Diversified Nigerian conglomerate, TMDK Group, has marked its 25th anniversary with a renewed commitment to expanding investments in Nigeria’s energy, agriculture, manufacturing and industrial sectors.

The silver jubilee celebration brought together employees, business associates, customers, partners, financial institutions and other stakeholders who joined the Group in reflecting on its journey and celebrating a quarter-century of enterprise, resilience and investment.

Founded 25 years ago by Alhaji Amadu Sule Leda, TMDK Group has evolved from a small real estate investment company into a diversified investment group with significant interests spanning downstream petroleum, petroleum infrastructure, logistics, agro-processing and manufacturing.

The milestone, according to the company, represents not only an opportunity to celebrate its achievements but also a platform to reaffirm its commitment to investing in sectors capable of strengthening Nigeria’s productive capacity, creating employment and supporting sustainable economic development.

Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Suhailu Ismaila, Acting Managing Director of TMDK Agro Park, described the Group’s 25-year journey as one defined by resilience, strategic investment and an enduring commitment to Nigeria.

He said the company’s next phase would build on the foundation established over the past two and a half decades by pursuing investments that create long-term economic value.

“Twenty-five years is a significant milestone. It reflects years of resilience, strategic investments and commitment to national development. We are celebrating what has been achieved, but we are equally focused on what lies ahead,” he said.

Expanding Nigeria’s Energy Infrastructure

Over the past 25 years, TMDK says it has established a growing presence in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum industry through investments in petroleum storage, distribution and logistics infrastructure.

The Group’s petroleum operations are focused on strengthening the supply chain and improving the availability and efficient distribution of refined petroleum products to industrial and commercial customers.

Through its investments in storage and logistics infrastructure, TMDK has continued to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum value chain at a time when efficient storage, transportation and product distribution remain critical to the country’s energy security.

The company said it intends to deepen these investments as part of its broader strategy to support Nigeria’s evolving energy needs and strengthen the resilience of the downstream petroleum supply chain.

From Agriculture to Agro-Industrial Processing

TMDK’s diversification into agriculture has also become a major component of its growth strategy.

At the TMDK Agro Park in Kaduna State, the company is developing an integrated agro-industrial food-processing platform designed to serve both human and animal consumption, while connecting agricultural production with large-scale industrial processing and value addition.

The facility processes maize, soybeans and other agricultural commodities into a range of products, including corn flour, corn grits, edible vegetable oil and animal feed. The company is also developing capacity for the production of pasta and noodles.

David Onabajo, Chief Operating Officer of the Agro Park, said the integrated nature of the facility was designed to create stronger links between farmers, processors and consumers.

According to him, the objective is to move beyond the production and sale of raw agricultural commodities by creating additional value within Nigeria.

“The Agro Park is designed to strengthen local value addition, provide reliable markets for farmers and contribute to Nigeria’s food security by reducing dependence on imported food products,” he said.

The investment is expected to support farmers by creating more reliable off-take opportunities while strengthening domestic processing capacity and expanding employment opportunities across the agricultural value chain.

Investment, Employment and Local Value Creation

The company said its diversification strategy is driven by the belief that sustainable economic growth requires investment in productive sectors capable of generating employment and creating value locally.

The Group’s operations now bring together different elements of the economy, including energy infrastructure, logistics, agriculture and industrial processing.

The anniversary therefore marks a transition from the company’s first 25 years of establishment and consolidation into what management describes as a new phase focused on expansion, innovation and deeper investment.

The Group expressed appreciation to its employees, customers, business partners, financial institutions, regulators and host communities for their contributions to its development.

Tamwakat Barde, Human Resource Manager, said TMDK would continue to prioritise responsible business practices, innovation, operational excellence and employee welfare.

She said the company recognises that its people remain central to its ability to achieve its long-term objectives.

Recognising Employees

The anniversary also provided an opportunity for TMDK to recognise employees whose contributions have supported the company’s growth.

Bilkisu Suleiman, an employee of the Group, recalled receiving the Chairman’s Award Silver Category after joining the company in January 2025.

“I started working with TMDK in January 2025, and by December 2025, I was awarded the Chairman’s Award Silver Category. This award gave me great joy because it meant the time and effort I put into the growth of the company was seen and acknowledged,” she said.

She urged management to sustain initiatives that recognise and reward employees who demonstrate commitment and excellence.

The company said employee welfare and recognition would remain important components of its corporate culture as it enters its next phase of growth.

Giving Back to Host Communities

Beyond its commercial activities, TMDK said it remains committed to supporting communities connected to its operations.

Abba Aminu, Site Operations Manager at the Agro Park, commended the management for its contributions to society through donations and the provision of food supplies during important festive periods, including Sallah, Christmas and New Year celebrations.

He said such initiatives demonstrated the company’s recognition of its responsibilities to the communities in which it operates.

READ ALSO: In Kaduna, TMDK Group is strengthening Nigerias energy, food security

Looking Ahead

The 25th anniversary comes at a critical period for Nigeria, as the country seeks to attract greater private-sector investment into energy, agriculture, manufacturing and other productive sectors to accelerate economic diversification and improve national productivity.

For TMDK Group, the anniversary is therefore both a celebration of the past and a statement of intent for the future.

The Group said it plans to build on its existing investments by pursuing projects capable of improving energy infrastructure, expanding agro-industrial processing, creating jobs and strengthening domestic value chains.

For Alhaji Amadu Sule Leda, the founder of the Group, the next chapter is anchored on a continuing belief in Nigeria’s potential and the capacity of Nigerian businesses to build globally competitive enterprises from within the country.

Onabajo described the founder as a businessman whose vision continues to shape the Group’s direction.

“Our CEO is a visionary who believes in Nigeria. He is a resilient Nigerian patriot who believes in the Nigerian enterprise,” he said.

As TMDK Group begins its next 25 years, the company says its ambition remains firmly rooted in investment, enterprise and national development — with a strategy centred on building productive assets, creating employment and contributing to the transformation of Nigeria’s energy and agro-industrial landscape.

The FBI is reportedly investigating how a North Korean was hired to work for a U.S. federal government agency.

News of the investigation was first reported by Federal News Network, citing a senior FBI official speaking at a conference on July 28 in Washington, D.C.. The official confirmed to Federal News Network that the FBI is investigating a North Korean working for an unnamed federal agency.

It’s unclear how the North Korean was hired, but the regime is known for its coordinated and long-running campaigns aimed at fraudulently obtaining employment at private organizations and multinationals. The case marks a rare confirmed instance of a sanctioned North Korean working for a government agency.

There are thought to be thousands of North Korean IT workers who have gained employment with U.S. and European organizations in recent years by exploiting weaknesses in the hiring process. The goal is to use fraudulent identities to gain employment with remote positions and to earn a wage that gets funneled back to the regime, all the while stealing intellectual property and other data, then using that information to extort the companies when they are inevitably caught.

But strict vetting and security clearance practices have largely kept the regime’s hackers out of government — though, not without incident. The Justice Department brought charges in 2024 against a Maryland man who assisted a North Korean hacker to pose as an American to get a remote job as a contractor for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FBI did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on Tuesday, and it’s unclear which federal agency was affected, and if any data or funds were stolen during the incident.

The U.S. has long warned about the risks posed by North Korean IT workers’ schemes. U.S. authorities have taken several enforcement actions and sanctions to stymie both the networks that operate from Pyongyang, as well as neighboring Russia and China, as well as the American facilitators who set up fleets of laptops that allow the North Koreans to work remotely as if they were in the United States.

North Korea operates more like a transnational criminal gang than a government, and relies on hacks, including thefts of cryptocurrency, to fund its globally sanctioned nuclear weapons program. The Kim Jong Un regime is reportedly responsible for 76% of cryptocurrency thefts, per blockchain forensic firms, netting the regime at least $2 billion during 2025 despite being banned from the global financial system.