THE SAUDI–NIGERIA FRIENDSHIP CHALLENGE IS HERE
Yesterday, I shared the exciting news that Saudia Airlines is set to commence direct flights from Abuja to Jeddah and that I would be giving away one extra seat to a lucky person who would travel with me on this historic inaugural flight.
But there is even better news!
His Excellency, the Saudi Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, has graciously increased the offer to TWO seats.
That means two lucky individuals will have the opportunity to join me on this historic first flight from Abuja to Jeddah.
And the experiences awaiting them will be extraordinary.
One winner will receive an Umrah experience.
The second winner will get the opportunity to explore and discover more of Saudi Arabia, from the excitement of Riyadh Season, to the breathtaking landscapes of AlUla, the spectacular Red Sea, and even the opportunity to watch some of the biggest stars in football, including Nigerian talents, in the Saudi Pro League.
From world-class entertainment and breathtaking destinations to football featuring Nigerian stars, the choice is yours.
If you win, where would you go first?
But first, you have to earn your seat.
THE 7-DAY CHALLENGE
For the next seven days, we will test just how well you really know the relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.
One question.
Every day.
For seven days.
The questions will cover our:
Diplomatic relations
Economic and investment ties
Aviation connections
Sporting relations
Educational cooperation
HOW WILL THE WINNERS BE SELECTED?
It’s simple.
Every day, when I post the question:
1st person to answer correctly — 3 points
2nd person to answer correctly — 2 points
3rd person to answer correctly — 1 point
At the end of the seven-day challenge, we will add up everyone’s points.
The individuals with the highest cumulative scores will emerge as our two winners.
Anyone can participate. If you think you know the story of Saudi–Nigeria relations beyond the headlines, this is your opportunity to prove it.
Are you ready?
For a better chance of winning, make sure you follow the Saudi Embassy in Nigeria on X (Twitter) @KSAembassyNG
You don’t want to miss the questions, updates and challenge details.
Let the challenge begin! 🇳🇬🤝🇸🇦
@BashirAhmaad Salam. Oga Bash. May Allah grant you all your heart desires. Thanks for your continued support to the younger generation, May Allah forgive the shortcomings of Baba Buhari and grant him Jannatu Fridaus and may Tinubu succeed in 2027. Amin. It's a great honor for me to do Umrah
@BashirAhmaad Salam. Oga Bash. May Allah grant you all your heart desires. Thanks for your continued support to the younger generation, May Allah forgive the shortcomings of Baba Buhari and grant him Jannatu Fridaus and may Tinubu succeed in 2027. Amin. Saudi, here we come In Shaa Allah.
🚨🔴⚪️ BREAKING: Mikel Arteta Speaks Directly to Victor Osimhen 🇳🇬📞
Mikel Arteta has personally spoken to Victor Osimhen on the phone, informing the striker of his desire to bring him to Arsenal.
The conversation is understood to have been very positive, with Osimhen responding with encouraging words that could pave the way for a move to North London. 👀
Arsenal are now waiting for the final decision from the Turkish club on whether they will allow the Gunners to submit a formal bid for the striker.
The next step could be crucial. 🔥
#AFC #Arsenal #Osimhen #Arteta #TransferNews #COYG
May Almighty Allah continue to preserve His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, PhD, CFR, grant him long life, sound health, wisdom and strength, and bless his reign with lasting peace, prosperity and honour. May Allah continue to make him a source of unity and progress to his people. Ameen Ya Rabbal Alameen.
The full conversation with Fatima Bala is now out.
She joins @hadizel to talk Broken, Hafsatu Bebi, The Lies We Tell, writing honestly and telling Northern Nigerian stories.
Watch now:
https://t.co/b93ZiPbpX2…
Mallam Nasir El-Rufai's Breed.
A remarkably talented first-class graduate, Khalil Nur Khalil drove digital reform in Kaduna State, using his strategic leadership to streamline government processes, create jobs, and inspire young professionals.
Don’t Ignore Red Flags in Your Circle
In your circle, do not ignore red flags just because you’ve known someone for years.
Familiarity is not character. History is not loyalty. And friendship should never be an excuse to overlook dishonesty, manipulation, envy, disrespect, or repeated bad behaviour.
Sometimes the biggest danger to your peace, progress and reputation is not an enemy—it’s someone you keep defending because they are “your person.”
Pay attention to patterns, not promises. When the red flags keep waving, stop pretending you don’t see them.
One thousand two hundred days of a war with relentless suffering for the Sudanese people.
Sudan’s man-made war is being paid for on the backs of women and children who had no say in it, yet suffer the most, missing an education.
At last week’s UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting on Safeguarding Education in Sudan, I reiterated the call to end this war and pull Sudan back from the brink of losing another generation of its children to a life without education.
"The law doesn't allow anybody to pay for bail at any police station. If you go to any police station and you're asked to pay for bail, just quietly walk outside and call the IGP" — Nigerian Police
It may not bother some people, but the continued detention of @elrufai is not about justice; it is political vendetta. It is easy to look the other way because he is not your headache, and perhaps because you don’t consider him a nice person. But that is exactly how oppression works, it becomes acceptable when the victim is someone we dislike. Once injustice is tolerated against one person, it becomes easier to use it against everyone else. #FreeElRufaiNow
Dear Nigerians,
For many years, Nigeria has possessed some of the most promising deep offshore oil and gas resources in the world, yet several major developments have remained stalled. Oil lies beneath our waters. We have the engineers, businesses and young people capable of doing increasingly sophisticated work in the sector. What has often been missing is the certainty required for investors to commit billions of dollars, over many years, at the scale needed to turn that potential into production, jobs and opportunity for Nigerians.
We cannot afford to leave that opportunity beneath our waters for another decade.
I have therefore signed the Deep Offshore Oil and Gas Projects Incentives (Tax Remission) Order, 2026, to provide clear and predictable terms for a new generation of deep offshore investment in Nigeria.
The framework has the potential to unlock up to $50 billion in investment, beginning with the approximately $10 billion Bonga South West project. For existing deep offshore leases, there is a clear window to reach Final Investment Decision by 31 December 2029 and receive the full standard incentive available under the Order.
There is urgency to this work. Capital moves, and countries compete for it every day. The countries that attract long-term investment are not necessarily those with the greatest natural resources. They are the ones that provide the greatest certainty.
Nigeria must be one of those countries.
This Order marks the tenth major policy directive of my administration targeted specifically at the oil and gas sector. Each has dealt with a constraint holding back investment, production or value creation. Taken together, they represent a deliberate effort to make our oil and gas industry more competitive, attract capital back to Nigeria and ensure that more of the value created from our resources remains here at home.
But attracting investment is only half of my purpose.
I want the work that comes with these projects to come home to Nigeria. I want our engineers involved, our fabrication yards working, our marine and technical service companies securing contracts, and our young people acquiring skills that will remain valuable long after the first barrel is produced.
The Order reflects this priority. For projects accessing its supplementary incentives, activities are to be performed in Nigeria, subject to clearly defined exceptions and Nigerian Content requirements.
My ambition is that we use this new investment cycle to build Nigeria into Africa’s regional hub for deep offshore project execution. We should not only possess the resources. We should increasingly possess the skills, businesses and industrial capacity required to develop them.
When I engaged the Chief Executive Officer of Shell plc, Mr Wael Sawan, I directed my team to look beyond a solution for one company or one project. We needed a framework that could unlock a wider pipeline of investment while protecting Nigeria’s long-term interests.
That framework is now in place.
Ultimately, I will judge its success by what Nigerians see from it in terms of good jobs, stronger Nigerian businesses, greater production, increased revenues for the Federation and new capabilities built here at home.
Our natural resources must work harder for our people.
That is the purpose of this decision, and we will pursue it with urgency.
Nigeria First.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria
We just finished recording with Fatima Bala @akazahrab.
The author of Broken, Hafsatu Bebi and The Lies We Tell joined us for a really interesting conversation about her writing, the stories and people that inspire her characters, and what it means to write honestly about Northern Nigerian life.
We also got to know a little more about the woman behind the books.
New episode Thursday at 8 PM on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.