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Dangote still Africa’s Most Admired Brand for 5 Consecutive Years

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Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman Brand Africa;  Rabiu Umar, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, and Karin du Chenne, Chief Growth Officer, Kantar EMEA, at the Presentation of Most Admired Brand That Symbolises Africa Pride in Africa and Seven other awards won by Dangote Industries Limited at 2022 Africa's Best Brands Awards, in Lagos on Wednesday 

 

The Pan-African and fully integrated conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has again emerged as the most Admired Brand in Africa for the year 2022, for its leadership position in driving quality brands across the continent.

Dangote won awards in 8 different categories, on Wednesday at the venue of the award presentation organised by a renowned organisation Brand Africa in Lagos. The other awards include: Most Admired Nigerian Brand, West Africa’s Most Admired Brand that symbolises African Pride; West Africa’s Most Admired African Brand, and Most Admired Nigerian Brand in Africa, among others.

Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa, Thebe Ikalafeng, stated that Dangote has remained a stalwart global African brand and symbolises African pride. He added that Dangote has also moved up a rank in the Top 100 most admired brands and retains its #1 Made-in-Nigeria brand rank.

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Ikalafeng, giving an insight into the process of selecting the winners, said the rankings are based on a pan-African survey covering over 25 countries, which collectively account for an estimated over 85% of Africa’s population and 85% of the continent’s GDP.

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According to him, “the research is conducted by GeoPoll, the world’s leading mobile surveying platform, with strategic analyses, insights and ranking conducted by Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company and Brand Leadership Group, Africa’s foremost branding, strategic communications and intellectual property advisory firm.”

In a recent issue of the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands rankings, Dangote and MTN retained their statuses as the most admired African brands recalled spontaneously and when prompted, respectively.

Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Rabiu Umar, who received the awards, commended Brand Africa for the initiative of building and promoting African brands. He expressed appreciation to the organisers and urged them not to relent in their efforts to see that brands from Africa compete favorably with foreign ones.

Umar said that Dangote has risen a notch higher as a global brand with the export of Dangote Fertiliser to many countries of the world. “People now identify with the brand and in all the countries where we operate, Dangote Cement has become a reference point,” he added.

Umar said, “To the management of DIL, the ranking was not unexpected, because the company has a long-standing reputation for quality, relevance, compliance and social stewardship. Our mission and vision engage and inspire us; and by extension connects us to both our internal and external stakeholders.

“We fervently believe that only Africans can develop Africa, and this gives us stronger sense of relevance in all the countries where we have our operations. We are touching lives by providing their basic needs and empowering Africans more than ever before, creating jobs, reducing capital flight, and helping government to conserve foreign exchange drain by supporting different industrial and infrastructural projects of African governments.”

Established in 2011, the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands rankings are the most authoritative survey and analysis on brands and underlying businesses in Africa, based on a study by Geopoll across 29 countries spanning all the five economic regions.

An analysis of the data over the past 10 years, has established that on average, slightly over 20% of the brands admired by Africans are made in Africa.

 

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Walida Was 16, Not 20’ — Father Fires Back at Women Minister, Demands Justice

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A fresh controversy has emerged in the ongoing case of Walida Abdulhadi, the young woman whose alleged abduction by a Department of State Services (DSS) operative, Ifeanyi Onyewuenyi, has sparked national outrage, as conflicting accounts of her age continue to dominate public discourse.

Walida’s father, Malam Abdulhadi, has strongly rejected a claim by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, that his daughter was about 20 years old at the time of the alleged abduction. He described the minister’s statement as “baseless hearsay,” insisting that family records clearly show that Walida was a minor when she was taken.

Malam Abdulhadi questioned how a government official who is not a member of the family could determine the birth date of his daughter.

“The minister was not the one who gave birth to her,” he said. “I married her mother in 2007, and I can tell you that she was abducted when she was 16 years old. She only recently turned 18.”

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He further dismissed references to what he described as a “strange indigene certificate” allegedly used to support claims about Walida’s age, arguing that the timeline of his marriage and family history provides a clearer basis for verification.

“Is the minister in a position to tell me the age of my daughter when she does not know when I got married to her mother?” he asked. “She should come out publicly and say what she said was not true. It is simply propaganda.”

Adding weight to the family’s position, Walida’s maternal uncle, Malam Yunusa Kani, also challenged the minister’s statement, insisting that the family’s records contradict the official narrative.

According to him, Walida’s mother was married in Anku in 2007 and gave birth to Walida the following year.

“We were witnesses to the marriage ceremony in 2007,” Kani said. “After about a year, the family was blessed with Walida’s birth in 2008. That is the fact. We do not know where the minister got her information.”

He urged the government to handle the matter with fairness and sensitivity, noting that the family had already endured significant emotional distress since the alleged abduction.

“She must remember that public officials will be held accountable for what they say. We plead with the government to take pity on us and ensure justice is done,” he added.

Walida’s younger sister, Fatima Abdulhadi, also spoke during the programme, offering further details about the family timeline.

“I am 14 years old, and my brother who was born after Walida is 16 years old,” she said. “Walida was abducted two years ago.”

Source: Veteran Journalist and a PR Guru Yushau Shuaibu

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Former Kano Finance Commissioner Prof. Dandago Is Dead 

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A former Kano State Commissioner for Finance, Professor Kabiru Isa Dandago, is dead.

The renowned accounting and taxation scholar passed away on Wednesday evening at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital after a brief illness.

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Until his death, Prof. Dandago was a respected professor of Accounting and Taxation at Bayero University Kano, where he made significant contributions to academic research and financial studies.

His funeral prayers will take place at his residence in Rijiyar Zaki Kano by 9: AM

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Tinubu Swears in Disu as Substantive IGP

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Olatunji Disu as the substantive Inspector-General of Police at a ceremony held at the Council Chambers, State House, Abuja.

Disu took the oath of office at 2:53 pm, following the reading of his citation by the State House Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye.

The ceremony was witnessed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, cabinet members, and other dignitaries.

President Tinubu arrived at the Council Chambers at 2:48 pm, after which the National Anthem was rendered, followed by the presentation of citations for the appointees.

Immediately after Disu’s swearing-in, the President also swore in newly appointed commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

The ceremony preceded the commencement of the Federal Executive Council meeting, which began at 03:01 pm.

The FCSC officials include Prof. Ngbea Gabriel (Benue) and Omoregie Idahagbon (Edo).

RMAFC commissioners were Abubakar Wamakko (Sokoto), Sen. Marafa Abba (Taraba), Ahmed Waziri (Adamawa), Hadizatu Mustapha (Borno), Helen Bob (Bayelsa) and Oladele Gboyega (Osun).

Disu’s confirmation as substantive IGP follows the unanimous endorsement of his appointment by the Nigeria Police Council on Monday.Overseas education consulting

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Council Chambers, State House, Abuja, at 2:00 pm shortly before the Federal Executive Council meeting, the first for the year

Disu took the oath of office before Vice President Kashim Shettima, Ministers, Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Tunji Olaopa, family members and other guests.

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Also in attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam; FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike; and Head of Service, Mrs Esther Walson-Jack.

According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu spoke glowingly about Disu during Monday’s Police Council meeting, commending him for his exemplary services, particularly during his tenure as Commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos between 2015 and 2021, where he earned recognition for excellence in crime control.

Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule also commended the President’s choice, noting that Disu’s appointment was based on his excellent career record.

FCT Minister and former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike lauded Disu’s professionalism, recalling his service in Rivers State as Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department and anti-kidnapping unit between 2014 and 2015.

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah seconded the motion endorsing the appointment during Monday’s Council meeting.

Disu’s confirmation comes barely a week after President Tinubu appointed him acting IGP following the resignation of Kayode Egbetokun on February 23, 2026.

Although Egbetokun officially cited “family issues” in his resignation letter, The Summitpost reported that the former police chief was summoned to the Presidential Villa and asked to step down over his resistance to the President’s directive to withdraw police officers from VIP protection duties, his opposition to state policing, and alleged vindictive conduct toward colleagues.

Disu, 59, was born on April 13, 1966, in Lagos State and joined the Nigeria Police Force on May 18, 1992, as a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police.

He holds multiple qualifications in public administration, forensic investigation, criminology, security, legal psychology, and entrepreneurship.

Before his appointment, Disu served as Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Special Protection Unit and the Force CID Annex in Lagos.

Like his predecessor, Disu served under President Tinubu during his tenure as Lagos State Governor from 1999 to 2007. While Egbetokun was the Chief Security Officer, Disu served as Aide-de-Camp.

During his decoration as acting IGP last week, President Tinubu charged him to “make the police better than you met it,” emphasising the need to strengthen discipline, enhance inter-agency collaboration, and restore public confidence in the Nigeria Police Force.Overseas education consulting

In his response, Disu pledged to end the era of impunity within the Force and enforce zero tolerance for corruption and human rights abuses.

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