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Church of England names 63-year-old Sarah Mullally as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

The Church of England named Sarah Mullally on Friday as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to serve as ceremonial head of Anglican Christianity worldwide, prompting immediate criticism from conservative church leaders in Africa.

A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 – the third most senior member of clergy in the Church of England.

She used her first public statement on Friday to condemn the “horrific violence” of Thursday’s deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester, saying “hatred and racism cannot tear us apart”.

Mullally will, like her predecessors, face a Communion divided between conservatives and more liberal Christians over the role of women in the Church and the acceptance of same-sex couples.

While the appointment was welcomed by many religious leaders in Britain, Laurent Mbanda, archbishop of Rwanda and chairman of a global grouping of conservative Anglican churches, told Reuters that Mullally would not unite the Communion.

A bishop in Nigeria said the choice was “very dangerous” because women should follow men. The Church of England’s evangelical wing also called for a halt to what it called a drift away from scripture.

The Church has been without someone in the top job for almost a year after Justin Welby resigned over a safeguarding scandal.

He stepped down after a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church. It found that he “could and should” have reported John Smyth’s abuse of boys and young men to police in 2013.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell took on most of Mr Welby’s responsibilities in an interim move, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing his successor. He himself has faced calls to step down over his handling of an abuse case.

Women were first ordained priests in the Church in 1994, while the first female bishop appointments followed 20 years later in 2014

In line with tradition, the process of choosing a new archbishop involves a name being given to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch.

Sir Keir has welcomed Dame Sarah’s appointment, saying: “I wish her every success and look forward to working together.”

While technically, the King is head of the Church of England, the person holding the role of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

King Charles III has congratulated Dame Sarah on her new role, “which is of such importance in the UK and across the global Anglican Communion”, Buckingham Palace said.

MULLALLY HAS CHAMPIONED LIBERAL CAUSES

Bishop of London since 2018, Mullally has previously championed blessings for same-sex couples, a major source of contention in the global Anglican Communion. Homosexuality is outlawed in some African countries.

In an address in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday, she said she would seek to help every ministry to flourish, “whatever our tradition”.

On same-sex relationships, she told Reuters in an interview that the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion had long wrestled with difficult issues.

“It may not be resolved quickly,” she added.

Mullally said she wanted the Church to tackle the misuse of power after sexual abuse scandals and safeguarding issues, and she condemned rising antisemitism following an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday which killed two men.

The Church of England, which broke away from Roman Catholicism in the 16th century, has allowed women to be ordained as priests for more than 30 years and to become bishops for more than a decade.

Those reforms have been rejected by many churches in Africa and Asia which fall under the Anglican Communion and consider the Archbishop of Canterbury as their ceremonial head but set their own rules.

“Christ is the head of the Church, man is the head of the family, and from creation God has never handed over the position of leadership to woman,” Nigeria’s Funkuro Godrules Victor Amgbare, Bishop of Northern Izon, told Reuters in Abuja.

The Vatican, which does not allow women to be ordained as priests, welcomed Mullally’s appointment in a statement, noting that the challenges facing the Anglican church were “considerable”.

SAFEGUARDING IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

Mullally will replace Justin Welby, who resigned over a child abuse cover-up scandal and who was criticised by some Anglicans for taking an activist role on social issues.

In Friday’s cathedral address she spoke of the difficulties of an age which “craves certainty and tribalism” and a country which is wrestling with complex moral and political questions.

She noted the “horrific violence” of the previous day’s synagogue attack, saying it revealed “hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities”.

Mullally, who as a bishop already holds a seat in the British parliament’s House of Lords, is also an outspoken opponent of legislation currently being debated to allow assisted dying.

‘IT’S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE’

Mullally is a former cancer nurse who worked as England’s Chief Nursing Officer in the early 2000s. She was ordained as a priest in 2002 and became one of the first women consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England in 2015.

The married mother of two adult children said there were similarities between nursing and Christian ministry.

“It’s all about people, and sitting with people during the most difficult times in their lives,” she once told a magazine.

Linda Woodhead, professor of theology and religious studies at King’s College London, said the Church needed Mullally’s strong management skills.

“Her emphasis on unity, gentleness and strength is exactly what the Church, and nation, needs right now,” she said.

Reflecting the Church’s status as England’s established faith, the appointment was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office and given formal assent by King Charles. The monarch has been supreme governor of the Church of England for nearly 500 years since Henry VIII broke from the pope in Rome.

David Pestell, 74, who heads a tourist guide group in Canterbury, reflected on Mullally’s predecessors.

“Some of them have been very good, some of them have been pretty bad,” he said. “Some of them have been very contentious, and some of them ended up murdered. I hope it doesn’t happen to this one. It’s delightful.”

The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which represents conservative views, has criticised the appointment, saying that although some will welcome it, “the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy”.

She does not legally take on her new role until a confirmation of election in January, and an enthronement service comes later, after they have paid homage to the King.

Reuters/BBC

Christian photographer/blogger wins case against law forcing her to work same-sex weddings

Chelsey Nelson is a wedding photographer and blogger in Louisville, Kentucky. | Courtesy of Chelsey Nelson

A federal court has sided with a Christian photographer challenging nondiscrimination provisions she believes would force her to work same-sex weddings despite her religious objections. This is the latest example of U.S. courts ruling in favor of religious liberty protections.

In an opinion published Tuesday, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky sided with photographer Chelsey Nelson in her ongoing legal dispute with the city of Louisville over its prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity or the denial of services based on said characteristics.

Judge Benjamin Beaton, appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump, authored the decision.

Nelson, a practicing Christian who believes that marriage is a sacramental union between one man and one woman, informs prospective clients that she doesn’t provide photography services for same-sex weddings. She filed a lawsuit alleging that the nondiscrimination provisions violated the Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as well as Kentucky’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

While the federal court sided with Nelson in 2022, thus prohibiting Louisville from enforcing the nondiscrimination provisions against her, she appealed the rejection of her request for nominal damages while the city also appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in an effort to reverse the ruling against the local laws.

In 2023, after the district court ruled against the nondiscrimination provisions and while the case was on appeal before the Sixth Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a major ruling in 303 Creative v. Elenis. That decision, which ruled that the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from using “expressive activity to compel speech,” became a binding precedent for cases involving religious liberty.

As a result of the 303 Creative ruling, the Sixth Circuit sent Nelson’s case back to the lower court for further proceedings. Tuesday’s decision marks the culmination of these legal efforts. In addition to siding with Nelson by upholding the previous rulings prohibiting the city of Louisville from enforcing the local laws against her, Beaton awarded her nominal damages.

As explained by the conservative legal nonprofit organization Alliance Defending Freedom, which has represented Nelson in her litigation, “Nominal damages are a type of compensation that remedy past harm, prevent future misconduct, and vindicate constitutional freedoms.” In a statement reacting to the decision, ADF Senior Counsel Bryan Neihart said, “Free speech is for everyone.”

“As the Supreme Court held two years ago in 303 Creative v. Elenis, Americans have the freedom to express and create messages that align with their beliefs without fear of government punishment,” he added. “For over five years, Louisville officials said they could force Chelsey to promote views about marriage that violated her religious beliefs.”

According to Neihart, “The First Amendment leaves decisions about what to say with the people, not with the government. The district court’s [decision] rests on this bedrock First Amendment principle and builds on the victory in 303 Creative.”

Nelson reacted to the ruling by declaring, “The government can’t force Americans to say things they don’t believe, and state officials have paid and will continue to pay a price when they violate this foundational freedom.”

She added that “the freedom to speak without fear of censorship” is a “constitutionally guaranteed right.”

“I’m grateful for my legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom that brought my case to victory not only for me, but for every other artist in Louisville,” she stated.

Christian Post Reporter

Ebonyi cleric over ‘marathon sex’ with female sickle cell patient

A cleric and General Overseer of Champion the Truth Cathedral, Bishop Ndibueze Onyagoziri Okorie, has been arrested by the Ebonyi State Police Command for reportedly having a marathon session of sex with a 22-year-old female sickle cell patient in the State.

Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Joshua Ukandu, said the suspect was in their custody while an investigation was ongoing on the matter.

“Yes, the Bishop is with us here at the police headquarters, Abakaliki. I don’t have any other information, it is under investigation.

“On Wednesday, 1st October, he was arrested by our men and brought to the state police command over the act,” the Police spokesman said.

However, in a viral video on social media, the victim said that she started living with the cleric following her health condition after the decision of the cleric and her family that she should be living in the church to enable her to be healed from her illness through divine treatment.

She noted that the spiritual healing failed to solve her problem as her case worsened. She alleged that the Bishop had assured her that a seven-day sex with him was all she needed for her genotype to change from SS to AA.

She further stated that because of her desperation to survive the sickness that has already taken the lives of her three other siblings, she gave in to the option.

She lamented that after the seven-day sexual intercourse with the general overseer, her health issues became compounded and she raised the alarm and informed her sister about it.

Her elder sister, according to her, stepped into the matter and insisted she must return home since the so-called divine treatment was no longer working.

The victim said that the Bishop repeatedly threatened to upload pictures of their sexual activities if she leaves him. According to her, she later left the cleric and went back to her village only to see her nude pictures with the cleric on social media, eliciting reactions.

Meanwhile, Bishop Onyeagoziri has denied having any sexual intercourse with the victim, adding that his phone was stolen and those who stole the phone used Artificial Intelligence to post his nudity with that of the girl.

Senator Elisha Abbo denies arrest, alleged rape of minor

Elisha Abbo, the lawmaker who once represented Adamawa North Senatorial District, has denied reports linking him to the rape of a 13-year-old secondary school student in June 2025.

Some media platforms (not Law & Society Magazine) reported on Thursday that the former senator was arrested by the Police over the report of an alleged rape of a minor leveled against him by the mother of the teenager.

In a swift reaction on Friday in Abuja however, Abbo refuted the allegation in its entirety, describing it as baseless, unfounded, and mischievous.

Senator Abbo, who reacted through a telephone conversation with some journalists covering the Senate, said he was in his Abuja residence throughout Thursday and not in police custody.

The said report is the handiwork of my political detractors. It is an orchestrated smear campaign to disturb my peace by political enemies”, he said.

He, however, admitted that he recently reported a desperate move by someone he called a female money monger to the Police, who he said requested N5 million from him.

“I personally reported the desperate female money monger to the Nigeria Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), where both of us were later invited for questioning, only for me to be reading or hearing a completely different story several weeks after now”, he said.

Speculations surfaced online on Thursday alleging that the ex-lawmaker was in police custody following accusations that he sexually assaulted a minor at his Katampe, Abuja, residence on June 29, 2025.

The victim’s family also claimed that Senator Abbo repeatedly tried to silence them by sending money to the girl’s father, and further alleged that Senator Aishatu Binani, the 2023 Adamawa governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), visited them to dissuade them from pursuing the case.

Many feared dead as petrol-laden truck falls and ignites on Ogun expressway

An unconfirmed number of persons have lost their lives in a tanker fire accident that occurred at midnight along the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway in Ogun State.

The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the development, noting that the fire began at about 1 a.m. on Friday.

In a statement, Akinbiyi said, “The case of an inferno caused by a 30,000-litre fuel-laden tanker which fell on its side and spilled its contents around 0100hrs today.”

The incident was said to have occurred “along the Abeokuta–Kobape–Siun–Sagamu Interchange stretch of the PMB Expressway, due to excessive speed and loss of control”.

“The effect of the unfortunate incident also extended to the burning of a truck and a tow vehicle along the roadside, as well as the destruction of a PHCN cable supplying electricity to Mowe and environs,” Akinbiyi said.

The statement added that “though the casualty figures cannot be ascertained presently, rescue and emergency services made up of TRACE, Ogun State and Nestlé PLC Fire Service, FRSC, and the Police are still on the ground to restore normalcy and orderliness after quenching the fire and carrying out the decantation process.”

“The general public, particularly the motoring public on transit along the route, is implored to be calm, patient, and cooperate with the diversion and re-routing of traffic put in place by TRACE, Police, Ogun State Fire Service, FRSC, Amotekun, and the NSCDC,” Akinbiyi added.

He further noted that “any inconveniences as a result of this unfortunate incident are highly regretted.”

In October 2024, at least 160 people reportedly lost their lives and more than 100 others were injured following a catastrophic tanker explosion in Majiya Village, Taura Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

The tragedy occurred when a fuel-laden tanker crashed, triggering a massive explosion. Eyewitnesses reported that villagers had gathered to scoop fuel from the overturned tanker when the blast ignited.

The ensuing fireball devastated the area, leaving numerous victims with severe injuries and causing multiple fatalities.

Sahara Reporters

Residents of Abuja community where Arise TV journalist died, lament life under armed robbers’ siege

Gishiri road, area of Katampe, Abuja: Photo Credit Popoola Ademola Premium Times

Katampe, the community where Somtochukwu Maduagwu, the deceased Arise TV journalist, lived, and its neighbouring communities have been under the siege of armed robbers for several years, residents have said.

Ms Maduagwu, 29, a lawyer and news anchor with the television station, died as a result of injuries she sustained when robbers invaded the block of six flats, where she lived in the early hours of Monday, 29 September.

The incident sparked widespread criticism of the country’s increasing security challenges.

FCT Police Commissioner, Ajao Adewale, said she lost her life trying to escape from the robbers by jumping down from her apartment on the topmost floor of the three-storey building.

He also said one of the two private guards on duty sustained a gunshot injury while challenging the robbers.

“Regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident, to set the record straight, some hoodlums, armed robbers, specifically gained access into Unique Apartment, where Sommie lives. It is a three-story twin building with 18 flats around the Gishiri axis of Katampe, under the Mabushi Divisional Area. At this point, two guards were on duty, security men.

“These are private guards, and one of them, who dared to challenge, sustained a gunshot (wound). Under these conditions, panic would have resulted from this kind of environment. Sommie actually occupied an apartment on the topmost floor of the building. And out of fear, she jumped down from that third story, the top floor. The consequences are what we are seeing. It’s so sad, so unfortunate,” the commissioner said during an interview on Arise TV.

In a statement earlier, the FCT police command said Mr Adewale had “ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”  The police also said it had deployed intelligence and operational assets in the area to identify, track, and apprehend those responsible for the heinous crime. 

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the six-apartment complex, it was gathered that Ms Maduagwu’s co-tenants had fled following the robbery attack that led to her tragic death.

This couldn’t be confirmed because our reporters were not allowed into the compound.

Incessant robbery attacks

However, residents of Katampe, located in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), told this newspaper that the community and its neighbours have been under siege for some time now.

They alleged that despite the incessant robbery attacks, the police have not done anything about it.

“Recently, two houses here (on the same street where the presenter died) were robbed too, and some other places around here,” a resident, who requested anonymity, said.

Another resident, Mubarak Saliu, corroborated this by narrating his ordeal while at his boss’s home on the same street.

According to Mr Saliu, robbers invaded the place in the night and took away some expensive properties.

“Last year, my boss was not around. I was there working. The armed robbers came that night and carted away some expensive properties,” Mr Saliu told our reporters.

“I am on the edge right now. I am losing my sanity gradually. I am very scared for my family because where we stay right now in Katampe, Mpape, Abuja, has been under armed robbery attack almost on a daily basis. I can’t sleep at night again due to these armed robbery attacks every night,” Kate, another resident of Katampe 1 along Mpape, told PREMIUM TIMES. 

“My heart is beating as I am talking to you. Every night, I am really scared. Its is worse when there is no light at night or whenever it is raining. The most difficult part is that it has continued unabated. Nobody has ever been arrested or caught. The police seem completely incapacitated or not just willing to do anything.”

A resident, who simply identified himself as Mr Ogene, also lamented that his business was ruined after robbers attacked him one night in September.

“Just last month, all my animals – pigs, cows, goats, and others – were stolen in one night”, he said.

According to him, Katampe, Mpape, Gishiri, and Apo resettlement are communities that are not far from Aso Villa, the seat of the Nigerian Government, yet residents live in fear as criminals operate unchallenged by the police.

Self-help

Some of the residents also spoke about the alleged inadequacy of the police and have resorted to self-help by constituting vigilante groups.

“In the whole of Girishi, we have only one police post, and you won’t find more than two or three officers there; they don’t even have a rifle,” a POS trader, who also does not want her name to be mentioned, claimed.

She said the residents only rely on the Mabushi Police station in the Mabushi area, adding that even when its personnel are invited in times of distress, they don’t respond. 

She also blamed that challenge on the location, saying Gishiri is far from Mabushi.

“When you call them, they will always give one excuse or the other. They won’t even answer you because they don’t even have enough personnel or guns to use. But the community stood up and gathered some vigilantes who are currently working well, ” she said.

Mr Saliu narrated that on the night his boss’s place was attacked, the police were invited, but they (police) said they had no fuel in their vehicle to carry out any operation.

“We called the police at Mabushi that night, but they didn’t come. They said they didn’t have fuel,” he said.

“There was a time the vigilante caught one of these thieves, and the people wanted to even kill him, but I told them not to, and they didn’t. The moment the police came, the thief ran into the police van. Later, they released him.”

While the vigilantes are working relentlessly at the Gishiri community, the story seems different at other places in the Katampe area.

“Several areas in the community have set up vigilantes, but it has ended up worse. We can’t even say if it’s the vigilantes or the robbers again,” Kate lamented.

No officer could be reached for comment when PREMIUM TIMES went to the police post in Gishiri police post, which is under the Mabushi Divisional Area.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said “it never received reports of incessant robbery attacks in the area”.

“We have not received reports of incessant robbery attacks in the areas you have mentioned.“We have police presence in those areas and are working closely with the community members. If there are particular cases, please cite them and provide the necessary information to aid investigations.”

When he assumed duty on 26 March, Mr Adewale had assured residents of the nation’s capital of impactful and proactive policing.

“On behalf of the officers and men of this command, I appreciate the quality leadership that the immediate past CP exhibited while he was here. I want to assure you that we will fit well into the shoes. When you’re in your office, you will receive good news about us.

“For the men, I promise them quality leadership. For the residents of Abuja, I assure you of quality service delivery, impactful policing, and intelligence-driven and proactive policing under my watch. That I can assure you. With God on our side, we will move from height to greater height,” he said.

This article, written by Popoola Ademola and Fiyinfoluwa Ikuomola, was originally published as ‘How Abuja community where Arise TV journalist died lives under armed robbers’ siege – Residents‘, by Premium Times on 2nd October, 2025

Federal High Court places temporal ban on police tinted glass permit enforcement

A Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, has ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in a suit filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo-Martins, challenging the legality of the new tinted permit enforcement.

The Court, in the interim order, directed the police authorities to “respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.”

Senior Advocate Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team for the petitioner, confirmed the development to journalists and noted that “the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined.”

The Nigeria Police had earlier revived the tinted permit policy through its digital platform POSSAP, citing public complaints of harassment of motorists with factory-fitted tints. Official enforcement commenced in June 2025 after a 30-day grace period, though it was later extended twice — first to August and then to October — to allow motorists more time to comply. The renewed push was defended on security grounds, with the police arguing that criminals often exploit vehicles with opaque glass to evade detection.

Read Also: Tinted Glass Permit: NBA seethes, warns IGP of contempt as police impound vehicle of judge

The legal challenge, however, questions whether the Police have acted within the bounds of the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991, which requires that permits be granted only for “good cause,” such as medical or security reasons. Aikpokpo-Martins and other critics contend that the blanket enforcement disproportionately burdens motorists, infringes on constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of movement, and risks perpetuating harassment by security agents.

Civil society groups and the Nigerian Bar Association have also voiced concerns, with the NBA filing a separate suit arguing that the enforcement framework is unconstitutional and riddled with transparency issues. Questions have been raised about the handling of fees, accessibility of the application system, and the potential for abuse by officers on the road.

While the police maintain that the scheme is both lawful and essential for national security, the Federal High Court’s directive underscores the growing legal and public pushback against disrespect for the rule of law by security operatives. Until the case is resolved, the implementation of the tinted glass permit will remain in legal limbo, leaving millions of motorists uncertain about compliance requirements and the broader legitimacy of the policy.

Emir Sanusi says banks should be compelled to publish data on loans to female-led businesses to encourage support

The Emir of Kano and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammadu Sanusi, said regulations should be created to compel banks to publicly disclose data on the number of loans disbursed to women-led businesses.

Sanusi spoke on Thursday at the launch of the ‘Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Roadmap for Investing in Nigeria (2025-2035)’ by Impact Investors Foundation (IIF) and PwC Nigeria at the third Gender Impact Investment Summit (GIIS).

The former CBN governor said the regulation will encourage banks to improve loans to female-owned businesses.

“By regulation, banks, funds should be compelled to publish how many female-led businesses have they lent money to,” he said.

“Nobody’s forcing you to lend to women, but publish. Let the world see that you have lent to 10,000 companies and only five were led by women, and while your competitors are lending to 200.

“That in itself, just the discipline of thinking through and knowing that you have to disclose whether you’re woman-friendly or not, imposes that desire to go the extra mile.

“So these are the kinds of things I think we need to think about. And it’s not just women, it’s also people with disability.

“I think in the central bank, we actually had a policy, we went out and looked for people who were visually impaired.

“We looked for people who were disabled. We actually deliberately went out to look for them in order to have diversity.”

‘I CHANGED CBN RULE TO ENSURE MORE WOMEN OCCUPY DIRECTOR POSITION’

Sanusi revealed the institutional barriers he tackled to increase gender diversity at the apex bank, including changing the promotion rules to ensure more women could ascend to the position of director.

He noted that only four women became directors at different times throughout the bank’s first 50 years of existence, from its establishment in 1959 until he became the CBN governor in 2009.

“Two years into my tenure, I said we needed to have at least 30 percent of our directors being female. We went through the promotion process, when the results came out, there wasn’t a single woman,” Sanusi recounted.

“So I asked, why? I was told the women were not ready. In the entire bank, we couldn’t find women that could be directors, and they had rules that you had to be deputy director for three years.

“And because the promotions for women had been so slow, we didn’t have enough women who had been deputy directors for three years. So I said, fine. First of all, I changed the rule. I said, if you’ve been a deputy director for one year, you are eligible to put yourself up for consideration on merit.

“Then I decided that I would involve myself not in the promotion process, but in a pre-assessment. I called HR and said I wanted the CVs of all female deputy directors. One of the deputy directors I looked at had a degree in economics, a degree in accounting, three master’s degrees.

“She was a chartered accountant, not just Nigeria, but ACCA. She was top three in every risk-based examination in the bank every year. And she was in one small corner of a tiny office in Lagos with no visibility.”

Sanusi revealed that he placed the highly experienced woman he discovered in a tiny office, along with several other female staff, into traditionally male-dominated director positions such as banking supervision and risk management.

The former apex Bank chief noted that the success achieved during his tenure was largely attributable to the women.

‘GESI ROADMAP IS A BLUEPRINT FOR SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN ECONOMY’

Etemore Glover, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF), said the GESI roadmap is not just a plan but a blueprint for a significant shift in Nigeria’s economy.

“The scale of the targets underscores our profound commitment to a future where no one is left behind. This incredibly exciting moment sets a powerful, decade-long course to democratize capital and transform our investment landscape for women, youth, and People with Disabilities (PwDs),” Glover added.

Also, Ibukun Awosika, chair of GSG Nigeria Partner and vice chair of GSG Impact, said the roadmap moves “us beyond aspiration to accountability”.

Awosika urged stakeholders not to only mobilise inclusive capital at scale but also to embed GESI principles into every investment decision and policy, to enable the gaps to be closed, unlock Nigeria’s full economic potential, and ensure the country’s growth is truly equitable and transformative.

According to a statement by IIF, GESI Roadmap presents a clear, actionable plan with targets such as mobilising $8 billion in cumulative gender-inclusive capital and the launch of 40 inclusive financial products for women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PwDs).

Other targets are 90 percent integration of gender equity and social inclusion principles by General Partners, mobilisation of $1.5 billion domestic capital pools, and the enactment of 20 new policy and regulatory instruments, among others.

The launch of the roadmap also introduced the Nigeria Inclusive Capital Commitment 2035 campaign to drive actionable plans towards the GESI roadmap’s ambitious goals.

The Cable

Donald Trump: Nigerian deportees abandoned in Togo after forced removal from Ghana

A Nigerian man recently deported from the United States has revealed he and five others are stranded in Togo after Ghanaian officials allegedly forced them across the border without warning.

Speaking to the BBC under anonymity for safety reasons, he said they were initially told they would be moved from a military camp in Ghana to better accommodation. Instead, they were covertly transported into Togo.

“They did not take us through the main border. They took us through the back door, paid the police there, and dropped us in Togo,” he recounted.

The group, which includes three other Nigerians and a Liberian, managed to check into a hotel in Lomé, the Togolese capital.

Without personal documents, they now rely on hotel staff to collect money from relatives abroad to cover their expenses.

“We’re struggling to survive in Togo without any documentation. None of us has family here.

“We’re just stuck in a hotel, trying to hold on until our lawyers can intervene,” he said.

The man described harsh conditions at the Ghanaian military camp, where he and others demanded better water, healthcare, and medication.

Officials later told them they were being relocated to a hotel, but instead drove them to the border and abandoned them in Togo.

The language barrier in French-speaking Togo has further compounded their plight, as most of them speak only English.

Sharing his personal distress, he said: “I have a house in the US where my kids live.

“How am I supposed to pay the mortgage? My children can’t see me, and it’s just so stressful.”

The deportee, a member of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, fears returning to Nigeria could lead to arrest or torture.

He added that he was under a US court protection order that should have prevented his deportation, but the US authorities provided no explanation for removing him.

He was part of a group of West Africans — including nationals of Liberia, Togo, and The Gambia — deported to Ghana last month after being flown out of the US in shackles from detention facilities.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the government accepted the deportees out of “pan-African empathy” and received no financial benefit.

However, opposition lawmakers have demanded a suspension of the agreement with the US until parliament ratifies it, even as the government prepares to accept another 40 deportees.

Lawyers representing the group have launched legal action against both the US and Ghana, arguing that their rights were violated.

Nigerians waste in prisons as Ethiopia stalls repatriation MoU

Dozens of Nigerians remain behind bars in Ethiopia as efforts to repatriate them stall, following delays in finalising a crucial Memorandum of Understanding between both countries.

The agreement, which would allow convicted Nigerians to serve the remainder of their sentences at home, has yet to be ratified by the Ethiopian government despite repeated diplomatic engagements and mounting pressure from civil society groups.

Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the delay was not from the Nigerian side.

“The ministry has fulfilled its own side of the formalities for the Transfer of Sentenced Persons MoU.

“It is the Ethiopian side that is stalling,” she said through her media aide, Magnus Eze.

The ministry disclosed in 2023 that more than 270 Nigerians were serving various prison terms in Ethiopia, mostly for drug-related offences.

Families and advocacy groups have continued to raise alarm over the poor conditions in detention centres.

President-General of the My Dreamalive Development Foundation, Ambassador Onwuka Collins,  condemned the situation last week, describing conditions in the prisons as “deplorable.”

“It is sad that some Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons have already died due to these harsh conditions, while others are suffering from illnesses, including kidney stones and stroke. We cannot continue to watch helplessly as our brothers languish in prison without a fair trial. We, therefore, need urgent help,” Collins said.

He further alleged reports of abuse, citing “inadequate food which is often self-made, inadequate medical care and negligence, brutal treatment, as well as extortion by prison officials.”

Despite a Federal High Court ruling in November 2024 ordering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission to facilitate the return of Nigerians imprisoned in Ethiopia, progress remains stalled.

The court had also noted Ethiopia’s admission that it lacked the budget to care for foreign inmates.

Renewed pressure was mounted on April 17, 2025, when Odumegwu-Ojukwu led a delegation to meet the Ethiopian Ambassador to Nigeria, Legesse Geremew Haile, urging Ethiopia to expedite the MoU.

“Our people don’t want to hear that another Nigerian inmate died in Ethiopian prison,” the minister said, expressing frustration over what she called a lack of political will from Ethiopia despite earlier assurances.

Ambassador Haile, while reaffirming Ethiopia’s ties with Nigeria, admitted the MoU was still awaiting ratification by the country’s House of Representatives.

The prolonged delay has already claimed lives. On March 12, 2023, Favour Eze, held at Kaliti Prison in Addis Ababa, reportedly died after being brutalised by prison officials.

 Another inmate, Uchenna Nwanneneme, died on September 21, 2023, from tuberculosis after allegedly receiving little to no medical attention.

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