News

100,000 Renters In England ‘Risk Eviction’ When Universal Credit Is Cut

100,000 renters in England ‘risk eviction’ when universal credit is cut

Housing charity Crisis says £20-a-week reduction could be final blow for struggling households

At least 100,000 renting households will be placed at risk of eviction when the government’s planned £20-a-week cut to universal credit comes into effect next week, the housing charity Crisis has warned.

The proportion of private renters relying on benefits in England has surged to around one in three since the start of the pandemic, leaving thousands at risk of homelessness due to arrears if the uplift to UC is removed by ministers as planned.

The footballer Marcus Rashford is among those calling for its retention, citing fears about child hunger.

The squeeze on renters is being compounded by the final lifting of the emergency restrictions on evictions during the pandemic in England and the end of the furlough scheme on Friday.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have extended more liberal measures on evictions until next year.

“For many struggling renters this cut could be the final blow that forces them from their homes,” said Jon Sparkes, the chief executive of Crisis. “The UK government must change course and keep the £20 uplift so that people don’t needlessly lose their homes this winter and we have a fighting chance at recovery. The UK government assured people they would not lose their home because of the crisis; we must not fail them now.”

The charity predicts evicted households who seek help from local councils with emergency housing will end up costing the public purse more.

With a third of renters relying on benefits following the pandemic, the impact could be widespread.

The number of private renters relying on UC or housing benefit for rent surged to almost 2 million in May 2021 with 560,000 renters joining benefits queues since February 2020, according to analysis by the housing charity Shelter of Department of Work and Pensions figures.

The biggest increases were seen in the most expensive areas of London and the south-east, but other hotspots where the majority of renters rely on benefits include Blackpool, Middlesbrough, Great Yarmouth and Torbay.

Dan Wilson Craw, the director of the Generation Rent campaign group, said the UC cut would have a twin effect on renters, pushing some into arrears that would lead to eviction and make it harder for them to pass affordability checks to get a new home. He said about half of private renters who rely on local housing allowance benefits already do not get enough to cover their rent and have to top it up.

“Without the uplift, and with the end of furlough … we will see another surge in eviction notices served in the run-up to Christmas,” he said. “There’s still time for the government to step in with a Covid rent debt fund to clear renters’ arrears and keep people in their homes.”

From 1 October, the notice periods for anyone served a section 21 “no fault” eviction notice in England will have two rather than four months’ notice to find a new home. For tenants in arrears, the notice period for anyone owing less than four months’ rent was cut from four to two months and for anyone with longer arrears to four weeks.

A government spokesperson said the UC uplift was always temporary and “designed to help people through the toughest stages of the pandemic.”

“Universal credit will continue to provide vital support for those both in and out of work and we will deliver a fairer and more effective rental market that works for both tenants and landlords,” they said, adding the government is spending £750m to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over 2021-22 and will publish a white paper on renting including the abolition of “no fault” evictions in due course.

News

World Bank appoints Aliko Dangote to Elite Group

The President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been appointed to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, joining a select group of global business leaders tasked with driving investment and job creation in emerging economies.

In a statement confirming his acceptance, which was made available to DAYLIGHT, the African industrialist reaffirmed his commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth through private sector-led investment, noting the transformative potential of such initiatives in developing markets.

“I am both honoured and excited to accept my appointment to the World Bank’s Private Sector Investment Lab, dedicated to advancing investment and employment in emerging economies,” Dangote said.

“This opportunity aligns with my long-standing commitment to sustainable development and unlocking the potential of developing economies. Drawing inspiration from the remarkable successes of the Asian Tigers, which have demonstrated the power of strategic investment and focused economic policy, I am eager to collaborate with fellow leaders to replicate such outcomes across other regions.”

The Dangote Group, founded by Aliko Dangote, is the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent. With interests spanning cement, fertiliser, salt, sugar, and oil, the Group employs over 30,000 people and is the largest taxpayer in Nigeria—contributing more in taxes than all of Nigeria’s banks combined. It is also the country’s largest employer after the government.

The $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals, the Group’s flagship project, stands as the largest single private investment in Africa.

In addition to his business interests, Dangote leads the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), the largest private foundation in sub-Saharan Africa, with the largest endowment by a single African donor. The Foundation primarily focuses on child nutrition, while also supporting interventions in health, education, empowerment, and disaster relief.

The World Bank announced Dangote’s appointment on Wednesday as part of a broader expansion of its Private Sector Investment Lab, which now enters a new phase aimed at scaling up solutions to attract private capital and create jobs in the developing world.

Joining Dangote in the elite group are Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of Bharti Enterprises; and Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

The World Bank said the expanded membership brings together business leaders with proven track records in generating employment in developing economies—supporting the Bank’s sharpened focus on job creation as a central pillar of global development.

“With the expanded membership, we are mainstreaming this work across our operations and tying it directly to the jobs agenda that is driving our strategy,” said World Bank Group President Ajay Banga. “This isn’t about altruism—it’s about helping the private sector see a path to investments that will deliver returns, and lift people and economies alike. It’s central to our mandate.”

The global bank said that over the last 18 months, the Lab brought together leaders from global financial institutions to identify the most pressing barriers to private sector investment in developing countries and to test actionable solutions.

The statement said that the work had now been consolidated into five priority focus areas that were being integrated across the bank operations, including regulatory and policy certainty.

The Lab’s founding members included senior executives from AXA, BlackRock, HSBC, Macquarie, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Ninety One, Ping An Group, Royal Philips, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, Sustainable Energy for All, Tata Sons, Temasek, and Three Cairns Group. The Lab is chaired by Shriti Vadera, Chair of Prudential plc.

News

EFCC arraigns Lexicon Multiconcept Media CEO, Osabohem Ologbosele for N459m fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arraigned the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Lexicon Multiconcept Media Limited, Osabohem Alex Ologbosele, his company and one of his staff, Augustine Osas Iyoha before Justice E. Akpan of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

They were arraigned on six- count amended charges bordering on fraud, obtaining under false pretense and money laundering to the tune of N459, 050,000 (Four Hundred and Fifty Nine Million, Fifty Thousand Naira only).

Before the charges were read to them, the prosecuting counsel, O.S Ujam, informed the court of her intention to substitute the initial charges filed on March 7, 2025, with the amended charge filed on March 10, 2025. The court granted her request to substitute the charges.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Osabohien Alex Ologbosele, sometimes in the year 2023 and 2024 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honorable court, directly took possession of the total sum of N340,000 (Three Hundred and Forty Million Naira) paid into your account with account number 202277***** domiciled at Kuda Microfinance bank from the account number of Hope Onome Ogholemu with account number 08272****** domicile in Access Bank when you knew or reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and Punishable under 18 (3) of the same Act.

Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Lexicon Multiconcept Media Limited, sometime in the year 2023 and 2024 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, directly took possession of the total sum of N16,000,000 (Sixteen Million Naira), paid into your account with account number 63665292**** domiciled in Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, from the account of Osebohien Alex Ologbosele with account number 2022773919 domiciled at Kuda Microfinance bank, when you knew or reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed part of the proceed of an unlawful act and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, and punishable under Section 18 (4) of the same Act.

The defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them.

In view of the not guilty plea, Ujam asked the court for an adjournment to enable the prosecution to open its case and call witnesses. Defence counsel, Samuel Ogala, drew the attention of the court to an application for bail for the first and second defendant which was filed on March 24, 2025 and the second application for the 3rd defendant, dated March 27, 2025, urging the court in the interest of justice to grant bail on liberal terms.

However, Ujam told the judge of a 17 paragraph affidavit in response to the counter-affidavit of the defence dated April 2, 2025 and filed same date in opposition to the application for bail, urging the court to denial the application on the ground that the defendants are flight risks, who stopped reporting to the EFCC office for months and may fail to appear for their trial if granted bail.

“My lord, the first defendant was arrested in November 2023, and he left in November 2024 and did not report back till February 5, 2025, and I believe that if granted bail, he may not appear for his trial,” she said.

Thereafter, Justice Akpan after listening to the arguments of the two counsels on bail application adjourned the matter till May 2, 2025, for ruling for bail and ordered that the defendants be remanded in Kuje prison.

News

Bandits kill Imam, abduct 10 worshippers during Isha prayer in Katsina

Bandits on Wednesday night stormed a mosque in Tudun Malamai community, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, killing the Imam who was leading the Isha prayer and abducting at least ten worshippers.

The incident, which unfolded during the night prayers, left two other individuals injured.

Details of the attack were made public on Thursday in a post by a prominent Katsina-based security analyst, Bakatsine on X.

“Yesterday night, bandits attacked worshippers during the Isha prayer in Tudun Malamai community, Faskari LGA of Katsina State. They killed the imam leading the prayer, injured two people and abducted at least 10 worshippers during the attack,” the post read.

The Katsina State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of the time of filing this report.