The Federal Government has been urged to intensify efforts to control inflation and stabilise the Nigerian economy, as persistent economic pressures threaten harmonious industrial relations and the productivity of organisations across the country.
Prof. Adebayo Olatunde Akinsanya of the Tai Solarin Federal University of Education (TASFUED), Ijagun, made the call while delivering the University’s 42nd Inaugural Lecture, titled “Have Dominion” (Genesis 1:28) on Thursday September 3, 2026.
Prof Akinsanya, who is of the Industrial Education Unit in the Department of Adult and Development Education, College of Specialised and Professional Education (COSPED), also called for a review of Nigeria’s industrial laws to reflect current economic realities, while urging government, employers and workers to embrace collective bargaining, negotiation and social dialogue as instruments for resolving industrial disputes.
According to him, the stability of the Nigerian economy is closely linked to the relationship among the major actors in the industrial relations system: government, employers and employees. He stressed that inflation must be controlled if sustainable and peaceful workplace relations are to be achieved.
The don noted that Nigeria’s aspiration to become a truly industrialised nation could not be achieved without harmonious relationships among the actors in industrial relations. He identified industrial harmony as essential to promoting peace, improving workers’ morale, enhancing productivity, ensuring prudent use of resources, improving quality of work life and encouraging workers’ participation in organisational affairs.
Professor Akinsanya further advocated the review of industrial laws to bring them in line with contemporary realities, including inflation, changing knowledge requirements and increasing global consciousness among employers and employees.
He urged all industrial relations actors not to neglect collective bargaining and negotiation, stressing their importance in regulating wages and conditions of employment and promoting social dialogue. He also linked the approach to the International Labour Organisation’s Decent Work Agenda, which emphasises rights at work, social protection and social dialogue.
The inaugural lecturer identified effective communication as another critical instrument for preventing and resolving workplace conflicts. He observed that inadequate or ineffective information, particularly when employees are excluded from decisions or are not properly informed about new policies and programmes, can become a trigger for industrial conflict.
He explained that a robust communication climate within organisations facilitates the exchange of ideas, skills and knowledge, thereby improving performance, productivity and efficiency. Such a climate, he said, should be built around supportiveness, participatory decision-making, trust and credibility, openness and candour, as well as clearly communicated performance goals.
Prof. Akinsanya said the interests of the three principal actors in industrial relations differ but remain interconnected. While employers seek profitability, workers seek improved welfare and fair wages, and government seeks uninterrupted production and the continuous flow of goods and services to society.
He therefore called for greater dialogue and adherence to established procedures for resolving disagreements, rather than domination or confrontation. He advocated substantive and procedural agreements covering issues such as wages, overtime, bonuses, working hours and leave, as well as agreed procedures for resolving disputes peacefully.
The one-time Branch Chairman, TASUED, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) also warned that industrial conflict could undermine national development by disrupting productive activities, destroying infrastructure and diverting resources away from productive uses. He consequently advocated workers’ education and peace education as measures for helping employees understand their rights, obligations and limitations within organisations.
On conflict management, Prof. Akinsanya advocated approaches that promote mutually beneficial outcomes, particularly collaboration, while noting that different conflict situations require different management strategies. He explained that collaboration encourages parties to pursue “win-win” solutions through assertive communication and cooperation.
He maintained that every stakeholder in the industrial system has a vital contribution to make to society and urged all parties to create a harmonious work environment where their respective roles could be effectively performed.
“Government should create more practicable regulations and better economic space for dutiful industry,” he said, adding that employers should be more responsive to workers, while employees should continuously update their knowledge and embrace collaborative efforts for organisational productivity.
The 42nd Inaugural Lecture was described by Professor Akinsanya as the 42nd in the series of inaugural lectures of the University, the sixth in TASFUED, the 14th in COSPED and the second in the Department of Adult and Development Education, which he pioneered as Acting Head in 2015. It was also the first inaugural lecture from the Industrial Education Unit of the Department.
The lecture provided an extensive examination of the evolution of work, industrial relations and workplace conflict, tracing developments from primitive societies through ancient civilisation, feudalism, medieval industry and the Industrial Revolution to contemporary industrial relations.
In his concluding recommendations, he reiterated the need for economic stability, urging the government to control inflation, review industrial legislation and ensure that collective bargaining and negotiation remain central to employer-employee relations.
He also called on employers to be responsive to workers and for employees to continually improve their knowledge and work collaboratively towards productive growth.
Prof. Akinsanya concluded that peace is indispensable to productivity and national development, stressing that all stakeholders must work towards a harmonious industrial environment if Nigeria is to achieve its industrialisation aspirations.
The Inaugural Lecture was presided over by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, with other Principal Officers of the University in attendance, Staff and Students.
The lecture had in attendance members of the intelligentsia, academia, the leadership of ASUU South West, ably led by Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, a one-time national chairman, members of the Oke Ona Grammar School Abeokuta Alumni Association, family and friends.
It was an impressive gathering of distinguished Nigerians, family members, friends, professional colleagues and well-wishers at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, as Mrs. Moyomade Bolatito Ojo-Lanre was celebrated on her birthday and retirement from active service after a distinguished career in education.
The colourful birthday and pen-down celebration attracted prominent personalities from politics, diplomacy, academia, entertainment, hospitality, media and other sectors, with speaker after speaker paying glowing tribute to Mrs. Ojo-Lanre for her discipline, devotion to education, commitment to family and decades of service to society.
Among the dignitaries were former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ambassador Yemi Farounbi; Senator Abdulfatai Omotayo Buhari; Mrs. Toyin Adaramodu, wife of Senator Yemi Adaramodu; renowned actor and thespian Yomi Fash-Lanso; Prof. Babalola Wasiu Adeyemo, President, Hotel Management and Tourism, Atiba University; and Mr. Ayo Ogundele, President of the Oyo State Hoteliers Association, among several other eminent personalities.
Mrs. Ojo-Lanre, an educationist who began her professional teaching career at Apata Grammar School, Apata, Ibadan, bowed out of active service as Principal of Oyalami Community Grammar School, Orita Challenge, Ibadan.
The celebration provided an opportunity not only to mark her birthday and retirement but also to reflect on a life that successfully combined the demanding responsibilities of teaching, school administration, motherhood and family life.
In his remarks, Senator Abdulfatai Omotayo Buhari described the Ojo-Lanre family as one deserving of honour and celebration.
The Senator spoke warmly about the exceptional character of Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq., noting that his respect and affection for him made attendance at the ceremony particularly important.
According to him, he had already made travel arrangements before learning about the event but had to alter his ticket and schedule in order to be physically present.
For Senator Buhari, such a decision reflected the value he placed on friendship, loyalty and relationships built over the years. He congratulated Mrs. Ojo-Lanre for her successful career and for providing the strong family support necessary for her husband to pursue an active life of journalism, law, public service and tourism development.
Former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Ambassador Yemi Farounbi, similarly paid an emotional tribute to the celebrant, describing her as much more than a wife to Wale Ojo-Lanre.
Farounbi commended Mrs. Ojo-Lanre for being a mother, sister, companion and dependable pillar to her husband and family, while particularly praising her patience, understanding and tolerance through the different phases of their journey together.
The veteran broadcaster and diplomat, who had just returned from the United States, said his longstanding love, respect and relationship with the Ojo-Lanre family made his presence at the celebration imperative.
He noted that behind many successful public figures are spouses who make enormous sacrifices away from public attention, adding that Mrs. Ojo-Lanre deserved to be celebrated for sustaining her home while simultaneously building a successful professional career of her own.
Mrs. Toyin Adaramodu praised the celebrant for her strength of character, humility and devotion to family values.
She described Mrs. Ojo-Lanre’s journey as a shining example of the enormous contribution women make both within their families and in the larger society, particularly through education, mentorship and the nurturing of younger generations.
Celebrated thespian Yomi Fash-Lanso described Mrs. Ojo-Lanre as a true and dependable wife — an “Iyawo gidi” — whose support for her husband and devotion to her family had been evident over the years.
He congratulated her for successfully navigating the responsibilities of marriage, motherhood and a demanding career in education, observing that reaching the pinnacle of her profession as a school Principal while sustaining a strong family was itself worthy of celebration.
Also speaking, Prof. Babalola Wasiu Adeyemo, President, Hotel Management and Tourism, Atiba University, commended Mrs. Ojo-Lanre for a career defined by discipline, intellectual growth and commitment to human development.
He noted that education remains one of the strongest instruments for shaping society and described the celebrant’s progression from classroom teacher to Principal as evidence of perseverance, professional competence and leadership.
Prof. Adeyemo further observed that retirement after decades of service should not be seen as an end, but as an opportunity to deploy accumulated experience in mentoring younger professionals and contributing to society in new ways.
President of the Oyo State Hoteliers Association, Mr. Ayo Ogundele, congratulated the celebrant on what he described as a fulfilling professional journey, noting that retirement after decades of meritorious service should be regarded as a moment of thanksgiving and accomplishment.
He said the impressive gathering at the Press Centre reflected the goodwill the Ojo-Lanre family had cultivated across professional and social circles over the years.
In a particularly touching family tribute, Bukky Ojo-Lanre, Esq., described Mrs. Moyomade Ojo-Lanre as an exceptional mother whose philosophy of parenting rests firmly on three pillars — discipline, education and values.
She noted that Mrs. Ojo-Lanre never compromised on the proper upbringing and education of her children, insisting that discipline and sound values were indispensable foundations for responsible adulthood.
Her testimony offered guests a glimpse beyond the retired Principal and public celebrant into the private world of a mother whose influence has been deeply felt within her family.
Speaker after speaker acknowledged that Mrs. Ojo-Lanre’s story was particularly remarkable because she did not allow marriage and motherhood to halt her personal and professional development.
Having obtained her degree in Chemistry Education from Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, she later returned to academic pursuit and obtained a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 2016.
She rose steadily through the Oyo State teaching service from classroom teacher to Principal before retiring in 2026 from Oyalami Community Grammar School, Orita Challenge, Ibadan.
The event was characterised by goodwill messages, reminiscences, laughter, music, dancing and expressions of gratitude as friends, colleagues and family members celebrated a woman many described as disciplined, accommodating, resilient and deeply committed to education.
For Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq., the celebration was also a moment to appreciate a woman who has shared his journey through the years, providing stability at home while pursuing an equally demanding professional career.
The impressive turnout of personalities from different walks of life transformed what could ordinarily have been a simple retirement ceremony into a celebration of friendship, family, service and enduring relationships.
At the centre of it all, however, was Mrs. Moyomade Bolatito Ojo-Lanre — the teacher who rose to become a Principal; the educationist who continued learning even while teaching others; the wife and mother whose family testified to her discipline and values; and the public servant who bowed out after decades devoted to moulding young minds.
It was, indeed, more than a pen-down ceremony.
It was a celebration of a career fulfilled, a family nurtured, friendships sustained and a life of service worthy of honour.
Entertainment Barcelona have officially confirmed a new contract for teenage striker Hamza Abdelkarim, extending his deal until June 2030 and raising his release clause dramatically from €15 million to €150 million, a tenfold increase designed to protect the club from losing him to a rival for a relatively low fee.
Entertainment According to a report from Yahoo Sports, Barcelona were “unwilling to expose themselves to the possibility of another club triggering a release clause that was completely out of line with his emerging value,” suggesting the club deliberately managed his involvement in official matches while the new deal was being finalised.
Entertainment The same report states that Barcelona “wanted to avoid Abdelkarim exploding onto the scene in official matches before his contractual situation had been addressed,” offering a possible explanation for why the highly-rated striker has featured sparingly for Hansi Flick’s side since the start of the season despite an outstanding pre-season campaign.
Entertainment With the transfer window now closed and his new contract in place, Barcelona are reportedly free to give Abdelkarim greater first-team involvement without the same financial risk, having finished pre-season as the club’s top scorer with four goals in just three appearances.
September 11, (THEWILL) – Hamza Abdelkarim’s limited involvement in Barcelona’s opening matches of the season may not simply be down to squad rotation or a gradual introduction for a young player, according to a report that suggests the club deliberately managed his minutes while working to fix a major vulnerability in his contract.
Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that Abdelkarim has signed a new deal running until June 2030, with his release clause rising sharply from €15 million to €150 million, a tenfold increase. On the surface, the move reflects growing confidence in the 18-year-old following an outstanding pre-season, but a report from Yahoo Sports offers a more specific explanation for the timing, and for why Abdelkarim hasn’t featured more prominently for Hansi Flick’s side since the season began.
According to the report, Barcelona “were unwilling to expose themselves to the possibility of another club triggering a release clause that was completely out of line with his emerging value.” That risk was very real. Abdelkarim’s previous release clause of just €15 million looked increasingly outdated given his trajectory, particularly after he finished pre-season as Barcelona’s top scorer with four goals in only three appearances, including strikes against Birmingham City, Basel and his former club Al Ahly.
The same report goes further, stating plainly that Barcelona “wanted to avoid Abdelkarim exploding onto the scene in official matches before his contractual situation had been addressed.”
In other words, handing the teenager significant first-team minutes before his new deal was finalised risked showcasing exactly the kind of performances that could have tempted a rival club to trigger his low release clause and sign him for a fraction of his actual value.
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That explanation lines up with what fans have observed so far this season. Despite Flick previously describing Abdelkarim as someone who “could be an option” for Barcelona this campaign, and despite his standout pre-season form, the Egyptian striker has featured sparingly in official matches, fuelling speculation over why a player who looked so sharp in the summer wasn’t being given a genuine run in the side.
Abdelkarim’s rise at Barcelona has been rapid regardless of the situation surrounding his minutes. He arrived on loan from Al Ahly in February 2026, impressed heavily with the club’s Juvenil A side, and prompted Barcelona to activate his permanent purchase option for €1.5 million over the summer. He made his official senior debut in a La Liga fixture against Rayo Vallecano, and his new contract also includes a salary increase reflecting his rising standing within the squad.
With the transfer window now closed and his release clause no longer a financial liability for the club, Barcelona are reportedly in a position to involve Abdelkarim more heavily going forward without the same risk hanging over his every appearance. If the reporting around his contractual situation is accurate, supporters may finally start seeing considerably more of the teenager who spent much of the season’s opening weeks waiting in the wings while his club worked behind the scenes to protect their investment.
Olumide Atiba, THEWILL
Olumide Atiba is a sports journalist with THEWILL, known for his keen news sense and compelling storytelling. He has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, well-structured reports that resonate with readers, with a strong focus on football coverage
Twenty-five years on, the legacy of the September 11 attacks continues beyond the initial physical and economic effects. The events of 9/11 and the subsequent “war on terror” severely undermined trust in mainstream news media in the US and around the world, laying the groundwork for today’s fractured, hyperpartisan information environment.
In the days and weeks after the attacks, American journalists faced a dilemma: maintain professional standards of objectivity, balance and impartiality or “rally round the flag” in support of the state. Many chose the latter, and a powerful mood of patriotic sentiment echoed around US newsrooms. Journalists and news anchors wore stars-and-stripe pin badges, while networks adopted slogans such as “America Under Attack” for evening news bulletins.
Veteran news anchor Dan Rather captured this patriotic tone during an emotional interview with late-night host David Letterman: “George Bush is the president, he makes the decisions … wherever he wants me to line up, just tell me where”.
In an address days after the attacks, Bush set the narrative that would define much of the post-9/11 era:
Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment. Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom – the great achievement of our time, and the great hope of every time – now depends on us. Our nation – this generation – will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage.
Newsrooms, rather than acting as critical watchdogs, arguably echoed this narrative. Study after study has shown how journalists aligned with the government’s framing, as news organisations significantly increased their use of terms such as “war”, “terror” and “freedom” in their reporting.
This is an example of what media scholars have labelled re-institutionalisation. This is when a small group of political sources take control of the narrative in the aftermath of a crisis, imposing their interpretation onto the media.
Such patriotic reporting was not confined to the US. News outlets in the UK, Spain and Germany adopted strikingly similar patterns of coverage.
One theme found across international media was an association between Islam and terrorism. In the years after 9/11, terror attacks in the US were said to receive 357% more news attention if the perpetrator was identified as Muslim. This is despite evidence that attacks by rightwing extremists have been far more common in the US since at least 2001. Similar patterns emerged in the UK and Europe.
Pop culture How news consumption has changed since 9/11
Almost 90% of US citizens received their news about 9/11 from their televisions. But things have changed in the quarter century since.
An initial spike in US news readership after 9/11 gave way to fatigue, with younger Americans today either consuming less news or even avoiding it entirely. The emergence of new technology during the 2000s is said to have accelerated these changes. Today, levels of trust in news remain near record lows across western democracies.
For many – particularly ethnic minorities – perceptions of bias in news coverage of the attacks and invasion of Iraq damaged the credibility of news organisations. Research in the US, UK and Australia has shown how negative attitudes towards mainstream media have led people to “actively disengage” from traditional sources and seek alternative modes of political participation.
The first signs of this disengagement could be seen within weeks of 9/11. As journalists rallied around the flag, grassroots counternarratives and conspiracy theories emerged to speculate on the “true” motives behind the attacks. These bottom-up accounts ranged from claims that the US had “staged” 9/11 to broader, often antisemitic fears around the emergence of a sinister, “one-world government”.
While there is debate over how widespread such conspiracy theories were at the time, research suggests they helped Americans simultaneously process the trauma of 9/11 and explore connections that were absent from mainstream accounts. In so doing, however, scholars claim they helped feed a growing loss of trust in mainstream news media.
For younger generations the memory of 9/11 – and the subsequent breakdown in trust – has become less shaped by formal news coverage and more by the emergence of online subcultures, dark humour and internet memes.
Research suggests that dark humour can function as a coping mechanism for alienated younger generations when navigating hyperpolitical media environments. It can lower the barrier for entry, allowing people to become active creators of political content, rather than passive consumers.
At the same time, however, critics argue that the use of these seemingly benign formats can help strengthen online communities and normalise extreme political views. As a result, it can further undermine trust in mainstream institutions. Indeed, much online content invokes the same kind of base Islamophobia seen during the early years of the “war on terror”.
Pop culture An age of disinformation
Coverage of 9/11 offers a case study in how mainstream media can inadvertently engineer its own decline. By setting aside basic journalistic norms in favour of patriotic consensus and top-down, fear-driven narratives, news organisations helped transform public scepticism about the reasons behind the terrorist attacks into deep-seated cynicism.
The conspiracy theories that emerged in the aftermath of 9/11 helped lay the foundation for the modern “disinformation age”, from the emergence of QAnon to COVID-19 denialism.
Twenty-five years on, we live in the information landscape that 9/11 built: one where institutional authority is routinely rejected, trust is fragmented along partisan lines, and the line between news, political grievance and viral infotainment has been permanently blurred.
The show must go on, as the saying goes — but that’s not to say it doesn’t change with the times.
Since its inception in 1840, the Royal Adelaide Show has endured through world wars and ever-changing financial environments.
An overhead view of this year’s show at the Wayville showgrounds. (ABC News: Lincoln Rothall)
But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to be nostalgic for a bygone time when a ride on a penny-farthing cost somewhere between a farthing and a penny.
“We try to keep costs down as much as we can,” Royal Adelaide and Horticultural Society archivist Jade Hastings said.
“But we also try to make sure that the Adelaide Show is a bigger and better event every single year and that we’re providing as much entertainment for families as we can.”
Some may wish show prices were back at 1960s figures. (ABC News)
In the early 1850s, admission cost a “shilling for an adult, and sixpence for a child”.
“You would get a sample bag for about threepence in the 1920s, working up to sort of sixpence for the more expensive ones,” Dr Hastings said.
“Unfortunately, as inflation goes on in the world, chocolate bars become more expensive and then the expensive chocolate bar in the showbag makes the showbag more expensive by proxy.
“[But] you can still get free individual samples at the show even today.”
An archival photo of the Royal Adelaide Show from the 1960s. (ABC News)
‘Pick and choose’
Videos from theABC archivedon’t go back quite as far as the 1920s, but they still shed light on times when prices for things like showbags and rides seemed more affordable.
One image, for example, from sideshow alley in the 1960s reveals something called “The Mexican Hat Ride” which cost 20c.
The Mexican Hat Ride cost 20c. (ABC News)
Admission to the show was then likely to set an adult back by 60c.
At the time a loaf of bread cost 18 pence.
By the mid-1980s, the price of a Ferris wheel ride had risen to $2.
In that era, a loaf of bread cost 54 cents.
Show-goers who the ABC spoke to marvelled at some of the prices from way back.
“It’s good to teach the kids how to save and budget, they’ve brought along some of their own pocket money,” Carissa Neate-Lanners said this week.
“It is expensive, but we do it once every couple of years,” Corey Lanners said.
Jess and Hayden Buckham and family at the Royal Adelaide Show. (ABC News)
“You have to pick and choose what you do and limit how many rides they’re going to go on and not go too crazy on theshowbags,” Hayden Buckham said.
“There’s definitely lots you can do for free,” Jess Buckham added.
Dr Hastings pointed to main arena events, the wood chopping competition and animal displays — all of which are included in the entry price.
Spending on novelties is itself something of a novelty — when the show was first held, trinkets and thrills were hardly at the forefront of the minds of organisers.
“Those early shows, they were focused completely around produce and livestock,” Dr Hastings said.
An archival photo from 1986 showing people lining up for a ride that cost $2. (ABC News)
“You get a lot of reports [from the early days] of children at the show enjoying themselves, checking out exhibits of farm machinery and things like that.
“As the colony grew to have a bigger population interested in attending public events, they added a second day to the show — so it was always just one day … [but] then they added a fair day.”
Showbag pedigree
For many young show-goers, the main attraction is the showbags.
The show bag pavilion in 1995 showing the sale of Bertie Beetle show bags. (ABC News)
They might seem like a relatively recent addition, but they have a pedigree, even if they’ve evolved a great deal.
Dr Hastings said the modern showbag was an updated version of the sample bag, which dated back to early show times.
“They could get a free bag of coal as a tester, and so that’s the earliest sample bag that we’re aware of,”
she said.
It wasn’t long before businesses sensed commercial opportunity.
“They would hand out little free product samples to encourage people to test their wares and then hopefully buy them outside of the show,” Dr Hastings said.
“A lot of it was for medication, or hair products, perfume, things like cornstarch, baby powder.”
To make their samples more alluring, vendors started adding toys such as paper crowns and yo-yos.
Bertie Beetle is a mainstay of the Showbag Pavillion at the Royal Adelaide Show. (Supplied: Facebook)
The trend caught on.
While some things change, others do not.
The Bertie Beetle remains the most affordable option at $5, with the most expensive showbags sitting at $55 each.
…exposes gaps in land allocation, building approvals, enforcement
The recurrence of flooding in Abuja is putting the city’s land administration and development control processes under renewed scrutiny, with questions being raised over whether officials and developers who breach planning regulations are being adequately sanctioned.
Concerns over land allocation, building approvals, development control and enforcement have intensified as parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) continue to experience flooding, with stakeholders and residents questioning whether lapses in regulatory oversight and weak enforcement of planning rules are contributing to the problem.
Environmental experts and legal practitioners are asking more fundamental questions, including who allocated the land on which some of the structures blamed for worsening flooding were built, who approved their construction and whether those officials are being held accountable.
These questions are gaining prominence as the FCT Administration intensifies its campaign against structures built on waterways, green areas, floodplains and other locations reserved under the Abuja Master Plan.
Nyesom Wike, Minister, FCT, has ordered the removal of structures found to be obstructing waterways and reportedly taken disciplinary action against two officials involved in unauthorised land-use decisions.
Wike acknowledged that some of Abuja’s flooding is man-made, disclosing that the FCT Administration dispatched the executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority and the director of development control to inspect affected communities, including Lugbe and Lokogoma, after heavy rainfall.
He said the administration needed to distinguish between flooding caused by natural conditions and that resulting from human activity, particularly developments that obstruct waterways or violate the Abuja Master Plan.
“From our studies, Lugbe has always been violating the Abuja masterplan,” Wike said, adding that people had built without approval and blocked areas designated for roads and other infrastructure.
However, experts say demolition cannot be the end of the accountability process. They want disputed allocations traced through the government agencies responsible for land administration and development control to establish whether due process was followed and whether officials deliberately or negligently breached planning rules.
The issue is particularly important because the FCT Administration controls much of the land allocation and development approval process. Under Section 18 of the FCT Act, the FCT Minister has statutory authority to allocate and revoke land in the territory. The Department of Land Administration processes allocations and oversees land administration, while the Abuja Geographic Information Systems manages land records, applications, title documentation and verification.
On the development side, the Department of Development Control under the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council is responsible for building-plan approvals and ensuring that construction complies with the Abuja Master Plan.
That creates a chain of responsibility extending from land allocation to development approval and inspection. Where a property was allocated by government and subsequently received development approval, experts say responsibility for an illegal development cannot automatically rest with the owner.
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Kenneth Iyamu, a retired Air Vice Marshal and president of the Association of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Practitioners, said the government should establish who was responsible for decisions that allowed problematic developments to emerge.
“You should tell Nigerians who is responsible. That’s what Nigerians want to hear,” Iyamu said.
He said the accountability process should trace each disputed development back to the officials and agencies involved in its allocation and approval rather than stopping with the person who constructed the building.
The concern gained further attention after Wike disclosed that a director within the FCT Administration had been suspended under civil service rules for issuing unauthorised temporary approvals to commercial operators on designated green areas. The minister also said another official faced disciplinary sanctions for illegally reallocating park land under the guise of security clearing.
Iyamu said such measures should form part of a wider review of the decisions that have altered Abuja’s planned land use. He also warned that persistent flooding could create wider social and security pressures if displaced residents are left without adequate support.
“The flood now is going to increase our security challenges, if you don’t think of that,” he said.
Iyamu said Abuja ultimately needs to return to the principles of its original master plan, while upgrading drainage and waste-management infrastructure and clearing waterways.
He urged the administration to avoid a response focused solely on rhetoric and demolition, arguing that agencies responsible for planning and environmental management must be answerable for decisions made under their watch.
“Go back to the master plan and don’t be selective in removing of the obstructions on the waterways,” he said.
For Abdul Gobir of A.S. Gobir & Co, the central problem is not a shortage of laws but weak compliance and enforcement. Abuja already has rules governing land allocation, zoning and development, he said, but those rules are undermined when officials responsible for enforcing them disregard or circumvent them.
“The problem is not the law. The problem we have is a problem of adherence to law, enforcement of the law,” Gobir said.
He said an investigation into structures erected on green areas, floodplains or other protected locations should begin with the allocation and approval process. Government determines the designated use of land and is responsible for identifying areas reserved for residential, commercial, recreational and environmental purposes.
Gobir said this creates a legal and administrative dilemma where an individual obtains land through an official allocation and subsequently secures government approval to develop it.
“If I apply for land, you ask me to pay certain amount of money, I pay. After making the payment, you allocate land to me. I wouldn’t know whether it is flood plain or green area. It is not for me to determine that,” he said.
In such cases, he argued, the government cannot simply demolish a property without examining the decisions that enabled its construction. Where a developer knowingly builds without approval or encroaches on protected land, the developer should face the consequences. But where government allocated the land and approved the development, officials involved in those decisions should also be investigated.
Gobir said this is particularly important because successive administrations have been accused of altering Abuja’s original land-use plan for political or commercial interests.
He said public officers who knowingly allocate protected land or approve developments outside the applicable planning framework could face sanctions under existing anti-corruption laws, including legislation dealing with abuse of office.
Agwu Amadi, head of the Department of Public Health and coordinator of the Institute of Environmental Health Technology at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, said the flooding should be viewed primarily as a land-use planning and environmental governance failure rather than simply a drainage problem.
“The flooding problem in Abuja should no longer be dismissed as simply a matter of blocked drains or inadequate drainage infrastructure. It is fundamentally a land-use planning, environmental governance, and development-control issue,” Amadi said.
He said Abuja was designed around waterways, floodplains, green areas and open spaces that serve important drainage and environmental functions. Building over or converting those areas reduces their ability to absorb and channel stormwater, increasing the risk of flooding in roads, residential areas and commercial districts.
Amadi said the government should investigate cases where development has been approved on land reserved for waterways, drainage corridors, floodplains or other public purposes. Where negligence, deliberate violations or wrongdoing are established, both developers and public officials should face appropriate sanctions.
He stressed that protected environmental areas should not be treated as vacant land simply because they have not yet been developed.
“A floodplain is not a vacant land. A waterway is not surplus land. A green corridor is not simply an opportunity for development,” Amadi said.
Other experts say the FCT Administration should conduct a systematic audit of land allocations and development approvals in flood-prone and environmentally protected areas.
Such an audit, they say, should establish who allocated each plot, its original designation, whether its use was subsequently changed, who approved any change, who issued the building approval and whether officials acted outside the Abuja Master Plan.
They add that this measure would shift the government’s response from reactive demolition to institutional reform.
Magnus Onuoha, president of the Sustainable Energy Practitioners Association of Nigeria, said accountability must similarly extend beyond the demolition of structures.
“It is not just enough to say we are demolishing. Who actually allocated this land?” Onuoha asked.
He said demolitions could become another cycle of reactive enforcement if government removes structures after the damage has been done without investigating the administrative decisions that allowed them to be built.
Onuoha also linked the issue to the growing impact of climate change, saying heavier and more unpredictable rainfall would place greater pressure on cities where natural drainage systems have been compromised.
“Climate change is real, therefore, we should take heed,” he said.
HONG KONG, Sept 11, 2026 – (ACN Newswire) – The SE3SX Cabin Suitcase recently received the Silver Award in Product Design at the 2026 WGA Wonder Global Design Award, standing out among numerous international entries. The recognition highlights not only its distinctive industrial design, but also Airwheel’s continued exploration of how intelligent technology can be integrated into real-world travel.
Rather than treating luggage as a passive container, Airwheel is developing it as an active mobility device—combining electric drive technology, intelligent controls, connected features and premium design in a compact carry-on format.
From Traditional Luggage to Intelligent Mobility
For decades, the fundamental concept of luggage has remained largely unchanged: pack belongings, pull the handle and walk.
Airwheel approached the problem differently.
The company recognized that the most physically demanding part of many journeys does not necessarily happen during a flight or train ride. It often occurs while travelers move through expansive airports, railway stations, exhibition centers, hotels and transportation hubs, carrying or pulling luggage over long distances.
The result was a new product category that combines luggage with personal mobility.
The Airwheel SE3SX Electric Riding Cabin Suitcase allows users to transition from conventional pulling to powered riding. Equipped with a high-performance brushless motor, the suitcase can reach a riding speed of up to 9.9 km/h, providing an alternative way to move through appropriate travel environments.
Its intelligent riding handle integrates key riding controls, allowing users to manage acceleration, braking, steering and reverse functions with a relatively intuitive control layout. This approach reduces the learning curve while making the riding experience feel more like a compact personal mobility device.
For Airwheel, the objective is not simply to make a suitcase that can move. It is to make luggage more useful once travelers leave the airport gate, hotel lobby or railway platform.
SE3SX: Where Intelligent Design Meets Practical Engineering
The SE3SX combines mobility with a structure designed around both riding and luggage protection.
Its motorized front wheel uses a retractable structure that can extend the wheelbase by approximately 180 mm when riding. The longer wheelbase is designed to enhance stability and handling, helping the suitcase maintain a more controlled riding experience across suitable indoor and outdoor surfaces.
The suitcase body uses an ABS+PC composite construction, reinforced with an integrated aviation-aluminum frame structure. With a maximum load capacity of 95 kg, the design balances the requirements of riding stability with the everyday demands of carrying personal belongings.
This engineering approach reflects a broader philosophy behind the SE3SX: intelligent functionality should not come at the expense of practicality.
A Smart Suitcase still needs to function as luggage. A Luxury Suitcase still needs to look refined. And an Electric Riding Suitcase still needs to provide a reliable and intuitive riding experience.
SE3SX brings these elements together in one 20-inch travel platform.
Intelligent Interaction Beyond the Physical Ride
The evolution of the SE3SX does not stop with electric mobility.
Through its dedicated intelligent APP, users can access key operating information such as riding speed, battery level and accumulated mileage. Riding speed can be adjusted within a range of 0.1–9.9 km/h, allowing users to select a more suitable pace for different environments.
The APP also extends control beyond basic riding.
Users can remotely control the suitcase’s retractable structure, customize its lighting experience and access additional intelligent functions. The built-in ambient lighting supports 8 colors and 9 lighting effects, allowing the suitcase to develop a distinctive visual identity while reinforcing its technology-oriented design language.
Additional functions include low-battery reminders, Bluetooth disconnection alerts, cruise control, intelligent remote control and programming-oriented features.
Together, these capabilities transform the suitcase from a mechanical travel accessory into a connected intelligent device.
The idea is simple: instead of forcing users to adapt to complicated technology, the technology should gradually disappear into the experience.
Apple Find My Adds Another Layer of Travel Security
Connectivity also plays an important role in modern travel.
The Airwheel SE3SX supports Apple Find My, allowing compatible Apple devices to help users locate the suitcase through the Find My network. When the suitcase is within an appropriate nearby range, users can also activate a sound to assist with locating it.
For travelers moving through crowded airports, railway stations, hotels or other busy environments, location-based connectivity can provide an additional layer of reassurance.
The feature reflects a wider shift in how people think about travel equipment. A modern suitcase is no longer isolated from the digital ecosystem surrounding its owner.
It can be connected, monitored and managed as part of a broader intelligent travel experience.
Designed for Real-World Travel
Advanced technology only becomes meaningful when it works within real travel conditions.
The Airwheel SE3SX adopts a 20-inch carry-on format, measuring approximately 530 × 360 × 236 mm, making it compact enough for everyday business trips, leisure travel and other mobility scenarios.
The product is equipped with a 73.26 Wh lithium battery and incorporates a modular, removable battery design to facilitate handling and inspection where required. The battery has passed International safety certification.
A TSA-compatible combination lock further supports international travel, while an external USB output interface allows users to recharge mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and Bluetooth headphones during a journey.
These details demonstrate an important principle behind SE3SX: intelligent travel technology must remain connected to the realities of travel.
An Award That Recognizes More Than Appearance
The 2026 WGA Wonder Global Design Award evaluates product design across multiple dimensions, including creativity, aesthetics, functionality, practicality, market impact, emotional impact and problem-solving.
The SE3SX Silver Award therefore represents recognition beyond visual design.
Its combination of electric mobility, intelligent interaction, structural engineering and travel-oriented functionality demonstrates how a familiar everyday product can be reconsidered through technology.
For Airwheel, international design recognition has become part of a longer journey.
Since entering the intelligent mobility field, the company has continued to invest in areas including electric drive systems, intelligent control, structural design and human-machine interaction. Airwheel has accumulated more than 600 patents globally and has developed a portfolio spanning intelligent mobility products and smart travel equipment.
The company’s products have also received recognition from international design and innovation programs, reflecting its ongoing efforts to combine technology with practical product design.
Building a Broader Intelligent Travel Ecosystem
SE3SXD Ai Luxury Suitcase is the flagship expression of this philosophy, but it is not the only product in Airwheel’s intelligent travel portfolio.
The SE3SL+ Airport Suitcase extend smart riding technology to different travel preferences, combining riding functionality with features such as intelligent APP connectivity, Apple Find My and USB charging.
The SE3miniT Boarding suitcase focuses on a lighter and more compact riding experience for users who prioritize portability and flexible urban mobility.
For travelers requiring additional luggage capacity, the SE3T expands the concept into a larger 24-inch format with approximately 48 liters of storage capacity and a riding speed of up to 13 km/h.
Airwheel also extends intelligent riding technology into family travel with the SQ3S and SQ3S children’s smart riding suitcases, creating a different approach to mobility and entertainment for younger travelers.
Together, these products demonstrate that Airwheel’s vision is broader than a single electric suitcase.
The company is building a product ecosystem around the idea that travel equipment can become more intelligent, more connected and more responsive to individual needs.
The Next Step in Intelligent Travel
The evolution of luggage is no longer limited to lighter materials, larger wheels or additional storage.
The next generation is increasingly about interaction.
From Smart Suitcase to AI Suitcase, from traditional carry-on luggage to Electric Riding Suitcase, Airwheel is exploring how technology can give everyday travel equipment new capabilities without making the experience unnecessarily complicated.
The Airwheel SE3SX represents one step in that evolution.
It combines powered mobility, intelligent control, connected functions, premium construction and carry-on-oriented design in a single platform—turning the suitcase from something travelers simply pull behind them into something that can actively participate in the journey.
For Airwheel, the future of travel is not simply about arriving faster.
It is about making the entire journey smarter, easier and more connected. And with the SE3SX, that future is beginning to take shape—one journey, one innovation and one intelligent suitcase at a time.
Media Contact Company: Airwheel Contact: Media Team Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.airwheel.net
The MENA tourism and hospitality industry has witnessed growth at a phenomenal rate in recent years. Government strategies to diversify economies, alongside unprecedented investment in infrastructure and mega projects, have driven that expansion. Across the region, governments are increasingly repositioning tourism as a key pillar for long-term economic growth. Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, notably, are emerging as three of the primary markets for hospitality investment.
Across these markets, tourism development is increasingly linked to broader economic diversification strategies rather than hospitality expansion alone.
Hotel performance across the Middle East moderated in Q1 2026 due to geopolitical uncertainty affecting regional travel sentiment. Pricing, however, remained relatively resilient across all markets.
Saudi Arabia remains the region’s largest hospitality growth market, recording 122 million international and domestic visitors in 2025. The kingdom also has more than 48,000 new hotel rooms in the pipeline.
Oman, meanwhile, saw occupancy rise 14 percent last year to reach 57 percent, alongside average daily rate (ADR) growth of 4.7 percent. Qatar delivered the strongest combined performance of the three markets. Occupancy there rose 3.7 percent to exceed 71 percent and ADR climbed 20 percent to USD 159.
Tourism Investment driving growth
Government-led infrastructure investment, spanning airports, transport networks and mixed-use developments, is directly enabling hospitality growth. Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector contributes approximately 5 percent to GDP, with ambitions of doubling this to 10 percent by 2030. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have grown from USD 7.5 billion in 2017 to USD 35.5 billion in 2025. Major Vision 2030 projects, meanwhile, are significantly expanding the kingdom’s hospitality offering beyond religious tourism. These include Red Sea Global, AMAALA, Diriyah, AlUla, New Murabba and King Salman Park.
In Oman, three- to five-star hotel revenue reached USD 771 million in 2025, representing annual growth of more than 22 percent. Eco-tourism developments, mixed-use waterfront projects, mountain destinations and resort developments continue to support that expansion.
OMRAN and the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism lead the work. Policies such as visa-free access for travelers from more than 100 countries are also helping to boost demand.
In Qatar, travel and tourism accounts for around 8 percent of GDP, with a national target of 12 percent by 2030. The country saw accommodation revenue reach USD 2.3 billion in 2025, up 12 percent on the previous year. Government-led tourism initiatives and Qatar’s designation as GCC Tourism Capital 2026 are expected to further support visitor demand.
Tourism KSA: new supply country-wide
Saudi Arabia’s planned 48,000 new hotel rooms over the next four years will increase current inventory levels of approximately 176,000 by 27 percent. A total of 21,300, notably, are due to open in 2026 alone.
At city level, meanwhile, Riyadh has more than 10,650 rooms across 53 hotels under construction. Elsewhere, Jeddah is home to 29 hotels with nearly 5,480 rooms. Dammam, an emerging destination and real estate hotspot, has four hotels with 813 rooms underway.
Tourism Emerging destinations flourishing
Saudi Arabia’s major mixed-use projects all include hospitality as a core component of Vision 2030. Around 40 hotels, for example, are planned for Diriyah, a 14 sq km mixed-use giga project on the outskirts of Riyadh. The development sits at the UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site of At-Turaif. Bab Samhan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is already open, while brands such as Capella, Address, Ritz-Carlton, Janu, Armani and Raffles are in the pipeline.
Red Sea Global and AMAALA are targeting 50 luxury resorts by 2030, covering more than 90 islands across the two destinations. AMAALA’s first eight resorts are expected to open in 2026, anchored by the 128-key Equinox Resort. Shebara Resort, for its part, opened in November 2024 as Red Sea Global’s first owned-and-operated resort.
Future openings at AlUla include Hyatt Place AlUla and NUMAJ by Autograph Collection. Both, in turn, form part of the destination’s continued growth as a cultural and heritage tourism hub. Overall, AlUla is targeting 1 million visitors by 2030.
At New Murabba, the 15 sq km mixed-use project in Riyadh, planned hospitality includes the Mondrian Riyadh Al Malga. The 200-key property combines 130 rooms and suites with 70 branded residences. It is scheduled to open in 2028, part of a future 9,000-room offering across the wider project.
Riyadh’s 17 sq km King Salman Park announced USD 3.8 billion in new investment commitments earlier in 2026. The development will incorporate hotels, branded residences, a performing arts center and two golf courses.
Tourism Mega events shaping demand
Saudi Arabia’s mega events include Riyadh Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034. Both should generate significant demand across the tourism and hospitality sector.
Hotel occupancy rates, particularly in upper-tier and luxury categories, are expected to surge during these events. That surge should help reposition Saudi Arabia from a predominantly religious tourism market into a broader, world-class leisure, sports and entertainment destination.
The Expo site is expected to welcome more than 42 million visitors, driving hotel development across all star ratings. Mid-market properties and serviced apartments, in particular, will be of relevance. With
15 stadiums across five cities, the FIFA World Cup’s multi-city format will distribute demand nationally rather than concentrating it in one location. The format will therefore require accommodation product at scale across all price points.
Equally, the AFC Asian Cup 2027 should sustain demand momentum between the current events cycle and the longer-term macro events. Annual events, meanwhile, continue to support hotel demand from October through to April. These include Riyadh Season, the F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah, the Saudi Cup, Formula E and Diriyah Season.
Tourism Oman’s year-round appeal
Government support for tourism in Oman is substantial. It includes USD 260 million in usufruct agreements from the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism. OMRAN has committed USD 31 billion through to 2040, alongside USD 114 million in eco-tourism infrastructure contracts across seven nature reserves. Events such as the Khareef Festival, Muscat Festival, Tour of Oman and the Within Oman Campaign help position Oman as a year-round destination. Moreover, they diversify demand beyond Muscat into secondary locations including Salalah and Musandam.
Consequently, Oman is set to deliver 3,320 rooms across 17 projects in 2026 and 2027. Notably, the bulk of this supply, nearly 2,390 rooms across 14 projects, is expected in 2026. Key luxury projects include Nobu Resort Yiti, Anantara Bandar Al Khairan near Muscat, Four Seasons Muscat and the Jabal Akhdar Mountain Destination eco-tourism development. In addition, Club Med Musandam, the Middle East’s first Club Med resort, is targeted for 2028. Port Sultan Qaboos Waterfront, a mixed-use redevelopment, brings together VA Group and OMRAN.
Tourism Qatar’s growing pipeline
Qatar’s current hotel supply stands at approximately 42,500 keys, with around 1,970 rooms across 15 projects in the 2026 pipeline. For the most part, these are concentrated in Doha and Lusail. Beyond this, the wider pipeline is more than 3,560 rooms across 22 projects through to 2030. Luxury properties including Rosewood Doha and Andaz Doha opened in 2025, while Corinthia Doha on Gewan Island is due to open in 2027.
The USD 5.5 billion Simaisma Coastal Destination represents one of the most significant near-term demand-and-supply catalysts for the tourism sector. Doha’s GCC Tourism Capital status is another. Events such as Art Basel Qatar, Web Summit Qatar, F1 Grand Prix, FIFA Arab Cup, FIFA U-17 World Cup, FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 and the 2030 Asian Games are helping to support consistent, year-round hotel demand. Qatar Airways’ continued network expansion and the Qatar Stopover program add incremental room nights. Both enable short-stay visits as part of longer journeys through Hamad International Airport.
If you’re waiting for a sign to upgrade to a fixed version: this is it
JFrog Artifactory instances continue to get hit hard. Multiple attackers are exploiting three JFrog Artifactory bugs to gain administrative control over vulnerable instances – in some cases, just days after the vendor published a patch – and then using this illicit access to install malicious plugins and backdoors.
The three vulnerabilities are:
CVE-2026-42018 is a high-severity, improper authentication flaw that can return an internal anonymous-user token to an unauthenticated caller when anonymous access is disabled. An attacker can use this token to authenticate to the repository manager and then access sensitive resources. JFrog patched this vulnerability on August 12.
CVE-2026-42016 is a high-severity privilege-escalation bug. Artifactory doesn’t properly validate the token’s scope, and this can allow an attacker with low-privileged access to elevate privileges and perform actions that they should not be allowed to do. JFrog fixed this one on July 27.
CVE-2026-82329 is a critical authentication-bypass vulnerability that allows unauthenticated attackers with network access to obtain administrative privileges. JFrog published a patch for it on August 28.
Earlier this month, security researchers told The Register that miscreants began battering internet-exposed systems vulnerable to CVE-2026-82329 just four days after JFrog disclosed the bug. In addition to creating new administrative credentials, watchTowr’s honeypot network caught miscreants “enumerating users, groups, credential sets and federated access topologies,” said Yordan Ganchev, principal threat intelligence specialist at watchTowr.
The one thing everyone agrees upon is that attackers didn’t start exploiting any of these CVEs until after JFrog issued fixes.
In a Thursday report, Wiz security researchers “confirmed in-the-wild exploitation of all three vulnerabilities across multiple environments,” and noted that “patching velocity has been slow.”
JFrog has not responded to any of The Register’s inquiries about attacks against any of the three CVEs.
‘Patching velocity has been slow’
Six weeks after JFrog disclosed CVE-2026-42016, 59 percent of organizations remain vulnerable, and 62 percent remain vulnerable to CVE-2026-42018 after four weeks. Organizations have been quicker to remediate the critical bug, CVE-2026-82329, although 49 percent remain vulnerable two weeks after its publication, according to Wiz.
Beginning August 15 and running through September 8, Wiz spotted “multiple” attackers chaining CVE-2026-42018 and CVE-2026-42016 against self-hosted Artifactory instances to gain admin access. Many of these intruders then dropped a custom Rust backdoor to establish command-and-control (C2) capabilities.
While the post-exploitation activity varies, Wiz reports observing attackers doing all types of mischief with their administrative access to compromised Artifactory instances, including establishing persistent admin accounts, installing Groovy plugins to achieve remote code execution on the server, executing shell commands run through the plugin to perform reconnaissance and scan for sensitive files, deliver second-stage payloads, and upload web shells.
Then, between September 1 and 8, Wiz saw “several” attackers exploiting CVE-2026-82329. These intrusions were not a “unified attack chain by a single threat actor,” but spanned multiple illicit behaviors including exfiltration of configuration details, establishing persistent admin accounts, token minting for long-lived credentials, stealing keys, attaching their own SSH keys to created users in some cases, and enumerating users, repositories, and tokens.
If you haven’t already, patch vulnerable instances
Wiz advises – and we strongly concur – upgrading to a fixed Artifactory version as soon as possible.
“Given that exploitation may be possible remotely without authentication under the default configuration, organizations should prioritize internet-accessible Artifactory instances and restrict network access to trusted users and systems where possible,” the researchers added. “Organizations should also review Artifactory authentication and administrative activity for unexpected privileged access.”
These latest exploits follow a rough few months for JFrog’s package management system, which has been under fire from both human and AI attackers.
OpenAI and JFrog revealed that OpenAI’s models broke out of their cages to hack Hugging Face by exploiting an Artifactory zero-day in July, and at Black Hat, the model provider said agents used Artifactory to build message boards and help each other access the open internet. ®
Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s parents are suing the singer D4vd, accusing him of wrongful death after he was charged in the 14-year-old girl’s murder.
Mercedes Martinez and Jesus Rivas are also suing D4vd’s mother and managers, accusing them of negligence. D4vd’s real name is David Anthony Burke.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, outlines much of the evidence presented at a multiday evidentiary hearing in July about the pair’s relationship, which prosecutors said began when Celeste was 13 and ended after she threatened to expose him. Text messages revealed at the hearing showed that she had gotten pregnant by Burke and had an abortion.
Her decomposed and dismembered remains were found in September 2025 in the front trunk of Burke’s Tesla at a Los Angeles impound lot. Prosecutors said the car had been left on a street near his home and impounded at Hollywood Tow after someone reported an abandoned vehicle.
D4vd at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on April 20.Ted Soqui / Pool via Getty Images file
Burke, 21, was arrested in April at a house in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, Los Angeles police said. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
The lawsuit accuses Burke of using his position of authority to “influence and control” Celeste, “including by providing her a concealed cellular telephone to maintain contact outside her parents’ knowledge, using false identities, and arranging and paying for her travel.”
The suit says that on the night she died in April 2025, Burke sent an Uber vehicle to pick her up from her family’s home in Lake Elsinore in Riverside County. After she arrived at his home in the Hollywood Hills, Burke stabbed her, prosecutors allege. Prosecutors said he used chain saws to cut her body apart in his garage.
Celeste’s parents say in the lawsuit that because of the decomposition, they had to wait more than a week after her remains were found for an identification and that some parts of the body were never recovered.
The suit accuses Burke of wrongful death, as well as battery, sexual battery, childhood sexual assault, assault, false imprisonment, human trafficking and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It also alleges that Burke engaged in human trafficking by causing or inducing Celeste “to engage in commercial sex acts.”
“The money, food, shelter, designer gifts, travel, a ring, and a promise of future marriage that Burke gave to Decedent were given on account of the sexual acts, satisfying the commercial-sex-act element,” the suit says. “Because Decedent was a minor, neither her purported consent nor any mistakes as to her age is a defense.”
Burke’s publishing and merchandising companies are also named as defendants in the lawsuit, which claims they were the vehicles that helped fund the alleged abuse. Listed as co-defendants are Josh Marshall and Robert Morgenroth, Burke’s managers; their company, Mogul Vision; and Burke’s live-in security guard, who the suit alleges drove him to pick up Celeste from her parents’ home in 2024.
The suit also lists Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, as a co-defendant and says she approved and funded “arrangements that housed Decedent and enabled Burke’s access to her.” All co-defendants are accused of failing to protect a minor and negligence.
It was not immediately clear whether Burke had an attorney representing him in the lawsuit. Contact information could not be found for Burke’s companies or his security guard. Marshall, the owner of Mogul Vision, which employed Morgenroth, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on behalf of himself, the company or Morgenroth. Messages left at numbers believed to be associated with Morgenroth and Colleen Burke were not immediately returned.
The suit requests a jury trial.
Celeste’s parents asked for the death penalty this week.
“If the death penalty were activated, it would be perfect for this kind of human being, devoid of feelings … and without conscience, who only caused pain to our daughter, our family, and the world that supports our precious daughter,” they said in a statement on what would have been Celeste’s 16th birthday.
Enerparc has so far remained tight-lipped about the exact circumstances that led to its filing for insolvency and, a few days later, to one of its sister companies, Pvwerk, following suit. Both companies have been assigned insolvency experts to assist with restructuring efforts and maintain that operations will continue as normal in the meantime.
But the spectacle of such a prominent player in European solar for almost two decades hitting the buffers, albeit possibly temporarily, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of business models that once seemed unassailable. It hints at the broader structural challenges facing European solar developers, ones that industry observers said could potentially herald a wave of consolidation across the sector.
From certainty to volatility
To understand how Enerparc might have arrived at this position, it is necessary to examine the considerable transformation that has reshaped the European solar landscape over the past decade. Berg characterised this shift as a move from “an era with easily available money” to a “tighter situation” marked by higher interest rates, coinciding with increasingly volatile power prices, solar cannibalisation effects and a pivot away from subsidy-driven revenue models toward merchant exposure.
The contrast with earlier market conditions could hardly be starker. In the feed-in tariff era, solar project economics were straightforward and predictable. As Berg explained, developers could model their investments with confidence, setting a price per kilowatt-hour for 20 years, “and that’s it”; the cash flow was “nice and neat”, providing the kind of visibility that made financing relatively simple and returns highly predictable.
That world has now gone. Today’s developers face a far more complex reality where revenue streams are subject to multiple sources of uncertainty. Berg noted that while companies may still create detailed financial models, “your actual output is going to be a lot more volatile than what you plan for”. This volatility stems from several interconnected factors: merchant price exposure, cannibalisation effects that depress solar capture rates during peak generation hours and curtailment risks that vary significantly by market and location.
The cannibalisation crisis
At the heart of the current crisis lies a fundamental mismatch between solar deployment and system flexibility. Vegard Vollset, head of regional renewables and power research at Rystad Energy, identified this as the central challenge: “The biggest indication is that there is no such thing as a pure play solar developer anymore. Everyone who used to be that has now pivoted in some shape or form because it’s not a sustainable business model anymore in Europe.”
The root cause, he explained, is straightforward: “We’re deploying too much solar at the exact same point in time, which means that prices get depressed.” This cannibalisation effect has fundamentally altered project economics. Even with aggressive assumptions about low capital expenditure, Vollset noted that returns on new projects have become “quite low” due to the intensely competitive environment.
Berg emphasised that this wasn’t an unexpected development. The cannibalisation effect “was kind of foreseeable”, she said. What has caught many developers off guard, however, is the speed and severity of the impact, combined with the failure of other system elements to keep pace with solar deployment. The numbers tell the story. Europe experienced exceptionally strong utility-scale solar buildout from 2020 onwards, with deployment accelerating dramatically after 2022 in response to the Ukraine crisis and energy security concerns. But as Berg observed, “the grid infrastructure has not kept up” and “batteries are coming, but they’re still not contributing as much to balancing those revenue streams”.
No safety in PPAs
For many developers, power purchase agreements (PPAs) appeared to offer a refuge from merchant price volatility. That assumption has proven problematic, as Vollset explained: “The PPA market is not disconnected from the capture prices of cannibalisation. If the merchant prices are very, very low, a PPA won’t necessarily save you.”
The reality is that PPA pricing has declined substantially, reflecting the same underlying market dynamics that have depressed merchant revenues. Berg noted that “the relative prices you get for pay-as-produced PPAs have also come down by quite a lot” and that “those prices are not really sustainable to finance projects in many markets”.
This creates a particularly acute challenge for companies with legacy portfolios. PPAs signed several years ago under different market conditions may no longer reflect current realities, while new agreements offer significantly less attractive terms. The result is a squeeze on cash flow that can affect even well-established players with diversified portfolios.
The battery storage paradox
Enerparc’s forward-leaning approach to battery storage made its insolvency all the more surprising. Vollset noted that the company had been “very early to the stage saying that standalone solar is dead in Europe, we’re only developing things with co-locatable batteries”. This strategic pivot seemed to position Enerparc well for the new market reality.
Yet the battery opportunity comes with its own complications. While the price signal for battery investment is clear, Vollset explained, “for you to get your battery deployed, that’s the main bottleneck at the moment”. Connection queues have become severely congested, with many developers having already submitted “gigantic” volumes of battery capacity for grid connection. For companies looking to pivot toward storage, this means greenfield opportunities for building battery storage are limited, Vollset said.
Even for existing solar assets, retrofitting batteries isn’t straightforward. Vollset pointed out that adding storage to operational projects “is dependent on what you’re allowed to do in terms of the connection agreement you already have”. The regulatory and technical hurdles can be substantial, limiting the ability of pure-play solar developers to quickly adapt their portfolios.
The policy vacuum
Both analysts identified a significant gap between the policy support that drove rapid solar deployment and the measures needed to address the resulting system integration challenges. Berg observed that while there was strong rallying behind renewables in 2022, subsequent policy responses have been disappointing.
At the EU level, there have been numerous statements about energy security and the importance of renewables, along with various programmes and directives. But at the national level, where implementation matters most, the focus has shifted elsewhere. Berg noted that most countries have concentrated on “lowering the price at the pump” and “directly interfering with electricity prices or lowering taxes, lowering the cost of households directly” rather than supporting renewable energy deployment or addressing system integration challenges.
Vollset argued that while policy responses are possible, the critical question is whether support should focus solely on solar deployment or on “elements that can help facilitate adding more flexibility to the system so the value of solar is better captured”. He characterised the latter as “a more interesting conversation.”
The policy priorities he identified included eliminating regulatory hurdles to battery deployment, ensuring that batteries can access all available revenue streams (as they can in the UK) and enabling demand aggregators to participate in auxiliary services and frequency control markets. Critically, Vollset said that meaningful progress would need to happen at the national level rather than through EU-wide initiatives, given the slow pace of renewable energy directive implementation.
The cash flow crunch
For a capital-intensive business like solar development, cash flow volatility can quickly become existential. Berg emphasised this point: “It is a cash flow business where you risk having a lot of capital locked up in assets.” When revenue streams become unpredictable, even a large, diversified portfolio may not provide adequate protection.
Berg suggested that Enerparc’s situation might reflect a temporary shortfall rather than fundamental business failure: “It doesn’t have to mean that your business is not doing well on a larger scale, but there can be a temporary shortfall that is enough to not make it through the month.”
This vulnerability is compounded by the broader financial environment. The era of cheap money that facilitated rapid expansion has given way to higher interest rates and tighter lending conditions. Companies that took on debt during the low-rate period now face refinancing challenges, while those with loans dating back to the early 2010s may be confronting significant repayment obligations.
The combination of revenue uncertainty and financial pressure creates a particularly dangerous dynamic. As Berg noted, “financial hygiene” has become a critical factor—maintaining disciplined financial management and carefully evaluating portfolio composition and growth ambitions.
Consolidation ahead
Both analysts anticipated that Enerparc’s insolvency signals the beginning of a broader consolidation phase in European solar. Other signs of this have emerged in recent months, with the owner of Portugal’s largest PV project entering administration last month and German solar and wind developer SoWiTech announcing insolvency in July.
Berg predicted increased M&A activity, “probably not always on a company level, but on an asset level”, with solar remaining “a very fragmented market” but seeing portfolio sales and restructuring.
Vollset agreed, though he expected consolidation to occur more through strategic sales than widespread insolvencies: “I think more of the utilities have potential to buy these distressed merchant fleets at a capture rate discount. I definitely expect portfolio sales and consolidation, but I don’t think we’ll see a huge string of insolvencies because they see the writing on the wall.”
The buyers in this consolidation wave are likely to be larger utilities with stronger balance sheets and more diversified revenue streams. For pure-play solar developers, the message is clear: adaptation is essential. Vollset’s advice was succinct: “Find your niche.” Rather than trying to be all things to all markets, developers should identify specific areas where they can optimise—whether that’s mastering the auction process, building strong relationships with specific off-takers, or pursuing emerging opportunities such as direct connections to data centres.
The flexibility imperative
Looking forward, both analysts emphasised that the discussion has fundamentally shifted from energy to flexibility. Vollset was clear on this point: “Flexibility, that’s the name of the game now, rather than energy.” The system can generate sufficient energy through renewable deployment, but it lacks the flexibility to manage that generation effectively.
This represents both a challenge and an opportunity. On the supply side, battery deployment is accelerating in many markets, though Vollset noted it could move faster, pointing to Australia as an example of what’s possible in terms of rapid rollout of battery storage. On the demand side, however, progress has been minimal. Despite extensive discussion of demand-side flexibility and vehicle-to-grid concepts, “it really hasn’t materialised in any shape or form”, Vollset said.
Berg also highlighted the importance of diversification—not just across markets but across technologies. The ability to combine solar with storage, or to hybridise with wind where appropriate, provides crucial resilience. However, she cautioned against “stretching yourself too thin”, emphasising the need to balance diversification with focused execution.
A new era
A further sobering observation came from Vollset regarding the historical driver of solar’s success in Europe and globally: continuous cost reduction. As has been extensively documented, the massive influx of low-cost PV modules from China drove down the cost curve aggressively, enabling solar to overcome various market challenges. But “now the relative proportion of the cost of the solar panel is so much smaller that you’re not really squeezing out those efficiency gains anymore”, he noted. In short, PV’s cost-reduction trajectory has flattened, removing a key factor that previously helped offset other market difficulties.
This reality underscores the fundamental shift facing European solar developers. The business model that sustained companies like Enerparc through their growth phase—one built on predictable revenues, declining costs and supportive policy frameworks—has been replaced by a far more demanding environment, requiring sophisticated risk management, strategic focus and operational excellence.
Enerparc may well live to fight another day. But the shock of seeing a stalwart company reaching insolvency has clearly highlighted the new reality confronting Europe’s solar industry. For businesses to survive, the path forward will require not just adaptation but transformation and a recognition that the rules of the game have changed.
Nigel Farage’s party has secured a staggering £36m from British cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo in a major boost for its election campaign.
Mr Delo, who was previously Reform UK’s second-largest donor, has said he wants to help the party prepare for government and ensure it is given a “fair fight”.
The huge sum is the largest donation given to a political party by a significant margin. It comes after a police investigation was launched into allegations that Reform breached party donation rules on illegal foreign funding.
Reacting to the gift, Mr Farage said: “I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo has shown such confidence in Reform.
“Ben knows that we are the only party that can turn the country around and reverse Britain’s decline.”
The boost nearly matches the total £38m that the party has received since it launched in 2021. In that time, the Tories have been given £150m and Labour £128m.
Crypto entrepreneur Ben Delo was pardoned by Donald Trump (Anne Schwarz Photography)
Mr Delo, the founder of cryptocurrency trading platform BitMex, has already made four donations to Reform this year, totalling £8m.
The businessman was convicted in the US in 2022 for failings in an anti-money laundering programme at BitMex, before being pardoned by president Donald Trump.
He was, until now, the second-largest donor, behind crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who has given £15m to the party in the last year. His separate undeclared donation of £5m, directly to Mr Farage, is the subject of a parliamentary probe.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Delo said: “Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of ‘our democracy’ while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field.
“My conclusion from Reform’s recent troubles is that they should spend less time trying to raise funds to compete on equal terms and more time preparing for government.
“That’s why today I’m announcing that I’m giving £1m per month to Reform UK until the expected 2029 general election, to help them get ready for government. What’s more, to remove the temptation from Labour to use their control of parliament to try to cut that financial lifeline to their competitor, I have front-loaded these donations into a single payment of £36m.”
Nigel Farage has come under intense scrutiny over donations to his party (Reuters)
The donation comes as the party and Mr Farage face intense scrutiny over funding, recently intensified by an undercover Channel 4 investigation appearing to show senior Reform figures discussing how to disguise donations from foreign sources.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into claims Reform breached party donation rules on illegal foreign funding.
It was already probing payments to a company controlled by deputy leader Richard Tice’s fundraising vehicle from Fiona Cottrell, the mother of convicted fraudster and ally George Cottrell.
Labour MP Stella Creasy said: “£36m isn’t going to ‘level the playing field’ of the next general election. It’s Reform taking from one person more in one day than Labour spent in the entire 2024 general election.
“This is how the crypto millionaires are trying to level the next general election full stop.”
Deputy leader Mr Tice said following the latest donation: “Thank you Ben for helping us employ the best people. We will build the most professional campaign and policy platform.
He added: “We must win to save Britain and make Britain amazing again.”
Ex-Reform candidate Matt Goodwin praised Mr Delo for the donation, describing him as a “patriot, hero, and legend”.
Mr Delo added that it took someone with a “thick skin” to financially back Reform, citing the way Mr Harborne “had been treated” following his donations.
He added: “I believe it is the duty of people with broad shoulders and deep pockets to step up and help Reform to win and govern, rather than allow the British people to be trapped in the political monoculture that is driving this country off a cliff.”
Dr. Lauren J. Footman, EdD | Advancing community safety, organizational development and women in leadership | End Community Violence Now.
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Leadership development has become increasingly focused on the visible aspects of leadership: executive presence, confident communication, strategic thinking, networking and the ability to command a room. These are valuable capabilities, but when development focuses too heavily on how leadership appears from the outside, we risk losing sight of what makes leadership credible from the inside.
Leadership is not simply a set of behaviors that can be learned and performed. Effective leaders are often those who have developed enough self-awareness to understand how they lead, why they lead that way and how their leadership affects others.
UFC Authenticity: More Than ‘Being Yourself’
We often tell leaders to “be authentic,” but authenticity is frequently oversimplified. It does not mean saying everything you think, sharing every part of yourself or refusing to adapt. Leadership requires judgment, and effective leaders must understand their audiences, navigate different personalities and adjust their communication to different circumstances.
Authenticity is about understanding what should change and what should remain grounded. A leader can become more strategic, improve how they communicate and assume greater responsibility without abandoning the values that shape their leadership. Authenticity is therefore less about complete transparency and more about alignment between values, decisions and behavior.
UFC When Development Becomes Imitation
Emerging leaders frequently receive messages about what leadership is supposed to look like. They are encouraged to speak with greater authority, become more polished, project confidence and strengthen their executive presence. The problem occurs when development becomes imitation.
Someone who built strong relationships by being approachable may begin to believe accessibility makes them appear less authoritative. Someone who naturally listens before speaking may feel pressure to become the most vocal person in the room. A collaborative leader may become more directive because that style is perceived as more executive. In trying to demonstrate leadership, people can begin questioning the qualities that made others trust them in the first place.
Leadership development should expand a person’s capacity to lead, not require them to adopt a personality that feels foreign. There is a meaningful difference between learning how to lead more effectively and learning how to perform leadership.
UFC How Leadership Development Should Include Identity
Organizations spend considerable time teaching leaders what to do, but development should also help people understand who they are when they lead. That requires asking deeper questions: “What experiences shaped the way I lead? What values are nonnegotiable? How do I respond under pressure? What happens when someone challenges my authority? What do people experience when they work with me? Where are my blind spots?”
These questions have practical implications for how leaders make decisions, manage conflict, build trust and exercise authority. Leadership identity develops through experience, but experience alone does not guarantee growth. Coaching, mentorship, feedback and reflection can help leaders recognize patterns in their behavior and understand how those patterns affect others.
Some of the most important leadership lessons emerge after a difficult conversation, a failed initiative, an unsuccessful decision or feedback that was difficult to hear. Those experiences become developmental when leaders examine what happened, understand what it reveals about their leadership and determine what they want to carry forward.
UFC Why Authenticity Must Leave Room For Growth
Authenticity should not be confused with remaining exactly the same throughout a career. Leaders are supposed to grow, and greater responsibility will require new capabilities. The way someone leads a small team should not necessarily be the way they lead an entire organization. Leaders may need to become more decisive, strategic, comfortable delegating or willing to make decisions with incomplete information.
The important question is whether that change is intentional or whether we are gradually becoming the person we believe others expect a leader to be. There is a difference between developing your leadership and losing yourself in the process. Authenticity allows leaders to evolve while maintaining continuity around who they are, what they value and what they stand for.
UFC Rethinking Executive Presence
Organizations should also reconsider how they define executive presence. It is often associated with confidence, polish, authority and charisma. While those qualities can contribute to effectiveness, they should not become a narrow definition of credible leadership.
Some effective leaders are quiet and deliberate. Some ask more questions than they answer. What these leaders share is not a particular personality or communication style, but credibility. Their behavior is consistent with their values, their actions reinforce their words and people understand what they can expect from them.
A more meaningful form of executive presence is not about performing authority. It is about developing enough clarity and confidence in your leadership that you do not constantly have to prove you belong in the room.
UFC Developing Leaders Without Creating Copies
Organizations should continue investing in communication, strategic thinking, negotiation, conflict management and decision making, but those capabilities should be developed alongside leadership identity. Meaningful leadership development should help people understand what they want others to experience when working with them, how their values influence their decisions and what happens to their leadership when circumstances become difficult.
The goal should not be to produce leaders who communicate the same way, have the same personality or demonstrate the same version of executive presence. Leadership is ultimately experienced through relationships. People form their perceptions of leaders through how they respond when something goes wrong, how they treat people who disagree with them, whether they listen and take responsibility and whether their decisions reflect what they say they value.
Perhaps the next evolution of leadership development is moving beyond teaching people to fit a predetermined image of leadership and instead helping them develop the self-awareness, judgment, skills and confidence to lead effectively in a way that is genuinely their own.
We don’t need more people who know how to look like leaders. We need more people who know who they are when they lead.
Anthony Hutchinson of VantageScore, Gemma Currier of Guild Mortgage and Eric Lapin of FICO have joined the board of directors at the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO) as it ramps up work on credit, AI governance and digital mortgage initiatives, the organization announced Friday.
MISMO, a subsidiary of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), said the three appointments were approved during its Fall Summit in Reston, Virginia.
The board provides strategic direction and oversight for MISMO, which develops data and technology standards across the real estate finance ecosystem. Board members help prioritize work that can improve efficiency, reduce costs and support innovation for lenders, servicers, investors, technology vendors and other market participants.
“The addition of Tony, Gemma, and Eric to our Board is another significant step forward for MISMO and its strategic goals,” MISMO President Brian Vieaux said in a statement. “Their leadership will greatly support our focus on increasing awareness and driving adoption and alignment across the mortgage ecosystem through the work of MISMO and its community of industry expert volunteers.”
AI-centered credit decisions
The addition of senior leaders from both VantageScore and FICO underscores MISMO’s focus on credit score and credit reporting modernization. The industry is preparing to adopt new credit models, tap expanded data sources and integrate artificial intelligence more deeply into credit decisioning and loan manufacturing.
As the Federal Housing Finance Agency moves Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac toward the use of new credit scoring models, including VantageScore 4.0, standardization of credit data and processes is becoming more critical for lenders, investors and vendors that must update systems and risk frameworks.
Hutchinson is executive vice president and head of public affairs at VantageScore. He brings nearly three decades of housing, financial services and public policy experience, including leadership roles at Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and the National Association of Realtors, according to the announcement. MISMO said his background working across the public and private sectors will bolster the group’s engagement with policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders.
“I am honored to join the MISMO Board of Directors and serve alongside the leaders shaping the future of the mortgage finance industry,” Hutchinson said. “MISMO plays a critical role in establishing the standards and infrastructure that enable our industry to innovate, operate more efficiently, and better serve the housing market.”
Lapin, vice president and head of strategy and market intelligence at FICO, brings extensive experience in credit analytics, market intelligence, and the use of data and technology in financial services. His perspective is expected to help MISMO identify where additional standardization can support innovation across credit and mortgage manufacturing.
“The mortgage industry only moves forward when its pieces move together — origination, servicing, capital markets and technology,” Lapin said. “Standardization is what unites the ecosystem.”
Furthering lender relationships
Currier is senior vice president of corporate strategic initiatives at Guild Mortgage, one of the nation’s largest independent mortgage lenders. According to data from mortgage tech platform RETR, Guild has originated $29.3 billion in volume over the past 12 months across more than 87,000 closed loans.
MISMO said Currier’s production and strategy background, as well as her lender relationships, will help keep standards aligned with day-to-day business needs and measurable outcomes.
“As technology continues to reshape our industry, I look forward to working with my fellow Board members to advance standards that enable greater interoperability, efficiency and innovation across the mortgage ecosystem,” Currier said.
MISMO highlighted that the three directors are joining at a time when the organization is expanding workstreams in credit, AI governance, data quality and digital mortgage transformation.
At the Fall Summit, leaders from FICO, VantageScore, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian participated in a credit panel on credit modernization, the growing role of AI in credit decisioning and the use of more expansive data to strengthen credit models.
This article was generated using HousingWire Automation and reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.
The NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) consists of a strictly set up discipline policy where a short gesture or non-conforming cleat color dependably draws a $5,971 to $14,926 fine. That regulative rigidness stands in plain contrast to the NBA, which decontrolled gamer gown codes and shoes in 2018 to utilize gamer style for league development. After collecting over $24,000 in individual fines for events categorized as “ridiculing” or “violent gestures,” Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson mentioned a basic cultural space in between how 2 significant sports leagues deal with gamer autonomy.
“100%. I dislike that the NFL is as stringent as it is,” Jefferson informed Boardroom. “With as much home entertainment we offer, with as much as individuals are truly tuned into the video game, I seem like it must be a lot less stringent, a lot less official.”
“Dance. Taunt. Have your uniform the method you wish to have it. Have cleats on nevertheless color you wish to have them,” Jefferson stated. “Looking at basketball, seeing how they manage their gamers, they can use whatever they desire. We just have 17 chances plus playoffs, so why not let us simply go through with it.”
For 72 years, NBA shoes followed stringent league policies. Historically, gamers were limited to tennis shoes that were at least 51 percent white or black, accented just by some group colors, depending upon whether the group was dipping into home or on the roadway. This stiff basic reached a popular flashpoint throughout the 1984-85 season, when the league provided an official caution prohibiting Michael Jordan’s renowned black-and-red Air Jordan ones. Instead of pulling back, Nike paid a $5000 fine each time Jordan stepped onto the court in the shoes, turning a guideline infraction into a famous marketing minute that exposed the fractures in the league’s policy.
Over the following years, those fractures resulted in a progressive deregulation. By the late 2000s, the NBA unwinded its position to allow full-team colored shoes, enabling gamers like the Chicago Bulls to take the flooring in strong red tennis shoes. The policy broadened even more in 2012 with the intro of “style nights,” where the league partnered with the tennis shoe brand names to include custom-made storytelling styles for vacations like Christmas, Veterans Day, and Black History Month.
The last evolutionary leap can be found in 2018, when the NBA raised color constraints completely, giving gamers total flexibility to use any colorway at any time throughout the season. Contrary to that, the NFL is still much more stringent about cleats. Its guidelines usually restrict gamers to black, white, or designated group colors, with league policies likewise covering other information of their shoes.
While Jefferson hasn’t straight broke cleat color policies, his fight for self-expression presses NFL limitations in other places. Take his jaw-dropping gameday appearance versus the Colts throughout the 2024 season: a million-dollar diamond chain coupled with customized $200,000 diamond grills. Even with insurance coverage on his ice, taking that level of high-end onto the field skirts alarmingly near to the league’s stringent security and devices guidelines.
Imago
The Vikings WR isn’t the only gamer to run into those guidelines. Las Vegas Raiders pass rush Maxx Crosby was bought to remove a set of custom-made pink Air Jordan 11 cleats throughout a December 2025 video game versus the Philadelphia Eagles. The shoes were produced his child, Ella, with her name throughout the front. Crosby ended up the drive in them anyhow and tape-recorded a sack before altering shoes.
” I’ll take the fine; I do not care, “Crosby later on stated on The Rush podcast.
He was annoyed that the NFL had a problem with something that was indicated as an individual homage to his child.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara dealt with a comparable circumstance in 2020. He used red-and-green Christmas cleats throughout the Saints’Christmas Day win over the Vikings in 2020 and was fined$5,000 the following January. Jalen Hurts encountered the very same concern a couple of years later on. The Eagles quarterback was fined $5,628 after using mismatched Air Jordan cleats versus the Steelers in December 2024. Jordan Brand then actioned in and published,”You can’t prohibit success.”
Jefferson has actually had his own confrontations with the NFL over events. He was fined $10,927 in 2023 after doing the”too little”event following a goal versus Carolina. The league categorized it as ridiculing. Later on that season, he was fined another $ 13,659 after a goal versus the Detroit Lions for briefly pointing his fingers like a weapon, a gesture the NFL categorized as a “violent gesture.”
When you take a look at Jefferson’s own history with the league, his remarks make a bit more sense. He has actually been fined for events, while other gamers have actually faced problem over cleats and other consistent information. That has actually plainly entered into the disappointment for a gamer who has actually constantly leaned into his character and design.
He attended his 2nd Met Gala in 2026 and has actually dealt with Under Armour on customized shoes. Among those styles, the “Bayou King,” was motivated by his Louisiana roots. He has actually even spoken about using precious jewelry throughout video games since he desires individuals to observe it. For Jefferson, that design belongs to the bundle. He wishes to bring more of it onto the field, too.
In an offseason filled with headings and hit deals, all eyes have actually moved far from the Indiana Pacers core that lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and onto other franchises.
Kawhi Leonard got traded back to the Toronto Raptors after the Clippers chose for a restore. Giannis Antetokounmpo bid farewell to the franchise that prepared him 13 seasons back after being dealt to the Miami Heat. Boston’s vibrant duo of “The J’s” pertained to a bitter end as Jaylen Brown was sent out to the Philadelphia 76ers; previous Pacer, Paul George, ended up being a Boston Celtic; and LeBron James went back to the East, however this time with the Philadelphia 76ers.
And even after all of these relocations, the favorites to win the East heading into the season will truly be the ruling NBA Champions, the New York Knicks. Jalen Brunson is coming off an Eastern Conference and NBA Finals MVP, Karl Anthony Towns will still be considered as among the very best huge males in the East (if not the very best), and OG Anunoby will continue to grow in appeal as one of the very best two-way forwards in the video game. These are all incredible gamers, and the attention they are getting is been worthy of. One name that will when again go under the radar is the 2025 Eastern Conference MVP: Pascal Siakam.
Siakam’s Time in Indiana
Oct 23, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43)in the very first half versus the Oklahoma City Thunder at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Necessary Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images|IMAGN IMAGES by means of Reuters Connect
Indiana made an enormous sell the winter season of 2024, when they obtained the 2019 NBA Champion from the city of Toronto, and rode the cape of his champion experience to the Eastern Conference Finals, in what was a number of the gamers initially genuine playoff experience. They took that unforeseen trip into the next season, and made it all the method to Game 7 of the NBA Finals, with Tyrese Haliburton as the face of the franchise.
As fantastic as Haliburton’s 2025 playoff run was, he isn’t able to reach those heights without the remarkable play of Pascal Siakam. Indiana leaned greatly on the offending abilities of Siakam, as he is the group’s finest individually scorer. It wasn’t simply the offense, it was the unbelievable defense that he showed all playoff run long.
Siakam drew the main match with the previous Most Valuable Player of the league, Giannis in Round 1. Was asked to secure one of the finest up-and-coming two-way huge guys in Evan Mobley in Round 2. He followed that up by securing OG Anunoby for parts of the Conference Finals, however needed to change to mostly protecting Karl Anthony-Towns after Myles Turner regularly had a hard time to stop him. In the NBA Finals, Siakam had to safeguard Chet Holmgren when the Thunder went huge, and since Nesmith had a hard time with the size of Jalen Williams, he was charged with protecting him on numerous celebrations. Pascal did all of this while primarily being the top alternative on offense each and every single night (while sharing the bulk of that duty with Tyrese Haliburton ). Last season without Haliburton, Siakam had a lot more duty, and had among his finest analytical seasons. That sufficed to land him an area in the 2026 NBA All-Star video game– thanks to the coaches who voted him in– regardless of the Pacers bad record.Forwards in the NBA in 2024-25 Playoffs
Oct 30, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam(43 )gets a hand on a ball managed by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown(7)throughout the 2nd quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Necessary Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images|
U.S.A. TODAY Sports by means of Reuters Connect
Out of all the beginning forwards in the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs, Siakam ranked 9th total in protective score, 13th general in offending score, and 9th total in net ranking. Throughout the 23 video game postseason run, Siakam shot 51.3 % from the field, 42.7 % from 3, and 71.3 % from the totally free toss line.
He included 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 helps, 1.2 takes, and 0.7 blocks per video game.
For beginning forwards in the 2024-25 NBA Playoffs who balanced 10 or more basket tries per video game, just 5 gamers had a much better net score than Siakam: Jayson Tatum, Chet Holmgren, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Williams, and Jaden McDaniels. He affected winning at the greatest level, while bring an enormous load for a group that lots of considered less gifted than the majority of their challengers. In the Pacers initially series versus Milwaukee, Giannis was the most gifted gamer. Versus the Cavaliers in round 2, it was Donovan Mitchell. In the East Finals, Jalen Brunson was deemed the very best gamer. And finally, SGA was the very best gamer in the NBA Finals, however lots of ranked Williams and Holmgren greater than him.Siakam was constantly deemed the underdog when taking a look at the “star matchup”however he won 3 series versus all of his Eastern Conference opponents, and was 24 minutes far from removing the league’s finest group, finest defense, and MVP. Indiana regularly ran their offense through Siakam as the No. 1 alternative on their group, however none of these other primary were asked to bring the load on the protective side of things, which reemphasizes my point on how unique he genuinely is. Siakam’s Journey to Where He is Today
Jan 14, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43)responds to a made basket and nasty in the 2nd half versus the Toronto Raptors at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Obligatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images|IMAGN IMAGES through Reuters Connect
Ten years back, Siakam was picked as the 27th total choice in the 2016 NBA Draft. Entering into the draft, he was drawing contrasts of a Luc Mbah a Moute and Jordan Mickey. No disrespect to those gamers, however the bar was set exceptionally low for a raw skill that had a lots of protective benefit to his video game, however no offending juice. Siakam was sent out to the G-League in his novice season where he assisted the Toronto 905 win a D-League Championship and was called the Finals MVP. In his 3rd season, he discovered himself beginning along with among the very best wings in the NBA, Kawhi Leonard. That year he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award and assisted Toronto win their very first champion. After a handful of effective seasons with Toronto, he was traded to the Pacers and has actually progressed into the most reputable leader on the group after 2 deep playoff runs. His NBA journey has actually been everything about effort and everyday devotion to improving your craft. And while his course to success has actually been distinct, it’s an excellent example of how he turned himself into among the very best gamers in the league.Final Thoughts
Feb 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) searches versus the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Necessary Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images|IMAGN IMAGES through Reuters Connect
At age 32, Siakam will as soon as again be undervalued by the nationwide media. He’s never ever going to be taken a look at as a top-twenty skill, however that simply includes more fuel to his fire. There’s a reason that Rick Carlisle informed Draymond Green in a podcast interview that Siakam is an excellent gamer. And personally, I believe the viewpoint of somebody who’s remained in the NBA for 42 years holds more weight.
I conclude this post by stating this: ignore Pascal Siakam at your own threat. He’s much better than you believe he is, and if the Pacers discover themselves back amongst the East’s elite this season, do not be amazed when Siakam is among the greatest reasons.
You can follow me on X@AlexGoldenNBAand listen to my everyday podcast, Setting The Pace, anywhere you get your podcasts.
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I purchased Smart Passive Income. Holy moly. I can lastly state it.
My palms are actually sweating. And my stomach seems like it’s in knots considering how to fill this blank file … not to point out considering you reading this today. Woooo. This is a lot.
Despite the fact that I’ve been around, I’m uncertain I’ve been appropriately presented.
Hi buddy. My name is Liz Wilcox. I’m a single mama of 2 (one bio, one perk) women and I’ve remained in the online company arena for 10 years. I began as a recreational vehicle travel blog writer back in August 2016. I offered my very first digital item in July 2017, and I’ve been connected since.
You call a digital item, I’ve attempted it. Plus, I’ve even meddled ecommerce with a website that offers merch around the state of Texas. No. I’m not from Texas. I’m simply a girl who has loads of concepts and gets on a chance when I see it.
And considering that April 1st, 2026, I’ve been the sole owner of this site.
Now, I’m going back and forth on this page in between waxing poetic and attempting to get out “the most fantastic piece I’ve ever composed” and keeping in mind that brevity is our pal.
I’m not Pat Flynn. I’m not from San Diego. And Back to the Future is not even in my leading 10 preferred films of perpetuity.
The huge thing Pat and I have in typical is you.
Yes … you!
We both enjoy business owners. Particularly the ones simply attempting to find out this online thing so they can profit later on.
And we’re both exceptionally transparent about how we’ve constructed online earnings.
Another distinction in between Pat and myself is that (and you might have observed this if you currently began to Google me) I’m simply not as effective as him.
When it comes to my socials, I have an Instagram account that appears like I have a good quantity of fans, however let me inform you something. I was on a television reveal a couple of years earlier which’s the only factor I have 15k. If you compared it to other individuals who did that reveal with me, my “fan count” is embarrassingly low.
Now, my e-mail list … that’s what I’m most happy with and where I seem like I truly shine. With about 13k, I’ve handled to make around half a million dollars a year for the last 3 years. Even then! When I got SPI, the e-mail list here sat at over 92k!! That’s actually 7 times the size of mine. Plus a thousand more.
Wait … why the heck am I explaining all my defects to you in an introduction post that is expected to encourage you that I’m the ideal fit to take control of this brand name?
Well, like I stated … I’m transparent over whatever else.
Plus, I desire you to understand that you and me?
We’re in this together, buddy.
Like you, I do not seem like I’ve “made it” the method Pat Flynn has.
Like you, I am still on my knowing journey when it pertains to developing an online service that makes the most of systems that permit me to generate income without being associated with every deal. (<
Tether froze 39,273,713 USDT throughout 10 Tron addresses recognized by MistTrack as connected to Xinbi Guarantee on September 8, right before the U.S. released a collaborated operation targeting the Chinese-language market implicated of serving scams and cash laundering networks in Southeast Asia.
The event puts a stablecoin provider’s capability to manage USDT at the center of the project to cut off the payment facilities of warranty markets. U.S. authorities implicate platforms like Xinbi of supplying escrow and money-movement services to rip-off centers, though Tether has not individually revealed information concerning the 10 addresses recognized by MistTrack.
Track and field Inside the $39.3 Million Freeze
Of the 39.3 million USDT frozen throughout the 10 Tron addresses, the biggest wallet held over 10.7 million USDT, representing more than 27% of the overall worth.
According to MistTrack, this wallet got funds from numerous addresses identified “Guarantee Merchant” and moved 12 million USDT throughout 2 deals to another wallet identified Xinbi Guarantee. MistTrack has actually not divulged the identities of the celebrations managing these addresses.
Money streams in between Guarantee Merchant addresses and the Xinbi wallet. Source: MistTrack.
Tether’s blacklist preserves the USDT balances on the blockchain however avoids the tokens from being moved. Other possessions at the very same Tron addresses are untouched. The freeze likewise does not move control of the funds to police ; seizure needs a different legal treatment.
BlockSec kept in mind that Tether blacklisted 4,163 addresses on Tron and Ethereum in 2025, freezing an overall of 1.26 billion USDT. Tron represented 3,506 addresses (84 %), with limited balances reaching 853.08 million USDT.
Track and field A Wider U.S. Crackdown
On September 9, OFAC included Xinbi Guarantee to its sanctions list as a substantial global criminal company. The company concurrently released numerous Tron addresses connected to Xinbi, consisting of wallets coming from the group formerly recognized by MistTrack.
SafeW Technology and Anwen Technology were likewise approved for offering innovation and services supporting Xinbi’s operations. SafeW Technology established the encrypted messaging app SafeW, while Anwen Technology lags XinbiPay, likewise referred to as NewPay. Under OFAC guidelines, properties of the 3 entities in the U.S. or under the control of U.S. residents and entities need to be obstructed and reported.
On the exact same day, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed an operation taking Telegram channels utilized by Xinbi to run its market. The seizure warrant was authorized by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on September 7.
The Scam Center Strike Force likewise took 2 cryptocurrency wallets utilized by Xinbi to get supplier payments, with a combined balance of around $12 million. The strike force likewise asked for the freezing of an extra 47 wallets presumed of participation in cash laundering within the Xinbi network and suppliers serving rip-off.
The overall worth of cryptocurrency obstructed in the project surpassed $52 millionbringing the possessions limited by the Scam Center Strike Force to roughly $938 million. The DOJ likewise thanked Tether for its proactive support in the examination.
Track and field How Xinbi Guarantee Operated
Xinbi started running on Telegram around 2022 as a Chinese-language assurance market, linking fraud centers with service suppliers. TRM Labs recommends the network most likely runs from the Golden Triangle areacovering Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos.
According to TRM LabsXinbi has actually processed roughly $24.2 billion in digital properties and fiat because its beginning. Of this, the platform taped $12.1 billion in inflows because May 2025.
Suppliers were needed to deposit security funds, varying from countless USDT for cybercrime services to 10s of countless USDT for cash laundering and cash-out operations. Xinbi held the purchaser’s funds till the service was finished before paying the supplier.
According to DOJ filings, suppliers on Xinbi promoted services for constructing phony financial investment sites, laundering fraud earnings, and hiring employees for fraud substances. TRM Labs likewise recorded the trading of taken individual information, created files, deepfake tools, and crypto exchange services helping with online scams.
Lots of deals were performed utilizing wallets offered by Xinbi with very little KYC treatments. This organizational design kept capital circulations within an internal payment system, making the complete motion of properties more difficult to trace.
Track and field Pressure on Crypto Guarantee Markets
The UK ended up being the very first nation to sanction Xinbi on March 26, 2026. The British federal government implicated the market of offering crypto services to rip-off centers in Southeast Asia, consisting of the laundering of taken digital properties.
Telegram had actually formerly removed a series of channels connected to Xinbi, Huione, and Haowang in 2025. According to TRM Labs, deal volumes for Huione and Haowang consequently came by almost 100%, while Tudou’s activity fell by around 74%. Inflows into Xinbi, nevertheless, almost doubled in between May 12 and December 22, 2025.
Xinbi started moving users to SafeW and introduced XinbiPay in June 2025. By late January 2026, its Telegram escrow service still had about 346,156 customers, while the matching service on SafeW went beyond 18,557. The hot wallet processing XinbiPay withdrawal deals got over $94.6 million in its very first month of operation.
Track and field What Remains Unclear
Tether has actually not divulged the demand that caused the freeze or the authority behind the action. U.S. authorities have actually likewise not clarified whether the $39.3 million in USDT is consisted of in the more than $52 million obstructed from Xinbi and its supplier network.
The USDT at the blacklisted addresses can not presently be moved, however there is no public choice relating to possession forfeit or restitution to victims. Next actions will depend upon judicial procedures and Tether’s capability to move the possessions as asked for by police.
Malone Lama 22-year-old Singaporean nationwide behind one of the biggest cryptocurrency thefts ever prosecuted in the U.S., pleaded guilty on Sept. 8 to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy in federal court in Washington, D.C. The ring utilized social engineering to get to victims’ wallets, with the biggest single theft including over $245 million in cryptocurrency, according to district attorneys.
Track and field The Guilty Plea and Scope of the Case
At a hearing commanded by the U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, Lam pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy under RICO Act. The charge brings an optimal sentence of 20 years in jail, though the real charge will be identified after the court thinks about federal sentencing standards and other pertinent aspects. A sentencing date has actually not yet been set, while the next status conference is arranged for Dec. 8, 2026.
The plan run from a minimum of October 2023 through May 2025, stemming from connections formed on online video gaming platforms and including members throughout numerous U.S. states and abroad. Lam was accountable for recognizing targets and collaborating the functions of individuals. He is the 11th accused to plead guilty amongst 18 who have actually been charged, according to the U.S. Department of Justice
The plea arrangement develops around $245.1 million in restitution for which Lam and pertinent co-conspirators are responsible, in addition to a forfeit cash judgment of a comparable quantity. Lam likewise accepted give up cryptocurrency traceable to the offense. This figure is different from the more than $263 million that a 2025 superseding indictment credited to the ring’s total operations throughout several victims.
Track and field How the $245 Million Crypto Theft Worked
To find targets, some ring members breached sites and servers or acquired taken information on the dark web, consequently evaluating the details to determine high-net-worth cryptocurrency holders. Other members then approached these people by impersonating workers of relied on business, according to DOJ filings
In the days leading up to the biggest theft, the group consistently sent out Washington, D.C. guy alerts concerning unapproved Google gain access to efforts. A ring member then called, impersonating a Google assistance representative helping with suspicious login activity, and persuaded the victim to approve access to his account.
After identifying the victim’s cryptocurrency holdings, the group even more impersonated Gemini security workers. The victim was asked for to offer authentication codes and required security details, therefore helping with the ring members’ access to the cryptocurrency wallets.
On Aug. 18, 2024, Lam and his co-conspirators moved more than 4,100 Bitcoins out of the victim’s control. This possession was valued at roughly $245.1 million in court filings associated with the plea contract, making it the biggest single theft credited to the ring. The method operandi counted on controling the victim into giving up login qualifications, instead of making use of vulnerabilities in Bitcoin or jeopardizing Google and Gemini systems.
Track and field From Stolen Crypto to Luxury Assets
According to district attorneys, the taken cryptocurrency was routed through blending services, exchanges, and intermediary wallets before being transformed into money or bank transfers. The ring likewise made use of phony recognition, shell business, and candidates to hide ownership of lorries and property deals.
The funds were utilized to rent houses in Miami, Los Angeles, and the Hamptons, charter personal jets, employ personal security workers, and acquire a large variety of high-end products. The whole ring apparently invested roughly $4 million at clubs and $9 million on cars. Lam alone invested $569,000 in a single night in Los Angeles and acquired a watch valued at around $2 million.
Amongst the taken possessions were at least 28 high-end automobiles, varying in worth from $100,000 to $3.8 million each. The fleet consisted of designs from Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Pagani. The forfeit orders likewise incorporated roughly 95 pieces of fashion jewelry, watches, clothes, and other high-end brand name products.
Track and field What Happens Next
Lam stays in custody following his arrest by the FBI at a leased home in Miami on Sept. 18, 2024. Following his guilty plea, the case transfers to the sentencing stage, although the court has actually not yet set a particular date. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly will hold a status conference on Dec. 8, 2026, and might develop the subsequent schedule at that time.
In addition to prospective jail time, Lam deals with monetary commitments stated in the plea arrangement, consisting of around $245.1 million in restitution and a comparable loss cash judgment. Cryptocurrency traceable to the offense is likewise based on forfeit, while thepossession healing procedure for victims and procedures versus other accuseds stay continuous.
On a great day, a Nigerian business owner hardly ever believes about the mechanics of a telephone call. A client dials an 080 number, an automatic welcoming plays, a representative responses, an order is verified, or a grievance is solved, and service progress.
On a bad day, the call does not link. Or it links just after a number of efforts. Or an entrepreneur finds that a previous staff member has actually left with crucial client discussions– and the consumers themselves– kept on an individual mobile SIM.
For Mayowa Okegbenle and Opeyemi Shokunbi, creators of PressOne, the Lagos-based cloud-telephony business, the sharp detach in between how company phone systems should operate and how they in fact run in Nigeria provided an engaging market chance.
The core worth proposal was basic: a small company with 4, 5, or 10 workers ought to have the ability to run an expert phone network– total with automatic greetings, extensions, smart call routing, and total interaction records– without needing a business IT budget plan or a bank’s capital.
“When you call a bank, you hear, ‘Welcome to the name of the bank. Press one for this, press 2 for that,'” Mayowa Okegbenle, PressOne’s co-founder and president, stated in an interview with TechCabal on Tuesday, September 8. “Why can’t everybody have that? Why is that scheduled for banks and huge business?”
In Nigeria, the barrier has actually traditionally been a mix of undependable facilities, challenging economics, and a telecom community that is extremely complicated for little and medium-sized business (SMEs). PressOne went into that market in 2021 and acquired substantial traction by 2022. The creators rapidly found that obtaining consumers was not their hardest issue. The real obstacle lay in maintaining them enough time to transform fast adoption into a resilient, successful company.
That difference is important in a tech environment that often errors user acquisition for long-lasting practicality. PressOne’s trajectory provides a grounded lesson: in a membership design where consumers are unaccustomed to repeating charges, capital can change hugely, and service quality depends upon external telecom networks, registering consumers is simply the beginning line.
ATP From individual number to business facilities
The idea behind PressOne stemmed from Okegbenle’s individual friction.
In 2019, while running another endeavor, he grew annoyed with counting on his individual contact number as the main service channel. An individual mobile line offered no oversight or control. He might not keep track of staff member interactions, audit service quality, or secure client relationships when personnel turned over.
“I simply could not fathom the concept of utilizing my individual line for your organization,” he stated. “I can’t see who is speaking to clients, what they are stating. I can’t picture it.”
Leveraging his software application engineering background and available interactions APIs, Okegbenle constructed an exclusive call-handling setup for his own operations.
While the software application assembly was fairly uncomplicated, the wider market obstacle was apparent: most small company owners did not have both the technical ability and the bandwidth to build comparable tools. That space ended up being PressOne’s target audience.
The innovation was fairly low-cost, according to him. The more difficult part was that the majority of small-business owners had neither the technical proficiency nor the time to develop it themselves. That space ended up being the chance PressOne was developed around.
Cloud telephone systems– utilizing Internet-based procedure systems to handle business calls together with Private Branch Exchange (PBX) architecture — had actually existed worldwide for years. Nigerian SMEs were typically too little for significant operators, unknown with personal network service providers, and reluctant to embrace standard landline numbers that regional clients regularly neglect.
PressOne packaged this backend intricacy into a plug-and-play service utilizing familiar regional mobile number formats.
A company might protect a number, set up a customized IVR welcoming, onboard personnel, and handle inbound and outbound interactions from a centralised control panel.
“Our consumers are normally non-consumers of that service,” Okegbenle stated. “What we pertained to carry out in the marketplace was, we in fact developed that market by presenting business owners and entrepreneur to this.”
He compares PressOne’s technique to the advancement of digital payments in Nigeria. Electronic deals existed long in the past fintech start-ups brought them to casual merchants.
Early leaders like Interswitch developed the underlying rails by linking ATMs and Point-of-Sale (PoS) terminals across the country.
The development for the existing generation of fintechs was not developing brand-new rails, however abstracting that intricacy for a much more comprehensive merchant base.
PressOne intended to mirror that shift in company interactions.
PressOne personnel speaking with an audience at the Africa Startup Festival. Image source: PressOne
ATP The telecom matrix behind the software application
Cloud telephone in Nigeria is not simply a software application layer; it sits at the complex crossway of PBXs, public changed telephone networks(PSTN), affiliation contracts, numbering resources, billing structures, and rigorous policy.
A PBX system makes it possible for internal users to path calls through a shared facilities. To link those calls to external networks, nevertheless, the system needs direct provider gain access to. This presents a significant trust barrier. Telecom operators are naturally careful. Uncontrolled PBX networks can be made use of for caller-ID spoofing and “call masking”– a practice where global traffic is camouflaged as regional calls to bypass worldwide termination tariffs.
“The PBX is a well-known system since individuals utilize it for dubious things,” Okegbenle stated. “It’s called a trust concern.”
Running regional voice facilities likewise suggested browsing the regulative structure of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). PressOne protected a call-centre licence in 2022 through a subsidiary– a targeted classification under the Value-Added Services (VAS) structure– instead of pursuing wider telecom licences.
“The minute I required to establish a PBX, you’ve established a piece of facilities,” Okegbenle stated. “Now you require some sort of licence to link.”
ATP When acquisition stops to be the main issue
PressOne invested its very first year in 2021 fundraising, security regulative clearance, and hiring core technical skill. Its very first network engineer signed up with around December 2021, a 2nd engineer was worked with in March 2022, and the platform formally went live by July 2022.
By 2022, natural interest started to substance. By August 2023, after getting a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) licence through its subsidiary, PressOne had actually shown market need.
“At some point, we might get 500 consumers a week,” he stated, describing durations when marketing costs was turned on. “We had actually addressed the concern that this is going to be a company. We do not have a market issue.”
Aggressive acquisition metrics can mask extreme retention problems.
A brand-new customer may register for an organization number, record a welcome message, and include employee, just to desert the platform the following month.
Others registered through marketing projects without embedding the tool into their everyday functional workflows.
In membership software application, consumer acquisition can be purchased through efficiency marketing. Consumer retention should be made constantly.
“In 2022, in regards to simply pure varieties of clients, it was a peak year,” Okegbenle stated. “But then, as they came, they left. That’s a churn issue.”
ATP The economics of churn and cloud expenses
By 2024, PressOne rotated its functional focus from raw user development to mate analysis, determining particular early-stage user behaviours that associated with long-lasting retention.
The core problem was not just sending out automated billing renewal suggestions; it was guaranteeing the consumer discovered enough instant functional worth to think about the membership vital.
“We can get a hundred clients today,” Okegbenle stated. “We understand which ones will remain simply by their behaviour in the very first 3 days.”
PressOne started tracking particular activation sets off: whether a service completely configured its routing guidelines, included active staff member, or started outgoing calls within 72 hours of registration.
This shift was straight connected to PressOne’s system economics. The business changed its regular monthly membership prices up gradually, moving from around 1,500 ($1.13) to 6,000 ($4.54), and ultimately supporting around 10,000 ($7.57).
Unlike pure SaaS business where serving an extra user brings near-zero minimal expense, cloud telephone systems sustains instant functional costs upon onboarding. Contact number should be provisioned, adjoin channels preserved, provider routing charges settled, and real-time media servers ran.
“Our limited expense per user is absolutely not no,” Okegbenle highlighted. “Every single account brought onboard brings direct underlying expenses.”
Hosting facilities represents another substantial financial pressure point. Okegbenle mentioned that releasing comparable cloud capability in your area can be significantly more costly than utilizing international public cloud companies.
Regional information centre agreements typically require big in advance capital dedications rather than versatile, pay-as-you-go designs.
“You can quickly spin up a fundamental circumstances on AWS for $10 today as a designer,” he stated. “Local facilities setups hardly ever use that level of versatility or low entry limits.”
This highlights an essential friction in Nigeria’s information localisation push. While hosting digital facilities in your area boosts information sovereignty, decreases latency, and improves functional control, the greater capital expenses and stiff payment terms can strain early-stage start-ups trying to scale effectively.
ATP When the provider network is the traffic jam
For a voice platform, facilities difficulties extend beyond server hosting. A finished call should cross provider networks that experience substantial quality irregularity.
Okegbenle exposed that PressOne tracks call setup success rates throughout regional networks, tape-recording metrics well listed below fully grown global standards.
While PressOne attained a peak weekly success rate of 48% on particular routing channels, standard functional efficiency often hovered in between 30% and 31%. By contrast, tier-1 operators in South Africa (MTN, Vodacom, Telkom) provide call setup success rates in between 91% and 98%, while India averages over 90%.
To endure, Nigerian organizations naturally develop redundancy into their operations, preserving SIM cards from numerous mobile operators or keeping backup PoS terminals to process card payments when bank changes stop working.
PressOne presented a comparable failover system for organization telephone. The platform offers real-time exposure into path efficiency, permitting merchants to get and change in between numbers throughout various provider foundations depending upon real-time network stability.
“Operating here resembles residing in an estate with unpaved roadways– you wind up purchasing a specialised car simply to browse it,” Okegbenle stated. “Every gamer in this market acquires the underlying facilities traffic jams.”
ATP Programmable telephone systems: The next layer
Browsing these provider restraints led PressOne to look beyond its initial SME item.
On September 11, the business prepares to formally release Signals, a programmable telephone systems API layer developed for software application designers, fintechs, business, and expert system platforms.
Linked throughout 6 significant telecom networks, PressOne declares the system has an everyday handling capability of approximately 5 million calls.
The long-lasting goal is to turn voice interactions into a plug-and-play API layer, matching how payment entrances streamlined deal processing for digital applications.
Under this design, a logistics platform might immediately set off voice contacts us to verify shipments and procedure consumer keypad actions. An AI platform might incorporate real-time voice interactions without requiring to work out private provider affiliations or construct out telecom operations from scratch.
“The existing generation of fintech development might not exist without API-driven banking facilities,” Okegbenle stated. “For PressOne, our next development stage is ending up being that facilities layer for voice.”
ATP Reaching success
PressOne mentions it has actually now accomplished success after fine-tuning its system economics and capital allotment technique in action to a tighter equity capital environment.
Okegbenle kept in mind that even throughout durations of plentiful capital, he prioritised developing a self-reliant service over relying forever on external equity.
“Today, yes, we pay,” he verified. “Achieving self-sustainability was constantly the long-lasting goal.”
PressOne’s preliminary acquisition metrics showed that Nigerian SMEs actively looked for professionalised service interactions. The subsequent retention obstacles showed that market need alone can not sustain an endeavor.
For PressOne, reaching monetary sustainability needed organized functional modifications: recognizing high-retention consumer sections, lining up prices with underlying provider expenses, and engineering software application that can dependably manage voice interactions throughout unpredictable facilities networks.
Real scale needs moving beyond surface-level combinations to robust execution. We’ve filtered the sound out of Moonshot 2026, optimising the conference strictly for high-calibre connections in between start-up creators, international monetary operators, business leaders and people rewiring Africa’s technical structures. Get 20% off Early Bird tickets for a restricted time
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The Federal Government has been urged to intensify efforts to control inflation and stabilise the Nigerian economy, as persistent economic pressures threaten harmonious industrial relations and the productivity of organisations across the country.
