Nigeria's capital market demonstrated remarkable strength in 2024, with listed companies on the Nigerian Exchange Limited delivering tidy returns to shareholders while maintaining robust fundraising activities, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Record Dividend Payments Signal Market Confidence

Companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange declared a total of N1.1 trillion in dividends to shareholders throughout 2024, with N1 trillion already distributed to investors, SEC Director-General Emomotimi Agama announced in a Sunday statement. This substantial payout reflects growing market confidence and improved investor returns across the exchange.

The dividend distribution represents a significant milestone for the Nigerian capital market, demonstrating the profitability and cash generation capabilities of listed companies while rewarding shareholders for their investments.

Capital Raising Reaches New Heights

The commission approved an impressive N3.68 trillion in new issues during 2024, highlighting strong investor appetite and issuer confidence in Nigeria's capital markets. The breakdown reveals a heavy preference for equity financing, with N3.62 trillion raised through equity instruments compared to N59.82 billion from fixed income securities.

This trend continued into 2025, with the SEC approving N446.38 billion in new issues between January and April. However, the composition shifted significantly, with fixed income instruments accounting for N265.90 billion while equity raises totaled N180.48 billion, suggesting a rebalancing toward debt financing in the current period.

Major Corporate Transactions Drive Market Activity

The mergers and acquisitions landscape remained active throughout 2024, with the SEC approving 11 transactions valued at N320.36 billion. The year's most significant deal involved N Seven Nigeria Limited's acquisition of a 58.02 percent stake in Guinness Nigeria Plc, worth over N103.7 billion.

Corporate restructuring activities also featured prominently, including the notable scheme of arrangement involving Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, valued at over N105 billion, and Transnational Corporation Plc's share capital reconstruction through a one-for-four share consolidation worth N5.08 billion.

The momentum has continued into 2025, with three major transactions worth N38.53 billion approved year-to-date, comprising two takeovers and one corporate restructuring. While no mergers have been recorded in the current review period, the steady pace of market activity indicates continued interest in strategic consolidation across key sectors.

Investment Management Sector Experiences Robust Growth

Nigeria's collective investment schemes sector recorded substantial expansion, with registered mutual funds reaching 184 vehicles by the fourth quarter of 2024. These funds collectively managed N3.84 trillion in net asset value while serving over 800,000 unitholders.

The broader investment management landscape proved even more impressive, with privately managed portfolios and products growing to 444 vehicles managing N4.69 trillion in assets. In total, 82 active asset management firms now oversee N8.53 trillion in investments across the market.

According to Agama, these figures demonstrate a maturing market where professional fund management is increasingly recognized as a critical driver of capital formation and wealth creation. The growth reflects sustained confidence in Nigeria's investment management capabilities and the expanding sophistication of the country's financial services sector.

Market Outlook Remains Positive

The comprehensive data released by the SEC paints a picture of a dynamic and growing capital market that continues to attract both domestic and international investment. The sustained activity across equity and debt segments, combined with robust dividend payments and active corporate restructuring, suggests that Nigerian companies are successfully leveraging capital markets to finance growth and investment initiatives.

The strong performance across all market segments indicates that Nigeria's capital market infrastructure is effectively supporting economic development while providing attractive returns to investors. As professional fund management continues to expand and corporate activity remains steady, the market appears well-positioned for continued growth and development in the coming years.

Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, says the election of a Catholic pope is not based on the ideology of ‘emi lokan’.

Kukah spoke on the subject during a Channels Television interview aired on May 21.

‘Emi lokan’ is a Yoruba phrase which means ‘it is my turn’. The phrase was popularised by President Bola Tinubu in June 2022.

Tinubu, then an APC presidential aspirant, had said it was his turn to become president after his political support for former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The phrase has since been mainstreamed into the country’s political lexicon.

ELECTION OF NEW POPE

On May 18, Pope Leo XIV was inaugurated as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis.

Before the new pope’s election, social media was awash with conversations around the possibility of an African becoming the pope.

Asked for his take on the discourse, Kukah said a pope’s election is not based on human permutations, adding that Africa should first win the World Cup.

“I think we still have a long way to go. I did write an article in the course of all of this, and I remember remarking on something that happened when Pope John Paul II died and the speculators thought that Cardinal Arinze came very close,” he said.

“But as you know, electing a pope is not like that, it’s not an ‘emi lokan’ scenario in which you say, ‘these people have had their turn, now it’s our turn’.

“No, it doesn’t work like that. And then the pundits who think that this is like betting on a horse or whatever. You always notice that by and large, when people begin to make their speculations, they are using human parameters of their calculation, and very often, most of those who make these calculations simply accumulate their data and suggest this is where it’s going to go.

“But always, people are shocked in part because the election of a pope is not like any other election anywhere in the world.”

Kukah said the Catholic Church believes that the cardinal elected as pope is the choice of the Holy Spirit.

He added that, unlike African politics, there are no advantages accorded to the pope’s home country.

The Cable

Nigeria's security challenges have reached alarming new heights as a series of devastating attacks across multiple states have left dozens of people dead and entire communities in mourning. The recent surge in violence underscores the country's deepening security crisis, with attacks spanning from the north to the southeast.

Mass Killings in Taraba State Leave 42 Dead

The most devastating attack occurred in Taraba State, where suspected herdsmen launched a brutal pre-dawn assault on the communities of Munga Lalau and Munga Doso in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area. Over 50 attackers, armed with AK-47 rifles and machetes, stormed the villages around 2:00am on Friday, moving systematically from house to house in what survivors described as a "calculated extermination."

The attack resulted in at least 42 confirmed deaths, with many residents still missing. Armed assailants arrived on motorcycles and opened fire indiscriminately on sleeping residents, burning homes and killing anyone in sight. The communities held a mass burial on Saturday, conducted by soldiers and security personnel, as grieving families struggled to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.

"We didn't know where to run to," said survivor Soja Emmanuel. "They came around 2am, shooting sporadically. People jumped out of their homes into the bush. Some didn't make it."

The attack has left families devastated, with some residents losing multiple relatives. Augustine Munga, a community leader who lost two brothers, called for swift government intervention, while Madam Sarah Bitrus, who lost her husband and two family members, could barely speak through her tears, saying simply, "My world has ended."

Anambra Family of Four Murdered

In Anambra State's Ihiala Local Government Area, a family of four was brutally murdered in their home in Isseke on Thursday night. The victims, identified as Ichie Kennedy Igboanugo and three female family members, were attacked while sleeping in their apartment by unknown gunmen who left their bodies on the floor.

Police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the incident, describing it as an "unprovoked attack" by criminal elements. The victims' bodies have been recovered and deposited at the mortuary while investigations continue. A joint security team has cordoned off the area and reinforced security measures in response to the attack.

Katsina Security Operatives Killed in Ambush

Katsina State suffered another significant blow when armed bandits killed five local community security operatives in an ambush near Maharba village in Matazu Local Government Area on Saturday. The security team was responding to a distress call about bandit presence when approximately 20 attackers on motorcycles ambushed them near a riverbank.

The bandits, concealed among trees, opened fire and set ablaze the Hilux van carrying the security operatives, killing all five personnel onboard, including unit commander Mallam Sanusi, who oversaw operations across multiple local government areas.

Governor Dikko Radda led a high-level delegation to assess the attack site, reaffirming his administration's commitment to working with security agencies and community leaders. "The sacrifice of these brave men will not be in vain," Radda pledged, promising to intensify peace restoration efforts.

Sokoto Village Ravaged by Lakurawa Bandits

The northwestern state of Sokoto also came under attack when suspected Lakurawa group members launched a large-scale assault on Alela village on May 23. Hundreds of bandits riding approximately 50 motorcycles stormed the village around 7:00pm in a coordinated attack, firing sporadically to terrorize residents before burning down several homes and rustling livestock.

Security operatives have been mobilized to track down the fleeing attackers, but the scale and coordination of the assault highlight the sophisticated nature of these criminal groups.

A Pattern of Escalating Violence

These recent attacks are part of a broader surge in violent incidents across Nigeria's northern and southeastern regions. According to media reports, at least 383 people were killed across northern states in just one month, with Plateau, Benue, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Kano, and Taraba among the most affected areas.

The violence stems from a complex mix of factors including banditry, ethno-religious tensions, farmer-herder conflicts, and the activities of various criminal groups. Recent months have seen particularly deadly attacks, including the killing of 56 people in Benue State and 40 people in Plateau State during coordinated assaults in April.

The attacks demonstrate the sophisticated tactics employed by these criminal groups, from coordinated pre-dawn raids to strategic ambushes of security forces. The scale and frequency of these incidents reveal the significant challenges facing Nigeria's security apparatus and the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to address the root causes of the violence.

As communities continue to bury their dead and security forces work to respond to the threats, the human cost of Nigeria's security crisis continues to mount, leaving families shattered and entire regions living in fear.

Israeli strikes kill 30 in Gaza, including rescue service official and local journalist

Israeli military strikes killed at least 30 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a senior rescue service official and a journalist, local health authorities said.

The latest deaths in the Israeli campaign resulted from separate Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north and Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, medics said.

In Jabalia, they said local journalist Hassan Majdi Abu Warda and several family members were killed by an airstrike that hit his house earlier on Sunday.

Another airstrike in Nuseirat killed Ashraf Abu Nar, a senior official in the territory's civil emergency service, and his wife in their house, medics added.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said that Abu Warda's death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 220.

Israel's military said in a statement that chief of staff Eyal Zamir visited troops in Khan Younis on Sunday, telling them that "this is not an endless war" and that Hamas has lost most of its assets, including its command and control.

"We will deploy every tool at our disposal to bring the hostages home, dismantle Hamas and dismantle its rule," Zamir was cited as saying.

The statement did not address Sunday's strikes.

Later on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC said in a statement that two of its staff - Ibrahim Eid and Ahmad Abu Hilal - had been killed in a strike on a house in Khan Younis on Saturday.

"Their killing points to the intolerable civilian death toll in Gaza. The ICRC reiterates its urgent call for a ceasefire and for the respect and protection of civilians, including medical, humanitarian relief, and civil defence personnel," the ICRC statement added.

In a separate statement, the Gaza media office said Israeli forces were in control of 77% of the Gaza Strip, either through ground forces or evacuation orders and bombardments that keep residents away from their homes.

The armed wing of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said in separate statements on Sunday that fighters carried out several ambushes and attacks using bombs and anti-tank rockets against Israeli forces operating in several areas across Gaza.

On Friday the Israeli military said it had conducted more strikes in Gazaovernight, hitting 75 targets including weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers.

Israel launched an air and ground war in Gaza after Hamas militants' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people by Israeli tallies with 251 hostages abducted into Gaza.

The conflict has killed more than 53,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip. Aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia launches war's largest air attack on Ukraine, kills at least 12 people

Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

The dead included three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr, local officials there said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the United States, which has taken a softer public line on Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, since President Donald Trump took office, to speak out.

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"The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin," he wrote on Telegram.

"Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia."

It was the largest attack of the war in terms of weapons fired, although other strikes have killed more people.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 12 people had been killed and 60 more wounded. Earlier death tolls given separately by regional authorities and rescuers had put the number of dead at 13.

"This was a combined, ruthless strike aimed at civilians. The enemy once again showed that its goal is fear and death," he wrote on Telegram.

The assault comes as Ukraine and Russia prepared to conduct the third and final day of a prisoner swap in which both sides will exchange a total of 1000 people each.

CEASEFIRE EFFORTS

Ukraine and its European allies have sought to push Moscow into signing a 30-day ceasefire as a first step to negotiating an end to the three-year war.

Their efforts suffered a blow earlier this week when Trump declined to place further sanctions on Moscow for not agreeing to an immediate pause in fighting, as Kyiv had wanted.

Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 298 drones and 69 missiles in its overnight assault, although it said it was able to down 266 drones and 45 missiles.

Damage extended to a string of regional centres, including Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, as well as Mykolaiv in the south and Ternopil in the west.

In Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said 11 people were injured in drone strikes. No deaths were reported in the capital, although four were killed in the region around the city, according to officials.

This was the second large aerial attack in two days. On Friday evening, Russia launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv in waves that continued through the night.

In northeastern Ukraine, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said early on Sunday that drones hit three city districts and injured three people. Blasts shattered windows in high-rise apartment blocks.

Drone strikes killed a 77-year-old man and injured five people in the southern city of Mykolaiv, the regional governor said. He published a picture of a residential apartment block with a large hole from an explosion and rubble scattered over the ground.

In the western region of Khmelnytskyi, many hundreds of kilometres away from the frontlines of fighting, four people were killed and five others wounded, according to the governor.

"Without pressure, nothing will change and Russia and its allies will only build up forces for such murders in Western countries," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

"Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons."

Russia's Defence Ministry reported that its air defence units had intercepted or destroyed 95 Ukrainian drones over a four-hour period. The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, said 12 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted on their way to the capital.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian attack destroys Russian church dome

A Ukrainian drone strike destroyed the dome of a cathedral in Tula Region, Russia in a large-scale overnight UAV raid on the country on Saturday, the regional governor has said.

The drone struck St. Nicholas Cathedral in the village of Yepifan, setting the main spire on fire and completely burning it, Dmitry Milyaev said in a statement on Telegram Sunday morning. The blast also damaged windows of nearby homes, he added.

“The fire has been localized,” Milyaev wrote, adding that there were no casualties.

Footage circulating on social media shows the Orthodox cathedral’s dome engulfed in flames, with burning debris tumbling onto the roofs below.

The drone raid damaged civilian homes and outbuildings in other parts of Tula Region, Milyaev said.

Russian air defenses shot down 16 UAVs over the region during the assault, according to the country’s military. In total, 110 drones were intercepted across Russian airspace overnight, the Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukraine has escalated its drone strikes on civilian targets in Russia in recent days. Nearly 900 Ukrainian drones have been intercepted over Russian regions since Tuesday, according to data from the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has described the surge in UAV “terrorist attacks” on non-military targets as a deliberate attempt by Ukraine’s “party of war” to sabotage the recently renewed direct peace negotiations between Moscow and Kiev. Ukraine’s Western backers, “led by the UK, France, Germany, and the EU leadership,” are facilitating the attacks by supporting “Ukrainian Nazis,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

Direct peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia resumed in Türkiye earlier this month, three years after Kiev unilaterally withdrew from the previous round of talks in Istanbul in 2022. As a result, both sides agreed to draft memorandums outlining their proposals for a peace settlement, and agreed on a landmark 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner exchange, which concluded on Sunday.

Reuters/RT

Marte, the headquarters of the eponymous Local Government Area (LGA) on the western floodplains of the Lake Chad in Borno State, North-East Nigeria, has been a site of lingering contest between Nigerian troops on the one hand and Islamist insurgents of Boko Haram on the other for over one decade. At 3,154 km2 , Marte LGA is just a little under the size of all of Lagos State.

For a while, between 2014 and 2015, Boko Haram reportedly bivouacked in Marte on its way to its more permanent operational headquarters in the Sambisa Forest. For much of 2015, control of the town exchanged hands in succession between the Nigerian Army and Boko Haram. Around May 2015, Boko Haram reportedly took back the city from the Nigerian troops who had held it for three months from February of the same year.

For the most part, Nigeria has controlled Marte thereafter with the exception of a brief duration in 2021, when the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) temporarily visited havoc upon a military base in Marte.

All that appears to have changed recently. Around Monday, 12 May, Islamist insurgents reportedly attacked the Forward Operating Base of the 153rd Task Force Battalion in Marte, resulting in considerable carnage. Sources familiar with the early morning attack reported that “over 10 soldiers were killed and hundreds of personnel deserted. The (terrorists) burnt down armored tanks and made away with arms and ammunition.” The beleaguered governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, has been left appealing to his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that Marte does not fall back into the hands of Boko Haram and its allies.

In the same week that they attacked Marte, the insurgents also attacked the 3rd Battalion base in Rann, Kala Balge district, killing at least five soldiers and leaving at least four others reportedly injured. The intensity and scope of the attacks by Boko Haram in Borno State in the past six months led the state governor to raise an alarm last April, suggesting that the country was “losing ground” in the fight against Islamist terror.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, a retired assistant inspector-general of the Nigeria Police Force, who has run for and is credibly rumoured to retain ambitions for another tilt at the presidency, ostensibly failed to get the governor’s memorandum. Addressing the National Summit, so-called, of the APC, the NSA claimed to have killed 13,543 Boko Haram elements in the first two years of the administration and recovered over 11,000 arms from them. He notably did not mention the haul of arms the insurgents have been busy harvesting from Nigerian military formations. Over the same period, he claimed, “124,408 Boko Haram fighters and their families” also surrendered.

It is unfortunate that the ruling party has chosen to make national security a party political matter. It is even more tragic that the wannabe political opposition has allowed it to get away with it. The result is a vacuum of leadership in the security sector filled and fed with an atrocious body count of Nigerian casualties, whose death and suffering barely registers on the priorities of the people supposed to protect the country, its people and communities.

The central problem is a failure of strategy. To understand this, it is necessary to explain that the presidency is many jobs in one. A president is – among other things – party leader, chief marketer of the country, head of government, and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. Every one of these roles of the president can be delegated, except the last. As Commander-In-Chief, the president sets security strategy.

For over 50 years, Nigeria’s national security strategy docked onto the neighbourhood of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). There was good reason for that. The country’s northern boundaries feed into the southern rim of the Sahel. With Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to its north as founding members of ECOWAS, the country could count solidly on friendly neighbours as buffers against the historical brutalities of Sahelian violence.

This understanding was at the heart of the transformation of the ECOWAS from an economic integration arrangement envisioned at its foundation in 1975 into a collective security arrangement in 1981. For much of the period since then, this arrangement held together.

However, following the military coup in Niger Republic in July 2023, the country lost its marbles and decided to bite its nose in order to spite its sovereign face. On behalf of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu committed the blunder of threatening to invade another member of the ECOWAS collective security arrangement. He alone knows what he was thinking.

The hubris of Tinubu’s handling of the coup crisis in Niger is inexplicable. With a landmass of over 1.267 million km2, Niger Republic constituted about 22 per cent of the 5.8 million km2  of the landmass of ECOWAS. The idea of an invasion of the country in order to militarily restore the ousted administration of President Mohamed Bazoum was always worse than bluster; it was plainly unviable.

In invoking war against Niger on behalf of ECOWAS, Tinubu managed in one stroke to violate the prohibition against the use of force in international law; create the impression that Nigeria’s Sahelian neighbours did not matter; and suggest that France was a more important factor to Nigeria’s neighbourhood strategy than its immediate neighbours.

That much should have been evident to the people who thought up the idea. But the damage was beyond a resort to fantastic bluster where hard-nosed rationality was needed. The costs have been prohibitive and rising; and the result has been devastating.

In September 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created their own collective security arrangement and orbited off into the realm of Russia’s mercenary diplomacy. Since then, the consequences for Nigeria have been stark. In the period since September 2023 and despite the fantasies of Ribadu, Nigeria’s internal security situation has disintegrated into mayhem.

In the North-West states of Sokoto and Kebbi, a new terror group, Lakurawa, has taken root. South of Kebbi, in Kwara State, another new terror group, Mahmuda, runs murderously rampant. To the east of Kwara in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, vast swathes of territory and communities in Benue, Nasarawa, and Plateau states are being emptied in intense attacks credited to so-called “foreign herdsmen.”

The politicians are reluctant to acknowledge what is obvious and the soldiers have been trained not to say that their Commander-In-Chief has left them in an insecurity pickle. But that is exactly what Tinubu has done with the way he has brought about the transformation of ECOWAS from an integrated security arrangement for the region into a rump of an association of Atlantic West African States (AAWAS).

The evidence is everywhere in the rising casualty count which Ribadu would not acknowledge. According to monitoring coalition, Nigeria Mourns, 4,416 people were killed in atrocities in Nigeria in 2023. In 2024, Tinubu’s first full year in office, the number rose by 21.2 per cent to 5,353, including 308 security personnel. Some 88.5 per cent of these killings occurred in Northern Nigeria. Another 5,171 were abducted.

Behind these numbers are people, families, communities, traumas that both Ribadu and the ruling APC will not allow Nigerians to see, hear, acknowledge or mourn. They are the experiences of loss and indignity that the dissolute wannabes in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) cannot bring themselves to ask the APC to account for or acknowledge.

On 28 May, the civic Coalition Nigeria Mourns invites all Nigerians wherever they may be to spare a thought for all these victims and their loved ones in a National Day of Mourning (NDoM) “to rage, resist, and demand action from the government” in memory of all who have been killed or violated. A more responsible government would not have waited for a group of un-armed, un-elected citizens to remind them.

** Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a professor of law, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Julian Hayes II

Life offers a series of uncomfortable truths, often rooted not in surface-level perception but in our deeper human wiring. One of those truths is that appearance still matters. Whether we're talking about economic, social, or political advantage, there's long been an undercurrent of belief in what's known as "pretty privilege" or beauty bias. In 2025, discussing appearance and leadership in the same breath may seem outdated or offensive.

We live in a time of heightened sensitivity, swift backlash, and disagreement often met with protest or cancellation. But here’s the truth: how you show up still matters, and the data backs it up. A workplace survey conducted by StandOut CV in 2025 revealed a compelling trend: individuals who rated themselves as extremely attractive earned, on average, $19,945 more than those who rated themselves as unattractive. Even more telling, 71% of CEOs rated themselves a 9 or 10 out of 10, more than double the general population.

Is this just about good-looking people getting a free pass? Or is appearance a proxy for something deeper: discipline, presence, intentionality, and commitment to excellence?

The Case For Appearance As A Leadership Signal

Let’s set aside the small minority of individuals born with standout genetics. For everyone else, appearance, especially in leadership, is less about vanity and more about values. Your physical presence can be visible proof of traits like discipline, attention to detail, a willingness to delay gratification, and high personal standards. These qualities, when cultivated consistently, naturally elevate your presence and aura.

Studies have consistently shown links between physical appearance and professional outcomes. For instance, research in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that someone six feet tall earns nearly $166,000 more over a 30-year career than someone 5'5", even when controlling for gender, age, and weight. Each additional inch of height was associated with $789 more per year.

But "pretty privilege" isn't always about being born with ideal features. A study published in Personnel Psychology had managers evaluate 300 mock elevator pitches. The more attractive individuals were deemed more hirable, but not simply because of their looks. What made the difference was nonverbal presence. Interestingly, even those rated lower on attractiveness gained similar influence by improving their posture, proving that executive presence isn't just for those rated high in innate attractiveness.

In the StandOut CV study, 83.4% of respondents said people who invest in their appearance are perceived as more competent or professional. In today's world, where many standards have relaxed, appearance has become shorthand for consistency and care. Visual signals cut through noise and suggest reliability in a world of increasingly scarce attention.

Build Your Own Bias In Leadership

A leader’s best investment is in themselves—physically, mentally, and professionally. Your body, mind, and presence aren’t secondary assets in your leadership portfolio; they're primary assets. And yet, this comes with pressure. According to the StandOut CV report:

• 78.9% of workers feel pressure to spend on grooming to meet their professional norms.
• The most "attractive" professionals spent over $100/month on grooming and $500+ monthly on clothing and accessories.
• 64.2% feel pressure to alter their natural features.

But creating your own "beauty bias" isn’t about following transient trends or trying to be someone else. It’s about being intentional. It's about aligning your outer presentation with your inner standards so that what people see matches who you are. People trust those who show up with care because it suggests they'll likely bring the same care to their work. If you're looking to elevate your leadership and overall presence, start creating your own bias with the habits below:

• Dress and present yourself in a way that reflects your goals and values.
• Sharpen your nonverbal skills: posture, eye contact, body language, and listening.
• Watch how you talk to and about yourself. Self-deprecation may feel as if you’re being humble, but it can undermine your self-authority.
• Attend to your physical and mental world consistently.

Strategic Appearance, Not Surface Vanity For Better Leadership

Workplace bias is real, especially when people are penalized for their race, hair texture, or failure to fit narrow norms. At the same time, 55.7% of respondents said they’ve downplayed their looks just to be taken seriously. Both extremes are problems. The key is intentionality, not conformity, and certainly not performative perfection. Appearance isn't everything, but it is something. It sends a message before you say a word.

Self-care, fitness, and presentation aren’t vanity metrics. These tools are strategic levers for elevating your leadership. In a competitive world where margins are razor thin, intangibles—like presence—can create meaningful separation. It may be an uncomfortable truth for some, but it remains true: appearance matters in leadership. Far from being superficial, it reflects how you think, live, and lead.

Forbes

Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has declared his intention to run for Nigeria’s presidency again in 2027 under the same party.

Obi made the announcement while engaging with supporters in a viral video on Saturday. When asked about his political platform for the next election, he affirmed, “I will still continue to run in the Labour Party. I’m a member of the Labour Party.”

Obi Blames Government for Party Crises

Addressing concerns about his perceived detachment from the Labour Party’s internal conflicts, Obi accused the Nigerian government of deliberately fueling instability in opposition parties.

“What is happening in the Labour Party and the PDP is caused by the government—quote me anywhere,” he said.

Recalling past political interventions, Obi cited how former President Umaru Yar’Adua once mediated party disputes by instructing then-INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu to ensure fairness.

“Today, all parties have problems—these are deliberate crises created by the system,” Obi stated. “If given the opportunity, I will clean this up. A strong democracy needs a functional opposition.”

Calls for Electoral Accountability & Youth Participation

Obi urged Nigerians to take ownership of their votes, emphasizing that “even if party agents are paid, the power to protect your vote rests with the people.”

He also encouraged youths not to lose hope, acknowledging that “positive change will always face resistance from those benefiting from the old system.”

Proposes Age Limit for Politicians

Reflecting on his political future, Obi, who will be 65 by 2027, suggested a retirement age for politicians, stating he does not intend to keep contesting elections “into his 70s.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has disclosed that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) will undergo a scheduled maintenance shutdown starting May 24, 2025.

In a statement released on Saturday, Olufemi Soneye, NNPC Ltd’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, confirmed that the shutdown is necessary for maintenance and a sustainability assessment of the facility.

“NNPC Ltd wishes to inform the public that the Port Harcourt Refinery will commence a planned maintenance shutdown on May 24, 2025,” the statement read. “We are collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), to ensure the process is conducted efficiently and transparently.”

Soneye reiterated NNPC Ltd’s dedication to providing sustainable energy solutions for Nigeria and assured that updates on the refinery’s status would be shared through official communication channels.

Background on the Port Harcourt Refinery

The Port Harcourt Refinery complex consists of two units: an older plant with a 60,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) capacity and a newer plant with 150,000 bpd, totaling 210,000 bpd.

The refinery has faced operational challenges for over two decades. It was shut down in March 2019 for repairs, with Italy’s Maire Tecnimont handling the rehabilitation and Eni serving as technical adviser.

In 2021, NNPC Ltd announced the commencement of repairs after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved $1.5 billion for the project. The government later declared the mechanical completion and flare start-up of the refinery on December 21, 2023.

Netanyahu accuses France, Britain and Canada of 'emboldening' Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the leaders of France, Britain and Canada of wanting to help the Palestinian militant group Hamas after they threatened to take "concrete action" if Israel did not stop its latest offensive in Gaza.

The criticism, echoing similar remarks from Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday, was part of a fightback by the Israeli government against the increasingly heavy international pressure on it over the war in Gaza.

"You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history," Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader, facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza, has regularly criticized European countries as well as global institutions from the United Nations to the International Court of Justice over what he says is their bias against Israel.

But as the flow of images of destruction and hunger in Gaza has continued, fuelling protests in countries around the world, Israel has struggled to turn international opinion, which has increasingly shifted against it.

"It's hard to convince at least some people, definitely on the far left in the U.S. and in some countries in Europe, that what Israel is doing is a war of defence," said former Israeli diplomat Yaki Dayan.

"But this is how it is perceived in Israel and bridging this gap is sometimes an impossible mission," he said.

Israeli officials have been particularly concerned about growing calls for other countries in Europe to follow the example of Spain and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution to resolve decades of conflict in the region.

Netanyahu argues that a Palestinian state would threaten Israel and he has framed the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington on Tuesday by a man who allegedly shouted "Free Palestine" as a clear example of that threat.

He said "exactly the same chant" was heard during the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023.

"They don't want a Palestinian state. They want to destroy the Jewish state," he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

"I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others," he said, adding that any moves by Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state would "reward these murderers with the ultimate prize".

Instead of advancing peace, the three leaders were "emboldening Hamas to continue fighting forever", he said.

Reuters