Author: Adekunle

Says Rebased Data Reflects Structural Shifts and Diversification The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has welcomed the newly released rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures for Nigeria and the Q1 2025 GDP growth estimate of 3.13%, describing both as strong indicators of economic resilience and renewed national momentum. The GDP rebasing exercise—Nigeria’s first since 2014—was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in line with global standards. It marks a major milestone in ensuring the country’s economic data reflects the realities of a modern, evolving economy. According to the…

By Saleh Shehu Ashaka To the public, Malam Nuhu Ribadu emerged in the early 2000s as a mystery man: intensely focused, incorruptible, almost mythological. He was the first Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and in that role, he carried the burden of a nation exhausted by impunity. But for those of us who knew him before the world fell in love with him, his zeal to build a different Nigeria wasn’t a newfound fervour. It was simply who he had always been. A man who found no allure in material things, no temptation in the…

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, MON, is leading the country’s engagement with global defence stakeholders at the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF 2025), which opened on Tuesday, July 22, in Istanbul, Turkey. The week-long event, running until July 27, brings together defence ministers, military chiefs, technology innovators and top defence contractors from around the world to explore cutting-edge military systems and strengthen international collaboration on security. At the opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan officially declared the fair open, welcoming participants from over 40 countries. The exhibition, organised by the Turkish Armed Forces…

Nigeria’s stock market is witnessing its most impressive performance under any civilian administration since 1999, with analysts crediting the rally to sweeping economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the steady guidance of his economic team, led by Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy. According to a recent analysis by Nairametrics, the Nigerian All-Share Index (ASI) has soared by a remarkable 136% since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023. The ASI rose from 55,769.28 points on May 29, 2023, to over 131,000 points by mid-July 2025—marking a historic milestone for the…

The Progressives Forum (TPF) has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, describing his death as a monumental loss that has left an irreplaceable void in the nation’s history. The Forum, which was founded in 2014 as the All Progressives Youth Forum and played a pivotal role in the emergence of President Buhari during the 2015 general elections, hailed him as a foundational pillar of the All Progressives Congress (APC). It noted that his leadership, personal integrity, and vision provided the ideological compass upon which the party was built. “It is with profound grief and…

The Honourable Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, MON, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the mental health and overall well-being of Nigerian Armed Forces personnel, declaring that “a healthy soldier is a combat-ready soldier.” Dr. Matawalle made this assertion last week during a courtesy visit by a team of mental health experts from the U.S. Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) to his office at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Ship House, Abuja. “Our soldiers must be healthy and mentally fit to cope with the stress and demands of military service,” the Minister said, emphasising…

In May 2023, as Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office as President of Nigeria, the nation stood at a precarious juncture. Its landscape had become pockmarked by a constellation of crises: insurgency in the North-East, rampant banditry across the North-West, separatist unrest in the South-East, industrial-scale oil theft in the Niger Delta, and communal bloodletting in the central regions. Nigeria was, as one security analyst put it at the time, “fighting for its soul.” These were the accumulated weight of unaddressed fragilities, exploited by violent non-state actors over the years. At a lecture delivered last week at the 50th anniversary…

The Initiative to Save Democracy has urged the Federal Ministry of Interior and its relevant agencies—particularly immigration attachés—to address the issues raised by the United States government, which recently led to a reduction in visa validity periods for Nigerian citizens. In a statement signed by its President, Mr. Akinloye James, the group expressed concern over the new restrictions imposed by the U.S. government. As of July 8, 2025, the United States has reduced most non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerian citizens to single-entry status with a validity period of just three months. The group noted that Nigeria’s immigration…

As GEPIn applauds Wale Edun led economic team … Nigeria’s currency, the naira, appears to be decoupling from global oil prices which is the country’s main source of foreign exchange earnings. Despite volatility in the first half of the year, the naira stabilised even as international oil prices continued to decline, a shift analysts say reflects broader economic dynamics. Analysts from Deutsche Bank AG and Cardinal Stone project the naira will close the year near N1,556 to the dollar, its average rate in the first six months of 2025, after slumping 41 percent in 2024. The…

By Dayo Dare Nigeria has long battled a wave of terror fueled by violent gangs, ruthless kidnappers, and the deadly Boko Haram insurgency, linked to ISIS. These criminals have turned rural communities into warzones, maiming, killing, and destroying everything in their path. But the tide is shifting. Thanks to improved coordination and intelligence sharing especially through the efforts of the National Security Adviser, reflected in the ongoing efforts by the Nigerian military and security forces across the country, several of the most wanted terrorists and bandit leaders have been hunted down and neutralized in the past two years. Below are…