Key Takeaways
Scaling a startup to a billion-dollar business is incredibly challenging, but it's achievable with the right strategies.
Leaders must focus on solving real problems, work to achieve operational excellence, secure product-market fit, avoid overreach, build a cohesive team, consider horizontal integration and think globally.

Every entrepreneur dreams of turning their startup into a billion-dollar business. The allure of achieving unicorn status — reaching a valuation of over $1 billion — is powerful, and I'm no exception. The journey from a fledgling startup to a billion-dollar enterprise is daunting.

While we are still on the path to this goal at Triplebar Bio, Inc., where I lead an incredible business as the CEO, I wanted to share my insights to help others navigate the beginning parts of this complex journey.

1. Start with the right problem

The most important question you must answer is, "What problem am I trying to solve?" If you don't have a clear answer to this question, how can you start building and then scale your business? It's crucial to solve a problem that affects millions, if not billions, of people. I constantly ask myself, "Is this cutting-edge? If not, how can it be?" Staying ahead of the curve is vital to keeping up with innovation, industry trends, competition and global markets.

2. Focus on operational excellence

One of the key factors in scaling a business is operational excellence. From the beginning, I focused on ensuring every dollar we spent generated significant value — ideally tenfold. This principle ensures that everything you do creates value; if it does not, it should be removed from the process or product. This concept is an output of a methodology called Lean Six Sigma (LSS), which companies like Toyota and FujiFilm use to enhance efficiency and quality by minimizing waste and reducing process variability. Staying lean is essential, but not at the expense of quality. It's a delicate balance that can make or break a business.

3. Achieve product-market fit

A crucial milestone in our journey has been achieving product-market fit. At Triplebar, we followed the 40% rule: If at least four out of ten customers would be very disappointed if our product or service ceased to exist, we knew we had achieved product-market fit. It's essential to create something that your customers simply can't live without. This requires a deep understanding of the market and ensuring that your technology precisely addresses the problem you're trying to solve.

4. Stay focused and avoid overreach

One of the biggest lessons I learned — and something I see as a common pitfall for startups, especially in high-tech sectors like biotech — is the danger of trying to do too much. Early on, I consciously decided not to try to be everything to everyone. That's a mistake I've seen other companies make, such as Ginkgo Bioworks, which saw its valuation plummet because it overextended itself. Instead, I focused on doing a few things exceptionally well rather than spreading ourselves too thin.

5. Build a cohesive A-team

Success in scaling a business goes beyond having a great product; it requires a strong, cohesive A-team. I firmly believe that to achieve excellence, you can't have different teams working in silos, and you can't have a team of sub-optimal performers. At Triplebar, we operate as one unified team with specific jobs aligned toward the same objectives — but we are all owners of the final outcome. Hire slowly, and fire quickly. Everyone's role is critical in an organization, and don't get me wrong, I care about people, but a bad fit for a lean/high-powered startup will only hold back your business and your mission. As we've grown and scaled, we have ensured that every effort is directed toward our common goals.

6. Consider horizontal integration

In the biotech sector, I've learned the value of moving away from vertical integration — where a company controls multiple stages of production — toward horizontal integration, where each partner in the value chain specializes in a specific area of expertise. This is the sign of a mature industry, as we see in the semiconductor industry. This approach has allowed us to focus on what we do best at Triplebar, leading to greater efficiency and operational excellence and diversifying our product portfolio and partnership base while simultaneously creating a broad impact on our mission.

7. Think globally

Finally, I've always believed in the power of thinking globally. Few unicorns are global, and scaling beyond your domestic market can have a multiplier effect. At Triplebar, we started with a strong foundation in our initial market and then strategically expanded. This global vision has been a critical factor in our growth and success.

Scaling a startup to a billion-dollar business is no small feat, but it's achievable with the right strategies. By focusing on solving real problems, achieving operational excellence, securing product-market fit, staying focused, building a cohesive team and considering horizontal integration, I've positioned Triplebar Bio for sustained success. The journey has been challenging, but the rewards are immense.

Whether you're just starting or looking to scale, I hope my experience can guide your journey to becoming the next unicorn. The path is colossally challenging, but your business can achieve this goal if you stay determined, learn from your mistakes, seek wisdom from more intelligent people, and maintain grit and perseverance.

Entrepreneur

No thanks to the excruciating economic conditions Nigerians are facing, Nigerians are going back to the old ways of brushing their teeth.

Gone are the days when Nigerians chose from a large array of brands and qualities of toothpaste.

Even the least of the toothpastes cost an arm these days, and only the super-rich can afford them.

But for an average family, who depends on God’s mercies for a moderate one or two meals, out of the three required in a day, spending N5,000 on toothpaste that may not last two weeks for an average family of seven, is a misplaced priority.

So, it is no wonder that chewing sticks are back to the stable of family needs.

Originally, chewing stick was a valued hygiene therapy mostly for the teeth, due to their high medicinal contents.

Chewing sticks are ordinarily from plants with rich medicinal values, and families of old insisted members compulsorily use them every morning.

However, with the spread of civilisation, toothpaste pushed the habit into oblivion.

But now, the harsh economy has resuscitated the practice. According to Vincent Osamese, a photographer, he reintroduced the use of chewing sticks in his house when he spent N4,000 on toothpaste in three weeks.

“Few months ago, I introduced the use of chewing stick in my house when I spent N4,000 for toothpaste in three weeks.

“My children use toothpaste like water.

“My wife was reluctant at first saying she would do the buying.

“On trying it for a month, she was shouting and lamenting on the amount she has spent on toothpaste in a month.

“One morning she presented a chewing stick to me. I laughed and was glad I left her to experience what it takes to buy toothpaste at an expensive price in a month.

“Now we are using the chewing stick happily with no fuss.”

Miss Adunni Hungbo, a trader, said: “My toothpaste finished few weeks ago.

“Upon getting to a shop, I was told the brand of toothpaste I use is now N2,000.
“I felt like fainting. Something I got last month for N1,500.

“I was so angry and couldn’t substitute for other brands because I have a tooth problem.I left the shop.

“As I was heading home, I saw a woman selling herbs and it dawned on me that with just N100 I can get a chewing stick that can replace the toothpaste.

“That was how I ended up using chewing sticks till date.

“I know you would say how can a big girl like me use chewing stick.

“I earn N40,000 monthly and live alone.

“I have rent and bills to pay yearly.

“In such a situation,I needed to cut costs.

“At all at all is bad. At least I can wash my teeth.

“If I don’t tell you it is chewing stick I used you won’t know.”

Fehintola Ademide, a plumber said: “How much does one make that he will spend all his earnings on toothpaste.

“The government is not concerned about whether the policies they are making are affecting us negatively.
“They are just concerned with raising revenues wherever they can.

“See the recent increase in fuel price, when you get to the market the price of everything has increased.
“There is nothing that the price has not risen.

“Toothpaste in question has also reduced in quantity and quality.

“It doesn’t last up to a week before it gets finished in my house.

“My wife had to introduce me to chewing stick recently which I embraced happily because that will cut the cost of buying toothpaste almost every week.

“She went further to buy this powder cup paste for the children because they are still kids and their gums can’t handle chewing sticks.

“Also, you know kids like licking toothpaste so this particular one they can’t lick.
“At least these alternatives have helped cut costs.

“No big man anywhere now. We are all managing seriously.”

Maureen Agu, a trader, said she has been using chewing stick for the past three months and introduced her two adolescents to using it.

“Myself and my two grown children now use chewing stick.

“The remaining two I bought powder paste for them because they are young.

“The powder paste is N500 and I make sure their elder sister or I myself puts it on their toothbrush.

“How much do I make? I am the only family they have and I have to cut costs in everything I do.
“It hasn’t been easy though but I thank God.

“Convincing my grown children to use chewing sticks wasn’t easy at all because this generation of children are just looking for an easy life.

“When they saw most of our neighbours using chewing sticks, they realized that they were not the only ones in such a predicament.

“Everyone is going for what they can afford.”

Vanguard

The United Kingdom has deported 44 Nigerian and Ghanaian asylum seekers.

According to UK Guardian, the number is the highest ever in a single flight.

The move comes barely 48 hours after Keir Starmer, UK prime minister, agreed a deal to deport migrants arriving in the Chagos Islands in small boats to St Helena, a British island territory more than 5,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Home Office told the UK Guardian on Friday that the deportations were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns.

Since Starmer came to power in July, 3,600 people have been returned to various countries, including about 200 to Brazil and 46 to Vietnam and Timor-Leste.

There are also regular deportation flights to Albania, Lithuania and Romania.

However, deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana are relatively rare, with just four recorded since 2020.

The number rose in June after some 13 Nigerians were flown to Lagos from the UK.

One of the Nigerian deportees in the latest removal said he was trafficked.

“I told the Home Office I was a victim of trafficking. They rejected my claim,” he told the Guardian.

Another said he had been in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker and had no criminal record but the Home Office refused his claim.

In August, Nigeria reportedly signed a deportation agreement with the UK, which would see the arrival of illegal immigrants in the country.

The partnership came into effect after an asylum deal with Rwanda turned sour.

The Cable

No fewer than four vessels carrying imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, arrived at seaports situated along the nation’s borders between Friday, October 18, and Sunday, October 20.

According to a document obtained from the Nigerian Port Authority on Sunday, about 123.4 million litres of PMS were berthed at two seaports to improve fuel supply nationwide.

The latest development confirms an exclusive report by The PUNCH, which disclosed that oil dealers intend to import the commodity to supplement the supply from the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

The dealers had stated that the supply from the Lekki-based plant was currently insufficient to meet domestic demand.

They had alleged that the plant was producing about 10 million litres of petrol daily, as against the 25 million litres that it earlier promised to produce.

In September, dealers imported about 141 million litres of PMS following a hike in the pump prices of petrol produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

They said the fair market price following the full deregulation of the downstream oil sector by the government allowed room for PMS imports.

An analysis of the document showed that the commodities landed at the Apapa port in Lagos and the Calabar port in Cross River State.

Our correspondent, however, could not confirm if any of the vessels belonged to the NNPCL or only oil marketers.

The first shipment carrying 35,000 metric tonnes of PMS allocated to the West African Port Services berthed at terminal ASPM jetty on Friday, October 18, at 10.13 am.

This was followed by 37,000 metric tonnes of fuel assigned to Intership at 3.37 pm. It also berthed at terminal ASPM jetty.

As of 3:59 pm of the same day, another vessel carrying 10,000 metric tonnes of fuel berthed. It was assigned to Peak Shipping as its agent.

At the Calabar port, a vessel carrying 10,000 metric tonnes of fuel arrived at the Eco marine terminal on Sunday at 8:02 am.

This means the four vessels brought in 92,000 metric tonnes.

Going by the conversion rate of 1,341 litres to one metric tonne, it, therefore, implies that the marketers brought in about 123.4 million litres of petrol.

When contacted in an earlier interview, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, George Ene-Ita, said marketers with approved import licenses were free to import PMS.

He, however, stressed that the products must be subjected to three major tests by the agency.

“The products must be subjected to our testing protocols at the ports. The products must conform to stipulated standards before we authorise them to offload to their terminals.

“Also, before the smaller vessels bring it further inland to Nigeria, our people will fly to the place to see the product and carry out some tests to ensure the right specification is upheld.

“Tests are also done at the products’ origins. And when the products come in before they are released to the market, further tests would be conducted to ensure that they meet the specifications,” he stated.

Punch

Lebanese flee as blasts hit Beirut, Israel warns of strikes on Hezbollah finance arm

Hundreds of Beirut residents fled their homes late on Sunday with multiple explosions heard across the Lebanese capital, as Israel prepared to attack sites linked to the financial operations of Lebanon's Hezbollah group and told people to leave those areas immediately.

Reuters witnesses saw dense plumes of black smoke billowing in the air after at least 10 blasts. Eyewitnesses, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a building located in the Chiyah neighbourhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut was reduced to rubble and the few people in the area had fled ahead of the explosion, resulting in no casualties.

There was no immediate information on what caused the blasts, or further details of any casualties. Panicked crowds clogged the streets and caused traffic jams in some parts of Beirut as they tried to get to neighbourhoods thought to be safer, witnesses said.

An Israeli military spokesperson said earlier in a statement posted on social media platform X that it "will begin attacking infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association - get away from it immediately."

Al-Qard al-Hassan - which the U.S. has said is used by Iran-backed Hezbollah to manage its finances - has more than 30 branches across Lebanon including 15 in densely populated parts of central Beirut and its suburbs.

There was no immediate statement from the organisation, Hezbollah or the Lebanese government.

Asked by journalists whether the branches could be considered military targets, a senior Israeli intelligence official said: "The purpose of this strike is to target the ability of Hezbollah economic function both during the war but also afterwards to rebuild and to rearm ...on the day after."

Cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah erupted a year ago when the group began launching rockets in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

At the start of October, Israel launched a ground assault inside Lebanon in an attempt to stabilise the border region for its citizens who had fled rocket attacks in northern Israel.

ESCALATED ATTACKS

Israel has intensified its military campaigns both in Gaza and Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar raised hopes of an opening for ceasefire negotiations to end more than a year of conflict.

With U.S. elections approaching, officials, diplomats and other sources in the region say Israel is seeking through military operations to try to shield its borders and ensure its rivals cannot regroup.

Israel is also preparing to retaliate for an Iranian missile barrage earlier this month, though Washington has pressed it not to strike Iranian energy facilities or nuclear sites.

Earlier on Sunday Israel said it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquartersand an underground weapons workshop in Beirut.

Fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders, the Israeli military said.

Hezbollah made no immediate comment on those strikes, but said it had fired missiles at Israeli forces in Lebanon and at a base in northern Israel.

A 41-year-old Israeli colonel was killed, and another officer was wounded in combat in northern Gaza on Sunday, the Israeli military said. Israel's Channel 12 and public broadcaster Kan reported an explosive device had gone off under a tank.

Officials said rescuers were still recovering people from the rubble after an Israeli attack on the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahiya that left 87 people dead or missing on Saturday, according to the health ministry - one of the highest death tolls for months from a single attack.

The strike came two weeks into a major assault around Jabalia, just south of Beit Lahiya, where Israel says its troops have been trying to root out remaining Hamas fighters.

Israel said the strike hit a Hamas target, questioning an earlier death toll of 73 released by the Hamas media office.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages in the attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year that sparked the war in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military response in Gaza has left more than 42,500 people dead and has made most of Gaza's 2.3 million people homeless, Palestinian officials say.

Over the last year, Lebanese officials estimate that more than 2,400 people have been killed and more than 1.2 million people displaced in Lebanon. Fifty-nine people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights over the same period, say Israeli authorities.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine says it struck Russian military airfield, explosives factory

Ukrainian forces attacked infrastructure at a military airfield in Russia's Lipetsk region and an explosives-manufacturing enterprise in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Kyiv's General Staff said on Sunday.

The confirmation came after Russian officials and Telegram channels said Ukraine had targeted those regions in an overnight drone attack.

The Ukrainian General Staff added that it was still assessing the extent of damages.

** Russian forces storming town in eastern Ukraine, bloggers say

Russian forces are fighting street-to-street battles with Ukrainian troops in the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Selydove as Moscow's forces push to gain control over the whole of the Donbas region, according to pro-Russian bloggers.

Russian forces, which President Vladimir Putin ordered into Ukraine in February 2022, advanced in September at their fastest rate since March 2022, according to open source data, despite Ukraine taking a part of Russia's Kursk region.

The thrust of the Russian advance over recent months has been in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, over which Putin says he wants to gain full control.

In recent weeks, Russia has surrounded towns in Donetsk region and then slowly constricted them until Ukrainian units are forced to withdraw. According to bloggers they are doing the same to Selydove, which had a pre-war population of over 20,000.

"Street by street fighting is going on in the town," according to Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. "The assault on Selydove has intensified."

Other pro-Russian bloggers published video of intensive shelling of Selydove. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage. The Russian defence ministry did not comment.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military, in a late evening report on Sunday, said Ukrainian forces had repelled 41 Russian attacks around several towns and villages, including Selydove. The report said four battles were still raging in the area.

The popular Ukrainian war blog DeepState showed Selydove to be in Ukrainian hands.

Russia controls about 80% of the Donbas, which covers an area about half the size of the U.S. state of Ohio, and is pushing westwards along about 100 km of the 1,200-km front around the tactically important towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.

The 2-1/2-year-old Ukraine war is entering what Russian officials say is its most dangerous phase as Russian forces advance and the West ponders how the war will end.

Ukraine wants NATO membership, a step that Russia has said would be unacceptable. The United States and key NATO powers have not publicly endorsed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's call for an immediate NATO-membership invitation.

Russian forces hold about a fifth of Ukraine and control 98.5% of the Luhansk region and 60% of the Donetsk region. The two regions make up the Donbas, the cradle of the war.

After a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution, Russia annexed Crimea and pro-Russian protests broke out in parts of the Donbas, where Moscow began supporting separatist forces.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces lost up to 460 troops in Battlegroup Center responsibility zone

The Battlegroup Center defeated five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk People's Republic in one day and repelled nine counterattacks, the Ukrainian army lost up to 460 servicemen, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"Units of the Battlegroup Center continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses, inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the 150th Mechanized, 25th Airborne, 59th Motorized Infantry, 5th Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 101st Defense Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Dimitrov, Dzerzhinsk, Novotroitskoye, Shevchenko and Tsukurino of the Donetsk People's Republic. Nine counterattacks by the 53rd, 93rd, 100th Mechanized, 68th Jaeger Brigades, 49th, 425th Assault Battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 37th Marine Brigade and the Lyut Assault Brigade of the National Police of Ukraine were repelled," the ministry reported.

According to the ministry, the enemy lost up to 460 servicemen, a US-made M117 armored personnel carrier, two Kozak combat armored vehicles, five cars, a 203-mm Pion self-propelled artillery unit, and a 122-mm Grad multiple launch rocket system.

Kiev forces lost 110 troops in Battlegroup East responsibility zone

The Battlegroup East group of forces defeated a brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces in the area of Dobrovolye in the Donetsk People's Republic and repelled a counterattack, the enemy lost up to 110 servicemen in 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"Units of the Battlegroup East group of forces occupied more advantageous positions, defeated the manpower and equipment of the 72nd mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces in the area of the settlement of Dobrovolye in the Donetsk People's Republic. They also repelled the enemy's counterattack," the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

According to the ministry, the enemy's losses amounted to 110 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, three cars and a Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled howitzer.

Kiev forces’ daily losses in Battlegroup West responsibility zone exceed 450 troops

The Ukrainian armed forces lost more than 450 servicemen in a day in the area of responsibility of the Russia’s army’s Battlegroup West, the defense ministry reported.

"Three counterattacks of the assault groups of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces were repelled. The enemy lost more than 450 servicemen, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, a pickup truck, a Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled howitzer, a 122-mm D-30 howitzer, a UK-made 105-mm L-119 gun, an Enclave-N electronic warfare station, and an AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar made in the USA," the report says.

As the ministry noted, the units of the Battlegroup West improved their tactical position, inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the 54th, 60th, 67th, 116th mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces and the 119th defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Kupyansk, Peschanoye in the Kharkov region, Prishib and Terny in the Donetsk People's Republic.

Ukrainian armed forces lose up to 90 servicemen in Battlegroup North responsibility zone

The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 90 servicemen in the area of responsibility of the Battlegroup North in a day, the defense ministry added.

"In the Kharkov direction, the units of the Battlegroup North defeated units of the 57th motorized infantry and 92nd Airborne Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of the settlements of Liptsy and Volchansk in the Kharkov region. The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 90 servicemen and a 122 mm D-30 howitzer," the report says.

Kiev forces lost up to 645 troops in a day in Battlegroup South responsibility zone

The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 645 servicemen in the zone of responsibility of the Russian Battlegroup South, the ministry reported.

"Units of the Battlegroup South improved the situation along the forward edge, defeated the formations of the 10th mountain assault, 23rd, 54th, 116th mechanized, 56th motorized infantry, 79th airborne assault and 46th airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces in the areas of the settlements of Reznikovka, Seversk, Verolyubovka, Dalneye, Kurakhovo, Dachnoye and Konstantinovka of the Donetsk People's Republic. They repelled two counterattacks by units of the 81st airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces," the ministry reported.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the enemy's losses totaled 645 servicemen, two pickup trucks and a US-made 105-mm M119 gun.

Reuters/Tass

The judicial career of Francis Chukwuma Abosi was supposed to last only seven years. In the event, he did 12 and may well have reached 20 years if events had not intervened. In his 12th year as a judge in April 2020, while serving as the Acting President of the Customary Court of Appeal of Imo State in South-East Nigeria, the National Judicial Council (NJC) mercifully ended it all.

When he attended the Nigerian Law School, as all Nigerian lawyers must, Francis Abosi deposed that he was born in November 1950. On his appointment as a judge in 2008, therefore, Francis Abosi was 58. At the time, the retirement age of all judges was 65. This meant he would have been due to retire in 2015.

In 2008 also, a judge could only retire on their terminal salary as pension if they had served for at least 15 years. In the case of Francis Abosi, he well knew that based on his date of birth, he was eight years short of what he needed to be eligible to retire on his terminal salary as his judicial pension.

The answer to this problem was rather straightforward – Francis Abosi edited his birth year from 1950 to 1958. This act added eight years to the seven that he would have served, bringing his notional judicial tenure to 15 years, at which point he would have been entitled to his terminal salary as his judicial pension.

What Abosi could not do, however, was alter the filings he had done prior to becoming a judge, especially those he made upon matriculation as an undergraduate and also on admission to the Nigerian Law School. Upon being appointed to act as the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, they caught up with him. In April 2020, the NJC found him guilty of  “the falsification of his date of birth from 1950 to 1958. Findings showed that he was supposed to have retired in November 2015 when he clocked the mandatory retirement age of Sixty-five (65) years.”

Abosi’s feat of genealogical management had far reaching consequences. He became President of the Customary Court of Appeal of Imo State nearly three years after he should have retired. That means he took someone else’s job unlawfully. It could have been worse. Had the NJC not stopped him, Abosi would have been in position in 2023 when the age of retirement changed from 65 to 70, meaning that he would have been on the job until 2028 when biologically he would have been 78. That would have given him 15 years of judicial service beyond his due retirement age.

Abosi was not alone in the business of injudicious emendation. One of his peers in the 2008 cohort of appointments to the judiciary in Imo State was Theresa Eberechukwu Chikeka. A graduate of the University of Maiduguri, Chikeka became a lawyer in 1982 and did her National Youth Service Corps at the Borno State Ministry of Justice, who employed her thereafter as State Counsel. There she worked for the first ten years of her professional career before transferring her service to Imo State in 1993.

Up to this point, Chikeka’s records indicate that she was born on 27 October, 1956. With this date of birth, she would have attained retirement at 65 in 2021, two years short of the 15 years of service which would have entitled her to retire on her terminal judicial salary. Borrowing a leaf from Abosi’s book of elastic genealogy, it seems, Chikeka also adapted her age sometime in 2006, changing her birth year from 1956 to 1958 and making her eligible to retire in October 2023 instead of 2021.

Indeed, according to records in the possession of the Imo State Judicial Service Commission, which has looked into the issue, the affidavit deposed to by Chikeka’s mother in support of her new birth year claimed that she was born in 1958, without providing the day or month on which she was extruded from the womb.

On 28 June 2022, the Imo State House of Assembly (IMSHA) confirmedChikeka as chief judge. This was more than eight months after she should have retired as a judge. In other words, the House of Assembly confirmed as chief judge a person who was – as a matter of law – not a judge on the date that they did so.

In 2023, when the age of retirement of judges of the high court was increased to 70 from 65, Chikeka received another five years of judicial life as chief judge when, in fact, she should have been in retirement two years earlier in 2021.

These facts are not seriously in dispute.

On 14 June 2024, one Ndubuisi Onyemaechi, on behalf of a group called the Civil Society Engagement Platform (CSEP), filed a petition with the Imo State House of Assembly in Owerri alleging that the Chief Judge had unlawfully edited her age. This allegation goes to the heart of Rule 1(3) of the Judicial Code of Conduct in Nigeria which stipulates that “a judicial officer should respect and comply with the laws of the land and should conduct himself at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Judiciary.”

The IMSHA referred this to its judiciary committee, which began investigations the following month. They invited Chikeka to attend but she declined. In a letter to the House dated 12 July 2024, she claimed that “the provisions of the guidelines of my office…. do not permit me to appear before any Investigation Panel (sic) other than a panel set up by the National Judicial Council.”

On 17 July, the Judiciary Committee reported to the IMSHA in plenum which voted through a resolution calling for the removal of Chikeka as chief judge for falsifying her age. Moments after this vote, on the same day, the chief judge served the House with an ex-parte order of the Federal High Court in Owerri restraining the House from taking the vote that it had already concluded.

Matters have since then relocated to the NJC, which now has cognisance of the allegations against Chikeka. Having previously told the IMSHA that she cannot answer to any panel except one constituted by the NJC, Chikeka now tells the NJC that she cannot answer to their panel because of an interim order of the Federal High Court, which has lapsed. On this artifice, she presently claims to function in an office for which she was ineligible to begin with.

In the last week, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, voiced concerns about the credibility of the judicial branch that she leads, appearing rather incredulously to suggest that it is a function of how many judgments and rulings judges produce.

The CJN must realise that no one will take her seriously if she continues to prove unwilling and unable to act swiftly to get rid of the person who now desecrates the office first occupied in 1976 by Akunne Chukwudifu Oputa.

The least anyone can ask of those who hold leadership positions in the judiciary is that they are fit in law to serve as judges. Chikeka is not. She ceased to be a judge in October 2021. Allowing her to hang on as Chief Judge of Imo State today is egregiously unlawful. The NJC owes Francis Abosi an apology and a recall if Madam CJN continues to prove unwilling and unable to get rid of Chikeka.

Let her go!

** Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a professor of law, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Disruptive businesses change the world by inventing game-changing products and services that transform how we live, work and connect with each other. So, it’s no surprise that the most successful business disruptors – Amazon, Apple and Google among them – are household names and some of the most valuable companies on Earth.

For my book, The Disruptors: How 15 Successful Businesses Defied the Norm, I studied 15 other disruptive and groundbreaking businesses of our time, from film company A24 through to social media platform TikTok. They all had valuable lessons to teach leaders looking to disrupt their own marketplace. Here are four of those lessons:

1. Fearlessly tackle big problems

Disruptors aren’t afraid of challenges. In fact, they positively welcome them. That’s why many disruptive businesses are wrestling with some of society’s biggest problems, including climate change. A good example is U.K.-based Octopus Energy, which has scaled at speed by delivering cheaper, greener energy to customers around the world.

Another disruptor that is helping to mitigate climate change is electric car maker Tesla. Tesla has helped to accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy by building fast, attractive and high-performance electric cars. Nearly half of all battery-powered vehicles sold in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2024 were manufactured by Tesla.

2. Make life easier for other people

German meal kit provider HelloFresh has built its brand on taking the pain out of mealtimes. In fact, it makes dinnertime super easy for busy people by sending them all the fresh and pre-measured ingredients they need to whip up a tasty and nutritious meal.

HelloFresh doesn’t just offer its customers convenience, however. It offers them customization as well. Thanks to the simple online ordering system, customers can choose what goes in their food box and when they will receive it, while the available recipes cater to a wide range of diets, from vegetarian through to high protein. By offering a tailored service, HelloFresh has established itself as the world’s most popular meal kit.

3. Execute the concept better than anyone else

Home-sharing platform Airbnb was not the first website in the US to offer short-term property rentals. Yet it overtook competitors by developing a better platform and a more distinctive brand. In particular, Airbnb prioritized the creation of a user-friendly online experience, and it applied sophisticated algorithms to help guests locate their ideal accommodation. It also grounded its brand in the concept of community: a community of like-minded hosts and travelers all around the world.

Another effective executor is TikTok. Founded in China in 2016, the entertainment app was a comparatively late arrival to the social media market. Nevertheless, its short-form video content was so wildly popular that the app boasted 100 million users within a year of its launch. Before long, TikTok was a global phenomenon and today it boasts more than one billion monthly active users. TikTok’s success can be attributed to its addictive and captivating content – which is created by its users – and its highly effective recommendation engine. This recommendation engine learns users’ interests from their viewing habits and makes compelling, personalized recommendations that keep them hooked.

4. Be a force for good

Deciem, the Toronto-based umbrella company behind beauty brands The Ordinary and NIOD, aims to be a force for good within the beauty industry. From the outset, it positioned itself as an incubator of innovative and effective beauty brands that deliver results to consumers – without necessarily bearing a high price tag.

In addition, Deciem is transparent about its product formulations, ingredients and pricing. It wants to educate people so that they understand exactly what they are putting on their skin and whether they are overpaying for products that just feature generic ingredients. “We don’t promise what isn’t there,” is the verdict of Deciem CEO Nicola Kilner.

Forbes

The Central Bank of Nigeria released $547.7m (N823.19bn at the official exchange rate of N1,503.3/$1, as of June 30, 2024) to Nigerians for the importation of food items in the second quarter of 2024.

The amount is a reduction of $142.48m or 20.6 per cent from $689.88m recorded in the first three months of 2024 and N80.76bn or 8.93 per cent from N903.95bn recorded in Q1 when converted to naira.

This implies that the CBN released a total of N1.73tn for food items importation in six months, according to data from the bank’s quarterly statistics bulletin.

An analysis of the reports on Friday showed that Nigerians spent $164.43m in January, $303.91m in February, and $221.54m in March.

The apex bank also allocated $153.27m in April, $197.21m in May, and $197.22m in June.

This came as it was established that the Federal Government’s plan to reduce the price of food commodities through the implementation of zero duty on selected basic food items is increasingly becoming difficult to achieve.

This challenge is underscored by the alarming increase in the average price of imported food items, which rose to 878.3 price point index in September 2024, reflecting broader economic pressures.

On July 8, 2024, the Federal Government announced a 150-day duty-free import window for food commodities to ensure a reduction in food inflation in Nigeria. The food commodities include maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.

It said the programme was meant to help cushion the effects of various factors contributing to food scarcity and price hikes in the country.

The idea was simple: remove or significantly reduce import duties and value-added tax to encourage an inflow of food imports and drive down consumer prices.

But three months after the government announced the plans, the scheme has failed to take off, majorly due to government bureaucratic process and the failure of the Federal Ministry of Finance to publish a list of importers qualified to participate in the process as required by the guidelines earlier issued by the customs in August.

At a press briefing early this month, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, said the government had ordered maize and wheat imports to stabilise the food market.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, couldn’t be reached when our correspondent called to confirm if the awaited item had been imported.

While the government is yet to begin implementation of the policy, the price of imported food has continued to increase.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics monthly inflation report, the new figure indicated a rise of 30.6 price index or 3.61 per cent from 847.7 in August 2024.

Further analysis showed that the average price of imported food has surged by 72.3 percentage points or 8.97 per cent from the 806.0 average price index in July 2024 when the policy was announced and 878.3 in September.

On a year-to-date, this increase is a surge of 185.7 price index points or 26.81 growth from 692.6 in January 2024, indicating more resilience on foreign food products amidst food supply shortages in the country.

A month-by-month analysis showed that in January, Nigeria recorded an imported inflation rate of 26.29 per cent. This increased to 29.81 per cent in February, marking a notable jump of 3.52 per cent in the inflation rate from January.

The trend continued in March, with the imported food inflation rate climbing to 32.89 per cent, an increase of 3.08 per cent from February.

In April, the inflation rate further increased to 34.01 per cent, growing by 1.12 per cent from March, showing a slight deceleration in the rate of increase.

May recorded an imported food inflation rate of 34.83 per cent, indicating a continued upward trend. The increase in the inflation rate is 0.82 per cent from April.

The figure was 806.0 in June, 826.2 in July, 847.7 in August, and 878.3 in September.

Punch

Nigeria faced yet another nationwide blackout on Saturday following the collapse of the national electricity grid. This marks the third collapse within a week, and the eighth recorded in 2024. Data from the Nigerian System Operator’s portal showed that the grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of 9:10 AM on October 19, disrupting electricity supply across the country.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) explained that the collapse was triggered by an explosion at the bus section of a current transformer at the 330-kilovolt (kV) Jebba transmission substation in Niger State. According to a statement by Ndidi Mbah, TCN’s General Manager for Public Affairs, a protection system was activated to curtail the explosion and prevent further damage. This led to a temporary disturbance in the grid, which engineers quickly worked to rectify by isolating the faulty transformer and restoring power to affected regions.

This collapse is part of a troubling pattern, with other incidents occurring on February 4, March 28, April 15, July 6, August 5, and more recently, on October 14 and 15. Despite assurances from TCN earlier this year that system collapses had reduced by 76.47 percent in the last five years, these recent events paint a different picture.

Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu has acknowledged the challenges posed by outdated infrastructure, attributing the recurring system failures to an aging and overstretched national grid. Adelabu emphasized that without significant investment in power infrastructure, future collapses are inevitable. He advocated for decentralizing the power sector by introducing multiple regional grids to minimize the impact of a failure in one part of the country on the entire nation. This move, he said, is supported by the Electricity Act, which allows state and local governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.

Analysis of Nigeria’s Power Situation

The recurring collapse of Nigeria’s national grid highlights the fragile state of the country’s electricity infrastructure. Despite the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s claims of progress, the repeated failures suggest deeper systemic issues. The centralized nature of Nigeria’s power grid, where a single failure can disrupt the entire nation, makes it highly vulnerable. With eight collapses recorded so far in 2024, it is evident that the current grid is inadequate for Nigeria’s energy demands.

The minister’s push for decentralization could offer a way forward. Regional grids would localize the impact of failures, ensuring that disturbances in one area do not lead to nationwide blackouts. However, decentralization alone will not solve the underlying issue of outdated infrastructure. Significant investment is required not just in transmission but also in generation and distribution networks. Moreover, the grid needs advanced protection mechanisms and better maintenance to handle technical faults and prevent incidents like the transformer explosion at Jebba.

In the short term, frequent blackouts will continue to hinder Nigeria’s economic growth, affect businesses, and disrupt daily life. The long-term solution lies in overhauling the grid, promoting regional solutions, and ensuring that new investments are strategically placed to modernize Nigeria’s power sector. Without these steps, the country risks enduring a prolonged energy crisis.