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NATO disassociates all activities with Russia

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BRUSSELS – Yesterday the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO suspended all practical co operations with Russia over Ukraine crisis.

This suspension stood as a protest at Russian’s annexation of Crimea, and ordered military planners to draft measures to strengthen its defenses and reassure nervous Eastern European countries.

Foreign ministers from the 28-nation, U.S.-led alliance were meeting for the first time since the Russian occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea region touched off the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia’s actions meant there could be no “business as usual”.

“So today, we are suspending all practical cooperation with Russia, military and civilian,” he told a news conference.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said NATO’s future relationship with Russia would depend, among other things, on whether Russia started withdrawing troops from the Ukrainian border.

Ministers also ordered military commanders to draw up plans for reinforcing NATO’s defenses to shore up confidence among the alliance’s Eastern European members, including former Soviet republics in the Baltics, that NATO is ready to defend them.

The measures could include sending NATO soldiers and equipment to Eastern European allies, holding more exercises, ensuring NATO’s rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, and reviewing NATO’s military plans. Military planners will come back with detailed proposals within weeks, a NATO official said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said NATO’s preference was for a de-escalation and diplomatic route out of the crisis.

“At the same time, it is important for everybody in the world to understand the NATO alliance takes seriously this attempt to change borders by use of force,” he said.

Russia’s announcement on Monday that it would move a battalion back from close to the Ukrainian border was a small but welcome gesture, he told a news conference.

“The question now is: Is there a way to build on that in order to be able to find a way to move the masses of troops back and truly de-escalate?” he said.

Rasmussen said earlier that NATO had seen no sign Russia was withdrawing its troops from the Ukrainian border.

REINFORCEMENTS

The United States and other NATO allies have already responded to the crisis by offering more planes to take part in regular NATO air patrols over the Baltic States, which were once Soviet republics. The United States has beefed up a previously planned training exercise with the Polish air force.

A Pentagon official told Reuters on Tuesday that the top U.S. general in Europe was looking at options, including moving a U.S. warship to the Black Sea and bolstering scheduled NATO exercises.

General Philip Breedlove, who is both NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe and head of the U.S. military’s European Command, was “going to look at the full spate of upcoming NATO exercises” to see if there were ways they could be enhanced, the U.S. official said.

Germany had offered six Eurofighter jets for Baltic air patrols and one command ship for a mine hunting unit in the Baltic Sea, a NATO source told Reuters.

The suspension of NATO cooperation with Russia would mean Russia could not participate in joint exercises such as one planned for May on rescuing a stranded submarine, a NATO official said.

But Rasmussen said he expected Russia’s cooperation with NATO in Afghanistan – on training counter-narcotics personnel, maintenance of Afghan air force helicopters and a transit route out of the war-torn country – to continue.

Contacts between NATO and Russia at ambassadorial level or higher can also go on, so the two sides can discuss ways out of the crisis.

NATO agreed at a meeting with Ukraine’s foreign minister to step up cooperation with training and other programs to help modernize Ukraine’s armed forces.

The alliance will offer Ukraine more chances to take part in NATO exercises, Rasmussen said.

Ukraine has given NATO members a wish-list of “technical equipment” it needed for its armed forces but this did not include weaponry, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrij Deshchitsya told a news conference after meeting NATO ministers.

He said NATO members would send experts to Kiev next week to see what Ukraine needed.

As NATO ministers convened, Russia warned Ukraine against integration with NATO, saying Kiev’s previous attempts to move closer to the defense alliance had unwelcome consequences.

Ukraine’s new pro-Western leadership has said it is not seeking membership of the Western alliance.

In another sign of NATO support, Romanian President Traian Basescu said the United States had asked to boost the number of troops and aircraft it has stationed at an air base in his country, which has a border with Ukraine.

But Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that the pace at which NATO was increasing its military presence in Poland was unsatisfactory.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who said earlier he would be satisfied if NATO located two heavy brigades in Poland, said on arrival at the NATO meeting that he would welcome any NATO forces being stationed there.

Germany’s Steinmeier said the basing of a significant NATO force in Poland would not be completely in line with a 1997 treaty on NATO-Russian cooperation.

– REUTERS

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Dangote Plans 10,000MW Power Intervention, Raises Africa Investment Ambition to $70bn

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President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has disclosed plans to increase the group’s investment programme in Africa from $50 billion to about $70 billion under its Vision 2030.

Biztellers reports that this strategy would witness a major intervention in electricity generation to support industrial growth, to the tune of 10,000-megawatt.

Addressing creative industry stakeholders from Northern Nigeria, including content creators, journalists, bloggers, entertainers and Kannywood stars, Dangote said expanding production, creating jobs and providing reliable electricity were essential to unlocking Nigeria’s economic potential.

He identified inadequate power supply as a major obstacle to the survival of small and medium-sized enterprises, warning that businesses dependent on petrol and diesel generators would struggle to remain profitable. Dangote said the group was considering a 10,000-megawatt power programme across Africa, potentially including Nigeria, alongside an expansion of the generating capacity dedicated to its own operations.

“We initially planned to invest $50 billion. We are now looking at increasing that to about $70 billion in Africa,” he said.

Explaining the ambition behind Vision 2030, Dangote said African businesses must take greater responsibility for investing in the continent and addressing the infrastructure constraints that discourage other investors.

READ ALSO: Chevron Nigeria Emerges Second-best Exhibitor at NAPE 2026

According to him, inconsistent government policies and unreliable electricity remain significant barriers to investment. He said the group had largely addressed the power challenge within its operations by generating its own electricity.

“Across the group, we currently have almost 1,500 megawatts. By the time we complete Vision 2030, that could rise to between 4,500 and 5,000 megawatts,” he said. “That is captive power—electricity for our own operations. Separately, part of the vision is to intervene in power generation with 10,000 megawatts across Africa, potentially including Nigeria.”

Responding to a question about the economic decision that would most improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians, Dangote placed electricity at the centre of the country’s development needs.

He argued that individual households and companies installing alternative power systems would not, by itself, resolve the wider economic problem.

“Installing solar power for yourself does not mean the wider problem has been solved. Other people may not have that option,” he said. “A vibrant economy is driven by small and medium-sized enterprises. Large companies such as ours help sustain those businesses, but SMEs are essential to economic activity. When you generate electricity using diesel or petrol, it becomes very difficult to make money.”

Dangote expressed confidence in Nigeria’s entrepreneurial strength, saying the country had yet to realise the full benefits of its large and dynamic economy. He said businesses had a responsibility to invest and create opportunities, while the government should concentrate on providing policies and conditions that allow enterprises to grow.
“The government’s principal responsibility is to create an enabling environment through good policies. With the right policies, businesses can invest and create jobs,” he said.

The industrialist identified agriculture and solid minerals as areas with substantial potential, particularly in Northern Nigeria, but stressed that the country must move beyond exporting unprocessed resources. He said investment in infrastructure, including ports, could open markets for other producers and make it easier for businesses to develop and export their products.

“It is not only about us; it is about Nigeria and the African continent,” he said. “We should not simply export raw materials and then buy back the processed products at many times the price. That is the pattern we want to change. Without production, we will continue to face economic difficulties. We must build a productive economy.”

Sharing lessons from his business career, Dangote attributed the group’s expansion to focus, financial discipline and the consistent reinvestment of earnings. He said the transition from trading to manufacturing was built around products the group already understood, supported by established customers, distribution networks and market knowledge.

“The logical next step was backward integration: producing the things we were already importing,” he said.

Dangote also urged entrepreneurs to avoid spending anticipated profits and to recognise when a venture was no longer commercially viable.
“Give it your best effort, but when you do the numbers and they are not adding up, you must be willing to leave,” he said.

Despite the challenges facing businesses, he maintained that the group would continue investing and encouraged smaller enterprises to build opportunities around major industrial projects.

“People like us will continue investing. People like you can build businesses around those investments—as suppliers, producers and service providers,” he said.

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Chevron Nigeria Emerges Second-best Exhibitor at NAPE 2026

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Chevron Nigeria won the second-best exhibitor award at the just-concluded 2026 Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) conference and exhibition at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Biztellers reports that Olajumoke Cecilia Ajayi, FNAPE, NAPE President (2025–2026) and Managing Director/CEO of Ingentia Energies Limited, presented the award to Chevron, during the awards dinner on November 12, 2026.

The award is in recognition of Chevron’s outstanding exhibition, where visitors to its booth, particularly students, took part in Geology/Geophysics presentations and quizzes, word games, and Human Resources/Nigerian Content presentations and quizzes, with gifts for winners and participants.

Commenting on the award, the leader of the Chevron’s exhibition team, Dr. Victor Anyaegbudike, Manager Communications, Chevron companies in Nigeria and the Mid Africa Region, commended NAPE for its commitment to hosting the annual conference and exhibition. He noted that Chevron has operated in Nigeria for over 60 years, contributing to the country’s growth and development and making human investments that yield long-term, transformative returns.

READ ALSO: Tinubu, Shettima Head to Jos for APC Presidential Campaign Rally

“At Chevron Nigeria, we drive innovation and investment to open up opportunities for growth, jobs, productivity and lasting value. Forums like the NAPE conference and exhibition matter because they bring government, academia, students and industry together around shared goals and a better understanding of one another,” he remarked.

Victor noted that Chevron is committed to building productive, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships, grounded in trust, with governments, partners, customers, communities and employees. “We believe that affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is vital to a more prosperous and sustainable world,” he said.

Attendees at the NAPE conference and exhibition included representatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria, industry regulators, industry leaders, academics, and students from tertiary institutions across the country.

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NGX Gains 1.36% as Market Capitalisation Climbs to ₦163.80trn

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NGX: Transactions maintain bearish trend with 0.0% loss

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) recorded a 1.36 per cent weekly gain as its market capitalisation increased to ₦163.80 trillion at the close of trading on Friday, November 13, 2026.

The NGX All-Share Index (ASI) rose to 252,269.16 points, pushing the market’s year-to-date return to 62.11 per cent.

The performance reflected a positive trading week for the equities market, with 43 listed companies recording price appreciation, compared with 29 in the previous week.

SEE MORE:NGX Market Cap Falls to ₦163.65trn As All-Share Index Drops

According to the Exchange’s weekly market report, investors traded 8.03 billion shares valued at ₦185.36 billion in 160,836 deals during the week.

This represented a significant increase in trading volume from the 2.83 billion shares exchanged in 192,158 deals in the preceding week, although the total value of transactions declined from ₦208.41 billion.

The Financial Services Industry dominated trading activities, accounting for 4.85 billion shares worth ₦95.79 billion. This represented 60.45 per cent of the total equity turnover volume and 51.68 per cent of turnover value.

The Agriculture Industry followed with 2.24 billion shares valued at ₦22.78 billion, while the Consumer Goods Industry recorded 260.99 million shares worth ₦11.89 billion.

Further details of the market performance showed that 39 equities declined during the week, compared with 57 in the previous week, while 64 equities closed unchanged against 60 recorded in the preceding period.

On the gainers’ chart, Champion Breweries Plc emerged as the best-performing stock, appreciating by 27.27 per cent, while LivingTrust Mortgage Bank Plc recorded the biggest loss, declining by 18.53 per cent.

Meanwhile, trading in Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) stood at 1.21 million units valued at ₦278.97 million in 3,351 deals, compared with 1.46 million units worth ₦381.82 million in 4,085 deals in the previous week.

The fixed-income segment recorded 156,612 units valued at ₦177.88 million in 41 deals, against 21.99 million units worth ₦20.60 billion in 48 deals recorded in the preceding week.

The Exchange also recorded the listing of two commercial paper instruments issued by Thrive Agric Limited.

The instruments comprised ₦3.17 billion Series 1 (Tranche A) and ₦2.09 billion Series 1 (Tranche B) Commercial Papers, with a combined value of approximately ₦5.26 billion.

 

 

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