Month: March 2026

By Anas Abbas

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has died, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday following an unprecedented military offensive by the United States and Israel.

The joint strikes, which targeted key leadership and strategic sites across Iran, mark an escalation in the long-standing tensions between Tehran and its Western and Israeli adversaries.

Iran’s state television and official news agencies reported the 86-year-old leader’s death and announced 40 days of national mourning along with seven days of public holidays as the nation comes to terms with the loss.

Reports confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier stated that Khamenei was killed in coordinated military action, describing the outcome in stark terms on social media. Israeli officials also indicated that Khamenei’s compound in Tehran had been destroyed during the strikes.

Reports from Iranian media further indicate that members of Khamenei’s immediate family, including his daughter, son-in-law, and a grandchild, were also killed in the attack.

Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and guiding Iran’s hardline theocratic system for more than three decades. As supreme leader, he exercised ultimate authority over the country’s political, military and religious institutions and was a defining figure in shaping Tehran’s domestic and foreign policies.

The strikes have prompted swift retaliatory action by Iranian forces, with missile and drone launches directed at U.S. and allied positions across the region. Analysts warn that the developments could trigger broader instability across the Middle East.

Under Iran’s constitution, a transitional council composed of senior officials including the president, the judiciary chief and a Guardian Council cleric will temporarily oversee state affairs while the Assembly of Experts, a body of clerics, convenes to select a new supreme leader.

Observers say the power vacuum left by Khamenei’s death and the sweeping geopolitical fallout from the U.S. Israeli military operation will have far-reaching consequences for Iran and the wider region in the weeks and months ahead.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 4.07% in the fourth quarter of 2025, marking the second time in a decade, excluding the post-pandemic rebound, that quarterly growth has surpassed the 4% threshold, according to new data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, welcomed the figures on Tuesday, framing them as evidence that the economic reforms initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration are gaining traction.

The Q4 performance builds on the momentum of the 4.23% growth recorded in the second quarter of 2025 and represents a significant uptick from the 3.76% growth reported in the third quarter of 2024. It also surpasses the 3.52% growth recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The growth in the final quarter of the year was driven by expansion across Nigeria’s three main economic sectors.

1· The Agriculture sector grew by 4.0%, a sharp rise from 2.54% in Q4 2024. The ministry attributed this improvement to enhanced security in food-producing regions and better access to essential inputs for farmers.

2· The Industrial sector expanded by 3.88%, compared to 2.49% in the same period of the previous year. Officials cited improved foreign exchange liquidity, ongoing energy sector reforms, and a rebound in investor confidence as key drivers.

3· The Services sector, the largest contributor to the economy, recorded a growth rate of 4.15%, fueled by continued expansion in finance, telecommunications, trade, and other technology-driven activities.

The ministry highlighted the breadth of the expansion, noting that approximately 30 sub-sectors across the economy recorded growth rates above 3%.


For the full year 2025, Nigeria’s real GDP growth stood at 3.87%, an improvement from the 3.38% recorded in 2024. The nominal size of the economy also increased significantly, rising to ₦441.5 trillion from ₦372.8 trillion in the prior year.

In his remarks, Minister Edun stated that the latest figures reinforce confidence among both domestic and international investors. He reiterated the Ministry of Finance’s commitment to sustaining the implementation of structural reforms, maintaining disciplined expenditure management, and improving revenue mobilization to ensure macroeconomic stability continues to strengthen.