Author: Adekunle

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to strengthen local government institutions as a critical foundation for inclusive economic growth and long-term national productivity. Speaking at a high-level policy dialogue convened by AGORA Policy with support from the MacArthur Foundation, Mr. Edun emphasized that empowering grassroots governance is not merely a political ideal but a central component of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s strategy for poverty reduction and economic inclusion. Underscoring the administration’s commitment, the Minister highlighted the government’s recent implementation of the Supreme Court ruling…

The North-South Progressive Alliance (NOSPA), has stated that the appointment of Nigeria’s ambassadors is a prerogative of the President and will be made at the appropriate time, when the resources and manpower are available and aligned with the vision and strategy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The group stated this in response to the statement by Nigeria’s coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint ambassadors immediately, claiming that junior diplomats could not represent Nigeria. The group, in its statement signed by its Convener, Alwan Hassan, berated the ADC for offering…

Nigeria and Türkiye have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening military cooperation and defense industry collaboration during a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the 17th International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) 2025, currently underway in Istanbul. On Wednesday, July 24, 2025, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Muhammad Matawalle, MON, met with Türkiye’s Minister of National Defence, Yaşar Güler, to discuss strategic areas of partnership aimed at advancing Nigeria’s defense modernization agenda. The bilateral talks focused on a broad range of defense and security priorities, including enhanced military cooperation, defense technology transfer, and procurement of cutting-edge…

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…