Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s aggressive domestic borrowing, questioning why the administration continued to pile up debts despite an estimated $7.98 trillion windfall from high international crude oil prices.

He also alleged that the President’s administration had finally arrived at a policy direction he first advocated more than two decades ago, after spending nearly three years worsening Nigeria’s electricity crisis through poor planning and misplaced priorities.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku, who is the presidential candidate of  African Democratic Congress, ADC, described the administration’s economic management as contradictory, opaque and bereft of fiscal discipline.

He noted that the federal government had already raised about ¦ 5 trillion from the domestic bond market in the first half of 2026, almost 80 per cent of the total amount borrowed during the corresponding period in 2025.

According to him, such borrowing will only make sense if government revenues have collapsed. “The exact opposite is the case,” he said.

The former vice president pointed out that while the 2026 Appropriation Act benchmarked crude oil at $64.84 per barrel, the average price of Brent crude, the benchmark for Nigerian oil, had remained around $92 per barrel between March 1 and July 14, with Nigerian crude typically trading at a premium above Brent.

“This naturally raises two unavoidable questions. First, why is a government enjoying such an extraordinary oil windfall borrowing at almost twice last year’s pace as though the nation were in financial distress? Second, where is the money?” He queried.

Atiku explained that the gap between the budget benchmark and prevailing oil prices amounted to an additional $27.15 on every barrel of crude sold, translating to an estimated $42.7 million in additional daily revenue at an average production of 1.5 million barrels per day.

Over the 135-day period under review, he put this at approximately $5.76 billion, or about $7.98 trillion.

He recalled that previous administrations maintained clear mechanisms for warehousing and reporting excess crude earnings through the Sovereign Wealth Fund and other established fiscal buffers.

Atiku further lamented that despite the oil windfall and the removal of fuel subsidy, millions of Nigerians continued to face worsening hardship, citing recent United Nations findings that about 80 per cent of Nigerians could not afford a decent meal each day, while infrastructure continued to deteriorate, despite promises that subsidy savings would be invested in roads, healthcare, education and other critical sectors.

He said an ADC administration under his leadership, would pursue a different approach, with every kobo earned above the budget oil benchmark transparently accounted for and managed under a rules-based fiscal framework, and excess revenues deployed to reduce the nation’s debt burden, strengthen fiscal buffers, and invest in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and agriculture.

“Nigerians deserve answers. They deserve accountability. Above all, they deserve a government that manages national wealth in the public interest, not one that presides over unprecedented opacity while asking future generations to repay debts incurred in the midst of plenty,” Atiku said.

In another breath, Atiku said the Tinubu administration has adopted the policy he advocated 21 years ago to address the country’s worsening power crisis.

He said the recent admission by the minister of power that Nigeria could no longer depend solely on large, centralised power plants amounted to a belated endorsement of the decentralised electricity generation model he championed over 20 years ago.

“It should not take a government three years in office to discover what was obvious more than two decades ago,” Atiku said, lamenting that instead of pursuing bold structural reforms from the outset, the Tinubu administration chose to increase electricity tariffs, while leaving Nigerians in deeper darkness.

“A government that thinks before it acts would have fixed the system before asking citizens to pay more. Unfortunately, this administration has done the exact opposite, raising tariffs first and only now beginning to think about the reforms required to justify those increases,” he said.

Atiku recalled that during his tenure as vice president, he consistently urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to decentralise electricity generation by harnessing Nigeria’s diverse energy resources, including hydroelectric dams, solar, gas and other viable sources.

He said; “This has been my position for over two decades. When President Obasanjo established the Power Sector Reform Committee based primarily on gas-fired generation, I was appointed chairman.

“However, because I fundamentally disagreed with the policy direction, I declined to preside over the committee. I believed then, as I do now, that Nigeria’s electricity future lay in a diversified and decentralised energy mix, not an overdependence on a single source.”

He added that billions of dollars contributed by the federal, state and local governments were committed to that approach, yet the expected results never materialised, noting that contracts were awarded and huge sums paid upfront, while much of the promised work was never done.

Atiku recalled that the National Assembly subsequently investigated the power sector reforms and held Obasanjo accountable for the outcome, but noted that he was never invited by the investigators because he had declined to chair the committee despite being formally appointed.

“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. It suffers from a shortage of leaders willing to act on the right ideas at the right time. It is never too late to embrace the right policy, but Nigerians should never have had to pay the price for a government that spent three years learning what should have guided its actions from day one,” he added.

Training Heights Canada has commenced operations, opening its doors to professionals seeking globally relevant skills for one of the world’s most competitive job markets. The launch is anchored by a specialised Information and Cybersecurity NIST CSF Training and Certification programme beginning in August.

The programme is designed to help newcomers and aspiring professionals build competencies that align directly with the expectations of Canadian employers. It responds to sustained demand for cybersecurity, governance, risk and compliance professionals across Canada’s technology and business sectors, where organisations continue to expand their information security and regulatory compliance functions.

Running across four Saturdays in August, the training is structured around practical, industry-focused instruction in cybersecurity, information security governance, risk management and compliance frameworks. Participants will benefit from live instructor-led sessions, beginner-friendly learning modules, a certificate of completion and one month of live project experience aimed at strengthening job-market readiness.

According to the programme outline, the curriculum covers cybersecurity and IT governance, risk and compliance foundations, Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), internet security concepts, risk assessment and treatment planning, security controls, governance frameworks and practical implementation workshops. It also addresses globally recognised standards including ISO/IEC 27001, NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, CIS Controls Version 8 and CMMC 2.0.

Training Heights Canada builds on the professional capacity-building practice the organisation established in Nigeria, bringing that experience to a Canadian audience with curriculum and delivery shaped for local employer expectations.

Speaking on the training program launch, General Manager Muyiwa Olubajo described the August intake as a deliberate first step in equipping professionals with skills that reflect the realities of the Canadian labour market.

“Canada presents enormous opportunities for skilled professionals, but many newcomers struggle because they do not fully understand the expectations of the market. Our goal is to bridge that gap by providing practical, industry-aligned training that helps participants build confidence, gain relevant knowledge and position themselves competitively,” Olubajo said.

He noted that the programme was designed to move beyond theoretical learning by exposing participants to practical workshops, governance frameworks and real-world cybersecurity scenarios.

“We are not just offering training; we are creating pathways to career readiness. Participants will gain exposure to globally recognised frameworks and practical implementation processes that employers value. We want them to leave the programme with knowledge they can immediately apply in professional environments,” he stated.

Beyond technical instruction, the programme places emphasis on career readiness. Participants will receive guidance on professional positioning, interview preparation, governance and compliance documentation, and strategies for navigating employment opportunities within Canada’s technology and cybersecurity sectors.

Olubajo said the organisation’s vision extends well beyond a single cohort.

“At Training Heights, our mission is to empower professionals to reach new heights. Beginning operations in Canada is an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the success of professionals building sustainable careers in a highly competitive environment,” he said.

He added that Training Heights Canada intends to develop further programmes that respond to emerging industry needs while maintaining a strong focus on practical learning, professional growth and global standards.

With its August launch of its training programs, Training Heights Canada positions itself to support individuals advancing careers in cybersecurity, information security governance, risk management and related fields — strengthening workforce readiness in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

Two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua survived two early knockdowns on the way to a second-round knockout of Kristian Prenga on Sunday, his triumphant ring return paving the way for a blockbuster all-British bout with Tyson Fury.

The fight at the Jeddah Superdome was Joshua’s first since he was involved in a car crash in Nigeria in December that killed two of his close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.

The 36-year-old choked up when asked in the ring about his friends and the emotions of the past seven months, but said his second-round revival was down to more than pure punching power.

“That was spirit, that was Latz, that was Sina. That was family,” he said.

The devastating accident occurred little more than a week after Joshua demolished YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a controversial Netflix-backed bout in December.

Joshua’s last prior competitive appearance in the ring was his fifth-round knockout loss to IBF world champion Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.

He improved to 30-4, with 27 wins by knockout, but not without drama.

Albania’s Prenga, a knockout artist who had 20 wins inside the distance in 21 prior fights, sent Joshua to the canvas with a right uppercut just 20 seconds into the bout.

He had Joshua on the ropes again, his legs shaky, before sending him down a second time late in the first round.

But Joshua steadied in the second, backing Prenga into the corner behind his jab, shrugging off more heavy blows from the Albanian before inflicting damage of his own with his left hand.

A brutal combination capped by a big right finally sent Prenga crashing through the ropes to end it at 2:43 of the second round.

Joshua and Fury now appear set for their “Battle of Britain” in November, at a venue still to be announced.

Fury, like Joshua a former two-time heavyweight world champion, did his part to make the long-anticipated fight happen, stopping Mariusz Wach in a low-key bout in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday.

Fury, 37, outclassed Wach in front in the Thai resort city, chipping away relentlessly at the 46-year-old until he was pulled out by his corner in the seventh round.

It was Fury’s second win in as many contests this year in his return from a 16-month layoff.

– ‘We’re here now’ –

Fury wasn’t ringside in Jeddah as many had anticipated, but Joshua had a message for him even so.

“I’m gonna rip his heart out! I’m the meanest, most vicious champion that has ever been. Nobody can stop me,” he said.

“All jokes aside, there’s two sides of this thing,” Joshua added. “One is fire. You have to have that vim, that (roar). But also, there’s respect.

“I respect everything he has done and everything that he has achieved.

“But as a fighting person and someone who has been calling for this fight for a long time, we’re here now.”

Promoter Eddie Hearn, also speaking inside the ring in the wake of the bout streamed on DAZN, said the contract to fight Fury was signed.

“Everything’s done,” Hearn said. “But to be honest with you, tonight is all about the strength that (Joshua) showed to even be here tonight, and the strength that he had to show in that fight.”

Hearn said that as the first round unfolded, he feared Joshua had come back too soon after the traumatic loss of his friends.

But a beaming Joshua was bullish on the future.

“I can’t be stopped,” he said. “I’m not going to be stopped. I’m not going to be denied.”

Vanguard