By Modupe Gbadeyanka

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, December 28, 2025, departed Lagos for Europe.

A statement from his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the trip to an unspecified country in Europe is in continuation of his end-of-year break.

A few days ago, Mr Tinubu left the seat of power in the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Abuja, to observe Christmas in Lagos.

He has now left the nation’s commercial nerve to Europe ahead of an official trip to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

According to Mr Onanuga, the President is travelling to the Middle East on the invitation of his counterpart in the UAE, Mr Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026) Summit, which will take place in the emirate early in January.

The weeklong summit is an annual event that mobilises leaders from government, business, and society to chart the next era of sustainable development.

With the theme The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go, ADSW will connect ambition with action across innovation, finance, and people, showcasing how the world can move forward with confidence.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The federal government has concluded plans to immediately deploy the 7,000 forest guards, who completed an intensive three-month training programme.

This information was revealed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Rabiu Ibrahim.

It was disclosed that the forest guards were drawn from seven frontline states comprising Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu, was quoted as saying that, “There will be no delay between graduation and deployment. Salaries and allowances will commence immediately, and every certified guard will proceed directly to assigned duty posts.”

The personnel are indigenous to their respective local government areas, enabling them to leverage terrain familiarity and community trust in countering banditry, kidnapping, and the illegal exploitation of forest resources.

The programme is under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025. It represents a coordinated Federal–State security intervention aimed at reclaiming Nigeria’s forests from criminal exploitation.

The scheme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture by denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups sanctuary within forested and hard-to-reach terrains.

The training was deliberately intensive, structured, and demanding, designed to transform loyal and committed Nigerians into agile, disciplined, and capable field operatives. The curriculum integrated environmental conservation principles with advanced security competencies, ensuring a balanced, professional, and mission-ready force.

Trainees underwent extensive physical and mental conditioning, including endurance exercises, obstacle-crossing drills, and long-range patrol simulations to prepare them for sustained forest operations.

They were also trained in tactical fieldcraft, including movement techniques, enemy-contact drills, ambush response, rescue operations, and coordinated offensive actions—equipping them to deny criminal elements any form of sanctuary within Nigeria’s forest spaces.

Equally central to the programme was a strong emphasis on ethics, legality, and professionalism. The curriculum placed significant focus on human rights, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), gender rights, and the protection of civilians.

Arms handling and use-of-force protocols were strictly regulated in line with an Arms Management Manual jointly agreed upon by all participating agencies.

“These Forest Guards are not just uniformed personnel. They are first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture. They will hold ground, gather intelligence, and support security agencies in reclaiming territories previously overtaken by criminal elements,” Mr Ribadu added.

The training recorded a 98.2 per cent completion rate. A total of 81 trainees were disqualified on disciplinary grounds, while two trainees passed away due to pre-existing medical conditions. All successful participants have been fully certified and cleared for operational service.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The successful closing of about $1.126 billion in financing for the execution of Phase 1, Section 2 of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway has been welcomed by President Bola Tinubu.

A statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the funding package was secured by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

Mr Tinubu described this as a landmark because it marks a significant milestone in the delivery of Africa’s most ambitious and transformative infrastructure projects.

He praised the Ministries of Finance and Works and the Debt Management Office (DMO) for working together on the transaction, adding that the federal government will continue to explore creative financing to fund critical projects across the country.

“This is a major achievement, and closing this transaction means the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will continue unimpeded. Our administration will continue to explore available funding opportunities to execute critical economic and priority infrastructural projects across the country,” the President was quoted as saying in the statement.

Phase 1, Section 2 covers approximately 55.7 kilometres, connecting Eleko in Lekki to Ode-Omi, key economic corridors and significantly enhancing national trade efficiency and logistics connectivity.

The successful financing follows the earlier closing of the $747 million financing for Phase 1, Section 1, and demonstrates the scalability and bankability of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The financing was fully underwritten by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Afreximbank, with partial risk mitigation support provided by the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC), marking ICIEC’s largest transaction since the country’s institutional and regulatory reforms. The structure reflects growing confidence in Nigeria’s reformed investment climate and its capacity to deliver infrastructure.

SkyKapital acted as Lead Financial Advisor, coordinating structuring, lender engagement, and execution. Environmental and Social advisory services were provided by Earth Active (UK), ensuring complete alignment with the IFC Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, and international ESG best practices. Hogan Lovells, as International Counsel, and Templars, as Nigerian Legal Counsel, led the legal advisory services.

Describing the transaction as a “defining moment in Nigeria’s infrastructure journey,” the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, said the fund will be deployed responsibly and judiciously to deliver on the project within timelines.

“The signing on December 19, 2025, of $1.126 billion financing for Phase one — section two of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal road marks a defining moment in Nigeria’s infrastructure journey, following the successful closing of the $747 million financing for Phase one section one on July 9, 2025.

“Collectively, these landmark transactions firmly establish the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as one of the defining flagship projects of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, embodying the administration’s commitment to bold, transformational infrastructure.

“This financing is particularly notable as it represents, for the first time, a truly underwritten transaction of this magnitude for a Nigerian road infrastructure project. The facility was fully underwritten by First Abu Dhabi Bank ($626 million) and Afreximbank ($500 million), with partial coverage provided by ICIEC, making it the largest ICIEC-supported transaction since the institution’s creation,” Mr Edun said.

Construction is being executed by Hitech Construction Company Limited, whose rapid on-site progress and early opening of key road sections have earned commendation from lenders for engineering excellence, operational discipline, and execution speed.

In line with the federal government’s commitment to transparency and fiscal discipline, a comprehensive Value-for-Money (VfM) assessment was conducted by the Federal Ministry of Works in coordination with SkyKapital, and the assessment was independently reviewed and confirmed by GIBB.

The successful close of Phase 1, Section 2, represents a clear step-change in market confidence. It demonstrates Nigeria’s ability to move decisively from vision to execution and from reform to delivery.