Anthropic saw its Claude artificial intelligence assistant climb to No. 2 among free U.S. apps on Apple’s App Store late Friday, just hours after President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop working with the company and the Pentagon moved to classify it as a supply-chain risk.

The sudden jump in consumer downloads followed a high-profile clash between Anthropic and the administration over the permissible use of AI in defense and surveillance contexts. The matter has thrust the startup into national headlines and appears to have amplified public awareness of its stated guardrails against mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

On Truth Social, Trump accused the company of attempting to “STRONG-ARM the Department of War,” the administration’s renamed Department of Defense, and said he was ordering a six-month phase-out of Anthropic’s technology across federal agencies. He warned that if the company failed to cooperate with the transition, he would use “the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had requested Anthropic be labeled a national security supply-chain risk, a designation that could prevent U.S. defense contractors from using its AI tools in Pentagon-related work.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded that the company provides “substantial value” to the armed forces and expressed hope that the Department would reconsider. In a separate statement, the company said it would challenge any risk designation in court, arguing such a move would be legally unsound and set a dangerous precedent for American firms negotiating contract terms with the government.

“No amount of intimidation or punishment from the Department of War will change our position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons,” Anthropic said.

The controversy coincided with a sharp rise in Claude’s consumer visibility. On Saturday, OpenAI’s ChatGPT remained No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. free app rankings, while Google’s Gemini held the No. 3 position.

Claude’s ascent is notable given its historical position behind consumer-facing rivals. As recently as Jan. 30, Claude ranked No. 131 in the U.S., according to Sensor Tower data. It moved into the top 20 and top 50 intermittently through February before reaching No. 2 following Friday’s developments.

The spike suggests a potential “headline effect,” where regulatory scrutiny and political confrontation translate into consumer downloads. Public positioning around AI ethics—particularly opposition to autonomous weapons and domestic surveillance—has resonated with segments of users concerned about the rapid militarization of artificial intelligence.

High-profile social media attention added to the visibility. Pop singer Katy Perry posted a screenshot of Anthropic’s Pro subscription with a heart overlaid shortly after the administration’s announcement.

A widening divide over AI guardrails

The dispute centers on whether private AI companies can impose contractual restrictions on how their models are used by the military. Anthropic has sought explicit guardrails against mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems.

Pentagon officials have argued that U.S. law, not corporate terms of service, governs battlefield deployment. Hegseth said the Defense Department must retain flexibility in how it uses AI in national defense.

The administration’s move establishes a precedent: that federal authorities may sideline AI suppliers whose policy positions are viewed as constraining military autonomy. Legal analysts note that a formal supply-chain risk designation could bar tens of thousands of contractors from incorporating Anthropic’s models into defense-related workflows.

Franklin Turner, an attorney specializing in government contracts, described blacklisting Anthropic as “the contractual equivalent of nuclear war,” given the cascading implications for government and private-sector business.

Anthropic’s AI tools have already been used within the intelligence community and armed services, and the company was among the first to handle classified workloads via cloud provider Amazon.

Along Comes OpenAI’s Deal with the Defense Department

The administration’s action unfolded alongside an announcement from OpenAI that it had reached an agreement with the Defense Department to deploy its models within classified networks. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on X that the Pentagon’s principles for human responsibility over weapon systems and a prohibition on mass U.S. surveillance were incorporated into the contract.

It was not immediately clear how those contractual terms compare to Anthropic’s proposed guardrails.

The juxtaposition highlights a broader competitive race among major AI labs for defense contracts. The Pentagon has signed agreements worth up to $200 million each with leading firms, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.

Anthropic, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, has gained traction over the past year as a provider of coding-focused and enterprise AI models. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s ChatGPT now reports more than 900 million weekly users globally. OpenAI has also expanded enterprise distribution through partnerships with consulting firms such as Accenture and Capgemini.

Anthropic’s financial backers include Google and Amazon, underscoring the interconnected nature of the AI ecosystem even as companies compete for government and commercial dominance.

National security and civil liberties debate

The standoff revives longstanding tensions between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon. In 2018, employees at Google protested the company’s involvement in Project Maven, a Defense Department effort to use AI to analyze drone footage. Since then, relationships have fluctuated between resistance and rapprochement, particularly as geopolitical competition with China elevated AI to a national security priority.

Former defense AI officials have warned that fewer guardrails could heighten concerns about due process, civilian casualties, and collateral damage in increasingly automated conflicts. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza have showcased expanded use of AI-enabled systems, intensifying debate about so-called “killer robots.”

Anthropic has argued that U.S. law has not fully caught up with AI’s capabilities. For example, current statutes do not necessarily prohibit aggregation of benign data to infer sensitive personal information at scale.

The White House’s intervention reframes the debate around sovereign authority: whether elected officials or private companies define the operational boundaries of military AI.

If the supply-chain risk designation proceeds, Anthropic could face immediate revenue losses from federal contracts and indirect impacts across defense-adjacent industries. The designation may also influence procurement decisions in allied countries.

At the same time, the controversy appears to have elevated Anthropic’s consumer profile. The company’s rapid climb in app rankings suggests that public opposition to certain defense uses of AI can translate into brand differentiation in a crowded market.

Nigeria’s economy expanded by 4.07 percent year-on-year in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the latest Gross Domestic Product report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The growth rate marked an improvement from the 3.76 per cent recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024, pointing to stronger year-end momentum. Full-year real GDP growth stood at 3.87 per cent in 2025, up from 3.38 per cent in 2024.

In nominal terms, GDP rose to N122.81 trillion in Q4 2025, representing a 17.55 percent increase from N104.48 trillion in Q4 2024, reflecting both real expansion and underlying price dynamics.

The data show broad-based expansion across agriculture, industry, and services, with the services sector maintaining its dominant role in output composition.

Agriculture grew by 4.00 per cent year-on-year in Q4 2025, industry expanded by 3.88 per cent, while services rose by 4.15 per cent. Services accounted for 55.92 percent of total GDP in the quarter, reinforcing its position as the primary engine of economic activity.

Average daily crude oil production stood at 1.58 million barrels per day, slightly higher than the 1.54 million barrels per day recorded in Q4 2024 but below the 1.64 million barrels per day posted in Q3 2025.

Oil recovery lifts annual growth, but volatility persists

The oil sector recorded real year-on-year growth of 6.79 per cent in Q4 2025, a sharp improvement from 2.08 per cent in Q4 2024 and 0.95 percentage points higher than Q3 2025. For the full year, oil sector growth reached 8.50 percent, compared to 5.54 percent in 2024.

However, quarter-on-quarter data show that the oil sector contracted by 6.30 per cent in Q4 2025, underscoring continued volatility in output. While production improved on an annual basis, it remained sensitive to operational and structural constraints.

Oil contributed 2.87 percent to total real GDP in Q4 2025, compared to 2.80 percent in Q4 2024 and 3.44 percent in Q3 2025. For the full year, the sector accounted for 3.53 percent of GDP, slightly above 3.38 percent in 2024. These figures confirm that, although oil remains strategically important for fiscal revenues and foreign exchange, its direct contribution to GDP remains relatively small.

The non-oil sector continued to anchor the economy. It grew by 3.99 percent in real terms in Q4 2025, up from 3.80 percent in Q4 2024 and 3.91 percent in Q3 2025. In real terms, the non-oil sector accounted for 97.13 percent of GDP in the quarter and 96.47 percent for the full year.

Growth within the non-oil economy was driven by crop production, telecommunications, real estate, trade, financial institutions, construction, road transport, and food, beverage, and tobacco manufacturing. The breadth of these drivers suggests that domestic demand and services-led activity remain central to Nigeria’s expansion.

Medium-term outlook

The latest data have reinforced cautious optimism among multilateral institutions. The International Monetary Fund projects Nigeria’s economy will grow by 3.9 percent in 2025 and 4.2 percent in 2026. The World Bank has maintained a 4.4 percent growth forecast for 2027 and upgraded its 2026 projection to 4.4 percent from 3.7 percent estimated in June 2025.

The Q4 performance indicates improving macroeconomic traction, particularly with oil sector recovery and sustained non-oil resilience. However, the composition of growth highlights ongoing structural realities: services dominate output, oil remains volatile, and agriculture continues to serve as a stabilizing base.

Sustaining growth above 4 percent will likely depend on maintaining oil production stability, deepening industrial capacity, strengthening export diversification, and managing inflation and currency pressures that influence real purchasing power and investment.

The fourth-quarter figures suggest that Nigeria closed 2025 on firmer footing than the previous year, with incremental gains across sectors supporting a gradual strengthening of economic momentum.

The Abia State Government has finalized the acquisition of Afro Beverages from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), marking a significant milestone in Governor Alex Otti’s industrial revitalization programme.

Otti disclosed the development on Friday during the February edition of his monthly media parley at the Government House in Umuahia, stating that the state had concluded the purchase process and was already receiving expressions of interest from prospective investors.

“The State Government has completed the acquisition of Afro Beverages from Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and begun receiving expressions of interest from prospective investors. Similar investor interest is being recorded for Star Paper Mill in Owerrinta, because we prefer competent private sector operators to manage the firms sustainably,” he said.

Afro Beverages is one of five moribund industries identified for revival under the administration’s policy to restore dormant assets, boost manufacturing output, and generate employment. The others include Star Paper Mill, Textile Mills, International Equitable Associates, and Ogwe Golden Chicken.

The state previously completed the repossession of Star Paper Mill in Aba from AMCON through a N2.5 billion buyback arrangement. An additional N500 million was paid during initial negotiations to facilitate the takeover of Afro Beverages. The strategy to reclaim distressed industrial assets from AMCON, stabilize ownership, and then attract private-sector operators to manage them on a commercial footing is born of management concern.

Nigeria’s history of poorly-managed enterprises has become a bane of industrial development, creating a significant trust deficit in the government’s ability to run a successful business.

The governor stressed that the state does not intend to run the factories directly but will prioritize experienced investors capable of restoring production lines and sustaining operations. The approach aims to mitigate the historical challenges that led to the firms’ collapse, including undercapitalization, weak governance, and infrastructure constraints.

Manufacturing hub ambitions and SME push

The revival effort is central to a broader plan to reposition Aba — long regarded as Abia’s commercial engine — as a manufacturing hub in southeastern Nigeria. At the start of the administration, Otti announced a policy framework focused on reactivating abandoned industries as anchors for supply chains and job creation.

Beyond large industrial assets, the state is moving to deepen support for small and medium-scale enterprises. Otti announced approval for an SME Village and Innovation Hub in Aba, describing it as a center for productivity, innovation, and technology services, including computer and mobile device sales and repairs.

“The State Government has taken a principled stand to support SMEs in the state, and that land has already been acquired for the project,” he said.

The hub is expected to collaborate with the Export Group Lab at Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, linking technical training with market-oriented production. The initiative aligns with legislation enacted in December aimed at positioning Abia as a technology and innovation hub in the region. The combined focus on legacy manufacturing and emerging tech sectors signals an attempt to diversify the state’s industrial base rather than rely solely on traditional factories.

Power reforms, transport, and structural constraints

Industrial recovery in Abia hinges heavily on reliable electricity — historically a binding constraint on manufacturers in Aba and surrounding areas. Otti said efforts are underway to restore power supply in Ohafia, Bende, and Ukwa East local government areas. He added that the state is considering acquiring a majority stake in Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to facilitate electricity wheeling from Geometric Power into Umuahia.

The proposal mirrors a recent transition in the Etche Community in Rivers State, where supply shifted from the Port Harcourt Distribution Company to Geometric Power. If executed, the arrangement could provide Abia with greater control over distribution performance and industrial power reliability, a factor that directly affects factory uptime and operating costs.

The administration is also developing plans to introduce more electric buses as part of a cleaner urban transport strategy. While still at the planning stage, the initiative complements the broader economic modernization agenda by targeting infrastructure bottlenecks and environmental sustainability simultaneously.

Together, the Afro Beverages acquisition, the SME innovation hub, electricity sector engagement, and transport reform indicate a multi-layered strategy: reclaim distressed assets, crowd in private capital, strengthen SME ecosystems, and tackle infrastructure deficits. However, economists note that the durability of the programme will depend on execution — particularly the speed at which investors recommence production and the extent to which power reforms deliver measurable improvements for manufacturers.

Overall, the completion of the Afro Beverages deal represents a tangible step in translating policy intent into asset recovery, with the administration betting that revived factories can once again anchor employment and industrial growth in Abia.

OPEC+ is weighing a larger-than-planned increase in oil output for April, as the group prepares for peak summer demand, two sources close to the talks told Reuters on Friday.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have already ramped up exports in anticipation of potential supply disruptions following U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran carried out on Saturday.

The eight key OPEC+ members — Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, and Oman — are scheduled to meet virtually at 1100 GMT on Sunday to review market conditions and quotas. Delegates had previously signaled a modest hike of 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) for April — the first increase after a three-month pause — but sources now indicate discussions have shifted toward a potentially larger adjustment.

The exact size remains undecided, one source said, declining to be identified. Bloomberg News earlier reported similar expectations of a bigger-than-anticipated increase.

Brent crude futures hit $73 per barrel on Friday, the highest level since July 2025, despite earlier fears of oversupply. Prices have risen steadily this year on escalating concerns that conflict between Iran and the U.S./Israel could disrupt Middle East oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% of global seaborne crude trade.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets Saturday, targeting nuclear and military facilities, have heightened fears of retaliatory action or infrastructure damage, adding a significant risk premium to oil markets.

Saudi Arabia and UAE Already Boosting Exports

Evidence suggests the largest Middle East producers are preemptively increasing output. Two trade sources told Reuters that Abu Dhabi plans to export more of its flagship Murban crude in April. Saudi Arabia has also raised production and exports as part of its contingency planning, sources said earlier this week.

These moves appear designed to offset potential supply shocks while positioning compliant OPEC+ members to regain market share from sanctioned or disrupted producers.

Nigerian Bonny Light Surges Toward $80+ on Supply Risk

The escalating Middle East tensions are boosting alternative grades like Nigeria’s Bonny Light crude, which was trading at $73 per barrel Friday. Analysts now expect Bonny Light to surpass $80 per barrel — and potentially climb higher — as buyers seek supplies less exposed to Strait of Hormuz risks.

Bonny Light’s “sweet” (low-sulfur) profile makes it ideal for gasoline and jet fuel production, especially during periods of global volatility. This price surge is particularly significant for Nigeria, where the 2026 federal budget assumes a conservative benchmark of $64.85 per barrel and an ambitious production target of 1.84 million bpd. Actual output in January 2026 averaged around 1.48 million bpd, just below OPEC+ quotas of 1.5 million bpd.

Higher realized prices could provide a substantial revenue windfall, helping narrow the fiscal deficit and support budget implementation.

Nigeria has continued diversifying its crude portfolio to attract buyers. In February 2026, the country launched the Cawthorne grade (API 36.4°), joining newer streams Utapate (2024) and Obodo (2025). These additions aim to broaden market appeal and reduce reliance on traditional grades amid OPEC+ quota constraints and global competition.

OPEC+ Background and Market Fundamentals

The eight OPEC+ members raised quotas by 2.9 million bpd from April through December 2025, equivalent to roughly 3% of global demand, before pausing further increases for January–March 2026 due to seasonal weakness. An April increase would end that freeze and align supply with expected summer demand, particularly the U.S. driving season.

Despite earlier oversupply concerns, oil prices have defied expectations this year, driven by geopolitical risk rather than fundamentals alone. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran — targeting nuclear and military infrastructure — have intensified fears of retaliation or Strait of Hormuz disruptions, outweighing inventory builds in some regions.

A larger-than-expected April hike would signal OPEC+ confidence in demand recovery and willingness to defend market share against sanctioned producers (Russia, Iran) and constrained output (Kazakhstan). However, it also risks adding supply pressure if Middle East tensions de-escalate quickly.

For Nigeria and other non-Middle East producers, sustained high prices offer a critical revenue boost. Bonny Light’s trajectory toward $80+ could significantly outperform Nigeria’s budget assumption, providing fiscal breathing room — though OPEC+ compliance and domestic production challenges remain key risks.

The Sunday OPEC+ meeting will determine the supply strategy. With Brent near $73 and summer demand approaching, the group faces a delicate balance: supporting prices without triggering oversupply fears. The outcome will likely influence oil market direction into Q2 2026.