It is hard to find any cheering news these days with the killings and wars being fought all over the world. And the needless controversy over a single flight of AirPeace when hundreds of other Airpeace flights are ferrying thousands of Nigerians safely to different parts of the world daily without any social media commendation. 

Meanwhile, the Creator of the Universe also takes great delight in the little things and small moments in people’s lives, largely unacknowledged and unappreciated. 

Earlier today, I took up Tito’s challenge. By the way, my son is now a big ‘man’ of 11. 

I put on my Green and White kit, dusted by soccer trainers, and returned to the football field for our second one-on-one football challenge in 3 days. 

For three decades I had left football alone. I don’t play the game anymore. I play tennis. 

My last serious football match was at the finals of the 1984 African Club Championship in Lagos. My team, Shooting Stars FC, lost that match, and I never played football at that level again. 

 Of late, Tito’s friends in school have been asking him questions about his Dad. They are all big boys now, and his father’s name rings a bell amongst them. They watch videos of him on the internet, disturb Tito about it, and arouse his own interest not only in football but in his famous father. 

To fill Tito’s appetite for information beyond the videos on the internet, he dares me to face him in a physical one-on-one game of football. I take him up on it. 

Three days ago, we had our first challenge. 

I struggled and tried to bridge the years of my inaction. I gave a fair account of myself, losing narrowly but gallantly by 11 goals to 8. Tito ‘flew’ all over the place, celebrating. 

Earlier today, we had the return-leg. 

This time, I was more prepared, determined to give him a dose of his own medicine.

For the 30 minutes that the game lasted I was not ashamed to put on display the full array of my forgotten skills and leg-overs. ‘Thunder’ Balogun and ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha would have been proud of me. The only things missing were the dazzling runs and deadly headers. 

Ok, the quick reaction also no longer exists, and the knees are now weak and wobbly. The ‘banana’ shots in my right foot have also disappeared. Only my knack for goal-scoring remains intact, and I capitalized. 

I leaned often on Tito’s smaller but growing frame, shielded the ball from him, ‘kicked’ him around the ankle a few times to show him who was boss, shoved him to the ground once, and scored 7 ‘great’ goals. 

At the end of the game, I raised my fist high, and gave Tito a ‘knuckle bump’ for putting up a good fight. I was happy that, once again, I ‘showed him pepper’. 

Unfortunately, the ‘bad’ news again today is that despite my gallantry and hard work, he scored 10 times against me. I lost by 10-7. 

Anyway, my consolation is that my football is on the way back, slowly but surely. 

I can’t wait for the next time to show Tito again who is ‘Oga’. I shall deal with that ‘Yeye Boy’ 

Dr. Olusegun Odegbami, MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS, GS Ambassador.

The North-East chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday officially endorsed the continuation of the Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing major achievements made under the current administration.

The endorsement came during the North-East APC Consultative Meeting held in Gombe, the state capital, where leading political figures, party stakeholders, and a wide array of supporters convened to reaffirm their loyalty and chart a course for the region’s political future.

Prominent among those present were Governors Babagana Umara Zulum (Borno), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), and Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), alongside the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje; Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori; and other senior party officials.

Delivering a keynote address, Governor Zulum praised the Tinubu-led administration’s performance since assuming office in 2023, pointing to achievements in health, education, women and youth empowerment, fiscal reforms, and national cohesion.

“This administration has shown that it is possible to lead with purpose, reform with courage, and unite with compassion. The North-East is solidly behind President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima because the results are visible,” Zulum declared.

He stressed that a renewed mandate in 2027 would consolidate the progress made under the “Renewed Hope” agenda, describing it as the most ambitious and inclusive national development plan in recent years.

Also speaking, Governor Buni said that the Tinubu/Shettima leadership has rekindled national confidence, especially in the North-East, where security, infrastructure, and youth engagement have markedly improved.

The party leaders called on Nigerians across regions to rally behind the APC, stating that continuity in governance is essential to building on current reforms and delivering a stable and prosperous Nigeria.

Reddit has launched two artificial intelligence-powered features to enhance advertising performance on its platform by tapping into user conversations on the platform.

The first feature, Reddit Insights powered by Community Intelligence, offers advertisers access to real-time trends and conversations across Reddit communities.

The tool allows marketers to test ad ideas, identify conversations, and shape messaging based on emerging topics.

According to Reddit, the tool offers real-time insights to marketers for planning campaigns by identifying trends on the platform and testing campaign ideas.

The second feature, called Conversation Summary Add-ons, enables brands to highlight positive user feedback underneath their ads. This addition will allow brands to showcase the favorable reception of their products or campaigns within the Reddit community.

Tech giants race to automate ads with AI 

Reddit is not alone in embracing artificial intelligence to reshape digital advertising. Meta has announced plans to fully automate ad creation and targeting on Facebook and Instagram by the end of 2026. The system will be capable of generating entire campaigns using product images and budgets, then optimizing them in real time based on user data.

TikTok is also scaling its Symphony AI ad suite, which enables brands to produce influencer-style videos using realistic AI avatars. This approach allows marketers to replicate creator-driven content at scale, making high-volume, personalized ad production more feasible.

Snapchat is also pushing forward with its own AI ad innovations. The app is currently piloting features like personalized ad templates, automated budget optimization, AR commerce tools, and dynamic ads tailored to user behavior.

What you should know 

Reddit’s ad tech investments appear to be paying off, with first-quarter revenue rising 61% to $392.4 million and profit per share beating expectations at 13 cents.

According to Reuters, the platform saw a 31% increase in daily active unique visitors, reaching 108.1 million, while its active advertiser base grew by over 50% year-on-year.

• The company filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Anthropic in California in June, accusing it of illegally scraping user comments to train its Claude chatbot. Reddit claims that Anthropic used automated bots to access the platform’s data without permission and trained its AI models using personal user information.
• Chief Legal Officer Ben Lee emphasized that, unlike Anthropic, Reddit has signed licensing agreements with companies like Google and OpenAI. These deals not only help fund Reddit’s business but also enable the platform to enforce important user protections—such as the right to delete content and safeguards against spam.

Lee stated that AI companies should not be allowed to scrape information and content from people without clear limitations on how they can use that data. Anthropic has denied the claims and says it will defend itself vigorously.

[Nairametrics]

Since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, the Nigerian economy has been placed under what looks like economic life support. His team has spoken of “bold reforms” and a long-overdue rescue mission. But as it stands today, there is a lingering, unavoidable question: “Is the economy slowly recuperating or still gasping for breath in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)?”

From Tinubu’s corner, the narrative is one of strategic surgery, cutting off the fuel subsidy tumor, realigning the foreign exchange market, expanding the tax base, and opening up to foreign investment. Supporters brand these reforms as painful but necessary for long-term economic healing. They argue that the government is setting up a new foundation and that stability, albeit slow, is on the horizon.

You will often hear members of the ruling APC tout recent naira appreciation, increased oil production, and foreign engagements as signs that Nigeria is “getting better.” According to them, these are early signs of economic stabilization. “This is the beginning of confidence returning to the market,” one APC stalwart claimed on national television.

But go beyond the podiums and press releases, into the marketplaces of Lagos, the roads of Warri, the schools of Aba, and the homes of pensioners in Kano, and a harsher truth emerges. For millions of Nigerians, the economy does not feel like it is recuperating. It feels like it is on life support, if not already flat lined.

Prices of food have continued to soar beyond reason. Transportation costs have doubled in many cities. Electricity is still epileptic. Job losses are mounting. The average Nigerian can no longer feed, fuel, or find footing. Talk to small business owners, civil servants, artisans, or retirees, and you will hear the same refrain: “Stabilization for who?”

As one trader in Ogba in Lagos bluntly puts it, “They say the economy is recovering. Maybe in Abuja. But for us here, we cannot even eat twice a day.” That is not recovery, it is survival.

What we are seeing is not just economic hardship, it is what economists have termed a “vibecession”, a situation where official data says things are getting better, but the people feel worse. According to global trends, vibecessions occur when the macroeconomic indicators (like GDP growth or forex stability) are disconnected from the public’s lived reality, rising prices, job insecurity, and general hopelessness.

Yes, inflation is a global concern. Yes, exchange rates needed fixing. Yes, subsidies were unsustainable. But reforms without cushioning measures are like sending patients into surgery without anesthesia. The pain is unbearable, and in Nigeria’s case, dangerously destabilizing.

Take Egypt and India as examples. Both countries removed fuel subsidies but coupled the move with well-structured cash transfers and targeted support programs. India reached over 160 million households with direct payments. Egypt expanded its Karama and Takaful programs to cover millions. The result? Protests were limited, and the public gradually bought into the reform.

In contrast, Nigeria’s approach has been lopsided. While implementing hard-hitting reforms, the government rolled out palliatives that were poorly designed, inconsistently distributed, and grossly inadequate. The so-called relief packages, bags of rice, token transfers, came late, missed the poorest, and in some cases, became political tools. Meanwhile, government spending on direct social protection remains below 2% of the 2024 budget. Compare that with over 45% spent on debt servicing, and you begin to see why the economy feels like it’s in the ICU, not recovery mode.

The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) paints a grim picture: 133 million Nigerians are considered multidimensionally poor. With rising food costs, declining job opportunities, and no clear safety nets, that number is likely climbing. Even the World Bank and IMF, both cautiously optimistic, have warned that without strong social investment, the so-called economic rebirth may collapse under public frustration.

To his credit, Tinubu’s Central Bank under Yemi Cardoso has taken steps to stabilize the naira, rebuild reserves, and rein in inflation. But the effects are yet to be felt on the streets. For now, stabilization remains a theory in conference rooms, not a reality in Nigerian homes.

Let’s call a spade a spade. The economy is not yet out of the ICU. Yes, some vital signs are improving, exchange rate stabilization, policy reforms, and external support, but without real social cushioning, the patient (Nigeria) is still bleeding.

In fact, it is fair to say that the country is now floating in a limbo, not yet healed, not yet dead, just drifting between economic coma and fragile stabilization. It is the kind of uncertainty that fuels distrust, disillusionment, and despair.

Public confidence is low, and history has made Nigerians wary. So even when Tinubu’s team means well, skepticism runs high. Nigerians have seen this script before, grand economic reforms that do not reach the masses. For many, the big question remains: “When will this economic turnaround become more than talk?” “When will Nigerians feel the change in their pockets, not just in press briefings?”

For now, the answer is not clear. What is clear is that time is running out. Patience is thinning. And the average Nigerian is tired of being told to “endure” while leaders promise a tomorrow that never seems to arrive.

So, is Tinubu’s economy still in ICU or just recuperating? In answering the foregoing question, it is not wrong to opine that it is both, as it is showing faint signs of recovery on paper, but still critically unstable across homes and markets. Until the reforms are matched with real, robust, and consistent social protection, jobs, food access, business support, and healthcare, the economy will remain suspended between the promise of reform and the pain of reality. In the meantime, Nigerians are waiting, some with hope, others with hunger.

Former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for deciding to visit Benue State after the recent killings carried out by suspected herdsmen.

Naija News reports that Tinubu had rescheduled his visit to Kaduna State to allow him visit Benue over the recent killings.

This following backlash from Nigerians, who had urged the president to visit the North-Central State and find a solution to the insecurity rocking the state.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, Peter Obi asked Tinubu to visit Niger State, which is grappling with the devastating effects of floods.

He pointed out that the presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting.

Peter Obi said: “It was refreshing news on Monday to a bewildered nation learning that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally decided to visit the scene of the brutal killings in Benue State. For this I thank him even as I make further request that similar gesture should be extended to Niger state that lost more number of human lives in a natural disaster, flood recently.

“Given the emergency nature of these incidents, a prompt visits would have delivered the urgency needed, instead of giving future dates that makes it look like a state visit.

“The presence of the President in these devastated and grieving communities will be very reassuring and uplifting.
Both Benue and Niger States have lost over 200 lives each due to recent tragedies. In Mokwa alone, more than 200 people were confirmed dead, and over 1,000 are still missing following the floods. These are not just statistics; they are the lives of Nigerian families torn apart and their communities destroyed.

“The distance from Abuja to these affected areas is not far. Abuja to Makurdi is about 282 km and Abuja to Mokwa is about 287 km

“Combined, that’s roughly 1,134 km for a round trip to both locations, still significantly less than the 1,870 km round trip President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa recently made some days ago from Pretoria to Mthatha to personally visit flood victims in his country.

“Less than 100 persons died in Mthatha, and more than 200 died in Mokwa, with over 1000 still missing.

“If the South African President could do it, we trust that you, as our own President, can do the same for your people.

“Let your visit to Mokwa send a strong message, that all Nigerian lives matter, and that no community, no matter how rural, is forgotten. Please also consider stepping up security across the country, especially in disaster-prone areas.

“We look forward to seeing not leadership by remote control but proactive leadership that responds not just with words, but with compassion and action.”

[NaijaNews]

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its former presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar have condemned the recent killings of Nigerians in Benue State.

While the PDP described the killing as another horrifying chapter in Nigeria’s history under the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, Atiku said the bloodshed cannot afford to continue.

In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologungaba, PDP said it was alarmed by reports of how terrorists and bandits invaded and overran communities in series of coordinated daily bloody attacks, unleashing violence, murdering hundreds of defenseless compatriots unchallenged, while the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led APC government remains largely unconcerned.

Ologunagba said it is clear that the assailants marauding communities in various States of the country are being emboldened by President Tinubu’s lethargic approach to security as well as the alleged complicity of the APC which has failed to decisively confront the situation given its reported connection with terrorist interests.

He said, “It is traumatic to watch the gory pictures and videos of Nigerians who were murdered in cold blood in Benue State and other parts of the country while President Tinubu and the APC carry on as if all is well.”

The opposition party claimed that President Tinubu should be held responsible for the killings in Nigeria because he has not  demonstrated the will and commitment expected of a Commander-in-Chief in the fight against terrorism in the country.

“Instead, he has remained largely aloof and resorted to passing the buck with his aides issuing lame press statements without corresponding urgent presidential action to guarantee the security of citizens.

“The obvious fact is that President Tinubu and the APC are overwhelmed and have abandoned the security and wellbeing of citizens which are the primary purpose of government. Instead, they are focused on politics and illusive re-election in 2027 while leaving the nation at the mercy of outlaws who have killed over 600,000 Nigerians in the last two years.”

The PDP however  charged President Tinubu to end his lethargic approach to security, adding that he  should show leadership as the Commander-in-Chief and lead from the front by immediately visiting the troubled communities in Benue State and take decisive action to end the killings in the country.

The PDP however commended security forces for their gallantry and sacrifices to secure the nation especially under an incompetent Commander-in-Chief.

The party also commiserated with the families of the victims of the killings in Benue State and other parts of the country and urged security agencies not to relent in their effort to ensure the security of lives and property in Nigeria.

On his part, Atiku said the bloodshed in Benue State has reached a devastating crescendo — a brutal and heart-wrenching reality that can no longer be ignored.

He lamented that for years, families have buried their loved ones in silence, villages have been ravaged, and communities shattered, while those in power watch from a distance, offering nothing but hollow assurances.

“How much more must the people of Benue endure before their humanity is acknowledged? Their demand is simple: to live in peace, to sleep without fear, to farm without being slaughtered, and to raise their children without the constant shadow of violence.

“When citizens take to the streets to protest this injustice, they are not inciting rebellion, they are crying for help. They are demanding what every Nigerian is constitutionally entitled to: the right to life and the protection of that life by the state. But what do they receive in return? Tear gas. Brutality. Disdain. It is pouring hot oil on an open wound.

“To unleash force on grieving, defenseless citizens is not governance, it is cruelty. It is a betrayal of the sacred duty of leadership. What kind of government meets a cry for safety with the barrel of a gun and a canister of gas?

He said the silence, the indifference and the lack of urgency is all damning, stressing that it speaks to a deeper rot in the conscience of leadership, a frightening normalisation of violence against the very people they swore to protect.

“This is a call to conscience to every leader at both the federal and state levels: stop turning a blind eye while Benue drowns in blood. Stop offering condolences and start offering solutions. Work with security agencies, deploy resources, and craft a security architecture that prioritizes human lives over political optics.

“Benue is not alone. From Plateau to Zamfara, Kaduna to Taraba; the cries are the same. Nigerians are bleeding and begging to be heard.

“We urge the people not to be silenced. Raise your voices. Demand accountability. Demand justice. Demand a government that sees you, hears you, and protects you.

“History will not be kind to those who chose power over people. The time to act is now,” he said.

[Leadership]

Centre for Human Resource and Development (CHRD) has condemned the near-absence of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in Northern Nigeria.

A statement signed by the coordinator of the centre, Kola Sami’u, and its secretary, Yusufu Garba, said the development is indicative of the lopsided distribution of the commodity in Nigeria.

The centre called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas to investigative the development and bring the situation under control.

The statement added the firms engaged by the Federal Government in the region have proven inefficient going by findings available to the centre.

The statement reads, “It is noticeable that the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG) was launched about a year ago.

“The Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unveiled the initiative as a strategic response to ease pressure on the demand for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) consumption following the removal of fuel subsidies and it received substantial government and private investments.

“The government said it is committed to converting 150,000 vehicles within the first year and will reach one million conversions by 2027. So far, the number of converted vehicles is estimated at fewer than 100,000. Apparently, the number of converted vehicles in the north compared to the south is abysmal. This is not unconnected with the near-absence of functional CNG centres in the north.

“But sadly, thorough investigations by this centre have shown that the private firms engaged by the federal government to convey CNG to the north are either not qualified or are ill-prepared to handle this humongous project.

“Currently, CNG is almost non-existence in nearly all the northern states including Kano, Kaduna, Kogi, Borno, Niger, etc. The CNG centres under construction in the north are taking too long to take up.

“Comparatively, other private firms engaged by the federal government to deliver Compressed Natural Gas in the south are handling the project. We can boastfully say that CNG is almost a success in the region.

“The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration has promised, since the removal of the fuel subsidies, to ease the tension thereof through the CNG initiative. The government also promised to ensure equitable distribution of resources to all the regions.

“Based on this, we unequivocally call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senate President, Sen. Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas to, as a matter of urgency, to investigative this menace as it is fast becoming bane to social development in the north.

“Failure to address this issue will further fling the region into a deeper economic crisis, thereby giving the government a bad name.

“Going by the challenges of the Presidential initiative on CNG in the north, we are demanding that the Federal Government revoke the project, sack the contractors and hand the project to efficient firms, capable of delivering on time.

“However, the Federal Government is targeting $1 billion (USD) in annual investments for compressed natural gas (CNG) conversion projects. Before expending this huge amount of money on the project that is arguably becoming a “white elephant” in the north, we urge the Federal Government to conduct a thorough assessment to avoid wastage and to align the region with its counterpart in respect of CNG distribution.”

On its website, the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi) stated that its conversion Center Establishment Program will start by setting up 10 pilot conversion workshops, and by 2027, its goal is to have 1,000 workshops in operation.

Pi-CNG is a component of the palliative intervention of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration directed at providing succor to the masses occasioned by the transitive hardships of the fuel subsidy removal policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

[DailyTrust]

Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, has condemned the recent killings in Benue State, describing them as a grave crime against humanity.

Ezeilo said the killing of over 200 people in the state by suspected Fulani herdsmen was a horrific and inhumane attack that must not go unpunished.
“This massacre must not go unpunished. We need to understand the root causes and ensure accountability,” she said.

Ezeilo described the tragic incident in Benue as a reflection of the escalating insecurity across the country.
According to her, the massacre underscores the failure of government to protect lives and property, adding that the right to life is sacrosanct and constitutionally guaranteed.
“It is intolerable that communities remain exposed and vulnerable while perpetrators of such atrocious crimes operate with apparent impunity,” Ezeilo stated.

Calling for immediate action, she urged the Federal and State Governments, as well as security agencies, to live up to their constitutional responsibilities by prioritising the safety of citizens.

She also demanded a thorough investigation into the attack and swift justice for the victims.
“Every Nigerian life matters. The government must act decisively and transparently to restore peace and rebuild trust in the system,” she said.

[DailyPost]