🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
MrBeast tops Forbes 2026 list as highest-earning digital creator with $300 million
via Punch Nigeria3 min read
MrBeast has been named the world's highest-earning digital creator on the 2026 Forbes Top Creators ranking, with estimated earnings of $300 million. The industry's 50 biggest influencers collectively generated $1.02 billion over the past year, a 20 percent increase from 2025. Forbes noted that the creator economy has evolved into a mainstream entertainment industry, with social media personalities producing films, television content, and large-scale business ventures. Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has a global social media following of 873 million and a business empire including YouTube, Beast Industries, Feastables, Lunchly, Viewstats, and Amazon Prime's Beast Games. Dhar Mann ranked second with $65 million, followed by Steven Bartlett with $52 million. Other top earners include Markiplier, Rhett & Link, Codie Sanchez, Mark Rober, IShowSpeed, Druski, and Charli D’Amelio. The ranking considered estimated gross earnings between March 2025 and March 2026, audience size, engagement levels, and entrepreneurial activities, as leading creators expand into various sectors beyond social media.
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Retired Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni has called on the Federal Government to expedite the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed pension reforms for retired police personnel. Owoseni stated that this move would restore confidence among retirees and resolve the ongoing dispute over the Contributory Pension Scheme. He urged retired police officers protesting the scheme to engage in dialogue, highlighting that the President’s proposed “Option B” offers a practical solution for improving the welfare of retired officers. Owoseni, who retired in 2019, noted that the Inspector-General had initiated efforts to harmonize the demands of various retired police groups, leading to significant progress in reconciliation. He mentioned that about 98.5 percent of retired police officers under the Contributory Pension Scheme now support the proposal, provided the Federal Government fulfills its commitments. Owoseni called on the Federal Government to direct the Ministry of Finance and the National Pension Commission to ensure prompt reflection of approved improvements in retirees’ monthly pension payments and to safeguard funds managed by the Nigeria Police Force Pension Fund Administrator. While acknowledging the right to protest, he advised aggrieved officers to embrace dialogue over confrontation, criticizing continued street protests and the alleged mobilization of officers’ wives and civilians. He expressed optimism that agitation would subside once pension improvement
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA arrested a 67-year-old Nigerian-British grandmother, Mrs. Mary Barek, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 13 kilograms of cocaine. The cocaine was concealed in fake plantain peels within her luggage as she tried to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London on June 28. Mrs. Barek, a caregiver in the UK, admitted ownership of the recovered cocaine. In a separate operation, the NDLEA also arrested Nwabueze Felix Onyeka, a 45-year-old PhD student, in Anambra State on June 29, identifying him as the leader of a drug trafficking syndicate. This followed the interception of 5.80 kilograms of cocaine hidden in cartons of Orijin Bitters destined for Malaysia. Four other suspects were initially arrested in Lagos in connection with this case. Additionally, NDLEA operatives made several other arrests across different states: Daniel Harrison Ugwuoke was arrested in Taraba State on July 4 with 43,980 capsules of Tramadol; Boniface Agu, 65, and Monday Nwaeze, 50, were apprehended in Kaduna State on July 2 with 1.7 kilograms of methamphetamine; Francis Ifara Eja, 65, was arrested in Ebonyi State on July 4 with 231.7 kilograms of skunk; Alhaji Babani, 75, was apprehended in Plateau State on July 3 with 15 kilograms of skunk; and Dahiru Mohammed, 65, and Isiya Lawan, 36, were arrested in Gombe State on July 1 with 556 kilograms of cannabis sativa. The NDLEA also continued its War Against Drug Abuse
Must ReadThe Socio-Economic Rights and Project SERAP has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to provide an explanation for the allocation of over ₦1.3 billion to a "fictitious" presidential council in the 2026 Appropriation Act. SERAP also urged the National Assembly leadership to investigate the circumstances surrounding this allocation and to disclose all related documents. In a Freedom of Information letter dated July 4, 2026, SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, requested certified copies of documents pertaining to the approval of ₦1,302,978,784 for the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council PFIPC/Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The organization further asked the National Assembly to use its constitutional powers to investigate the allocation to what it describes as "a fictitious presidential council" and identify those responsible for any irregularities. SERAP also sought records identifying members of the National Assembly committees that reviewed the allocation and the names of public officers who defended the proposal. The organization questioned whether the allocation was part of the Executive's original Appropriation Bill or introduced during the appropriation process. SERAP highlighted reports indicating the PFIPC/Presidential Economic Advisory Council received funds despite the Presidency stating it was never established, raising concerns about the integrity of Nigeria's appropr