From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) has accused Kenule Nwiya, CEO of Ken-Eva, of attempting to scuttle its 2026 Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit.

The summit is scheduled to be held in September 2026.

The allegation was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary of the NDCCITMA Board, Chief Solomon Edebiri, and made available to newsmen.

Edebiri said the Chambers initially resolved not to join issues with Nwiya over what it described as baseless claims concerning alleged indiscriminate use of his trademark.

He, however, said it had become necessary to set the records straight and draw public attention to the facts surrounding the dispute.

“Contrary to an advert placed on AIT and circulating on some media outlets, NDCCITMA did not at any time approach the claimant to seek permission to use the purported trademark name,” he said.

According to him, following the conception of the name and acronym “Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit,” the Chambers commenced the necessary registration process.

He said NDCCITMA’s application was received and approved by the relevant department of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Industry on Aug. 16, 2025.

Edebiri added that the application purportedly filed by Nwiya was received by the relevant agency on Sept. 3, 2025.

The Chambers therefore questioned the basis of Nwiya’s claims, saying there was no credible evidence of an earlier approval of his application by the relevant government agency.

NDCCITMA described the allegations as blackmail and an affront to the aspirations of Niger Delta people.

It said the summit was conceived to promote economic development, investment, trade and regional cooperation across the Niger Delta.

The Chambers further alleged that despite interventions by prominent personalities from the region, Nwiya had continued actions capable of undermining the summit.

It said such actions could weaken the collective aspirations of the people and derail efforts to attract investments and promote regional economic development.

NDCCITMA urged members of the public, particularly Niger Delta stakeholders, to disregard what it described as Nwiya’s claims and assertions.

The Chambers challenged him to produce valid documents establishing an earlier application and approval for the disputed name.

It said such documents must predate NDCCITMA’s application and the acceptance document dated Aug. 16, 2025.

NDCCITMA reaffirmed its commitment to successfully hosting the 2026 Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit.

It described the summit as a collective initiative aimed at advancing economic opportunities, investment and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, has outlined how the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) can leverage Nigeria’s capital market to raise long-term funds for critical infrastructure projects instead of relying solely on annual budgetary allocations.

Speaking at the Abuja Business & Investment Summit and Expo (ABIE 2026) in Abuja, Agama said the capital market offers the FCT a sustainable financing model for roads, rail, housing, water, transport and other infrastructure through instruments such as infrastructure bonds, green bonds, real estate investment trusts (REITs), asset recycling and tokenised municipal securities.

He argued that Abuja’s development demonstrates that economic growth is driven by investment, stressing that “cities are not built by budgets alone. Cities are built by capital markets.”

According to him, the FCT should establish a long-term infrastructure bond programme backed by dedicated revenue sources such as ground rents, tenement rates, tolls, parking fees and land-use charges, noting that this would enable the territory to finance major projects without overburdening annual budgets.

“A budget can only spend what a single year has collected. A bond can spend what 30 years will collect,” Agama said, explaining that infrastructure projects generate long-term economic value that can be used to service debt over time.

The SEC boss said the territory could also access cheaper financing through green and sustainability-linked bonds for projects including mass transit, light rail, solar-powered street lighting, waste-to-energy facilities and water infrastructure.

He further proposed the creation of an FCT Real Estate Investment Trust to unlock value from Abuja’s extensive property portfolio while giving ordinary Nigerians an opportunity to invest in the city’s real estate market.Agama also urged Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL) to consider listing some of its businesses or establishing a listed infrastructure fund, saying this would raise capital without increasing government debt while improving corporate governance and transparency.

On the long-abandoned Millennium Tower project, he said the estimated over N400 billion completion cost should not be viewed as a budgetary burden but as an investment opportunity that could be financed through a special purpose vehicle and offered to investors via the capital market.

“The question is not whether Nigeria can afford the Millennium Tower. The question is whether we will let ordinary Nigerians own it,” he said.

Agama further proposed an asset recycling programme under which completed income-generating public assets, including terminals, markets, commercial properties and the International Conference Centre, could be securitised or concessioned to institutional investors, with proceeds reinvested in new infrastructure.He also called on the FCT to pioneer a regulated tokenised municipal bond programme that would allow citizens to invest as little as ₦10,000 through mobile phones in specific infrastructure projects.

According to him, the recently enacted Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 has strengthened the legal framework for sub-national governments to access the capital market while providing enhanced investor protection and clearer regulation of digital assets.

Agama disclosed that Nigeria’s capital market has grown significantly, with total market capitalisation exceeding N217 trillion as of May 2026, comprising about N160.5 trillion in equities and N56.7 trillion in bonds.He said recent reforms, including the migration to a T+1 settlement cycle and regulatory measures to deepen market participation, have improved market efficiency and strengthened investor confidence.The SEC Director-General assured the FCTA of the Commission’s readiness to provide technical support for structuring and registering capital market instruments, saying the commission would work closely with the territory to unlock financing for infrastructure projects.He added that Nigeria’s capital market remains critical to mobilising domestic savings for national development, insisting that “money is not scarce; delivery capacity is scarce, and financing follows delivery capacity.”

Argentina football icon Lionel Messi bid farewell Sunday to his father, the global star’s emotional anchor and agent since childhood who passed away following a battle with cancer aged 68.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner touched down on a private flight from Miami late on Saturday with his wife Antonela Roccuzzo and their children and has remained surrounded by his close family since.

A private ceremony with a few teammates from the Argentine national squad is scheduled to take place at a cemetery in the town of Perez, adjacent to Rosario, later Sunday.

The gates of the town’s El Prado cemetery displayed handwritten messages from fans—”Stay strong, Leo, we love you” and “Stay strong, Messi family”—alongside a large floral wreath.

Messi’s teammates rallied around their captain following the announcement that Jorge Messi had passed away late Friday at a clinic in Rosario.

“It will surely do him good for us to be there,” Boca Juniors midfielder Leandro Paredes told journalists after his team’s match on Saturday.

“I need to speak with a few of my teammates to see if we go now or sometime tomorrow.”

According to some media outlets, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul — a close friend of Messi and his Inter Miami teammate — would travel to Argentina.

After scoring a goal in a 2-1 defeat to Monterrey in Miami on Saturday, De Paul paid tribute to his friend by taking off his shirt to reveal Messi’s number 10 jersey.

The cause of death was not disclosed, but local media reported that Jorge Messi had been suffering from cancer.

His unusual absence from the World Cup in June had already attracted attention.

Messi’s family asked the media for “humanity” during the tournament amid persistent rumours over Jorge’s health.

After bursting into tears after scoring against Algeria, 39-year-old Messi had admitted to dealing with “a situation outside of sports”.

“I went through a few difficult, complicated days,” he later acknowledged, “but I am grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates, because they stood by me, as always.”

Immediately after the World Cup final defeat against Spain, Messi returned to spend a few days with his family in Rosario.

A guiding figure throughout his son’s career, Jorge Messi was his first coach who left everything behind to accompany his son to Spain.

A metalworker in Rosario, 340 km north of Buenos Aires, Jorge managed youth teams at the small local club Grandoli.

He was the one who introduced Argentina’s future captain to the game aged four on vacant lots where local kids played.

His life changed course in 2000 when Barcelona invited the young prodigy, then aged 13, to Catalonia to continue treatment for a growth hormone deficiency while playing for the club’s youth teams.

Jorge left behind his job in Argentina, his wife, and his three other children to settle in Spain with Lionel.

“When we arrived in Barcelona, I used to lock myself in my room to cry alone, and my father did the same — either without me seeing him or thinking I didn’t see him. We pretended we were both fine, but we were struggling,” Messi later said.

His father was later the agent who negotiated astronomical contracts on his behalf, from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

Messages of sympathy have poured in since Saturday from the football world, including from the clubs Messi played for and the Spanish Football Federation.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) ordered a minute of silence before matches and that black armbands be worn at games across all age groups for the week.