The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has sharply criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, declaring that two years into his tenure, Nigerians have experienced widespread hardship and suffering without any tangible benefits.

In a comprehensive review of the administration’s performance, NLC President Joe Ajaero lamented what he described as a lack of meaningful progress since Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.

“President Tinubu came into office promising bold reforms to steer Nigeria toward economic recovery and prosperity. Yet, two years on, the only thing bold is the level of hardship inflicted on ordinary Nigerians by his policies,” Ajaero said.

Unfulfilled Promises, Worsening Realities

Ajaero criticised Tinubu’s economic agenda, accusing it of recycling discredited neoliberal policies that have historically failed to deliver results. He pointed to the abrupt removal of the petrol subsidy, which saw fuel prices soar from N187 to over N900 per litre, triggering inflation and further eroding the purchasing power of Nigerian workers.

“The subsidy removal was touted as a sacrifice for development. But instead of progress, Nigerians have seen nothing but food insecurity, shuttered businesses, and unbearable transport costs,” he said.

The union also condemned the government’s floating of the naira, which they argue has led to currency instability, increased the cost of imports, and devastated local industries.

“We’ve seen this pattern before—structural adjustments and austerity dressed up as reforms. The outcome is always the same: deeper poverty and greater inequality.”

Mounting Economic Hardship

According to the NLC, real wages have been severely diminished, pensioners are struggling, and over 150 million Nigerians are now classified as multi-dimensionally poor. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face input cost hikes of over 150%, while wage award arrears remain unpaid.

Although the Federal Government has rolled out compressed natural gas (CNG) buses as a palliative to ease transport burdens, Ajaero dismissed the measure as grossly inadequate and hindered by a lack of infrastructure.

Labour Intimidation and Lack of Dialogue

The NLC accused the Tinubu administration of replacing promised dialogue with labour unions with intimidation and repression.

“Rather than engage workers in genuine dialogue, this government responds with threats, violence, and the criminalisation of protests. Meanwhile, public officials continue to enjoy luxuries funded by the very people they ask to sacrifice.”

Security Crisis Overshadowing Economic Policy

The union also raised alarm over the worsening security situation, warning that the nation’s economic discourse is meaningless in the face of rising insecurity.

“Talking about economic policy while Nigerians are being kidnapped, robbed, and murdered daily is like arguing about interior design in a burning house. Safety and security must come first.”

The NLC lamented that insurgent groups, banditry, and violent crimes have continued to claim lives and destabilise communities, creating an environment that deters investment and undermines public trust.

A Call for Change

Concluding its appraisal, the NLC rejected what it described as “painful reforms without gain,” calling them nothing more than deliberate policies that deepen poverty while enriching a privileged few.“True reform must prioritise the welfare of citizens. Policies that serve foreign creditors, speculators, and the elite at the expense of the people are not reforms—they are betrayals. It’s time this government changed course and placed Nigerians at the heart of its agenda.”

The Nigerian stock market has demonstrated remarkable resilience with a sustained upward trajectory over two consecutive trading sessions, accumulating gains totaling N483 billion and pushing market capitalisation above N71 trillion for the first time.

Strong Performance Metrics

The market’s bullish momentum began on Tuesday when capitalisation increased by N259 billion (0.37%) to reach N70.894 trillion, followed by Wednesday’s additional N224 billion gain (0.32%) that elevated total market value to N71.118 trillion.

The All-Share Index (ASI) mirrored this positive trend, climbing 411.52 points on Tuesday to close at 112,427.48, then adding another 354.25 points on Wednesday to finish at 112,781.73 points.

Driving Forces Behind the Rally

The sustained growth has been primarily attributed to robust buying interest in medium and large-capitalised stocks across both trading sessions. Key performers included:

Tuesday’s Top Gainers:

- Honeywell Flour Mill: +10% to N22.00

- SCOA Nigeria: +10% to N5.39

- SFS Real Estate Investment Trust: +10% to N226.60

- Industrial & Medical Gases: +9.96% to N37.00

- International Energy Insurance: +9.82% to N1.79

Wednesday’s Leading Stocks:

- Oando: +10% to N51.70

- UH Real Estate Trust: +9.96% to N50.25

- Royal Exchange: +8.64% to N0.88

- Legend Internet: +7.27% to N5.90

- Lasaco Assurance: +6.67% to N3.20

Market Breadth Analysis

Both trading sessions recorded positive market breadth, indicating broad-based investor confidence:

- Tuesday: 36 gainers versus 32 losers

- Wednesday: 32 gainers against 21 losers

However, some stocks experienced significant declines. Tuesday’s major losers included Conoil (-10% to N268.30), Learn Africa (-9.98% to N3.88), and Transcorp Hotels (-9.97% to N132.80). Wednesday saw Nigerian Railway Corporation lead the decline with a 9.89% drop to N5.92.

Trading Activity Overview

Trading volumes remained robust across both sessions:

Tuesday Trading Data:

- Volume: 622.64 million shares

- Value: N16.12 billion

- Transactions: 17,044 deals

Wednesday Trading Activity:

- Volume: 611.53 million shares

- Value: N16.68 billion

- Transactions: 13,682 deals

Most Active Stocks

Fidelity Bank dominated trading activity on both days, leading Tuesday with 108.17 million shares worth N2.05 billion and Wednesday with 93.47 million shares valued at N1.78 billion. Other consistently active stocks included Guaranty Trust Holding Company, United Bank for Africa, and Access Corporation.

Market Outlook

The consecutive days of gains represent a significant boost for investor confidence in the Nigerian equity market. The sustained buying pressure across diverse sectors suggests growing optimism about corporate earnings potential and overall economic prospects.

The achievement of crossing the N71 trillion market capitalisation threshold marks a notable milestone for Nigeria’s capital market, reflecting both domestic and international investor appetite for Nigerian equities in the current market cycle.

The Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has issued a stern warning to disc jockeys (DJs) against playing music in public without proper licensing, stating that offenders risk a fine of up to ₦1 million or a five-year prison sentence.

In an advisory released on Wednesday in Abuja, John Asein, Director-General of the NCC, expressed concern over the increasing trend of DJs performing copyrighted music without obtaining the required permissions from approved Collective Management Organisations (CMOs).

Asein emphasized that under Sections 9 and 12 of the Copyright Act (2022), only the copyright owner of a musical work or sound recording has the exclusive right to reproduce, perform, or communicate it to the public. Unauthorized use constitutes an infringement, which could result in civil liability or criminal charges under Section 44(7) of the Act.

“Violators face a minimum fine of ₦1 million or a jail term of five years—or both—upon conviction,” he stated.

The NCC urged DJs to secure the necessary licenses and pay royalties through the approved CMO, the Musical Copyright Society Nigeria (MCSN). Asein noted that the Disc Jockey Association of Nigeria (DJAN) has already partnered with MCSN to streamline royalty payments for DJs nationwide under a negotiated tariff.

The commission warned that it would enforce the law rigorously, arresting and prosecuting any DJ found operating without proper authorization.

“The NCC will not tolerate copyright violations,” Asein said. “DJs must comply with licensing requirements to avoid legal consequences.”

President Donald Trump has enacted comprehensive travel restrictions affecting nationals from nearly two dozen countries, citing national security threats and inadequate information-sharing protocols.

The newly implemented measures completely ban entry for nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, while imposing partial restrictions on travelers from seven additional nations such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Laos.

The restrictions stem from Executive Order 14161, signed on January 20, 2025, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”, which directed national security agencies to conduct comprehensive risk assessments of various countries.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson defended the policy as necessary protection against inadequately vetted individuals. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” Jackson stated, describing the measures as “commonsense” responses to countries with insufficient screening capabilities.

The administration has identified several factors driving the restrictions: elevated terrorism risks, unstable or hostile governments, high rates of visa violations, and inadequate cooperation with U.S. security protocols. Afghanistan, for instance, faces particular scrutiny due to Taliban control and a nearly 30% student visa overstay rate.

In announcing the policy, Trump referenced recent security incidents to justify the restrictions. “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” he said in a video statement.

The president characterized his first-term travel policies as highly successful in preventing terrorist attacks on American soil, positioning these new restrictions as an extension of that approach. “We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump declared.

Countries subject to complete entry bans include those with limited governmental control over document security, state sponsors of terrorism, or territories under control of designated terrorist organizations. Nations facing partial restrictions typically involve concerns about visa overstay rates or incomplete cooperation with U.S. security requirements.

The implementation represents a significant expansion of travel restrictions compared to previous policies, affecting a broader range of countries and encompassing various categories of travelers. The administration has indicated that the measures will remain in place until affected countries demonstrate improved security cooperation and information-sharing capabilities.

Some truck drivers on Wednesday blocked the Ganaja-lokoja-Ajaokuta expressway in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State over the shooting of their colleagues – a truck driver and his mate.

The incident happened when security operatives keeping vigil on the highway allegedly shot the duo for refusing to stop for checking at their roadblock when flagged down.

However, no life was lost, as the victims were rushed to the hospital after gunshot wounds.

Angered, the truck drivers blocked the road from the Ganaja-lokoja-Ajaokuta junction at the flyover bridge in solidarity with their injured colleagues.

Until men of the military were deployed to the scene, the truck drivers stood their ground, refusing to remove their trucks from the highway.

The incident resulted into a gridlock which prevented commuters, motorists, and other road users, from going to their workplaces and offices.

Many civil servants reportedly trekked for hours to access their offices, even as many others were said to have returned home.

“I had to trekked from governor Idris Wada estate, about 7 kilometer to the place of my work. It was a nastic and frustrating experience.

“We thank the soldiers for their timely intervention, as they brought the situation under control towards noon of the day”, said Aliyu Dansabe, a civil servant.

When contacted, the kogi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, William Aya, said the situation is under control.

Daily Trust

US vetoes UN Security Council demand for Gaza ceasefire

The United States on Wednesday vetoed a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza and unhindered aid access across the war-torn enclave.

The other 14 countries on the council voted in favor of the draft as a humanitarian crisis grips the enclave of more than 2 million people, where famine looms and aid has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade last month.

"The United States has been clear: We would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza," Acting U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dorothy Shea told the council before the vote, arguing that it would also undermine U.S.-led efforts to broker a ceasefire.

Washington is Israel's biggest ally and arms supplier.

The Security Council vote came as Israel pushes ahead with an offensive in Gaza after ending a two-month truce in March. Gaza health authorities said Israeli strikes killed 45 people on Wednesday, while Israel said a soldier died in fighting.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward criticized the Israeli government's decisions to expand its military operations in Gaza and severely restrict humanitarian aid as "unjustifiable, disproportionate and counterproductive."

Israel has rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, saying Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told the council members who voted in favor of the draft: "You chose appeasement and submission. You chose a road that does not lead to peace. Only to more terror."

Hamas condemned the U.S. veto, describing it as showing "the U.S. administration's blind bias" towards Israel. The draft Security Council resolution had also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and others.

RIVAL AID OPERATIONS

The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Many of those killed or captured were civilians.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. They say civilians have borne the brunt of the attacks and that thousands more bodies have been lost under rubble.

Under global pressure, Israel allowed limited U.N.-led deliveries to resume on May 19. A week later a controversial new aid distribution system was launched by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the U.S. and Israel.

Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. Israel and the U.S. are urging the U.N. to work through the GHF, which is using private U.S. security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.

"No one wants to see Palestinian civilians in Gaza go hungry or thirsty," Shea told the Security Council, adding that the draft resolution did not "acknowledge the disastrous shortcomings of the prior method of aid delivery."

The U.N. and international aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral, militarizes aid and forces the displacement of Palestinians.

No aid was distributed by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Wednesday as it pressed the Israeli military to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its so-called secure distribution sites after a deadly incident on Tuesday.

The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks" near military positions, provide clearer civilian guidance and enhance training of soldiers on civilian safety.

'DELAYS AND DENIALS'

The GHF posted on Facebook that "ongoing maintenance work" would delay the opening of its distribution sites on Thursday. It said on Tuesday that it has so far distributed more than seven million meals since it started operations.

Despite U.S. and Israeli criticism of the U.N.-led Gaza aid operation, a U.S. ceasefire plan proposes the delivery of aid by the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels. Israel has agreed to the ceasefire plan but Hamas is seeking changes that the U.S. has rejected as "totally unacceptable."

Ahead of the U.N. Security Council vote, U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher again appealed for the U.N. and aid groups to be allowed to assist people in Gaza, stressing that they have a plan, supplies and experience.

"Open the crossings – all of them. Let in lifesaving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in. Ensure our convoys aren’t held up by delays and denials," Fletcher said in a statement.

The U.N. has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone.

"Enough of suffering of civilians. Enough of food being used as a weapon. Enough is enough is enough," Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told the Security Council.

A similar humanitarian-focused draft resolution is now expected to be put to a vote in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where no countries have a veto power and it would likely pass, diplomats said.

Danon warned: "Don't waste more of your time, because no resolution, no vote, no moral failure, will stand in our way."

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev regime ‘not interested in peace,’ turning to terror, suffering ‘huge losses’ on battlefield: Key points from Putin’s speech

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine’s leadership of carrying out terrorist attacks on Russian territory in order to derail peace efforts, which he said threaten the Kiev regime’s grip on power.

Speaking at a government meeting on Wednesday, Putin said the recent sabotage of railway infrastructure in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk Regions was a deliberate strike on civilians intended to disrupt the negotiations.
Kiev’s backers have become “accomplices to terrorists”

Putin said the attacks were the result of decisions made by Ukraine’s top political leadership, calling them “undoubtedly a terrorist act.”

“This only confirms our concern that the already illegitimate regime in Kiev, which once seized power, is gradually turning into a terrorist organization, and its sponsors are becoming accomplices to terrorists,” he said.

The two incidents occurred on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. In Bryansk Region, a bridge collapsed in front of a moving passenger train. In Kursk Region, a freight train derailed when a railway bridge gave way. In total, seven people died and over 120 were injured.

“Under all international norms, such actions are called terrorism,”Putin said.
Ukraine’s battlefield losses 

The Russian president accused Kiev and its Western backers of previously aiming to inflict a strategic defeat of Russia on the battlefield. Now, he said, the country’s leadership is shifting tactics amid mounting losses and as Ukrainian forces retreat along the front line.

“Today, amid heavy losses and retreating along the entire line of contact, the Kiev leadership has turned to organizing terrorist acts in an attempt to intimidate Russia,” Putin said.

He questioned the competence of Ukraine’s leadership, under whose orders the Ukrainian armed forces have suffered “senseless and enormous losses” – including during their now-repulsed incursion in Kursk Region – and continue to face defeat on the battlefield.

“What kind of authority can the leaders of a thoroughly rotten and completely corrupt regime possess?” Putin added.

Deliberate strikes to disrupt talks

Putin called Kiev’s railway sabotage an “intentional strike on the [Russian] civilian population.” 

He said the “crimes” committed against Russian civilians – including women and children – were timed to disrupt the peace process.

Both attacks came shortly before the second round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul and amid a surge in Kiev’s drone raids into Russia, which Moscow says are aimed at derailing attempts to reach a settlement in the conflict.

Speaking about Kiev’s apparent attempts to undermine the peace efforts, Putin noted that Ukrainian officials simultaneously requested a ceasefire lasting 30 to 60 days, along with a top-level meeting.

“But how can such meetings be held under these conditions?” he said. “What is there to talk about? Who conducts negotiations with those who rely on terror – with terrorists?” 

He warned that any pause would only allow the Ukrainian forces to regroup, receive more Western arms, and prepare for renewed hostilities.
Kiev regime not interested in peace 

Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Russia’s proposals for a short-term ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, Putin said.

“It does not surprise us and only convinces us further that today’s Kiev regime does not want peace at all,” he stated. “For them, peace most likely means a loss of power.” 

Putin emphasized that “power, for the [Kiev] regime, is apparently more important than peace, more important than human lives.” 
Kiev’s lack of political culture 

Putin also accused the Ukrainian leadership of lacking basic political culture, pointing to recent public remarks. This week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky referred to Russia’s negotiators as “idiots” after Moscow proposed a brief truce to recover fallen soldiers’ bodies.

“Apparently, we are dealing with people who not only have no real competence in anything but also lack even a basic political culture if they allow themselves to make certain statements – including direct insults – against those they claim to want to negotiate with,”Putin said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine hit fewer Russian planes than it estimated, US officials say

The United States assesses that Ukraine's drone attack over the weekend hit as many as 20 Russian warplanes, destroying around 10 of them, two U.S. officials told Reuters, a figure that is about half the number estimated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Still, the U.S. officials described the attack as highly significant, with one of them cautioning that it could drive Moscow to a far more severe negotiating position in the U.S.-brokered talks to end more than three years of war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump in a telephone conversation on Wednesday that Moscow would have to respond to attack, Trump said in a social media post.

Trump added it "was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace."

Ukraine says it targeted four air bases across Russia using 117 unmanned aerial vehicles launched from containers close to the targets, in an operation codenamed "Spider's Web."

It released footage on Wednesday showing its drones striking Russian strategic bombers and landing on the dome antennas of two A-50 military spy planes, of which there are only a handful in Russia's fleet.

The two U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, estimated the Ukrainian strikes destroyed around 10 and hit up to 20 warplanes in total.

That estimate is far lower than the one Zelenskiy offered to reporters in Kyiv earlier on Wednesday. He said half of the 41 Russian aircraft struck were too damaged to be repaired.

Reuters could not independently verify the numbers from Kyiv or the United States.

Russia, which prioritizes its nuclear forces as a deterrent to the United States and NATO, urged the United States and Britain on Wednesday to restrain Kyiv after the attacks. Russia and the United States together hold about 88% of all nuclear weapons.

The United States says it was not given any notice by Kyiv ahead of the attack.

The war in Ukraine is intensifying despite nearly four months of efforts by Trump, who says he wants peace after the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Russian and Ukrainian embassies also did not immediately reply.

ESCALATION RISK

Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, said the damage to Russia caused by the operation amounted to $7 billion, and 34% of the strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia's main airfields were hit.

Commercial satellite imagery taken after the Ukrainian drone attack shows what experts told Reuters appear to be damaged Russian Tu-95 heavy bombers and Tu-22 Backfires, long-range, supersonic strategic bombers that Russia has used to launch missile strikes against Ukraine.

Russia's Defence Ministry has acknowledged that Ukraine targeted airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions and were repelled in the last three locations. It has also said several aircraft caught fire in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions.

The attack has bolstered Ukrainian morale after months of unrelenting Russian battlefield pressure and numerous powerful missile and drone strikes by Moscow's forces.

It also demonstrated that Kyiv, even as it struggles to halt invading Russian forces, can surprise Moscow deep inside its own territory with attacks up to 4,300 km (2,670 miles) from the front lines.

Influential Russian military bloggers have accused Russian authorities, especially the aerospace command, of negligence and complacency for allowing the nuclear-capable bombers to be targeted.

Trump's Ukraine envoy said the risk of escalation from the war in Ukraine was "going way up," particularly since Kyiv had struck one leg of Russia's "nuclear triad," or weapons on land, in the air and at sea.

"In the national security space, when you attack an opponent's part of their national survival system, which is their triad, the nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don't know what the other side is going to do," Trump's envoy, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News on Tuesday.

RT/Reuters

If an alien is captured in a Hollywood film, the state imprisons it to weaponise its capabilities. Nollywood does not make alien films, but our cinematic representations of contact with non-human forces regularly reflect an individual seeking money. That was how I concluded that if we ever capture an alien in this part of the world, our immediate course of action will be to make it vomit cash. Nothing detains our imagination, absorbs our attention, and conditions our relationship with our humans and non-human beings like money. We fantasise about wealth so much that our popular culture is chock-full of stories of men with magical powers conjuring cash into existence through mystical rituals. The trouble with a society like ours is that the fiction does not merely play out on the magical tube of the television; it also erupts in reality.

The latest sensational case of money ritual homicide is that of an Enugu-based “native doctor”, Obi Obieze, caught with a 13-year-old he would have sacrificed for his schemes.  What I find rather frustrating about the conversations that attended the man’s arrest were the claims that ritual murder is a violation of the tenets by which “native doctors” are expected to abide, rather than a wholesale debunking of the idea that anyone has the power to make money through such means. It did not help that Obieze’s status as a “native doctor” also fits into the existing belief that practitioners of what we call “traditional religions” have the spiritual expertise to carry out magic such as money rituals (which is why even the practitioners of our Abrahamic religions secretly consult them).

The belief is so powerful that it sustains institutional bias against indigenous religions. Every informed person in Nigeria is aware that those who have been arrested for various atrocities include Christians and Muslims, but it is those of the indigenous religious traditions who bear most of the brunt. For instance, Anambra Governor Charles Soludo has been waging a war against the native doctors suspected of empowering dissident elements in the state by destroying their shrines. Time and space will not permit me to elaborate to Soludo that in the 20th century, the British colonial government also embarked on similar demolitions in Igboland, only to find that their clampdown on shrines counterproductively invigorated the people’s beliefs in their power.

The more we have antagonised our indigenous religions, the stronger the belief in them as repositories of mystical power has grown. There is a generation of people—including charismatic religious movements, charlatans, and a whole lot of other superstitious folks—hell-bent on sustaining beliefs in the magical power wielded by priests of indigenous religions. Their motives are not entirely driven by historical nostalgia nor by the idea that these practices offer ethical guidance for living, but simply because they cannot live without the notion that no god exists anywhere to make money appear from nowhere. That, for me, is where the problem with our cultural attitudes toward our indigenous religions lies. People are more invested in the magical possibilities that these belief systems can purportedly make happen than in the ethical values their meanings carry.

Some years ago, I was at a religious conference in Nigeria where a group of academics presented their research on why people are leaving Christianity and Islam and opting for indigenous religions. It turns out that almost everyone had converted because they were looking for a God that answers by fire, not because they wanted a religion that nudges them to higher values or morals. It is almost as if a magical transformation is the only reason our people seek God. Even our cultural industry does not help the issues. Hardly does Nollywood reflect indigenous belief systems as a source of values and meanings that can reform our social ethics. No, our Gods in our cinema are almost always a caricature.

To restate what I have repeatedly said in this column, there is no money ritual anywhere that works. No magical (or miracle) expertise anywhere in the world can make cash come out of nothing. What is called a money ritual is mostly a manipulation of credulity. After reading virtually every interview of those arrested for money rituals and the confession statement of the ritualists in documented police reports, I reasonably arrived at the conclusion that those arrested are split into two groups: people who knowingly deceive others, and the sincerely stupid people with a flimsy understanding of the modern monetary system. Those of the former category do not expect anything to happen and merely deceive with gimmickry. The latter, on the other hand, genuinely believes the magic is possible and therefore experiments with human lives. These are the ones who admit to trying out the rituals after learning about them. While no cash appears, they still make some money through sales of human body parts and that increases their motivation to keep trying. None of them has any record of testimonies of prior success, and they are usually men whose poverty is indelibly etched onto their appearance.  They all look like their hearts would stop beating if they were ever handed a cash sum of one million in any currency. As stupid as they are, they are also the foot soldiers of a surreptitious economy of organ harvesting who hide their dealings in human body parts under the amorphous umbrella of “money rituals”.

Here is where their shoddy understanding of the modern monetary system betrays them: the cash they want to conjure is an invention of modernity and therefore relatively recent. The spirits that will materialise have supposedly existed before the existence of the legal tender and should be too timeless to be involved in producing something as vulgar as money. In any case, now that the concept of money in the contemporary economy is evolving into more abstract forms due to digital technology, are those spirits also transitioning to a cashless economy, or are they still stuck on paper money?

 Our fore-parents, who originated the idioms of “money rituals”, were not speaking in the same literal language as the present-day “native doctors” who seek to replicate the magic. Their understanding of money rituals by our ancestors was borne of their observation of an emerging colonial modern economy (the slave trade, in particular), where—unlike the agrarian ones they knew intimately—offered the possibility of wealth without obvious work. Some of the contemporary “native doctors” who sacrifice a living human in their money rituals are either confused pretenders or psychopaths whose sickness has not yet been named.

Obieze, who was busted after a search team for a 13-year-old found her entombed in a sewage pit within an unfinished building used as a shrine, was obviously manipulating his clients’ psyche ink about it, knowing that a charm was produced for you from the blood of an innocent soul will do two things to any human: either drive them crazy or sear the conscience. If the latter happens, one is emboldened to the point of the daredevilry that separates great men from their ordinary counterparts. The effect of such magic is not so much supernatural as it is psychological. If you can live with yourself after taking a life, it also means you can engage in any unconscionable action for money. Your chances of making it increase, even if only marginally. And that is what the ruse of human sacrifice in money rituals is all about, not physical cash materialising out of thin air.

Punch

Frans Van Loef

What does it mean to be a manager? In today’s world, managers need to wear many hats. They have to be a mentor, mediator, communicator, coach, and numerous other roles simultaneously. But at its core, management is about matchmaking. You need to map the talents of your team to the needs of your business. That means making the most of your team’s combined talents and unlocking the diversity in your team.

Unfortunately, as managers struggle with limited time and resources, they overlook this critical component. All too often, managers end up assigning tasks on autopilot, matching business challenges to job titles rather than thinking creatively about how to leverage people’s hidden talents or offer growth opportunities.

The shift to hybrid and remote work has also reduced opportunities for the spontaneous discovery of people’s hidden talents. This can end up shrouding people’s true strengths. Collaboration and engagement can also suffer.

Fortunately, unlocking your team’s strengths doesn’t need to be time-consuming. Over the past three years, I’ve helped dozens of teams unlock talents they didn’t even know they had—and match those talents to the most pressing challenges they faced—through this simple, three-step exercise:

STEP 1: SELF-REFLECTION

Gather your team together—ideally in person—and ask everyone to write down their talents and strengths on a flip chart. Emphasize that this isn’t a competition to see who can list the most strengths, but rather about identifying the talents that people might take for granted or struggle to recognize in themselves.

Sometimes, we’re so used to our strengths that we don’t even notice them. Encourage them to think about what they find easy to do, or what people come to them for. This short 15-minute period of self-reflection lays the foundation for using the hidden talents for the benefit of the team.

STEP 2: TEAM INPUT

Next, go around the room and ask each person to read their strengths aloud. Resist the urge to discuss or critique the strengths each team member identifies. Simply ask the rest of the team, “What talent or strength do you see in this person that they didn’t mention themselves?”, and have the person write each additional talent on their list. And before moving over to your next team member, ask the team, what’s the number-one strength of this colleague that at this moment we should use much more as a team?

As you go around the room, each person will be surprised by the strengths their team sees in them. As their manager, you’re likely to be surprised as well at the number of hidden, untapped talents that may surface.

This step is often particularly powerful for more introverted or less confident employees, who might generally be more hesitant to talk about their strengths. I’ve found that while teams always have something to add for everyone, it’s often the quieter members who receive the most additions from their colleagues. The step uncovers underutilized talents and lays the groundwork for deeper appreciation and trust within the team.

STEP 3: MATCH STRENGTHS TO CHALLENGES

The final step is to connect the strengths they’ve revealed to the challenges your team currently faces. For example, I worked with a biotech company that struggled to collaborate with another department. The team had identified that Georgina was highly collaborative, and so she became the natural choice to lead cross-functional projects. Paul’s talent, on the other hand, was structuring information that could be used to address the challenge of distilling insights from complex data. And Tim’s talent for visual storytelling could help address challenges in communicating with investors and other stakeholders.

In this way, teams can collaboratively move beyond asking, “Whose job is this?” Instead, they can ask, “What talent could help us address this challenge?” It dynamically redefines roles, making full use of often overlooked talents such as:

• Spotting talent: The ability to recognize potential in oneself and others.
• Offloading: Knowing which initiatives or activities they need to stop (or simplify).
• Finishing: The drive to see projects through to completion.

These are not always the talents you see on a résumé. But when you face a challenge, knowing the specific strengths that each team member possesses can be extremely helpful.

MAKE YOUR MATCHES STICK

By design, this 90–120 minute exercise is short and simple. However, to drive lasting impact, it’s important to ensure that your team members continue to have opportunities to flex their talents.  

For example, Michael often clashed with senior leader Frank over project approaches, stalling progress. The team recognized that Anna, who excelled in stakeholder management, could bridge the gap. Anna began mentoring Michael, helping him engage Frank’s input early in the process instead of letting conflicts fester. Michael’s projects then moved faster. Both Michael and Frank came to appreciate Anna’s mentorship, and she continued to assist the team with similar stakeholder challenges.

Embedding this practice into your management style can be as simple as revisiting the exercise during weekly stand-ups, monthly team meetings, or even as part of onboarding new employees. The key is to commit to ongoing self-reflection and feedback. Regularly measure progress, share successful matches, and be willing to adjust the approach as your team evolves.

Being an effective manager today means stepping back from the daily firefight to invest in your people. When you act as a talent matchmaker, connecting individual strengths and organizational challenges, you unlock a powerful resource that drives both team performance and engagement.

Fast Company

Nigeria's defence chief on Tuesday called for the country's borders with its four neighbours to be completely fenced to curb the entrance of armed groups amid escalating insecurity.

Nigeria's military has been strained by widespread security issues, particularly a 16-year insurgency in the northeast led by Islamist militant group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province. Security forces and civilians have been attacked and killed and tens of thousands of people have been displaced.

Defence Chief of Staff, General Christopher Musa, who spoke at a security conference in the capital Abuja, said "border management is very critical," citing Pakistan's 1,350 km (839 miles) fence with Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia's 1,400 km barrier with Iraq as successful precedents.

This is the first time a top Nigerian official has publicly suggested such a measure.

"Other countries, because of the level of insecurity they have, had to fence their borders," he said.

Nigeria borders Niger Republic, Cameroon, Benin, and Chad, which are all grappling with escalating militant campaigns across the Sahel.

Nigerian authorities often attribute its prolonged insurgency, including recent attacks on military stations, to foreign fighter infiltration.

Nigeria's longest border (1,975 km) is with Cameroon in the northeast, a Boko Haram hotspot. It also shares 1,500 km with Niger and 85 km with Chad, nations that have lost territory to armed groups.

Musa warned Nigeria's perceived wealth makes it a target.

"It is Nigeria that everybody is interested in. That is why we need to secure fully and take control of our borders," he said. "It is critical for our survival and sovereignty."

Reuters