Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, is set to return home from self-exile following the moves by some monarchs backing his full freedom and re-integration, The Nation has learnt.
His spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki, disclosed that the efforts of some traditional rulers in South West, especially the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, were instrumental to Igboho’s clearance to return home.
In 2025, Igboho had lamented that he was tired of staying in exile. He made the appeal during his visit to the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Olusola Alao, at his palace at Orile-Igbon, Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State.
He pleaded with President Bola Tinubu-led federal government to remove his name from wanted list, saying he is not a criminal and should not be treated as such.
Igboho lamented that he was declared wanted by the Late Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for an unknown offence, and it has made it difficult for him to use the Nigerian Passport as well as denied him access to his bank accounts despite court judgments in his favour.
While no specific date has yet been announced for his arrival, Koiki confirmed that arrangements are underway and that more details will be made public in the coming days.
He said, “This is a moment of joy for Ibadanland and Yorubaland as a whole. Chief Adeyemo is now cleared to return to Nigeria and is no longer being sought by government authorities.
“With the support of our royal father, the Olubadan of Ibadanland. Chief Sunday Adeyemo is now free to return home. He is a free man and will soon be back in Ibadan.”
Concluding, the statement also expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Yoruba monarchs across the region; Yoruba sons and daughters worldwide for their support during Igboho’s years away from home.
The Nation reports Igboho lurched to national fame after he issued a seven-day eviction notice to herders in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State in January 2021.
Igboho is a prominent Yoruba activist who has been at the forefront of advocating for the rights and security of the Yoruba people in Nigeria.
His activism gained momentum in January 2021 after he issued a seven-day ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa, Oyo State, to vacate the land following the killing of a prominent individual, Fatai Aborode.
On 1 July 2021, operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) stormed his Ibadan residence in an attempt to arrest him, leading to a violent confrontation that left two of his associates dead.
Sunday Igboho subsequently fled to Benin Republic, from where he planned to connect a flight to Germany.
He was arrested on 19 July 2021, at the Cotonou airport while attempting to travel to Germany. He was detained for nearly two years before being released in March 2022.
Igboho’s arrest and detention sparked widespread outrage and protests in Nigeria, with many calling for his release.
The lawmaker representing Ibadan South-East/Ibadan North-East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abass Adigun, popularly known as Agboworin, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the welfare and operational challenges facing officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as part of efforts to curb drug use and abuse in Nigeria.
Agboworin made the call while speaking as a guest on the current affairs programme Gbagede Oselu, aired on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) at the weekend.
As chairman of the House Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, the federal lawmaker oversees legislative initiatives on drug policy, illicit substance control, and education and rehabilitation programmes for drug users.
Responding to questions during the programme, Agboworin commended the NDLEA for its performance under the leadership of its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd.), but stressed that the agency requires greater support and encouragement to sustain and expand its impact.
He expressed concern over the rising rate of drug abuse, particularly among young people, describing it as a critical national challenge that demands collective attention.
According to him, drug abuse is a global problem, noting that even developed countries that spend millions of dollars on counter-narcotics efforts continue to grapple with the menace.
Agboworin identified social media, online influencers, entertainers, and the broader show business industry as contributing factors to the growing prevalence of drug use among youths.
He also highlighted the efforts of the House Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, including proposals for stiffer jail terms for drug traffickers and improved welfare packages for NDLEA operatives.
He said, “The rate of drug abuse is worrisome and call for the attention of everyone. It’s a serious issue all over the world because even the US that is spending billions of dollars is still battling with the menace.
“The NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa is doing a great deal of job.
“As the House Committee Chairman, alongside other members, in doing our job, we saw that there is need for a lot to be done for the Agency.
“They don’t have enough personnel. They work alongside Customs Service and even doing more. They have barley 14,000 personnel in the country. Their welfare is nothing to write home about as they are not well equipped.
“We have gathered all the challenges and put them into a bill. We suggested that the agency be moved from the Ministry of Justice to the Presidency.
“At the committee level, we have also proposed a minimum of 25years jail term for traffickers, after they might have collected all they made through drug. We also proposed a 2 percent return to the agency from the money they make for government.
“I appeal to President Bola Tinubu to pay more attention to the need to improve thenfight against narcotics by strengthening the NDLEA more.
“The agency is doing so well under Marwa but they need to be strengthened and encouraged in terms of improved funding, increase in personnel and welfare packages.
“The internet, showbiz, influence of entertainers and social media personalities have also constituted to the spread of drug use.”
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has disclosed that his administration has invested N6.1 billion in scholarship awards for no fewer than 174,451 tertiary students, including those studying overseas, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen human capital development.
Radda made the disclosure during the 17th convocation ceremony of Al-Qalam University, Katsina, where an honorary doctorate degree was conferred on former Governor Aminu Bello Masari.
He said the state’s extensive investment in scholarships, teacher recruitment, school infrastructure, and skills development is designed to prepare young people academically, morally, and economically to compete in an increasingly globalised world.
“Education is the most powerful instrument for empowerment and sustainable development. Our administration is committed to laying a solid foundation for learners from basic to tertiary levels,” the governor stated.
He added that the government’s objective is to ensure pupils receive strong academic and moral grounding from primary and secondary school so they are fully prepared for the demands of higher education and global challenges.
Radda further revealed that the state has recruited 7,326 teachers, trained more than 20,000 others, renovated and constructed classrooms, established modern schools, and set up skills centres.
He also highlighted the creation of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA), which aims to equip youths and women with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
According to the governor, the administration’s focus is not only on issuing certificates but on developing knowledge, skills, and character that will make beneficiaries productive and socially responsible.
During the convocation ceremony, Radda announced the donation of three brand new vehicles to the overall best graduating student and two outstanding Qur’an memorizers who emerged winners in the Musabaqatul Qur’an (Gwani and Gwana categories).
He noted that Islam places high value on knowledge and moral uprightness, adding that recognising young Qur’anic scholars promotes the integration of strong religious values with modern education for balanced development.
The governor commended Al-Qalam University for complementing government efforts in delivering quality education and nurturing morally upright citizens.
He recalled that the state government donated the land on which the university is built and recently approved the construction of a perimeter fence to enhance campus security.
Earlier, the Chancellor of Al-Qalam University, Professor Nasiru Musa Yauri, said the institution has recorded significant progress in teaching, research, and the integration of religious and modern studies.
Also speaking, former Governor Aminu Masari urged universities to embrace technology and innovation, stressing that education must extend beyond certificates to practical skills and problem-solving capacity.
Across Nigeria, there are thousands of unmet family planning needs, many of which are in rural and hard-to-reach communities. To bridge this gap, the Society for Family Health (SFH) initiated the IntegratE project which empowered Community Health Extension Workers and Community Pharmacists to provide simple family planning services in underserved areas. SEUN AKIOYE met with some of them in Kano state.
Every morning in the past two years, Shamsudeen Abdulahi Muhammad never failed to open the doors of his modest ‘3 Star pharmacy’, located at the entrance of Koforo Walamai community in the Eastern Bypass area of Kano state. As the only registered community pharmacist also licensed to provide quality family planning services, women who are shy to approach the general hospital walk in for various services.
Some tired of their poverty and inability to cater for their children want a break from childbearing and some like Fatimah-not real name- want to terminate the 11th pregnancy after 10 children.
Shamsudeen Muhammad struggles with poverty and ignorace of community members
“I have seen a lot,” Shamshudeen said as he rested his elbows on the long table that separated him from his customers. “Many women come here begging for a family planning method. There was a woman with 10 children begging for a termination, she is so poor the children do not attend school, when people like that come in, I usually say no and counsel them,” he said.
Since his graduation from school, Shamsudeen only wanted to serve his community, with his skills and education. “This is my community, they are my people, and I want to help them,” he said. But he had not anticipated the gravity of the help his community needed and his own capacity to meet it.
“There is widespread poverty among the people,” he began waving his arm in a semi-circle. “You will see a woman come here wanting to abort a pregnancy because they have unplanned pregnancy, another one would come with 10 children, they are not even thinking of hospital bills but food to eat,” he stated.
In Koforo Walawai, poverty walks on all fours and so is ignorance. One of the underserved communities in Kano state, women shy away from accessing family planning at designated hospitals for varying reasons. “People come to us because we provide what they can’t get elsewhere and that is interpersonal service. We are the first layer of contact with the community, and they know and trust us,” Shamsudeen said in a firm and confident voice.
But how did Muhammad and others across 11 states in Nigeria become primary providers of family planning in poor communities. The answer began with Integrat E, a proof-of-concept project supported by the Gates Foundation that asserts that Provision and Patient Medicine store Vendors (PPMVs) and Community Pharmacists (CPs) can provide more services than they are currently approved to do, if they are trained and licensed thereby bridging a critical health gaps in rural communities and hard-to reach areas.
Bridging the Gap: Integrating Community Care to Meet Family Planning Needs
In 2017, a consortium of health organisations led by the Society for Family Health (SFH) began to tinker on an innovative method that would see an upscale in meeting family planning demands of poor, unreached and excluded women in rural communities. The project that was born was the Integrat E model.
Working with the Federal Ministry of Health, it seeks to broaden the task-sharing, task-shifting policy through a tiered accreditation which would be led by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, (PCN). The pilot phase was a research to prove that if trained, Community Pharmacists and Patient and Propriety Medicines Vendors (PPMVs) can provide the much needed access to family planning.
This logic, according to Danjuma Sani, the Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Kano State Private Health Management Agency is because the PPMVs are closest to the communities. “They are rooted in the community, they are the first point of call,” Sani said.
Sani, we have registered more than 8,000 PPMVs
The follow-up project tagged Integrate E 2.0, building on the evidence began aggressive training and Tiered Accreditation System (TAS) which divided the PPMVs into three tiers: Tier One include secondary school graduates who have a patent medicine store but no healthcare training; Tier Two covers those with some healthcare training like nurses and Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) and Tier Three are the pharmacy technicians who have had extensive healthcare training.
Since 2021 when Integrat E 2.0 began, the project has extended to 11 states including, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Sokoto, Enugu, Nasarawa, Niger, Gombe, Yobe, Borno and Bauchi. By the end of the project, it aims to see an increase in women and communities’ use of an expanded range of quality family planning services through the PPMVs and CPs.
Integrat E, The Kano Model
Bahija Tijjani, Community People trusts us more
“One of the reasons we are so important is because people don’t want to go to hospitals because of the stigma,” Bahija Tijjani Mahmud was saying. It was early in the morning, and she had just attended to her first client. In the Sharada Area of Kano, where the Double T.T Medicine store is located, Bahija is a legend.
For six years, she had been a nurse in Sharada, attending to women and meeting their very private needs, and then two years ago, she was trained by the SFH and incorporated into the Integrat E project as a Tier 2 provider. She began providing simple services like pills and injectables, then she was trained to provide counselling, since then she has provided over 200 family planning services to grateful women in the community.
“90 percent of the women who come here are for family planning and one of the key things I do is to counsel them. There is so much poverty, but people are still having unplanned pregnancies, so it is my duty to help them make better choices,” she said.
Bahija believes access for women is crucial and the privacy the PPMV provides is a jinx breaker in the community. While there are challenges with finance, the real problem with low uptake is the stigma. “The stigma is real,” she said in a matter-of-fact manner.
The women who come to Bahija’s Double T.T store did not see themselves as patients or clients, Bahija is their sister, the one they could confide in. “Our people love PPMVs more than the hospitals because we are closer to them and there is privacy. They feel free to discuss anything with us and even husbands feel safer accompanying the wife here than the hospital,” she said.
Bahija in front of Double TT store
But with a combination of advocacy and counselling, stigma rates are beginning to fall in Sharada. “Before now, it was 90 percent, but it has come down, even rural people now understand what family planning is and the men have also accepted it and we have less resistance than before,” Bahija revealed.
Now, when women come to the Double T.T medicine store, it is not just for consultation, they might be there to offer their gratitude in kind. “Our community people do return to appreciate me for the work I am doing, sometimes they bring gifts, foodstuff etc,” Bahija confirmed.
Several miles away from Sharada, in the sleepy community of Kofar Ruwa, Hassan Muhammad operates a small medicine store. From outside, it looked like a regular store selling daily needs but, in the community, the demand for Muhammad’s services is high.
Hassan prepares to attend to a client at Kofar Ruwa
“I have been here for 13 years,” he began to say in smattering English. Outside, small cries of babies, suffering in the afternoon heat and the voice of the muezzin cuts across the stillness of the day. “Before I started this business, there were no patent medicine stores here and the people were complaining,” he said.
So, with only the senior secondary school certificate, he began to learn about patent medicine and became the community’s sole ‘saviour’. Then he was brought into the Integrate E project, trained to administer family planning services, counselling and referrals. That was four years ago.
“The programme has been a big blessing to this community,” Muhammad said with a smile of satisfaction. “I have seen between 400 to 500 people and provided family planning services to both male and female clients.”
Though it may sound incredible, but Muhammad brought his record out to show the numbers. He has meticulously recorded every transaction he had with every client and what services he provided. One of the keys to his success is a massive advocacy programme in the community, done with the assistance of SFH. “People look forward to these outreaches, you may think they don’t have a problem until they show up for the community mobilisation,” he said.
Some of the major success stories of the IntegratE project are in Kano. Across the 44 local government areas, PPMVs and community pharmacists are filling unmet family planning service’s needs. According to Danjuma Sani, whose office registers, monitors and regulates the PPMVs, Kano has registered more than 8,000 PPMVs while a new survey is underway to verify how many more are there in Kano. “The Tier 1 practitioners were a menace to the society, they are not trained, they have no experience, but the people prefer them because they are cheaper and closer to them. That is why we have to register them and ensure they go through the training from the partners,” Sani said.
But Sani was also quick to recognize their importance. “With the way the economy has been for some years, many people are turning to family planning and that is where the PPMVs come in, they provide important service for the community.”
Zainab
Zainab Abdulsallam, the State technical Advisor, IntegratE project at the SFH agreed with Sani. In the last five years, she has worked with hundreds of volunteers across the state for training and advocacy. “From our findings, 70 percent of people in the communities say the PPMVs are their first point of call for family planning services. So, these people are providing these services and we don’t know if they are qualified, that is why this project is important,” Zainab said.
The idea behind Integrat E is novel; pilot new approaches to provide primary health care services in communities and increase compliance, regulations and quality among the people providing these services. But there is always the link between the PPMVs and government hospitals.
“We want the PPMVs to also refer patients to the hospitals, we want to strengthen the linkage between public and private health facilities. We have trained them and they are registered with the government and providing quality service in the community, so we want them to report their data,” Zainab clarified.
Mustapha Ibrahim Usman is Deputy Director, Pharmaceutical Services at Kano state Ministry of Health, he said the government will continue to work with the PPMVs and provide strict regulations.
Usman, Government wont hesitate to apply sanctions at infractions
“The programme is good; we are able to know the people operating the PPMVs and regulate them. We have told them to operate within their boundaries, and the government will not hesitate to apply the law when there are infractions,” he said.
While Women Plan, Men Offer Support
Nothing prepares you for the revelation 50-year-old Abubakar Aliyu was about to make. With a University Degree under his belt, a master’s degree underway, he also served as the Chief Imam of Ali Maifada mosque in Gama community.
Aliyu, Chief Imam at Ali Maifada Mosque
“People are always shocked when I tell them my qualifications,” Aliyu said. He was sitting in the middle of the mosque in Gama B ward. The Gama community in Nasarawa Local government of Kano boasts of nearly two million residents. It is the largest ward and a ‘darling’ in the state, attracting different ethnic groups and investments.
In Gama B, the Maifada Mosque is unique and known for its very progressive preaching and initiatives, the men of Gama B would congregate every evening to learn about new initiatives and whatever decision made by this assembly of men would be binding.
“Family planning is not new to us here, in fact, we do have lectures here twice a week where we encourage our men to accept family planning and we also talk about men’s health and our role in the community,” Aliyu said.
He is also a role model, married with one wife and 9 children, who are all educated, he said he has accepted family planning for a long time. “Though culture has been a barrier to many of our men accepting this, the economy has a way of deciding for you, so the men have now seen the need to embrace child-spacing,” he said.
When IntegratE project landed in the community, one aspect that resonated with the community was the male involvement meetings. Zainab, the State Advisor for the project said that aspect was built into the programme to get the buy-in of the men as head of the households.
“Male involvement came about as evidence mounts that the husbands must be involved. There are compound or town hall meetings that were done with the men, the aim is to sensitize them to know the advantages of child-spacing and support their wives in making the decision to take up a method,” she explained.
But the programme faced initial problems, cynical men clutching to the strings of culture and religion dismissed the programme and refused to allow their wives participate. “Some men were even abusing me as an Imam supporting child-spacing,” Aliyu confirmed.
But with over two years of engagement, the men of the Gama community have a new mindset. Aliyu Adamu Maifada, who has three wives and eight children said there is no more conflict with the men of Gama. “I have accepted this family planning for the health of the mothers and the health of the children,” he said.
Maifada is now a peer-educator and has converted a lot of men in the community. “As a community leader, people listen to me and they see that I practiced what I am preaching, so that is how we succeeded in converting many men,” Maifada revealed.
One of the keys to the successful mobilization and awareness is the work of the Interpersonal Communication Agents (IPCA) who have been recruited to move from house to house sharing information and creating awareness.
“We were well received in many of the homes, even when some people reject us, we will return there with more information and they will welcome us,” Amina Nasiru Usman said. She had been one of the first agents in Gama and much of the success in that community could be attributed to her relentless work.
Amina and community volunteers in Gama B
Today, she sat quietly in a corner at the mosque, after a mid-day meeting with a group of women who also acted as peer-educators. “This is the way it works,” she stated in a conspiratory tone. We go inside the homes to talk to the wives, many times, they would insist they needed their husband’s approval for family planning. By that time, the Imam is also talking to the husbands and so when the women seek permission, it would be easy.”
This is a masterstroke strategy employed by Integrat E project to increase access to family planning for women across Nigeria. “No project has done what we did with the PPMVs,” Zainab boasted as she sat down to an interview.
“Imagine all the small patent medicine stores are now registered with the government, you are known and monitored. Then they are trained to provide the primary level of care and in a community where trust is important, these people come in as supervised and trained hands,” she further confirmed.
In Kano, the Integrat E 2.0 has recorded some modest successes in ways and outstanding successes in others. Currently, the project has trained 832 PPMVs across the 43 local government areas, with another 100 trained in November while it targets training for 900 community pharmacists. The PPMVs and community pharmacists undergo intensive training at the School of Health Sciences for 15 days after which they would be recommended to the state government.
In September 2026 IntegratE, 2.0 will shut down. At that time, Zainab will not only be counting the numbers of trained PPMVs, but she would be hoping that a handshake of data has crossed from the private to the public sector. Mustapha Usman would be hoping that his Ministry would have utilized and profited from the data being volunteered by the PPMVs while also hoping the project has empowered enough vendors to improve the state’s health indices.
Sani would hope that he has been able to regulate more vendors who otherwise would have been operating under the regulator’s radar without the project. And Muhammad would still battle misconception among the Koforo Walawai people, he would battle poverty and ignorance and though he makes very little by providing life saving services, he would remain in his post. “I cannot leave these people,” he said, after attending to a patient who could not afford to buy a painkiller, “I am the only one they have, I am their only hope, for now.”
A six room residential building at Block D5, Ifedapo Estate, Amuloko area of Ibadan, and properties worth millions of naira were razed by fire on Friday, a statement issued by the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Mr. Moroof Akinwande has said.
Akinwande explained the fire incident completely burnt down the bungalow.
According to the statement, the agency received a distress call about the fire incident on Friday at exactly 2:53 p.m., from one Odetunde and immediately deployed firemen led by ACFS Amoo to the scene.
“Upon arrival, it was a bungalow of six rooms engulfed by fire and our officers swiftly got into action and prevented the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings,” he said.
The statement said that no casualties were recorded in the fire incident and attributed the cause of the fire to an explosion caused by domestic gas that spread to the entire building.
“Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the fire,” the chairman said.
Akinwande advised members of the public to promptly call fire service and provide correct address whenever there was an emergency.
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Amuwo-Odofin Constituency 1, Hon. Foluke Stella Osafile, has dumped the Labour Party (LP) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Osafile is the Chairman of the House Committee on Wealth Creation and is the only opposition lawmaker in the 40-member legislative house.
“Yes, it is true. I have defected to the ADC,” the female lawmaker reportedly told a newspaper.
She was quoted to have promised to make a formal announcement lawmaker soon, during a plenary session at Assembly, saying: “Don’t worry, I will announce it during plenary soon.”
She defeated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Folorunso Olaitan Segun, in the 2023 general election and her victory was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Accord Party in Osun State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the party’s youth wing kicked off a door-to-door awareness and mobilisation 10 local government areas of Osun West Senatorial District.
The youth wing intensified grassroots mobilisation ahead of the August 8, 2026, governorship election to ensure emergence of its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Munirudeen Oyebamiji.
The grassroots mobilisation led by the party’s Senatorial Youth Leader, Hon. Imran Majeed Adekunle, across ten local government area of the district was joined by a senatorial aspirant for Osun West, Chief Peter Ogundejii alongside party chairmen.
A statement by Chief Ogundejii, described the APC governorship candidate as credible and people-focused, urging party members to sustain grassroots engagement and ownership of the campaign.
He commended the youth wing’s leadership for initiating what he described as a people-driven mobilisation.
The Isokan engagement also witnessed the defection of members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party to the APC, citing renewed confidence in the party’s leadership and direction.
He emphasised the decisive role of youths in elections and called for collective efforts to deliver overwhelming support for the APC as a mark of appreciation for the confidence reposed in Osun West Senatorial District.
He urged party members to deepen grassroots engagement and actively participate in the party’s membership e-registration and voter registration exercises, stressing that sustained, youth-driven mobilisation would be central to the APC’s success in 2026.
Shortly after the tour, APC leadership inaugurated Door-to-Door Campaign Committees across the ten local governments visited and prayed for the success of the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO).
Federal lawmakers representing Ondo State in the National Assembly have pledged their total support for Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, vowing to work collectively to ensure unity, stability, and effective governance within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The lawmakers, all members of the House of Representatives from the state, made the pledge on Friday while being hosted to a dinner by the governor at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Akure.
At the meeting, the lawmakers reaffirmed their commitment to the success of Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration and the overall development of Ondo state.
Those present at the dinner included Hon. Abiodun Derin Adesida (Akure South/Akure North), Hon. Abiola Makinde (Ondo East/Ondo West), Hon. Timehin Adelegbe (Owo/Ose), Hon. Gboyega Adefarati (Akoko South West/Akoko South-East), Hon. Ife Ehindero (Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West).
Others include: Hon. Festus Akingbaso (Idanre/Ifedore), Hon. Festus Adefiranye (Ileoluji-Okeigbo/Odigbo), Hon. Donald Ojogo (Ilaje/Ese-Odo) and Hon. Jimi Odimayo (Okitipupa/Irele).
Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Adesida said the visit was aimed at strengthening collaboration between the executive and legislative arms of government, as well as closing ranks within the APC in the state.
He said the federal legislators had resolved to ensure unity within the party and support policies that promote effective governance and development.
The lawmakers stressed that a united APC remains critical to sustaining development and consolidating the party’s hold on Ondo State, noting that internal cohesion would also strengthen the party ahead of future elections.
They commended Governor Aiyedatiwa for hosting them and praised the developmental strides recorded by his administration across the state.
Pledging their loyalty, the lawmakers assured the governor of their readiness to put politics aside and continue to contribute their quota to the development of Ondo State and the growth of the APC.
In his remarks, Governor Aiyedatiwa described the collaboration with the federal lawmakers as a major boost for the state, noting that such synergy is essential for sustaining development and stability in the sunshine state.
The governor said his administration would continue to prioritise the welfare of the people and the development of the state above political considerations.
He added that peace, unity, and stability in the state should be seen as a collective responsibility requiring the commitment of all stakeholders.
Governor Aiyedatiwa also briefed the lawmakers on activities lined up to mark the 50th anniversary of the creation of Ondo state.
He expressed delight that all 12 members of the National Assembly from the state, as well as all 26 members of the State House of Assembly, are now members of the APC, describing the development as unprecedented in the state’s political history.
Kids in Thriving Environments Initiative (KITE), a nonprofit focused on improving child health and environments in underserved communities, has carried out a major Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) outreach at Akerebiata Junior Secondary School in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The program reached more than 600 students, providing practical hygiene education and essential sanitation support.
Founded and led by Dr. Angelina Uzor, KITE works to address preventable health challenges among children by combining education, resources, and community engagement. During the outreach, the organization donated waste bins to improve the school’s sanitation system, distributed hygiene kits to every child, and taught students proper hand washing, oral hygiene, and environmental cleanliness in both English and local languages.
The outreach addressed a critical need. Many students lacked access to basic hygiene resources and had limited knowledge of proper hand washing and sanitation practices—factors that contribute to preventable illnesses and school absenteeism. By donating waste bins, providing hygiene kits to every child, and teaching proper hand washing, oral hygiene, and environmental cleanliness, KITE helped reduce the risk of preventable illnesses and empowered students with daily habits that support long‑term health.
Teachers reported immediate improvements in students’ awareness and enthusiasm toward hygiene practices, and school leadership noted that the new waste bins and educational support would help maintain a cleaner, safer learning environment.
School leaders described the initiative as timely and transformative.
The school principal, Nimota Arinola Isiaka appreciated the care with which KITE relayed messages on WASH and health education.
A teacher, Mrs. Tolu Ibrahim said, “the children needed this support and we’re very grateful.”
Students also expressed enthusiasm, with one student, Femi Olawale, saying, “I want to be like KITE Initiative when I grow up so I can help people.”
The outreach reflects KITE’s broader mission to create healthier learning environments and equip children with lifelong hygiene habits. Through programs like this, the organization continues to deliver practical, community‑driven solutions that strengthen schools and improve child well‑being across Nigeria.
The Baale of Odan Otun Itele, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government, Ogun State, Chief Babajide Abiola Durojaye has inaugurated a borehole project in commemoration of 100 days of his enthronement as a traditional ruler.
The water project was commissioned on Saturday amid fanfare.
The event held at the Durojaye’s palace was witnessed by some royal fathers, traditional chiefs, community leaders, youths, women groups and traders.
The traditional ruler also gave 40 traders and market women cash support to boost their business and encourage entrepreneurship in the community.
The cash empowerment was witnessed by the Onitele of Itele, Oba Ademola Eletu Ashorota, whose presence added grandeur to the occasion.
Oba Ashorota commended Baale Durojaye for his humility, dedication, and development-driven approach, urging other community leaders to emulate his example.
