Year: 2026

As the holy day of Jummat brings its divine tranquility across the nation, front-line progressive leader and APC stalwart, Hon. Khalil Mustapha Adegboyega (Repete), has extended his warmest fraternal greetings to the good people of Ibadan North and beyond, urging a renewed commitment to community development and collective prosperity.

In a powerful call to action that underscores his core mantra of service and excellence, Hon. Adegboyega emphasized that the true strength of Ibadan North lies in its unwavering unity and shared faith.

He implored the constituents to use this sacred Friday to reflect on the values of hard work and brotherhood, asserting that a prosperous community is built when citizens align their aspirations with visionary leadership to foster an environment ripe for sustainable progress.

In a fervent demonstration of spiritual patriotism, Hon. Adegboyega led a comprehensive prayer session for the nation, invoking divine guidance, wisdom, and renewed strength for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he steers Nigeria toward economic rejuvenation.

He further offered prayers for the national and state leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), asking for continued fortitude to uphold the party’s progressive ideals. Extending his spiritual supplications locally, the visionary leader prayed for absolute peace, security, and economic transformation across Oyo State, with a special emphasis on the industrious sons and daughters of Ibadan North.

“May this blessed day wash away our collective challenges, usher in an era of unprecedented community growth, and grant every household the fruits of their hard work,” Hon. Repete prayed, reinforcing his enduring commitment to the welfare of his people.

By Taiye Olayemi

Stakeholders in the health and nutrition sector have called for greater collaboration among governments, development partners and communities to address rising cases of malnutrition and improve nutrition outcomes across the country.

They warned that poor nutrition outcomes would continue to affect generations if left unresolved.

The stakeholders made the call at the 2026 edition of the Nestlé for Good Summit held on Thursday in Lagos.

The theme of the programme was: “Nutrition Across the Life Stages: Closing Nutrition Gaps Through a Coordinated Approach”.

They noted that Nigeria continued to face the burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition and obesity coexisting across different population groups.

The Programme Team Lead of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Mrs Amaka Nwaora, said nutrition challenges begin from conception and could persist throughout life if interventions were not introduced early.

According to her, Nigeria records high levels of stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia among women and children under five years.

She added that obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses were also increasing.

“Nigeria is dealing with undernutrition and overnutrition at the same time.

“The answer to this is collaboration.

“If these issues are not addressed early, they continue across generations and create wider health and economic problems for society,” she said.

Also speaking, the Country Director of IDH Nigeria, Prof. Eniola Fabusoro, said the country did not necessarily lack nutrition programmes or policies but needed to improve access to and affordability of healthy foods.

According to him, increasing food production alone would not solve malnutrition if vulnerable households could not afford nutritious meals.

He called for more collaboration among government agencies, development partners and private sector organisations to improve sustainable nutrition outcomes.

“We need to improve the purchasing power of vulnerable people.

“The question is not just whether food is available in the market, but whether ordinary Nigerians can afford it,” he said.

On efforts to bridge the nutrition gap, Ms Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead of Nestlé Nigeria, said the company was promoting nutrition across all life stages through education, research and product innovation.

Uwadoka said Nestlé was working with stakeholders across the health and nutrition ecosystem to provide science-based nutrition information and products tailored to local nutritional needs.

According to her, the company’s nutrition strategy in West Africa focuses strongly on addressing iron deficiency and anaemia through fortified products and innovation.

She added that the company had expanded its focus beyond infant nutrition to healthy ageing and nutrition support for older adults.

“We are improving access to nutrition information, investing in innovation and developing products that address nutritional needs across different life stages,” she said.

Mrs Taiwo Fadairo, State Nutrition Officer at the Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, urged stakeholders to work together to ensure more Nigerians could afford healthy meals.

Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, said the summit reflected the company’s commitment to creating shared value through nutrition, thriving communities and environmental sustainability.

He said nutrition should not only be viewed as food on the shelf, but as a complete system involving sourcing, production, storage, distribution and accessibility.

“When livelihoods improve and systems work better, families become healthier and communities become more resilient,” he said.

Elhusseini said the company had continued to invest in grain quality improvement, dairy development, women’s empowerment, youth upskilling and regenerative agriculture to strengthen food systems in Nigeria.

Also speaking, the Sustainability Manager of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Ms Chinwe Obi, enlightened participants on the company’s sustainability agenda, which she said was anchored on protecting and strengthening systems that support communities and business operations.

Obi explained that Nestlé’s sustainability initiatives were interconnected and guided by the principle of safeguarding critical systems such as water resources, agriculture and supply chains.

“All of the initiatives we have spoken about are connected by one basic principle: protecting the systems that we depend on, ensuring that we enhance them, and ensuring that we strengthen them,” she said.

Obi identified water stewardship initiatives as one of the company’s key interventions, noting that access to clean and reliable water remained essential for communities.

She said the company’s water regeneration and conservation programmes were designed to improve access to quality water while promoting responsible water use.

“Communities depend on access to water, and that is why we invest in water regeneration and conservation efforts,” she said.

She also highlighted the company’s regenerative agriculture programme, which focuses on improving soil health and supporting farmers’ livelihoods.

According to her, sustainable farming practices not only protect the environment but also improve agricultural yields and strengthen incomes for farming communities. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

By Taiye Olayemi

Compliance and governance experts on Thursday called for stronger ethical leadership, compliance systems and accountability frameworks across Africa to boost investor confidence and global repositioning.
They spoke at the Africa Ethical Compliance Future Summit in Lagos with the theme ‘Culture, Conduct and Global Standards’.
Compliance expert, Muthoni Oriewo, said ethical values must begin at home and continue in organisations.
She said growing shortcuts, favouritism and unethical behaviour were shaping workforce quality in organisations.
She cited parents using influence to secure school admissions and jobs for children over more qualified candidates.
According to her, such practices later manifest in workplaces and weaken governance systems.
“The future of compliance in Africa lies in the people we are raising, mentoring and sponsoring.
“If we raise children who do not understand accountability and responsibility, we will continue to face governance and ethical challenges in the future,” she said.
Oriewo emphasised that effective compliance programmes must be driven by leadership and organisational culture.
She said leaders must demonstrate integrity, ethics and compliance in personal and professional conduct.
“Compliance gives organisations credibility, operational resilience and investor confidence.
“Most global investors and multinational companies now require strong compliance frameworks before doing business,” she said.
The expert advised organisations to invest in human resources and AI tools for compliance monitoring and risk management.
Oriewo cautioned that AI should complement human judgment rather than replace it.
“AI does not have a moral compass. It only learns from information humans provide,” she said.
She called for stronger whistleblower protection frameworks across Africa to encourage reporting of misconduct.
According to her, organisations must create safe reporting channels and protect whistleblowers from retaliation.
Oriewo advocated African regulatory cooperation and information sharing to strengthen cross-border enforcement.
Idris Belo-Osagie, Special Adviser to the Finance Minister and Senior Partner at Armada Associates, said compliance officers were macroeconomic actors influencing investor confidence.
He urged boards to treat governance as value-creating rather than box-ticking compliance.
Belo-Osagie said regulatory consistency was critical as investors price signals into decisions.
Ayobami Adisa, Founder of Graypatch Advisory, said Africa must change negative governance perceptions.
“Until we change wrong perceptions about Nigeria and Africa, global scrutiny of businesses will persist,” he said.
He said organisations were judged by profitability, governance culture, transparency and leadership integrity.
Adisa urged continuous professional development for compliance professionals to remain globally competitive.
He said Africa had exceptional professionals capable of global standards with right institutional support.
Ina Alogwu, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at T2 Mobile, urged proactive compliance and risk management systems.
He said businesses should adopt predictive data systems to anticipate risks and customer needs.
According to him, compliance must evolve with customer expectations and technological advancement.
He urged firms to prioritise transparency, responsible data use and cyber resilience to build trust.
He warned against treating customer data as commercial asset without consent.
Adetokunbo Omotosho, Chief Executive Officer of Cybervergent Inc., likened customer data to a treasured possession requiring protection.
He said protecting data strengthens trust, reputation and long-term business advantage.
Edidiong Akan, Chief Compliance Officer at Stanbic IBTC Pension, urged strong ethical culture empowering employees to resist unethical demands.
Akan also stressed cybersecurity discipline and warned against password compromise or security breaches.
She emphasised organisations must continuously communicate values and ethical standards to employees.
According to her, integrity violations should not be tolerated, even if mistakes can be corrected through training. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

By Taiye Olayemi

Leadway Assurance says it paid N137 billion in claims during the 2025 financial year, representing a 17 per cent increase from 2024.

The company disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos, highlighting sustained growth across its life, annuity and non-life insurance businesses.

Leadway said the increased claims payout reflected its strong capacity to meet obligations in spite of prevailing economic challenges affecting businesses and households nationwide.

According to the insurer, non-life business claims accounted for N55.4 billion, while annuity payments reached N57.9 billion during the review period.

The company added that life insurance claims stood at N23.7 billion, contributing to the overall N137 billion claims settled in 2025.

Leadway also recorded a 30 per cent increase in insurance revenue, rising from N173.2 billion in 2024 to N225.3 billion in 2025.

The insurer attributed the revenue growth to expansion across business segments and sustained customer demand for insurance products and services.

The company said total assets increased from N1.024 trillion in 2024 to N1.155 trillion in 2025, strengthening liquidity and balance sheet capacity.

Chief Executive Officer, Gboyega Lesi, said the performance reflected resilience in the company’s business model and growing customer confidence.

“Our 2025 performance reflects the resilience of our business model and the trust customers continue to place in the Leadway brand.

“Paying N137 billion in claims across annuity, life and non-life portfolios demonstrates the strength of our balance sheet and customer-first commitment,” he said.

Lesi said the company remained positioned to drive innovation and deepen insurance penetration under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2025.

He added that Leadway would continue prioritising technology-driven innovation, operational efficiency and improved customer experience across its operations nationwide.

According to him, product development initiatives would also expand access to insurance solutions and strengthen long-term value for customers and stakeholders.

Leadway expressed optimism about the insurance industry’s long-term growth prospects amid increasing awareness, digital adoption and ongoing regulatory reforms across Nigeria. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)