Visblog

Billionaire investor and Chairman of First HoldCo Plc, Femi Otedola, has tightened his grip on Nigeria’s oldest financial institution with an additional 1.779 billion ordinary shares valued at N222.20 billion. The transaction, disclosed in a regulatory filing submitted to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), elevates Otedola’s total beneficial ownership to roughly 11.76 billion shares. This bumps his direct and indirect ownership stake in the group from 21.96 per cent to 25.88 per cent. With the latest purchase priced at N124.90 per share, the overall value of his holding in First HoldCo now stands at approximately N1.47 trillion or $1 billion making it one of the largest single personal equity stakes in West Africa’s financial services sector. The trade was executed through Calvados Global Services Limited, a primary investment vehicle tied to the business mogul. What makes the acquisition particularly striking is its timing: just eight days prior, on July 22, Calvados acquired 706....

An estimated 1.2 million people worldwide newly acquired HIV in 2025, highlighting a dangerous plateau in the global fight against AIDS despite decades of scientific and medical advances. According to updated figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS released alongside the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, the world is falling behind on key milestones needed to end the epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. While annual new infections and AIDS-related deaths have reached their lowest points in over 30 years, global health leaders warn that the current trajectory is extraordinarily fragile. Without immediate international intervention and funding restoration, the progress achieved over the past two decades risks total reversal. Fragile Gains and Stark Numbers The latest global data reflects both historic achievements and alarming vulnerabilities. Since peaking in 1994 at 3.5 million, annual new HIV infections have dropped by 65%, including a ...

TYLA IS COMING TO LAGOS ON DEC 22 — A BOYCOTT CONVERSATION IS BREWING ONLINE South African hitmaker TYLA, just put Lagos on her world tour map. The announcement should have been pure celebration. Instead, it’s turned into one of the biggest music debates in Nigeria this week. On one side you have fans counting down to December. On the other, you have people saying the concert shouldn’t happen at all. On Monday July 27, 2026, Tyla revealed THE A_POP WORLD TOUR. Her first global headline run, and it’s built around her second album _A_POP_ which came out July 24. The album has 14 tracks. The early singles “CHANEL”, “IS IT”, “SHE DID IT AGAIN” and “IS IT LOVE” have already been getting traction on TikTok and radio. The details given for the concept is still very sketchy as the venue is yet to be announced but the city it is to hold has been mentioned. The sale for the presale tickets also commenced yesterday July 29 and the general sale for the tickets starts on the 31st of ...

SECURITY CHIEFS MEET IN ABUJA AS GOVERNMENT ROLLS OUT SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT AND COMMUNITY POLICING PLANS While economic officials were talking about money in Abuja, Nigeria’s security leadership was meeting 10 minutes away to talk about safety.  The National Security Adviser convened an emergency session with service chiefs, 12 state governors, the IGP, and representatives of traditional rulers. The timing was not accidental. Forty-eight hours earlier, President Bola Tinubu ordered a manhunt after an attack in Kaduna where 30 people were reported killed and houses were burnt. In Plateau, troops had just foiled a reprisal attack. Across the Northwest, banditry and kidnapping continue to strain communities. The message from the meeting: security is now being treated as an economic issue, not just a military one. Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde opened the presentation with two new surveillance aircraft procured by the state government.  The aircraft are equipped with ...

 WHO LAUNCHES $2 BILLION PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS PLAN AS EBOLA SURGES IN DR CONGO AND HEATWAVES HIT EUROPE GENEVA/KINSHASA/MADRID. The World Health Organization today launched its most ambitious health security plan since COVID-19: a *$2 billion Global Pandemic Preparedness and Climate Health Plan*.  The launch came as two crises unfolded simultaneously — an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and record-breaking heatwaves across Europe and the United States. WHO officials said the plan is about connecting the dots. Climate change, disease, and conflict are no longer separate problems.  EBOLA IN DR CONGO — 3,200 CASES AND COUNTING The WHO confirmed that Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have risen to 3,200 confirmed infections with 1,405 deaths since the outbreak began in March 2026. The case fatality rate is 44%. The outbreak is in North Kivu and Ituri provinces — areas that have seen armed conflict for years. That makes every part of the...

CBN AND WTO LEADERS WRAP UP ABUJA FORUM WITH PUSH FOR DIGITAL TRADE AND SME FINANCING ABUJA, Thursday July 30, 2026. The 7th Africa Emerging Markets Forum ended today at the Central Bank of Nigeria headquarters with Nigeria putting its economic reform agenda on full display before African and global leaders.  For two days, Abuja became the meeting point for central bankers, finance ministers, trade experts, fintech founders, and development partners all asking the same question: how do African economies stay stable when the world keeps shifting? The answer delivered in the closing communique was direct: resilience will come from digital finance, stronger small businesses, and trade that actually works across African borders. The forum, themed “Building Resilience Amidst Geoeconomic Uncertainties,” was organized by the CBN in partnership with the Emerging Markets Forum and the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa.  The final session featured a fireside di...