THE FRAME

There are moments in international affairs when history does not knock twice. The present confrontation between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran may be one of those moments—not simply because of the geopolitical consequences of the conflict, but because of what the accompanying economic sanctions reveal about the architecture of the global financial system. On August 23–24, 2026, the United States expanded sanctions against Iran and warned countries and companies maintaining economic relationships with Tehran that they could face consequences, including potential exclusion from the dollar-based financial system. This is precisely why the BRICS countries must begin treating financial independence not as a distant ambition, but as an urgent strategic necessity. The issue is bigger than Iran. It is about whether the global economy should remain overwhelmingly dependent on one country's currency, financial institutions and payment infrastructure—or whether...

NIGERIA IS STILL PREPARING CHILDREN FOR A WORLD THAT NO LONGER EXISTS A child entering Primary One today may enter the workforce around 2040 or beyond. Yet, in many Nigerian classrooms, we are still preparing children for an economy and society shaped by the realities of the 1980s and 1990s. This is one of the greatest challenges facing our education system. The world is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, automation, digital technology, biotechnology, renewable energy, robotics, global finance and the digital economy are transforming how people live and work. If the Nigerian teacher does not urgently change the content, methods, style and form of teaching, we risk producing generations of young people who can pass examinations but struggle to solve problems, create opportunities, compete globally or adapt to a rapidly changing world. Education must therefore move from simply transferring information to developing capabilities, character, creativity and competence. 1...

Has Its Removal Made Nigeria Better? Nigeria's fuel subsidy story is one of the most complicated chapters in the country's economic history. What began as a policy intended to protect Nigerians from the shock of high petroleum prices gradually became a huge fiscal burden, a source of controversy, an incentive for smuggling and arbitrage, and—according to numerous audits and investigations—a system vulnerable to abuse. Yet the removal of subsidy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2023 created another painful reality: petrol prices rose sharply, transportation became expensive, food prices followed, businesses faced higher operating costs, and millions of Nigerians found their purchasing power severely weakened. The central question, therefore, is not simply "Was subsidy good or bad?" The more important question is: What did Nigeria do with the enormous resources committed to subsidy, and what has the country done with the savings since subsidy wa...