MY VISIT TO THE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA
Today, I honoured the invitation of the newly inaugurated President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Eric Okoye, and other former Presidents of the Association to attend his inauguration ceremony at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
On the sidelines of the event, I interacted with the new President and members of MAN and reiterated the enormous potential of Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.
With the right government policies, an enabling business environment, and stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors, Nigeria can significantly increase the contribution of manufacturing to our GDP.
Manufacturing currently contributes about 7.5% of Nigeria’s GDP, compared with about 14% in Egypt, 15% in Morocco, 25% in Vietnam, 19% in Indonesia, and 20% in Bangladesh
We must therefore deliberately move from a consumption-driven economy to a productive economy, one that produces, creates jobs, adds value and competes successfully in the global market.
A stronger manufacturing sector will expand employment opportunities, strengthen our productive capacity, reduce our dependence on imports, increase exports, and improve the standard of living of our people.
I congratulate the new President and his team and wish them a successful and productive tenure. I look forward to continued engagement with the manufacturing sector as we work towards building a more productive and prosperous Nigeria.
A New Nigeria is POssible. -PO
Rivers State has 3.7 Million Registered Voters based on the statistics released today by INEC.
Out of the 3.7 Million Voters in Rivers State, Obio/Akpor LGA has 1.2 Million Registered Voters.
Do you now understand? Or should I explain? 😂
My Visit to the Nigerian Air Force Facility
Further to my message yesterday, I visited the Nigerian Air Force facility in Abuja today to formally sign the condolence register following the unfortunate aircraft crash.
The visit gave me another opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices made daily by the men and women of our Armed Forces and other security agencies in the line of duty. These courageous Nigerians put their lives on the line to defend our nation and protect our people. We must never take their service and sacrifice for granted.
I extend my deepest condolences to the Nigerian Air Force and to the families, colleagues, and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
May God grant eternal rest to the departed and give their families the strength and fortitude to bear this painful loss.
May God continue to protect all those who serve our country. -PO
My thoughts and prayers are with the Nigerian Air Force.
I was deeply saddened to learn of the crash involving a Nigerian Air Force aircraft.
I offer my sincere condolences to the Nigerian Air Force, the families of the officers and personnel who perished, and their colleagues and loved ones during this difficult time.
These courageous men and women devote their lives to defending our nation and safeguarding our people. Their service and sacrifice must never be overlooked.
I pray that God grants eternal rest to those who have departed, consolation to their families, and strength to the Nigerian Air Force and the entire Armed Forces of Nigeria.
May God continue to watch over all who serve our country and protect them as they carry out their duties. -PO
Abduction of 20 Youth Corps Members: Insecurity Must Not Be a Norm
The abduction of approximately 20 prospective NYSC members travelling to their orientation camp is yet another distressing indication of the worsening insecurity in our country. These young Nigerians were preparing to serve their nation, but they were unable to travel safely on our roads. Families are increasingly burdened by the fear that their loved ones could fall victim to kidnapping.
Protecting lives and property is the government’s foremost responsibility. We cannot continue to regard insecurity as an ordinary occurrence or act only after people’s lives have been disrupted.
I call for the immediate and safe rescue of all the abducted corps members and the arrest of those responsible. Nigeria must become a country where young people can travel, work, and serve their nation without fear. -PO
Nigeria at 66: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Fellow Nigerians,
Today we mark the sixty-sixth anniversary of our independence. It ought to be a day of celebration and thanksgiving to God Almighty for the gift of life and for the immense blessings He has bestowed on our nation—our diversity, our abundant human and natural resources, our vast agricultural potential, and the relative absence of devastating natural disasters.
It should also be a day of appreciation and patriotism: a day to remember our founding fathers and all those who made selfless, and in many cases supreme, sacrifices for the birth, survival and growth of our dear nation. We must acknowledge the efforts of past and present leaders who have laboured, however imperfectly, to build a better Nigeria.
Yet independence anniversaries must never be reduced to mere celebration. They are moments for honest national reflection. We must look back, examine where we stand today, and ask ourselves whether we are moving in the direction our founding fathers envisioned.
In national planning and strategy, every serious nation must continually ask three fundamental questions:
Where are we today?
Where do we want to be?
How do we get from where we are to where we want to be?
These questions are especially urgent now. Despite the enormous promises made by the APC-led government in 2023, our nation continues to face deepening challenges across virtually every critical sector of national life.
Today we stand before the world as a nation:
With an extraordinarily large population living in poverty and severe hardship; over 140M
With one of the largest populations of out-of-school children in the world; over 18M
Where insecurity, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping continue to threaten lives and livelihoods, just recently 37 young Nigerians in their productive age lost their lives
Where millions of Nigerians struggle with hunger and food insecurity; over 40M Nigerians will be in extreme hunger by the end of 2026.
With unacceptably high rates of infant and maternal mortality; Nigeria today is the worst place to be born.
Where youth unemployment and underemployment remain alarmingly high; over 35M
Where drug abuse and substance misuse increasingly threaten our young population; today 14% as against global average of 6%
Where life expectancy remains among the lowest globally, today 54 years against global average of 74 years
And the list goes on.
This reality demands serious, sober and honest reflection. Socrates taught that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” By the same principle, an unexamined nation cannot successfully chart its future. We must therefore ask ourselves: Are we cursed, or have we become the curse through the choices we have made and the failures we have tolerated?
The answer cannot be that Nigeria is cursed. We are a nation immensely endowed and blessed. Our greatest problem is not a lack of resources; it is the failure to convert our enormous resources into human development, productivity, security and shared prosperity.
Only yesterday, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and I returned from a two-day visit to Sokoto State. We held extensive consultations with people from different parts of the state on insecurity, out-of-school children, poverty, youth unemployment, drug abuse and other challenges confronting our people.
In concluding the visit, we went to the Internally Displaced Persons camp at Ramin Kura within Sokoto metropolis. What we saw was deeply troubling. Thousands of women and children live in deplorable conditions, displaced from their homes and deprived of the basic necessities of life. Many of the children have no access to education. Mothers and children have limited access to basic healthcare. These are Nigerians who should be living in their communities, going to school, farming their land, conducting their businesses and contributing to the economy. Instead, they live as displaced persons in their own country.
Open letter to the pioneer @phynofino
Father Father, 9 years ago, almost a decade , you made this prophecy, it changed my life.
Just reaching out to let you know that i held it down till now, i never stopped , i made you proud , i'm finally putting out my first ever Body of work #NNDalbum , you inspired me, from voluntarily sending your songs as compliments to my customers where i was doing phone repair at railway by timber Enugu state because of how obsessed i was with your songs to getting a life changing recognition this particular day , that was the greatest co-sign i ever needed from you, thank you so much for everything 🙇♀️ ❤️
Update: President Mahama of Ghana has REJECTED the U.S. Health deal proposed to replace USAID, worth $109M 🇬🇭❌
“It is humiliating. Why will you want our health record and pathogen profile? And say we’re not allowed to inspect any medicine you give us. We threw the compact away so quickly. I’ve never seen anything thrown out that fast. Ghana will continue to manage its health needs. We’d find other ways for bilateral relations.”
— President John Mahama speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Friday, 25th September.
Ghana joins Zambia, Namibia and a few African countries that have rejected the new USAID compact.
However, Giant of Africa reportedly signed it in December 2025, five months before the deadline, and weeks after it was proposed.
Follow @TrendingEx for dailies..
I cried so much last night and this morning. I have seen lots of messages from different people about things I did for them at different times most of which I don’t even remember.
The truth is I have always believed in my heart that the only reason God has given to me is to give it back.
I think this is God’s way of telling me to also be thankful!!! I have been thinking too much about what I lost instead of thanking God for seeing me through one of the hardest moments of my life.
I am used to always giving and hardly ever receiving because everyone thought I had in abundance. I have also always found it difficult to ask for help. Even if I had to borrow from anyone, I would always return with interest, even without them asking. But I was tested in ways I couldn’t understand these past few years. I asked for help everywhere and anywhere I could think of and I was on the verge of giving it all up!
I would mention his name but he would be really upset. God used one person to settle all that I owed! And this help came over and over again! I don’t think any sane person would do what he did for me without God’s intervention!
So this is me also saying thank you Brother! And I will continue to do so again and again, privately and publicly! Thank you for giving me hope when I thought it was all over. I can’t help but think I have taken your love and kindness for granted but I want you to know that I am forever indebted to you.
To my closest people in the World (Mr Macaroni & Friends) Thank you for not neglecting me even when you had every reason to. Thank you for saving me 😊
To Don Jazzy, who has been giving me since my university days up till now, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do, not just for me but for so many others!!! To my brother Victor Osimhen and Pastor Bolaji!!! Thank youuuu. 🤍
I am in a better place! I am learning and doing things that make me happy. I don’t and will never regret anything I have ever done in my life to make the lives of others better in even the smallest way possible. However, I have learned a lot of lessons these past few years and I am grateful even for the trials and tribulations for which without them I wouldn’t have the clarity of mind I now have.
May the love in our hearts be forever greater than the hate in the world.
Thank you with all my heart. 🤍
Yesterday, I spoke with ARISE News on the Anambra debt question and other issues affecting our nation.
In the interview, I clarified the facts surrounding the multilateral development funds accessed by Anambra State, the financial position I left behind in 2014, and the urgent need to focus on the hardships confronting Nigerians rather than on political distractions. I am Sharing this interview to correct factual details, clear all doubts, and put the issues in their proper perspective.
A new Nigeria where leaders are proud of their past is POssible. -PO
https://t.co/kvURszM91q
Yesterday, mhen! Sometimes, as a young person, even when you’re tired, you can’t afford to slow down because right behind you is a 65-year-old man still running, regardless of how tedious the day has been. Don’t mind my torn jacket. Perks of the job💀. New Nigeria no easy😑
“Fela was not my king & he will never be my king. I grew up in Bauchi, my dad is Igbo & no one around us spoke Yoruba. I didn’t listen to Fela growing up, the only song of mine that sounds like Fela’s Afrobeat is Rara. Oliver De Coque is my king.”
- Tekno
I have been reluctant to speak publicly about a private matter, but what has happened over the past few weeks has gone beyond a personal disagreement. It is now affecting my reputation, my home, my wife and my family, and I believe I need to put my side of the story on record.