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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday held a closed-door meeting with former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, at his uphill residence in Minna.

Sources at the Ahmed Bola Tinubu International Airport, Minna, confirmed that Obasanjo was accompanied from the airport by officials of the Niger State Government House protocol unit before proceeding to Babangida’s residence.

The meeting lasted about 30 minutes, after which Obasanjo returned to the airport for his departure.

No one within the Babangida residence has commented on the visit, and no official statement had been issued as at the time of filing this report.

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Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday formally opened Nigeria House at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, describing the country’s first-ever sovereign pavilion at the annual meeting as a statement of Nigeria’s renewed seriousness and readiness to engage the global economy as an active participant.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Shettima said nations do not prosper in isolation and stressed that Nigeria’s future growth depends on deliberate, structured engagement with the world.

“For the first time in our nation’s history, Nigeria stands at Davos with a sovereign pavilion of its own,” he said, adding that Nigeria House “reflects our intention, our seriousness, and above all our resolve to take a front-line seat in the discourse of the global economy, not as observers, but as participants with a clear sense of purpose.”

The Vice President noted that although Nigeria House was conceived as a whole-of-government platform, bringing together leadership across trade, investment, foreign affairs, energy, infrastructure, technology, climate and culture, its success would ultimately be driven by private enterprise.

In a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said “government can open doors and de-risk environments; only enterprise can animate growth and translate policy into productivity”.

Shettima said the commissioning coincides with early dividends from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms, citing stronger non-oil growth and improved macroeconomic indicators.

He added that services, agriculture, finance and technology are expanding, while non-oil revenues now account for a larger share of government collections.

Inflationary pressures, he said, eased through 2025, foreign reserves improved, and stability returned to the foreign exchange market.

Inviting global investors to engage through the new platform, the Vice President said Nigeria House would host forward-looking conversations.

“Nigeria is open for business, and more importantly, open for collaboration. Progress is not a monologue; it is a dialogue,” he said.

Earlier, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, applauded Shettima’s support for the project, describing Nigeria House as a product of strong public-private partnership and a symbol of renewed national pride.

She said investment playbooks launched at the event outline opportunities across solid minerals, climate-smart agriculture, creative and digital sectors, aligning with the administration’s drive to rebuild trust and restore credibility.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yano, said Nigeria House would consolidate gains of ongoing economic transformation by attracting non-oil investments and advocating fairer access to finance for emerging markets.

The Lead Execution Partner, Omowunmi Imoukhuede, said the pavilion offers a rare chance to tell Nigeria’s investment story to the world.

The commissioning followed a Global Business Roundtable on resilient supply chains for the energy transition.

Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Ude; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; heads of agencies and captains of industry.

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The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has endorsed the establishment of a centralised National Crisis Communication Hub (NCCH) to counter the growing threats of fake news, hate speech and artificial intelligence-driven misinformation in Nigeria.

Inuwa gave the assurance while receiving a delegation from the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), led by its Chairman, Major-General Chris Olukolade (rtd.), following the successful conclusion of the maiden National Symposium on Digital Innovations in Crisis Communication.

The NITDA chief said misinformation often spreads faster than verified facts because of its “novelty factor,” noting that the disruption of traditional media by social platforms has empowered individuals and groups to disseminate harmful content with far-reaching economic and social consequences.

“There is a direct correlation between novelty and virality,” Inuwa said. “Misinformation is often packaged as something new or shocking, which allows it to outpace accurate information. The way forward is to build public trust through credible government action and strong, strategic partnerships.”

Warning that AI-generated deepfakes and automated propaganda would likely intensify before and during the 2027 political season, Inuwa stressed that these developments make the creation of a coordinated national response mechanism more urgent than ever.

On CCC’s 12-point resolution, NITDA outlined workstreams to fast-track implementation of the proposed hub. These include strengthening digital literacy and professional training by leveraging platforms such as Cisco NetAcad to equip journalists, media professionals and security spokespersons with skills in AI-content detection and ethical reporting.

The agency also proposed the expansion of crisis-communication conversations through regional symposiums across Nigeria to deepen grassroots participation and awareness. In addition, NITDA plans engagement with global technology companies to enable faster categorisation and takedown of content that poses risks to national security.

Cybersecurity collaboration also featured prominently, with Inuwa disclosing plans to work closely with the relevant cyber units of critical institutions to establish a multi-layered defence against digital threats.

Speaking, Major-General Olukolade said the call for a National Crisis Communication Hub was the central resolution of the recent symposium held at the National Defence College. He stressed that Nigeria must adopt proactive, predictive and digitally powered tools to manage emerging security and information threats.

According to him, the proposed centre would operate as an independent, multi-stakeholder platform designed to monitor and counter harmful content during sensitive periods such as elections, while safeguarding democratic principles and freedom of expression.

Olukolade also advocated the development of specialised mobile applications that would allow citizens to report crimes and emergencies in real-time, effectively transforming social media and digital platforms into tools for public safety and early warning.

Inclusivity formed a critical part of the discussions, with both NITDA and the CCC agreeing that digital innovation must amplify the voices of persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups, ensuring that emergency alerts and crisis information are accessible to all segments of society.

To translate the resolutions into action, NITDA and the CCC agreed to constitute a joint working team to document specific agreements and drive implementation throughout 2026, positioning the proposed hub as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s digital resilience against misinformation and emerging information threats.