Category Nigeria News

The Federal Government of Nigeria’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme has announced plans to launch two additional funds for the technology and creative sectors in 2026, targeting investments in Nigerian start-ups across the country.

The announcement comes as the Chair of the iDICE Steering Committee, Vice President Kashim Shettima, described the formal kick-off, featuring an anchor investment in a new venture fund by Ventures Platform, a pan-African seed-stage fund, as an exciting milestone that will leverage the potential of Nigerian youth.

The new funding achieved a $64 million first-round close based on investor commitments last Thursday.

Ventures Platform was appointed as the Fund Manager for the technology component of iDICE in August 2025, following a competitive bidding process supervised by the funding partners.

With this development, iDICE joins other institutional investors, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Standard Bank of South Africa, and British International Investment (BII) in the new fund, which has achieved a $64 million first close and targets a final close of $75 million.

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Shettima emphasised earlier that “the commencement of investing by iDICE is an exciting milestone and a leap forward in the determined efforts of the Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to deliver on our vision of unleashing the full potential of Nigeria’s young people, in line with the Renewed Hope agenda.”

Responding to the development, the MD/CEO of Bank of Industry, Dr Olasupo Olusi, said that by investing in Ventures Platform’s Fund II, authorities are deepening the Federal Government’s objective of upscaling the Nigerian technology and creative sectors by catalysing strategic investments in high-growth, technology-enabled enterprises and the innovation ecosystem.

According to him, the development will contribute meaningfully to the nation’s broader economic transformation agenda, with goals to create jobs at scale and empower high-growth entrepreneurs across the country.
Kola Aina, Founding Partner at Ventures Platform, expressed confidence in the partnership, saying: “We are delighted to have been selected as the iDICE Technology Fund Manager, partnering with the Federal Government of Nigeria and other key stakeholders to achieve our collective goal of supporting Nigeria’s young entrepreneurs and innovators to bring their innovative ideas and solutions to life—creating deep value and transforming the country’s economy.”

The iDICE programme is being implemented across three broad areas: skills and enterprise development, focused on building a community of highly skilled talent; expanding access to finance through equity, quasi-equity, debt capital funding, and capacity-building grants; and creating an enabling environment through pro-business policies and legislation.

In addition to its technology-focused investments in 2026, iDICE announced it “will launch two additional funds: a creative sector fund that will invest in creative sector start-ups and a ‘fund of funds’ that will invest in smaller funds supporting technology and creative sector startups.”

iDICE is a $617 million programme launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria to support young Nigerians aged 15-35 with skills and resources in the technology and creative economy sectors, aiming to increase employability, foster innovation, and create new entrepreneurs.

It is supported by financing from the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the French Development Agency (AFD), with the state-owned Bank of Industry serving as co-investor and implementing agency.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed concern over the conduct of the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election, describing it as “a cash-drenched spectacle” that undermines democracy.

This was contained in a statement by the party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdulahi, who said what transpired during the poll was more of “a bazaar than an election.”

According to him, the poll fell short of democratic standards.

“The African Democratic Congress has observed the conduct of the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election with a deep sense of concern for the electoral process in Nigeria,” he wrote on his X handle on Sunday, hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo as the winner of the exercise.

“What unfolded in Anambra was, regrettably, a cash-drenched spectacle that was more of a bazaar than an election. This undermines the very essence of democracy.”

The ADC accused the incumbent and his party of engaging in “several forms and styles of cash-for-votes”. The party alleged that bundles of naira notes exchanged hands at polling units across the state in full public view, a clear violation of the Electoral Act.

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Abdullahi also faulted security agencies and electoral officials for failing to enforce electoral integrity.

He said, “security operatives stood by as voters were harassed and compromised, while electoral officials, overwhelmed or indifferent, failed to uphold even the most basic standards.”

It warned that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues in this direction, Nigerians should be concerned about the credibility of the 2027 general elections, especially as the world closely watches the country’s democratic process.

However, the ADC spokesman said that the party remains dedicated to building “a Nigeria where leadership is earned through integrity, inclusion, and service, not through the crude exchange of cash for votes.”

ADC’s candidate in the election, John Nwosu, came a distant fifth in the election with 8,208 votes.

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has paid a visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Presidential Library residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The visit, which took place ahead of Fayose’s 65th birthday on November 15, appears to have ended their long-standing political differences.

The meeting marks a reconciliation between the two leaders, who had been at odds for years.

A photograph from the visit, shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Fayose’s former aide, Lere Olayinka, showed Obasanjo dressed in a white native attire with a green cap, playing Ayo, a traditional Yoruba board game, while Fayose watched with admiration.

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For years, the pair were known for their open disagreements. Obasanjo had once described Fayose as “unruly,” while Fayose, in turn, accused the former president of arrogance and political intolerance.

During their latest interaction, Fayose was said to have expressed respect for Obasanjo and appreciation for his leadership experience.

One of Nigeria’s and Africa’s most celebrated disc jockeys, DJ Neptune, says there is a need for African creatives to own their own streaming platforms.

“We, as African creatives, need to start thinking towards the direction of owning our own streaming platforms because we have the numbers,” the 35-year-old, whose real name is Imohiosen Patrick, said when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Rubbin Minds on Sunday.

“All DJ Neptune needs to sustain me for the rest of my career is probably just four to five per cent of that population constantly streaming my music, coming to my shows.

“I’m made for life, you know,” he said while speaking on the strength of Nigeria’s over 200 million population.

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DJ Neptune belives that if creatives understand the power they have, they can do so much.

“We need to come together as one,” he said.

“But you need to understand that collaboration right now is the new gold. When we go into the room as one voice, it makes the conversation more interesting and more beneficial to the creatives,” he added.

Speaking about his passion for what he does, DJ Neptune said, “I’m still as hungry as when I started on the very first day, you know, and the goal is to be celebrated as a global DJ from Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, to be precise.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has given property owners who violated land use regulations in parts of Abuja, the nation’s capital, a final 14-day grace period to pay a N5 million conversion fee.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

Olayinka said the new grace period begins on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, and applies to property owners in Asokoro, Maitama, Garki, and Wuse districts.

The decision, he noted, followed the expiration of the initial 30-day deadline for affected allottees and title holders to regularize their land use.

“Failure to comply within the stated 14 calendar days grace period will result in enforcement actions by the FCT Administration,” he warned.

According to the statement, the grace period is part of Wike’s effort to encourage voluntary compliance before the administration begins stricter enforcement measures.

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“Sequel to the Public Notices made by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Monday 8th September 2025, Tuesday 9th September 2025, and Wednesday 10th September 2025, in some national dailies and online platforms, in respect of the reviewed Land Use/Purpose Clause of properties in the FCT, the general public particularly allottees/title holders of properties on the underlisted streets/locations of the Federal Capital City (FCC) are hereby informed that the 30 days period given for the payment of penalty/violation fee of ₦5 million and other applicable fees for Land Use Change/Conversion had since one month ago expired,” the statement read.

“However, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), His Excellency, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON has magnanimously granted a final grace period of 14 calendar days from Tuesday November 11, 2025, for all affected allottees/holders of properties along the said streets/locations to comply with the terms and conditions of the approval for land use change/conversion.

“The affected streets/locations are Gana Street, Maitama District, Usuma Street, Maitama District, Yakubu Gowon Crescent, Asokoro District, Aminu Kano Crescent and Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent in Wuse II District, Ladoke Akintola Boulevard, Gimbiya Street and Onitsha Street in Garki II District.

“Others are Ogbomosho Street, Lafia Close, Yola Street, District, Abriba Close, Danbatta Street, Ringim Close and Ilorin Street in Garki I District.”

Early in September, the FCT minister fined some property owners in Abuja for converting their buildings to other uses without approval.

A senior lecturer at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Dr Muhammad Habeebu, has identified alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, and junk food as major lifestyle factors that increase the risk of developing breast cancer, particularly among women.

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Habeebu, who is also a consultant radiation and clinical oncologist and the chief clinical coordinator at the NSIA-LUTH Cancer Center, explained that while gender remains the most important risk factor, as about 99 per cent of breast cancer patients are women, certain lifestyle habits further increase susceptibility.

“The older a woman is, the higher the risk,” he said, noting that black women tend to develop breast cancer earlier than their Caucasian counterparts.

He added that hormonal contraceptives, late childbirth, and failure to breastfeed also elevate the risk of the disease.

“Women who have their first child before age 25 are less likely to develop breast cancer, and breastfeeding provides significant protection,” Habeebu stated.

Highlighting the role of genetics, the medical doctor said hereditary factors, including mutations in the BRCA gene, could predispose entire families to breast cancer, with men accounting for about one per cent of total cases due to shared genetic links.

He, however, said that prevention and early detection remain the best defence.

He, therefore, advised women to maintain healthy lifestyles, reduce alcohol intake, avoid fatty and processed foods, and engage in regular exercise.

“Women should perform self-breast examinations, go for clinical check-ups every six months, and undertake mammogram or ultrasound screenings when necessary,” he said.

‘Herbal Remedies Unproven’

He warned that fear and misconceptions about chemotherapy often make patients present late for treatment, reducing their chances of survival.

“Herbal remedies have not been scientifically proven to cure cancer,” he cautioned, urging patients to seek medical attention early.

Habeebu further noted that access to treatment remained a challenge in Ngeria due to high costs, despite efforts like the cancer health fund and the CAP programme.