Team Nigeria clinched a bronze medal in judo at the ongoing 4th African Youth Games after winning the 63kg category bout against Zimbabwe.

The result was confirmed in a statement on Wednesday by Kola Daniel, Special Adviser on Media in the Office of the Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Nigeria’s representative, Oghogho, defeated his Zimbabwean opponent in the bronze medal contest to secure a place on the podium.

The medal adds to Team Nigeria’s tally at the Games and reflects the country’s participation in judo events.

The African Youth Games in Angola continue to offer Nigerian athletes the opportunity to compete at a continental level and gain international exposure.

By Eddy Ochigbo, Abuja

The Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB) has reaffirmed its determination to increase the current from 56 per cent to100 per cent local content in Africa between now and next decade, to align with President Bola Tinubu’s “Nigeria First” policy, aimed at boosting local production and reducing dependence on imports in critical sectors of national economy.

Director Corporate Services NCDMB, Dr.

Abdulmalik Halilu, who drop the hint during the week at a capacity building workshop for media stakeholders in Abuja, disclosed that NCDMB, was in good stead to attain 100 per cent Local content in less than no time due to impactful steps being taken by the board. Innovative steps being of the board, be said, has been put in place under the leadership of Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe. While hinging the milestones attained by the board on the establishment of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development Content Act (NOGICD) – a sole agency of the federal government responsible for driving Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry – Halilu urged Oil and Gas Correspondents to place high premium on the core operations of NCDMB, rather than their day to day reportage of policy matters.

The media capacity building workshop themed: “The Role of Media and Communications in Sustaining Nigerian Content Development”, challenged the media to deploy its expertise and professionalism to boost Nigeria’s sustained campaign in championing local content development in Africa.

“The media should do more in the reportage of activities of the board by moving from reporting policy matters, and throw more light on core operations of the Nigerian content performance in the oil and gas industry”, he volunteered.

Meanwhile, NCDMB”s move is to ensure that for every N100 spent in the industry by operators and service companies, N56 is now retained in-country in terms of value addition local assets, goods, expertise to target 70 per cent local content by 2027. The workshop stressed the need for the media to interrogate the board’s activities and keep Nigerians abreast of the ongoing silent revolution in the nation’s local content trajectory.

On his part, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager, Corporate Services, reiterated that the Nigerian content has become so widespread the world over that a good number of African countries are now seeking ways to optimise value from their oil and gas resources, turning to Nigeria’s local implementation as a case study.

Earlier, Azubuike Ishiekwene, Editor-in-Chief of Leadership Newspapers, who delivered a paper on why “Good Journalism is not Enough: Creating Sustainable Income from your Content in Digital Age”, maintained that good journalism is no longer in vogue because of the collapse of traditional newsroom revenue and the under payment and casualisation of Journalists, especially beat reporters. He reasoned that the Journalist as a knowledge worker, a trusted interpreter, public educator and a martlet signaler must live above board because the digital age did kill journalism, it killed dependency.

By and large, the media capacity building workshop, among things touched on: Formulation and implementation of policies and monitoring its socioeconomic impact; Provision of the economic and social capital, necessary for the growth of industries; and Provision of enabling business environment to support production and consumption of goods and services by local supply chain.

The UK unemployment rate in the three months to October has increased to 5.1%, according to official figures.

That marked a rise from 5% for the three months to September.

The number of people in the UK who are unemployed is now at its highest level since January 2021, just below the peak rate seen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the data reflected a “Subdued labour market”.

Average wage growth was 4.6%, excluding bonuses, between August and October 2025, but headed in different directions depending on whether you were employed by a company or the state.

Earnings growth in private companies slowed from 4.

2% to 3.9% but accelerated for the public sector employees from 6.6% to 7.6%, compared with the prior three-month period.

Wage growth, excluding bonuses, still remains higher than the rate of price increases in the economy.

Estimates for employees on company payrolls dropped by 149,000, or 0.5%, in October compared with the previous year.

Liz McKeown, the ONS director of economic statistics, said the figures indicate “a weakening labour market”.

“The number of employees on payroll has fallen again, reflecting subdued hiring activity.

McKeown also said young people were particularly affected by the fall in payroll numbers and the rise in unemployment.

The number of unemployed 18-24 year olds increased by 85,000 in the three months to October 2025, the largest rise since November 2022.

The government has said it will launch an investigation into youth unemployment and inactivity.

Meerah Nakaayi is 22 and from London. She did a two-year apprenticeship in policy and then worked in the sector for two years, but has been out of work since June.

“The last six months have been incredibly frustrating and demotivating” Meerah said.

“My last interview feedback stated how they had 290 applications for a policy analyst role for a niche policy area. I think that just shows how competitive it really is out there.”

James Reed, the chief executive of Reed Recruitment said all the main measures of the labour market were “going in the wrong direction”.

“I’m wondering whether they’ve hit the bottom or not,” he said.

Reed told the BBC’s Today programme the increase to the minimum wage announced in the Budget was “very welcome for people who have jobs” but “the economics of hiring at entry level is becoming less and less appealing to employers”.

The government has pledged to scrap the two-tier minimum wage and create a new rate for all adults.

But many businesses have said this will make them less inclined to hire young workers with little or no experience.

Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “The prospects for a rebound in hiring activity for younger workers remain weak.

The falling rate of private-sector wage growth reflects “a marked slowdown in hiring activity amongst businesses,” she said.

Selfin also said that the overall picture bolstered the case for the Bank of England to cut its base interest rate on ThursdaResponding to the ONS figures, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden said the data “underline the scale of the challenge we’ve inherited”.

“That is why we are investing £1.5bn to deliver 50,000 apprenticeships and 350,000 new workplace opportunities for young people – giving them real experience and a foot in the door.

Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary, accused the government of implementing “growth-killing policies” that would lead to job losses in the run up to Christmas.

“Fourteen months in a row of higher unemployment means thousands of families will be struggling through the holiday season and without a steady income heading into the New Year.”