Nigeria's state oil firm NNPC said on Thursday it had increased oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), with the possibility of getting to two million bpd by year-end.

Oil production at Africa's top crude exporter was estimated at 1.3 million bpd in October, according to producer group OPEC's latest report. Nigeria often counts condensate production of around 250,000 bpd as part of its production.

The NNPC said the increase was a result of collaborative efforts with its joint venture operators and its partners on production-sharing contracts, alongside security agencies and the government.

"The team has done a great job in driving this project of not just production recovery but also escalating production to expected levels that are in the short and long terms acceptable to our shareholders," NNPC CEO Mele Kyari told a press briefing.

Nigeria has been battling crude theft in its Niger Delta production region, sabotage, and local unrest, which has hampered output growth.

In June, NNPC set up a 'war room' to coordinate efforts of oil partners, the government and private security personnel to stem crude theft. Since then, several vessels used in stealing crude have been destroyed and some illegal refiners arrested.

Kyari said the interventions across every segment of the production chain, supported by rigorous pipeline monitoring from security agencies, had been critical to the recovery.

Reuters

MultiChoice Group Limited has written off $21m deposited in Nigeria’s Heritage Bank following the financial institution’s liquidation earlier this year.

This disclosure was contained in the company’s interim financial statements for the half-year ending September 30, 2024.

The sum was classified as irrecoverable after the Central Bank of Nigeria revoked Heritage Bank’s operating licence, effectively shutting down the institution.

The financial statement document read, “Following the revocation of Heritage Bank’s banking licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria on 3 June 2024 and its subsequent liquidation, the group wrote-off its receivable relating to the cash held with the bank.”

MultiChoice’s decision to write off the funds underlines the difficulties faced by businesses navigating Nigeria’s financial sector, particularly amidst an unstable economic climate.

Nigeria remains a challenging terrain for MultiChoice, with the group grappling with soaring inflation, and a continuously depreciating naira.

The company also reported lower cash remittances from Nigeria, extracting only $65m during the period under review, compared to $91m in the same period last year.

Exchange rate losses further compounded the financial strain on the group’s operations in its largest African market.

It noted, “The further depreciation of the naira against the US dollar has resulted in further foreign exchange losses on non-quasi equity loans (on the USD-denominated intergroup loan from MultiChoice Africa Holdings B.V. to MultiChoice Nigeria Limited), contributing to the ZAR2.1bn (1H FY24: ZAR2.4bn) recognised in the condensed consolidated income statement.

“The group extracted USD65m from Nigeria in the period (1H FY24: USD91m) at an average rate of NGN1,516:USD (1H FY24: NGN794:USD), incurring extraction losses of USD1m or ZAR20m (1H FY24: USD28m or ZAR518m) in the process.

“The group held USD11m in cash in Nigeria at period-end, down from USD39m at end FY24, a consequence of consistent focus on remitting cash, the impact of translating the balance at the weaker naira and the write-off of the USD21m receivable relating to the cash held with Heritage Bank before its license was revoked and the bank was liquidated.”

The firm also noted that Nigeria accounted for 63 per cent of the MultiChoice Group’s subscriber losses in its Rest of Africa segment since FY23.

The decline, largely driven by severe economic pressures including inflation and the weakening naira, highlights Nigeria’s substantial contribution to the overall reduction in the subscriber base.

From FY23 to 1H FY25, active subscribers in the Rest of Africa dropped significantly, with Nigeria showing a net loss of 1.1 million.

Multichoice Group, owners of DSTV, had earlier said that it had an account balance of N31.6bn with Heritage Bank, before the bank’s liquidation.

Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation announced plans to sell off properties and assets belonging to the defunct Heritage Bank in a bid to recover funds for uninsured depositors.

This move, which the NDIC describes as crucial, is part of its statutory mandate as the liquidator of failed banks under Section 62(1)(d) of the NDIC Act, 2023.

The exercise, scheduled to begin on December 4, 2024 will involve competitive bidding for the bank’s landed properties and chattels located at 36 sites nationwide.

Punch

“After 970 days of war,” said Lloyd Austin, America’s defence secretary, visiting Kyiv on October 21st, “Putin has not achieved one single strategic objective.” And Mr Austin offered confidence: “Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine.” In private, however, his colleagues in the Pentagon, Western officials and many Ukrainian commanders are increasingly worried about the direction of the war and Ukraine’s ability to hold back Russian advances over the next six months.

Ukrainian forces have managed to hold on to Pokrovsk, an embattled town in the eastern Donbas region—an embarrassment for Mr Putin. But elsewhere along the front, Russia is slicing its way through Ukrainian defences. In Kupiansk in the north, its troops have cut Ukrainian formations in two at the Oskil river. In Chasiv Yar in the east, they have crossed the main Siverskyi Donets canal, after six months of trying. Farther south, Russian troops have taken high ground in and around Vuhledar, and they are moving in on Kurakhove from two directions. In Kursk, inside Russia, Ukraine has lost around half the territory it seized earlier this year.

The problem is not so much the loss of territory, which is limited and has come at enormous cost to Russia—600,000 dead and wounded since the start of the war, on American estimates, and 57,000 dead this year to October alone, according to Ukrainian intelligence. It is the steady erosion in the size and quality of Ukraine’s forces. Ukrainian units are under-strength and overstretched, worn thin by heavy casualties. Despite a new mobilisation law that took effect in May, the army, outside a handful of brigades, has struggled to recruit enough replacements, with young men reluctant to sign up to tours of duty that are at best indefinite and, at worst, one-way missions. Western partners are privately urging Ukraine’s leaders to lower the mobilisation age floor from 25 to increase the potential pool of recruits. But political sensitivities and fears over an already alarming demographic crisis stand in the way of any change.

In a recent essay, Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank in London, identifies several reasons for Ukraine’s declining fortunes. One is a shortfall in its air-defence interceptors, allowing Russian reconnaissance drones to establish what he calls “continuous and dense surveillance”. These in turn cue up ballistic-missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian artillery in the rear and glide bombs against troops at the front, allowing Russia to make slow but steady advances in small units, often using motorcycles because tanks are too easy to spot. Ukraine’s limited stock of shells—Russia currently has a two-to-one advantage in shellfire, according to Ivan Havrilyuk, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister—as well as tanks and armoured vehicles compounds that problem. The less firepower and armour are available, the greater the reliance on infantry and the greater the casualties.

Russia is not without its own serious problems. Next year it will spend a third of its national budget on defence, starving the civilian economy in the process. Inflation is perhaps double the official annual rate of more than 8%. In 2025 ordinary Russian families will begin to feel the economic pain for the first time, says a European intelligence official, adding that there are early signs of war fatigue among those closely connected to the conflict, such as mothers and other family members.

On the battlefield, Russia still relies on crude tactics that result in massive casualties. The decision to borrow thousands of North Korean troops, who are thought to be bound for the Kursk front, shows that Russian units are also stretched. Russia’s general staff and defence ministry have put “heavy pressure” on the Kremlin to mobilise more men, says the European official. “Russia now doesn’t have sufficient forces to mass,” says a senior NATO official. “If they achieved a breakthrough they could not exploit it.” There is little short-term risk of Russian troops streaming west to Dnipro or Odessa.

But the crisis in Russia’s war economy is likely to play out over a longer period. Russia’s defence industry depends in part on the refurbishment of Soviet-era stocks, which are getting low in critical areas such as armoured vehicles. It is nonetheless far outperforming Western production lines. The EU claims to be making more than 1m shells per year; Russia is making three times as many, and is also boosted by supplies from North Korea and Iran. “I just don’t know we can produce enough, give enough,” says a person familiar with the flow of American aid, though a recent $800m commitment to boost Ukraine’s indigenous drone production is welcome. “We have no more to give them without taking serious risks in other places.” On manpower, too, Russia remains solvent. Its army is recruiting around 30,000 men per month, says the NATO official. That is less than government targets, but is still enough to cover even the gargantuan losses of recent months.

Russia cannot fight for ever. But the worry among American, European and Ukrainian officials is that Ukraine’s breaking point will come first. “Moscow seems to be wagering that it can achieve its objectives in the Donbas next year,” writes Mr Watling, “and impose a rate of casualties and material degradation on the Ukrainian military high enough that it will no longer be capable of preventing further advances.” That, he warns, would give Russia leverage in any negotiations that follow.

The gloomy mood is evident in a shift in America’s language. Senior officials like Mr Austin still strike a confident note, promising that Ukraine will win. Those involved in the guts of planning in the Pentagon say that, in practice, the ambitions of early 2023—a Ukrainian force that could take back its territory or shock Russia into talks through a well-crafted armoured punch—have given way to a narrow focus on preventing defeat. “At this point we are thinking more and more about how Ukraine can survive,” says a person involved in that planning.

Lebanese ceasefire efforts inch ahead as Israel keeps up fierce bombardment

Diplomacy aimed at securing a ceasefire in Lebanon showed tentative signs of progress on Thursday as Israel pounded its northern neighbour including heavy airstrikes on the stronghold of armed group Hezbollah near Beirut.

Pressing its offensive against the Iran-backed group, Israel hit Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, carrying out intense attacks there for a third consecutive day.

Plumes of smoke rose over the suburbs known as Dahiyeh, where Israeli strikes destroyed five buildings, sources familiar with the damage said. “We say God help us," said Ayat, a 33-year-old Lebanese woman.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets targeted weapons warehouses, military headquarters and other Hezbollah sites.

In addition, Israeli strikes in the eastern city of Baalbek killed at least 20 people while 11 died in Israeli aerial bombardment of towns in southern Lebanon, authorities and Lebanon’s National News Agency said.

In a more hopeful sign, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon on Thursday submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri, two senior Lebanese political sources told Reuters, without providing details.

The draft was Washington's first written proposal to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in at least several weeks, the sources said.

"It is a draft to get observations from the Lebanese side," one of the sources told Reuters. When asked about the proposal, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said, “Efforts to reach a diplomatic deal are ongoing.”

PROMISING SIGNS

Hopes have been buoyed before, notably late last month when Lebanon's prime minister expressed optimism a ceasefire could be reached before the end of October.

At that time, sources said it would entail an initial 60-day truce with Israel withdrawing forces from Lebanon in the first week. A permanent ceasefire would follow based on implementation of United Nations resolutions.

In Israel, Eli Cohen, the country's energy minister and a member of its security cabinet, on Thursday said prospects for a ceasefire were the most promising since the conflict began.

He told Reuters: "I think we are at a point that we are closer to an arrangement than we have been since the start of the war".

The Biden administration is making a push for peace in the waning time before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was rushing to advance a Lebanon ceasefire with the aim of delivering an early foreign policy win to Trump, who is expected to be strongly pro-Israel.

Months of U.S. efforts to broker a deal between Washington's ally Israel and Hezbollah have so far failed. Israel launched a stepped-up air and ground campaign in Lebanon in late September after nearly a year of cross-border clashes in parallel with the Gaza war.

In another potentially promising sign, a senior Lebanese official signalled that Hezbollah would pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border under a ceasefire.

The official, Ali Hassan Khalil, told Al Jazeera late on Wednesday that Lebanese negotiators had reached agreement on "a certain text" with White House envoy Amos Hochstein during his last visit to Beirut in late October.

Hochstein had been due to communicate this to the Israeli side and then send any remarks back to Beirut, Khalil said. "We are waiting, and God willing, soon there will be the draft that he has reached," he said.

A key sticking point for Israel, Cohen said, is ensuring it retains freedom to act should Hezbollah return to border areas. Khalil rejected this demand.

IMPLEMENTING UN RESOLUTION

He said Lebanon was ready to "precisely" implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Its terms require Hezbollah to remove fighters and weapons from areas between the border and the Litani River, which runs about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon's southern border.

The U.S. and other powers say a ceasefire must be based on Resolution 1701.

After 2006, Israel complained Hezbollah fighters and weapons remained in the border are while Lebanon accused Israel of violating the resolution by sending warplanes into its airspace.

The United Nations would bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to support the Lebanese army during a truce but would not directly enforce a ceasefire, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Thursday.

Khalil said Lebanon had no objection to U.S. or French participation in overseeing ceasefire compliance.

A World Bank report estimated the cost of physical damage and economic losses due to the conflict in Lebanon at $8.5 billion - a massive price for a country still suffering the effects of a financial collapse five years ago.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,386 people through Wednesday since Oct. 7, 2023.

Hezbollah attacks have killed about 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and southern Lebanon over the last year, according to Israel.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine is now struggling to cling on, not to win

“After 970 days of war,” said Lloyd Austin, America’s defence secretary, visiting Kyiv on October 21st, “Putin has not achieved one single strategic objective.” And Mr Austin offered confidence: “Moscow will never prevail in Ukraine.” In private, however, his colleagues in the Pentagon, Western officials and many Ukrainian commanders are increasingly worried about the direction of the war and Ukraine’s ability to hold back Russian advances over the next six months.

Ukrainian forces have managed to hold on to Pokrovsk, an embattled town in the eastern Donbas region—an embarrassment for Mr Putin. But elsewhere along the front, Russia is slicing its way through Ukrainian defences. In Kupiansk in the north, its troops have cut Ukrainian formations in two at the Oskil river. In Chasiv Yar in the east, they have crossed the main Siverskyi Donets canal, after six months of trying. Farther south, Russian troops have taken high ground in and around Vuhledar, and they are moving in on Kurakhove from two directions. In Kursk, inside Russia, Ukraine has lost around half the territory it seized earlier this year.

The problem is not so much the loss of territory, which is limited and has come at enormous cost to Russia—600,000 dead and wounded since the start of the war, on American estimates, and 57,000 dead this year to October alone, according to Ukrainian intelligence. It is the steady erosion in the size and quality of Ukraine’s forces. Ukrainian units are under-strength and overstretched, worn thin by heavy casualties. Despite a new mobilisation law that took effect in May, the army, outside a handful of brigades, has struggled to recruit enough replacements, with young men reluctant to sign up to tours of duty that are at best indefinite and, at worst, one-way missions. Western partners are privately urging Ukraine’s leaders to lower the mobilisation age floor from 25 to increase the potential pool of recruits. But political sensitivities and fears over an already alarming demographic crisis stand in the way of any change.

In a recent essay, Jack Watling of the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank in London, identifies several reasons for Ukraine’s declining fortunes. One is a shortfall in its air-defence interceptors, allowing Russian reconnaissance drones to establish what he calls “continuous and dense surveillance”. These in turn cue up ballistic-missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian artillery in the rear and glide bombs against troops at the front, allowing Russia to make slow but steady advances in small units, often using motorcycles because tanks are too easy to spot. Ukraine’s limited stock of shells—Russia currently has a two-to-one advantage in shellfire, according to Ivan Havrilyuk, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister—as well as tanks and armoured vehicles compounds that problem. The less firepower and armour are available, the greater the reliance on infantry and the greater the casualties.

Russia is not without its own serious problems. Next year it will spend a third of its national budget on defence, starving the civilian economy in the process. Inflation is perhaps double the official annual rate of more than 8%. In 2025 ordinary Russian families will begin to feel the economic pain for the first time, says a European intelligence official, adding that there are early signs of war fatigue among those closely connected to the conflict, such as mothers and other family members.

On the battlefield, Russia still relies on crude tactics that result in massive casualties. The decision to borrow thousands of North Korean troops, who are thought to be bound for the Kursk front, shows that Russian units are also stretched. Russia’s general staff and defence ministry have put “heavy pressure” on the Kremlin to mobilise more men, says the European official. “Russia now doesn’t have sufficient forces to mass,” says a senior NATO official. “If they achieved a breakthrough they could not exploit it.” There is little short-term risk of Russian troops streaming west to Dnipro or Odessa.

But the crisis in Russia’s war economy is likely to play out over a longer period. Russia’s defence industry depends in part on the refurbishment of Soviet-era stocks, which are getting low in critical areas such as armoured vehicles. It is nonetheless far outperforming Western production lines. The EU claims to be making more than 1m shells per year; Russia is making three times as many, and is also boosted by supplies from North Korea and Iran. “I just don’t know we can produce enough, give enough,” says a person familiar with the flow of American aid, though a recent $800m commitment to boost Ukraine’s indigenous drone production is welcome. “We have no more to give them without taking serious risks in other places.” On manpower, too, Russia remains solvent. Its army is recruiting around 30,000 men per month, says the NATO official. That is less than government targets, but is still enough to cover even the gargantuan losses of recent months.

Russia cannot fight for ever. But the worry among American, European and Ukrainian officials is that Ukraine’s breaking point will come first. “Moscow seems to be wagering that it can achieve its objectives in the Donbas next year,” writes Mr Watling, “and impose a rate of casualties and material degradation on the Ukrainian military high enough that it will no longer be capable of preventing further advances.” That, he warns, would give Russia leverage in any negotiations that follow.

The gloomy mood is evident in a shift in America’s language. Senior officials like Mr Austin still strike a confident note, promising that Ukraine will win. Those involved in the guts of planning in the Pentagon say that, in practice, the ambitions of early 2023—a Ukrainian force that could take back its territory or shock Russia into talks through a well-crafted armoured punch—have given way to a narrow focus on preventing defeat. “At this point we are thinking more and more about how Ukraine can survive,” says a person involved in that planning.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces liberate Voznesenka community in Donbass region over past day

Russian forces liberated the community of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past 24 hours in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"Battlegroup Center units kept advancing deep into the enemy’s defenses and liberated the settlement of Voznesenka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 80 casualties on Ukrainian army in Kharkov area

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 80 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy armored vehicles in its area of responsibility in the Kharkov Region over the past 24 hours, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup North units inflicted losses in the Kharkov direction on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 71st jaeger, 113th and 120th territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Volchansk and Liptsy in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 80 personnel, two armored combat vehicles and seven motor vehicles, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 570 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 570 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy ammunition depots in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup West units improved their tactical position and struck manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 14th, 60th and 116th mechanized, 25th air assault, 119th and 241st territorial defense and 1st National Guard brigades near Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Zagryzovo, Lozovaya, Boguslavka, Kovsharovka and Petropavlovka in the Kharkov Region and in the area of the Serebryanka forestry. They repelled two counterattacks by formations of the Ukrainian army’s 14th and 28th mechanized brigades," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 570 personnel, an infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, seven motor vehicles, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, four Anklav-N and Kvertus electronic warfare stations and a Plastun radio-electronic surveillance station, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed three field ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicts 655 casualties on Ukrainian troops over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 655 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy tanks in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup South units improved their frontline positions and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 30th, 33rd, 56th and 81st mechanized, 56th motorized infantry, 46th airmobile, 79th air assault and 116th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Zaliznyanskoye, Druzhkovka, Dyleyevka, Orekhovo-Vasilevka, Reznikovka, Kurakhovo, Annovka and Seversk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost 655 personnel, three tanks, an infantry fighting vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, 13 motor vehicles, a British-made 155mm Braveheart self-propelled artillery system, a Polish-manufactured 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, a 155mm M777 howitzer and a 105mm M119 artillery gun of US manufacture, two 122mm D-30 howitzers and a Croatian-made RAK-SA-12 multiple rocket launcher, it specified.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed two Anklav-N electronic warfare stations, a Plastun radio-electronic surveillance station and two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts over 485 casualties on Ukrainian army in past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted more than 485 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a German-made combat vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

Battlegroup Center units "inflicted losses on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 33rd, 53rd, 100th and 109th mechanized, 95th air assault, 5th mountain assault, 142nd infantry and 101st territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Zelyonoye Pole, Leonidovka, Druzhba, Dzerzhinsk, Sukhaya Balka and Dimitrov in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled 11 counterattacks by formations of the Ukrainian army’s 53rd and 117th mechanized and 152nd jaeger brigades, 49th and 425th assault battalions, 35th and 38th marine infantry brigades," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to more than 485 personnel, a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, five Kozak armored combat vehicles, a Turkish-made Kirpi armored fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer, a 152mm D-20 howitzer, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers, a 122mm Gvozdika motorized artillery system and two 122mm D-30 howitzers, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 145 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East repulsed two Ukrainian army counterattacks and inflicted roughly 145 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported.

"Battlegroup East units improved their frontline positions and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 128th mountain assault, 127th and 128th territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Velikaya Novosyolka and Oktyabr in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Temirovka in the Zaporozhye Region. They repulsed two counterattacks by assault groups of the 123rd territorial defense brigade," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian army lost as many as 145 personnel, a tank, three armored combat vehicles and six motor vehicles in that frontline area over the past 24 hours, it specified.

The Economist/Tass

One year ago, on November 15, 2023, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) invited me to speak on “Nigerian Media, Sustainability and Existential Threats by Big Tech.” Being asked again this year is a privilege, but I won’t be surprised if this is my last invitation.

Perhaps I won’t need to come as a presenter next time. A learning machine, Anaba possibly, might be here to do the job. This may sound incredible, but increasingly, with improvements in infotech and biotech, it seems that what AI cannot do does not exist.

In its most basic definition, generative artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems capable of performing complex tasks that, historically, only humans could perform. Journalists, for example, used to think of themselves as the masters of storytelling in a hurry and God’s gift to the world as gatekeepers. We’re humbler now.

Luddites’ nightmare

The widespread use of AI is causing anxiety among journalists and other professionals, especially the Luddites. Recently, I wanted to redecorate my apartment. I asked a furniture company in Abuja to recommend an interior decorator. The two recommended insisted on a pre-inspection deposit of 100k, which I wasn’t prepared to pay.

I went to ChatGPT and imputed a description of my apartment with measurements, asking for a photo design. I got it in minutes, complete with a floor plan and car park design. ChatGPT even asked if I needed optional designs! Midjourney or AR would give far more incredibly splendid options!

According to Digital News Project 2024, “Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2024” by Nic Newman, apart from rising costs and declining revenues, 300 digital leaders from more than 50 countries/territories also expressed significant concerns about using AI for backend news automation and experimental internet interfaces, including AR and VR glasses, lapel pins, and other wearable devices.

What’s AI up to?

Let us look briefly at two recent examples of the use of AI in storytelling, one in North America and the other in Europe, that have resonated in many parts of the world.

In Mexico, Grupo Formula, the country’s leading broadcasting group with 2.3m YouTube subscribers, created three avatars—NAT, SOFI, and MAX—three robotic journalists who generate content in entertainment, sports, and politics for the company’s social media handles.

The group’s director of technology and AI infrastructure told the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, “The news stories that NAT, SOFI and others present are small stories and very focused towards young people who don’t connect well with the old-style newscast. We are looking to connect with these young people using technology.” Grupo Formula’s subsidiary, TV OAI, is the first news channel in Latin America powered 100 percent by AI.

More recently, a Polish radio station, Radio Krakow, announced the relaunch of OFF Radio, the first experiment in Poland where AI-driven characterstake on the role of traditional journalists.

In response to concerns about the increasing role of automation in the physical and cognitive spheres, Yuval Harari said in his book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, “It would be madness to block automation… to protect human jobs. After all, what we ultimately ought to protect is humans – not jobs.” I agree.

What opportunities exist?

What opportunities does AI present, and how might journalists use them for storytelling? a). Streamlined content production: AI tools can significantly streamline content production, allowing journalists to focus on the creative aspects rather than time-consuming tasks and drudgery.

For example, algorithms can assist in generating ideas or first drafts; b). Personalisation of content: Algorithms can analyse user preferences and behaviours to create bespoke narratives with individual audiences; c). Enhanced engagement: AI can create immersive and interactive storytelling experiences.

For example, games and multimedia stories that adapt based on user decisions can attract individuals who may not typically engage with traditional forms of storytelling; c). Creation of new opportunities: The fusion of AI and human effort can create new possibilities previously challenging to imagine.

One good example is the collaborative effort involving 400 journalists from 80 countries sifting through 11 million documents and 2.6 terabytes of data during the Panama Papers investigation; d). Generative AI can repurpose chaos: In an article entitled “AI news that’s fit to print,” Zach Seward wrote, “Faced with the chaotic, messy reality of everyday life, LLMs (Large Language Models), are useful tools for summarising text, fetching information, understanding data, and creating structure…but always with human oversight.” This article also shares some of AI’s best and worst use cases.

Challenges of AI use

Ethical concerns in AI storytelling include the potential for generative models to create misleading information, such as fake stories or images that blur the line between reality and fabrication. The Cambridge Analytica case and Covid-19 are good examples. Concerns about legal liability and privacy protection have also been expressed.

Other concerns include quality, coherence and creativity, originality, fairness and bias, and adaptability to genre and audience.

Limits and success stories:

AI is a work in progress. Again, from Seward’s article, we could use lessons from some excellent and ugly examples of its application even in countries where automated storytelling appears to be well-established already. First, the nasty experiences:

CNET and the tech error soup: Last January, CNET, a tech website, published financial advisory stories on short-term saving instruments, how to manage and close bank accounts, and other topics. Although the byline said the stories were written by the platform’s “Money Staff,” they were not. Language machines wrote them, but the massive errors (described as moments of hallucinations) exposed the site! Actual staff members saved the day by cleaning up the copies.

Sports Illustrated’s Street Spin: The Street, a publication from the stable of Sports Illustrated, published a raft of bot-generated stories and made matters worse by curating and attaching fake author identities to the stories. The spin didn’t end well.

Good news

But there have been good experiences, as well:

Modelling for pattern or image recognition machines has proved valuable when analysing large data caches. Media houses such as Buzzfeed Newsand The Wall Street Journal have used AI to establish significant trends in otherwise desperate and solitary occurrences or patterns.

Examples range from the Mauritius Leaks, which involved 200k highly technical documents, to the story on the miles of dangerous lead cables around New Jersey streets that posed severe public health risks to residents. Zach Seward also documents a few other examples in his piece entitled “AI news that’s fit to print.”

Where is the Nigerian storyteller?

Farooq Kperogi and I collaborated on an academic paper for the Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies entitled “Light in a Digital Blackhole: Exploration of Emergent Artificial Intelligence Journalism in Nigeria.”

The study found that social media and the rise of citizen journalists have changed the landscape and accelerated the mainstream adoption of automated journalism.

More media houses use tools, including social media integration software like Echobox, Hootsuite, Revive, and Dlvrit, to drive audience and revenue goals. The election watchdog Yiaga Africa collaborates with some TV stations to collate and analyse election results using AI tools. Automated fact-checking systems, drones, and language management tools are also being deployed.

While costs and infrastructure remain significant barriers to adoption, attitudinal differences between younger journalists and the older, more established ones were also noticed, with newsrooms embracing more diversity in age cohorts and educational backgrounds.

Job losses? What jobs?

Our study did not justify the fear of imminent job losses among Nigerian journalists. However, the impact of the disruption on readership/audiences and revenues due to economic reasons and changing demographics is undeniable.

It would be good if anxiety about job losses led to greater introspection, retooling, and adoption of technologies and practices that improve journalism, especially the core business of storytelling.

If the destination is uncertain, the least we can hope for is that we are in good company, human or otherwise. And it won’t matter if the chatbot delivers this lecture next year!

** Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of Writing for Media and Monetising It. This modified version of AI-Generated Storytelling: Opportunities and Challenges was based on my presentation at the 20th Annual Conference of the NGE on November 8.

Melody Wilding

Why do decision-makers at work really choose one person for a role over another? What actually makes them trust someone’s judgment? How do they decide in practice who to tap for important opportunities?

For the last 12 years, I’ve coached top performers at some of the world’s largest and most competitive Fortune 500 companies. As a result, I’ve been a trusted advisor to executives, C-suite leaders, and hiring managers who’ve confided in me their answers to all these questions. 

Over time I’ve seen that technical expertise gets you far, but your ability to communicate persuasively determines whether your opinion is actively sought out or you have to fight to get your voice heard. 

I’ve watched this play out across different industries and ranks. The ability to influence others can set you up for success. And vice versa. Take the smart subject matter expert who can’t translate their work into the language of decision-makers, for example, or the skilled but inarticulate manager who gets passed over for promotion.

Your impact and advancement at workdepends on your ability to persuade others.

Becoming persuasive doesn’t mean resorting to manipulation, mind games, or politicking. In fact, the most powerful communicators I’ve worked with are thoughtful professionals who’ve learned to leverage their perceptiveness strategically. They understand psychology: how people think, what drives their choices, and how to present ideas to get seen, heard, and paid. 

The good news is that persuasive communication is a learnable skill. Here are my three favorite strategies to get started. Pick one to try today, and watch how differently people respond to your contributions.

1. Lead with your bottom line

Decision-makers are busy and overwhelmed. When you take too long to get to your point, you risk losing their attention, and you may inadvertently signal that you don’t have a good handle on your own message.

Contrast this with someone who can articulate their key point in a few crisp sentences. That level of clarity suggests expertise and confidence.

To be more persuasive, start with your conclusion, request, or recommendation, then follow with supporting evidence as needed. This might sound like: 

• “I recommend pushing the product launch to September. The three factors driving this are ….”
• “We need to consider redesigning our app’s navigation by Q3 to stop losing users. The data shows ….”
• “Can you review this report by Thursday? I need your input specifically on X and Y.”

Before your next meeting, write down your main “take-home” message in one to two clear sentences. That constraint forces you to filter out the fluff and focus on the information that matters. 

2. Sell your idea as a way to solve specific problems

Persuasive communicators have mastered the art of translation. They reframe their messages through the lens of their audience’s needs.

People in power don’t just want clever solutions. They want good ideas that speak directly to their pressures, pain points, and priorities. Make that connection and you’ll gain a competitive edge. 

For example, instead of saying, “This new system will improve data processing efficiency by 40%,” you might say, “This solution will help you deliver quarterly reports three days faster, giving you more time to prepare for board meetings.” 

Even when you need to defer or push back, the same principle applies. Jazz up a simple “I’ll get back to you,” by saying instead, “I want to make sure I give you the most useful answer for your quarterly planning. Can I have until Friday to gather the specific data you’ll need?”

3. Speak with authority

Small shifts in your word choice can dramatically change how your message lands, especially with senior stakeholders.

Consider the difference between saying “I think we should …” versus “In my experience …” One signals uncertainty, the other expertise.

Or how about “I’m trying to …” versus “We’re implementing …”? The first suggests struggle, the second implies purposeful action.

Look for opportunities to swap weak verbs with more powerful ones. For example: 

• “Had to” can become “decided to,” “chose to,” or “opted to” 
• “Helped” could be replaced with “guided,” “directed,” “led,” “advised,” or “oversaw”

Don’t get caught up in fancy words or corporate jargon. This is about choosing more precise language that reflects the scale and scope of your actions. 

CNBC

The federal government spent $3.57 billion servicing the country’s foreign debt in the first nine months of 2024.

According to data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) report on international payment statistics, the federal government debt service increased by 39.7 percent from the $2.56 billion spent during the same period in 2023.

The data showed that the highest monthly debt servicing payment in 2024 occurred in May, amounting to $854.36 million, while the highest monthly expenditure in 2023 was $641.69 million recorded in July.

A monthly breakdown of international debt figures for 2024 showed that in January, debt servicing cost was $560.51 million – up by 389 percent compared to $112.34 million recorded in January 2023.

In February, there was a decline of 1.8 percent, with payments reducing from $288.54 million in 2023 to $283.21 million in 2024.

The CBN data showed that in March payments also dropped 31.04 percent from $400.47 million in 2023 to $276.16 million in 2024.

However, April debt payments rose to $215.20 million in 2024 compared to $92.85 million in 2023.

The highest payment was recorded in May 2024, with the federal government spending $854.36 million to service debt — indicating a 286.52 percent increase compared to $221.05 million recorded in May 2023.  

In June 2024, debt payments declined to $50.82 million – down from $54.35 million in the same month in 2023.

Also, data showed that July 2024 recorded a 15.48 percent drop, with payments reducing to $542.5 million compared to $641.6 million in July last year.

In August, there was another decline of 9.69 percent, as $279.9 million was paid compared to $309.9 million in the same month in 2023.

However, September 2024 saw a 17.49 percent increase, with payments rising to $515.81 million from $439.06 million in September last year.

Nigeria’s debt management has been a cause of concern. 

In the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said Nigeria’s public debt rose to N134 trillion – up by 10 percent from N121.67 trillion in Q1 2024.

While domestic debt rose to N71.22 trillion ($48.44 million) in June 2024, foreign or external debt stood at N63.07 trillion ($42.90 million) in June 2024.

The Cable

Nigeria's state oil firm, NNPC Ltd said on Wednesday one of its subsidiaries has agreed to supply 100 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the Dangote oil refinery for the next 10 years.

Financial details were not disclosed.

Under the agreement, NNPC Gas Marketing Limited will supply the refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos with natural gas for power generation and feedstock. The contract has options for renewal and additional supply.

NNPC, Africa's biggest oil producer, is seeking to promote domestic gas consumption for industrial growth.

Reuters

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has announced an increase in its Abuja-Kaduna train services from four to six trips daily, running from Monday to Friday.

This expansion is aimed at meeting the growing demand for train services on the route.

The acting Managing Director of the NRC, Ben Iloanusi, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos.

The statement, signed by Yakub Mohmood, Deputy Director of Public Relations at the NRC, highlighted the corporation’s commitment to improving customer satisfaction and addressing complaints of ticket racketeering.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has increased the number of train services from four to six services from Monday to Friday on its Abuja-Kaduna route. 

The statement from the NRC highlighted that a five-month analysis showed a 22% increase in new passengers registering on the ticket platform for the Abuja-Kaduna route. This growth, it noted, reflects a significant rise in the number of Nigerians opting for train services as a preferred mode of transportation due to its comfort, reliability, and safety.

More insight  

The report further noted that the Acting Managing Director added that similar increases in passenger demand have been observed on other routes, such as Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe, and Port Harcourt-Aba.

He disclosed that efforts are underway to enhance services along these routes as part of the NRC’s long-term strategy.

Iloanusi assured the public of the corporation’s ongoing efforts to tackle ticket racketeering and improve efficiency. Senior management personnel will maintain an increased presence across train service routes to ensure smooth operations.

He encouraged passengers to use the NRC’s online ticketing platform to benefit from the increased services and avoid patronizing ticket racketeers.

Nairametrics