• Seeks Urgent Reforms In Education, Power Sectors

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

A financial market and technology expert, Abubakar Bello, has identified systemic misalignment of education, industry and public policy as one of the greatest challenges facing Nigeria, adding that this has continued to fuel unemployment, underemployment and exodus of skilled professionals.

He noted that talented, skilled and professional young people abound across the length and breadth of the country.

Bello, a 32-year-old Ilorin-born technology professional and co-founder of MALhub, a tech company, who made the assertion during an interview with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, called for urgent reforms in education, power supply and access to business financing to unlock the country’s vast human capital.

According to him, Nigeria possesses enormous raw talents, but lacks the institutional, regulatory and cultural systems required to develop and retain globally competitive professionals.

“The system is not broken in one place; it is misaligned in several places at once, and those misalignments compound over time,” he said.

Bello, who identified the disconnect between university education and labour market demands as one of the country’s biggest challenges, lamented that graduates are often academically sound, but lack the practical skills employers require.

He also criticised what he described as a cultural obsession with celebrating success without emphasising the years of discipline, skills development, mentorship and professional growth needed to achieve it.

Drawing from nearly a decade of professional experience in Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Kingdom, Bello dismissed the widespread belief that relocating abroad automatically guarantees career success.

He argued that global employers are more interested in competence than nationality, stressing that professionals who build relevant skills, acquire internationally recognised certifications and develop strong portfolios can compete successfully anywhere in the world.

“The biggest misconception is that a globally competitive career is primarily about location. The real question employers ask is, ‘What can you do?’ not where you come from,” he said.

While acknowledging that working abroad provides greater exposure, higher earning potential and stronger professional networks, Bello warned that migration without adequate preparation often leaves many Nigerians struggling to rebuild their careers from scratch.

He maintained that world-class careers can still be built from Nigeria, especially with the growing opportunities in the global remote work economy.

On the country’s rising unemployment and underemployment, Bello said the solution lies in aligning education with industry needs through stronger partnerships between universities and employers, continuous curriculum review and greater investment in practical skills.

He said his experience at MALhub, which has trained thousands of young Nigerians and supported more than 1,000 businesses, showed that discipline, mentorship and solving real problems consistently distinguish successful entrepreneurs from those who fail.

According to him, entrepreneurs who prioritise social media visibility over validating their business ideas often struggle, while those who focus on solving specific problems, maintaining financial discipline and seeking honest mentorship are more likely to succeed.

He, however, acknowledged that many businesses fail despite sound management because of structural economic challenges such as poor electricity supply, unstable exchange rates, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to affordable credit and regulatory bottlenecks.

Speaking on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Bello advised Nigerian professionals to embrace emerging technologies rather than fear them.

He noted that although automation would replace millions of jobs globally, it would also create new opportunities for professionals who combine technological literacy with industry-specific expertise.

Rather than asking whether AI would eliminate jobs, he urged workers to identify tasks that technology cannot easily perform and position themselves around those areas.

Bello also described Nigeria’s fintech industry as both transformative and incomplete.

While commending the sector for significantly expanding access to financial services, he argued that financial inclusion alone would not deliver sustainable prosperity without improving financial literacy and extending services to underserved rural communities.

On innovation, he challenged the narrative that Africa is merely a consumer of technology, pointing to the emergence of globally recognised Nigerian fintech firms as evidence that innovation already exists.

He, however said the country must invest more aggressively in technical education, create enabling regulatory frameworks and provide patient investment capital if it hopes to become a major exporter of technology.

Bello identified reliable electricity supply as the country’s most urgent economic priority, arguing that businesses currently spend scarce resources on self-generated power that could otherwise be invested in expansion and job creation.

He also called for compulsory industry-academia collaboration as part of university accreditation requirements and advocated the establishment of accessible early-stage financing for small and medium-sized enterprises.

“The challenge in Nigeria is not the absence of good policy ideas; it is the implementation gap. The real question is whether there is sufficient political will and institutional capacity to execute them,” he said.

On wealth creation, Bello cautioned young Nigerians against pursuing quick riches through betting and other get-rich-quick schemes that promise overnight success without genuine value creation.

He therefore urged them to focus on acquiring valuable skills, building sustainable income, saving consistently and investing patiently over time.

Reflecting on his leadership journey across multinational institutions and grassroots innovation initiatives, Bello said while international organisations taught him professional excellence, governance and accountability, leading MALhub provided deeper lessons in adaptability, empathy and mission-driven leadership.

• Case adjourned to Nov 9

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Not much could be achieved on Monday at the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin in the criminal proceeding involving former Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ademola Banu, following the absence of the next witnesses of the prosecution.

Ahmed and Banuu are being prosecuted for alleged diversion of over N5.78 billion fund of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) for payment of salary of the state civil servants.

After the briefly-done rounding off of cross examination of a prosecution witness, Stanley Ujilibo, whose cross examination in the last sitting continued on Monday, the prosecution counsel, Adebisi Adeniyi, told the could that the next witnesses were unavoidably absent and, therefore, requested for an adjournment to another date with the assurance that the witnesses would be present at that time.

However, before the request for adjournment, Ujilibo, while being cross-examined by Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), the lead counsel to the first defendant, Ahmed, told the court he would not know if one Ayoola Idowu, a civil servant that petitioned the EFCC about the alleged diversion benefited from the fund as salary payment to him.

Ajibade had asked him wether Idowu as a civil servant benefitted from the fund when it was allegedly used to pay salary of the civil servants.

Also, the witness when being cross-examined by Gboyega Oyewole (SAN), the counsel for the second defendant, Banu, could not point out a document that shows that the second defendant as the Commissioner for Finance wrote for borrowing money from the SUBEB fund.

When he was asked to go through the exhibits before the court, he pointed out a letter written by the second defendant to the first defendant requesting that the state should pay its counterpart fund to the SUBEB fund.

When the second defendant’s counsel said the letter did not talk about borrowing but payment of fund, the witness pointed out another letter from the exhibit which talked about borrowing but which was signed by someone else, and not the second defendant.

The request of the prosecution counsel for adjournment was not opposed by the counsel for the first and second defendants, making the court to adjourn the proceeding to November 9, 2026.

• As Kwara APC Youths hold 2026 interactive engagement

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state is waxing stronger and poised to deliver overwhelming victory at the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Monday in Ilorin at the colorful APC Youth Engagement 2026, the Governor spoke of how his administration inherited a collapsed system in 2019 and how it has been able to fix them, pledging not to drop the ball.

Parading the candidates for various elective offices before the party stalwarts, amid thunderous applause, the Governor described the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly and Gubernatorial candidate, Rt. Hon Salihu Yakubu Danladi (SYD), as a highly competent and experienced politician to occupy the Ahmadu Bello House come 2027.

“SYD is part and parcel of this administration. All the projects that you see us doing today were appropriated under his leadership at the State House of Assembly. Some of them go on the television and start saying he doesn’t have the experience. How can you say a Speaker of (almost) eight years does not have experience? How can you say that Kwara has developed but the person that made appropriation at the Assembly for that development does not have experience?,” the Governor queried, tasking all faithful to work hard for the victory of the party.

“Well, our job has just begun for the next phase. You are to go home, go to your various wards, zones and polling booths to start organizing yourself.

“We are not complacent but at the same time, our party has now become stronger than ever, while the opposition is much weaker than how they were in the previous elections. We should, however, do more hard work in order to attain victory. Insha Allah, 2027 shall be the year of victory.”

AbdulRazaq praised the youths for their large turnout and commended the organizer of the engagement for their commitment to the success of the party.

“I am so happy to see all the youth’s turnout today. It is a sign that you all endorse us and the candidacy of SYD. We have come a long way since 2018, 2019. All of you knew the economy of the state. The condition of the state in terms of education, healthcare, and infrastructure was too poor. That was when civil servants could not get paid, and if they were paid, they were paid in percentages,” he said.

“Our education sector had collapsed when we came in. That was when the same PDP (government) diverted the UBEC funds. That was when the teachers became farmers, and the school attendance dropped. It was a complete collapse of the system. But we came and turned things around. And today they can proudly say that Kwara is one of the leading states in Nigeria.”

Candidates took turns to thank the Governor and the leadership of the party both at the state and national levels for playing active roles towards their emergence.

Danladi, for his part, appreciated the Governor for entrusting him and indeed the youths q,,22for leadership positions, pledging to work hard and to use his legislative experience to further transform the state.

“I thank Your Excellency for the idea of bringing someone with legislative experience to come and lead the state and by His grace, the transformation agenda of Kwara, which we are part and parcel of would be sustained and improved upon,” he said.

“Those who talk on Radio and Television, have never for one day said you have not performed. You have performed wonderfully well and sincerely, not because I’m standing as a candidate, you have done well and as the legislators going for the oversight, I can confirm that you have done well in all 193 wards in the state.

“And we have learnt a lot from your transformation agenda and we would keep the train moving by the grace of God. We are going to win the 2027 elections. When people say there is no capacity, this person is not popular, that person has lost his popularity, I always tell them that Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is gaining more popularity, and everyone of us that contested the primary elections relied on Mallam AbdulRahman’s structure.”

He said there is no division as far as Kwara politics is concerned, noting that what transpared is just a pursuit of interests as welcomed in the democracy.

“Our brothers will come back. Your Excellency, we know you are capable of doing that. We are going to get the results, and those that are talking today, we are all one family and they should come back to their home,” he added.

“As candidates, we have been reaching out to them. I commend the State Party Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi and the Reconciliatory Committee for their efforts. They are reaching out to everyone not only the governorship candidates and we will all come to the round table to work for APC.”

State APC Chairman Prince Fagbemi, who read out the authentic names of the party’s candidates, said the APC-led government in Kwara state has performed exceedingly well to remain in power beyond 2027.

He highlighted some of the sectoral strides of Governor AbdulRazaq in the last seven years, and called on the electorate to vote massively for all their candidates.

Fagbemi, however, expressed concerns about the extent to which some aggrieved party faithfuls have channelled their complaints, noting that their actions violate the guiding rules.

“People that are aggrieved are entitled to be aggrieved, but the process in which they channel their grievances is unethical and against the laid down rules of the party,” he said.

A top APC chieftain, Alhaji Femi Agbaje, appealed to all aggrieved members to be patient, and have faith in destiny, saying that in any contest there must be winners and losers.

Agbaje cautioned them against descending to pulling down the house they all participated to build, explaining that in politics there are other days of opportunities for the defeated aspirants to shine.

Convener of the interactive session and APC Senatorial Candidate for Kwara North District, Dr. Mahmud Umar Muhammed, who delivered the keynote address titled: “One Party, One Mission: Building Unity for Electoral Success”, said personal ambition is legitimate in politics, but collective progress must always come first.

“We must replace grievances with reconciliation. We must replace disagreements with dialogue. We must replace competition with cooperation,” he said

“The APC family must remain united because our people expect leadership, not division. A strong party is built by members who understand that political success is not achieved by working against one another, but by working together”.