Author: damazah@gmail.com

For years, discussions about small and medium-sized businesses in Nigeria have focused on access to finance. While funding remains important, money alone will not drive the next stage of SME growth. We need to look beyond funding. Entrepreneurs across Nigeria face high costs, changing customer needs, rapid technology shifts, and more competition. At the same time, digital tools, regional trade, and new technology open new ways to grow. Because of these challenges and opportunities, building a stronger business ecosystem is more important than ever. The main question is no longer if Nigerian SMEs can survive. Many have shown they can…

By Henry Umoru Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, ahead of the 2027 polls, Peter Obi, has described Friday’s judgment of a Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, not to recognise the NDC as a political party pending when all legal issues surrounding it are resolved as a hurdle and not a stop sign. The former Anambra State governor has urged his supporters to remain calm as their legal teams are currently reviewing the judgment of the Federal High Court. This was contained in a statement issued by Peter Obi…

A new peer reviewed study from researchers at The University of Toledo and the University of Missouri has found that goldfish can have major impacts on freshwater ecosystems when they are released or escape into the wild. Published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, the research provides some of the strongest experimental evidence to date that invasive goldfish can dramatically alter lake environments. The findings carry an important warning for pet owners, natural resource managers, and policymakers: while goldfish are common household pets, they can become a significant ecological threat outside the aquarium. “It is critically important to inform the…

Jun 26, 2026, 06:25 PM ETBOSTON — Ousmane Dembélé scored a first-half hat trick as France hammered home their status as World Cup favorites with a 4-1 Group I win against a Norway side that rested star striker Erling Haaland in Boston.Dembele’s 32-minute hat trick, followed by Désiré Doué’s headed goal in second-half stoppage time, secured an emphatic win for Les Bleus to confirm qualification for the round of 32 as group winners.With Norway coach Stale Solbakken making ten changes to his starting lineup, including Manchester City forward Haaland, France dominated against the half-strength Norwegians. And although Thelo Aasgaard gave…

When countries from around the world take to the stage to participate in Eurovision next year, they could see a new competitor.Canada is now eligible to take part in the song contest after CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), a requirement to compete. Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been seeking closer political and economic ties with Europe since taking office last year, raised the idea of Canada joining the song contest in his 2025 budget.Canada would not be the first non-European country to join the contest; Israel and Australia regularly compete, and Morocco competed…

Israel Fagbemigun For decades, renewing a Nigerian passport was synonymous with frustration.  The process often involved repeated visits to immigration offices, hours spent in queues, uncertainty over timelines, and in some cases, allegations of unofficial payments to fast-track applications. For Nigerians living abroad, the experience could be even more demanding, requiring long-distance travel to embassies or high commissions, hotel expenses and time off work just to complete what should have been a routine administrative procedure. Yet across the United Kingdom, a growing number of Nigerians now speak of an entirely different experience, one that would have sounded unrealistic only a…

Rev. Teryima in the classroom. By Stephanie Shaakaa GBOKO, NIGERIA — The blackboard at Penworth Secondary School stands six feet tall, a fixed plane of slate and worn paint that has absorbed years of chalk dust, arithmetic, maps, and the quiet labor of teaching. In most classrooms, it is an ordinary object, something a teacher uses without a second thought. In this classroom, however, it is something else entirely, it is a surface that must be negotiated. Read Also: Terrorists turn communities into ghost settlements Rev. Chaplain Gbamwuan Samuel Teryima stands before it each day with that negotiation already understood. Born…

Daniel Ochonma Nigeria enters the 2027 election cycle with an unusually crowded and fluid presidential field. As of this weekend, aspirants have emerged across the major political parties—the All Progressives Congress (APC), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), the People Democratic Party (PDP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and several smaller platforms each attempting to define a governing vision in a moment of deep national uncertainty. Some contenders are established political heavyweights; others are technocrats, regional power brokers, or reform minded outsiders seeking to reshape the national conversation. Within the APC,…

Milly Alcock in “Supergirl.”Warner Bros. PicturesSupergirl, starring Milly Alcock as the DC superhero, is off to a not-so-super start at the domestic box office.Alcock, of course, was introduced in a cameo at the end of director James Gunn’s Superman in July 2025. Supergirl, which opened in theaters nationwide on Friday, is directed by I, Tonya and Cruella helmer Craig Gillespie and features Alcock in the lead as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.Forbes‘Supergirl’ Streaming: Why Warner Bros. Won’t Likely Change Studio’s PVOD Strategy For DC FilmBy Tim LammersSupergirl also stars Eve Ridley as Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley), a 14-year-old girl who seeks vengeance…

Quick GuideContributorsShowTiago Rogero in Rio de JaneiroSam Jones in Madrid Angelique Chrisafis in Paris Natasha May in BangkokHelena Smith in Athens Leyland Cecco in Toronto Hannah Ellis-Petersen in DelhiJennifer Rankin in Brussels Dan Milmo in LondonKate Connolly in Berlin Miranda Bryant  Alastair McCready in TaipeiRachel Savage in Johannesburg Ankita Rao Nick Robins-EarlyThank you for your feedback.When Australia launched its ban on social media for children under the age of 16 in December, its global impact remained to be seen. The world watched with keen interest as the country adopted the most far-reaching ban yet, amid a global mix of incredulity, admiration and – among some – a staunch…