General
NGX Group Employees Tackle Child Malnutrition With Project BLOOM
Employees of Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group Plc have taken their commitment to community impact beyond the trading floor, volunteering their time and expertise to combat child malnutrition in underserved Lagos communities.
Through Project BLOOM (Bringing Life to Our Overlooked Minors), a multi-stakeholder initiative co-championed by NGX Group and Health Emergency Initiative (HEI) Nigeria, in partnership with the Lagos State Government, NGX Group staff volunteers joined healthcare workers at the inaugural outreach in Aiyetoro Primary Health Centre, Yaba, to distribute life-saving therapeutic foods, conduct health screenings, and train caregivers on preparing nutritious meals with locally sourced ingredients.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria ranks second globally in the percentage of children affected by stunting, with 32 per cent of children under five stunted and over two million suffering from severe acute malnutrition, many without access to treatment.
Project BLOOM targets severely malnourished children and their caregivers across seven underserved Lagos communities of Ifako Ijaiye, Agege, Iwaya, Makoko, Bariga, Ilaje, and Ajegunle, combining nutritional aid, health support, and education to drive long-term change.
The chief executive of NGX Group, Mr Temi Popoola, represented by Group Chief Finance, Investment and Strategy Officer, Mr Adebayo Opatade, said, “At NGX Group, we believe the growth of our markets must be matched by the growth of our communities.
“Project BLOOM shows how our platform, partnerships, and people can work together to address urgent social challenges. By empowering employees to lead from the front, we turn commitment into sustainable impact.”
Executive Director of HEI, Dr Pascal Achunine, added: “We cannot sit on the sidelines while our children suffer from preventable malnutrition. Project BLOOM is about immediate action today while creating a sustainable path forward for caregivers and their children.”
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Health District IV, Dr Oludolapo Shotunde described the outreach as: “A timely and commendable intervention that aligns perfectly with our health priorities and community needs”. Honourable Oladimeji Saheed, representing the Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area, commended the “bold vision and compassion” of the programme and pledged ongoing community support.
Project BLOOM, which aligns with NGX Group’s CSR pillars of Community and Workforce, supports UN SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Beneficiaries will be monitored over a three-month period in collaboration with local health authorities to track recovery and inform future interventions.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has announced that Nigeria will launch a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, 2026, with every home expected to have a unique postcode.
Mr Tijani disclosed the development in a video post on X, describing the new system as a more precise and digitally oriented approach to addressing locations across the country.
He said the initiative would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s postal addressing system by assigning unique postcodes to individual homes.
The initiative marks a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. By replacing the outdated numeric-only system, the alphanumeric codes provide a more flexible and scalable framework that can accommodate the country’s rapid urban growth and diverse settlement patterns.
For emphasis, an alphanumeric postcode system is a postal indexing system that uses a combination of both letters (alpha) and numbers (numeric), along with spaces or punctuation, to identify specific geographic locations, streets, or individual buildings for mail delivery.
Unlike purely numeric postcode systems (such as the 5-digit US ZIP Code or 5-digit codes used in some European countries), alphanumeric codes offer a much higher number of unique combinations using fewer total characters. This flexibility allows postal authorities to pinpoint locations with incredible precision, often down to a single side of a street or a specific large building.
“On October 1st 2026 Nigeria’s new Alphanumeric Postcode System goes live,” Mr Tijani said.
“For the first time, every home will be assigned a unique postcode that’s simple, precise and built for a digital future,” he added.
The minister urged Nigerians to prepare to generate their individual postcodes ahead of the launch.
The new system is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital addressing infrastructure and improve the identification and location of homes and properties for postal and other location-based services.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s addressing and digital infrastructure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has been directed to give an account to Nigerians on how the current government has fared since its inception on May 29, 2023.
This directive was given by President Bola Tinubu in a message posted on his verified social media handles on Wednesday.
This coincides with the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates seeking to become the country’s president are eligible to kick off their campaigns from today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
In his message today, Mr Tinubu said, “When we began this journey of reform in 2023, I promised that the difficult decisions we were making would serve the purpose of building an economy that works better for you and a country that is stronger for our children.
“Today, your government presents The Reforms Scorecard. It sets out what our reforms have achieved, what they have cost us, and the greater costs and harms we have prevented by acting when we did.
“I have therefore directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to give an account to Nigerians, to explain the numbers, the choices we have made, the progress recorded, and the work that remains.
“You deserve to see the numbers. You deserve to know what has changed and what these reforms mean for you, your family, your business and our country.
“This is your government. This is your country. This is our account to you.”
Shortly after he took the oath of office over three years ago, President Tinubu declared that subsidies on petroleum products were gone. He later approved foreign exchange (FX) reforms, which devalued the Nigerian Naira, shooting from about N800 per Dollar to nearly N2,000 per Dollar. However, it is currently slightly above N1,340 per Dollar in the official market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) Limited are advancing discussions on the development of deepwater assets estimated to hold 500 million barrels of oil reserves.
The development followed a meeting between the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, and Agip’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja.
The talks focused on ongoing work on deepwater acreage jointly held by NNPC, NAE and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) as well as plans to bring the associated resources into production.
According to NNPC, the acreage comprises the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, with estimated reserves of about 500 million barrels.
The fields are located in Nigeria’s deepwater terrain and are considered significant to the country’s efforts to expand its upstream oil production base, particularly as operators seek to advance projects capable of delivering additional barrels over the medium to long term.
While details of the expected production timeline were not disclosed, the meeting underscores renewed industry focus on unlocking Nigeria’s deepwater resources and growing crude oil production.
The acreage comprises licences converted from OPL 245 and is operated by NAE in partnership with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo.
Mr Ojulari and Mr Pinna also reviewed the work currently underway on the assets and the expected production outlook, with the discussions centred on advancing deepwater development.
The engagement comes amid renewed efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s offshore petroleum resources and increase national oil production.
