On Tuesday, member states of the World Health Organisation adopted a new pandemic treaty to avoid the panic and disarray seen during the COVID-19 crisis.
The agreement was accepted without formal voting on the second day of the members’ annual World Health Assembly in Geneva.

As the conference chair asked whether there were any objections, silence followed, prompting him to declare the treaty adopted by consensus.

The treaty outlines measures for coordinated procurement of protective equipment during future pandemics and enhanced monitoring of animal and human diseases.

There should also be medical technology transfer to ensure that medicines and vaccines can be produced in low-income countries.

However, several contentious details remain unresolved and are set to be negotiated separately over the next year as part of an annexe to the treaty.

These include a new mechanism to accelerate vaccine production and ensure equitable distribution to poorer nations.

Turkish authorities said it has detained at least 18 people as part of their corruption probe targeting employees of Istanbul’s municipality, state media reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, prosecutors had issued warrants for 22 suspects, including the municipality’s media director Taner Çetin, on charges ranging from bribery and bid-rigging to membership in a criminal organisation, said broadcaster TRT.

The investigation alleged that there were irregularities in public tenders involving municipal subsidiaries.

While the prosecutors claimed that Mr Çetin, a deputy of the ousted and jailed mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, helped steer contracts to favoured companies in exchange for kickbacks, TRT reported.

Mr İmamoğlu, Turkey’s main opposition CHP, was removed from office in March following a court ruling; an appeal is pending.

He is widely seen as the strongest challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The mayor separately faces jail in other ongoing probes, including accusations of terror links.

Mr İmamoğlu’s ouster drew sharp criticism from opposition parties, rights groups and international observers, who accused Mr Erdoğan’s government of using the judiciary to sideline political rivals ahead of elections scheduled for 2028.

The National Hydro-electric Power Producing Development Areas Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to developing its target communities in the country.

Nura Wakili, N-HYPPADEC spokesman, stated this at the ongoing management post-programme and projects evaluation exercise on Tuesday in Minna.

The exercise was to ascertain the viability of all executed projects by the commission across the 17 local government areas of N-HYPPADEC communities in Niger state.

Mr Wakili said the exercise was to mobilise communities on the essence of taking ownership and maintaining projects in their domain for sustainability.

Similarly, Pam Jedi, N-HYPPADEC’s acting director of planning, research and statistics, urged the communities to make judicious use of the facilities.

On his part, N-HYPPADEC coordinator in Niger, Umar Musa, stressed the importance of feedback from the benefiting communities to ascertain the challenges to proffer solutions.

He also encouraged the communities to put the facilities provided to judicious use and ensure proper maintenance.

The Dagacin Shata, Abubakar Garba Kali, commended N-HYPPADEC for providing potable water through several motorised boreholes.

He also highlighted the building of classrooms and the provision of chairs, tables and other teaching and learning materials in their communities in the Bosso LGAs

He assured the maintenance and judicious use of the facilities to benefit the community, appealing for more projects that would impact the residents.

Communities visited include Shata, Magada, Shanu and Minna Police Secondary School in Bosso local council, as well as Angwan Daji, Limawa, and COE Minna in Chanchaga LGA of Niger.

On Tuesday, the European Union approved its 17th package of sanctions against Russia, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced it.

“The EU has approved its 17th sanctions package against Russia, targeting nearly 200 shadow fleet ships,” Ms Kallas wrote on X.

“New measures also address hybrid threats and human rights. More sanctions on Russia are in the works,” she added.

Two Men, Abubakar Sanni, 22, and Ibrahim Saminu, 24, were on Tuesday arraigned at an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court for stealing two goats belonging to their neighbour.

The defendants, who live in the Akinyele area of Ibadan, were charged with “conspiracy, breaking and entering and theft”.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge.

According to the prosecuting counsel, Iyabo Oladoyin, the defendants trespassed on Tayo Ogunlade’s property with the intent of stealing.

She alleged that the defendants stole two he-goats worth NN200,000.

Ms Oladoyin said the offence is contrary to Section 383 and punishable under Sections 390 (9), 411 and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

The magistrate, T. G. Daodu admitted the defendants to bail of N500,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.

The magistrate said one of the sureties must be a relation of the defendants.

She adjourned the matter until May 229 for hearing.

South Korea’s cost of raising a child grew last year, according to an education ministry survey on Tuesday.

The monthly average per-household cost of bringing up children, including those for childcare, education, food and clothing, totalled 1,116,000 won ($801) in 2024, up 140,000 won ($101) compared to 2021.

This is according to the country’s education ministry survey.

The percentage of total childcare costs to household income declined to 17.8 per cent in 2024 from 19.3 per cent in 2021.

The result was based on a poll of 2,494 households and 3,058 daycare centres between August and December last year.

The survey has been conducted every three years since 2004.

The number of infants and toddlers in the surveyed households was 3,007 in 2024, while employment rates for the households reached 97.0 per cent for fathers and 64.2 per cent for mothers.

Households sending children to daycare centres accounted for 55.3 per cent of the total last year, followed by 26.5 per cent with kindergartens.

The daily average use of daycare centres ran to seven hours and 31 minutes, while the figure for kindergartens reached seven hours and 20 minutes last year.

The Delta State Police Command has arrested two suspects alleged to be serial phone snatchers during a routine stop-and-search operation.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, officers intercepted a commercial tricycle (keke) and, upon searching the vehicle, discovered seven mobile phones in possession of the rider. The passengers were unable to unlock the devices, raising suspicion and prompting further investigation.

SP Edafe shared video of the incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), issuing a public advisory to commuters. “As you go about your activities this week, for those who board tricycles and commercial vehicles, hold your phones in your hands.” he cautioned. “If any male passenger is coughing, just mind your business and hold your phone firmly. Listen and learn.”

He also defended the police’s stop-and-search strategy as an effective crime-fighting tool. “Stop and search is crime fighting, when our men stop a tricycle or vehicle for a search, don’t frustrate them.’,” he said.

Interviewing one of the suspects who identified himself as Oliver Osadebe, he said, “I have been doing this before i went to south Africa in 2021.”

Responding to how the phone was recovered the suspect said, “Police stop the keke man, he search me, he didnt see anything, they now search the keke man and saw him with seven phones.”

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised market women in Akwa Ibom to regularly clear drains and properly dispose of waste in their vicinity to forestall flood disasters.
Mmandu Aisueni, NEMA’s head of operations in Akwa Ibom, gave the advice during a sensitisation rally for traders in Akpan Andem market, Udo Umana, Johnson and Ndiya Streets, all in the Uyo metropolis, on Monday.

Ms Aisueni, represented by Awoji Augustine, a principal accountant in their office, said the rally was in collaboration with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

The NEMA official emphasised the importance of proper waste management, saying it promotes a healthy and sustainable environment.

Ms Aisueni said the sensitisation was part of NEMA’s strategy to prepare traders across the state on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) 2025 prediction.

She said NiMET had listed Akwa Ibom among states likely to record the highest amount of rainfall in the year, ranging from 250 to 290 days, with the attendant risk of flooding and spread of cholera among others.

“We have been able to educate the traders on proper waste management by keeping the market clean. We have equally enlightened them on the dangers involved in dumping refuse in gutters,” she said.

Ms Aisueni expressed the hope that using multiple languages, such as English, pidgin and Ibibio during the sensitisation would enhance understanding of the message.

The state coordinator of NESREA, Deborah Dasimaka, expressed displeasure over the use of non-biodegradable polythene bags in the market.

“The polythene bags used in buying and selling goods are not biodegradable because they will end up in drainage systems; we really want the reduction of plastics because it constitute nuisance in our environment,” she said.

She added that Akwa Ibom, one of the coastal states, is prone to flooding, and it is advisable for traders and everyone to stop the habit of dumping refuse in the drains.

NEMA officials distributed handbills and placards carrying messages such as “Stop disposing of refuse in gutters”, “Do not block drains” and “Keep your environment clean.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance was received by Pope Leo XIV on Monday for a private audience at the end of his visit to Rome.
The head of the Catholic Church met Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican.

This was followed by a meeting between the U.S. guests and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with foreign states.

The Holy See reported an “exchange of views” on current wars worldwide during the meetings.

The parties involved were called on to have “respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict” and to reach “a negotiated solution,” a statement from the Vatican said.

Specific wars were not mentioned in the statement.

On Sunday, the pontiff explicitly mentioned Gaza, Myanmar and Ukraine during a mass in St Peter’s Square.

The U.S. vice president attended the official inauguration of Leo XIV, who was born in Chicago.

The Vatican said the top officials commented on “satisfaction at the good bilateral relations” between the Holy See and the United States.

This was Mr Vance’s second private audience at the Vatican in a month.

At Easter, he was received by Pope Francis, who died the following day, Easter Monday, at the age of 88.

The Lagos State government has announced plans to further scale up the deployment of groynes technology, a proven coastal defence system, as part of proactive measures to address the growing threat of coastal erosion.

The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Ekundayo Alebiosu, made this known during the ministerial press briefing at the Baguda Kalto Press Centre, Alausa, on Monday.

The commissioner said he had embarked on a strategic working visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he led a high-level delegation to explore international best practices and forge partnerships for sustainable coastal management.

According to Mr Alebiosu, a groyne is a rigid hydraulic structure built from an ocean shore or riverbank that interrupts water flow and limits the movement of sediment.

“Though Lagos State has already begun implementing this technology, the sheer scale of the challenge to extend its usage along the 180km shoreline presents a significant financial burden.

“It costs a huge amount to construct a single groyne, and with a targeted 180km coastal stretch, the projected cost exceeds ₦3 trillion, a figure that makes it clear that strategic collaboration is required.

“The technology has been effectively used to arrest coastal erosion and stabilise beaches in several parts of the world, including the Netherlands,” Mr Alebiosu said.

The commissioner described the Netherlands, renowned for pioneering coastal engineering solutions, as a perfect case study for the state government’s delegation.

“This is not just a Lagos problem; it is a national environmental and economic challenge.

“If we are serious about preserving our shoreline, preventing further erosion, and protecting coastal communities, then a robust partnership with the federal government and the private sector is not just desirable, it is absolutely necessary,” he said.

Mr Alebiosu emphasised that the Lagos State government is actively pursuing a public-private partnership (PPP) framework to finance and implement large-scale groyne deployment and coastal protection infrastructure.

“We cannot afford to delay. Entire communities are at risk, and if left unchecked, the consequences of coastal erosion could be devastating not only to the environment but also to livelihoods and investments across our coastal zones,” he said.

Mr Alebiosu reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working with international partners, federal agencies, and private investors to deliver long-term, climate-resilient solutions that will preserve the waterfronts for Lagosians.

The commissioner also revealed that a dispute that threatened the homes and livelihoods of hundreds of residents within state government schemes was brought to a peaceful and lawful resolution.

Tenants in Osogbo, Osun, have decried what they described as exploitative hikes by landlords and called for urgent government intervention.
A cross-section of the tenants, who spoke with journalists on Monday in Osogbo, said landlords were making life unbearable for them due to hikes in rent.

They called on the state government to urgently implement a law guiding house rent.

A tenant, Emmanuel Ayanda, who resided in Osogbo, said his landlord recently increased his house rent from N180,000 to N400,00 for a three-bedroom flat, not minding his source of income.

“The building is very old, without tiles and with old wooden doors, but since I cannot afford the said amount, I have to pack out,” he said.

Mr Ayanda, however, appealed to the state government to rescue tenants by setting up a taskforce to control rent in the state.

Another resident, Feyisayo Akomolafe, who lives in Ogoluwa, Osogbo, said her rent was increased from N450,000 to N600,000 per year for a two-bedroom apartment.

According to Ms Akomolafe, the way landlords increase rent without any form of control may result in homelessness if nothing is done urgently.

“I wonder where the landlords expect civil servants, who are still struggling for survival, to get money to pay for this exorbitant house rent”, she said.

Also, Jeremiah Obeh, who resides in Ofatedo, Osogbo, said he rented a three-bedroom apartment for N900,000 per annum, and his landlord recently added N200,000 to the rent to make N1.1 million per annum.

He appealed to the state government to make a law regulating the activities of the landlords and their agents.

Also residing in Ofatedo, Glory Adeola said a one-room self-contained apartment she rented was recently increased from N250,000 to N320,000.

Ms Adeola lamented the “arbitrary increase by landlords without any tangible reasons”.

However, some landlords who spoke with journalists gave reasons
for the exorbitant hike.

Peter Osinubi, a landlord, said the increase in house rents resulted from the current economic situation.

“I feel the government is in the best position to do something about it,” he said.

Another landlord, Oladele Bode, said the tenants could direct their complaints to the government, which is responsible for the rising costs of items.

Abiodun Olowoporoku, the chairman of the Association of Real Estate Managers in Osun, however, attributed the hike in rent rates to the insatiable appetite of some greedy landlords.

Mr Olowoporokun said several efforts had been made to prevail on landlords to stop the unnecessary, exorbitant hike, but to no avail.

“Once an estate agent tries to convince a landlord not to put too much on the rent, they will abandon such an agent and go for another one that can do their bidding,” he said.

Mr Olowoporokun said landlords’ reasons for the exorbitant hike was current inflation, adding that the state government is working on a bill to regularise house rent.

“Once the bill is out, it will help to checkmate the activities of the greedy landlords,” he said.

Similarly, Kofoworola Adewunmi, majority leader, state House of Assembly, said the “Osun State Estate Agency Regulatory Authority Bill 2024” had already been passed.

“The bill is seeking to control the abnormal charges by the agents and the landlords. Once the bill is signed into law, it will regulate the charges and percentage taken by the house agents,” he said.

The Nigerian Navy has announced the establishment of a special operations command in Makurdi to complement the efforts of sister agencies to improve security in the Middle Belt region.

The chief of policy and plans (navy), Rear Adm. Ibrahim Dewu, made this known during a news conference on the activities lined up to commemorate the 69th anniversary celebrations of the navy on Monday in Abuja.

He said the decision was in line with the navy’s Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy, which delineates its areas of operations from backwaters through the exclusive economic zone, up to the out-of-area and land-based operations.

Mr Dewu said the command will be on the north bank of the River Benue and encompasses many special operations personnel, like the Navy Marines, Special Boat Service (SBS) and the Blue Sea Operations.

“Now, what we need in the Nigerian Navy Marines is that the current situation has brought us to operate with our sister services on land.

“The Nigerian Navy, as it is, will need to have trained personnel that will operate side by side with the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force.

The National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC) has flagged off its 2025 Quality Assurance Monitoring and Evaluation exercise for senior secondary schools in Nigeria.

Speaking at the flag-off on Monday at the Federal Government College (FGC), Malali, Kaduna, the commission’s executive secretary, Iyela Ajayi, said the initiative aimed to assess and improve the quality of education in secondary schools nationwide.

Mr Ajayi said President Bola Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to the Nigerian people recognised the critical role of education in achieving collective aspirations.

“We are committed to ensuring that every senior secondary school in the country provides a conducive learning environment that fosters academic excellence, critical thinking, and the development of well-rounded individuals,” he said.

He noted that the commission had since developed the National Minimum Standards for Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, which served as a benchmark for schools nationwide.

Mr Ajayi recalled that the documents were approved at the 68th National Council of Education between October 7 and October 10, 2024, and launched by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, in February.

“Copies of the minimum standards were distributed to the state delegates at the launch for implementation in the various states.

“The implementation is expected to be done within nine months, after which the commission will start the process of enforcement of the minimum standards,” he said.

The secretary said the exercise was aimed at achieving desired learning outcomes through monitoring and evaluation, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and setting clear benchmarks for accountability and improvement.

“The programme promotes best practices, empowers educators with constructive feedback and support, and enhances their skills to elevate teaching quality and learners’ outcomes,” he said.

Earlier, the state commissioner for education, Muhammad Bello, expressed delight that Kaduna State was chosen as the sole state for the flag-off of the 2025 monitoring exercise.

Mr Bello, represented by director, Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA), Usman Zaria, noted that monitoring and evaluation of schools remained a missing link.

Though he emphasised that the government had continued to invest billions of naira in the state’s education sector, he said there had been a missing aspect of monitoring and evaluation of the schools.

Mr Bello assured of the state government’s support for the NSSEC’s initiatives in the state.

Women from the Nissi, Kapam, and Rido communities protested on Monday at the Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) over alleged chemical pollution that has reportedly affected their health, farmland, and livelihoods.

The protesters, who gathered at the refinery as early as 6:00 a.m., accused the company of allegedly releasing a harmful chemical in August 2024, which they claim led to widespread illness, destruction of crops, and the death of livestock.

Juliana Abrak, the Nissi community women’s leader, said the chemical emission had rendered farming activities impossible and left many residents sick and hungry.

“We are suffering. There is no food, and we have to go elsewhere in search of something to eat. We have fertile land, but we are too afraid to farm,” she lamented.

She also criticised the company’s alleged failure to engage with the protesters, despite their presence at the premises since 5:00 a.m.

Kelita Yaguda, a resident of Kapam, recounted her experience with the suspected chemical exposure.

“They took some of us to the hospital but only gave us paracetamol and ulcer medication. They promised to treat us for a week but only attended to a few people for two days,” she said.

Ms Yaguda added that no medical tests were carried out, and the community has been left to manage ongoing health issues and worsening food insecurity.

“Some of our children have even resorted to stealing out of hunger. We are more than 500 people, yet fewer than 50 received any form of assistance,” she added.

Lydia Moses, the women’s leader from Kapam, said KRPC officials had repeatedly claimed authorities in Abuja would provide compensation, but no support had materialised.

“They came in December, documented the damage, and promised a response within two weeks. It’s now May, and nothing has been done. Our crops have failed, our livestock have died, and some women have even suffered miscarriages,” she said.

The women called on both KRPC and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd to take urgent action to address their health concerns and to compensate affected families.

At the time of this report, KRPC officials had yet to respond to the protesters.

Governor Inuwa Yahaya has warned intending pilgrims to the 2025 Hajj from the state against acts capable of denting the country’s image.

Mr Yahaya gave the warning while bidding farewell to the intending pilgrims on Sunday in Gombe.

The governor urged them to stay away from unscrupulous and unpatriotic fellows who engage in drug peddling.

According to him, the penalty for engaging in illicit drugs in Saudi Arabia is death, and anyone caught will not escape the penalty.

The governor also cautioned the pilgrims to beware of being used as a conduit pipe for any illicit trade without their knowledge, adding that Saudi Arabia holds strict laws against drug trafficking.

He said carrying any forms of illicit drugs would tarnish the image of the state and the country, and urged them to be good ambassadors.

“I call on you not to engage in any illegal act that would tarnish your image and that of our dear state and country.

“Anybody caught carrying prohibited items, especially narcotic drugs whose penalty in Saudi Arabia is death, should have himself or herself to blame.

“You should therefore be extra careful not to be dragged into such tragedy by unscrupulous and unpatriotic individuals”, he said.

Mr Yahaya also urged them to demonstrate a sense of patriotism by obeying constituted authorities and adhering to the laid-down procedures.

He cautioned that anyone who engages in unruly behaviour would be sanctioned appropriately.

The governor urged the officials of the state’s Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to perform their duties with diligence and dedication and to pay “maximum” attention to the pilgrims entrusted to their care.

The executive secretary of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Saadu Hassan, said 957 intending pilgrims will be performing the Hajj.

Mr Hassan said that the first batch that would be transported on Monday will be 512, and the final batch of 445 would leave on Tuesday.

The Emir of Dukku, Haruna Rashid II, the pilgrims’ board chairman in his remarks, lauded Yahaya for his support, which made the Hajj process 2025 seamless for the state’s intending pilgrims.

The police command in Anambra has recovered a shuttle bus snatched by suspected armed robbers at Nkwelle, Oyi LGA, on Saturday.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday.

The bus belongs to the Transport Company of Anambra State.

According to the statement, operatives attached to the Obosi Divisional Station on Saturday recovered a stolen shuttle bus with Registration Number: AGU 651 ZL at Nkwelle.

It explained that the operatives swung into action following a distress call by the driver to the control room of the police command in Anambra.

The command said that the suspects, a five-person armed gang, disguised themselves as passengers and dispossessed the driver of N20,000 and the shuttle bus.

“Consequently, the operatives acted swiftly and alerted the necessary security checkpoints to deny the criminals access to escape. (This) forced the hoodlums to abandon the vehicle at Slaughter Junction, in Nkwelle and fled through a nearby bush,” he said.

The command said security patrols had been intensified to enhance safety and nip the fleeing suspects of possible arrest.

How to crown an impostor
For three years, Traoré’s stock has risen amid algorithmic populism expressed in languages he neither understands nor speaks.

Azu Ishiekwene • May 19, 2025
Burkina Faso’s military ruler Ibrahim Traore
Burkina Faso’s military ruler Ibrahim Traore[Credit: Reuters]
Burkinabe leader Ibrahim Traoré is acting like a rock star. It’s not entirely his fault. He’s receiving a lot of help from dozens of social media users, especially TikTokers, who are desperate to anoint him as the best thing to come out of Burkina Faso since Thomas Sankara.
Traoré must be enjoying it, because even though he is pretending, he knows he’s not Sankara. He is an opportunist, happy to capitalise on the current frustration in his country and the Sahel for his benefit.

A recent report by The Africa Report summarised Traoré’s fictional character.

“In dozens of viral TikTok edits, Traoré leads imaginary armies, topples Western empires and is hailed as the ‘new Thomas Sankara’. The captions, bold and uncompromising, include ‘Africa’s Messiah!’ ‘The People’s Captain!’ and ‘France Must Fall’.”

Traorephytes even invent videos of Rihanna and R Kelly (imprisoned since 2021) serenading the Burkinabe leader with hit songs.

Fairytale
If he were an elected president, Traoré would have served three years of his first term. When he overthrew the government of President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in September 2022 due to the rise in Islamic insurgency, and announced himself as head of the new Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (PMSR), he promised to hand over power back to civilians in two years – that was in 2024. He hasn’t said a word about any possible new date since, and if you have seen him recently, you would know why.

Apart from the adulation he has enjoyed as a social media fairytale, and dressing the part in stylish fatigues and matching neck scarves, berets, and boots, he has also talked the part.

He rallied support by giving speeches —not as many or as eloquently as he has been credited with —against Western imperialism and colonialism, vowing to create conditions at home to stem youth migration and tackle insurgency. Traoré has portrayed himself as the new face of the African Renaissance. But talk is cheap.

Traoré and the other delinquents
He has been in good company. The turmoil in West and Central Africa, which began in Chad, Mali, and Guinea, and later spread to Niger, has disrupted security and trade in the subregion, rupturing the 49-year-old Economic Community of West African States. Burkina Faso experienced two coups in a single year. After breaking out of ECOWAS, Traoré and his fellow delinquents in the Sahel have pursued a singular mission of cutting off the noses of their Sahelian francophone ties to spite the faces of French business and political interests.

To be fair, it’s a moment of reckoning for decades of brazen French insensitivity, compounded by President Emmanuel Macron’s lack of charity when he described the relationship between France and Francophone West Africa as “part of a civilising obligation.” Which was self-interested nonsense.

Trouble speaking French
France has accumulated a notoriously poor record on the continent that it can hardly be proud of. In Niger, for example, Tom Burgis writes in his book, The Looting Machine, that French state-owned atomic energy group Areva’s profit from uranium is twice Niger’s GDP. The shameful French footprint is the same in Burkina Faso and throughout the region.

Fourteen Francophone countries, including the troubled ones – Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Chad – hold 50 percent of their reserves in the French Treasury.

This arrangement has been widely criticised, but if shame is in the French dictionary, it doesn’t exist in the Macron version.

It is this background of despair and frustration, especially among the continent’s youths, that has fostered fairytale messiahs like Traoré, who have managed to replace French hegemony with a mix of fussy state control and Russian suzerainty, with the Chinese just around the corner.

If it’s not Sankara…
Traoré is not Sankara, a fact that may be lost on Burkina Faso’s predominantly young population, as well as millennials and Gen Zs across the continent, whose forlorn search for role models tempts them to canonise an impostor. Of course, both are soldiers, similar in age and rank and usurpers of constitutional rule. But that’s where the similarity ends.

Like the demagogues before him, Traoré and significant sections of the military and political elite from Maurice Yameogo to Blaise Compaore have been complicit in the misery of their citizens, feeding them instead on a diet of pseudo-ideological jingoism and Western bashing, but offering no genuine alternative. Africa —anglophone, francophone, or lusophone —shares a similar heritage of exploitation; a few of its people, especially the political elite after independence, collaborated with the colonialists to compound the problem.

Hard to beat
Where Traoré is trading French hegemony for Russian control, for example, Sankara offered something different. In Burkina Faso: A History of Power, Protest and Revolution, Ernest Harsch said of Sankara, “In a conscious effort at nation-building, the revolutionary government also promoted a new national identity…that revolutionary project succeeded in altering the contours of the state and social and political life.”

Whereas Sankara attempted to forge a proudly African identity, deepening regional integration among ECOWAS countries, Traoré and his cohorts have, by exiting, put at risk the estimated $596.42 billion in trade within the community, excluding informal trade among citizens, which constitutes 30 per cent of the transactions, not to mention the impact on regional collaboration on security.

Sankara pursued radical economic self-sufficiency, agrarian reform, and social justice by outlawing female genital mutilation and promoting women’s rights. He rejected foreign aid, regardless of its source, even if it came without strings attached, something Traoré would be happy to overlook if it came from Russia.

What matters
I get it. With jihadists controlling about 40 per cent of the country’s territory (it’s the most terrorised country), and climate shocks compounding its misery, the challenges are as different as are the times. That is why what Traoré needs now is not clout-chasing or AI propaganda by Russian-backed Wagner, but sober-minded commitment to turn around the fortunes of his country, one step at a time.

For three years, Traoré’s stock has risen amid algorithmic populism expressed in languages he neither understands nor speaks, with minimal institutional reforms, if any, and no prospects or commitment to return the country to civilian rule.

“His rhetoric,” The Africa Report said, “still falls short of real, measurable improvements in security and civic freedoms. There’s a gap between his message and the reality on the ground, something that will ultimately test his legitimacy and legacy.”

That’s not what the netizens want to hear. But in the end, that’s what matters.

Ishiekwene is the Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

The Sokoto government is strengthening its communication strategies and response mechanisms to better prepare for and mitigate potential flooding.

This includes improved early warning systems, proactive flood risk management, and strengthened collaboration between government agencies and local communities.

The commissioner for water resources, Aminu Abdullahi, said this on Monday in Sokoto.

Mr Abdullahi said the government was aware of the forecasts of the 2025 Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Nigerian Hydrological Agency.

He said a stakeholders’ meeting was convened comprising the commissioner for environment and others from other relevant agencies and security organisations on the forecast.

Mr Abdullahi added that local government authorities, traditional institutions, farmers’ groups and other stakeholders were properly briefed on the strategies for circulation to people at different levels.

Also, Abubakar Umar, the head of NIHSA in Sokoto, said the agency plans to work with the state ministry of environment, water resources and agriculture to ensure seamless coordination.

Mr Umar said that Nigeria experienced flooding in 2012 and 2018, while similar incidents were closely replicated in 2022 with high rainfall and flows from Sokoto and Bakalori rivers, which serve as a major source of flood in Sokoto state and environs.

”The 2025 predictions were disseminated with forecast of expected floods in some areas that comprised Goronyo, Tangaza, Sokoto North, Sokoto South, Rabah, Silame, Wamakko, Kebbe, Yabo and Shagari local government areas.

”In 2022, 32 states of the federation were affected by flood and no fewer than 66,622 persons, 6,136 houses and many farmlands were affected in Sokoto state,” he said.

The head of NiMET in Sokoto, Yawale Baba, said the agency ensures prompt dissemination of information on weather and associated climatic situations to the state and relevant agencies.

Mr Baba said the information was simplified in local languages and shared with relevant organisations to ensure the right attention and responses.

Fidelity Bank and CEO Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,
Fidelity Bank is scrambling to stave off a looming insolvency after a Supreme Court panel found the top lender liable in a years-long tort dispute with a little-known general services venture operating out of Ibadan, Peoples Gazette heard from people familiar with the situation.

The Lagos-based banking group has opened talks with lawyers representing Sagecom Concept Ltd to hammer out a repayment plan, but The Gazette understands that the urgency stipulated in the judgement could hamper the bank’s ability to spread out the N225 billion liability without going under.

“To be honest, this is the biggest crisis the bank has ever faced,” a top management official told The Gazette via video conference over the weekend. “The obligation is simply too big.”

“If the bank is miraculously spared, we would have the altruism of the small business that got this unprecedented judgement to appreciate,” the C-suite official added with precise candour under anonymity to discuss a development that has rattled the entire management.

The company’s stock closed at N20.80 per share on Friday. Overall, it’s up nearly 140 per cent this year. Whereas the bank declared N385 billion in profit before tax at the end of 2024, officials said it was largely driven by interests from loans that had since been rolled over, saying they were not uncertain about the inability of its balance sheet to absorb the massive judgement. No other institutions that could underwrite the damages have been identified as of Monday morning, the people added.

A person familiar with banking regulations said the Central Bank of Nigeria might ultimately intervene rather than oversee the collapse of a top-tier commercial lender during a fragile economic environment.

A bank spokesman declined to comment on the development. The bank’s lawyers in the matter, including senior practitioners Kanu Agabi and Onyechi Ikpeazu, did not return requests for comments.

The April 11, 2025, unanimous decision of five justices who heard the matter stemmed from a pair of loans obtained by engineering giant G. Cappa Plc from FSB International Bank in the early 2000s. The loans, recorded as $3 million and N100 million at the time, were executed before Fidelity Bank bought FSB International and its liabilities as part of the banking sector consolidation in 2005.

The cumulative facility was issued at prohibitive interest per annum, and Fidelity began seizing G. Cappa’s assets in Ikoyi and Ibadan that had been used to secure the deal when the company allegedly defaulted in 2005. G. Cappa sued at the time, and a federal judge in Lagos ordered Fidelity to desist from its aggressive depletion of G. Cappa’s assets, court documents said.

But Fidelity’s management failed to obey the court order, and instead listed the assets for sale to potential buyers, including Sagecom. Court documents said Sagecom, run by Bamidele Ogunkanmi and U.S.-based Nigerian Dakore Miriki, paid N350 million to buy some of the properties from Fidelity Bank, but the company quickly sought to recoup its payment after seeing a January 2006 disclaimer that said a court order had enjoined Fidelity from selling G. Cappa’s assets.

Lagos high court, CEO Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe
Lagos high court, CEO Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe
The matter was later remanded to the Lagos State High Court. After several years of litigation, during which the bank lost repeatedly, including at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, the dispute wound up at the Supreme Court in 2018, leading to the final judgement last month.

“Apart from the mountain of evidence against it, allowing the appellant to escape liability as it so desperately seeks to do here would be tantamount to allowing it to benefit from its own wrong,” the Supreme Court said in its lead opinion by Justice Adamu Jauro. “The notorious principle of equity that a court ought not to allow a person to take advantage of his own wrong still remains part of our jurisprudence.”

The premium gist exclusively obtained the Supreme Court judgement, which had not been previously reported, after being informed that Fidelity Bank’s management was holding unusually long and frequent meetings lately.

Sagecom, represented by Muiz Banire and Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, successfully argued throughout the case that it suffered damages through Fidelity’s action because it borrowed the N350 million from FMCB to secure the troubled assets from Fidelity, enduring 19.5 per cent annual interest.

Fidelity lawyers argued that the bank was not responsible for the damages and blamed G. Cappa for collecting rents on the Lagos assets following the initial court injunction. But the Supreme Court justices said Fidelity must pay for its apparent decision to disregard a live injunctive relief from a federal court.

“At the heart of the matter lies the appellant’s somewhat egregious conduct in selling a property it knew was subject to a restraining court order,” the court said, adding that Fidelity deprived Sagecom of “the possession and the economic benefits of its purchase for many years.”

The justices were unsparing as to Fidelity management’s conduct at the early stages of the dispute, repeatedly stating throughout the judgement that the bank admitted that it received notice of the injunction that blocked it from selling G. Cappa’s assets but proceeded anyway.

“This was not mere negligence but a deliberate disregard for both the court’s authority (with the intention to undermine it) and the first respondent’s rights as an innocent purchaser,” Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey said in her concurring opinion. “The law remains that parties to a suit must obey court orders whether or not they are correct.” The three other justices on the panel were Mohammed Lawal Garba, Moore Aseimo Ibrahim Adumein and Abubakar Saqid Umar.

The justices also said that one way Fidelity might have prevailed in its appeal was if the bank had argued that there had been a perversion or miscarriage of justice in the lower courts.

“The appellant has failed to demonstrate any perversity in the findings of the lower courts or any miscarriage of justice warranting this court’s intervention,” the court added.

Consequently, the Supreme Court upheld the damages as calculated by the Lagos high court and imposed against Fidelity in a June 20, 2011, judgement, which Fidelity appealed. The Lagos judge, whom the Supreme Court lauded for doing a good job on the case, had ordered Fidelity to pay accrued earnings for several flats over many years Sagecom was unable to take possession of the assets.

Following the Supreme Court judgement, Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos State High Court calculated damages due to Sagecom, finding that as of May 16, 2025, Fidelity Bank owed the firm $139,064,896.18. The court put the naira value at N225,285,131,812.38, using N1620 per dollar as of the close of business on May 15, 2025.

Officials said Fidelity planned to argue the calculation during a court hearing before Mrs Akinlade, scheduled for May 19 at 9:00 a.m. However, sources familiar with the matter said it was unlikely the calculation would change.

Mrs Akinlade, however, noted in a worksheet seen by The Gazette that “naira equivalent to be determined using the official exchange rate on the date of actual payment.”

Representatives for G. Cappa and Sagecom could not be reached for comments.

Fidelity Bank, led by its first female CEO Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, has consistently ranked among the biggest banks in Nigeria, often placed at number six for its massive asset base. Today’s opposition leader Peter Obi ran the bank in the early oughts, leaving as chairman to seek office as Anambra governor in 2003.

It has for years courted public dread as one of the financial institutions notorious for draconian loan practices, and a Lagos family recently blamed the bank’s management for the death of a real estate investor following a prolonged facility dispute.

The bank has maintained no wrongdoing, often blaming the central bank and other regulators for imposing virtually all loan conditions on commercial lenders nationwide. A CBN spokeswoman did not immediately return a request seeking comment.

One of the construction workers trapped under the rubble of the collapsed building at Idi Araba in the Mushin area of Lagos State has been recovered dead.

The one-storey building, which was under construction, came down around 3:30pm on Sunday.

The coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Territorial Office, Ibrahim Farinloye, confirmed the development in a statement.

“So far, one person has been confirmed dead, while three others have been rescued alive.

“Search and rescue operations are ongoing continue,” he wrote.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Shakiru Amodu, also confirmed the death of the recovered victim

“Unfortunately, one adult male has been recovered dead,” he told our correspondent.

Director of the fire service agency, Margaret Adeseye, had, in a statement, explained that the building was under construction before the incident occurred.

Adeseye added that three male adults were rescued from the rubble and were receiving treatment.

The statement read, “A building under construction at the one-storey level suddenly collapsed at 96 Ishaga Road, opposite Idi Araba Central Mosque, Mushin, Lagos. The distress call was received at approximately 3:30 pm.

“Responding agencies included the Isolo Fire Station of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps, the Lagos State Ambulance Service, and the Nigeria Police.

“Three adult males have been rescued alive with varying degrees of injury. They were attended to at the scene before being transferred to the hospital for further treatment by the Lagos State Ambulance Service.”