From Attah Ede, Makurdi

In a bid to mitigate the impact of flooding, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in collaboration with Benue State Emergency Management Agency, with support from UNDP, UNICEF and World Bank Partners, on Tuesday organised a Full-scale Flood Disaster Response Simulation Exercise in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The simulation exercise is aimed at raising awareness on flood hazards and clarifying the roles of communities and stakeholders in responding to the 2026 flood prediction, particularly in parts of Benue State.

The simulation exercise, code-named “Uwar Uma,” provides an opportunity for all participating stakeholders to develop a common understanding of the exercise, operational procedures, roles and responsibilities, communication arrangements and the mechanisms for coordinated response.

Speaking at the event, the Acting Zonal Director of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sulieman Mohammed, explained that the exercise is intended to ensure that participants are familiar with the bottom-up emergency response approach, beginning at the community level and progressively escalating through the Local Emergency Management Committee (I.EMC), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and, where necessary, to the Federal level.

According to him, Benue State remains highly exposed to flooding due to its extensive river systems, floodplains, seasonal rainfall and the concentration of settlements and economic activities around the River Benue and its tributaries.

He added that the prevailing flood risk therefore demands that preparedness and response arrangements remain proactive, coordinated and practical, insisting that early warning information must translate into timely community action, evacuation, rescue, relief and recovery support.

Mohammed urged the stakeholders to maintain discipline, professionalism and show strong commitment to teamwork and give particular attention to the safety of personnel, volunteers and members of the public throughout the simulation.

He insisted that the principles, procedures and lessons from the programme should be applied during the field exercise and subsequently captured during the Hot Wash and After-Action Review.

The Acting Zonal Director commended the Government and people of Benue State, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Local Emergency Management Committees, participating communities, government institutions, security and response agencies, humanitarian organisations and technical partners for their commitment to strengthening flood preparedness and resilience in the State.

“I particularly appreciate our development and humanitarian partners, including UNOCHA, UNDP, UNICEF and the World Bank, for their valuable support towards the successful conduct of this exercise. Your continued partnership contributes significantly to strengthening disaster risk reduction, preparedness and response capacities in Nigeria”, he said.

In his remark, the Executive Secretary of Benue State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. James Iorpuu, said the workshop was aimed at strengthening the State preparedness, testing Agency response mechanisms, and improving inter-agency coordination for effective disaster management in the state.

The Executive Secretary who was represented by the Administrative Secretary, Atii Samuel Atii, maintained that the Agency is fully committed to ensuring that the State remains proactive in disaster risk reduction and response.

 He expressed appreciation to NEMA for the continued support and partnership and thanked participants, facilitators, security agencies, and partners for attending the event, saying their presence shows commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the people of Benue State.

The exercise was attended by stakeholders included members of Local Emergency Management Committees (LEMCs), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), dam managers, the Fire Service, the Nigeria Police, Disaster Response Units of the Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air Force, the Nigerian Red Cross Society, State Ministries of Health and Water Resources, local divers, and community volunteers.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday disclosed that headline inflation has eased to 15.39 percent in August, 2026.

The NBS in its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for August 2026 said the development followed the completion of the recent rebasing exercise which centred on a new CPI base year of 2024 and a weight reference period of 2023.

It noted that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased to 146.3 in August 2026 and reflects a 1.0-point increase from the preceding month.

Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician General of the Federation said in a statement that the month-on-month headline inflation rate in August 2026 was 0.

This shows that the average prices of items are increasing at a decreasing rate in August 2026.

The latest report notes that the three major contributors to the headline inflation were Food and non-alcoholic Beverages: 6.16%, Restaurants & Accommodation Services: 1.99%, and Transport: 1.64%; while the least contributors were Recreation, Sport, and Culture: 0.05%, Alcoholic Beverages, Tobacco, and Narcotics: 0.06%, and Insurance and Financial Services: 0.07%.

The report further said the Food inflation rate in August 2026 was 19.57% on a year-on-year basis, lower than 25.30% recorded in August 2025. Also, on a month-on-month basis, the Food Inflation rate in August 2026 was 1.02%, down by 4.55% points from July 2026 (5.56%). This shows that the average prices of food items are increasing at a decreasing rate in August 2026. The decline in the rate can be attributed mainly to changes in the average prices of Palm Oil, Carrots, Pepper, Onions, Cassava Flour, Beef, Yam Flour, Water Yam, Melon (Egusi), Fresh Ginger Fresh Fish, Irish Potatoes, Wheat Grain, Frozen Chicken, Turkey Meat, Yam Flour, among others.

Core Inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce and energy, stood at 13.29% in August 2026 on a year-on-year basis.  On a month-on-month basis, the core inflation rate was -0.06% in August 2026, down by 0.21% compared to July 2026 (0.15%).

The inflation rate of the sub-indices for August 2026 shows that the monthly change recorded were Farm Produce (1.35%), Energy (-0.36%), Services (0.12%), Goods (0.45%) and Imported Food (0.91%).

 Meanwhile, the inflation rate on a year-on-year basis recorded were as follows; Farm Produce (21.52%), Energy (4.69%), Services (15.38%), Goods (14.74%) and Imported Food (12.82%).

Urban and Rural Inflation Rates:

On a year-on-year basis, the urban inflation rate in August 2026 was 15.88%. On a month-on-month basis, the urban inflation rate was 0.28% in August 2026, down by 1.62% compared to July 2026 (1.90%).

The rural inflation rate in August 2026 was 14.23% on a year-on-year basis. On a month-on-month basis, the rural inflation rate in August 2026 was 1.79%, up by 1.01% compared to July 2026 (0.78%).

In analysing price movements under this section, the statement noted that CPI is weighted by consumption expenditure patterns that differ across States and locations. Accordingly, the weight assigned to a particular Food or Non-Food item may differ from State to State making interstate comparisons of consumption basket inadvisable and potentially misleading.

In August 2026, the All-Items inflation rate on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Lagos (23.68%), Zamfara (22.56%), and Enugu (22.06%), while Sokoto (2.11%), Kebbi (3.72%) and Jigawa (3.81%) recorded the lowest rise in Headline inflation on a Year-on-Year basis. On a Month-on-Month basis, however, August 2026 recorded the highest increases in Rivers (6.92%), Osun (5.61%) and Kano (5.59%), while Anambra (-8.83%), Bauchi (-7.13%), and Borno (-7.09%) recorded the lowest rise in the Month-on-Month inflation.

In August 2026, Food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Adamawa (38.85%), Zamfara (37.96%), and Bayelsa (36.20%), while Borno (-4.04%), Jigawa (-0.23%) and Kebbi (3.47%) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis. On a Month-on-Month basis, however, August 2026 Food inflation was highest in Katsina (9.48%), Rivers (8.86%) and Osun (8.32%), while Taraba (-12.42%), Borno (-12.15%), and Bauchi (-8.88%) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on a Month-on-Month basis.

By David Torough, Abuja

The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) taking delivery of five new helicopters and the Nigerian Army preparing to deploy additional troops, including a fresh battalion, to Plateau State.

The twin developments are part of ongoing efforts to enhance the capacity of the Armed Forces to confront terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and other emerging security threats across the country.

The NAF, on Tuesday, received three AW-109 Trekker B helicopters manufactured by Leonardo Helicopters of Italy, bringing the number of newly delivered helicopters to five.

According to the NAF spokesman, Air Commodore Ehinmen Ejodame, the three AW-109s are part of 10 helicopters recently acquired by the Federal Government. The remaining seven are expected to arrive before the end of 2026.

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, described the delivery as another significant milestone in the Federal Government’s sustained investment in the modernisation and re-equipment of the Air Force.

He said the new platforms would increase aircraft availability and provide greater flexibility in the deployment of airpower in support of troops conducting operations across the country.

Aneke said the AW-109 Trekker B helicopters would strengthen the NAF’s capabilities in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support, armed escort and combat search and rescue, among other joint operations.

The H-125 helicopters, he added, would provide versatile light-helicopter support for a range of operational requirements.

The newly delivered platforms are currently undergoing post-delivery assembly, technical checks and crew-readiness processes ahead of their formal induction and operational deployment.

Aneke assured that the NAF would prioritise effective maintenance, logistics and operational employment of the helicopters to ensure that the new platforms contribute meaningfully to ongoing security operations and the protection of lives and property.

He expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his continued support for the modernisation of the Air Force, saying the investment was enabling the service to build the capabilities needed to confront the nation’s evolving security challenges.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army is set to reinforce its presence in Plateau State with the deployment of additional troops, including another battalion, to improve security coverage and protect vulnerable communities.

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, disclosed this on Tuesday when the Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Ngo Piyo, visited him in Jos.

Shaibu also revealed that President Tinubu had approved the recruitment of an additional 20,000 personnel to strengthen newly established Army formations and units nationwide.

He said the expanded manpower would improve the Army’s operational capacity, reach and responsiveness to emerging threats.

According to him, the increased deployment to Plateau is intended to bring security closer to vulnerable communities and deny criminal elements the freedom to operate.

The COAS called for greater cooperation among government institutions, security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders and citizens, stressing that sustainable peace could only be achieved through collective commitment.

He urged Plateau residents to provide troops with credible information while embracing dialogue, tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

The Army chief reaffirmed the military’s commitment to working with the Plateau State Government, other security agencies and local communities to consolidate security gains and create an environment conducive to economic activity, investment and sustainable development.

The Deputy Governor commended the Army for establishing additional formations in vulnerable areas of the state, particularly the 24 Armour Brigade in Langtang and its component units in Mangu, Wase and Shendam.

Piyo said the new formations would improve security coverage, enhance troops’ response capacity and strengthen public confidence in the state’s security architecture.

She, however, appealed for additional personnel and equipment to fully operationalise the newly established formations.

The deputy governor assured the COAS that the state government would provide accommodation and other necessary support to facilitate the effective deployment of troops.

The fresh military investments in airpower, manpower and forward deployment signal an intensified effort by the Federal Government to improve the Armed Forces’ ability to respond rapidly to security threats and protect communities across the country.