The Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) has expressed its condolences to its immediate past president and the publisher of Realnews, Ms. Maureen Chigbo, on the death of her sister, Barrister Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo.
Barrister Chigbo was murdered by kidnappers in Abuja on January 5, 2026.
The Guild, in a condolence letter signed by its President. Mr. Danlami Nmodu, and the General Secretary, Mr. Sufuyan Ojeifo, expressed profound sadness over the passing of Barrister Chigbo.
The late Princess Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo
The leadership of GOCOP recalled how the late lawyer diligently provided legal services to the Guild, even as it commended her dedication to the legal profession and her commitment to justice.
The letter reads in part: “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we, the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), learned of the tragic death of your beloved sister, Barrister Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo. Her brutal murder by kidnappers in Abuja on January 5, 2026, has left us all shattered and deeply disturbed.
“We can only imagine the immense pain and grief that you and your family must be going through in this unimaginably difficult time. The loss of a loved one is never easy, but to have it happen in such a violent and unexpected manner makes it even more unbearable. We want you to know that we stand with you in solidarity and share your sorrow.
“Barrister Nwamaka Mediatrix Chigbo was not just a sister, a daughter, or a friend; she was a shining example of dedication, passion, and commitment to her craft. Her legacy as a legal professional will undoubtedly continue to inspire and motivate those who knew her. We remember her for her strength, her resilience, and her unwavering commitment to justice.
“As a community of online publishers, we are deeply affected by the loss of this remarkable individual who was very close to us and offered tremendous services to the Guild when we needed her professional guidance.
“We understand the value of life, the importance of family, and the impact that one person can have on the lives of others. We want you to know that your sister’s memory will be cherished and honoured by all of us at GOCOP”, the letter further read.”
The Guild also expressed its condolences to the entire Chigbo family, the Nigerian Bar Association, FCT branch, as well as the associates and friends of Barrister Chigbo.
When 32-year-old Grace Choji, who lives in Mpape, a satellite town in the FCT, swallowed her antiretroviral medication, she whispered a quiet prayer that the pills would still be available next month.
Choji, a front desk officer at a reputable real estate firm, has lived with HIV for 11 years.
She has a toddler, a job she loves, and carefully nurtured dreams of a stable future.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate
“I do not sleep well anymore. If the free treatment ends, I do not know how I will survive, or what will happen to my child,” she said.
Choji is one of an estimated 1.8 million Nigerians living with HIV, alongside hundreds of thousands battling tuberculosis and millions affected by malaria.
Their survival depends on medicines, preventive tools and health systems that have relied heavily on international donor support for more than two decades.
However, in 2025, that long-standing certainty is under threat.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, has warned that the country must begin to finance a far greater share of its HIV, tuberculosis and malaria response as donor funding declines.
Speaking at a House of Representatives investigative hearing into more than $4.6 billion in Global Fund and USAID grants received between 2021 and 2025, Pate said the probe was “a welcome step towards transparency, accountability and domestic ownership”.
“Donor funding has saved millions of lives, but underfunding threatens sustainability,” he cautioned, noting that Nigeria’s health spending still falls below the 15 per cent target set by the Abuja Declaration.
Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, said lawmakers were determined to strengthen accountability, stressing that in spite massive investments, many Nigerians continue to suffer devastating health outcomes.
The motion to investigate the utilisation of donor funds was moved by Philip Agbese (APC, Benue), who warned that Nigeria remains among the world’s highest-burden countries for HIV, TB and malaria, despite billions of dollars in external assistance.
For Yahata Musa, a 46-year-old truck driver from Lugbe, another FCT suburb, the danger is already uncomfortably close.
Musa is undergoing treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB); a more complex and costly form of the disease that requires stronger medication and longer treatment periods.
“They told me my TB did not respond to the first medicine. Now the treatment is longer and harder. If the drugs stop coming, what happens to people like me?” he asked.
A clinician at the National Hospital, Abuja, who requested anonymity, said DR-TB cases were becoming “a very real clinical and financial threat”.
“These medicines are lifesaving, but they are also extremely expensive. Without donor support, most patients simply cannot afford treatment,” she said.
Public health economist, Chinyere Okafor, also expressed concern.
“Funding shocks do not merely pause services; they reverse progress.
“They increase deaths, fuel drug resistance and raise future costs. Communities feel the impact first,” she said.
Against this backdrop, civil society organisations are attempting to strengthen accountability from the grassroots.
The Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) is expanding Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) under the Global Fund’s GC7 grant.
ACOMIN’s National Coordinator, Ayo Ipinmoye, said the initiative has already delivered measurable results.
These include advocacy that led to the procurement of N190 million worth of hospital equipment in Jigawa through the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the restoration of services in several primary healthcare centres, and improved TB and HIV testing in Taraba.
“Community monitoring brings real-time evidence from the grassroots directly into policy conversations.
“We want this model scaled nationwide and integrated into pandemic preparedness efforts,” Ipinmoye said.
Currently, the intervention spans 13 states, working with 260 community-based organisations and 780 trained volunteers.
Meanwhile, the Global Fund is investing nearly $1 billion in Nigeria between 2024 and 2026 to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, strengthen health systems and improve pandemic preparedness.
The funding prioritises vulnerable groups, including women, children, pregnant women and key populations, while supporting treatment, service delivery, the distribution of insecticide-treated nets and stigma reduction.
HIV programmes focus on adults, children and key populations, with the aim of ending AIDS by 2030.
Tuberculosis interventions prioritise early detection, effective treatment and stigma reduction, while malaria efforts include the large-scale distribution of insecticide-treated nets and data-driven campaigns in states such as Delta and Adamawa.
In addition, health system strengthening initiatives target infrastructure, supply chains and the efficient use of resources, while pandemic preparedness programmes aim to build resilience against future health emergencies.
In February 2024, Nigeria received nearly $993 million in Cycle 7 grants; its largest single allocation from the Global Fund, part of more than $4.8 billion the country has received since the partnership began.
Collaboration with organisations such as FHI 360 and PharmAccess, aligned with PEPFAR, supports integrated service delivery nationwide.
Nevertheless, lawmakers are now demanding clarity on how these funds have been utilised and whether outcomes justify the scale of investment.
Agbese cited sobering data, noting that 51,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded in Nigeria in 2023.
He added that the country ranks first in Africa for tuberculosis burden and accounts for 26.6 per cent of global malaria cases.
Without improved coordination and transparency, he warned, Nigeria risks missing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals targets to end the three epidemics.
The House Committee on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria has been mandated to report its findings within four weeks.
Amid rising concern, Nigeria and the United States recently signed a $5-billion health sector Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signalling a strategic pivot towards partnership and domestic responsibility.
Under the agreement, the United States will provide nearly $2 billion in grants between 2026 and 2030, while Nigeria has committed to increasing health spending to at least six per cent of federal and state budgets.
Over time, US-funded commodities will transition to full Nigerian financing by 2030, alongside investments in health data systems, workforce capacity and laboratory networks.
The MoU aligns with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) launched under President Bola Tinubu, marking a gradual shift from donor dependence towards self-reliance.
Still, stakeholders caution that stigma, poverty, insecurity, workforce shortages and commodity stock-outs continue to shape daily survival.
Key populations face persistent discrimination, rural patients struggle with transport costs, flood-related malaria outbreaks threaten children, and drug resistance looms.
Ultimately, Alash’le Abimiku, Executive Director of the International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE), stressed that Nigeria must increase predictable domestic funding; not just in words, but through executed budgets.
She added that transparency must extend beyond hearings, with parliamentary oversight enforcing genuine accountability, while communities remain central to the response.
“They are the first to feel system failures, and the strongest agents of change,” she said.
Meanwhile, Pate insisted that Nigeria will not abandon donor partnerships but must take ownership of its future.
For millions of Nigerians living with HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, 2025 must not be the year the system falters.
For them, the line between life and fear is measured in pills, tests, nets and trust.
As Nigeria moves towards self-reliance, one truth is clear: health security is not charity; it is survival.
Consider the classic negotiation parable of two business owners fighting over a shipment of oranges; without understanding their interdependence, they engage in a bidding war. One pays excessively; the other gets nothing. Dialogue could have revealed that one needed the juice, while the other needed the peel for zest. Jointly purchasing the shipment would have met both needs at a lower cost.
This enduring illustration captures a recurring systems failure: as actors perform in silos, competition replaces coordination, shared value is destroyed rather than created, and inefficiencies become normalised.
As Robert Axelrod of game theory observes, “In the long game, cooperative strategies statistically outperform aggression”. Yet, despite its simplicity, this knowledge remains strikingly absent in the engineering of complex systems, including Nigeria’s food and agriculture system.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari
At the centre of Nigeria’s food and agriculture system lies a truth we often overlook: systems are people. Usually, when we visualise the food system, we picture crops, livestock, machinery, distribution trucks, and perhaps the solitary figure of a farmer in a hat holding a cob of maize. Yet every node rests on people and functions through people: breeders, farmers, aggregators, processors, machine operators, researchers, state and federal MDAs, financiers, community leaders, transporters, technologists, and the countless informal actors who operate far from project documents but close to the realities of food.
This is why the food system cannot be easily transformed by adjusting a single technical component. Systems resist single-entry solutions. Still, there are Minimum Viable Solutions (MVS), practical levers that set a system up for real transformation. Coordination is a critical MVS in the food system, and this sociological side of transformation is the missing piece. For years, we have invested heavily in inputs, infrastructure, and technology, yet we see limited returns.
Why? Because we have not invested nearly enough in the relational work that allows these investments to land softly. The cost of this gap is measurable: whether we look at food inflation rates climbing past 35%, the recurring farmer–herder tensions, or the 40% of produce lost to post-harvest handling, one theme recurs: coordination gaps carry a high economic price tag.
“Soft” capabilities such as communication, conflict mediation, transparency, and accountability through structured dialogue must be treated as core agricultural skills. Coordination must happen vertically, horizontally, and diametrically; it is the connective tissue that aligns investment priorities and implementing actors with government direction, and private-sector incentives with societal norms. For instance, an improved seed variety succeeds only when researchers coordinate with local producers and producers with market demand (clients and customers). When this alignment holds, innovation becomes both desired and affordable.
The question is no longer “why”, but “how” we will build this resilient relational infrastructure, and the following are three practical steps essential as we formalise dialogue channels across the food system.
For vertical coordination, policies often fail because they are designed in isolation. We need mandatory “Reality Check” Policy Labs, not token meetings, but structured sessions where senior policy influencers across all relevant MDAs meet grassroots producers and local processors before launching major initiatives to confirm practical fit, for instance, that loan terms match the crop harvest cycle. We must also re-imagine the role of the Agricultural Extension Agent (AEA). Rather than simply pushing technical advice downward, they must become Policy Translators.
We need to empower them to become Policy Translators. They need communication training to simplify regulations for communities and, in upward reporting, to convey ground-level realities, like a breakdown in the seed supply chain or a local resource need, to policymakers. This closes the gap between the field and the central capital, producing policies that impact.
For horizontal coordination, we must reduce friction and amplify impact across the ecosystem. Beyond commercial interactions, institutional coordination is crucial. Multilateral agencies and donors must establish “Alignment For a” that move beyond mere information sharing towards jointly defining priorities, eliminating duplicated funding, and enabling a deeper focus on real problem areas. At the grassroots, communal and cluster platforms must be supported to self-organise, manage dissent, and strengthen collective agency. Commodity-specific roundtables and market associations, when coordinated, can influence trade contracts, quality standards, and even policy direction, potentially eliminating price uncertainty, post-harvest losses, and the institutional friction that derails progress.
Diametrical Coordination is essential for stability. It involves the delicate work of managing competing interests, for instance, around land use. Rather than sporadic and reactive interventions, we need institutionalised “Regional Conflict Mediation Platforms”, permanent, multi-stakeholder forums comprising community leaders, farmer/herder representatives, and security agencies that meet proactively to resolve disputes before they escalate. Furthermore, Regulators and trade associations must convene Joint Regulatory Review Panels to ensure new standards support both compliance and economic growth, reducing arbitrary bottlenecks at major large-scale aggregation points, such as food hubs supplying cities
As people of and within the system, disagreements are inevitable. The goal of dialogue is not to forcefully homogenise perspectives, but to commit to four principles: reconvene consistently, listen actively, build consensus where possible, and keep the door open to engagement. Nigeria’s diversity means the “desired future” looks different to a smallholder in Katsina, an aggregator in Kaduna, a processor in Kebbi, a transporter in Kogi, a trader in Mile 12, or a seed company in Zaria. This diversity is the context we must work within, not a weakness.
Real progress depends on discovering reciprocity, and here collaboration becomes a survival strategy, not an option. When we recognise that we are all we have to make the system function, coordinated action becomes the currency that allows the system to self-correct. So, to the food system champions across the private, public, and multilateral sectors: If we can get this human side right, our communication, cooperation, and accommodation, we may find that our systems respond faster and more sustainably than we ever dared to expect.
By Folake Adebote, consultant at Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited
A Climate Justice Advocate, Mr. Oluwatobi OjuOluwa, has warned that worsening climate conditions in Nigeria are fuelling hunger, health challenges and economic instability across the country.
OjuOluwa said this in Ibadan on Thursday, January 8, 2026, while speaking on the current climate situation in Nigeria and Africa.
He noted that changing weather patterns had made rainfall unpredictable and disrupted seasonal cycles Nigerians once relied on.
Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal
He said that periods previously associated with harmattan and dry weather could no longer be clearly identified, adding that rain could no longer be predicted.
According to him, human activities such as improper waste management, bush burning, deforestation and fossil fuel exploitation are major drivers of climate change.
He added that these have far-reaching consequences for livelihoods and public health.
“If there is hunger in the land, there is economic instability.
“Aviation cannot work well because the weather is not palatable, there is food insecurity and health issues, all of which are linked to climate change,” he said.
OjuOluwa explained that climate action, captured under Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was central to achieving other development targets, including poverty reduction, food security and improved health outcomes.
He also pointed out that although Africa contributes less than four per cent of global emissions, the continent bears a disproportionate burden of climate impacts due to limited resources to adapt and respond.
“The government cannot do it alone. Every individual is also a government in their own space. What am I doing? What are you doing? These are the questions we must ask,” he said.
The expert called on governments, non-governmental organisations and international partners, to scale up action through funding, capacity building and grassroots engagement, particularly by empowering young people to drive climate solutions.
He expressed optimism that sustained climate action would help address hunger, poverty, health challenges and inequality, while securing a better future for coming generations.
An environmental health specialist, Dr Festus Imuk, has called for the adoption of climate -smart practices to combat the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity.
He said the government should promote drought –resistant crops, improve irrigation, integrate renewable energy, and enhance farmer education and financial access.
Imuk made the call in an interview on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, climate change is already reducing agricultural productivity in Nigeria and threatening rural livelihoods and food security.
“The effects occur through changes in rainfall, rising temperatures, and more frequent extreme weather events.
“It cut across crops, livestock, fisheries, and farm incomes, and are especially severe because most Nigerian farming is rain-fed,” he said.
The expert said that promoting climate-smart agriculture would require developing and distributing improved seed varieties that can withstand extreme weather.
He said that crop rotation, agroforestry, and mixed farming should be encouraged to reduce risks.
“Government should further promote mulching, cover crops, and rainwater harvesting to maintain soil fertility and moisture,” he said.
The expert also called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to align with climate change agencies for coordinated action.
“Government should also establish climate information services to alert farmers about droughts, floods, and heat waves.
“Accordingly, deforestation should be prevented while promoting sustainable land management,” he said.
Imuk said digital tools such as mobile apps for weather forecasts, pest alerts, and market prices should be encouraged for usage.
“Solar-powered irrigation and cold storage reduce emissions and improve resilience.
“Climate-friendly machinery reduces dependence on manual labour and increases efficiency,’’ he said.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has expressed regrets over the decision of the White House to withdraw the United States from 35 international organisations and 31 UN entities.
Guterres, in a statement by the UN Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday, January 8, 2026, in New York, said the UN has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on the organisation.
President Donald Trump had directed the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. from some international organisations, Conventions, and Treaties that his administration considers as being contrary to the interests of the country.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres
In a White House Memorandum, dated January 7, 2026, Trump said that the action was the outcome of a report by the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following his Executive Order 14199 of February 4, 2025.
The Order was entitled “Withdrawing the United States from and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organisations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organisations”.
Trump said that after reviewing the report of the Secretary of State, he had directed the immediate withdrawal of the U.S. from 35 non-UN and 31 UN organisations.
“I have considered the Secretary of State’s report and, after deliberating with my Cabinet, have determined that it is contrary to the interests of the United States to remain a member of, participate in, or otherwise provide support to the organisations listed in section 2 of this memorandum.
“Consistent with Executive Order 14199 and pursuant to the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the U.S. , I hereby direct all executive departments and agencies (agencies) to take immediate steps to effectuate the withdrawal of the United States from the organisations listed in section II of this memorandum as soon as possible.”
Trump added that “for United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law”.
“My review of further findings of the Secretary of State remains ongoing,” the U.S. leader stressed.
Trump’s decision affects 31 UN agencies and entities.
These include the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports maternal and child health, and combatting sexual and gender-based violence.
Also affected are the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which fosters global cooperation against climate change, and the UN Democracy Fund, which funds and mentors civil society projects for democracy.
Other offices of the UN Secretariat based in New York and elsewhere, such as those dealing with children in armed conflict and ending sexual violence as a weapon of war, are also affected.
The list also includes four of the five UN regional commissions (Asia-Pacific, Western Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean), which are key platforms for multilateral cooperation.
The United States is the largest assessed contributor to the UN, responsible for 22 per cent of the regular budget and approximately 26 per cent of the peacekeeping budget as of 2025.
While assessments for peacekeeping can exceed 26 per cent, U.S. law caps payments at 25 per cent, creating arrears.
As of January 2026, the U.S. has not paid its 2025 assessed contributions, leading to significant arrears that have reached approximately $1.5 billion, the largest of any member state.
However, UN Secretary-General said in spite of the U.S. withdrawal, the work of the UN would continue.
“As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States.
“All United Nations entities will go on with the implementation of their mandates as given by Member States,” Guterres said.
He underscored that “the United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us”.
“We will continue to carry out our mandates with determination,” he stressed.
Under the UN Charter, assessed contributions to the Organisation’s regular and peacekeeping budgets are approved by the General Assembly and are considered binding obligations for all Member States.
Deep beneath Nigerian soil lies a dormant giant of natural gas with huge potential to transform into kinetic force, bridging the gap between gas fields and industrial heartlands.
In the quest to leverage this huge gas reserves for regional energy security and global markets, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) spearheads Africa’s energy integration through the development of transcontinental gas pipeline projects to connect West African economies and link the continent to global energy markets.
The NNPC Ltd.’s current strategy centres on enhancing the sustainability of upstream production, expanding natural gas processing and transportation infrastructure and upgrading refining assets to support chemical production and premium hydrocarbon outputs.
Bayo Ojulari, GCEO, National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited
NNPC’s major gas pipeline ventures focus on boosting domestic supply and connecting Africa to Europe.
This is primarily through the ongoing Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline for internal use, and ambitious international projects like the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP), spanning 13 West African nations and the proposed Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP)
This ensures the continuous supply of high-quality energy products and services, evolving into an integrated energy company with strategic investments in gas and power, aiming to harness Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and deepen its footprint both locally and abroad.
The 2.8 billion dollars AKK pipeline is a 614 km line set to boost Northern Nigeria’s economy by supplying gas to power plants and industries, and with milestones such as the River Niger crossing (technically challenging segments) completed in 2025, it is expected to be activated for export in early 2026.
Another key project is the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline, which connects eastern gas fields to western networks, facilitating nationwide supply and linking to the AKK gas pipeline.
These projects are crucial for Nigeria’s gas-to-power goals, economic growth, and industrial revival, reducing reliance on diesel and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, a proposed nearly 6,000-kilometer project to transport natural gas from Nigeria through 13 West African countries to Morocco, and then to Europe was proposed in a December 2016 agreement between the NNPC Ltd. and the Moroccan Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM).
In August 2017, NNPC Ltd. and ONHYM began a feasibility study for the pipeline, which is estimated to cost $25 billion, and would be completed in stages over 25 years.
Morocco is reportedly in talks with Nigeria to pursue this gas pipeline which is progressive.
The AKK project aims to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic energy network, while the Nigeria-Morocco project seeks to expand the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) to connect countries along the Atlantic coast and potentially extend to Europe.
Speaking at the 2025 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate, Mr. Bashir Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd. focused on deepening infrastructural development.
Under the theme, Energy. Intelligence. Impact., ADIPEC hosted an extraordinary programme of dialogue and collaboration, uniting global leaders to build resilient systems, deploy intelligent solutions and deliver the energy the world needs.
Ojulari said the flagship Nigeria–Morocco Gas Pipeline Project was central to NNPC’s continental expansion strategy, designed to connect African nations through energy infrastructure and drive industrial growth.
“The project is one of our expansion priorities. It will run from Lagos in Nigeria all the way to Morocco around the perimeter of Africa, connecting countries along the route.
“It will enable cross-border supply and off-take, supporting industrial growth along its corridor,” he said.
He assured that the gas pipeline would build on the existing WAGP network, which already linked Nigeria to Ghana, extending it first to Côte d’Ivoire and then progressively northward through other coastal nations to Morocco.
Ojulari said the infrastructure would allow each country along the corridor to feed in gas from local fields and also off-take gas to power industries and communities, creating a mutually beneficial regional gas market.
“It provides opportunities to connect all those economies. From Morocco, the system will eventually connect to Europe, opening a new energy corridor from Africa to global markets,” he added.
“The project will help monetise Nigeria’s vast gas reserves, estimated at more than 600 trillion cubic feet, while enabling other African countries with smaller reserves to participate in shared infrastructure that promotes regional development,” he said.
He said NNPC Ltd. was simultaneously advancing domestic gas initiatives including Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for transportation and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for households to deepen gas utilisation and reduce dependence on biomass.
“Natural gas is now a big deal in Nigeria. Our retail trucks are being converted to run on compressed natural gas. We are also expanding LPG networks across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa to phase out wood and charcoal use,” Ojulari said.
He emphasised that gas development remained central to Africa’s industrial future, describing it as the continent’s “pathway to full industrialisation.”
“Gas provides revenue, creates jobs through industrial parks, and connects new businesses. For Nigeria and West Africa, it is the foundation for sustainable economic growth,” he said.
Ojulari reaffirmed NNPC’s commitment to partnerships with African and global energy stakeholders to accelerate infrastructure that will make Africa a significant player in the global gas value chain.
According to him, the NNPC Ltd. is charting a sustainable course for Africa’s energy future through technology deployment, business integration and strategic partnerships.
After a recent inspection on the AKK project, Ojulari said the NNPC had completed welding of the pipeline’s main line, including the River Niger crossing, a long-standing technical challenge that had delayed progress on the project.
He said the achievement had paved the way for connecting the pipeline early next year.
“We have been able to complete the welding of the main line of the AKK pipeline. In summer, we were able to cross the River Niger, which was a struggle for many years. With its completion, we can start making all the connections early next year,” he said.
According to Ojulari, once activated, the pipeline will deliver gas across northern Nigeria, supporting industrial and economic activities.
“This is not just about energy,” he said. “It’s about industrialization, fertiliser plants, power generation, and gas-based industries in Kaduna, Kano, Abuja and Ajaokuta. We expect to see industrial parks spring up.”
He attributed NNPC’s improved operational outlook to reforms introduced under the Petroleum Industry Act, which, he said, had repositioned the company as a commercially driven entity operating without reliance on federal allocations.
He said the completion of the AKK pipeline network would expand economic opportunities, enhance power supply and support national industrialisation efforts, contributing to improved energy and economic security.
The AKK pipeline, first conceived in 2008, is a key component of Nigeria’s strategy to harness its gas resources to drive economic growth.
The project is expected to significantly improve energy access in northern Nigeria, where persistent power shortages and weak infrastructure have constrained industrial development for decades.
On upstream investment, Mr. Udy Ntia, Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC Ltd., also listed major gas pipeline projects, including the Nigeria-Morocco project and links to demand centres in western and northern Nigeria, Refinery optimisation and development of hybrid partnerships for co-investment in upstream projects.
“Co-investment is the new round of financing. We are stepping in as co-investors to ensure projects are bankable and decisions are made quickly in a rapidly changing environment,” he said.
He emphasised a shift toward partnership-driven growth between National Oil Companies (NOCs) and International Oil Companies (IOCs), calling for collaboration over competition.
“IOCs are not grabbers; they are partners. We all share the same goal, which is profitability, sustainability and growth. The real question is how we can increase the size of the pie so that everyone wins,” he said.
Ntia reaffirmed that Nigeria’s upstream strategy balances energy security, profitability, and climate responsibility, ensuring the nation’s resources remain relevant in the global energy transition.
Also, this gives the country more power and better energy, creates many new jobs for people and also helps the land by using cleaner gas instead of dirty fuel.
By Emmanuella Anokam, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
The House has voted to advance a budget bill that would maintain funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) until September 2026.
NOAA provides essential services in support of people and our planet – from tracking weather and climate, to managing ocean health and fisheries, to supporting emergency first responders.
Without federal policymakers providing strong funding for NOAA during the annual appropriations process, there is a risk these essential services could lapse.
NOAA
Jeff Watters, Ocean Conservancy’s vice president for external affairs, said: “For months, people across the country have spoken out against proposals to cut NOAA’s funding, and Congress has listened. NOAA delivers services and science that touch each and every one of us, providing immense benefits to our communities and our country. Put simply, we could not function without it.
“We can’t look at NOAA as a series of budgetary line items. It’s a cohesive whole taking care of our ocean, coastal and marine resources, and weather and climate modeling systems. Now, it’s time for the Senate to stand up for NOAA and pass this bill with NOAA’s funding intact. But this bill only gets us to September, and so it’s essential that this recognition of NOAA’s importance continues into the next round of appropriations.”
Meredith Moore, director of Ocean Conservancy’s fish conservation programme, submitted: “Some of the biggest proposed cuts to NOAA were to NOAA Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries ensures that U.S. fisheries are healthy and well-managed for the benefit of all Americans. Maintaining NOAA’s budget will help ensure that fishing communities and families can continue to enjoy healthy, sustainably caught fish.
“Without NOAA, we will lose the foundational science and management to keep seafood on Americans’ dinner plates and protect a cornerstone of many local coastal economies – from Maine and Florida to Alaska and California.”
The Trump Administration’s sweeping executive order to withdraw the United States from dozens of United Nations bodies and international organisations, as well as a treaty ratified by the United States with the advice and consent of the US Senate, is a targeted assault on multilateralism, international law, and global institutions critical to safeguarding human rights, peace, and climate justice, the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) has said.
This move, for which the CIEL says the constitutionality and legal effect are questionable, was announced under the guise of protecting US interests. But CIEL insists that it does exactly the opposite.
It submits that, by divesting from global cooperation on the environment, human rights, democracy, and peace, the U.S. puts its own future, and that of the planet, at greater risk.
Rebecca Brown, President and CEO of the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
According to the group, the Executive Order represents a deliberate effort to dismantle the international infrastructure designed to uphold dignity, protect children, improve gender and racial equality, advance sustainable development, preserve the oceans, and confront the climate crisis.
“It undermines bodies that safeguard the global commons and ensure basic protections for marginalised people and those in vulnerable situations around the world, including refugees, women, children, people of African descent, and many others,” CIEL submitted.
Rebecca Brown, President and CEO of the CIEL, said: “This executive order is not just a policy shift – it is a direct assault on the multilateral system that has helped prevent conflict, advance human rights, and protect the global commons for nearly 80 years. At a time when rising seas, record heat, and deadly disasters demand urgent, coordinated action, the U.S. government is choosing to retreat.
The decision to defund and withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) does not absolve the US of its legal obligations to prevent climate change and remedy climate harm, as the world’s highest court made clear last year. This action is simply a continuation of this Administration’s efforts to prioritise corporate interests over people and planet and flout the rule of law.
“Withdrawing from institutions designed to support global climate action does not change the stark reality of the climate crisis, rebut the irrefutable evidence of its causes, or eliminate the U.S.’s clear responsibility for its consequences. Withdrawal only serves to further isolate the U.S. to the detriment of its own population and billions around the world.”
The Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, through his legal representative, has filed a formal corruption petition against former Managing Director of the Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This move follows the withdrawal of the same petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.
In the petition signed by Lead Counsel Dr. O. J. Onoja (SAN), Dangote urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Mr. Ahmed and prosecute him if found culpable.
Former Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed
“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned along with sister agencies to prosecute financial crimes and corruption related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624)337.”
Onoja further urged the commission, under the leadership of Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, “…to investigate the complaint of Abuse of Office and Corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting”.
The petition also stated that: “The commission’s firm resolve in handling this matter with dispatch is not only imperative and expedient but will also serve as a deterrent to other public officers out there with such corrupt proneness and tendencies.”
The development, it was gathered, reinforces Dangote’s commitment to transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
It will be recalled that, on December 14, 2025, Dangote raised concerns about Mr. Ahmed’s financial dealings, alleging that the former regulator is living far beyond his legitimate means.
According to Dangote, four of Mr. Ahmed’s children attended elite secondary schools in Switzerland, incurring costs running into several millions of dollars – an expenditure that raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum industry.
Dangote listed the schools attended by Mr. Ahmed’s children to include Faisal Farouk (Montreux School), Farouk Jr. (Aiglon College), Ashraf Farouk (Institut Le Rosey), and Farhana Farouk (La Garenne International School), noting that each child spent six years in these institutions. He estimated annual tuition, travel, and upkeep per child at $200,000, totaling approximately $5 million for their secondary education.
Additionally, Dangote alleged that Mr. Ahmed spent another $2 million on tertiary education for the four children, including $210,000 for Faisal’s 2025 Harvard MBA programme.
“Nigerians deserve to know the source of these funds, especially when many parents in Mr. Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto struggle to pay as little as ₦10,000 in school fees,” Dangote stated.
The petition calls for a comprehensive investigation to ensure accountability and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory institutions.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have reacted to the US government’s announcement on Thursday, January 8, 2026, about its withdrawal from more than 60 UN and non-UN organisations.
In a statement, Dr. David Obura, Chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), disclosed that the body regrets “the deeply disappointing news” of the United States’ intention to withdraw its participation in IPBES, along with over 60 other international organisations and bodies.
IPBES Chair, Dr. David-Obura
Obura submitted: “The United States is a founding member of IPBES and scientists, policymakers and stakeholders – including Indigenous Peoples and local communities – from the United States have been among the most engaged contributors to the work of IPBES since its establishment in 2012, making valuable contributions to objective science-based assessments of the state of the planet, for people and nature.
“The contribution of US experts ranges from leading landmark Assessment Reports, to presiding over negotiations, serving as authors and reviewers, as well as helping to steer the organisation both scientifically and administratively.
“Decision-makers in the United States – at all levels and in all spheres of society – have also been among the most prolific users of the work produced by IPBES to help better inform policy, regulations, investments and future research.
“On behalf of the global IPBES community, I want to express our sincere thanks for all these invaluable contributions, and our determination to continue exploring avenues and opportunities for future engagement.
“IPBES has not yet received any formal notification directly from Government of the United States but anticipates that the intention expressed to withdraw will mean that the United States will soon cease to be a member of IPBES.
“While it is clearly the prerogative of Governments to withdraw from global processes, like those of IPBES, it is important to remember that this does not change the science or the relevance of that science to the lives and livelihoods of people in every community, in every part of the world.
“Unfortunately, we cannot withdraw from the fact that more than 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction (IPBES Global Assessment, 2019). Nor can we change the fact that the global economy is losing as much as $25 trillion per year in environmental impacts (IPBES Nexus Assessment, 2024) or restore the missed opportunities of not acting now to generate more than $10 trillion in business opportunity value and 395 million jobs by 2030 (IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, 2024).
“The mandate of IPBES is as clear as it is important: to objectively and without prescription, provide the most credible science and evidence about biodiversity to all decision makers and actors – for better informed decisions, policy and action. Our commitment to this goal – as the whole IPBES community – remains unwavering. Science and policy for people and nature.”
The IPCC, an organisation consisting of governments that are members of the United Nations or the World Meteorological Organisation, stated that, in line with the principles governing IPCC’s work, participation in the work and processes of the IPCC is voluntary, free and open to all WMO and UN Member countries – with or without a formal announcement.
“The preparation of the scientific reports agreed by the member governments for this assessment cycle is underway. The Panel continues to make decisions by consensus among its member governments at its regular Plenary sessions. Our attention remains firmly on the delivery of these reports,” said IPCC Chair, Jim Skea.
The non-UN body adds: “The IPCC is a unique interface between science and policy. Because of the IPCC’s scientific and intergovernmental nature, its assessments of scientific knowledge related to climate change provide rigorous and balanced scientific, evidence-based actionable information to the world’s decision-makers.
“IPCC reports provide governments at all levels with scientific information to support the development of climate policies. They also deliver key scientific inputs into international climate change negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“The IPCC is the longest-standing intergovernmental panel. It has a unique capacity to assess and synthesise the vast and exponentially growing body of scientific knowledge on climate change, its impacts, and available responses.”
