It is 20 years since the sage, Chinua Achebe, penned a famous open letter rejecting President Olusegun Obasanjo’s award of the Commander of the Federal Republic.

For those who have forgotten, or who for some reason do not know, here is the full message, which was sent from Annandale-on-Hudson in New York, where the writer lived at the time.
“October 15, 2004
“My Dear President Obasanjo,
“I write this letter with a very heavy heart. For some time now, I have watched events in Nigeria with alarm and dismay. I have watched particularly the chaos in my own state of Anambra, where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places, seems determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom. I am appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance, of the Presidency.
“Forty-three years ago, at the first anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, I was given the first Nigerian National Trophy for Literature. In 1979, I received two further honours – the Nigerian National Order of Merit and the Order of the Federal Republic – and in 1999, the first National Creativity Award.
“I accepted all these honours fully aware that Nigeria was not perfect, but I had a strong belief that we would outgrow our shortcomings under leaders committed to uniting our diverse peoples.
“Nigeria’s condition today under your watch is, however, too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honor awarded me in the 2004 Honors List.”
His beloved Anambra was in turmoil, a product of the machinations of Nigeria’s political elite, led by Obasanjo himself.

Across the country, the menace that is Nigeria today was being sown. Capturing the situation as being “too dangerous for silence,” the famous writer turned down Obasanjo’s offer. Over the years, a few others have done the same.

The Achebe drama was replayed in 2011, when President Goodluck Jonathan, whom Obasanjo had put in place as Vice-President in 2007, again placed him on the Honours list.

The writer expressed impatience, explaining, “The reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed, let alone solved.”

2007 was the year that The Economist, in response to Obasanjo’s “do-or-die” elections, which enabled the PDP to continue his political bloodline after his third-term effort failed, published its famous “Big man, big fraud and big trouble” comment, saying that “the organised vote-rigging and fraud…suggest that Nigeria may be sliding backwards again.”

Obasanjo’s EFCC stalwart, Nuhu Ribadu, enjoying a gleaming international reputation at the time, characterised the concern as being beyond corruption.

“It’s gangsterism. It’s organised crime,” he told the magazine.

But perhaps we were sliding forward, not backwards?  Nigeria’s world has certainly turned around, or upside down, since then: Bola Tinubu is now President.  Ribadu, who as chairman of the EFCC, was the first to pronounce and denounce the corruption of Mr Bola Tinubu as governor of Lagos State, is now Tinubu’s National Security Adviser

Similarly, President Tinubu’s current Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, turned down his National Honour nomination in 2011, when he was a federal legislator, claiming not only that the honours should not be disbursed as presidential favours but that “we have had many rotten eggs on our honours list.”

That was before he was discovered to have been disbarred in 2007 as a licensed lawyer in the United States, having been found to have stolen money from a client and failed to meet his membership obligations.

But if Ribadu was right about political gangsterism and organised crime in 2007, that is but a juvenile joke today.

If Achebe was alarmed and dismayed by well-connected renegades in one state in 2004 or even in 2011, Nigeria has matured into the “bankrupt and lawless fiefdom” he feared.

It was in 2004 that I characterised the PDP the “Profoundly Decadent Party,” a label I have restated over the years. It was a rotten, unprincipled assemblage of men, just as APC was, and is, except that APC now oozes a stench nobody thought was possible.

As early as late 2013, the warning bells were clanging, leading one to wonder whether APC was any less dangerous, and then to understand that each was the other by a different name.

And then APC took it further, announcing its murder weapon in the words of now-Senator Adams Oshiomhole: “Once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven.”

We have since learned the unstated corollary: “Once you are in the APC, your sins can multiply freely.”

This is why we have experienced 10 years of a political party whose only triumph is in lying and propaganda. Because APC embodies corruption, it cannot combat the menace; in its hands, the anti-corruption agencies shamelessly encourage and nurture it.

Within months in 2015, the APC Manifesto was abandoned, and the party forgot its so-called mission of C-H-A-N-G-E once it had acquired power.

Muhammadu Buhari’s May 2019 announcement that APC would lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years is a hoax the current government does not dignify with any further mention.

In 10 years, APC has rendered meaningless the rule of law as it has the constitutional separation of powers: the legislature and the judiciary now practically belong to the executive.

In APC’s hands, the insecurity in the country mutated from a mouse into a tiger. Consider that Tinubu, finally compelled to visit Benue State last week over the large-scale killings there, expressed surprise (wink!) that no arrests had been made, as if law enforcement matters in Nigeria.

Tinubu treated his Benue visit like a political pilgrimage, with local school children dragged into pouring rain in their uniforms to be violated and victimised all over again.  He did not visit the grieving communities, either, only issuing directives to the security agencies as if directives are the same as a strategy.

Nearly two years ago, Tinubu recalled Nigeria’s ambassadors worldwide, claiming he wanted “world-class efficiency and quality.”  They have not been replaced, leaving Nigerians abroad naked. Last week in Iran, Nigerians in that country were abandoned.

That is how Nigeria is now governed: with nepotism, narrow- mindedness and self-interest taking the place of public service and ethics.

This is the country in which President Tinubu announced his 101-person 2025 National Honours, allegedly to mark Democracy Day.  Some of them in the number among Nigeria’s finest, and I applaud them.

But are they not instead diminished by our hollowed-out realities?  Nigeria is a country on the edge: bleeding, nervous, angry and hungry.

Those listed who really deserve to be celebrated but are really just being used to cloak the filthiest should be “emitting smoke from seven orifices,” as the Chinese would say.

Can something moldy be used to disinfect and clean?  Can someone, or something, deficient in credibility and integrity define or grant them to another?

I know a few lions who would have growled and roared their disapproval from the tallest tree.  As it is said, you must be careful when a naked man offers you a shirt.

Because two people, then, are naked.

Punch

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” - 2 Timothy 4:7-8.

Introduction

The Apostle Paul, a man widely (and rightly) regarded as a Christian leader for all time, was a true exemplar of the Christian way of life. As we learn from his writings and accounts of others, in all that he did, he was truly an ambassador of the Gospel to the Gentiles, a father to many, and certainly not one to back down from a fight. From the cusp of adulthood until he was saved by the Lord Jesus on his way to Damascus, Paul had spent his entire life devoted to fighting, and thereafter, he continued fighting, but in the service of the good and righteous One.

Before we turn to the focus of this piece, the good fight, it may perhaps be worth considering briefly the other side of the coin, that is, the ‘bad fight’. This consists of ‘zealous religious pursuits’ to which we are sometimes, like Saul of Tarsus, devoted – and the ‘righteousness’ of which we are quite convinced of – but which, in God’s books, do not count for much and may take us down the slippery slope of hate, jealousy and unholy anger.

The Good Fight

What, then, is the ‘good fight’? In 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Paul articulated and commended certain things to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith (things Paul himself had done, and which qualified him for a crown of righteousness).

For the avoidance of doubt, the good fight, which is the centerpiece of our calling as believers – is as set forth in this missive from Paul to Timothy: “preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine…but watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

I posit that these above present to us a very vivid, true and an acceptable kingdom lifestyle, failing which will doubtless result in undesirable consequences in form of stronghold of unbelief, creating distractions from our major goals in life. However, the consequences also show up in the forms of sicknesses of the mind or body, stagnation, setback, marital problems, and all forms of addiction, depression and lusts. And, unfortunately, all of these become complicated, especially when such individuals refuse to give attention to godly, Biblical counsel from wise and elderly people who have accomplished what they are just wishing to attain.

Now, one of the most useful dynamics of living is in being able to overcome challenges and win through the battles of life as they come up. However, this cannot come to be until we learn to fight aright. Thus, the important question arises: how do we fight to win through and finish strong?

It is important to note from the onset that most of the serious battles man constantly faces are not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:4). Hence, it would require the fights of faith to win and overcome them. Strong holds can still lose their grip if we learn to fight aright, or else we miss it.

To fight aright, we must recognize that it is faith’s fight that wins the battle, not carnal fights. This is done by fighting the enemies with the Word of God, speaking boldly in prayer to issues and situations that contend with our joy, and fighting from our stands of righteousness in Christ Jesus.

We must also keep in mind the fact that all of life’s major battles start and are controlled in the spiritual realm, well before they manifest in the physical. In this regard, the Bible instructs us not to be complacent or carnally-disposed, but to fight from our privileged position of victory in Christ Jesus, using the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:12).

Finishing Strong

In closing, I must stress that it does not suffice to simply fight, as a strong start that is not sustained only ends in whimpering shame and makes the fighter the subject of ridicule. Ask Samson, a warrior divinely bestowed with supernatural strength, but who failed to finish strong. Ask Demas, who fought alongside Paul but ultimately forsook the faith, “having loved this present world” more than prize of the high calling of Christ.

Indeed, what qualifies a believer for the crown of righteousness is the ability to sustain the vigor and fervor of the fight to the very end. As the Master Himself said in Luke 9:62, “no one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Please, make no mistake about it: Satan will always fashion his weapons, but God foretold us that the devil’s arsenal against us shall not prosper. And most certainly, with the armor of God, you’re skewed to win, always!

Beloved, I pray that the Almighty God, the wellspring of life and strength, the One who has bestowed us with all things pertaining to life and godliness, including the armor to do battle, will grant you the grace to fight the good fight of faith, and the stamina to last the long haul for His glory here on earth, that a glorious crown of righteousness may be yours for eternity. Amen. Happy Sunday!

____________________

Archbishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola

SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987

When I met the Lord, I became suddenly open to the spirit world. Jesus said to me: “Femi, blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.” (Matthew 13:16).

However, this was double-edged. I could see and hear both the positive and the negative spiritual. After a few months, the pastor in my church came to see me. He had a dream in which the devil was laughing at me, boasting that he would drive me mad.

The Lord asked me to wait on Him for three days because He had something to reveal to me.

Divine revelation 

On the third day of my fast, I was sitting in my study all by myself, when something mind-blowing happened. The power of God suddenly overshadowed the room, and the Lord started to talk to me. What was so dramatic about this, and it has never happened to me like that since then, is that the voice came from “heaven.” It did not come from within me. It came from somewhere in the ceiling.

The Lord told me to take a pen and write down what he wanted to tell me. Then He said: “Femi, there are two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Everybody you are ever going to meet will come from one of these two kingdoms. It is your responsibility to determine which kingdom the people you meet are from.” 

“If the person is from the kingdom of your Father, you must determine why I want you to meet him. Every person you meet, you will meet for a reason, and you will meet by appointment. Nothing that will ever happen to you will be coincidental. Nothing will ever happen to you by happenstance. Everything that will happen in your life will happen for a reason. It is your responsibility to determine precisely what the reason is.”

As I was writing this down, I was covered with tears. I wept uncontrollably. I could not believe the Almighty God was giving nonentity me such privileged information. What did I do to deserve this Almighty visitation? What did I do to deserve God’s private tutorial on life? I was overwhelmed.

Kingdom dynamics

This revelation goes to the heart of God’s providence. It means that everything about a man’s life works according to God’s script. As David observes to God:

“You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!”(Psalm 139:16).

It means that if you stand on the street and a car passes by, it did not just happen. It was “programmed” to happen. Everything is by divine contrivance. God leaves nothing to chance: “We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall.” (Proverbs 16:33). 

“All things are of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18). “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.” (Romans 11:36).

God weaves the lives of everyone together as a weaver does the threads of a cloth. Combined, they are all designed to form a particular pattern and design. To those who find this difficult to believe, Jesus says: “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29).

Just think; there are over eight billion people alive today. In your lifetime, you are unlikely to meet even 10,000 of them. There is a reason why you meet the few that you meet.

Look again at this episode in the Bible:

“As (Jesus) was walking along, He saw a man blind from birth. ‘Master,’ His disciples asked Him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?’ ‘Neither,’ Jesus answered. ‘But to demonstrate the power of God. All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end.’” (John 9:1-4).

According to Jesus, everything happens for a divine reason. God’s purposes were served even by this man’s blindness. He was blind in order that he might be healed, and that God would thereby be glorified.

No coincidences

This means nothing about a man’s life is haphazard. Since Jesus died for everybody, we are too important to God for Him to just leave us at the whims and caprices of the devil. Neither are we under situations and circumstances. On the contrary, we have dominion over them. 

Jesus reaffirmed this, quoting the psalmist: “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.” (Psalm 82:6. John 10:34). Therefore, take nothing for granted. Gather up even the fragments of your life so that nothing is lost. (John 6:12). 

Everything that will happen to you is going to be from God. If someone takes you out to eat, it is God. If someone gives you money, it is God. If someone abuses you, it is God who is behind it. “Lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge (God), and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.” (Proverbs 3:5-7).

If you give something to someone, thank God for giving it to him. God did it. It is God: “who performs all things for (us).” (Psalm 57:2).

If you give something to someone, thank God for giving it to him. God did it. It is God: “who performs all things for (us).” (Psalm 57:2).

Jigsaw puzzle 

The life of a man is a jigsaw puzzle that God assembles. That jigsaw includes every word you speak on earth: “The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 16:1). It includes everything you do: “The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23).

That is why you could not have been born in another century. You could not have been anywhere else except where you are right now. You could not have been doing anything else right now, except reading this article. 

Without interfering with your free will, God puts you in a particular space where your dispositions are precisely suited to his will. It is like acting in a play. The Director told you that you could say whatever you liked and do whatever you wanted in every scene. 

But He foreknew you. He knew your character and your inclinations. He knew if you saw certain things, you would not stand idly by. He knew those situations where you would be inclined to react in a particular way. 

So, He told you: “Be yourself.” But by being yourself, you acted exactly according to His script, because He is the Uncaused cause of everything: “(He) works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Ephesians 1:11).

There is no situation that God does not control. There is no heart that is immune to His power. Therefore: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).

“In everything give thanks.” (2 Thessalonians 5:18).

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.femiaribisala.com

Chris Enloe

Jesus flipping tables in the Temple is not a permission slip for violent protests.

As pockets of Los Angeles and other major cities descended into chaos this week — violent protests orchestrated by leftist agitators angry that the Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws — a meme about Jesus went viral.

Jesus didn't torch Roman government buildings, loot businesses, attack Roman authorities, or cause destruction for the sake of chaos.

Eventually plastered on the front page of Reddit, the leftist meme depicts Jesus' famous temple tantrum — when he flipped over tables in the Jerusalem Temple courts — and included the sarcastic line with quotes of mockery, "Destruction of property is not a valid form of protest."

The meme, which Reddit moderators later deleted, is clever. But it's also incredibly dishonest.

Behind the viral image is a destructive lie: Jesus was a woke political protester who used violence to fight injustice. And if Jesusprotested with violence, then violence is a justified form of protest, right?

Wrong.

Jesus' sacred confrontation

Following his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple courts and, according to the Gospel of Matthew, "drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the benches of those selling doves (Matthew 21:12-13).

You can imagine the scene. An indignant Jesus, days before his execution, drives out merchants and money-changers. Coins clatter to the ground. Tables flip. Animals scatter. Chaos erupts.

Jesus even fashioned a "whip" as a protest instrument, according to the Gospel of John. In modern vernacular, it appears Jesus engaged in "civil disobedience."

But Jesus was protesting neither Rome nor secular injustice. Rather, he was purifying the Temple, the house of God, the place where God's presence literally dwelt. He wasn't targeting outsiders (i.e., secular authorities) but insiders (i.e., the Jewish establishment) because they had allowed a sacred space to be misused.

"Jesus' explicit protest is against the misuse of God's house for trade instead of prayer," writes Bible scholar R.T. France in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.

"It is where the trade is being carried out rather than how that is the focus of his displeasure. And that means the protest is directed not so much against the traders themselves but against the priestly establishment who had allowed them to operate with in the sacred area," France explains. "Commercial activity, however justified in itself, should not be carried out where people came to pray, and a temple regime which encouraged this had failed in its responsibility. This was, therefore, apparently a demonstration against the Sadducean establishment."

Importantly, Jesus "was not leading a popular protest movement." Instead, the incident is meant to draw attention to Jesus' messianic identity and divine authority, according to France.

This is why Jesus quotes from two prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah:

• Isaiah 56:7: When Jesus declares, "My house will be called a house of prayer," he is making clear that he is concerned with proper use of the Temple's sacred space.
• Jeremiah 7:11: When Jesus accuses the Jewish leaders of turning the Temple courts into a "den of robbers," he is accusing the leaders of hypocrisy: While they use pious words to show apparent reverence for God, their behavior proves they do not have proper respect for God's house.

The Bible is clear: Jesus was not inciting a riot.

On the contrary, Jesus is a prophet who, like the prophets before him, was issuing a prophetic rebuke. It was a moment of divine judgement for Jewish leaders — not a license for modern-day destruction.

Not a riot

With leftist violence back in style, the meme went viral because it serves an insidious purpose: Leftists seeking to justify violence want to weaponize Jesus to sanctify their chaos.

But there is a world of difference between Jesus' righteous anger and the senseless violence of anti-ICE leftist protesters.

Jesus didn't torch Roman government buildings, loot businesses, attack Roman authorities, or cause destruction for the sake of chaos. The Temple courts, after all, technicallybelonged to Him.

Standing in his Father's house, Jesus was confronting the corruption of the leaders responsible for supervising and protecting God's house. In that regard, Jesus was restoring what Jewish leaders had tarnished — not burning it down. Jesus demonstrated a holy anger, and it served a heavenly purpose.

Flip your tables

Jesus is not a leftist protest mascot. But the meme gets one thing right: We should be like Jesus.

We should love what God loves, and we should hate what God hates. We should honor what God honors, and we should always defend God's truth, opposing all attempts to corrupt it.

To be like Jesus is not to justify violence and excuse chaos. Instead, it requires pursuing God and his righteousness and, ultimately, following Jesus to the cross.

That means, like Jesus, we flip the "tables" of our own lives — the idols, sins, and lies that lead far from God and unto death — and allow God to cleanse and restore us, just as Jesus did to the Temple on his way to the cross.

The invitation is not to violence but to eternal transformation. Follow Him, indeed.

The Blaze

Despite worsening poverty and institutional dysfunction, Nigerians remain among the most generous and humane people in the world — a testament to the nation’s enduring social spirit even as governments at all levels continue to fail their citizens.

This paradox is starkly illustrated in the 2025 UN World Happiness Report, which ranks Nigeria 7th globally for helping strangers, placing it ahead of many wealthier nations in acts of spontaneous kindness and personal generosity. The report, produced by the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre in partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, covers 147 countries and evaluates well-being through self-reported happiness and prosocial behaviors like donating, volunteering, and offering help to strangers.

However, beyond this glowing endorsement of Nigerians’ humanity, the report exposes a more troubling reality: Nigeria ranks 105th out of 147 countries in overall happiness and well-being — a sharp indication of the depth of dissatisfaction and hardship experienced under the country’s broken public systems.

Strong People, Fragile Institutions

What emerges is a familiar pattern: a compassionate, community-oriented people navigating life in a country where institutional trust is dangerously low and government structures routinely fail to deliver basic accountability, justice, and social support.

A simple question in the report — what happens if you lose your wallet? — paints the picture clearly:

• 33rd: If found by a stranger

• 71st: If found by a neighbour

• 126th: If found by the police

Nigerians overwhelmingly trust individuals over public institutions — a devastating commentary on law enforcement and public governance. Citizens turn to each other, not the state, for help and protection.

The report identifies this as part of a broader trend in sub-Saharan Africa where personal networks compensate for government failures. Kenya (4th), Liberia (2nd), and Sierra Leone (5th) also rank high in helping strangers but fare poorly in overall happiness and institutional trust.

Kindness Is Not Enough

The report warns that while Nigeria’s grassroots compassion is admirable and resilient, it is also a coping mechanism — not a substitute for functional systems. Helping strangers, the study suggests, becomes a vital, direct way to do good when larger structures have collapsed.

This dynamic also explains Nigeria’s lower ranking in formal charitable donations (45th) compared to its high rating for direct kindness. In a nation where public institutions are widely distrusted, Nigerians prefer face-to-face giving over channeling support through official platforms.

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one of the report’s editors, summarized the dilemma:

“Societies that rank high for kindness but low for institutional trust may struggle to scale social support beyond immediate, individual interactions.”

In other words, Nigerians are doing the best they can — but without strong, transparent institutions, their efforts cannot be transformed into sustainable national progress.

The Real Message for Nigeria’s Leaders

The findings present a clear indictment of governance in Nigeria. Citizens continue to show the world their generosity, empathy, and moral strength, even as they are betrayed by a political class that has failed to build credible institutions or deliver meaningful reforms.

What Nigerians need is not just admiration for their kindness, but action — public accountability, institutional reform, and a reorientation of governance toward service rather than power.

Until then, the story of Nigeria will remain one of a good people failed by bad systems — heroic in individual acts, but weighed down by the absence of collective justice and functional governance.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has prohibited independent non-executive directors (INEDs) from assuming executive positions, such as chief executive officer (CEO), within the same company or its group.

In a June 20, 2025 circular, the regulator notified public companies and capital market operators of its stance on the "Transmutation of Independent Non-Executive Directors and Tenure of Directors."

The SEC stated that allowing INEDs to transition into executive roles undermines their neutrality and objectivity, conflicting with governance principles in the National Code of Corporate Governance (NCCG) and the SEC Corporate Governance Guidelines (SCGG).

“Public companies and significant capital market operators must immediately cease the practice of converting INEDs into executive directors within the same company or group,” the SEC directed.

New Tenure Limits for Directors

The commission also introduced a 10-year maximum tenure for directors in major public interest entities, extendable to 12 years within the same group. Additionally, CEOs and executive directors must observe a three-year cooling-off period before becoming chairman.

Under Section 355(r)(iv) of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025*, the SEC mandates that former CEOs or executive directors appointed as chair may serve no more than four years in that role.

“These directives take immediate effect and are mandatory. Companies must incorporate them into board appointments and succession planning,” the SEC emphasized.

Existing tenures of affected directors will count toward the new limits. The move aims to strengthen corporate governance by ensuring board independence and preventing excessive concentration of power.

Africa's push for local currency payments systems - once little more than an aspiration - is finally making concrete gains, bringing the promise of less costly trade to a continent long hobbled by resource-sapping dollar transactions.

But efforts to move away from the dollar face strong opposition and the threat of retaliation from U.S. President Donald Trump, who is determined to preserve it as the dominant currency for global trade.

The move by Africa to create payments systems that do not rely on the greenback mirrors a push by China to develop financial systems independent of Western institutions. Countries like Russia, which face economic sanctions, are also keen for an alternative to the dollar.

But while that movement has gained a sense of urgency due to shifting trade patterns and geopolitical realignments following President Trump's return to the White House, African advocates for payment alternatives are making their case based on costs.

"Our goal, contrary to what people might think, is not de-dollarisation," said Mike Ogbalu, chief executive of the Pan-African Payments and Settlements System, which allows parties to transact directly in local currencies, bypassing the dollar.

"If you look at African economies, you'll find that they struggle with availability for third-party global currencies to settle transactions," he said.

Africa's commercial banks typically rely on overseas counterparts, through so-called correspondent banking relationships, to facilitate settlements of international payments. That includes payments between African neighbours.

That adds significantly to transaction costs that, along with other factors like poor transport infrastructure, have made trade in Africa 50% more expensive than the global average, according to the UN Trade and Development agency.

It is also among the reasons so much of Africa's trade - 84%, according to a report by Mauritius-based MCB Group - is with external partners rather than between African nations.

"The existing financial network that is largely dollar-based has essentially become less effective for Africa, and costlier," said Daniel McDowell, a professor at Syracuse University in New York specialising in international finance.

HOMEGROWN SYSTEMS

According to data compiled by PAPSS, under the existing system of correspondent banks, a $200 million trade between two parties in different African countries is estimated to cost 10% to 30% of the value of the deal.

The shift to homegrown payments systems could cut the cost of that transaction to just 1%.

Systems like PAPSS allow a business in one country, Zambia for example, to pay for goods from another like Kenya, with both buyer and seller receiving payment in their respective currencies rather than converting them into dollars to complete the transaction.

Using currencies like the Nigerian naira, Ghanaian cedi or South Africa's rand for intra-Africa trade payments could save the continent $5 billion a year in hard currency, Ogbalu told Reuters.

Launched in January 2022 with just 10 participating commercial banks, PAPSS is today operational in 15 countries including Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Tunisia, and now has 150 commercial banks in its network.

"We have also seen very significant growth in our transactions," Ogbalu said, without providing usage data.

The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private sector lending arm, has, meanwhile, started issuing loans to African businesses in local currencies.

It views the switch as imperative for their growth, relieving them from the currency risks of borrowing in dollars, said Ethiopis Tafara, IFC's vice-president for Africa.

"If they are not generating hard currency, a hard-currency loan imposes a burden that makes it difficult for them to succeed," he said.

GEOPOLITICS AND THE TRUMP FACTOR

Africa's campaign to boost regional payments systems has found a platform at the Group of 20 major economies, with South Africa leading the charge as holder of the G20's rotating presidency.

It held at least one session on boosting regional payments systems when South Africa hosted a meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors. And South Africa wants it to follow up the talk with concrete actions. The next meeting of G20 finance officials is scheduled for mid-July.

"Some of the most expensive corridors for cross-border payments are actually found on the African continent," Lesetja Kganyago, South Africa's central bank governor, told Reuters during a G20 meeting in Cape Town in February.

"For us to function as a continent, it's important that we start trading and settling in our own currencies."

Talk of moving away from the dollar - either for trade or as a reserve currency - has drawn aggressive reactions from President Trump, however.

After BRICS - a grouping of nations including Russia, China, India and Brazil along with Africans like South Africa, Egypt and Ethiopia - weighed reducing dollar dependence and creating a common currency, Trump responded with threats of 100% tariffs.

"There is no chance that BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, or anywhere else, and any Country that tries should say hello to Tariffs, and goodbye to America!," he wrote on Truth Social in January.

In the months since, Trump has demonstrated his willingness to use tariffsto pressure and punish allies and foes alike, a strategy that has upended global trade and geopolitics.

No matter its intentions in moving to more local currency transactions, Syracuse University's McDowell said Africa will struggle to distance itself from more politically motivated de-dollarisation efforts, like those led by China and Russia.

"The perception is likely to be that this is about geopolitics," he said.

Reuters

The High Court has ruled that Shell plc and its former Nigerian subsidiary can be held legally responsible for legacy, or historic, oil pollution which has devastated the environments of two communities in Nigeria. The judgement means that Shell, and its former Nigerian subsidiary, can be held liable for oil spills and leaks going back many years.

Years of chronic oil spills have left the Bille and Ogale communities, which have a combined population of 50,000, without clean water, unable to farm and fish and with serious ongoing risk to public health. Shell tried to prevent these claims from getting to trial with a range of technical, legal arguments that have now been firmly rejected by the Court.

After a four-week High Court preliminary issues trial from 13 February to Friday 7 March 2025, Mrs Justice May ruled on Friday 20 June 2025 that Shell’s attempts to restrict the scope of the upcoming full trial, to be held in 2027, had failed. She made several findings that are important for environmental claims generally.

Claims for legacy pollution

Shell had argued that there was a strict five-year limitation period and that the communities were barred from claiming in relation to any oil spills that took place more than five years ago, even if they had not cleaned up the pollution. The judge rejected this and left it open to the communities to claim for oil spills which occurred more than five years ago, including if Shell has failed to clean them up properly.

The judge found that a failure to clean up could be an ongoing breach of Shell’s legal obligation to clean up and could create a fresh right to make a legal claim for every day that the pollution remained. The judge also considered that an oil spill could be a trespass and, where that was the case, “a new cause of action will arise each day that oil remains on a claimant’s land”.

This is a very significant development in these claims and more broadly for legacy environmental pollution caused by multinational corporations around the world. The legal position following the UK Supreme Court case of Jalla v Shell International Trading and Shipping Vo Ltd [2024] AC 595 appeared to be that corporations could not be held liable for legacy pollution if the claimants failed to file their claim within the relevant limitation period. However, the Judge distinguished this claim from Jalla and made it clear that the claimants are not prevented from bringing claims if a polluter has left contamination on their land, even if a spill happened many years ago.

Illegal bunkering and refining

During the preliminary issues trial Shell sought to blame much of the pollution in the Niger Delta on illegal activities such as oil theft (known as ‘bunkering’) or local artisanal refining of oil. The communities’ lawyers, Leigh Day, argued that Shell had repeatedly failed to take basic steps to stop the bunkering and resulting illegal refining and oil pollution, from taking place.

Shell argued that it could never be liable for pollution arising from bunkering or illegal refining. The judge rejected Shell’s arguments and found that Shell could be liable for damage from bunkering or illegal refining if it failed to protect its infrastructure, and particularly if there is evidence that its own staff have been complicit in the illegal activities.

The two communities allege that there is clear evidence that Shell’s employees and contractors are themselves complicit in illegal bunkering which causes devastating pollution in the Niger Delta and this will be a central issue in the trial which is due to take place in 2027. The communities are currently preparing to cite substantial evidence to support their allegations of complicity.

Liability of Shell plc

Shell argued at the preliminary issues trial that the Nigerian legal framework prevented claims against its parent company, Shell plc, for oil spills from pipelines. The judge rejected this argument and concluded that Shell plc can still be liable for these spills.

This means that the claims against Shell plc will proceed to trial and there will be scrutiny of Shell plc’s involvement in its Nigerian operation over many years, which resulted in chronic pollution to the Bille and Ogale communities. The decision, together with the Supreme Court’s decision in Okpabi v Shell plc, also opens the door for Nigerian communities to pursue claims against Shell plc in the Nigerian courts, should they choose to do so.

Nigerian Constitution

The communities also argued that Shell’s pollution breached their constitutional rights under the Nigerian constitution and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Judge found that oil pollution can engage the right to life under the Nigerian Constitution, finding that “knowledge about the impact of environmental harm has moved on such that there is now a greater readiness to see polluting activities as capable of engaging the right to life” (para 326).

The Judge noted that the “direction of travel” of the Nigerian Supreme Court was to recognise the relevance of fundamental human rights in cases of pollution. However, she did not allow the constitutional claims to proceed against Shell since as an English judge she felt that such a legal development about the interpretation of the Nigerian Constitution should be left to the Nigerian courts.

The onus is now therefore on the Nigerian courts to clarify this point about whether an oil company such as Shell can be liable for breaches of fundamental constitutional rights arising from serious pollution.

Next steps

The trial is a significant moment in the legal claim by the Bille and Ogale communities, who have been fighting UK-based Shell plc and oil company Renaissance, formerly Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd, for a clean-up and compensation since 2015. Neither community has had a proper clean up despite the ongoing serious risk to public health documented by the United National Environment Programme in 2011.

The Bille and Ogale communities were represented in the trial by Leigh Day international team partners Daniel Leader and Matthew Renshaw who instructed Fountain Court’s Anneliese Day KC, Matrix’s Phillippa Kaufmann KC, Anirudh Mathur and Catherine Arnold, 2 Temple Gardens’ Alistair McKenzie and Blackstone Chambers George Molyneaux.

Reacting to the High Court judgement, the leader of the Ogale community, King Bebe Okpabi said:

“It has been 10 years now since we started this case, we hope that now Shell will stop these shenanigans and sit down with us to sort this out. People in Ogale are dying; Shell need to bring a remedy. We thank the judicial system of the UK for this judgment.”

Leigh Day international department partner, Matthew Renshaw said:

“Shell’s attempts to knock out or restrict these claims through a preliminary trial of Nigerian law issues have been comprehensively rebuffed. This outcome opens the door to Shell being held responsible for their legacy pollution as well as their negligence in failing to take reasonable steps to prevent pollution from oil theft or local refining. This sets an important new legal precedent in environmental claims against multinational corporations.

The trial against Shell and its former Nigerian subsidiary, including in relation to the complicity of their staff in illegal activities that caused pollution, will now take place in early 2027. Our clients reiterate, as they have repeatedly for 10 years, that they simply want Shell to clean up their pollution and compensate them for their loss of livelihood. It is high time that Shell stop their legal filibuster and do the right thing.”

PT

No fewer than 15 persons have been killed in renewed violence by gunmen in Bokkos and Mangu local government areas of Plateau State.

The recent violence happened on Thursday night at Manja community of Chakfem kingdom in Mangu, and Tangur community in Bokkos.

It was gathered that the attackers stormed the communities at different times.

While Tangur attack was around 9pm when people were already retiring to bed, that of Chakfem was much earlier.

The attackers, it was learnt, operated for a while during the attacks before disappearing.

Sources from Mangu and Bokkos confirmed to our correspondent that seven people were killed in Mangu, while eight people died in Bokkos.

According to one of the sources, the gunmen came to their community and started shooting sporadically, while breaking into peoples homes.

Shohotden Mathias Ibrahim, Director of Culture Mwaghavul Development Association and Director, IDP (Pilot Science) Camp in Mangu, confirmed the death toll of the Mangu attack to our correspondent, saying there is currently tension in the community.

Our correspondent’s messages to some community leaders and members in Bokkos were yet to be replied.

The Plateau State Command’s spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, was yet to respond to calls and text messages (SMS/WhatsApp) by our correspondent, as at when filing this report on Friday morning.

Daily Trust

Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks

Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m. in Israel (2330 GMT on Friday), the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel’s air defence systems responded.

At the same time, Israel launched a new wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, the Israeli military said.

Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts.

There were no initial reports of casualties.

The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted missile. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.

Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this.

Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists.

In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities.

Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side.

TALKS SHOW LITTLE PROGRESS

Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan area of around 4 million people and the country’s business and economic hub, where some critical military assets are also located.

Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets on Friday, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the U.S. "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said.

Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue.

"I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said.

The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire.

"Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Trump said.

Hundreds of U.S. citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters.

Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council on Friday his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the U.S. might join the war.

Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".

** 'A choice of two evils': Young anti-regime Iranians divided over conflict

Last Friday, Israel launched massive air strikes on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with barrages of missiles.

In a video message that day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Iranian people that in addition to Israel's aim of thwarting Iran's nuclear programme, "we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom".

Some sections of Iran's splintered opposition have rallied behind Netanyahu's call. Others are mistrustful of his objective.

There are no official opposition groups inside Iran, where authorities have long cracked down on dissent, including a wave of mass executions and imprisonments in the 1980s.

Since then, most opposition groups have operated from abroad, including two of the most organised groups: the pro-monarchy supporters of Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran, and the exiled Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MEK/MKO).

It has become increasingly difficult for journalists to contact people inside Iran, due to the authorities restricting access to the internet and social media.

We have managed to speak to several young Iranians who oppose the regime - and have protested against it in the past - in recent days, however.

Their names have been changed for their safety as the Iranian authorities frequently imprison opponents in an attempt to suppress dissent.

Tara, 26, told the BBC that when Israel issues evacuation warnings ahead of strikes, authorities shut off internet access "so that people don't find out and the death toll rises".

Checkpoints and toll stations are also set up, she says, accusing authorities of "deliberately" creating traffic, which "encourages people to stay in targeted areas".

"Talking about patriotism, unity, and standing up to the enemy is absurd. The enemy has been killing us slowly for decades. The enemy is the Islamic Republic!"

The Israeli military has been issuing evacuation warnings via Telegram and X, which are banned in Iran. Coupled with limited internet access, this means it's difficult for Iranians to see the warnings.

Sima, 27, tells us she does not care about this anymore.

"I wish Israel would get the job done as soon as possible. I'm exhausted. Although I'm still not a fan of Israel or what it's doing, I hope they'd finish what they've started.

"Wishful thinking, I know. But I want them to rid us and the world of the threat of the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei and ayatollahs as a whole."

Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, including the powerful IRGC, which is tasked with defending the Islamic system and overseeing Iran's ballistic missiles. The recent Israeli strikes have killed many senior IRGC figures, including its commander, Hossein Salami.

Some people we spoke to were even more forceful in their support for Israel's attacks.

Amir, 23, said he supported them "100%". Asked why, he said he believed no-one else was prepared to take on the regime.

"Not the UN, not Europe, not even us. We tried, remember? And they killed us in the streets. I'm joyful when the people who've crushed our lives finally taste fear. We deserve that much."

Amir is referencing the widespread protests in Iran following the death of Masha Amini. The 22-year-old died in police custody in 2022 after being arrested for allegedly violating rules requiring women to wear the headscarf.

The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group reported that 537 protesters were killed by state security forces during the unrest. The government's official line is that "security forces acted with responsibility", blaming the deaths on violent protesters or foreign agitators.

The rallying cry of the protests - "woman, life, freedom" - was repeated by Netanyahu on Friday in both English and Persian, as he urged Iranians to "stand up and let your voices be heard".

Iran has not officially responded to the Israeli prime minister's calls, but some hardliners and media figures have mocked and dismissed the remarks. Meanwhile, authorities have warned against sharing campaigns and statements by Israeli and US officials.

Some opponents of the Islamic Republic are suspicious of Netanyahu's intentions, however.

"I participated in the protests [in 2022] because I had hope for a regime change then. I just don't see how the regime could be overthrown in this conflict without Iran itself being destroyed in the process," said Navid, a 25-year-old activist who was briefly arrested during the protests.

"Israel is killing ordinary people as well. At some point, people will start to take the side of the Islamic Republic," he added.

Darya, 26, said: "I think the fact that people are not coming out to protest is already a clear response" to Netanyahu's call.

"I wouldn't go even if Israel bombed my house. Netanyahu is hiding behind Iranian nationalist slogans and pretends he's helping Iranians reach freedom while he's targeted residential areas. It's going to take years just to rebuild the country."

Arezou, 22, said she did not know what to think.

"I hate the regime, and I hate what it's done to us. But when I see bombs falling, I think of my grandmother, my little cousin. And I've seen what Netanyahu did to Gaza - do you really think he cares about Iranians? This isn't about us, it's about [Israeli] politics," she said.

"I feel like I have to choose between two evils, and I can't. I just want my people safe. I want to breathe without fear."

Mina, 27, said: "I want this regime gone more than anything - but not like this. Not through more bombs, more death."

"Israel is not our saviour. When innocent people die, it's not a step toward freedom, it's another form of injustice. I don't want to trade one kind of terror for another. I'm against this regime and also against this war. We deserve a better way out than this."

Reuters/BBC