🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
GTCO announces 2026 Food and Drink Festival details
via Punch Nigeria1 min read
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc GTCO held a press briefing in Lagos to announce details for the ninth edition of the GTCO Food and Drink Festival. The festival, themed “Everything Food and Drink,” will take place from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3, 2026, at the GTCentre in Victoria Island, Lagos. Over 6,000 applications were received from vendors, with more than 200 selected to receive free retail stalls. These vendors will showcase a variety of culinary offerings, from traditional to contemporary global cuisine. Organizers stated that space constraints from previous editions have been addressed in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, and security arrangements have been strengthened. The festival will include masterclasses, live culinary demonstrations, food and wine tastings, and a marketplace for small, medium, and established food businesses. Segun Agbaje, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the bank, described the festival as a cultural and economic enabler that promotes innovation, opportunity, and enterprise, bringing people together through food and drink.
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Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, has demanded N5 billion in damages and a public apology from actor-turned-politician Kenneth Okonkwo. This demand follows alleged defamatory statements made by Okonkwo during a television interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Monday, June 8. Obi's lawyers, led by Alex Ejesieme SAN, sent a letter dated June 9, 2026, accusing Okonkwo of making false and malicious allegations. These allegations, subsequently published by various media, included claims that Obi and NDC leaders in the South-East demanded a N10 million bribe from House of Representatives aspirants, that Obi compiled candidate lists from a hotel room, and that he was involved in criminal activities and collecting money from people abroad. Obi's legal team stated these remarks falsely portrayed him as engaging in bribery, extortion, fraud, and criminal conduct, describing the allegations as "false, baseless, malicious, reckless, defamatory and wholly unsupported by any fact." They have given Okonkwo seven days to withdraw the statements, publish an "unequivocal and unreserved" apology with similar prominence, and pay the N5 billion for damages to Obi's reputation. Failure to comply will result in legal action, including claims for damages and injunctive reliefs. In response, Okonkwo dismissed the demand on his X handle, stating he had not yet read the letter and suggesting Obi was seeking campaign funds. He warned that any
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