News
Seven Governors To Attend Guardian Book Launch
No fewer than seven state governors are expected to attend the launch of the epochal book on the first ten years of The Guardian newspaper and the celebration of the founding publisher of the newspaper, Alex Uruemu Ibru.
The book titled: The Making of The Nigerian Flagship: A Story of The Guardian, is due for launch on April 7, 2021, at the Balmoral Events and Conference Centre at the Federal Palace Hotel, in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The 600-page book, in both hardback and paper back, includes first-hand recollections of experiences by scores of journalists and writers among the newspaper’s near 400 former staff who will also be getting together to honour the newspaper’s founding publisher.
Among governors already on schedule to attend the event are Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. He would attend as the Chief Host. Governor, of Delta State, the state of origin of publisher Alex Ibru, will be attending as Co-Host.
Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, himself, a former staff of The Guardian, will also attend the event alongside the governors of Kwara, Alhaji AbdulRahman, and Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Rivers State Chief Nyesom Wike are also expected.
The governors will join the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who had since confirmed he would attend as Special Guest of Honour and deliver a keynote address.
More than 100 top journalists, publishers and news media managers, are also expected at the event.
The Book authors, Aaron Ukodie and Seun Ogunseitan, said aides of the said governors have confirmed that their excellences are looking forward to the event.
According to the authors, “that event promises to be one that would witness the convergence of the greatest number of newsmen, politicians and businessmen in recent times”
The media entrepreneurs, opinion moulders, and managers, are among more than 250 guests already billed to attend the unveiling of the epochal book that vividly and in graphic narration, records how The Guardian was made and became the Flagship of the Nigerian media, especially in its first 10 years, from 1983 to 1993.
Among top media men attending the event are Dr. Patrick Dele Cole, Member of Editorial Board and founding member of The Guardian, Professor Femi Osofisan, pioneer editorial board member of The Guardian, Kingsley Osadolor, anchor of Good Morning Nigeria, broadcast by the Nigerian Television Authority.
Others are Dapo Olorunyomi, Publisher of Premium Times, Segun Adeniyi, Chairman, Editorial Board, Thisday, Kayode Komolafe, Deputy Managing Director, Thisday Newspaper, Onuoha Ukeh, Managing Director, Sun Newspapers. Chief Segun Osoba who wrote the Foreword of the book, will be the father of the day at the event.
News
DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations

In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
News
How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO

Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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