WHALEXTRA

The G7 summit of world powers in France is being chaired by President Emmanuel Macron as host but on Wednesday his guest US President Donald Trump left no doubt over who he believed was in charge. “I’m the boss,” Trump said as he strode in to the morning session of the last day of the three-day G7 summit, with the other leaders already in their seats. Amid laughter, Macron appeared to take the comment with good humour. “How are you?” the French president asked. “Good, thank you,” replied Trump, a tycoon before becoming president who famously hosted the TV show “The Apprentice” with its catchphrase “You’re fired!”, as he finally took his seat. Fresh from clinching an accord to end the war with Iran and celebrating his 80th birthday, Trump’s presence has dominated the summit in the spa town of Evian on Lake Geneva.

  West Africa’s leading airline, Air Peace , has launched scheduled flight services connecting Lagos with Douala (Cameroon), Libreville (Gabon), Bamako (Mali), and Conakry (Guinea), effective August 1, 2026. The airline said the new routes would operate four times weekly on the Lagos–Douala–Libreville–Douala–Lagos service every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Flights will depart Lagos at 8:00 am, arrive in Douala at 9:30 am, depart for Libreville at 10:10 a.m. and arrive at 11:30 am. The return flight will leave Libreville at 12:10 pm, arrive in Douala at 1:30 pm and depart for Lagos at 2:10 pm, landing at 3:40 pm. The Lagos–Bamako–Conakry–Bamako–Lagos route will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flights will depart Lagos at 7:00 am, arrive in Bamako at 8:30 am, depart for Conakry at 9:10 am and arrive at 10:50 am. The return service will leave Conakry at 11:30 am, arrive in Bamako at 1:10 pm and depart for Lagos at 1:50 pm, arriving at 5:20 pm. Through its Lagos ...

  The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on party members, supporters, and candidates on the platform of the party not to despair over the judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which purportedly ordered the deregistration of the ADC and some other political parties. This was disclosed by Kola Ologbondiyan, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. Senator David Mark, in a swift reaction while receiving a delegation of the party’s candidates who paid him a visit in Abuja on Monday, described the judgment as “an arrow fired at the heart of Nigeria’s democracy,” assuring party faithful that the decision would be overturned by superior courts. He recalled that the Court of Appeal had earlier ordered a stay of proceedings in the matter and adjourned further hearing to October 27, 2027. He therefore questioned how a judgment could validly be delivered while the subsisting order of the appellate court remained in f...

The Senate on Tuesday called for a total ban on the importation of textile products into Nigeria as part of efforts to revive the country’s struggling textile industry and create jobs. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Katung and co-sponsored by several lawmakers, including Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Adams Oshiomhole, Mohammed Monguno, Ibrahim Khalid and Mustapha Khabeeb. Leading the debate, Katung lamented the decline of an industry that was once one of Nigeria’s largest employers of labour. He recalled that the first large textile manufacturing mill in Nigeria was established in Kaduna in 1957, while government policies in the 1960s and 1970s helped the sector flourish. According to him, Nigeria had about 167 textile mills in the late 1970s and 1980s, employing nearly 500,000 workers.

President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the main carriageways of the Outer Southern Expressway, linking Ring Road 1 Junction to Ring Road 2 Junction in the Federal Capital Territory, describing the project as part of efforts to expand infrastructure and drive economic development in the capital. The commissioning ceremony took place on Tuesday, along the OSEX–Wasa Road. In his address, Tinubu, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the administration had remained focused on delivering projects that translate into visible improvements in citizens’ lives. He said his administration had prioritised hard work and practical results over quick fixes, noting that governance must deliver tangible benefits. “Fellow citizens, when we took the oath of office to lead this great nation, we didn’t promise shortcuts. We promised hard work.

Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN), Polaris Bank and Keystone Bank may have been granted a leeway by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to complete their recapitalisation. Sources said the apex bank arrived at a conclusion to allow the ‘managed’ banks to complete the process under a regulatory window of three weeks. The deadline given to all banks to recapitalise was March 31 and they all met the deadline. One of the sources said the decision to give special consideration to the three banks was based on the circumstances, including legal and regulatory,  faced by them.  The ‘managed’ banks need no less than N350 billion to retain their national banking licences under the new minimum capital base, which requires banks with a national commercial banking license to have a minimum share capital and share premium of N200 billion.

  The Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), and National Institute for Sports have agreed to collaborate on different areas, including emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction in the sports sector, among others. This was made known yesterday, when the LASEMA team, led by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, met with the Director-General, National Institute for Sports (NIS), Philip Shaibu , in Lagos. LASEMA boss, who praised the NIS boss, acknowledged the turnaround the institute has undergone since Shuaibu assumed duty. He described the DG as “a performer, put him anywhere, he will turn it around.” LASEMA boss, going down memory lane, said the DG played an active role in the establishment of the  State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Edo.

Former Super Eagles coach, Sunday Oliseh has commended Premier League-winning manager Mikel Arteta, characterizing the Spanish tactician as one who possesses ‘some of Pep Guardiola’s intellect’ along with a fighter’s mentality. Arteta led Arsenal to the Premier League title after Manchester City was held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening. The title victory signifies Arsenal’s first league championship in over 20 years and also marks Arteta’s first significant trophy in the past five years. During an appearance on Global Football Insights With Oliseh, the retired Nigeria international praised Arteta’s tactical development, leadership approach, and his capability to transform Arsenal into a title-contending team. The former Nigeria international said, “Mikel Arteta is the ruler of the new era. He serves as the connection. He possesses some of Pep’s intellect and the fighting spirit of a captain.