africans who would be directly or indirectly linked to his enterprise.

Peters would be stamping his big foot on a swathe measuring about 3,000 hectares (7,413-acre) of land in the Selous area, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare where it plans to dig the mine. Reports said his choice of operational base is close to existing platinum mines.

Having already won the concession, a lot of activities are projected to happen in the next 18 months, explains Lionel Mhlanga, Bravura’s manager in Zimbabwe.

“From where we are now, we will go to resource definition, after that we will go to resource modeling, after mine development and then mine construction. Those are all things that should happen in the next 18 months,” an obviously elated Mhlanga told the media during a tour of the site last month.

The United States Geological Survey lists Zimbabwe as the third largest producer of platinum, only next to Russia and South Africa.

Currently, the Russian-Zimbabwean platinum venture, Great Dyke Investments (GDI), a joint venture (50% parity owned by Russia’s Vi Holding and Zimbabwean investors) is reputedly the biggest platinum mining project in the country with a $2 billion investment outlay. But the Bravura Holding venture represents the new African push for continental integration both in trade and production.

In Nigeria where Peters’ Aiteo Eastern E & P Company is the biggest domestic oil producer, the billionaire oil and gas magnate has demonstrably deployed his wealth to foster development, engender socio-economic growth and improve the nation’s human development index.

From philanthropy to community development and sports sponsorship, Peters’ Aiteo has endeared itself to the hearts of the Nigerian people. Since 2017, when it took over the sponsorship of Nigeria’s longest surviving club football league – The Challenge Cup – now aptly called Aiteo Cup, life has returned to the colourful multi-tier football fiesta, postponed this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is a pointer to the good times that await Zimbabweans with the admission of Bravura Holding into the exclusive club of platinum and other minerals miners in the country, a club dominated by Russian and Cypriot companies.

Media reports say Bravura is already looking beyond platinum. Zimbabwe is endowed with treasures in her sub-soil and Peters’ company intends to explore mining lithium, rare earth minerals and tin in Zimbabwe.

Beyond that, it’s also seeking to mine cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper in Zambia, gold in Ghana and iron ore in Guinea, with eyes on exploring mining opportunities in Namibia and Botswana. Quite a handful! It’s a case of Africa taking back Africa.

For far too long, Africa has left her richly endowed earth at the mercy of the western world. Nigeria has rich reserves of oil and gas which she yielded to western merchants and exploiters.

It was not until Nigeria switched to the next gear in the promotion of local content in the sector that she started the journey of maximizing the benefits of having huge reserves of crude oil and gas.

Though, so much still remains to be done in the aspect of processing and minding the entire value chain, but the entry of the likes of Aiteo into Exploration and Production (E&P) has kindled hope that someday the owners of the resources would effectively process their resources and have full value of them.

Having made a success of his presence in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, Peters’ foray into Zimbabwe mining sector and plausibly into the mining sectors of other African nations is a priceless public relations stunt for Nigeria.

It’s a salute to the industry and illustriousness of Nigerians. When some sections of the global community rise to tar us in evil and despicable coatings, we trot out the likes of Peters and others who by dint of hard work, academic excellence and entrepreneurial acuity have put Nigeria and Nigerians on the global map of achievers, outliers and role models.

 

  • Ugbechie writes from Abuja

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General News

Trump Ends Funding for Malaria, Other Global Health Programs

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The Trump administration has ceased funding for roughly 5,800 global health programs, including those that support providing vaccines, life-saving medications, and emergency health care to millions of people around the world.

Trump Ends Funding for Malaria, Other Global Health Programs

Donald Trump

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department began sending out a wave of emails informing thousands of health groups, refugee camps, tuberculosis clinics, and polio vaccination projects that they would no longer receive funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), per the New York Times.

The funding was distributed to a wide range of programs, including those for HIV treatment, malaria prevention in Africa, and maternal health care in Nepal.

More major projects now canceled due to the funding cut include: a $90 million malaria prevention contract, a project in the Democratic Republic of Congo that provided water for 250,000 displaced people living in conflict zones, HIV care and treatment in Lesotho, Tanzania, and Eswatini run by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a $34 million medical supply management contract in Kenya, 87 shelters in South Africa that support thousands of women who have survived rape and domestic violence, a Yemen community health program in Yemen that identified malnourished children, and a severe acute malnutrition treatment project in Nigeria that serves millions of children and women.

“People will die, but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut,” Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, said in a statement.

 

 

 


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NAFDAC Withdraws Registration of Artemether/Lumefantrine Oral Suspension over Stability Concerns

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Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC,
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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the discontinuation of the registration of Multi-Dose Anti-Malarial (Artemether/Lumefantrine) dry powder for oral suspension.

NAFDAC Withdraws Registration of Artemether/Lumefantrine Oral Suspension over Stability Concerns

Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general, NAFDAC,

The decision follows stability concerns, as studies have shown that the reconstituted formulations lose efficacy over time.

The announcement was made in a public alert No. 01/2025, released on the agency’s website.

NAFDAC confirmed that the suspension applies to all locally manufactured and imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral use.

Consequently, the agency will no longer accept new applications, renewals, or variations for any local or imported Multi-Dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral suspension.

According to NAFDAC, stability studies revealed that reconstituted Artemether/Lumefantrine oral suspension becomes unstable after mixing, leading to a loss of efficacy.

“This loss can have severe health consequences, including treatment failure, increased risk of complications, and, in extreme cases, death,” the agency stated.

All NAFDAC zonal directors and state coordinators have been instructed to conduct surveillance and remove all affected products from circulation.

The agency has also directed importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers to immediately halt the importation, distribution, sale, and use of these medications.

NAFDAC has urged healthcare professionals and consumers to report any suspected sale of these products or related substandard medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office or via the agency’s toll-free number: 0800-162-3322. Reports can also be submitted via email at [email protected].

Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report adverse reactions through the Med-Safety mobile app, available on Android and iOS, or via email at [email protected].

NAFDAC confirmed that this notification would be uploaded to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Surveillance and Monitoring System (GSMS) as part of its regulatory measures.

 

 

 


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NITDA Empowers Civil Servants with IT Project Clearance Training

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In line with the presidential priority areas of reforming the economy for sustained inclusive growth and improving governance for effective service delivery, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has commenced a training programme for 1000 civil servants from various MDAs on Information Technology (IT) Project Clearance processes in creating a digitally viable workforce in the public sector towards achieving the desired digital transformation mandate of the present administration.

The opening of the capacity building programme for ICT, Budget, Finance and Planning Officers of Federal Public Institutions, held at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) in Kubwa, Abuja, will be conducted in batches to equip participants with essential knowledge, skills, and best practices.

It aims to enhance collaborative planning, budgeting, and management of ICT system acquisition, deployment, operation, and sustainability in the public sector, ensuring a whole-of-government approach to digital projects.

In his opening remark with the theme, “Empowering Public Sector ICT Excellence Through Strategic Planning and Effective Funding”, the DG NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, emphasised the critical role of strategic planning and funding in enhancing public sector service delivery.

While reiterating the agency’s commitment to digital transformation through the implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0, the DG who was ably represented by the agency’s Director of IT Infrastructure Solutions department, Mr Oladejo Olawunmi, underscored the importance of equipping public sector employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to drive digital initiatives effectively.

Disclosing that NITDA is spearheading digital transformation efforts through its SRAP 2.0, he stated, “This plan aligns with national priorities and aligns with our strategic pillars such as talent development, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, innovation, and policy-enablement to foster a sustainable digital economy”.

However, Inuwa acknowledged the challenges hindering digital transformation in the public sector, including inadequate collaboration among stakeholders, short-term project planning, poor ICT infrastructure maintenance, software licensing issues, and insufficient capacity-building. These barriers, he noted, have contributed to suboptimal outcomes in government-led digital initiatives.

Noting that most project stagnations or failures are attributed to inadequate integration of modern trends such as cloud computing, remote support, and enterprise network services into project planning, Inuwa averred that the agency has strengthened its IT projects clearance process to ensure that digital initiatives are well-conceptualized, planned, and executed in alignment with intended objectives.

“While there have been notable achievements, only 12 percent of Federal Public Institutions, FPIs comply with the process, necessitating a whole-of-government approach for full alignment with national digital transformation goals,” he revealed.

Emphasising that effective resource allocation ensures initiatives are adequately funded and properly executed to deliver real value to the public, he urged participants to manage public funds prudently and prioritise projects that yield measurable outcomes.

“We will explore how to optimize budgeting processes, improve financial oversight, and build systems that ensure transparency and accountability.

“This event has been structured with your professional development in mind, with sessions led by experts in the field, interactive discussions, and practical case studies that will provide you with actionable knowledge you can apply in your respective roles,” he concluded.

Highlighting the critical role of ICT, project, finance, and planning officers, Inuwa admonished participants to take full advantage of the program’s sessions, designed to strengthen their expertise in strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and financial management.

“Each of you plays a crucial role in the management and distribution of resources, the planning and implementation of programmes, and ultimately the delivery of services to our communities. Together, you form the backbone of efficient and transparent governance,” he concluded


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