Julius Berger commits to Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour

Leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC has joined forces with the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour, a national initiative aimed at promoting climate resilience and sustainable development across Nigeria to further the goals of the project. The initiative was inaugurated inside the State House Conference Centre, Abuja Tuesday.

Speaking at the event, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was represented by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, urged governors, Organised Private Sector actors and fellow stakeholders to lead Nigeria’s climate transition, transforming awareness into practical action at all levels while calling on governors, private sector leaders, and stakeholders to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a resilient, low-carbon economy.

Tinubu, said climate change was not only a risk but also an opportunity for innovation, growth, and national development.

“Today we inaugurate a movement, the Renewed Hope Climate Change Awareness Tour. It is a national call to action, a call to innovation, opportunity, and sustainable development for all Nigerians,” Tinubu said.

Stressing that Nigeria stood at a defining moment as the global transition to low-carbon development accelerated, the President said, “capital is shifting, markets are evolving, and technology is transforming industries. Nigeria intends to lead tomorrow.”

He explained that the tour would take climate awareness beyond conference halls into communities, engaging governors, traditional rulers, students, innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers, and financial institutions nationwide. By so doing, he added that, bankable projects will be identified, local solutions unlocked, climate finance capacity strengthened, and partnerships between the public and private sectors mobilise.

To the stakeholders, the President said that nationally determined contributions were commitments to reduce emissions, enhance resilience, and safeguard communities, saying, “commitments must be matched with action, supported by investment, and this tour bridges that gap.”

He further tasked young Nigerians to take ownership of the climate transition, stressing that their ideas, technology, and entrepreneurship would shape the nation’s future while aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Said he, “climate resilience is national security. Leadership is not a budget; it is a result we must accept with confidence. Nigeria chooses leadership over hesitation,”

Also, the Director of Forestry in the ministry, Halima Bawa, stressed the urgency of confronting climate change, noting its effects, including desert encroachment, flooding, coastal erosion, and erratic rainfall affecting farmers.

Lawal lauded the Climate Change Act 2021 for establishing a legal framework for coordinated climate governance, carbon budgeting, and a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2060, institutionalising climate action across sectors.

Special Assistant to the President on Climate Change Matters, Yussuf Kelani, said the tour represented a national movement grounded in leadership, collaboration, and commitment to Nigeria’s environmental and economic security.

Kelani, Chairman of the REHCCAT Committee, said the initiative sought to democratise climate knowledge, align federal and state-level action with Nigeria’s NDCs, and mobilise partnerships, green jobs, and climate finance.

Guest Speaker, Prof. Babajide Alo, emphasised that climate resilience required locally led adaptation, community empowerment, and capacity-building to actively manage climate risks and implement sustainable solutions.

“Securing Nigeria’s climate future requires revisiting priorities and lifestyles, embracing responsible consumption, reducing carbon footprints, and embedding sustainable development in every sector,” Alo said, calling for action at all levels.

For Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, the Chief Risk Officer, Mrs Shakira Mustapha said the target of well-wishers of Nigeria is a net zero emission by 2060.

We commit to achievement of the goals. We are committed to it; and we will continue to innovate to achieve environmental-friendly operations to align with Federal government goal on sustainability, she said; adding, we will continue to support the movement to achieve these set goals.

Last September, Nigeria submitted its NDC 3.0, committing to reduce Green House Gas, GHG emissions by 32% by 2035. Nigeria has now committed to reducing Green House Gas by 29% by 2030 and 32% by 2035 compared to 2018 levels.

In attendance at the event were top government functionaries including presidential aides and key private sector drivers, including a strong delegation from Julius Berger Nigeria PLC.

According to REHCCAT, the Key Sectoral Goals of the Tour include: to achieve a 60% reduction in fugitive emissions (leaks and venting) from the oil and gas industry; a major focus with a mitigation potential of 27.3 Mt CO2e and achieve 52% of on-grid and off-grid generation capacity from renewable energy sources.

Other Key Sectoral Goals include; replacing power generation of 100% diesel and single-cycle steam turbines with combined-cycle turbines by 2030, reduce tree cutting by 60% and transition 30% of vehicles by 2035.

Declaring that the aforementioned goals require $337 billion in investment by 2035, REHCCAT stressed that “we don’t have a Plan B, because we don’t have a Planet B,” even as it called on the private sector to contribute through innovation to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

The Awareness Tour has been scheduled to visit all six geographical zones in the country to promote awareness of climate change across Nigeria.

AKOGATE, CANAANLAND CLUB SUSTAIN PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

• KIDS, PARENTS, OTHERS MEET IN KOKO

Preparations for the one-day golf training for kids in Nigeria are in top gear, says Chief Executive Officer of Akogate Group, Hon Felix Aganbi.

‘’This year, 50 children will take part in the golf training scheduled to begin from 7:00am on March 8, 2026, in Koko, Delta State’’ Aganbi said Monday morning.

The high-level training is expected to attract local and foreign golf scouts.

‘’Golf scouts, officials, fans, professional and amateur players will ensure the kids and parents maintain a respectful and high-quality experience’

A statement from Canaan Land Golf and Country Club, Koko said kids, parents and members of the club would on Sunday, March 8, 2026, celebrate women’s social, cultural, economic and political achievements, call for change and raise awareness against bias.

‘’The International Women’s Day golf training for young people hopes to promote positive youth development through sport and help the children to develop self-worth and resilience, imbibe the virtue of honesty, accountability and justice’’.

‘’Kids, mothers, husbands and others are looking to the Canaan Land golf training and tournament to improve their game through a mixture of physical conditioning, technical skill development and the use of specialized aids’’

Aganbi listed grip, posture, alignment, chipping, putting, strategic thinking, flexibility and mobility, core strength and power as key areas of focus in the golf training.

‘’We have the physical facilities, human and material resources’’ the statement added.

International Women’s Day 2026: Julius Berger set to uplift women

Leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC is set to uplift women in celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2026. The Day is marked across the world on the 8th of March annually to underscore the achievements of women who have progressed and developed the society. On the special day too, women’s interest groups and organisations raise a loud voice for the execution of women’s rights and their security.

At Julius Berger, this year’s International Women’s Day, IWD 2026 will be celebrated across all its Regions nationwide on Friday, March 6, 2026.

Also, in line with this year’s IWD theme, “Give to Gain,” Julius Berger plans to carry out an outreach program to government secondary schools. The company stated that it is planning for two schools in Abuja and one in each of the Regions during the company’s lunch break period to partake in the outreach program on the said date. We will visit selected secondary schools to support and encourage young girls through motivational talk and distribution of gifts and Julius Berger women-volunteers will be part of the team to visit the schools.

Same day Julius Berger plans a webinar featuring a distinguished guest speaker, to be held at 4pm. The session will be open to all staff members to join virtually, the company added.

Put together, the organisers hold that, the entire initiative will reinforce the belief that when we give knowledge, support, and opportunity, we collectively gain a stronger future generation, thus underscoring the theme of the 2026 IWD; “Give to Gain.”

The IWD was founded in 1911. On March 8 every year, women wear ribbons of purple colour around their wrists; they also use batches and stripes of combined green, purple and white colours.

For gender balancing, every year a theme is presented by the United Nations for the Day. The prevalence of the theme will remain to continue all the yearlong and afterwards for the pursuance of the purpose of Womens’ Day. The Day remains a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for advancing gender equality.

This year, IWD marks an extraordinary milestone: 115 years of collective action, advocacy, and progress toward gender equality. For more than a century, IWD has helped drive transformative change. Each generation has built on the courage of those before it, pushing boundaries and redefining what is possible. This year, Julius Berger plans to enhance its participation in the IWD for better womenfolk nationwide.

PRESIDENT TINUBU EXCITED AT ESTABLISHMENT OF LIFC, SAYS SANWO-OLU

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu is very excited about the establishment of the proposed Lagos International Financial Centre (LIFC).

Governor Sanwo-Olu made the disclosure on Sunday evening during the welcome dinner in honour of the delegates at the Nigeria Foreign Direct Investment Training Programme holding at the Moller Institute, University of Cambridge, England.

The training is at the behest of the Lagos International Financial Centre, organised by TheCityUK, and funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom.

In his opening remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the stakeholders should be proud that President Tinubu is in support of the establishment of the Lagos International Financial Centre.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is the Chairman of the Lagos International Financial Centre Council, said LIFC is not about any particular person or region but about the country to position Nigeria in global space.

He said: “President Tinubu is aware of this meeting and our activity. He was very excited when I spoke with him for almost one hour yesterday (Saturday). He is really expecting a memo from us on this, a high-level paper just to ventilate his thought process. He wants to take leadership and ownership of it, which we all can expect.

“We should be thankful that we have a President who can see very quickly and support what we are trying to build, the idea we are trying to conceive and the growth we are trying to give the country. So under his leadership, we all should be proud that if we get this, which we will by God’s grace given the calibre of the turnout, we will get to the final line.

“We have actually been changing the face of many things, and it is a starting point. I think in the next two days, we are going to further ventilate the idea. It is not about any particular person or region; it is about the country and the conversation on how big the country is that will need to use that platform to position the country in that global space where people can truly know that we are serious.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the commitment of major stakeholders in the LIFC project, which included international organisations, top officials of the Federal Government and Lagos State Government, members of the National Assembly, regulatory agencies and the EnterpriseNGR.

Also speaking, the co-chairman of the LIFC Council, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, expressed confidence about the establishment of the Lagos International Financial Centre based on the calibre of stakeholders behind the project.

Aig-Imoukhuede, who commended the unity and commitment of the key stakeholders to the LIFC project, reiterated the dedication of the private sector, saying, “Over the last few days, they have been getting us to see beyond what we are accepting to see and to think really big. It is very motivating to all of us in the private sector.”

The high level training is currently holding at the Moller Institute, University of Cambridge and participants include the Chairman of LIFC, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his co-Chairman, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede, Senators Tokunboh Abiru, Adamu Aliero and Sadiq Umar Abubakar, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, CEO of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms Aisha Rimi, representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other Senior Government officials.

SIGNED

GBOYEGA AKOSILE

SPECIAL ADVISER – MEDIA AND PUBLICITY

FEBRUARY 23, 2026

BREAKING: LIRS EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR FILING OF ANNUAL RETURNS TO FEBRUARY 7, 2026

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has extended the deadline for filing of employers’ annual tax returns by one week, from February 1 to February 7, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Executive Chairman of LIRS, Dr. Ayodele Subair, explained that the statutory deadline for filing of employers’ annual tax returns is January 31, every year. He noted that the extension is intended to provide employers with additional time to complete and submit accurate tax returns.

Dr. Subair stated that employers must give priority to the timely filing of their annual returns, noting that compliance should be embedded as a routine business practice.

He also reiterated that electronic filing through the LIRS eTax platform remains the only approved method for submitting annual returns, as manual filings have been completely phased out. Employers are therefore required to file their returns exclusively through the LIRS eTax portal: https://etax.lirs.net.

Describing the platform as secure, user-friendly, and accessible 24/7, Dr. Subair advised employers to ensure that the TaxID (Tax Identification Number) of all employees is correctly captured in their submissions.

For further enquiries or assistance, employers may visit any LIRS office or contact the Service through the following channels:

• Website: www.lirs.gov.ng
• Facebook & LinkedIn: Lagos State Internal Revenue Service
• Instagram & YouTube: @lirsgovng
• X (formerly Twitter): @lirs_govng
• Email: etaxinfo@lirs.net
• Customer Care Hotline: 0700-CALL-LIRS (0700-2255-5477)

Signed

Monsurat Amasa-Oyelude

Head, Corporate Communications, LIRS