KACRAN Challenges 19 Northern Governors to Adopt Buni’s Commercial Revolution Blueprint

..Calls on Tinubu to Provide Soft Loans to Traders, Says Markets, Factories Can Create Millions of Jobs

By: Michael Mike

The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has challenged the 19 governors of Northern Nigeria to adopt Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni’s commercial development blueprint, describing it as a potential pathway to economic recovery, job creation and improved security across the region.

The association also urged President Bola Tinubu to provide accessible soft loans and special intervention funds for traders and entrepreneurs operating in newly developed markets, saying inadequate business capital remains a major constraint to unlocking the economic potential of Northern Nigeria.

KACRAN, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its National President, Hon. Khalil Mohammed Bello, said the region needed a deliberate economic revival strategy to address insecurity, industrial decline, youth unemployment and the disruption of agriculture and livestock production.

It identified Buni’s investment in modern markets, trailer parks and sesame seed processing facilities as a model that other Northern states could replicate to stimulate commercial activities and create employment opportunities.

According to the association, the Yobe State Government has invested billions of naira in the construction of modern markets across the state’s 17 local government areas, with projects completed in major commercial centres and others approaching completion.

It listed Potiskum, Damaturu, Gashua, Nguru and Gaidam among the towns where modern markets have been completed, adding that Gujba and Fune are among the local government areas expected to have two markets each.

The association said the completed and ongoing projects would bring the total number of modern markets to 19.

It also highlighted the construction of two trailer parks in Potiskum and Damaturu, noting that the Potiskum facility had been completed while work was ongoing in Damaturu.

According to KACRAN, the trailer parks are expected to strengthen transportation and facilitate the movement of goods, while four sesame seed cleaning and packaging factories established in Nguru, Machina, Damaturu and Potiskum would support agricultural value addition and industrial development.

The association argued that investments in commercial infrastructure and agro-processing could expand economic opportunities, improve market access for farmers and traders, and create jobs for young people.

It, however, stressed that infrastructure alone would not be sufficient to achieve the desired economic transformation without access to affordable financing for businesses.

KACRAN therefore called on Tinubu to introduce special credit facilities for traders and entrepreneurs who had secured space in the new markets, arguing that access to working capital would enable them to expand their businesses, employ more people and strengthen economic activities along the commercial value chain.

The association said the proposed intervention could also help reduce the vulnerability of unemployed youths to criminal recruitment by providing more sustainable livelihood opportunities.

In making its case for a regional economic revival, KACRAN recalled what it described as Northern Nigeria’s historical reputation for peaceful coexistence, hospitality, commercial enterprise and trust-based business relationships.

It lamented that insecurity, the collapse of industries, ethno-religious divisions and political mistrust had undermined these traditions, while insurgency had disrupted farming, cattle rearing and fishing in several communities.

The association said the region needed to rebuild its economic foundations by investing in productive infrastructure, supporting private enterprise and creating opportunities for its growing youth population.

It traced its call for a new commercial development strategy to the economic and social changes that had taken place since the era of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, arguing that restoring the region’s prosperity required practical policies rather than nostalgia.

KACRAN particularly commended Buni for what it described as his commitment to reviving Yobe’s commercial sector despite the challenges posed by years of insurgency.

It also praised the state’s Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Tourism and Solid Minerals, Hon. Kaigama Umar, alongside the ministry’s permanent secretary, directors, the management of Yobe State Investment Company and other officials involved in supervising the projects.

The association said the officials’ contributions had helped advance the state’s commercial infrastructure programme.

It maintained that replicating the Yobe model across Northern Nigeria, supported by affordable credit and effective implementation, could strengthen regional trade, expand employment and contribute to national economic growth.

“This revolution is not just for Yobe, it is for the North and for Nigeria,” the association declared.

KACRAN Challenges 19 Northern Governors to Adopt Buni’s Commercial Revolution Blueprint

EbonyLife Place Opens in London, Deepens UK-Nigeria Creative Ties

EbonyLife Place, a new cultural and entertainment destination dedicated to African and Black creativity, has opened in London, in a development expected to further strengthen creative, trade and investment ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The venue, created by Nigerian media entrepreneur and EbonyLife Group Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mo Abudu, officially opened on Thursday and is located at 208 Wandsworth Road, between Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms.

The opening is being positioned as a significant milestone in UK-Nigeria creative collaboration and is expected to create about 40 direct jobs in London.

It also aligns with the ongoing UK-Nigeria Economic, Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP), which seeks to deepen economic cooperation between both countries, including through stronger links in the creative industries.

EbonyLife Place London brings film, food, fashion, art, music and entertainment together under one roof, providing a platform for established and emerging creative talents from Africa and the wider Black diaspora.

At the centre of the new destination is the 160-seat Amani Auditorium, described as the UK’s only cinema dedicated exclusively to African and Black film.

The auditorium will showcase Nollywood and other African films alongside productions from the UK, Caribbean, United States and other parts of the global Black diaspora.

Beyond cinema, the auditorium will host masterclasses, industry panels, fireside conversations, keynote sessions, live acoustic performances as well as cultural and business events.

Speaking on the development, Abudu said the new venue was designed to bring the richness of African and Black creativity together through films, food, fashion, art, music and stories.

She said the vision extended beyond Nigeria to Africa and the global Black diaspora, adding that the venue would provide a platform for creators from cities including Lagos, London, Accra, Kingston and New York.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the development, describing EbonyLife Place London as a “fantastic addition” to the city’s cultural offering.
Khan said the venue would showcase films by African and Black filmmakers alongside music, art, fashion and food, describing it as a destination for celebrating Black creativity from around the world.

The Mayor had visited EbonyLife Place in Lagos last year during his trade mission to Africa, where he and Abudu hosted a London edition of Lagos Canvas, bringing together figures from Lagos’ art and entertainment industries to promote creative links and partnerships.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also welcomed the London expansion, describing it as an international extension of a vision that originated in Lagos.

“EbonyLife Place was born in Lagos in 2019, and it is wonderful to see this proudly Lagosian vision now taking its place in London,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He described the London venue as more than a new cultural destination, saying it represented a celebration of African creativity, culture and storytelling and a bridge between Lagos and the rest of the world.

The London destination also features The Afrobeat, a 40-seat restaurant offering contemporary African cuisine; Fèhìntì Lounge; Maji Concession and Bar; Zuri Retail, an African concept store; and the Living Wall Gallery for contemporary African and diaspora art and photography.
Music will also feature prominently in its programme, with live performances, listening parties and curated experiences involving established African and diaspora artistes as well as emerging musicians, DJs and new sounds.

The venue’s opening programme includes a partnership with Film Africa, described as the UK’s largest annual festival celebrating African cinema.

According to the organisers, EbonyLife Place will operate a year-round programme of screenings, performances, exhibitions, conversations, networking events, showcases and collaborations involving African and Black creative communities.
A membership scheme is also expected to be introduced, although details of the various membership tiers will be announced later.

The opening marks another stage in Abudu’s long-standing effort to build international platforms for African storytelling and creative talent.

EbonyLife was established as an African media brand and has subsequently developed partnerships with major international entertainment organisations, including Netflix, Sony Pictures and BBC Studios.

Abudu has also received international recognition, including being named among TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women.

The establishment of EbonyLife Place in London therefore extends an existing Lagos-based creative brand into one of the world’s major cultural and entertainment markets.

The development also comes as Nigeria and the UK continue efforts to expand economic cooperation beyond traditional sectors, with the creative economy increasingly viewed as an area capable of generating jobs, investment and international opportunities for Nigerian talent.

With its focus on Nigerian, African and Black stories and creators, EbonyLife Place London is expected to provide another platform through which Nigerian creative products can reach international audiences while strengthening links between the country’s creative industry and the wider global market.

EbonyLife Place Opens in London, Deepens UK-Nigeria Creative Ties

UNESCO, FG Seek Ethical Framework for Neurotechnology in Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Federal Government and the scientific community have called for the development of an ethical and regulatory framework to guide the responsible development and application of neurotechnology in Nigeria.

The call was made on Wednesday in Abuja at a two-day stakeholders’ roundtable on the ethics of neurotechnology, where experts warned that rapid advances in technologies capable of interacting with the human nervous system could create profound challenges for human dignity, privacy, autonomy and fundamental rights.

Speaking at the event, UNESCO Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Isaias Barreto da Rosa, said neurotechnology was opening extraordinary possibilities in healthcare, rehabilitation, education and inclusion, but warned that the closer technology came to the human brain, the more fundamental the ethical questions became.

He said neurotechnology could improve understanding of the brain, enhance diagnosis and treatment, support rehabilitation and enable people living with disabilities to communicate and live more independently.

However, Barreto da Rosa said neurodata could be among the most sensitive forms of personal information, raising questions about who controls such data, how meaningful consent could be guaranteed, and how mental privacy, autonomy and freedom of thought could be protected.

He also warned against the possibility of neurotechnology widening existing inequalities rather than reducing them.

“These questions cannot be addressed after the technology has already transformed our societies. Ethics must evolve alongside innovation, not struggle to catch up with it,” he said.

The UNESCO representative recalled that the organisation’s member states adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology in November 2025, describing it as the first global normative framework dedicated to the field.

He said the recommendation built on UNESCO’s longstanding work on bioethics, science and emerging technologies, including its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.

According to him, the central principle was that scientific progress must remain at the service of humanity, human rights and the common good.

Barreto da Rosa noted that Nigeria had already contributed to the international process that produced the recommendation, with Nigerian experts and the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria participating in consultations that helped shape the global framework.

He said the task before Nigerian stakeholders was to translate the global principles into national reflection, policies and action.

“For Nigeria, this is also a question of opportunity,” he said, noting that the country’s universities, research institutions, medical community, technology ecosystem and young innovators had the capacity not only to participate in the future of neurotechnology but also to help shape its governance in Africa.

He urged stakeholders to examine who benefits from neurotechnology, who bears its risks, who has access to it, whose rights must be protected and who should be accountable when things go wrong.

The National Project Focal Point in the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Adebayo Adeyemi, said the Federal Government considered the consultation timely, given the opportunities and risks associated with neurotechnology.

Adeyemi, who conveyed the goodwill of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, said the minister was passionate about the initiative and welcomed the appointment of a national project focal point.

He said the UNESCO recommendation adopted in November 2025 provided clear boundaries and safeguards for the use, application and promotion of neurotechnology globally.

According to him, the immediate task was to interpret those recommendations within the Nigerian context.

“What is expected from this two-day meeting is that we are to be able to put those recommendations in a perspective that represents Nigeria, a perspective that will be able to speak to our realities,” he said.

Adeyemi said developing a Nigerian perspective would make it easier to formulate relevant policies and enforce regulations capable of responding to the country’s specific circumstances.

He also described the consultation as an opportunity for Nigeria to assume a leadership role in contributing to the global framework on neurotechnology.

He urged participants to bring their expertise and diverse professional experiences to the deliberations to produce practical outcomes applicable to Nigeria and Africa.

The President of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria, Prof. Angela Danborno, said the ethical debate had become more urgent as advances in neuroscience and technology were transforming understanding of the human brain and opening new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, education and human-machine interaction.

Danborno identified brain-computer interfaces, neuroimaging, artificial intelligence, neuromodulation and other emerging neurotechnologies as areas with enormous potential to improve human health and wellbeing.

She noted that the importance of the subject was reflected in the theme of the society’s 2026 conference, “Neuroeducation and Neurotechnology.”

However, she said the benefits of emerging technologies must be weighed against their potential implications for individual rights and freedoms.

“Who owns and controls neural data? Who has the right to access information about a person’s brain? How do we protect mental privacy and cognitive liberty? How do we ensure informed consent when technologies become increasingly complex?” she asked.

Danborno stressed that the questions were not theoretical but required immediate consideration as neurotechnology continued to advance globally and found greater application in Nigerian society.

She particularly drew attention to optogenetics, an emerging neurotechnology involving the precise investigation and modulation of neural circuits.

According to her, the technology’s potential to manipulate specific neural circuits raised ethical questions around autonomy, informed consent, safety, genetic modification, identity, privacy and the possibility of altering behaviour or cognition.

Danborno said these concerns made emerging technologies particularly relevant to discussions on ethics and governance.

She called for Nigeria’s approach to be grounded in its unique social, cultural, economic and healthcare realities.

“For Nigeria, the conversation must also be grounded in our unique social, cultural, economic, and health-care system,” she said.

The neuroscientist stressed that scientific progress and ethical responsibility must advance together, warning that innovation should not come at the expense of human dignity, autonomy, privacy, justice and fundamental human rights.

Also speaking, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Health, Ado Danladi, said the ministry was particularly interested in the initiative because of the health benefits and ethical concerns associated with neurotechnology.

Danladi, who conveyed the greetings of the Minister of Health, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, said neurotechnology could play an important role in addressing a range of health conditions.

He cited Parkinson’s disease among organic conditions that could benefit from neurotechnology, while also noting its potential application in addressing conditions such as anxiety and depression.

However, he said the growing availability of neurotechnological devices and applications had raised important questions about the ethical implications of their use, particularly where they generated sensitive neurodata.

“How should this data be protected? Who uses this data? To what benefit, and all that?” he asked.

Danladi said the questions were particularly important as Nigeria sought to establish appropriate safeguards for the use of emerging neurotechnologies.

He described the UNESCO initiative as a pioneering effort and said Nigeria had an opportunity to position itself among countries taking the lead in protecting human dignity and maintaining ethical standards in scientific research.

He assured that the Federal Ministry of Health would align with UNESCO on the initiative to ensure that Nigeria was properly positioned to contribute to the emerging global governance of neurotechnology.

Danladi said the ministry would support efforts to promote ethical standards in research and the responsible application of neurotechnology in healthcare.

He urged participants to use the two-day consultation to develop recommendations capable of guiding Nigeria’s response to the opportunities and risks presented by the rapidly evolving field.

Barreto da Rosa, meanwhile, urged scientists, policymakers, medical professionals and innovators to go beyond asking whether a technological possibility existed.

He challenged them to also ask whether it should be done, under what conditions and for whose benefit.

He said the measure of scientific progress was not only what humanity could discover but how wisely and fairly such discoveries were applied.

UNESCO, he assured, would continue working with Nigeria to advance ethical governance, scientific capacity, inclusive innovation and international cooperation as neurotechnology continues to evolve.

UNESCO, FG Seek Ethical Framework for Neurotechnology in Nigeria