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The Africa Make Big Polluters Pay (MBPP) Coalition has rejected the newly launched Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), a $125 billion blended-finance fund unveiled at the ongoing COP30 climate summit in Brazil. The Facility, promoted by Brazil, is designed to provide annual payments to countries for conserving and maintaining their forests. But the African coalition, which comprises more than 32 organisations including Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Gender CC Southern Africa, and the Global Forest Coalition (GFC), said the initiative fails to address the real needs of climate-vulnerable nations. In a statement, the group said the TFFF risks turning tropical forests into “tradable assets” dominated by financial institutions, warning that the model could undermine Indigenous stewardship and deepen economic dependence for countries across the continent. According to the coalition, several African nations — including Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon,...

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako Nigeria has recorded significant gains in tobacco control over the past decade, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, said on Monday at the ongoing 11th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Speaking during the high-level segment of the global meeting, Dr. Salako said the country had made “remarkable progress” since 2012, citing new national data and strengthened regulatory actions that have contributed to a continued decline in adult tobacco use. More than 1,400 delegates from governments, international organisations and civil society are attending COP11 in Geneva to review 20 years of implementation of the WHO FCTC and discuss measures to reduce tobacco use, which kills over seven million people annually.  Representatives from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) were among civil societ...

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised the conduct of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during its 2026 national convention, describing recent developments as a threat to democratic institutions and judicial integrity. In a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Mogaji (Hon.) Seye Oladejo, the APC said the emergence of conflicting court orders from the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan underscored what it termed the PDP’s deepening internal crisis and a pattern of reckless judicial forum shopping. The party expressed concern that rival factions of the PDP had referenced different court rulings to validate their positions, a situation it said risked projecting the judiciary as inconsistent and vulnerable to political manipulation.  It warned that such actions could set a precedent capable of undermining public trust in the judicial process. It said that the spectacle of contradictory court pronounce...

Taminu Turaki  The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed comments attributed to Taminu Turaki on plans to “return power to Nigerians,” describing the statement as misleading and lacking in legitimacy. In a response issued on Tuesday, the party said Turaki, whom it referred to as a “factional chairman” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was in no position to speak on behalf of the opposition party. It accused him of attempting to project authority despite the PDP’s unresolved internal crisis. According to the statement signed by the Lagos APC spokesperson, Mogaji (Hon.) Seye Oladejo, the PDP remains “broken, scattered and leaderless,” and therefore incapable of mounting any serious national political challenge. “It is dishonest for Turaki to pretend otherwise,” the APC said. “Before he dreams of returning power to Nigerians, he should first seek legitimacy from his own party members and leaders.” The ruling party argued that the PDP lost public...

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted the conduct of the 2026 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the event as evidence of the opposition party’s diminishing national relevance. In a statement issued o/n Sunday, the APC’s spokesman, Mogaji (Hon.) Oluseye Olaniran Oladejo, said the convention, which held over the weekend, failed to demonstrate cohesion or renewal within the PDP.  He noted that the absence of several key party leaders, including some serving governors, raised questions about internal unity. Oladejo also pointed to reports that delegates from about thirteen states did not participate in the exercise, arguing that such omissions suggested a widening fracture within the opposition party. The APC further highlighted the reported non-attendance of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who ordinarily monitor national conventions of political parties. According to the ruling ...

  The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) for expanding its student loan programme to cover vocational and technical training institutions, describing the move as a major boost to youth development and skills acquisition in the country. In a statement on Monday, the party’s spokesman, Mogaji (Hon.) Oluseye Olaniran Oladejo, said the initiative reflects President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to broadening access to productive opportunities for young Nigerians under the Renewed Hope Agenda. According to the APC, the expansion addresses a long-standing gap in the education and skills development framework, especially for youths pursuing careers in engineering trades, digital technology, construction, the creative sector, agriculture and manufacturing. Oladejo said the inclusion of vocational learners in the loan scheme would remove financial barriers that had prevented many young people from acquiring market-r...

Civil society organisations working in tobacco control have cautioned Nigeria’s delegation to the Eleventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) against succumbing to influence from the tobacco industry as global negotiations begin in Geneva tomorrow. In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the groups expressed concern over what they described as renewed efforts by the tobacco industry to infiltrate COP11 deliberations through proxies, with the aim of legitimising e-cigarettes, nicotine-based products and other novel tobacco items under the guise of harm reduction. The organisations, including the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Gatefield, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), and the Centre for Youth Inclusion and Development, warned that Nigeria must not sell out public health to corpora...