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Abuja, Feb. 18, 2026 – Aliko Dangote, the Chairman of Dangote Group, has predicted that the Nigerian currency, the Naira, can appreciate N1,100 to the dollar this year if the government sustains its policies. According to Channels Television, Dangote said this during the launch of the Nigeria Industrial Policy in Abuja on Tuesday where Vice President Sheu Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu. Dangote said the naira, which is currently hovering around ₦1,300 to a dollar at the official foreign exchange market, would appreciate further with sustained efforts of government. “I …

Abeokuta, Feb. 18, 2026 – The South West Regional Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries has called on the six governors in the zone to fortify security by adopting a hybrid of state and community policing. The association made the call at its just concluded 10th Quarterly General Meeting in Osogbo, Osun State, where it stressed the need for enhanced inter-state intelligence sharing to block terrorist incursions filtering into the region via Kwara and Kogi States. According to the six-point communique signed jointly by the Regional President, …

New Delhi, Feb 18, 2026 – Microsoft on Wednesday said it is on pace to invest $50 billion by the end of the decade to help expand AI to countries across the ‘Global South’. The announcement was made at the AI summit in New Delhi, where top executives from global AI giants meet several world leaders this week. The ‘Global South’ refers to developing, emerging or lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere. Microsoft unveiled $17.5 billion worth of AI investments in India last year, as the U.S. tech giant deepened its …

London, Feb. 18, 2026 – Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday after falling about 2% in the previous session as investors assessed progress in U.S.–Iran talks but remained cautious about the prospects of a final deal that could ease supply concerns. Brent crude oil futures rose 26 cents or 0.4% to $67.68 a barrel by 0931 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was up 24 cents or 0.4% at $62.57, though both remained around two-week lows. Iran and the U.S. reached an understanding on Tuesday on main “guiding principles” …

Lagos, Feb. 17, 2026 -The Dangote Group has signed a $400 million construction equipment agreement with a Chinese leading manufacturers of construction machinery, XCMG Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. Dangote disclosed this in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday, explain that the new equipment is to complement existing assets deployed for the refinery expansion expected to be completed within three years. It said the acquisition of the construction equipment was to accelerate the expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals from 650,000 barrels per day to 1.4 million barrels per …

Abuja, Feb. 17, 2026 – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday unveiled Nigeria Industrial Policy 2025 with a charge to relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government to ensure speedy implementation. According to him, the policy, which is a roadmap for re-engineering Nigeria’s industrial base, unlocking value across sectors, and placing production, competitiveness, and jobs at the centre of the nation’s economic strategy, has already established a clear implementation architecture, because policies rarely fail at conception but at execution. Speaking during the official launch of the Nigeria Industrial Policy …

Johannesburg, Feb 17, 2026 – Mozambique needs to implement ambitious fiscal consolidation measures to mitigate worsening debt dynamics, delays in debt servicing and limited external financing that weigh on the economy, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday. The fiscal deficit is projected to have narrowed to 4.5% of GDP last year from 6.2% in 2024 due to lower spending on goods and services and capital projects, but rising interest payments threaten to widen deficits in the coming years. In a report after its annual review of the southern African …

Washington, Feb. 17, 2026 – Oil edged lower on signs that the US and Iran have made progress in nuclear talks, eroding a risk premium in benchmark futures prices. West Texas Intermediate fell to trade below $63 a barrel after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the two countries had “serious, constructive” talks and reached a general agreement on a set of principles. The development erased earlier gains after Iran said it would shut parts of the Strait of Hormuz for military drills. Crude is up almost 10% so …

Lagos, Feb. 17, 2026 – Retired Navy Capt. Solomon Ochidi, the Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of Dekina Old Boys Association (DOBA), has lauded members for the spirit of comradeship existing among them. He urged them to continue with the spirit for the benefit of humanity and their alma mater, Government Secondary School, Dekina.  Ochidi made the commendation at the wedding ceremony of Engr.Samuel Momoh, the Managing Director/CEO, Rossam Oil and Petroleum Company Ltd at Ibeji-Lekk, Lagos on Saturday Momoh is also the General Secretary of the association.  Ochidi made …

Abuja, Feb. 17, 2026 – Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady, on Tuesday inaugurated an advocacy and awareness campaign for a national community food bank to check malnutrition among Nigerian children. The inauguration ceremony was held at the State House Banquet Hall together with the first edition of the National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit on Health. She described health as central to the well-being, productivity and progress of any nation. Tinubu said it was for this reason that President Bola Tinubu placed health at the heart of the Renewed Hope …