Today’s Headlines: I’m Not Intimidated By Tinubu, Atiku-Okereke, Obasanjo, Others to Grace FT Africa

The Presidential Candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Dr. Esther Okereke, says she is not intimidated by the incumbent, President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, or any other “heavyweight” candidate on the ballot for the 2027 presidential election.

Okereke stated this during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Sunday.She expressed confidence in her capacity and her party’s vision to rebuild the country.

The female presidential candidate noted that political credibility rests on clear governance blueprints rather than party size or political longevity. She explained that the NRM’s symbol, the bee, reflects the party’s core ideology of productivity, public service, and national development.

The Financial Times Africa Summit returns for its 13th edition this month in London with Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, among others that have confirmed to take part.

The two-day summit will bring together African leaders, policymakers, investors and executives to examine the issues shaping the continent’s economic future.

Other confirmed speakers include Aliko Dangote, President and Chief Executive, Dangote Group; Jakaya Kikwete, Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Kristy Mcneill, Minister for International Development, UK Government; Mo Ibrahim, Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation; and Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance, Ethiopia, alongside ministers and business leaders from South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Angola, Mauritius, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bill Gates on Sunday warned that unregulated artificial intelligence poses a growing threat and predicted an escalation in AI-powered cyberattacks in the coming year.

The Microsoft co-founder said the risk of AI “getting out of control” remained years away and emphasized that the immediate concern was “bad people” using existing systems without safeguards.

“The front that we’ll probably see most dramatically in the next year is cyberattacks,” Gates said in an interview with ABC News.

“The real danger right now is not the AI’s getting out of control. We need to work on that, but that’s years away in terms of the big impact that might have,” he said.

A former senior journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation, Gbolahan Peter Macjob, has been appointed spokesperson to former senator Iyabo Obasanjo, in a move that brings an experienced media professional into the former lawmaker’s communications team.

Macjob, who has worked with the BBC, is expected to draw on his journalism and media experience in communicating Obasanjo’s positions, activities and public engagements.

His professional profile and published work indicate experience in broadcast journalism, including contributions to BBC reporting. His appointment comes amid renewed political activity involving Obasanjo, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

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