NEWS
Umahi eulogises renowned educationist, Anoke
With everything in place for the interment of Chief Lawrence Eze Anoke (1935-2021), on November 5, 2022, in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Govt Area of Ebonyi State, tributes have continued to pour in from highly placed Nigerians.
A statement from the family, signed by Kenneth Eze, has it that Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, is among the prominent people recalling fond memories of the life and times of the respected educationist.
In a tribute on behalf of the Ebony State Government, which the governor signed personally, he credited the foremost educationist with mentoring many prominent people, including himself at primary school level.
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Gov Umahi stated that Chief Anoke “was a well-established Headmaster in many schools, especially, Umunaga Primary School and I was fortunate to be mentored by him at that time
“He lived a worthy life and impacted great knowledge in many people, of which many are highly placed people in our society today.”
Eze described his father as a man who saw tomorrow and made good preparation for it with the fruits abounding wherever his feet trod.
He said, “my father’s most distinguishing traits would be brainpower, foresight, courage, large appetite for knowledge and human capital development, in no particular order.
“With foresight, he discerned from childhood that future greatness would majorly be for those who strengthened their brains not their bones. This explains way he embraced education with two hands, encouraged many to join him, and clutched to it even till his last breath.
“These also background his journey to becoming the philosopher king of his generation and his looking down on materialism, opting instead to enrich and empower humanity with western education.
“To achieve these, he set-off early, so early that he was done with Primary School at a tender age. So tender was he that on graduation from Primary School, he arrived at the workplace too young to be taxed, and probably too fragile to carry on.
“These saw the late Dr Akanu Ibiam, former governor of East Central State and Eze-Ogo of Unwana, counsel him ‘Eze, go back to school.’
“I doubt if Dr Ibiam envisaged that he was kick-starting another type of missionary work – education evangelism. Heeding this counsel transformed you, dad, into the foremost knowledge missionary of Ebonyi State.
“With that mantle, my dad carried the crusade of education from home to home, while encouraging farmers to send their children to school instead of the farms. For this, many notable people in the society today, owe you gratitude, sir.
“Dr Ibiam’s counsel, only turned out to be extremely rewarding because you took and rode on it for continuous knowledge acquisition and impartation, thereby impacting on numerous people and uplifting them to greatness.
“The first thing it did, though was shifting you from medical line to becoming an educationist, where passion, competence and professionalism saw you rise to become the most senior headmaster in Ebonyi State before retirement.
“The story of your enthusiasm for education is already well captured in the lives of those who would have been peasants but you converted them, through your ministry of education evangelism to embrace the good life that western education offers.
“It is written in your championing women liberation and equal rights for the girl child. This saw you offering equal education opportunities to your children of both genders, despite pressures from friends and relations to do otherwise. You also encouraged family, friends, associates and all who cared to listen, that there was no difference between the male and female child.”
It was gathered that Chief Anoke had two wives, Agnes and Rose, 16 children, 36 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned prospective investors against fraudsters, fake platforms and unauthorised individuals seeking to take advantage of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Initial Public Offering (IPO).
The Commission issued the warning in a public notice dated Monday, September 14, 2026, following its approval for the IPO by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE to open to the public.
The SEC urged investors to exercise caution and ensure that all applications and payments relating to the IPO are made only through the officially designated and approved receiving agents, subscription channels and platforms.
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The Commission advised prospective investors to obtain information about the IPO only from the SEC’s official channels, the issuer’s official channels and other official channels established and approved for the offer.
It also urged investors to verify the authenticity of any website, platform or link before providing personal or financial information.
According to the SEC, investors should follow only the officially announced subscription or application process and IPO timetable and should “Avoid transferring funds to any person or entity claiming to receive applications/subscriptions outside the approved channels.”
The Commission further advised investors to verify that their chosen registered Capital Market Operator’s channels or platforms for the offer are duly authorised and approved.
The SEC also warned investors to “Avoid responding to unsolicited calls, WhatsApp messages, social media advertisements, emails or other channels/platforms that offer or guarantee allotments or preferential allocation.”
The regulator urged prospective subscribers to carefully read the approved Prospectus and understand the terms, conditions and risks associated with the investment before making any subscription.
SEC warns against fake IPO agents
The Commission stressed that the existence of an individual, company, digital platform or social media account does not, by itself, constitute approval or authorisation to receive applications or funds from investors in respect of the offer.
The SEC therefore advised prospective investors to contact SEC-registered stockbrokers, banks or registered Investment advisers for guidance before subscribing.
The Commission also urged the public to “VERIFY” the registration status of companies, entities, platforms or individuals offering investment opportunities before entering into any transaction with them.
Investors can verify the registration status of operators through the SEC’s dedicated portal for registered fintech operators or through the Commission’s Capital Market Operators platform.
The warning comes as the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals IPO officially opens on Monday, September 14, 2026, following the Commission’s approval.
The Commission listed its contact details as +2342094621168-9 and [email protected], while its WhatsApp contact is 0916 772 3240.
The SEC urged investors to remain vigilant and rely only on verified and authorised channels throughout the IPO process.
Investor demand for the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals initial public offering (IPO) has reached a historic level, with subscription activity surging across digital investment channels.
Data released by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on its official X handle on Monday showed that total transaction volume had surpassed 402,634, pushing the total subscription value to ₦1,476,171,994,112, approximately ₦1.476 trillion.
The figures, displayed on the #NGXInvest command centre dashboard, highlight the strong appetite among investors for the landmark offering.
More details shortly.
Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications/Spokesperson, Dr Sunday Dare, has highlighted what he described as key achievements of the Tinubu administration while firing back at columnist Steve Osuji over his assessment of the 2027 presidential landscape.
Dare made the remarks in a lengthy statement disclosed via his X account on Monday, titled “Steve Osuji’s 2027 Prophetic Fantasy.”
The presidential aide accused Osuji of confusing “cynicism for sophistication, bitter partisanship for objective analysis, and venom for editorial depth.”
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Dare said Osuji’s intervention on the 2027 presidential race attempted to portray President Tinubu as an imperiled incumbent while elevating former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi as an “infallible, messianic” opposition figure.
According to him, Osuji’s argument amounted to “wishful thinking” and failed to account for the structural challenges facing Nigeria.
Dare Defends Tinubu’s Economic Reforms
Dare defended some of the administration’s most controversial economic decisions, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market.
He argued that successive governments had failed to confront what he described as the “criminal, unsustainable fuel subsidy regime” and distorted multiple foreign exchange markets.
According to Dare, previous administrations repeatedly postponed the difficult decisions, opting instead for what he called “popular, debt-financed ruin.”
He said Tinubu “took the bull by the horns on day one,” arguing that the reforms stopped the diversion of trillions of naira through the subsidy regime and dismantled what he described as a corrupt parallel-market cartel.
Dare added that revenue flows to the federal, state and local governments had expanded as a result, giving sub-national governments greater financial capacity to execute development projects.
$54.08bn Reserves, 4.43% GDP Growth
The presidential aide also cited what he described as measurable gains in the Nigerian economy.
Dare said Nigeria’s real GDP expanded by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from previous quarters.
He also cited the assessments of international rating agencies, including Fitch, Moody’s and S&P Global Ratings, saying their credit upgrades reflected growing confidence in Nigeria’s structural reforms.
According to Dare, Nigeria’s external reserves had risen above $54.08 billion, which he described as the highest level in nearly 18 years.
He further claimed that the debt service-to-revenue ratio had experienced a “dramatic downward rebalancing” away from the unsustainable levels of previous years.
Dare Highlights Tinubu’s Infrastructure Drive
Dare listed infrastructure development as another major area of progress under Tinubu.
He cited the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and Sokoto-Badagry Highway, as well as rail modernisation and regional power interventions.
According to him, the administration had prioritised high-impact infrastructure through aggressive Public-Private Partnerships and the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund.
He said the projects were laying “the physical tracks for long-term industrialization.”
NELFUND, MSMEs and Minimum Wage
Dare also highlighted the administration’s social interventions and human-capital programmes.
He cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying it had enabled hundreds of thousands of indigent students to access higher education.
He also listed Credicorp, MSME intervention funds and the implementation of the new national minimum wage among measures introduced to cushion Nigerians from the effects of the economic adjustments.
Security and EFCC
On security, Dare acknowledged that Nigeria’s security challenges had accumulated over decades and could not disappear overnight.
However, he said the armed forces had continued with “aggressive, coordinated offensives” against insurgency, banditry and kidnapping networks.
He maintained that the operations had steadily restored civil authority to liberated communities.
Dare also cited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying the agency had been empowered to tackle illicit financial flows and sanitise the country’s financial architecture.
He added that Nigeria’s standing in international financial governance had continued to benefit from the administration’s policies.
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