News
AltBank Supports Teachers as Nigeria Confronts Deepening Classroom Crisis
By Gloria Ikibah
As a way to respond directly to the declining access to trained educators across Nigeria, The Alternative Bank (AltBank) partnered with the Busayo Ademuyiwa Foundation (BAF) to host the 2025 BAF Teachers’ Conference in Lagos.
The one-day intervention which was designed to strengthen the capacity of frontline educators, delivered hands-on training to hundreds of primary and secondary school teachers drawn from underserved communities across the country.
Nigeria’s education sector sits at a critical inflection point. With over 65% of classrooms in underserved regions lacking access to trained educators or modern teaching tools, the learning crisis represents a structural failure with long-term economic consequences if not adequately addressed.
Rather than focus on policy rhetoric or aspirational targets, the conference tackled hard realities including teacher burnout, mental resilience, classroom innovation on a budget, and digital skill development.
Sessions were designed for practicality and replication, enabling attendees to take back immediately usable tools and frameworks to their schools. Specialised workshops on emotional health, low-tech teaching methodologies, and inclusive learning design underscored a broader commitment to both teacher well-being and student outcomes.
According to the Executive Director (South), The Alternative Bank Korede Demola-Adeniyi, “The people who hold up Nigeria’s education system don’t need applause, they need backup.
“We see this platform as critical infrastructure. Equipping a teacher with the right tools and support is the most direct path to long-term national productivity”.
Key stakeholders in attendance included policymakers, school heads, and representatives from Nigeria’s corporate CSR sector, underscored the convergence between social investment and educational equity.
Featured speakers included Comrade Audu Titus Amba, President of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT); Doyinsola Jawando-Adebomehin of Sequoia Span; Anthony Amawe, General Manager of BIC Nigeria; and Dr. Hope Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi, Founder of Almanah Hope Foundation.
The conference aligns with The Alternative Bank’s HEART Strategy, a long-term investment thesis focused on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Technology. Under this framework, the Bank continues to deploy capital and partnerships into scalable solutions targeting Nigeria’s most underserved sectors.
Beyond its involvement with BAF, AltBank recently co-launched the Women in Tech Scholarship in partnership with Utiva, a nationwide initiative providing digital and business skills to women entrepreneurs in rural and peri-urban communities. The program is already showing early traction in reducing the gender gap in tech participation, while equipping recipients with tools to scale income-generating ventures.
“The challenge in Nigeria’s education sector is execution, not awareness.
“This partnership is part of a broader operational strategy to find the pressure points, inject support where it changes outcomes, and back it with measurable value. Our role is catalytic, not just financial,” Demola-Adeniyi said.
The BAF Teachers’ Conference 2025 represents a proof-of-concept for what targeted ESG-aligned investment can achieve at the grassroots level – blending human capital development, community infrastructure, and financial innovation into one deployable model.
As The Alternative Bank expands its footprint, it is actively seeking to scale similar programs in education, climate-smart agriculture, and decentralized renewable energy, all with an eye on investable social impact.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A faith‐based civil society organisation, CSO, Independent Hajj Reporters, IHR, has written a letter to the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, raising concerns over delays in refunding excess Hajj fare funds amounting to N437,000 per pilgrim who participated in the 2025 holy pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
In the letter dated January 19, 2026, and signed by its National Coordinator, Ibrahim Muhammad, the organisation said its independent monitoring revealed a significant financial surplus arising from exchange rate differentials during last year’s Hajj operations.
IHR noted that while pilgrims were charged at an exchange rate of N1,600 to the dollar, payments for services in Saudi Arabia were reportedly made at rates between N1,507 and N1,520.
According to the organisation, the exchange rate variation translates to an unutilised balance estimated at between N80,000 and N93,000 per dollar per pilgrim, with about N437,000 allegedly due for refund to each pilgrim who completed full payment by the February 10, 2025 deadline.
It stated that NAHCON had earlier assured pilgrims and stakeholders that refunds would be made after the completion of post-Hajj financial reconciliation, which it said had already been concluded.
The group, therefore, called for immediate action, including public disclosure of the total refund amount within seven working days and prompt disbursement to eligible pilgrims through the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards within 14 working days.
It urged NAHCON to act in the interest of transparency and accountability, stressing that timely refunds would help ease the economic burden on pilgrims and reinforce public trust in Nigeria’s Hajj administration.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Department of State Services (DSS), in a joint operation with Forest Guards, has successfully rescued seven individuals abducted by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants during a fierce gun battle inside a forest enclave in Borno State.
Security sources revealed that the victims were kidnapped on January 19 while collecting firewood near Ajiri Camp on the outskirts of Maiduguri. Two of the abductees managed to escape and alert the community, while the terrorists later released another on a bicycle to demand a ransom of N20 million.
Acting on intelligence, DSS personnel and Forest Guards quickly mobilized to the area. To avoid detection, the operatives dismounted their motorcycles and trekked for nearly an hour before confronting the ISWAP elements, leading to a fierce gunfight.
The terrorists eventually fled, abandoning all seven victims, who were rescued unharmed and are now receiving support and undergoing profiling.
Mr. Hassan Modu, Commander of the Forest Guards, attributed the success to timely
intelligence and smooth collaboration with the DSS. “We moved quietly on foot and engaged them.
The terrorists fled once they realized we had closed in on their enclave,” Modu said. He also urged residents to provide credible information to security agencies to help combat criminal activities.
The Forest Guards, a community-based auxiliary security unit, are trained, equipped, and supervised by the DSS, receiving instruction in intelligence gathering, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Regular drills and guidance from the DSS ensure professionalism, discipline, and effective coordination in joint operations against terrorists and criminal elements.
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The Black Market Dollar to Naira Exchange Rate for 22nd January 2026 Can Be Accessed Below.
NOTE: The exchange rate changes hourly. It depends on the volume of dollars available and the Demand. This means…you can buy or sell 1 dollar at a certain rate, and the price can change (high or low) within hours.
The official naira black market exchange rate in Nigeria today, including the Black Market rates, Bureau De Change (BDC), and CBN rates.
Please note that the exchange rate is subject to hourly fluctuations influenced by the supply and demand of dollars in the market.
What’s the dollar to naira black market today, 22nd January 2026?
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players sell a dollar for ₦1490 and buy at ₦1480 on Thursday, 22nd January, 2025, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦1490
Buying Rate ₦1480
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Highest Rate ₦1423
Lowest Rate ₦1419
CSO raises query over NAHCON’s delay on 2025 Hajj refunds
DSS and Forest Guards Storm ISWAP Camp, Rescue Kidnapped victims in Borno
See Black Market Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today 22nd January 2026
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