Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has warned that rising food prices remain the biggest challenge to Nigeria’s inflation outlook despite the slight decline in the country’s headline inflation rate in June. In a policy brief released on Thursday, the private sector advocacy group said the latest inflation figures suggest that while macroeconomic conditions are gradually stabilising, persistent structural problems continue to fuel food inflation and the cost-of-living crisis. The CPPE’s position comes a day after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation eased marginally to 15.91 per cent in June, from 15.93…

BP has had an on-again, off-again relationship with climate tech. Now, it’s definitely “off.” On top of pivoting away from clean energy earlier this year, the oil giant announced today that it was selling the majority of its venture portfolio — more than 10 companies, according to BP — to Verdane, a Nordic private equity firm. Since BP launched its venture arm in 2007, it has invested in a wide range of industries, many of them focused on the energy transition, including green hydrogen, e-mobility, ride-hailing, autonomous vehicles, private jet charters, and geothermal energy, among other sectors. In a press…

As immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Ikechukwu Oye clocks 70 on July 18, Onyebuchi Ezigbo writes on his momentous contributions to politics and humanity. For 70 years, Dr. Victor Ikechukwu Oye (Ozonkpu) has lived a life of purpose, love, service, and impact. He has traversed through academics, business and politics. As a respected politician and former National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance, he has played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of Anambra and Nigeria at large, earning the respect of allies and opponents alike through his vision, courage, and dedication…

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the prospect of creating artificial beings in our own image. Of developing synthetic minds and artificial bodies that not only think but also feel, and are both intelligent and conscious. For the vast majority of this time, this prospect seemed very distant; a topic for science fiction and philosophy, not for the here and now. But over the past few years, the rapid rise of AI – and especially of language models – has changed everything.Last week, the frontier AI firm Anthropic published new research on its language model, Claude, in which the…

LAS VEGAS — The convention center here is massive by any standard — officially the third-largest in the United States. It covers 2.5 million square feet. If your Uber drops you at the wrong door, good luck.So, based on the size of the space alone, this was a perfect spot for Nike to assemble 22 courts under one roof and conduct its final EYBL event before Peach Jam. Combine that with the fact that the space is in Las Vegas, which was a staple on the recruiting trail for much of the previous three decades, and it was a real…

Among the many virtues of The Pitt is the way it demonstrates the power of hospitals as dramatic settings: inherently interesting, pressure-cooker environments bringing together people from all walks of life, in various states of distress. It’s such a great series, and has resonated so strongly with audiences, that every new hospital-set drama for the foreseeable future will be judged in its shadow.This isn’t good news for shows like Stan’s six-part series The F Ward, which looks like amateur hour by comparison, with an airy, over-lit aesthetic and a pulse that never really comes alive. Plenty of tense scenarios play…

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of former Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Abayomi Fasina, as a non-career ambassador. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. announced the confirmation after lawmakers cleared the nominee by a voice vote at the Committee of the Whole. Mr Fasina, a professor, had earlier been screened by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by Niger North Senator Sani Bello, in line with the Senate’s directive. However, some Nigerians, particularly civil society organisations (CSOs), called for the withdrawal of his nomination, referencing sexual harassment allegations against him. On 7 July, a coalition of…

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s higher education sector is approaching a critical financing crossroads, The Citizen has learnt. As universities expand, student enrolment continues to rise and the country’s ambitions under Vision 2050 increasingly depend on a highly skilled workforce, the pressure on public financing has become more visible than ever. The challenge was laid bare this week when the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Prof Carolyne Nombo, disclosed that the Higher Education Students’ Loans Board (HESLB) has begun exploring alternative financing mechanisms as demand for student loans continues to grow. Speaking while opening a meeting…

By Wahab Shittu In July 2020, I watched the machinery of the Nigerian state turn upon its own chief corruption hunter. Ibrahim Magu, then acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, was picked up, detained and suspended from office, and made to answer before a presidential investigation panel chaired by Justice Ayo Salami, a retired President of the Court of Appeal. I know the events of those weeks more intimately than most, because I was his counsel. This week, six years on almost to the day, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of forty-eight…

The Idoma Association USA has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the worsening insecurity in Benue South Senatorial District, calling for the immediate deployment of military and other security forces to halt what it described as the sustained massacre of the Idoma people by armed herdsmen. In an open letter made available to journalists, the association said the recurring attacks across Idoma land had become a national emergency requiring urgent presidential intervention. The letter, signed by the President of the association, Prince Edwin Ochai, and its Secretary, Chief Sylvester Onche Steno, was addressed to President Tinubu, with copies forwarded to…