The Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area, Seyi Jakande, said his administration is committed to delivering dividends of democracy to all residents regardless of party affiliation.
He said this at a stakeholders’ forum held at Olomowewe Street, Mushin.
He said: “It is important to clarify that the dividends of democracy are meant for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. Government projects and services are provided to all residents without discrimination. For instance, we have reconstructed about 14 roads across the community, including Damengoro Road, Shonde, Ashabi, Ereko, and others. There are no restrictions or banners excluding members of other political parties from benefiting from these projects.”
Jakande described the event as part of the council’s deliberate strategy to promote inclusive governance and strengthen trust between the government and the people, adding that regular interaction with residents remains vital to improving communication and ensuring that community voices are reflected in governance.
He said the forum serves as a platform for residents to be educated on critical issues such as child immunisation, environmental regulations, waste management and public health standards.
Jakande urged residents to obtain their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs), explaining that active civic participation strengthens democracy and enables citizens to benefit from certain social interventions, while low voter turnout undermines democratic credibility.
Former Chairman of Odi-Olowo LCDA, Razaq Ajala, said the event was a significant opportunity to project the council’s message to a wider audience.
He expressed confidence in the leadership and direction of the APC, citing the policies and programmes of President Bola Tinubu, as well as the efforts of government officials and representatives at all levels.
“Our party remains best positioned to deliver a better future for the country, Lagos State and Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA, especially as preparations gradually build towards future general elections,” he said.
A member of House of Representatives, Adeyemi Alli, called for increased mobilisation of residents with a target of growing APC membership to 20,000. He also raised concerns about local security challenges and recent attacks, including incidents involving children.
While urging residents to be hopeful, he said, unity remains the community’s greatest strength, adding that residents should remain calm, vigilant and law-abiding.
Health Education Officer Odi-Olowo LCDA, Omowumi Ibrahim, urged parents and guardians to bring out their children for immunisation as part of an ongoing vaccination exercise.
She said this at the reception held in her honour on during official visit to the Nigerian Girl Guides Association (NGGA), at Ikoyi, Lagos.
“The mission that we have is enabling girls and women to fulfil their potential and to make them thrive in a healthful, peaceful, and free environment,” she said.
Lauding the works of NGGA, she said the organisation has been instrumental in ensuring that girls across the country fulfill their potentials by impacting them with health and life skills needed to navigate the evolving digital world.
Ms Gonzalez said her visit was to see the “Impact work the NGGA was doing”, adding that the NGGA was not contributing to Nigeria alone, but also “strengthening the regional setting in Africa and the world”.
Chief Commissioner of NGGA, Rhoda Thomas, described Ms. Gonzalez’s visit Nigeria as a honour, which reflects the country’s growing importance within the movement.
She said: “We are receiving the Chair of the World Board of the World Association of Girl Scouts. She has come to visit Nigeria and she wants to visit NGJ facilities. We are highly honoured to have her in our midst and excited because she is in charge of about 156 countries in the world. So for her to choose to come to Nigeria is a real privilege for us.”
Presenting its year 2024-2025 report, the NGGA chief said it recorded significant achievements in empowering girls and young women across Nigeria.
“NGGA recorded progress through international exposure and skills development programmes like the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, WAGGGS World Centre volunteering, and vocational training for girls with special needs. These achievements were delivered through strategic partnerships with organizations including UNICEF, WAGGGS, Dove, the UPS Foundation, and the World Guide Foundation,” she said.
The Chairman of Isolo Local Council Development Area, Olasoju Adebayo has urged interested residents to join the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) membership e-registration.
At a special meeting held at the exquisite Ibis International Hotel, Ajao Estate, Olasoju lent his voice to that of Oshodi/Isolo APC Apex Leader, Otunba Henry Oladele Ajomale, in re-awakening the consciousness of attendees to the task at hand.
The council boss extolled Chief Ajomale’s ingenuity which has placed peace-brokering missions on his shoulder several times in the past.
He lamented the low numbers of registered people in Isolo.
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Ladi Ajomale, noted that the exercise is digitalised and open to monitoring in real time which has left the presidency dissatisfied with Lagos state particularly, Isolo and a number of other council areas.
Ajomale hinted that 150,000 organic members is the mandate given to Isolo at the state as he lamented Isolo sliding off from 3rd to 12th position in a rating since the exercise commenced. Ajomale maintained that a drastic improvement in performance as regards the registration exercise could be leveraged to push for Federal and State appointments for the benefit of all.
Otunba Ajomale, who is the former Lagos State APC Chairman, gave an analysis of the registered voters in Oshodi/Isolo and the eventual overall votes recorded during elections as abysmally low with a charge to attendees to justify the two federal lawmaker slots being enjoyed among other privileges.
He called for suggestions from attendees on the task at hand.
After listening to suggestions such as the creation of centres close to markets, improved funding of the Community Development Committee (CDC) and empowering party members at wards level, a 7-Man Committee was set up to practically outline and execute strategy.
Also speaking, Otunba Jide Oni, charged attendees to rededicate themselves to the goals of the party.
He maintained that it’s better to be a nominal member of the ruling party than being an executive member of a struggling opposition party.
The Chairman of Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Jubril Yisa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to quality education and academic excellence as a cornerstone of sustainable development.
Yisa made this known during the Welcome Back-to-School Programme and Award Presentation for best-performing pupils of the 2025 academic session, held at the Iba LCDA Multi-Purpose Hall.
He described education as the foundation of personal development and national progress, stressing the need to provide equal learning opportunities for every child. He noted that the back-to-school initiative was designed to remove barriers to learning and encourage pupils to resume school fully prepared and motivated for the new academic session.
As part of the programme, the council distributed school bags, uniforms, and writing materials to pupils across the LCDA.
He said the gesture was aimed at easing the financial burden on parents and guardians while promoting regular school attendance and improved academic performance among pupils.
The chairman also presented awards to pupils who distinguished themselves academically during the 2025 academic session. He described the award recipients as role models whose discipline, consistency, and dedication to learning deserved recognition. He urged other pupils to see the awards as motivation to work harder and strive for excellence.
Yisa commended the teachers for their dedication and professionalism, noting that the achievements celebrated at the event were a reflection of their commitment to shaping young minds. He also appreciated parents and guardians for their continuous support and involvement in their children’s education.
Addressing the pupils, the council boss encouraged them to remain focused, disciplined, and respectful, while making effective use of the educational materials provided. He emphasized that education remains the key to a better and more secure future.
Agege Local Government Chairman, Abdul-Ganiyu Obasa, yesterday, launched a measles-rubella vaccination campaign, emphasising the importance of protecting children against preventable diseases.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the launch was held at Sango PHC Maternity Centre, Agege.
Obasa urged parents to take advantage of the free vaccination exercise, targeting children aged 0-14 years, to reduce childhood illnesses in urban communities.
“We are committed to strengthening primary healthcare and promoting disease prevention,” Obasa said, reaffirming the council’s partnership with healthcare professionals, traditional rulers, and community leaders.
Traditional ruler of Igbáland, Oba Egbeyemi Oladimeji, who was present, stressed that immunisation is crucial for safeguarding public health and strengthening community trust.
Vice Chairman, Orile-Agege LCDA, Wale Fayemi, commended the collaboration between government and health workers, noting that it ensured a smooth commencement of the exercise across Agege.
Agege Local Government Medical Officer of Health, Dr Oluwafunmilayo Ayegbusi, explained that vaccines are safe, effective, and available at all primary healthcare facilities and outreach points.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the campaign aims to achieve herd immunity and widespread coverage, with stakeholders emphasizing the critical role of traditional institutions in mobilising residents.
Since assuming office as Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Idowu Adejumoke Senbanjo has pursued an inclusive, people-centred agenda focused on infrastructure renewal, social welfare and human capital development.
Her administration’s wide-ranging achievements cut across critical sectors, reflecting a deliberate effort to improve living standards and strengthen community resilience within the port city.
In the area of works and infrastructure, the council has delivered landmark projects that address long-standing needs. Two astro-turf mini-stadiums in Apapa and Ijora-Oloye were rehabilitated to promote grassroots sports development and youth engagement. Education infrastructure also received a boost with the construction of a 14-classroom block at Ijora-Oloye Nursery and Primary School, reducing classroom congestion and improving the learning environment. To improve public utilities and safety, the administration provided five electricity transformers—one for each ward—alongside solar streetlights in markets, streets and identified dark spots across the local government. Security operations were enhanced through the provision of utility vehicles, while access to potable water improved with boreholes in all five wards and the construction of a 20,000-gallon-per-day micro water treatment plant in Ijora-Oloye. Several key roads, including Oyekan Road, Rhodes Crescent, Senator Muse Road, Pelewura Way and Ojora Road, were reconstructed, easing movement, reducing travel time and boosting economic activities.
According to Senbanjo, environmental sustainability has remained a major focus of her administration.
•Pupils with packs of Indomie Noodles donated by Senbanjo
She said the council reduced refuse black spots by over 30 per cent, cleared heaps of waste and launched the “Clean-Up Apapa” initiative, which yielded measurable results. This, she said, led to significant reduction of flood and earning commendation from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, as Apapa recorded minimal impact during the last heavy rainfall.
The council chief said routine inspections, fumigation and disinfection exercises, as well as the distribution of refuse bins across all wards, further improved public hygiene and disease prevention.
“In healthcare, our administration has strengthened primary health services through the enrolment of residents into the Ilera Eko Health Insurance Scheme, procurement of medical and cold-chain equipment, and sponsorship of medical outreach programmes. Key public health interventions included immunisation exercises, maternal and child health weeks, deworming programmes and sensitisation campaigns against disease outbreaks, ensuring improved access to quality healthcare at the grassroots,” she said.
•Six youths sponsored by the council to watch Super Eagles in Morocco during AFCON
Senbanjo said education has also benefited immensely under her administration. According to her, hundreds of indigent students have received free JAMB forms annually, alongside GCE forms and free coaching classes.
She added: “Many public primary schools were renovated, supplied with textbooks, workbooks, learning materials, portable water and food palliatives. STEM boot camps, digital workshops, career summits and inter-house sports competitions were organised to support holistic learning and prepare students for future opportunities.
“Through women affairs, youth development, agriculture and poverty alleviation, the administration empowered residents via skill acquisition, vocational training, hydroponics farming, farmer support schemes, youth summits, cash and food palliatives. Senior citizens were catered for through wellness programmes, sports talents celebrated, and financial assistance extended to vulnerable residents for education, housing and business ventures. These interventions, combined with data-driven initiatives such as Management Information Systems (MIS) and Apapa Constituency Residence Palliative Economic Generic Data (ACREPEGED), underscored our administration committed to inclusive governance, grassroots empowerment and sustainable development in Apapa Local Government.
Giwa said the initiative was aimed at giving back to his constituents as a form of appreciation for their constant support over the years.
“I have achieved a lot through the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform. And this is my own way of saying thank you to the people of my constituency for supporting me,” he said.
He added that the initiative will also serve as a form of motivation for members to participate in the E-registration of the APC and invite non-members to join the party.
Lauding the initiative, a Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Lagos Island Constituency II, Olanrewaju Afinni, said Giwa was part of the team that cleared the gridlock at Apapa years back and has always been consistent in giving back to his constituents.
He added that the initiative would relieve the burden from him and other elected officials in the area.
Chairman of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Muibi Folawiyo, expressed satisfaction with the performance of Giwa and other appointed officials of Lagos Island and Lagos Island East in the Lagos State executive cabinet.
He added that their efforts have not only improved governance across Lagos Island and its environs, but have enhanced the party’s image while contributing to electoral success, grassroots development, job creation, and the implementation of impactful programmes at the local government level.
Lagos State Chairman of the APC, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, represented by the Deputy State Chairman, Moshood Maiyegun, said the collaboration between the legislative arm and the council chamber at the constituency level was not only unprecedented but already yielding positive results and strengthening governance at the grassroots.
He urged party members to participate in the E-registration to take advantage of the opportunity in the party, adding, that the process was simple and accessible to all.
The Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Akeem Dauda, has rolled out a series of community-focused initiatives, including a free medical outreach for elderly residents, commissioning of renovated classrooms and the celebration of outstanding pupils across the council area.
Dauda said 200 elders were selected across different communities to benefit from the free medical outreach, which included basic health tests, distribution of medical kits, and small cash support.
“We believe our elders deserve to be celebrated that is why our first assignment for the 100 days was to bring them together, run health tests, and empower them with tools to monitor their sugar level and blood pressure,” he said.
The council boss said that there are plans to strengthen healthcare access in Ikeja by stationing a medical support bus next year to assist residents, especially elders, in accessing health centers easily.
The council chairman said part of the programme included the celebration of academic excellence among pupils through a spelling bee competition organised across primary schools in the area.
Ismail Zainab of St. Peter’s Primary School emerged as the overall winner at the recent spelling bee and was honored as the One Day Chairman, while the second and third place winners became the One Day Vice Chairman and Leader of the House.
Dauda said the honour was to inspire excellence among children and encourage them to take their education seriously.
As part of her responsibilities for the day, the One Day Chairman inaugurated a newly renovated 12-classroom block at Agidingbi Primary School. She also inspected facilities upgraded under the project, which included the installation of new doors, repairs, provision of furniture and fans, as well as the construction of a functional borehole.
The council also distributed exercise books and school bags to pupils across selected schools in the local government area.
The Council Manager, Taiwo Odubeko, lauded the chairman’s performance, stating that within three months, the administration had constructed three roads, renovated schools, engaged over 30 security guards to protect public facilities, and strengthened services across local health centers.
“He has done excellently well with our support. The One Day Chairman initiative will motivate many more children to study harder,” she said.
Batsula Olasyinde, a community leader, described Dauda as “Mr. Talk and Do,” applauding the health outreach and the chairman’s commitment to residents’ welfare.
“People walk around without knowing their health status, Today, they know better. Prevention is better than cure, and our chairman is helping people detect issues early,” he said.
Children branded Almajiris are dumped in the capital. What does it mean for the city’s safety and soul? In the quiet hours before dawn, trucks roll into Abuja and disappear just as quickly, leaving behind their human cargo—children dumped in unfamiliar streets with no guardians, no shelter and no direction. As daylight breaks, they scatter across the city to survive on their own, turning what should be a child-welfare emergency into a growing security concern for Nigeria’s capital. NICHOLAS KALU and GBENGA OMOKHUNU report
On a cool, quiet morning near the Nyanya Expressway, a group of children sits under a tree with tattered sandals, hands cupped, eyes fixed on passing vehicles. No uniforms, no bags. They look too young and too alone to be here. A traffic warden driving past calls out: “Where are your parents?” One child shrugs: “We don’t have any here.”
This is not a scene from afar. It is happening in Nigeria’s seat of power, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, where residents wake up daily to find hundreds of children tagged as Almajiri dumped in central locations in the dead of night.
It was gathered that trucks arrive early and offload them in clusters at shopping complexes, junctions, major roadsides and bus terminals. Once the doors open, the children scatter, blending into the city’s teeming streets, left to fend for themselves.
The phenomenon has become so regular that many Abuja residents no longer blink at sightings of forlorn children roaming the city. But the unease runs deep: this is more than a humanitarian issue; it is a security concern.
Who are these children?
Traditionally, the Almajiri system refers to children sent by families, typically in northern Nigeria, to Islamic teachers (malams) to study the Qur’an. Under that system, children lived in learning centres and often relied on begging to survive. But what is unfolding in Abuja bears little resemblance to traditional Almajiri education.
According to several community leaders interviewed across Abuja’s districts, the children arriving are not being brought by teachers but abandoned by unscrupulous handlers or traffickers. They are ferried from their home states in trucks dispatched overnight. Before dawn breaks, the vehicles pull up in busy parts of the city, Central Area, Kubwa, Wuse and dump their human cargo. In minutes, the children disappear into the labyrinth of the city.
A civil society worker in Wuse, who asked not to be named for security reasons, explained: “These children don’t know where they are. Some are not even from the northern states. They tell you they were told to come to Abuja to look for work, but when they arrive, drivers dump them and leave.”
Parents and guardians rarely accompany them; most arrive entirely on their own, vulnerable and bewildered.
The wave of abandoned children has stirred anxiety among Abuja residents and security officials alike.
Children scattered across the city are exposed to exploitation, theft, sexual violence, trafficking and other crimes. Large numbers of unsupervised minors in public spaces disrupt traffic, harass commuters and may be easily recruited into criminal activity.
‘We were told to go to Abuja’
In the midst of heavy traffic at the Nyanya Bus Terminus, a cluster of boys between eight and 12 years old approached with urgency; asking for money. A journalist sits with them under an overpass.
A boy, Abubakar, 10, says softly: “We were told there are jobs in Abuja. A man gave us biscuits and said we should come so we can work and send money home.”
Another, Sani, 12, adds: “We didn’t know where. The truck dropped us. We walked around and ended up here.”
None could name the village or town they came from. Several spoke of being dropped off late at night, hungry and alone.
“We sleep on verandas. Sometimes store owners chase us away,” said one of the children, clutching a frayed red T-shirt.
Their stories are marked by confusion, homesickness and fear rather than education or purposeful travel. None spoke of Quranic schools or malams.
One child rights lawyer in Abuja, Olamide Adeyemi, told The Nation that: “The law protects children, but the difficulty lies in tracing the handlers, transporters and sponsors behind these movements. Until we can break that chain, we will continue to treat the symptoms, not the cause.”
Public safety and community tensions
In some communities, the sudden rise in unsupervised children has spiked tensions. In Wuse Market, a petty trader, Musa Ibrahim, complained: “These kids beg aggressively. Sometimes they push customers. We want safety and order. It is not fair for traders to lose business because no one is managing this situation.”
Some residents have taken matters into their own hands, forming neighbourhood watch groups to steer children away from high-traffic zones or report them to local authorities.
At a community forum in Dutse, residents argued for increased lighting in vulnerable areas, more frequent police patrols, child education and protection centres.
Yet, others warn against stereotyping or criminalising the children, pointing out that they are victims first.
The city’s security apparatus may frame the issue in terms of public order, but the human cost is staggering.
Alone on the streets, these children face the daily realities of hunger, sickness, exploitation and despair. Without guardians, their risk of becoming victims of trafficking rings or criminal gangs is high.
For the children languishing in the shadows of Abuja’s gleaming skyline, every dawn marks another trial. The capital’s shining promise of opportunity and safety, remains out of reach for them.
What is being done?
Following the obvious development, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) last week evacuated 607 beggars and mentally challenged individuals from Abuja streets as part of efforts to clean up the city, from July 2025 to date.
The Head of Enforcement of the FCT Social Development Secretariat (SDS), Ukachi Adebayo, made this known while reacting to the development.
•An Alimajiri taking a nap after the day’s struggles PHOTO: ABAYOMI FAYESE
Adebayo said the Operation Sweep Abuja Clean team carried out the exercise, evacuating 607 individuals, comprising 583 beggars and 23 mentally challenged people.
She added that the evacuees had been counselled, profiled and returned to their states in collaboration with state governments and liaison offices.
“What we do when we apprehend the beggars and mentally challenged individuals is to counsel them to be able to profile them.
“After that, we take them to their various liaison offices to be returned to their respective states where they are expected to undergo rehabilitation,” she said.
Noting that the beggars and mentally challenged people always returned to the streets after the evacuation, Adebayo said that the operation was ongoing and would continue to take them off the streets of Abuja.
She said: “The more you take them out, the more they resurface.
“Some of them were driven by insecurity in their state, and they ran to Abuja to take refuge. But, we will continue to apprehend them and take them back.”
Similarly, the Acting Director of Social Welfare, Gloria Onwuka said some of the children begging on the streets were brought in from other states by unidentified individuals to beg and hand over the proceeds to them.
Onwuka added that some of the women who were caught with children begging on their behalf were not their biological children.
“Begging is now run like a business. People will hire people’s children from other states, put them in vehicles very early in the morning, come to Abuja and start begging.
“The families they are hiring these children from don’t even know that this is what they are using their children to do.
“We have caught so many of them like that,” she said.
Also, the Secretary of the FCTA Command and Control Centre, Dr Peter Olumuji explained that Operation Sweep was a joint security operation involving all relevant security agencies and the FCT’s Secretariats, Departments and Agencies.
Olumuji stated that the operation was instituted by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to sweep Abuja of miscreants, street beggars, scavengers and other criminal elements.
He also pointed out that beggars pose security threats and constitute a nuisance in the city, adding that some of them serve as informants to criminals.
“Not only that, the beggars and mentally challenged individuals also deface the beauty of the capital city, while some of them become victims of kidnapping for rituals and other negative purposes,” he said.
He said that the operation was ongoing and would continue to crack down on beggars, miscreants and other criminal elements wherever they resurfaced.
Recall that when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike assumed office, with the high level of kidnappings and killings in the country’s capital directed that Abuja and the Satellite Towns be completely rid of street beggars/traders, one chance syndicates, scavengers, miscreants and other social nuisances.
It was then that he instituted the operation code-named Operation Sweep Abuja of miscreants, street beggars/traders, scavengers and other criminal elements.”
Wike said the action was in line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act and other relevant laws.
He said: “Our country’s capital should be a secure symbol of pride and beauty, not a site for street beggars and scavengers; most of whom are agents of criminal elements.”
Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) has launched Resilient and Inclusive Agri-Food Systems Empowering Women and Youth in Nigeria (RISE) project, a five-year initiative supported by Global Affairs Canada.
The project, implemented by MEDA, aims to strengthen agricultural value chains and create 8,000 jobs in the North.
RISE will support 12,500 smallholder farmers through access to finance, climate-smart agricultural practice and improved market linkages, while strengthening 450 women- and youth-led enterprises and empowering 250 farmer cooperatives. The project is expected to reach about 50,000 in the region.
The initiative will operate in Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano states, targeting key value chains; rice, maize, groundnut and soybean.
The project will adopt a three-pillar approach focused on increasing yields and incomes for smallholder farmers through climate-smart practice; improving the competitiveness of women- and youth-led agribusinesses through access to finance and technology; and addressing harmful social norms by promoting inclusive leadership in cooperatives and agribusinesses.
The event convened key stakeholders from government, private sector, financial institutions, women associations and local cooperatives to address barriers in these value chains.
MEDA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Diaka Sall, said the project places women and youth at the centre of agricultural transformation.
“With RISE, we are moving further and deeper. The project will strengthen agri-food systems in Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano states, improve resilience to climate and economic shocks, and expand opportunities for smallholder farmers, cooperatives and agribusinesses,” she said.
She said women and youth are at the centre, not as beneficiaries, but leaders and drivers of ecosystem transformation.
Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Pasquale Salvaggio, reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to Nigeria’s agricultural growth, saying agriculture is a key driver of economic growth, gender equality and poverty reduction.
“By empowering women and youth, we are creating decent jobs, strengthening economies and building resilient and sustainable food systems,” Salvaggio said.
The launch also featured panel discussions moderated by MEDA and Sahel Consulting experts, with Dr. Aishatu Usman representing women farmers.
The RISE project is co-designed and implemented by MEDA with Sahel Consulting, Development Exchange Centre, Emeraid Capital, Extension Africa, Women in Business Forum and Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN).
Other dignitaries at the event included Minister of State of Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Abdullahi; Bauchi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Iliyasu Gital; Bauchi State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Lydia Tsanman; Kano State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Amina Abdullahi; Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Muritala Dabo; Kaduna State Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajia Rabi Salisu; Kano State Commissioner for Agriculture, Danjuma Mahmud; and Bauchi State Commissioner for Budget and National Planning, Amina Katagum.
