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Buhari, May, Macron, others mourn Kofi Annan

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World leaders continue to pour encomiums on perhaps Africa’s foremost diplomat, a former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Kofi Annan who died Saturday in Switzerland at 80 years.

His organisation, the Kofi Annan Foundation, announced his death after a short illness, saying he was surrounded in his last days by his second wife Nane and children Ama, Kojo and Nina. Annan was first married to a Nigerian, Titi Alakija, in 1965. They separated in the late 1970s and divorced in 1983.

He was the first UN scribe from sub-Sahara Africa. His two terms tenure started on 1 January 1997 and ended in December 2006. The Ghanaian took over the mantle of the world organization from Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

President Muhammadu Buhari commiserated with the government and people of Ghana over Annan’s death.

President Buhari, who called Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo from London, said all Nigerians and ECOWAS member countries share in the deep loss, considering the strategic influence of the former scribe in global affairs and his vision for the repositioning of the West Coast and Africa.

As the first elected staff of the United Nations to lead the world organisation and first African to win the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the United Nations, the President noted that Annan’s humility, nobility and love for humanity set him apart for global greatness, achieving recognition and commendation for the reform of the United Nations’ bureaucracy and multiple interventions to bring peace to the world.

Buhari in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said Annan’s origin and home will always be traced to Ghana, but his exceptional leadership roles, humanitarian spirit and contributions to global peace and development will remain indelible in the history of the entire world, especially the efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa and launch of the UN Global Compact.

Buhari sent condolences to the wife of the diplomat, Nane Maria Annan and his family members, staff of the United Nations and the global organisations he was heading, like The Elders, which was founded by the late Nelson Mandela.

United Kingdom Prime Minister, Theresa May took to Twitter, saying: “Sad to hear of the death of Kofi Annan. A great leader and reformer of the UN, he made a huge contribution to making the world he has left a better place than the one he was born into. My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”

French President Emmanuel Macron also tweeted that “Kofi Annan, former UN secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize, left this world overnight. France pays homage to him. We will never forget his calm and resolved gaze nor the strength of his fights.”

The Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo in a tweet ordered flags flown at half-mast across the country and in diplomatic missions across the world for seven days, starting on Monday, August 20.

According to him, Annan was a consummate international diplomat and highly respected former Secretary-General of the United Nations “who brought considerable renown to our country by this position and through his conduct and comportment in the global arena. He was an ardent believer in the capacity of the Ghanaian to chart his or her own course onto the path of progress and prosperity.”

Incumbent UN Secretary-General António Guterres described Annan as “a proud son of Africa.” In a statement on the UN website, Guterres also said “Like so many, I was proud to call Kofi Annan a good friend and mentor. I was deeply honoured by his trust in selecting me to serve as UN High Commissioner for Refugees under his leadership.”

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in a tweet described Annan as “a great leader and diplomat extraordinaire” who had advanced the African agenda within the United Nations and had “flown the flag for peace” around the world.

The Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbe said “The death of the former Secretary-General of the UN Kofi Annan plunges us all into sadness. This worthy son of Africa was a valiant representative of our continent.”

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi noted that “the world has lost not only a great African diplomat and humanitarian but also a conscience keeper of international peace and security.”

Born in Kumasi, Annan joined the UN in 1962, working for the World Health Organization’s Geneva office. He went on to work in several capacities at the UN headquarters including serving as the Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping between March 1992 and December 1996.

As the Secretary-General, Annan reformed the UN bureaucracy; worked to combat HIV, especially in Africa and launched the UN Global Compact. He has been criticized for not expanding the Security Council and faced calls for resignation after an investigation into the Oil-for-Food Programme. (With agency reports)

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IGP Disu seeks NIPR partnership to boost public trust in police

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NIPR President, Dr Ike Neliaku, in a handshake with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has called for stronger collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to enhance public confidence in the police.

The IGP made the call on Tuesday when he received a delegation of the NIPR, led by its President and Chairman of Council, Dr Ike Neliaku, on a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the IGP emphasised the importance of effective communication, professionalism, transparency and fairness in strengthening the relationship between the police and members of the public.

Disu noted that every police officer was an image-maker of the Force, adding that the conduct of personnel in their daily interactions with citizens had a direct impact on public perception of the police.

He said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) remained committed to policing by consent and promoting a service-oriented policing culture built on professionalism, empathy, accountability and respect for human rights.

The IGP also sought the support of the NIPR in providing specialised communication training for police personnel and developing a coherent communication framework that would effectively communicate the sacrifices and contributions of police officers to public safety and national security.

Earlier, Neliaku commended the IGP for his professional accomplishments and briefed him on Nigeria’s hosting of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum and Africa Charter Forum.

The international event is scheduled to hold at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, and is expected to attract more than 3,000 delegates from 126 member countries of the Global Alliance for Public Relations.

The NIPR delegation also sought the support of the Nigeria Police Force in security planning and coverage for the event.

Neliaku further invited the IGP to serve as a keynote speaker at the forum and encouraged police officers to register and participate as delegates.

The delegation included the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association, Dr Omoniyi Ibietan; Dr Suleiman Haruna; Mrs Maryam Sanusi; Mrs Olubunmi Badejo; Commandant Olusola Odumosu; Chief Uzoma Oyegbadu; Chief Moji Makanjuola; Mr Stanley Ogadigo and other members of the institute.

Iniedu said the meeting reflected the commitment of the  Police Force to building productive partnerships with professional bodies and other stakeholders to strengthen public trust, enhance public safety and promote national security.

 

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Inflation drops marginally to 15.39% — NBS

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Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell marginally to 15.39 per cent in August 2026 from 15.43 per cent in July, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The NBS disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index released on Tuesday, saying the latest figure represented a 0.04 percentage point decline from the previous month.

The statistics agency, however, reported a sharper decline in the month-on-month inflation rate, which dropped to 0.71 per cent in August from 1.57 per cent in July.

The month-on-month rate, according to the bureau, declined by 0.86 percentage points compared with the July figure.

The NBS explained that the development indicated that the rate at which the average price level increased in August was slower than that recorded in July.

The latest data also showed a significant moderation in food inflation, which stood at 19.57 per cent year-on-year in August.

The figure was substantially lower than the 25.30 per cent recorded in August 2025.

On a month-on-month basis, food inflation fell to 1.02 per cent in August from 5.56 per cent in July, representing a decline of 4.55 percentage points.

The NBS said the development showed that food prices were still rising, but at a slower rate during the month under review.

It attributed the decline largely to changes in the average prices of a number of food items, including palm oil, carrots, pepper, onions, cassava flour, beef, yam flour, water yam, melon (egusi), fresh ginger, fresh fish, Irish potatoes, wheat grain, frozen chicken and turkey meat.

At the state level, Adamawa recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation rate in August at 38.85 per cent.

It was followed by Zamfara with 37.96 per cent and Bayelsa with 36.20 per cent.

On the other hand, Borno recorded the lowest year-on-year food inflation rate at -4.04 per cent, followed by Jigawa at -0.23 per cent and Kebbi at 3.47 per cent.

The month-on-month figures presented a different picture, with Katsina recording the highest food inflation rate at 9.48 per cent.

Rivers and Osun followed with 8.86 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively.

Taraba recorded the lowest month-on-month food inflation rate at -12.42 per cent, followed by Borno at -12.15 per cent and Bauchi at -8.88 per cent.

The latest figures indicate a moderation in the pace of price increases, particularly in the food sector, although the NBS data show that consumers continue to face varying price pressures across the states.

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Nigeria’s Oil Output Rises to 1.68m Barrels Per Day

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Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose to 1.68 million barrels per day in August 2026, representing a 0.4 per cent increase from the 1.67 million barrels per day recorded in July.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission disclosed this in its latest production report released on Sunday.

Excluding condensate, the country produced an average of 1,500,190 barrels of crude oil per day in August, allowing Nigeria to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quota for the fourth consecutive month.

Daily combined crude oil and condensate production ranged between 1.64 million barrels and 1.71 million barrels during the month under review.

A breakdown of production by terminals showed that Bonny Terminal recorded the highest output at 320.04 thousand barrels per day, followed by Forcados Terminal with 317.40 thousand barrels per day.

Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average production of 171.72 thousand barrels per day, while Escravos Oil Terminal posted 131.71 thousand barrels per day.

Bonga ranked fifth among the highest-producing terminals, with an average output of 92.50 thousand barrels per day.

The NUPRC attributed the modest improvement in August production largely to the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring at the Erha field.

The commission said the challenges had adversely affected production in the preceding month.

“The restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes during the period under review,” the commission’s spokesperson, Eniola Akinkuotu, said in a statement on Sunday.

The regulator added that production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable during the month.

“Production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators sustaining implementation measures aimed at optimising production efficiency, maintaining asset integrity, and minimising operational disruptions,” the statement said.

The latest figures indicate a continued improvement in Nigeria’s oil production, with the country maintaining its OPEC quota compliance for the fourth consecutive month.

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