The organisers of Nigeria’s premier cycling event, the inaugural Lagos Gran Fondo “EKO 170” are proud to announce Mikano International Limited and Changan as the Official Platinum and Founding Infrastructure Partners.

The landmark 170km mass-participation cycling race is set to take place on January 11, 2026, showcasing Lagos as a global hub for sports tourism, healthy living, and sustainable mobility.

This strategic partnership forms the operational foundation of the event, with Mikano and Changan providing essential in-kind support. This includes official race vehicles from Changan’s range of reliable and innovative automobiles (distributed exclusively in Nigeria through Mikano Motors), power generation solutions from Mikano’s renowned expertise in energy systems, medical services, and comprehensive rider support throughout the challenging route.

The collaboration highlights a shared dedication to safety, excellence, and sustainability, aligning perfectly with the event’s goals and the Lagos State Government’s vision for innovative, world-class initiatives.

Endorsed by the Lagos State Government, the EKO 170 Gran Fondo will start and finish at the iconic Eko Atlantic City, taking riders through Victoria Island, across the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, along the Lekki–Epe Expressway to Epe, and back — offering participants a unique view of Lagos’s coastal beauty, modern infrastructure, and vibrant energy.

The event is expected to attract over 1,000 cyclists, from elite professionals to enthusiastic amateurs, from Nigeria and internationally.

As the exclusive Power and Infrastructure Partner, Mikano and Changan will receive prominent branding visibility across all event platforms.

A highlight of the partnership includes the introduction of a Mikano Clean Energy Hub at the finish-line festival, demonstrating cutting-edge sustainable power solutions.

With the foundational backing of Mikano International Limited — a leading Nigerian provider of power generation, automotive, and industrial solutions — and Changan — a globally respected automotive brand known for performance, safety, and innovation — the Lagos Gran Fondo “EKO 170” is poised to deliver an unforgettable, world-class cycling experience.

Participant registration remains open at www.eko170.com. Cyclists and supporters are encouraged to join this historic event that celebrates Lagos’s resilience and forward-thinking spirit.

Media Contact: Sabatha Joshua Media Relations, Lagos Gran Fondo “EKO 170”.

This partnership marks a significant milestone in elevating Lagos on the global stage through sports, infrastructure excellence, and community-focused innovation.

Fourteen banks have not met the Central Bank of Nigeria ‘s recapitalisation requirements .The deadline is March 31.

Checks by our Reporter shows that the affected banks include First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Unity Bank, Keystone Bank, Union Bank (now Titan), Taj Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Parallex Bank, and SunTrust Bank.

Others are FBH Merchant Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Coronation Merchant Bank, Alternative Bank, and other non-interest banks.

However, nineteen banks have met the N500 billion minimum capital benchmark .

They include Access Bank, Fidelity Bank, First Bank, GTBank (GTCO), UBA, Zenith Bank, and twelve others.

The newly elected President of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Leye Kupoluyi, spoke with ThisdDay Newspaper about the chamber’s advocacy focus during his tenure for the next two years. Excerpt:

What will be the direction of LCCI’s advocacy under your leadership?

Thank you so much for this question. As you know advocacy is one of our major mandates as a chamber because of the different interests that we are representing.

Under my leadership we will carry on advocacy as usual as evidence based engagement on how to strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity and enhancing business generally.

Our advocacy will be for competitiveness of Nigerian businesses beyond the borders of Nigeria.

The chamber will focus on advocacy that will enable Nigerian companies to be very well competitive within Nigeria and in Africa because it is now a borderless economy.

Do Nigerian companies have the muscle to push their competitiveness beyond the country?

If we do not have the muscle then we have to develop it. But truly we have the muscle to push it. Nigeria is the hope of Africa.

Arguably Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa. I do not want to go into the statistics of people saying which country has the largest economy because there is no country in Africa that is bigger than Nigeria.

Therefore, if we cannot take the lead in Africa then there is no one to do it. There is no doubt that Nigeria is the arrow head of Africa.

What’s your reaction to the shrinking West African market for Nigerian products due to the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic from ECOWAS?

There are challenges in terms of organised legal exports to these countries even though most of the manufactured goods they require still come from Nigeria.

But definitely there are challenges in terms of doing business the way we know it at this chamber, which is formal, legal and legitimate trade and not through smuggling.

Informally, Nigerian goods are reaching these countries but there are challenges when it comes to formal trade. And we know that ECOWAS leaders are doing everything possible to bring these countries back into the fold.

What do you think will be the immediate impact of the implementation of the new tax laws from January 1, 2026?

Thank you very much. For every reform like Nigeria’s tax reform there must be some shocks and benefits.

But with the tax reforms we know that the benefits will be more than the shocks. It is a very good relief that the low income earners have been removed from the tax net.

The multiple taxations that have been an epidemic in Nigeria’s business environment for many years will be taken care of.

The tax reform must not be a burden to the people. It will unlock lots of revenues for the government because the tax net has been widened and strengthened. Also the harmonisation of taxes will be a relief to companies that have been paying over 16 taxes.

The reform will make the environment predictable because we will know where we are going. Its implementation will be transparent as we move along and be beneficial to both the government and the tax payers.

But we should wait to see how it goes in January. In our own case we keep enlightening our members and sending the feedback to the government.

Under my leadership we will carry on advocacy as usual as evidence based engagement on how to strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity and enhancing business generally.

What’s your take on public apprehensions regarding the implementation of the tax reform?

Those of us in the orgnised private sector are looking at it as a relief because those multiple taxation will go, low income earners exempted, the tax net expanded and that the tax system made more transparent and harmonised. If these are achieved it will bring big relief to the organised private sector.

What does 2026 hold for Nigerian the economy?

The past two years tried our resilience but from all indications 2026 will be a year of growth.