Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Davos, Switzerland, to lead Nigeria’s delegation at the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The forum, which brings together global political and business leaders, will hold from January 19 to 23, 2026.

Shettima arrived from Conakry, Guinea, where he represented President Bola Tinubu at the inauguration of President Mamadi Doumbouya on Friday.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, the VP was received on arrival by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole; and officials of the Nigerian mission in Switzerland.

This year’s forum marks a milestone in Nigeria’s participation at the annual gathering, with the Federal Government establishing a dedicated sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade for the first time.

The facility, called “Nigeria House Davos,” was established through a Public-Private Partnership.

It will serve as a hub for ministerial engagements, investment roundtables, and cultural diplomacy throughout the week.

Speaking to journalists after Shettima’s arrival, Oduwole said Nigeria would make a robust presentation of investment opportunities at the launch of Nigeria House.

“We will be showcasing four playbooks on President Tinubu’s efforts in re-engineering the Nigerian economy,” she said, adding, “We will present our solid minerals sector, climate sustainability, agriculture, and creative and digital sectors to investors from all over the world.”

According to Nkwocha, Shettima will present Nigeria’s 2026 economic outlook to global leaders during the forum.

He will also participate in plenary sessions focusing on the responsible deployment of Artificial Intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology.

The Vice President is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with heads of state, executives from multinational corporations, and leaders of international development finance institutions throughout the week.

The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos attracts thousands of participants, including heads of government, chief executives, civil society leaders, and journalists.

The 2026 edition is expected to focus on global economic challenges, technological innovation, and climate action.

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The Ijaw National Congress says the people of Rivers State are against the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, warning the state Assembly loyal to ex-governor, Nyesom Wike, to shelve the plan.

Similarly, the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council strongly condemned the Martin Amaewhule-led state House of Assembly over its ongoing impeachment proceedings against Governor Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.

The groups warned that the move is likely to fail and accused the lawmakers of pursuing selfish interests under the guise of constitutional procedure.

The INC described the impeachment as an exercise in futility, criticising lawmakers, particularly those of Ijaw extraction, who publicly supported the process despite Governor Fubara being one of their own.

In a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said the actions of some Assembly members amounted to betrayal.

“Yes, I’m very positive that at the end of the day it will all turn out to be a futile exercise,” Okaba said. “There is public outcry against them within and outside Rivers State because it is obvious that this is a clear case of vendetta using the instrumentality of impeachment.

It is not about the growth of democracy and development; it is all about personal interest above the interest of the state.”

He criticised four lawmakers who initially withdrew from the impeachment process, only to reverse their position within 48 hours, saying it reflects a lack of principles:

“Some Ijaw brothers in the House came out to say they are Ijaw people and that they support the impeachment. People have asked me, don’t you consider that Ijaw people in the House are supporting it? My answer is no. They are not speaking for Ijaw people. They have not consulted their constituents, and they lack Ijaw spirituality and consciousness.”

Okaba also condemned lawmakers’ alleged acceptance of public funds and benefits while pursuing impeachment:

“Take for instance the issue of supplementary materials. These same persons have collected vehicles worth N350 million while they were on suspension with some cases being given to all of them. That Greek gift was collected in the public domain and nobody has refuted that. All of this shows it is about self-interest.”

He accused Assembly Speaker, Amaewhule, of orchestrating the impeachment to position himself for a future governorship:

“Somebody is desperate to be governor by all means and therefore orchestrating impeachment. The Speaker should be told: when your time comes, contest; not to rubbish a system to become governor from the backdoor.”

Okaba emphasised that the deputy governor, Odu, had done nothing to warrant impeachment:

“Let’s say the governor fumbled, what did the deputy governor do that you’re also including her? All these displays of selfishness will not work. It will take our democracy several years back if allowed.”

Supporting INC’s position, Anabs Sara-Igbe, a member of the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Council and pioneer spokesman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, said the impeachment was embarrassing to President Bola Tinubu and the people of Rivers State.

“It is very obvious that the Assembly members are showing ingratitude to Mr. President and also to Rivers people. They think they are fighting Sim Fubara; no, they are fighting Rivers people. All they are trying to do is to stall development in the state,” Sara-Igbe said.

Sara-Igbe further criticised lawmakers for failing to respect the emergency rule imposed in the state, which brought in federal oversight following political unrest.

He alleged the lawmakers had already benefited financially during that period:

“If they can do something that made a stranger come and lavish our resources for six months and that is not enough, they still want to impeach the governor. Let them go ahead. But they should realise they are not fighting Sim; they are fighting Rivers people, and Rivers State will react appropriately.”

He also took aim at Minister Nyesom Wike for engaging in early political campaigning under the guise of ‘thank you’ visits, describing it as disrespectful to the President and the state:

“They said they have an agreement. I challenge them to publish the agreement they have that Sim refused to implement. If the agreement is in the interest of the state, let them publish it. Rivers people, as far as we are concerned, Sim is going for a second tenure whether they like it or not.”

Sara-Igbe warned that the impeachment could destabilize the state, region, and country if continued:

“The impeachment will hit the rocks. The process takes a long way, and as soon as the seven-man panel comes up to say the man is not guilty, that is the end of it. They cannot harass him with impeachment anymore. Rivers people are tired of their gimmick, we are tired of their tricks.”

He concluded with a caution to Wike and his supporters:

“What they are doing will trigger problems in the state, in the region, and in the country. So they should think well. If they continue with the impeachment, I wish them well. But at the end of the day, the impeachment will fail. And if it fails, that’s the end of impeachment.”

The INC and Rivers elders’ warnings come amid a politically charged atmosphere in Rivers State, where impeachment proceedings have deepened divisions within the House of Assembly and sparked wider debate over governance, accountability, and political ambition.

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The Human and Environmental Development Agenda has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged “diversion, misapplication and criminal breach of trust involving the N30bn released by the Federal Government to the Oyo State Government in the aftermath of the January 2024 Bodija explosion in Ibadan.”

The petition, signed by HEDA Chairman, Mr Olanrewaju Suraju, and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, queried the status of the fund released for the compensation of explosion victims, reconstruction and emergency relief.

In the petition dated January 5, 2026, the group expressed concern that only about N4.5bn intervention funds were reportedly applied to relief and compensation for victims, while the FG’s N30bn remained largely unaccounted for.

“The organisation is concerned that only about N4.5bn intervention funds were reportedly applied to relief and compensation for victims, while the entire N30bn remains largely unaccounted for,” the petition read.

There had been furore in the public space after a former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, during a national television interview, raised the alarm over the FG’s release of N50bn to the Oyo State Government as intervention funds for the explosion victims and Old Bodija reconstruction.

The Oyo State Government had acknowledged receipt of the FG funds but clarified that it received N30bn, which it said remained untouched until it gets the balance of N20bn.

Following the state government’s disclosure, victims of the explosion demanded the release of the N30bn to complement earlier support received, which they described as inadequate compensation.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Sunday,41 arrested as Benue probes alleged ‘slaughterhouse’ the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr Dotun Oyelade, said the government’s earlier stance that the N30bn remained “untouched” subsists.

The state government had said it disbursed N4.085bn as support and compensation to victims of the explosion, adding that it spent N24.6bn from its own resources on Bodija and its environment following the disaster.

Oyelade said the unending furore over the N30bn fund might not be unconnected with 2027 politicking, which the government was ready for.

He said, “The Oyo State Government is at peace with the comprehensive and convincing statement issued on the unfortunate incident.

“We stand solidly by our statement and refer everyone to same. It’s 2026, the eve of the 2027 general elections. We understand and we are ready.”

HEDA, in the petition made available to The PUNCH on Sunday, raised questions about transparency and accountability, noting that the funds were kept in a commercial bank at interest for over a year without public disclosure by the Oyo State Government.

The group demanded that the EFCC mandate the Oyo State Government to provide transparent public disclosure or a comprehensive account of the total intervention funds received, how they were spent and the status of any unspent balance.

It added, “These allegations raise serious concerns bordering on corruption, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, criminal breach of trust and possible money laundering, all of which fall within the statutory mandate of the EFCC.”

While acknowledging that Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution grants immunity from prosecution to a sitting governor, HEDA stressed that such immunity does not bar investigation, especially on matters involving public funds.

“Constitutional immunity does not preclude investigation, particularly in issues relating to accountability and the management of public resources,” the statement read.

The group therefore charged the EFCC to launch a thorough, impartial and professional investigation into the “receipt, management and utilisation of all Federal Government intervention funds released to Oyo State in connection with the Bodija explosion.”