Editors’s Note

Dear Weekender readers,

I hope you are all doing well and staying as safe as you possibly can. I have spent majority of this week pondering on the importance of peace. Peace of mind, peace in our nations, and overall peace in the world. How do we achieve peace in our personal lives and across the board in broader society? What does peace mean to you?

Our lead story spotlights the plight of many Nigerians across the world who are advocating for a wholesome dissolution of Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) to end police brutality and the extra-judicial killings. On Thursday thousands of protesters took to the streets of Lekki and Ikeja in Lagos as well other states in Nigeria, to protest and relay their frustrations and make their requests known. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu announced the ban placed on SARS and all other tactical units of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). This good news came following the outcry on social media when a video was uploaded showing confusion around the Wetland Hotel in Ughelli area of Delta state, after SARS officials allegedly shot a young man to death and escaped with his vehicle. Police brutality needs to be addressed as a matter of absolute urgency. Across the world everyday folks and celebrities alike are lending their voices to this issue.

Read also; Disbanding of SARS only first step to police reform Buhari speaks finally

Inside this week’s edition find: An exclusive interview with Funmi Chiba the Chief Information Officer at Adidas and board member at Africa Prudential. As international Day of the girl child is on October 11th, this edition explores the various struggles of the girl child in Nigeria. We also speak to Emalohi Iruobe who is the founder of Tribe XX Lab, a female-led co-working space which just started an initiative to exterminate violence against women on school campuses. There is also an interview with Dr. Abasi Ene Obong who is the founder and chief executive officer of 54 Gene, a health technology company advancing the state of healthcare through large scale discovery and translational research, advanced molecular diagnostics, and inclusive clinical programs for the benefit of Africans and the global populations. We also talk to Tyrone Grandeur who has revolutionized the radio/voice-over industry in Nigeria. There is a piece on AI chatbots, a pasta recipe, HR advice, a piece on the importance of rest, a book review, a pasta recipe, Diary of a young executive featuring BusinessDay’s Head of Digital Services and a lot more exciting content.

In happy news, from a shortlist of 5, Okonjo Iweala, former minister of finance in Nigeria has made it to the final two candidates competing for the post of Director-General in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, a long-distance runner now holds two world records as on October 7, 2020, he broke the 10,000m world record with a finish time of 26 minutes 11 seconds, thus adding this to his previous 5000m world record smash on August 14, 2020. Also, Nigerian stocks did really well on Tuesday as it gained the most it had seen in the last five years. The equity market’s All Share Index (ASI) increased 4.9 percent in Lagos, becoming the best it had been since April 2015. More news updated in our weekly news round-up.
Have a restful weekend and Happy October. Thank you for reading.

Lehlé Balde