General
Youths Should be Passionate About Their Cause—Mr Macaroni
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The need for youths to be passionate about their cause to enable them to stay afloat in the face of debilitating challenges has been emphasised by an entertainer, Mr Debo Adebayo, otherwise known as Mr Macaroni.
Mr Macaroni, who is also an activist, gave this advice during the Winning with Social Media breakout session of the 2021 Youth Leadership Series (YLS) organised by Stanbic IBTC Holdings held on Thursday, April 8, 2021.
The actor was among the speakers invited to the virtual programme, which had youths from across Nigeria and various parts of the world including the UK, USA and UAE in attendance.
Mr Macaroni informed the audience that his passion and urge to succeed propelled him into the business of entertainment, adding that having realised he wanted more visibility; he invested in himself from his meagre resources.
At the webinar themed WINNING, another speaker, Ms Ifedayo Agoro, the founder of Diary of a Naija Girl (DANG), an online lifestyle website, revealed that the need to be heard and give women a voice made her leave a thriving career in the oil and gas industry and started her online community.
She noted that although she did well in her career, she was unhappy until she found fulfilment with DANG, adding that the first six months were not encouraging as many people didn’t really understand her vision, but she kept at it.
“Winning doesn’t only involve consistency, it also involves constantly adapting to change,” she told the participants, who keenly listened to her.
At the Winning with Entrepreneurship breakout session, the duo of Olumide Soyombo, co-founder, Bluechip Technologies and Tracy Batta, co-founder, Smoothie Express, addressed business strategic moves, that included the rudiments of nurturing businesses. The panellists shared their experiences and entrepreneurship journeys with the participants.
Soyombo alluded that it was common to encounter challenges and uncertainty with business start-ups and advised entrepreneurs to remain flexible and well adapted to the ever-changing business climate.
On Winning with Investments, Akin Bamidele Akintola, Head of Equity Sales, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers, emphasised the need to make adequate preparations for the future. He explained that it was better to save in investments such as stocks and mutual funds, as the economy was largely unpredictable.
The co-founder of Bamboo Invest, an investment platform that allows Nigerians to invest in United States stocks, Yanmo Omorogbe, said her major challenge was getting funding and investors before the pandemic.
She advised people to believe in themselves, improve pitching skills and be persistent. She also stated that when entering any investment business, it was important to know the regulators.
On the part of the CEO of Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Mr Demola Sogunle, “The Nigerian youth require support, guidance and empowerment to propel them to the pinnacle of their various fields.
“The innovative projects and tech disruptions championed by the youth in virtually every sector are proof of their ingenuity, skill, brilliance and resourcefulness.
“At Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, we believe in breaking boundaries, hence our tagline, IT CAN BE, which is hinged upon the premise that everything is possible as long as we are dedicated and put in the requisite effort to make it work.”
In his closing remarks, the CEO of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Wole Adeniyi, assured thousands of the participants at the event that Stanbic IBTC would continue to make productive investments in the lives of the younger generation, as well as providing the needed financial solutions that would help them achieve their dreams.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is investigating the reported fatal civilian casualties during airstrikes while pursuing Islamist militants around Jilli Market, around the Borno-Yobe border near Fuchimiram village in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.
In a statement on Sunday, the Director of Public Relations and Information for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said it “treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy.”
According to eye witnesses and local government official accounts, at least 200 people are feared dead after Nigerian military jets struck the village market.
“In line with this commitment, the CAS has directed an immediate activation of the Civilian Harm Accident and Investigation Cell (CHAI-Cell) to immediately proceed to the location on a fact-finding mission on the allegation,” the statement read.
NAF maintained that it remained “firmly committed to professionalism, accountability, and transparency in the conduct of its missions.”
In an earlier statement, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed mop-up air strikes in the Jilli axis, but did not state whether any civilian casualties were recorded.
“Coming amid intensified efforts to track and neutralise terrorist elements responsible for recent attacks on security forces within the wider theatre, the follow-on strikes were aimed at fleeing remnants and regrouping cells seeking to exploit the difficult terrain,” NAF said.
However, Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam, a military adviser to the Yobe state government, said, “Some people from Geidam LGA (local government area) bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state who went to the Jilli weekly market were affected.”
Several persons were feared killed and others wounded after the suspected accidental airstrikes at Jilli Market in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Jilli, a border community with Damasak in Borno State, is located over 200 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
Lawan Zanna Nur Geidam, the councillor and traditional head of Fuchimeram ward in Yobe’s Geidam district, told Reuters that those injured were being taken to hospitals in Yobe and Borno.
“It’s a very devastating incident at Jilli Market. As I’m speaking to you, over 200 people have lost their lives from the air strike at the market,” he told Reuters.
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By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has been tasked to ensure that an alleged missing N2.9 billion of public funds from the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) is accounted for.
In a statement on Sunday, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said the President must ask the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, to explain what happened to the money, as the two agencies are under his supervision.
The group said the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), should investigate the missing funds or any other diverted funds from the agencies documented in the previous annual reports by the Auditor-General.
According to the statement, the allegations were documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025.
SERAP argued that these allegations, involving critical public institutions, represent a grave violation of the public trust and a fundamental breach of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws and international obligations.
“We’ve urged President Bola Tinubu to direct @bosuntijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and the Management of both the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT) and the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) to account for and explain the whereabouts of the alleged missing or diverted N2.9 billion of public funds from NIGCOMSAT and NNRA.
“We also urged him to direct Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and anti-corruption agencies to investigate the alleged missing or diverted funds, and any other diverted public funds from the two agencies documented in previous annual reports by the Auditor-General,” the organisation said.
The rights group stressed that anyone found responsible should be prosecuted where sufficient admissible evidence exists, adding that any missing or diverted public funds must be fully recovered and returned to the treasury.
“Anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and any missing or diverted public funds should be fully recovered and remitted to the treasury,” the statement added.
“Accountability in NIGCOMSAT and NNRA is critical given their strategic roles in Nigeria’s digital economy and national safety systems. Mismanagement in these agencies not only wastes scarce public resources but also threatens national development, technological progress, and public safety,” it concluded.
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