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AFDB: APRA Frowns at Undue Interference

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APRA Rwanda 2019

The African Public Relations Association (APRA) has asked for due process in the ongoing investigation of the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Mr Akinwunmi Adesina, emphasising that it frowns at any undue interference.

Speaking on the issue on behalf of the Executive Council in a letter, president of APRA, Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, said, “Without prejudice to previous, on-going or future investigations at the bank, we insist that they must all follow the extant rules of the bank.

“APRA will frown at undue influence outside the bank’s established channels. As an African institution, albeit with some non-regional stakeholders, AfDB must solve its problems within the context of Africa which is the principal stakeholder,” a part of the letter stated.

It went further to add that “APRA as the self-appointed reputation drivers for Africa, with a strong pro Africa vision, believes that it is in our collective interest and integrity, that one of the strongest reputation assets of the continent, the AfDB, is not sacrificed on the ‘alter of international politics.”

APRA noted that for four years running, the AfDB received triple-AAA ratings from four major global agencies, which is incontrovertible proof that the institution is moving the continent forward and fulfilling its mandate.

The letter cited AfDB’s establishment of regional offices that has brought the bank’s impact closer to Africans. This it considers a clear positive.

Part of the bank’s achievements also listed by the association, is the up-shoot in its loan income from $563 million in 2015 to $803 million in 2017.

APRA placed on record that these achievements were under the administration of Mr Adesina, a clear testament to his vision and exemplary leadership.

The letter ended by urging the chairman to take objective decisions with a ‘keen eye on history’, while APRA continues to monitor developments at the bank.

APRA is the umbrella body for the practice of public relations in Africa with a mandate to drive the continent’s positive narrative.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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IFMA Nigeria Gets Branch in Oyo, Picks Adejumo Olusola Babatunde as Coordinator

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IFMA Nigeria Oyo branch

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A new branch of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Nigeria Chapter has been established in Oyo State, with Mr Adejumo Olusola Babatunde chosen as Coordinator.

The organisation set up an arm in the South-West state in a bid to expand its footprint in the country. Mr Babatunde will be assisted by other executive committee members, including Mr Ajiboye Olusola Akeem as Secretary, and Mrs Adeniran Olaide as Treasurer.

At the inauguration of the branch at the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Secretariat in the Akobo area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the president of IFMA Nigeria, Mr Sheriff Daramola, expressed delight at the successful inauguration of the branch and commended members for their commitment to the growth of facility management in Nigeria.

He highlighted IFMA’s global heritage, noting that the association is supporting over 25,000 members in more than 140 countries worldwide. Mr Daramola emphasised IFMA’s strong global network, the world’s largest and most widely recognised association for facility management professionals, headquartered in the United States and its growing influence in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

“IFMA members have taken positions of authority across federal, state, and private institutions; IFMA Nigeria is positioned to ensure our professionals are the first choice for global investors entering the Nigerian market,” he stated.

The Legal Adviser of IFMA, Nigeria, Mr Sola Fatoki, who shared this sentiment, said, “Since 1997, when IFMA Nigeria was established, the association has equipped facility management professionals with integrated knowledge spanning human behaviour, infrastructure, and the built environment.”

He encouraged engineers, architects, surveyors, ITC, Technology innovators, data analysts and allied professionals to see IFMA as their professional home and outlined the functions and responsibilities of branch executive committees.

In his remarks, Mr Babatunde expressed gratitude to the national council for the opportunity to serve and pledged to ensure the success of the branch, focusing on unity and the professional advancement of stakeholders in the region.

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We Didn’t Recommend Ceding Disputed Oil Wells to States—RMAFC

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RMAFC

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has denied reports that some disputed crude oil and gas wells have been recommended for ceding to specific oil-producing states.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the chairman of the commission, Mr Mohammed Shehu, said the attention of RMAFC had been drawn to a “purported report allegedly issued by the Inter-Agency Committee on the Verification of Coordinates of Disputed Crude Oil and Gas Wells between States,” which was circulating in sections of the national media (excluding Business Post).

The agency described the report as “misleading, premature, and does not represent the position or conclusions of the Commission.”

“At this stage, there is no finalised recommendation or decision regarding the ceding or reallocation of any oil wells, as due institutional processes are still ongoing,” the statement read.

The organisation explained that it operates a clearly defined and transparent procedure in handling assignments of national significance, stressing that the process on the disputed oil wells had not been concluded.

It disclosed that it only received a draft report from the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Committee on Nigeria’s Oil-Producing States on Friday, February 13, 2026, which reportedly projected Cross River State as an oil-producing state.

The report, covering the nationwide 2017–2025 verification of crude oil and gas coordinates, was presented to the Chairman of RMAFC by 10 of the 14 members of the committee.

The exercise, which ran from August 2025 to February 2026, involved extensive field verification, technical reconciliation of state submissions, and a final plenary plotting of coordinates at RMAFC headquarters between January 24 and 31, 2026.

“Consistent with established protocol, the draft document has been transmitted to relevant technical and statutory stakeholders, namely the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the National Boundary Commission, and the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, for detailed review, observations, and technical input,” the commission stated.

According to the statement, after the observations and recommendations of the agencies are received, the matter will be subjected to further scrutiny by the commission’s internal tripartite committees, comprising the Committee on Crude Oil, Gas and Investment and the Legal Matters Committee.

“These committees will undertake comprehensive technical and legal reviews before presenting their findings to the Plenary Session of RMAFC for deliberation and final recommendations,” it added.

The commission further explained that upon completion of the institutional processes, its final report would be formally transmitted to the President and the Attorney-General of the Federation for necessary consideration and further action in line with applicable laws and constitutional provisions.

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Social Media Platform X Suffers Outages Globally

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X Twitter

By Adedapo Adesanya

Social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, suffered an outage globally on Monday as millions of users could not use the service.

The widespread outages have been reported by thousands of users across several countries, including Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and India, among others.

According to data from Downdetector, a website that tracks service disruptions based on user reports, complaints about access to X started to pick up around 1:00 p.m. local time in Nigeria.

The cause of the outage was not immediately clear, and X has not put out any comment, but users told Business Post that the platform is not loading or cannot be reached, and the pattern of complaints suggests the issue is not limited to a single region.

Its developer platform status page stated “all systems are operational” all morning despite the reports.

The outage is the latest to hit internet services. X suffered a similar outage in March 2025, while a Cloudflare service outage caused access problems and downtime for various websites, including X, last November.

Microsoft’s Azure had also faced an issue last year, while disruption at Amazon AWS caused global turmoil among thousands of websites and some of the most popular apps, such as Snapchat and Reddit in October

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