News
NAN MD Tasks Online Publishers on Professionalism

Buki Ponle, managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has urged the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers to ensure professionalism while discharging its duties in the society.
Ponle made the call in Abuja when a delegation from the Guild, led by Dotun Oladipo, its President, paid him a courtesy visit seeking for assistance to enrich their news content.
He urged the association to continue its crusade and social responsibility in ensuring that journalism is practiced rightly for development.
The Managing Director also urged the Guild to use its noble platform to correct the ills in the society and highlight many developmental strides of the present government in the country.
He said: “No matter what, criticisms are needed but when they are not healthy criticisms or not in line with development, they will bring reaction.”
The NAN boss expressed delight to identify with the Guild, adding that social media had been put in a tight corner because of the noble role it assumed in the society.
Ponle said: “In recent times, we have witnessed news disinformation, misinformation and total lies just to serve a purpose, but it does not help us.
“It is high time we all looked forward to helping our country to get it out of this.”
The Guild had sought for partnership and to reach an agreement with NAN for the services being rendered to the huge platform of NAN to be given at a cheaper rate.
He said NAN, as a Federal Government agency, had been battling over the years to get out of its financial mess, adding that government resources were dwindling, especially with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ponle, however, assured the Guild that NAN would review its operations, but appealed for it to take what it could offer presently.
He said: “We have in the past months reviewed our operations and added value; the ratings are there.
“I will urge you just to bear with us now.
“It is painful for us to review upwards.
“But how do we survive?
“We can only survive if we add just a little for us to do what you are expecting us to do.
“If NAN were to be a private organisation, it would either go down or increase its price to be at par with the market situation.
“To do it the previous way does not pay us.
“We have considered so many issues and put so many things into criticism before we came up with the slight increase we have added.”
Earlier, Oladipo said the Guild had come to seek NAN’s assistance in offering service to them at a cheaper rate due to the economic downturn, which affected every sector.
He said the economic downturn hit the Guild so hard that it decided to go into partnership with the NAN because it appreciated the role of NAN in intervention in terms of stories and wide coverage.
He added: “But for the online platform, it has not worked that way; we discovered that for both government and private businesses the level of patronage has drastically dropped due to bad economy, which has led to downsizing in most places.
“Our records will testify that since we started, we have always fulfilled our part in terms of payment in spite of the level of hardship and COVID-19 pandemic challenges.”
Oladipo described the Guild as a body of eminently qualified journalists, adding that for one to qualify for its membership, the benchmark was that the journalist must have practiced for more than 10 years in a reputable organisation.
According to him, the journalist must have risen to not less than the position of the level of an Assistant Editor to qualify to be a member to sustain professionalism.
He said: “Because we have seen a lot of disinformation and falsehood online and the question has always been how to help the country to overcome this challenge.
“We have seen in the last couple of years how the social media has developed and being put to negative use by many Nigerians
“How do we step in when there is authentic information to dwell on and we also believe that with the number of years that those who are members of this association have put into journalism, they have a name and people who keep following them wherever they go.”
News
Experts Urge MSMEs to Build Strong Partnerships in Solving Problems,

For a business to remain strong and relevant, experts have urged entrepreneurs to engage in solving problems in the Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) space and build strong partnerships.
The experts stated at the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Business Series with the theme, “Stronger Together: Building Powerful Business Partnerships for Progress.”
Four seasoned business owners including: Beauty Entrepreneur, Dabota Lawson; Real Estate Mogul and Entrepreneur, Wale Ayilara; Journalist and TV producer Peace Hyde and Fashion Entrepreneur, Mai Atafo, encouraged participants to solve problems, invent in products & service and, create value to remain stronger in business and thrive amid competitive business environment.
Ayilara expressed that an entrepreneur must be able to solve problems and build a strong partnership in order to remain relevant in a challenging business environment.
He stressed further that there are a lot of business opportunities in Nigeria and questioned where consumers money is directed into.
Lawson said the inability to find a suitable sensitive skincare that matches her skin tone forced her to start her company.
On her part, Hyde stated that she ventures into media on the backdrop of telling Africa’s stories to international audiences.
Atafo said passion made him venture into fashion, maintaining that being an entrepreneur in Nigeria is tough work.
Speaking earlier, UBA’s Group Head, Retail and Digital Banking, Shamsideen Fashola, highlighted the critical role of partnerships in today’s dynamic business environment.
“In an increasingly interconnected world, the power of collaboration cannot be overstated. At UBA, we recognise that collaboration is the cornerstone of sustainable business success.
“The ‘Stronger Together’ Business Series is designed to inspire entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to forge meaningful alliances that drive progress, unlock opportunities, and contribute to Africa’s economic transformation,” Shamsideen said.
News
FirstBank, NLNG, Shell back QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit

Nigeria’s leading commercial bank, First Bank of Nigeria, has joined forces with Mighty Media Plus Network Limited for the maiden edition of the QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit.
Also supporting the event are Nigeria LNG (NLNG) and Shell Nigeria, two major players in the country’s energy and development sectors.
Chief Executive Officer of Mighty Media Plus Network Limited, Olumide Iyanda, announced the partnerships in a statement on Monday.
Mr Iyanda described FirstBank’s involvement as a strong statement of the bank’s belief in the power of Nigeria’s creative sector.
“FirstBank’s support is a reaffirmation of its long-standing commitment to promoting the creative economy,” he said. “Through First@arts, the bank has become a reliable partner to talents, institutions, and organisations working to grow Nigeria’s cultural assets.”
First@arts is FirstBank’s platform for supporting the arts. It provides financing, advisory services, and exposure for creatives across the value chain. The bank has backed major cultural events and partnered with institutions such as British Council, Duke of Shomolu Productions, Live Theatre Lagos, Freedom Park and Terra Kulture.
Among the projects FirstBank has supported are The Headies Awards, Lagos International Theatre Festival, The Oxymoron of Kenny Blaq, Kurunmi, Eni Ogun, and Oke Langbodo.
Iyanda also praised NLNG for its role in promoting excellence in literature and science through The Nigeria Prize for Literature, The Nigeria Prize for Science, and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism.
“NLNG has shown leadership by rewarding creativity and innovation in ways that impact both the literary and scientific communities,” he said.
The prizes, worth up to USD100,000, are among the most prestigious on the continent. They celebrate Nigerian authors, critics, and scientists whose work makes a real difference.
Shell’s support for the summit reflects its ongoing commitment to education and social development. The company focuses on sustainable, community-driven educational projects, ranging from scholarships to infrastructure development and ICT donations.
“Shell’s belief in education as a foundation for long-term progress aligns with our vision for the summit,” Iyanda added.
He further noted that more sponsors will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
The QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit, themed “Financing as Catalyst for a Thriving Creative Economy,” will take place on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. The venue is the prestigious Radisson Blu Hotel, Isaac John Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
The summit will bring together creatives, investors, policymakers, and business leaders to explore solutions to the funding challenges facing Nigeria’s creative industries.
News
EFCC: Accusations Against Our Chairman Are Baseless and Misleading

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has strongly denied allegations of lack of integrity and transparency directed at its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, by columnist Steve Osuji.
In a statement issued by Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC. the commission described the claims as “worrisome and unjustifiable,” particularly criticizing the personal attacks on Olukoyede.
“More worrisome was his attack on Olukoyede for no justifiable reason. Allegations of lack of transparency, accountability and integrity deficit are wild and clearly off the mark,” Oyewale said.
He questioned the basis for the allegations and defended Olukoyede’s leadership since taking office.
“The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? Is it by insisting that the right things should always be done? By moving the nation’s anti-graft war forward radically and unprecedentedly?
“By bringing forth a preventive framework to tackle corruption and reaping bountiful gains for the nation?
“By recovering the globally-acclaimed 753 duplexes and other apartments, which are proceeds of fraudulent dealings for the nation?
“By launching the EFCC into a global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By handling 50,000 case files in one year?
“By embarking on a courageous internal cleansing system and other progressive initiatives to deepen and strengthen the anti-corruption fight?
“It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide under vague and opaque cover to splash mud on Ola Olukoyede, arguably one of the finest breed of anti-graft czars around the world.”
Olukoyede, through the statement, reaffirmed that the EFCC has consistently submitted its annual reports to the National Assembly as required by law.
“Equally preposterous are claims of re-looting of assets by officers of the Commission. For the purpose of clarification, the Commission does not recover monetary assets into its covers and the non-monetary assets that are recovered are disposed of following clear pronouncements by court and proceeds paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account account in the Central Bank in line with provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
“The EFCC does not operate in secrecy. All its operations are regularly communicated to the public, including public auction of assets. To deliberately cast the Commission in the mould of fraudulent engagements or criminality is not only mischievous but also untenable,” the statement concluded.
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