Author: Ogochukwu Ndubuisi

Ecobank, Guinness Drive NGX’s N542bn Equity Portfolio Surge Ecobank Transnational Incorporation (ETI), Guinness Nigeria, International Breweries, and BUA Foods, among others, drove the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) All-Share Index higher by 55 basis points on Monday. The stock market extended the post-Santa Claus rally as investors sentiment remained positive ahead of New Year holiday. Buying momentum heated up as the market anticipates the release of Q4 earnings. In today’s trading session, the benchmark index closed in positive territory as the All-Share index gained 0.55% to settle at 154,389.53 points. The upswing performance was fuelled by demand for INTBREW (+8.28%), BUAFOODS (+1.54%),…

Presidency: South Must Complete its 8 Years – Wike Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the southern part of Nigeria must complete its two full terms of eight-year presidential slots in the spirit of fairness and equity. Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Mr Lere Olayinka said Wike stated this position on Sunday, during his special Christmas visits to Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Rivers. While addressing the people, Wike maintained that President Bola Tinubu, a southerner, should be supported to complete his first term and…

Warren Buffett to Retire as Berkshire Hathaway CEO on December 31, 2025 Warren Buffett is hanging up his CEO hat on 31 December 2025. After six decades steering Berkshire Hathaway, the 94‑year‑old “Oracle of Omaha” announced his retirement at the May 2025 shareholder meeting, handing the reins to Greg Abel, currently vice‑chair of non‑insurance operations, effective 1 January 2026. Buffett will stay on as a shareholder and occasional adviser, but day‑to‑day decision‑making ends. In his final months he accelerated the distribution of Berkshire stock to foundations set up by his three children, a move worth roughly $1.3 billion. Under his watch, Berkshire grew from a struggling textile firm…

CPPE Forecasts Stronger Economic Growth in 2026 The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) on Sunday said Nigeria recorded major gains in macroeconomic stability in 2025, adding that same could pave way for stronger growth in 2026. It said that the country recorded gains especially in exchange rate management inflation and business confidence. CPPE’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Muda Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement, while presenting the organisations review of the economy in 2025 as well as its outlook for 2026. He said that 2025 provided a strong foundation of stability adding that with sustained reforms and improved…

Tinubu Departs for Europe Ahead Abu Dhabi Summit President Bola Tinubu on Sunday departed Lagos for Europe as part of his end-of-year break and ahead of his official visit to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This is contained in a statement issued by the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in Lagos. The president is scheduled to participate in the 2026 edition of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026) Summit. His visit follows an invitation by the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. ADSW 2026, which will hold early in…

UK, Germany Sign £52m Contract for Cutting-Edge Artillery The UK has signed a £52 million joint contract with Germany to acquire the RCH 155 mobile artillery system, a platform capable of firing while travelling at up to 100 km/h and striking targets at ranges of around 70 km. The deal means the UK will receive a cutting-edge Early Capability Demonstrator (ECD) platform of the RCH 155, with two more going to Germany for joint testing. This joint procurement demonstrates deepening defence cooperation between the UK and Germany under the Trinity House agreement signed in October 2024 – a landmark defence…

Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery Restarts After Six‑Year Shutdown After a six‑year dormancy, Ghana’s sole crude‑oil refinery, the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), has roared back to life. The restart followed the completion of a three‑month Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) program on the refinery’s Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), carried out from 1 August to 30 October 2025. On 19 December 2025, the CDU began processing crude, initially at about 28,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) and sending all product streams to storage for the first time in years . The successful resumption was confirmed by the state‑owned energy company BOSTenergies, which praised TOR’s leadership, technical teams, and partners for…

Tax Reform Incomplete Without Mining Sector Inclusion A public policy analyst and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Bola Babarinde, has urged the Federal Government to fully integrate Nigeria’s solid minerals sector into ongoing tax reforms. Babarinde, a former APC Chairman, South Africa Chapter, in a statement on Friday in Lagos, cautioned that excluding mining revenues would undermine equity, peace and national development. He described the setting up of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reform, chaired by Mr Taiwo Oyedele as timely given Nigeria’s revenue challenges, rising inequality and the urgent need for a fair and efficient fiscal…

China Deploying Humanoid Robots for Vietnam Border Patrol In a groundbreaking move, China has announced the deployment of humanoid robots for border patrol duties along its frontier with Vietnam. The robots, developed by Shenzhen-based UBTECH Robotics Corp., will be stationed at the Fangchenggang border crossing in Guangxi, a coastal region near Vietnam. The deployment is part of a $37 million contract secured by UBTECH Robotics to supply its Walker S2 humanoid robots for patrol, logistics, crowd control, and guidance tasks at the border. The Walker S2 robots are industrial-grade, adult-sized machines designed to move wherever humans can, with capabilities including…

Post‑Sokoto Airstrikes: US Restarts ISR Operations in Sambisa The United States has resumed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations over Nigeria’s northeast region, targeting militants in the Sambisa forest following recent air strikes on ISIS fighters in Sokoto State. A Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, Brant Philip, disclosed the development on Saturday, sharing flight-tracking data showing a US aircraft flying over Borno State. Philip explained that the operation focused on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the ISIS affiliate operating mainly in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad basin. The aircraft involved was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet often…