Tuggar Urges U.S. to Work with Anchor States, Highlights Nigeria’s Strategic Role

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar has underscored the strategic importance of renewed U.S.–Nigeria cooperation, calling for stronger investment ties during a high-level roundtable convened by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The meeting, which brought together Vice President Kashim Shettima and top executives of leading U.S. companies, focused on investment opportunities in Nigeria’s priority sectors, including energy, agriculture, technology, and finance.

Speaking at the forum, Tuggar urged Washington to prioritize partnerships with anchor states in Africa. “The United States should revert to working with anchor states in Africa, such as Nigeria. Our population, abundant resources, and continental scale make Nigeria a natural destination for U.S. business partnerships. Such a collaboration will drive down costs, allow access to a vast talent pool, and help integrate millions of informal businesses into the formal economy,” he stated.

The Minister stressed that under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Nigeria is committed to deepening economic diplomacy, creating an enabling business environment, and ensuring that global partnerships deliver concrete benefits for citizens.

He also highlighted Nigeria’s demographic advantage, ongoing reforms, and continental leadership as drivers positioning the country as Africa’s premier hub for global investment.

Tuggar Urges U.S. to Work with Anchor States, Highlights Nigeria’s Strategic Role

NCYP and Digital Imam Urge Review of Bandit Peace Deals to Prevent Rising Insecurity

By: Michael Mike

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has called on the Federal Government to urgently reevaluate the peace deals currently being entered into with bandits in the North West, warning that such agreements may worsen insecurity rather than resolve it.

This position was made known during a courtesy visit by the NCYP national delegation, led by its National Chairman, Isaac Abrak, to the Chairman of the Islamic Research and Da’awa Foundation, Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid—fondly known as the Digital Imam—at his residence in Karu, Nasarawa State.

Speaking during the visit, Abrak noted with concern that while clerics and community leaders are engaging with bandits in states such as Katsina, Zamfara, and Kebbi, attacks in these areas continue to rise.

He stressed that while community involvement is important, negotiations with armed groups should be led by state security agencies such as the military and the DSS, with clerics and local leaders playing a supportive role.

On the recurring farmers–herders conflict in the North Central region, Abrak urged stakeholders to draw lessons from Rwanda’s experience. He explained that Rwanda was able to break cycles of revenge between Hutus and Tutsis—who lost over 800,000 lives during the genocide—through the virtues of forgiveness and reconciliation. He cautioned that Nigeria must also embrace forgiveness to avoid a similar tragedy, while highlighting Rwanda’s remarkable post-conflict recovery and development as a model.

In his response, Sheikh Nuru Khalid reiterated his longstanding call for interreligious tolerance between Muslims and Christians as the foundation for peace, good governance, and national development. He endorsed NCYP’s call for the review of peace deals, stressing that while peace is desirable, government must not appear weak or give preferential treatment to criminals. According to him, the current form of negotiations risks sending the wrong message—that government cannot hold bandits accountable for their crimes.

The Sheikh further cautioned against elevating the status of bandits above that of affected communities, warning that this could embolden potential criminals. He commended Nigeria’s security forces for their commitment, particularly the Chief of Defence Staff, whom he described as dedicated to securing the country.

Sheikh Khalid also expressed appreciation to the NCYP for the visit and assured them of his support and guidance in their pursuit of peace and justice across the nation.

NCYP and Digital Imam Urge Review of Bandit Peace Deals to Prevent Rising Insecurity

Ogijo Pollution: NESREA DG Meets Recyclers, Threatens Revocation of Licenses

By: Michael Mike

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has threatened to revoke the operational licenses of recycling facilities who refuse to comply with agreed protocol for remediation of Ogijo Community in Ogun State .

The Director General of the agency, Prof. Innocent Barikor gave the warning on Monday during a meeting with recyclers whose facilities were sealed in a recent clampdown on recalcitrant facilities in the South West Zone of the country.

Nine facilities operating in the battery recycling sector in Ogijo were sealed for causing environmental pollution in the community through poor slag management, manual battery breaking, uncontrolled lead dust emissions, lack of workers’ health surveillance among others.

Barikor stated that “the enforcement action was taken as a necessary first step to safeguard lives and restore environmental integrity. Facilities will remain sealed until verifiable corrective actions are taken.”

He told the recyclers that the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains committed to ensuring that Nigerians live in a healthy environment, warning that time was running out for errant facilities.

He said: “What we have at present is anarchic and not sustainable. This is your opportunity to reset, to demonstrate responsibility and to bring your facilities into full compliance. NESREA has shown patience in the past, but that window is closing.”

On the next steps, he said, “the issue of slag evacuation is an emergency and polluter pays, therefore the operators must bear the cost of removal . You are to sign an undertaken assenting to the agreed compliance protocol, process necessary documents and register with the Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the sector.”

Barikor further directed that the operators commit to addressing facility specific environmental/ operational concerns, observe the penalties for indiscriminate dumping and non-compliance and take steps towards adopting cleaner technologies.

In his intervention the Director, Hazardous Materials Management and Environmental Safety for Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), Lawal Babatunde accused the facilities of failing to abide by guidelines set out by the State Government for the evacuation of slag from the community.

Present at the meeting were the Executive Secretary of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling (ARBR), Mrs. Miranda Amachree and operators of facilities in the battery and base metal recycling sectors.

Ogijo Pollution: NESREA DG Meets Recyclers, Threatens Revocation of Licenses