The Presidency has thrown its weight behind the 2026 World Public Relations Forum scheduled to hold in Abuja from November 15 to 21.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, gave the assurance on Wednesday when the planning committee of the forum visited him at the State House, Abuja.

The delegation was led by the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku.
The forum, which has the theme,

“Deepening Responsible Communications,” is expected to attract about 3,000 delegates from 126 countries.
Onanuga said the hosting of the global event was a major opportunity for Nigeria to showcase its culture and present the country’s story to the international community.

He, however, expressed concern about the negative picture of Nigeria often presented by some Nigerians, especially on social media.

According to him, the forum should be used to correct misconceptions about the country and give foreign visitors a better understanding of Nigeria.

“You see, as a Nigerian, I always feel very odd when you read online the kind of things our people put out in the public space. They say negative things about this country,” Onanuga said.

He added, “This is a great opportunity for us to correct those things of concern to people. For me, I’ve seen the conference as something that will be good for our country, and it should be supported.”

Earlier, Neliaku said the delegation visited Onanuga to seek the support of the Presidency for the successful hosting of the forum.

He said Nigeria was the first African country to secure the hosting rights, adding that the event would provide an opportunity to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Neliaku noted that Mexico, India and Germany had hosted the forum at different times.

He disclosed that participants at the Abuja event would sign an agreement to be known as the “Abuja Declaration.”

The NIPR president also announced that the President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, would deliver the keynote address at the forum.

He added that President Bola Tinubu would receive a Lifetime Award of Excellence in Reforms during the event.

The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Dr Suleiman Haruna, said preparations were already in top gear.
Haruna said the committee was working with media organisations and security agencies to ensure a successful hosting of the delegates.

Also speaking, a member of the committee and Director-General of Strategic Communications to the Nasarawa State Government, Yakubu Lamai, disclosed that the state government was building a Public Relations University.

He said the project was part of efforts to strengthen the public relations profession and boost confidence in Nigeria among international participants.

A veteran broadcaster and member of the delegation, Moji Makanjuola, said the forum would be inclusive, with women and persons with disabilities adequately represented.

Makanjuola appealed to the Presidency to support the event, stressing that Nigeria must be ready to receive participants from around the world.

“We have to be ready as Nigerians to receive the world; it is a Nigerian thing, it is not for the Ministry,” she said.

The World Public Relations Forum is expected to bring together public relations practitioners, communication experts, policymakers and other stakeholders from across the world to discuss responsible communication and the future of the profession.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of a Service Administrator with First City Monument Bank Plc, Gideon Bakpa Aghogho, and a former employee of the bank, Oscar Ebere Chukwuebuka, over an alleged $25,000 cyber fraud.

Justice Friday Ogazi gave the order on Wednesday following the arraignment of the two men by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on charges bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime and fraud.

The EFCC alleged that Aghogho, Chukwuebuka and a man identified as Scott, who is still at large, conspired between July 24 and 26, 2026, to gain unauthorised access to the bank’s server and siphon $25,000.

The prosecution counsel, Bilikisu Buhari-Bala, told the court that Aghogho allegedly released his access code to Chukwuebuka, who was said to have approached him to facilitate access to the bank’s system.

According to the prosecutor, the access code, which was linked to the bank’s local Administrative Credential, known as ITSD, was allegedly used to gain access to the FCMB Virtual Centre Platform.
Buhari-Bala further alleged that after the money was siphoned, Aghogho received $2,000, while Chukwuebuka allegedly received $400.

The prosecutor said the alleged offences violated provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act, 2015, as amended in 2024, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

When the charges were read to them, Aghogho pleaded not guilty, while Chukwuebuka pleaded guilty.
Following their pleas, Justice Ogazi adjourned the case until August 27, 2026, for a review of the facts relating to the charges against Chukwuebuka.

The judge also ordered that the two defendants be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the next hearing.

Before the arraignment, counsel to the defendants, N. Egah and Livingstone Madu, told the court that their clients were willing to enter into a plea bargain agreement.

The prosecutor, however, said the EFCC was not aware of any plea bargain arrangement involving the defendants.
One of the counts alleged that Aghogho, Chukwuebuka and Scott conspired to provide and use Aghogho’s access code to the FCMB system, thereby enabling unauthorised access to the bank’s Virtual Centre Platform.

Another count accused Aghogho of unlawfully disclosing access credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain credentials, which allegedly facilitated access to the bank’s database.

The EFCC also alleged that Aghogho retained $2,000 on July 26, 2026, while Chukwuebuka retained $400, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the sums were proceeds of an unlawful act.

The defendants have not been convicted of the allegations.

The case was adjourned until August 27 for further proceedings.

OSUN State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has denied having any electoral agreement or partnership with the African Democratic Congress before, during or after the August 15 governorship election.

Adeleke made the clarification on Tuesday in a post on his verified X handle, saying his victory was achieved through the support of God and the people of Osun State.

The governor said the ADC was not part of the political coalition that campaigned and mobilised support for his re-election, describing the group of political allies that worked for his victory as a “rainbow coalition.”

He said, “I had no electoral deal or partnership with the ADC before, during, or after the governorship election.”

Adeleke added that it was important to put the record straight, stressing that the ADC was not part of the coalition that campaigned and mobilised support for his re-election.

“For the sake of history, it is important to clarify that the ADC was never part of the rainbow coalition that canvassed, mobilised, and supported our campaign in the battle leading to last Saturday’s election,” he said.

The governor thanked his political allies for their sacrifices and efforts during the campaign, noting that their commitment contributed to his victory at the poll.

Adeleke, who called for unity after the election, said he remained governor of all Osun residents regardless of their political affiliation, religion or tribe.

“Now that the election is over, I remain the Governor of all Osun people, irrespective of political affiliation, religion, or tribe. My commitment is to unite our people and continue working for the progress and prosperity of Osun State,” he said.

Adeleke defeated the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, in the keenly contested election.

The governor polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes, while Salaam secured 17,180 votes.

Adeleke won in 19 of the 30 local government areas in the state, while Oyebamiji won the remaining 11.