Leading Islamic hip-hop and Afro Pop singer, Hyb Addis drops new single ‘MA-LO-BE’

Leading Islamic hip-hop and rap artist
Hyb Addis, popularly known as Omo Ilorin Original, is back with a brand-new visual titled MALOBE — a powerful blend of culture, spirituality, and street inspiration.

Signed under Jummiey Entertainment International, Hyb Addis continues to stand out with his exceptional musical style, mixing Arabic, English, and Yoruba lyrics to deliver thought-provoking messages and energetic rhythms.

With years of consistency in the music industry, Addis has earned multiple local and international awards and continues to push boundaries. His latest album features three international artists from the USA, India, and Indonesia, expanding his global footprint.

MALOBE is another masterpiece that showcases Hyb Addis’s talent, originality, and connection to his roots — infused with Quranic references, street wisdom, and Afro-pop vibes.

Enjoy the new single via this linkhttps://youtu.be/IXg0p3tvMOs?feature=shared

Don’t forget to LIKE, COMMENT & SUBSCRIBE for more amazing music from Hyb Addis. Turn on notifications so you don’t miss upcoming releases — more hits are on the way!

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Africa’s Energy Icon: Dr Olakunle Williams Turns 38, Bags Honorary Doctorate Award as His Legacies Resounds Across Africa

By Chinedu Nsofor

Today the African energy community joins family, friends, partners and admirers around the world to celebrate a man whose life has become a testimony of brilliance purpose and visionary leadership. Dr Olakunle Williams (President and Chief Executive Officer of Tetracore Energy Group) and one of Africas most influential voices in the natural gas and power industry as he marks his thirty eighth birthday today.

His birthday this year carries a deeper glow, a richer meaning and a wider celebration. Only a few days ago on the 3rd of December Lead City University Ibadan conferred on him the Doctor of Business Administration in recognition of his outstanding achievements and transformative contributions to the energy sector. The timing could not be more symbolic. It is as if the universe chose to honour a life of excellence just before another year of impact began. His new doctorate is not only an academic distinction. It is a mirror reflecting the depth of his work across Africa.
Dr Williams’s journey is one defined by clarity of purpose and an uncommon drive. With over sixteen years of experience across the natural gas and power value chain he has contributed to some of the most impactful energy developments in the region. His story began in the world of finance and advisory where he distinguished himself at Akintola Williams Deloitte as a Senior Tax Consultant. His brilliance earned him the Outstanding Tax Consultant award in the twenty eleven twenty twelve financial year. He advised major global companies including Agip Energy and Natural Resources Heineken International and Siemens Nigeria shaping tax strategies mergers acquisitions and investment structuring.
His transition into the national energy space marked the arrival of a new force. At the Nigerian National Petroleum Company he was instrumental in the establishment of the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company and in a span of only two years drove gas marketing initiatives that delivered more than twenty five million standard cubic feet of gas daily. His work in expanding gas supply into the West African region demonstrated his continental foresight and ability to convert vision into value.
As an alumnus of Lead City University where he graduated with First Class Honours in Law and as a holder of an international Master of Business Administration he embodies both academic excellence and corporate mastery. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants a Certified Management Consultant a Project Management Professional and a member of international professional bodies including the International Bar Association the Chartered Institute of Taxation and the Institute of Arbitrators.
His greatest imprint however lives in the legacy he is building through Tetracore Energy Group. Under his leadership Tetracore has become a continental powerhouse and one of the most important players in Africa’s gas future. Tetracore today maintains the largest gas trading portfolio in Nigeria with over ninety million standard cubic feet delivered daily. His projects power more than three hundred megawatts of industrial generation across the country. His forty million cubic feet City Gate in Edo State energizes more than eighteen industries. His compressed gas facility in Ogun State continues to strengthen the southwest industrial corridor. His development of a ten million cubic feet LNG plant and a one hundred megawatt power project demonstrates his unwavering commitment to energy security.
Beyond Nigeria his vision travels across borders. With a regional shippers license he is expanding gas into Ghana where Tetracore is developing the first compressed gas mother station in Tema. In Central Africa he has advanced liquefied gas infrastructure for power generation and industrial manufacturing. These are not ordinary achievements. They are the works of a man who sees Africa not as it is but as it can become.

His numerous recognitions reflect this greatness. He has been celebrated as the Nigeria Domestic Gas Ambassador. He has been named among the twenty five energy personalities to watch in Africa. He has received the Innovative Gas Company award the Fin Forbes Award of Excellence the Vanguard Energy Icon award the Nigeria Energy Champion award and a feature among the Choiseul one hundred Africa which honours the continent’s most influential young leaders. He was recently named Business Icon of the Year and decorated with the Professional Doctorate and Corporate Leadership Excellence Award in Ghana.

As he turns thirty eight today we celebrate not just the years he has lived but the lives he has touched, the industries he has shaped and the future he continues to power. May this new year open even greater doors. May his light shine brighter than every city his work has illuminated. May favour surround him like a shield and may the wisdom that guides him grow richer and deeper.

Happy birthday Dr Olakunle Williams(President/CEO Tetracore Energy Group). Africa celebrates you. The energy world honours you. The future waits for your next chapter.
You are Africa’s energy champion today and always.

From Boom to Burden: Nigeria’s Public Debt Skyrockets to ₦152.39 Trillion; The Fiscal Timebomb No One Can Afford to Ignore.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester, published on saharaweeklyng.com

“A deep dive into the National Bureau of Statistics’ Q2 2025 debt report, the drivers of the surge, its human and macroeconomic costs and urgent remedies the country must adopt.”

Nigeria’s public debt stock climbed to ₦152.39 trillion in the second quarter of 2025, a number so large it should break the complacency of every policymaker, investor and citizen. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed the figure in its Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt Report for Q2 2025, noting that the total represents an increase from ₦149.38 trillion in Q1 2025 and an eye-watering year-on-year rise of about ₦18.09 trillion from Q2 2024.

This is not arithmetic on a spreadsheet. It is a health check on the nation’s financial body and the diagnosis is troubling. The report shows that external debt stood at ₦71.84 trillion (about US$46.98 billion) while domestic debt reached ₦80.55 trillion (about US$52.67 billion), meaning domestic borrowing now accounts for just over half of the stock and is driving much of the recent rise.

What the numbers mean and why they are dangerous. A 2.01% quarter-on-quarter rise to ₦152.39 trillion may look modest in percentage terms, but the absolute jump and its composition carry several threats:

Debt service crowding-out. Debt servicing already consumes a growing share of government revenues. In the first quarter of 2025, public debt servicing ran into the trillions of naira monthly, a drain on funds that would otherwise finance hospitals, schools, roads and social safety nets. When more revenue goes to pay creditors, less remains for capital expenditure that lifts living standards.

Exchange rate and currency risk. A large external component exposes Nigeria to exchange rate volatility. When the naira weakens, the naira-equivalent cost of external obligations rises, inflating the debt stock in naira terms even when dollar liabilities are unchanged. This mechanism has pushed Nigeria’s debt figures higher in recent quarters.

Shift toward domestic borrowing. The tilt to domestic markets can temporarily shield Nigeria from forex swings but it is not benign: domestic borrowing competes with the private sector for savings, can raise interest rates and risks “crowding out” private investment. The NBS data show domestic debt now represents roughly 52.9% of the total stock which is a structural shift with consequences for growth.

Fiscal sustainability and bond market appetite. Investors will demand higher yields if they sense fiscal slippage or that borrowing is financing consumption rather than productive investment. Higher yields increase future debt service costs and can precipitate a vicious cycle of borrowing and servicing. International lenders and rating agencies watch these trends closely.

Voices of alarm; experts weigh in. This is not just a numbers story. Economists and fiscal watchdogs have repeatedly warned that Nigeria’s rising debt service burden risks displacing essential public investment. Muda Yusuf, CEO of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, has stressed that the country’s growing debt-service obligations are already outpacing capital expenditure and that if left unchecked the trend will “CROWD OUT ESSENTIAL GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS.” His warning is a sober reminder that borrowing without a credible plan for revenue growth and efficiency is a recipe for stagnation.

From the policy side, Finance Minister Olawale (Wale) Edun has defended ongoing reforms while acknowledging the fiscal pressures they aim to correct; his public commentary has emphasized the need to balance reform momentum with debt sustainability. But words must be matched with concrete measures and revenue reform, expenditure prioritization and transparent use of loan proceeds.

BudgIT and other civil-society monitors have also cautioned that fresh borrowing plans risk breaching prudential thresholds unless accompanied by aggressive fiscal consolidation and transparency. The public deserves clear accounting of what loans are for and how they translate into jobs, services and growth.

Who owes what? – sub-national contributions and the Lagos effect. The NBS report flagged that several sub-national governments (states and local councils) account for a material portion of liabilities. Lagos State, Africa’s commercial powerhouse, tops the list of state debtors, reflecting a mix of infrastructure projects and financing strategies used by its government. This raises questions about the sustainability of state borrowing and coordination with federal debt strategy.

State borrowing is not inherently wrong: cities and states need capital for roads, water and urban services. But the danger comes when short-term revenue mismatches finance long-term projects, or when guarantees and contingent liabilities are not transparently recorded in public accounts, risks that compound national exposure.

The human cost; AUSTERITY by another name. Debt is not an abstract macro variable; it is translated into policy choices that affect ordinary Nigerians. When debt servicing eats into the budget, governments face stark options: cut capital projects, raise taxes, reduce subsidies or borrow more. Each option hits households. Higher taxes and reduced services fall hardest on the poor; heavier borrowing sows the seeds of future austerity. The recent rounds of subsidy reform and tariff adjustments illustrate how fiscal tightening quickly becomes a matter of daily survival for vulnerable families.

Practical policy prescriptions; what must happen now. Nigeria needs a coherent, aggressive and transparent strategy to arrest unsustainable debt dynamics. Key policy measures should include:

Fiscal consolidation anchored on revenue growth, not just austerity. Close tax gaps, widen the tax base, modernize collection and rationalize exemptions. Without credible revenue mobilization, debt reduction will be cosmetic.

Prioritize productive borrowing. New loans must be costed against expected economic returns. Borrow for infrastructure that catalyzes private investment and jobs; avoid borrowing to fund recurrent consumption.

Strengthen debt transparency and sub-national coordination. Publish timely, disaggregated debt data (federal, state, guaranteed, contingent liabilities) and enforce borrowing rules for states. Citizens must be able to see what is owed and for what purpose.

Protect capital expenditure. Ring-fence a minimum share of spending for capital projects; prioritize those with measurable social returns. Debt that finances growth pays for itself; debt that finances consumption destroys fiscal space.

Engage creditors for smarter terms. Where appropriate, renegotiate maturities, explore concessional windows, and pursue blended finance with private partners to reduce direct government exposure.

A closing warning and a call to action. Nigeria’s rise to ₦152.39 trillion in public debt is not destiny; it is a consequence of choices. The challenge for leaders is to choose policies that restore fiscal balance, revive growth and protect the poorest. As Muda Yusuf cautioned, the country cannot allow debt servicing to outpace capital spending or to become the tail that wags the dog.

If policymakers fail to act decisively, the result will be slow growth, higher costs of living and a future generation saddled with the obligation to repay a debt that did not translate into durable prosperity. The NBS report is a clarion call and EVERY RESPONSIBLE NIGERIAN, from the PRESIDENCY to the STREET, must treat it as such.