The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Pan-Atlantic University, is proud to announce the public unveiling of the second edition of its landmark exhibition, Collecting Now. Opening on October 11, 2025, the exhibition presents 90 significant works on loan from six distinguished Nigerian collectors – Olufemi Akinsanya, Ifeyinwa Momah, Tayo Odunsi, Nonso Okpala, Bimpe Nkontchou and Yemi Ogunbiyi – offering audiences privileged access to a diverse range of traditional, modern and contemporary art rarely seen outside private collections.

Following the success of its maiden edition in 2024, Collecting Now has become an important platform for highlighting the practice of art collecting in Nigeria and its role in sustaining the country’s cultural and creative economy. Featuring works across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, the exhibition illuminates the interplay between individual taste and collective heritage. This year’s showcase is particularly notable for spotlighting two women collectors whose perspectives illustrate the multifaceted power of collecting—as a way of living and as an act of advocacy.

“The Collecting Now series reinforces YSMA’s role as a pioneering institution that brings private visions into public spaces,” said Dr. Jess Castellote, Director of the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art. “We are not only presenting exceptional works of art but also shaping a critical conversation about collecting as a cultural practice that ensures continuity, strengthens our art ecosystem, and connects Nigeria’s artistic legacy with future generations.”

Reflecting on her participation in the exhibition, one of the featured collectors, Ifeyinwa Momah, shared: “For me, art is everyday living—it fills my spaces, shapes my memories, and inspires how I see the world. This exhibition is deeply meaningful because it allows these personal experiences to be encountered publicly, sparking conversations that affirm the value of art in our daily lives. I am proud to stand alongside fellow collectors in sharing our journeys through this platform at YSMA.”

The exhibition enjoys the continued support of Ark Insurance Brokers, who, for the second time, are sponsoring the insurance of the entirety of works on display. Their renewed partnership underscores their position as a leading brokerage provider for the arts in Nigeria, with a longstanding commitment to supporting culture and creativity alongside their broader insurance expertise.

“Our partnership with YSMA for Collecting Now reflects our enduring belief that Nigerian art is a national treasure worthy of world-class protection,” remarked Kayode Awogboro, Managing Director of Ark Insurance Group. “As a trusted name in insurance, we take pride in safeguarding collections of immense cultural value, while affirming our commitment to the arts as part of the fabric of society.”

Through this initiative, YSMA affirms its position as a pioneering institution dedicated to advancing cultural scholarship, deepening public access to art, and celebrating the vision of Nigerian collectors as curators and preservers of history and heritage. The general public is invited to see Collecting Now II between October 11, 2025 to February 9, 2026 at the Olori Funmilayo Shyllon Exhibition Gallery of the YSMA at Pan-Atlantic University.

About Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art

Described as “the apex of a collector’s aspiration to preserve his art” and voted Museum Opening of the Year by Apollo Magazine in 2020, the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA) at Pan-Atlantic University is Nigeria’s leading art institution, committed to service and impact through the preservation and showcase of the rich artistic heritage of Nigeria. With an extensive collection of artworks spanning centuries, YSMA offers a diverse range of exhibitions, educational programs, and activities designed to create immersive experiences for visitors and to enrich the cultural landscape of the nation. 

To learn more about the YSMA and its initiatives, visit www.museum.pau.edu.ng.

The Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL Plc) has announced a remarkable rebound in its operations, which has resulted in the facilitation of over ₦70 billion in commercial financing for agribusiness as at Q3 2025, its strongest annual performance since inception.

In operation since 2013, this result represents nearly a quarter of the organisation’s cumulative ₦270 billion facilitated for agriculture and agribusiness to date, an achievement that underscores the impact of NIRSAL’s revamped strategy under its new Board and Executive Management. 

The timing of this turnaround is critical: Bank lending to agriculture had been in steady decline, falling from 6.18% of aggregate lending in 2022 to 4.82% in 2024, while sectoral growth slowed from 2.5% to 1.7% within the same period. By applying its signature tools for value chain modelling to address identified issues, providing technical support to agribusinesses and financial institutions, all while deploying its risk-sharing frameworks, NIRSAL has restored lender confidence thus channelling fresh funds into key value chains, including grains, cocoa, shea, and livestock. 

In terms of impact, there has been an improvement in local production across key commodities and a positive balance of trade for agriculture, with over 32% of the facilitated sum directly supporting value-added commodity export. Most notably, agriculture’s share of bank lending has risen again to 5.33% as of May 2025, reflecting renewed interest from financiers. Two newly licensed banks have also entered the sector relying on NIRSAL’s frameworks, contributing to the ₦70 billion facilitated so far this year.

Commenting on the milestone, NIRSAL’s Managing Director/CEO, Sa’ad Hamidu, said: “₦70 billion may appear modest compared to the size of Nigeria’s agricultural financing needs, but the significance is profound. It proves that agriculture can be commercially and sustainably financed. With the right blend of capital, technical support, and risk mitigation, the sector can become more productive, resilient, and globally competitive.”

Hamidu added that NIRSAL remains confident of hitting its ₦150 billion target for 2025: “This is not yet the peak of the harvest season when merchants typically seek credit for offtake and storage, and when super agro-dealers stock up on fertilisers and inputs ahead of the next planting cycle. Therefore, the opportunities still to come give us every reason for optimism.”

Beyond headline figures, NIRSAL is working to reshape the lending landscape for agriculture. Its integrated model, spanning prospect identification, deal structuring, business advisory, and credit guarantees, handholds agribusinesses from loan origination to disbursement. Also, by providing tailored advisory and risk mitigation, the institution helps businesses once deemed unbankable to gain access to sustainable credit.

Through this approach NIRSAL aid the creation of a pipeline of emerging agribusinesses while supporting established firms to scale. Meanwhile, several borrowers who once engaged NIRSAL have since graduated into routine lending relationships with their bankers whose understanding of the dynamics of agribusiness has grown, leading to greater comfort in lending. This proves that the NIRSAL model is a pathway to long-term sustainability in the agriculture sector.

The ₦70 billion facilitated so far this year is a direct outcome of NIRSAL’s sustained capacity-building efforts for financial institutions. Through targeted training sessions for over 1,100 staff of banks, NIRSAL has deepened understanding of agricultural financing within its risk-sharing framework leading to an increase in loan request approvals. Similar training programs for agricultural value chain actors, including 450 participants trained on feedlot management, commodity export, and climate finance so far, will become increasingly evident over time, as capacity and confidence grow across these sub-sectors.

As part of its forward agenda, NIRSAL is developing a digital network it calls the NIRSAL LandBank portal—a connected ecosystem of agricultural stakeholders, from research and development to markets, to provide data-driven insights for investors, policy makers, and development partners for the identification of opportunities, risk reduction, and informed decision-making.

The LandBank portal would become an additional channel for project development, with climate finance another potential source of funding. NIRSAL continues to deepen its interest in and collaboration around climate finance, recently signing an understanding with the Rural Electrification Agency to provide off-grid power to production and processing clusters in rural locations. These efforts, the institution believes, will build resilience into the agricultural value chain and aid Nigeria’s push toward a $1 trillion economy.

Since its establishment, NIRSAL has remained faithful to its mandate of de-risking agricultural lending, facilitating finance across the value chain, and proving that agriculture is both bankable and sustainable. Its 2025 performance to date signals not just recovery, but a new era of confidence for Nigeria’s farmers, financiers, and the wider economy.

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The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has called for increased investment in Nigeria’s growing creative sector, emphasizing its potential to drive inclusive growth, job creation, and global competitiveness.

Speaking at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Musawa said the creative economy already contributes approximately 2.3% to the national GDP and provides employment for over 4.2 million Nigerians across multiple industries, including film, music, fashion, and the arts.

“Our creative economy is not just an entertainment sector—it’s a growth engine with immense potential to transform Nigeria’s image and economy,” she stated.

The minister praised the international success of Nollywood, the Nigerian fashion industry, and the Afrobeats music genre, describing them as shining examples of the country’s cultural and economic potential.

However, she noted that the sector continues to face challenges such as limited access to funding, inadequate infrastructure, and regulatory bottlenecks, which have constrained its expansion.

“We need financial institutions to develop tailored funding instruments that suit the unique needs of creatives,” Musawa urged. “Investments in infrastructure and skills development will ensure our talents can compete globally.”

Musawa also highlighted the ministry’s commitment to creating a supportive regulatory environment that fosters innovation and creativity, assuring stakeholders that ongoing reforms would remove barriers and enhance collaboration between the private sector and government.

“We are working to strengthen the policy and institutional framework that supports the creative industries,” she said. “Nigeria’s cultural and creative assets must become a central pillar of our national development strategy.”

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A tense on-air confrontation unfolded on Arise News on Tuesday between Minister of Works, David Umahi, and television anchor Rufai Oseni, during a live discussion on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The exchange, which quickly went viral on social media, began when Oseni questioned the Minister’s use of the title “Professor” and raised concerns about the transparency and environmental impact of the multibillion-naira coastal highway project.

Visibly irritated, Umahi accused the presenter of being disrespectful and uninformed, insisting that his academic title was legitimate and that his ministry had followed due process in awarding and executing the project.

“You cannot talk to me like that. You don’t know the details of what you’re saying,” Umahi retorted sharply, prompting Oseni to interject that journalists had a duty to hold public officials accountable.

The altercation continued for several minutes, with both men speaking over each other, before the broadcast host attempted to restore calm. Viewers reported that the tension was palpable, as Umahi defended the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway as a “transformational project” crucial for regional connectivity and economic growth.

Oseni, however, pressed further, citing reports of displacement of coastal communities and questioning the project’s transparency and cost efficiency.

Clips of the fiery exchange have since flooded X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, drawing thousands of comments. Many viewers sided with Oseni for his firm questioning, while others accused him of disrespecting a government minister on live television.

Neither the Ministry of Works nor Arise TV has issued an official statement as of press time, though the incident has reignited debate on media freedom and government accountability in Nigeria.

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A U.S. congressman, Riley M. Moore, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of “downplaying” what he described as the massacre of 7,000 Nigerian Christians, alleging that corrupt elements within the Nigerian government may be complicit in the ongoing violence.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr Moore who represents West Virginia’s 2nd District urged the Trump administration to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious persecution and to suspend arms sales and technical assistance to the Nigerian government until it demonstrates commitment to ending the “reign of persecution and slaughter.”

“The Nigerian government has sought to downplay the genocide of Christians, arguing that Nigeria has a broader issue with terrorism that affects people of all faiths,” Mr Moore wrote.

“While Nigerians of all faiths face terrorism, Christians are far and away the most targeted. This violence stems almost exclusively from Muslim groups and is explicitly anti-Christian. The attempt to diminish these facts does not speak well of the Nigerian government, nor does the prevalence of corruption that is complicit with terrorist acts.”

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The lawmaker described Nigeria as “the headquarters of no fewer than 22 Islamic terror groups” linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda networks. He cited Boko Haram, Ansaru, and ISIS-West Africa as major perpetrators, alleging that “corrupt cells of the Nigerian government may be directly involved in some attacks.”

Mr Moore further highlighted alarming statistics:

• 7,000 Christians killed in Nigeria in 2025 — an average of 35 per day.
• 19,100 churches attacked or destroyed since 2009.
• 250 Catholic clergy and 350 ministers from other denominations assaulted since 2015.
• 850 Christians currently held hostage by jihadist groups.
• 15 million people displaced by violence nationwide.

He noted that “more Christians are killed annually in Nigeria than in the rest of the world combined,” citing figures from Open Doors International.

Mr Moore’s remarks come amid renewed debate in Washington following Senator Ted Cruz’s introduction of the “Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act”, which seeks sanctions against Nigerian officials accused of enabling persecution or enforcing blasphemy laws.

Tinubu, Presidency Reject Allegations

President Bola Tinubu, speaking over the weekend in Plateau State, dismissed allegations of Christian persecution as “false narratives” pushed by foreign interests.

“Nigeria is a proud, sovereign nation built on the faith and resilience of its people. Here, no faith is under siege. Our churches, mosques, and traditional shrines stand side by side as symbols of unity,” Mr Tinubu said.

“We must never allow outsiders to tell us who we are or sow division among us. We are Nigerians, and we will stand together.”

Presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare also denounced the claims as “wild allegations.”

“Orchestrating false narratives about an unproven genocide in Nigeria is unacceptable. We reject this attempt to clothe our nation with a garment that is not hers,” he said in a statement on Monday.

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