The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Council donates vehicles, inaugurates taskforce to combat illegal dumping of refuse

    Council donates vehicles, inaugurates taskforce to combat illegal dumping of refuse

    By Kamorudeen Ummusalamoh and Kowiyat Dada

    Chairman of Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Abiodun Ejigbadero, has donated 15 utility vehicles to security agencies, and community-based associations, in his  bid to “accelerate developments in the council”.

    Ejigbadero, while presenting the vehicles at the council’s Secretariat, described the occasion as another step forward in the council’s developmental journey.

    The event, which featured the inauguration of ‘The Agbado/Oke-Odo LCDA Special Task Force on Indiscriminate Dumping of Refuse,’ saw the chairman declaring a war on indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainages, road medians and public places with a  fine of N250,000.

    “Our administration will not fold its arms and allow dirt and diseases to take over our local government,” he said.

    He added that awareness jingles in Yoruba and Pidgin English were already airing on radio stations to educate residents on the cleanup campaign, appealing for collective support to promote a healthier environment.

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    a urged residents to cooperate by paying their rates and taxes, adding that internally generated revenue remain critical to sustaining development and improving service delivery.

    Former Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Princess Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, while applauding the collaboration between the council and Community Development Associations (CDAs), said the synergy reflected a strong commitment to environmental cleanliness and responsible governance.

    She emphasised the importance of security to economic development, describing the ongoing conversations and initiatives around security in Agbado/Oke-Odo as timely and necessary. She said several infrastructure projects executed within the LCDA would be inspected, with some slated for inauguration.

    She urged the newly inaugurated task force to operate with discipline, planning and commitment to ensure a cleaner and safer environment.

  • Ex-Rep Gebi responds to financial allegations

    Ex-Rep Gebi responds to financial allegations

    Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Aliyu Ibrahim Gebi, has reacted to a recent press release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding the court proceedings before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie.

    Affirming his respect for the commission’s mandate and the sanctity of the judicial process, Gebi contends that it is necessary to provide essential context to the facts presented in court to ensure the public is not misled.

    In a statement, he said the matter arose from a legitimate “friendly loan” intended for a business venture, which did not yield the expected results within the anticipated time frame. At no point was there an “intent to defraud,” Gebi stressed.

    Emphasising he never denied the debt, the former lawmaker explained that even before the issue was taken to the EFCC, and throughout the duration of the case, he had remained consistent in making payments.

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    “As the prosecution witness admitted in court, payments were made in installments, including N20 million, N34 million, and N12 million, demonstrating my unwavering commitment to settling the obligation despite my financial setbacks,” he noted.

    Concerning the cheques mentioned in the testimony, Gebi clarified that they were not to be presented for payment without his prior clearance, as they were intended as a form of security/guarantee while he worked to recoup the business losses.

    “Their presentation to the bank, which subsequently led to them being dishonored, was done without my consent and served only to criminalize a civil delay,” the statement reads.

    Confirming the completion of all outstanding payments, Gebi said he had fulfilled his financial obligations to the complainant, apologized to the loanee, Hajiya Aishatu Dahiru, for the delay, and thanked her for her magnanimity.

    “I remain a law-abiding citizen with the utmost respect for the laws of Nigeria. I have cooperated fully with the legal system for over a decade regarding this matter and will continue to do so until the formal conclusion of the case.

    “While the presentation of these facts in court may seem intended to portray me in a negative light, I take this experience in good faith as a lesson in business and personal responsibility,” Gebi added.

  • Building goes up in flames at Lagos Computer Village

    Building goes up in flames at Lagos Computer Village

    By Sherifdeen Amusa

    An early morning fire yesterday gutted a commercial building with 13 shops on Somoye Ogundairo Street in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, destroying goods estimated at millions of Naira.

    Permanent Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement, said the agency received a distress call about 1.55am and  “activated the state’s Emergency Response Plan from its Command and Control Centre in Alausa, Ikeja”.

    “The LASEMA Response Team conducted a risk assessment and cordoned off the affected area. Safety and precautionary measures were activated to forestall damage to adjoining buildings and the immediate environment,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

    He said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined and that the matter was under investigation, adding that the combustible materials in the building contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

    He said the upper floor of the building was destroyed, with goods.

    He added that the structure had been partially compromised and would require a structural integrity assessment.

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    “No lives were lost in the incident; however, one firefighter sustained minor injuries during the operation and was treated on-site by the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS),” he said.

    One of the affected shop owners, Chuks, said some goods he offloaded on Monday were destroyed by the fire.

    An eye witness, Olumide, attributed the cause of the fire to an electrical spark.

     that followed the restoration of power supply, which was complicated by the unavailability of access keys to the building.

    He added that the Firefighters  arrived with three trucks to extinguish the fire. They broke into the building through the back to salvage it.

    This is coming barely two weeks after a fire at Great Nigerian Insurance building on Lagos Island, where  some people died and at Arena Market in Bolade Oshodi where goods worth millions of naira were destroyed.

  • EFCC re-arraigns businessman, firm over alleged $550,000 fraud

    EFCC re-arraigns businessman, firm over alleged $550,000 fraud

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned a businessman, Wilson Opuwei, before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, over an alleged $550,000 fraud.

    Opuwei, alongside his company, Dateline Energy Services Limited, is facing a four-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretences and stealing.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when first arraigned before the court.

    The defendant was previously arraigned on May 23, 2011, before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos State High Court, now of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

    The matter was transferred to Justice Fadipe who commenced the matter de novo.

    The prosecution, led by Nwandu Ukoha told the court that Opuwei allegedly obtained the sum of $550,000 sometime in April 2011 in Lagos from a businessman, Prince Donatus, under the false pretence that he would supply him 5000 metric tonnes of kerosene from the Pipeline Products and Marketing Company (PPMC), a representation he knew to be false.

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    Ukoha who was holding brief for Fadeke Giwa informed the court that it had closed its case nine years ago, while the defendant failed to open its defence, leading to the matter starting afresh.

    However, the defence contended that it started its defence five years ago.

    The matter was before Justice Abiru, who was moved to the Court of Appeal in 2012.

    The casefile, thereafter, was transferred to Justice Onigbajo, then Justice Lawal Akapo who was elevated to the Court of Appeal, after which the case was reassigned to Justice Fadipe.

    The defence counsel reminded the court that Opuwei was admitted to bail on May 22, 2012, by Justice Abiru and urged the court to allow the defendant to continue on the same bail conditions.

    In his ruling, Justice Fadipe ordered that the first defendant should continue on the bail earlier granted and adjourned the matter to March 19, 30, and 31, as well as April 1 and 2, 2026, for trial.

  • Court urged to dismiss N100.5b defamation suit by Gov Sule

    Court urged to dismiss N100.5b defamation suit by Gov Sule

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mkar, Benue State, Prof. Zacharys Anger Gundu, has prayed a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to dismiss or strike out a defamation suit filed by the Nasarawa State governor and Governor Abdullahi Sule.

    The request is contained in a notice of preliminary objection filed against the suit by the defendant through his team of lawyers, led by Sebastian Hon (SAN).

    In the objection, Gundu queried the competence of the suit and urged the court to decline jurisdiction because the suit is frivolous and constitutes an abuse of the process of the court.

    In faulting the suit’s competence, Gundu noted, among others, that the claimants failed to comply with the mandatory condition precedent to the validity of the originating processes, as provided for in Order 2 Rule 8 of the court’s Civil Procedure Rules), 2025.

    He added that the suit constituted an abuse of process for joint pleadings and reliefs by the claimants, when the first claimant (the Government of Nasarawa State) has no right of action, cause of action and or reasonable cause of action against him (the defendant).

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    The defendant noted that while the claimants pleaded the alleged defamatory words spoken by him, the name of the first claimant is not mentioned anywhere in the words pleaded in the statement of claim as being allegedly defamatory.

    He added that the first claimant has no right of action in defamation since a government cannot sue for the common law remedy of damages and other reliefs for defamation.

    Gundu, who also filed a statement of defence, raised the defences of justification and fair comment.

    In support of his defence of justification, the defendant argued that the alleged defamatory words were made with reference to the actions of a public servant (the second claimant) in the performance of his public duties as the governor of Nasarawa State.

    He added that the words complained of reflect the practical and empirical happenings in Nasarawa State under several Governors of the state.

    In support of his defence of fair comment, the defendant said he made those comments complained of over a matter of public interest.

    He added that the said comments were a fair assessment of the security and land tenure situation in Nasarawa State, where the second claimant is not only the governor, but is also the Chief Security Officer of the state and the Chief Trustee of all lands in the state.

    The Nasarawa State government and Governor Sule had sued Prof. Gundu over comments he made while participating in a programme organised by a television state, which the claimants alleged portrayed them as encouraging insecurity in the state.

    They are praying for series of reliefs, including an order compelling the defendant to publish retractions of the said comments; an order for N100.5 billion in damages and cost of prosecuting the suit.

    On Monday, Justice Hamza Muazu took arguments from lawyers to parties in relation to the defendant’s preliminary objection and adjourned ruling till a date to be communicated to them.

  • NSITF, NECA to employers: see workplace safety as business strategy

    NSITF, NECA to employers: see workplace safety as business strategy

    The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) have urged employers to regard workplace safety as a strategic business decision that safeguards human capital, reduces operational risks, and enhances organisational reputation.

    They stressed that a strong culture of occupational safety and health is no longer optional but a fundamental human rights issue.

    Speaking at the Lagos Stakeholders’ Interactive Enlightenment Forum and Awards Ceremony of the NSITF–NECA Safe Workplace Intervention Project (SWIP) 2025, held at NECA House in Lagos, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye, said no job is worth a life and no organisation can sustainably thrive when safety is treated as an afterthought.

    Speaking on the theme of the programme, “Enhancing Workplace Safety, Strengthening Compliance, Celebrating Excellence,” Faleye said the theme captured the full scope of the engagement.

    “The theme captures the full spectrum of our engagement today. Compliance must be seen not as a regulatory obligation alone, but as a strategic business decision that safeguards human capital, reduces operational risk, and enhances organisational reputation,” he said.

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    He noted that SWIP has, over the years, evolved into a strategic platform for driving awareness, strengthening compliance, and fostering collaboration around occupational safety and health.

    According to him, the forum represents a critical interface between policy, practice, and performance, where employers, workers, regulators, and partners engage constructively on how to build safer and more productive workplaces.

    “Today’s gathering is not merely an information session; it is a shared commitment. It reflects our collective resolve to ensure that economic growth does not come at the expense of worker safety, and that productivity is anchored on environments that protect lives, dignity, and livelihoods,” Faleye said.

    Speaking on the awards, he said they were meant to recognise organisations that have demonstrated a strong commitment to occupational safety and health.

    “These awards are not just acknowledgements; they are benchmarks. They signal that compliance is achievable, that safety delivers value, and that excellence in worker protection deserves recognition,” he said.

    Addressing employers yet to fully align with the Employees’ Compensation Scheme, Faleye said the forum offered an opportunity to engage, ask questions, and build partnerships.

    Also speaking, the Director-General of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said safety in the workplace should be treated as a fundamental issue and a core responsibility of employers.

    He said that while employers pursue maximum or optimum profit, the safety of workers must also be a priority.

    Oyerinde described workplace safety as a life-and-death matter that is still treated with dangerous nonchalance by both employers and employees, despite its far-reaching consequences.

    On the awards, he expressed confidence that the initiative would not only reward excellence but also help reset the national conversation on workplace safety.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, said the Safe Workplace Intervention Project is a collaborative occupational health and safety initiative designed to enhance workplace safety across Nigeria through structured audits, engagement, and recognition.

    He stressed that occupational health and safety are everyone’s responsibility, adding that the ministry cannot achieve it alone.

    The minister commended NECA and NSITF for sustaining SWIP, describing it as a model of effective collaboration between government and the private sector.

    Following the Lagos event, the programme will move to Enugu, with a grand finale scheduled to hold in Abuja on January 27.

  • APC panel promises to end conflicts

    APC panel promises to end conflicts

    The Committee on Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mobilisation of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has promised to resolve all pending conflicts and other potential threats to the party.

    Led by the party’s former National Caretaker Chairman and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, the committee was inaugurated last December by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The committee held its inaugural meeting at the chairman’s lodge in Abuja on Monday night to outline the strategies for accomplishing its assignment.

    Party chieftains at the meeting included Governors Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), and Minister of Defence (State), Bello Matawalle.

    Others are: the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello; Senator Adamu Aliero; the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Political Affairs, Ibrahim Masari; and a former APC National Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire (SAN), who is the Secretary to the committee.

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    Governors Bassey Otu (Cross River), AbdulRahman AbduRazak (Kwara), and Umar Namadi (Jigawa), who are members of the committee, could not attend the meeting.

    No statement was issued after the meeting.

    But a statement by the Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor, Mamman Mohammed, confirmed the meeting.

    Last December, the committee chairman promised to diligently carry out the party’s assignment and ensure unity among members.

     Buni said: “The committee will adopt strategic engagements and wide consultations to develop an all-encompassing and productive result that will stand the test of time to give both the old and new members, especially aggrieved parties, a sense of belonging and inclusion, with a renewed hope.”

    He added: “The committee will consider proactive measures and solutions to potential threats in our conflict resolution approach.”

    The chairman urged members “not to allow personal interest and sentiments to override the general interest and purpose for which this committee is constituted”.

  • PDP leadership dispute: Court dismisses Anyanwu’s suit against INEC, others

    PDP leadership dispute: Court dismisses Anyanwu’s suit against INEC, others

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by a former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu, seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise him as the party’s scribe.

    Justice Mohammed Umar dismissed the suit in a ruling yesterday after the plaintiff’s lawyer, U. C. Njemanze Aku, applied to withdraw it.

    Anyanwu had originally named INEC and a former acting National Chairman of PDP, Umar Damagun, as the defendants in the suit.

    In a ruling on February 28, last year, the court had joined the PDP and other national executive members, including Sunday Udeh-Okoye, Dr. Ali Odefa, and Setonji Koshoedo, as defendants.

    At the mention of the case yesterday, Njemanze Aku told the court that Anyanwu’s tenure as the PDP National Secretary expired last December.

    The lawyer said she felt it was improper for a matter that had been overtaken by events to continue.

    “In the interest of justice, I apply to withdraw this matter to save the time of the court,” he said.

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    Responding, lawyer to INEC, Akintayo Balogun, averred that the suit “ought not to have been instituted in the first place”.

    Balogun urged the court to dismiss the suit with a cost of N1 million, a position that lawyers to other defendants agreed with.

    Njemanze-Aku objected to the request for the cost against the plaintiff, arguing that her decision to withdraw the suit was not meant to waste the court’s time.

    Ruling, Justice Umar said: “Since you have joined issues, I am going to dismiss this matter. The matter is hereby dismissed.

    “The delay is not on any of the parties. The situation made it so. For this reason, I award no cost.”

  • Court adjourns trial of Anthony Joshua’s driver to Feb. 25

    Court adjourns trial of Anthony Joshua’s driver to Feb. 25

    • Driver gets N5 bail

    A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, has adjourned the trial of Adeniyi Kayode, 45, the driver involved in the road crash that claimed the lives of two aides of former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, to February 25.

    Kayode, who appeared before the court for the continuation of his trial, on a four-count charge, yesterday was earlier granted bail in the sum of N5million with two sureties in like sum.

    The defendant is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous driving causing death, reckless and negligent driving, driving without due care and attention resulting in bodily harm and damage to property, and driving without a valid national driver’s licence.

    The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Kayode was arraigned on January 2, before Magistrate Olajumoke, following the accident, which occurred on December 29,  last year in front of Sinamo Company on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The defendant being the driver  of a Lexus 570 jeep with registration number KRD 850 HM, conveying Joshua and his friends Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, drove dangerously which resulted in a fatal accident and caused the untimely death of Ayodele and Ghami.

    The heavyweight boxing champion Joshua also sustained injuries in the accident.

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    The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Richard Nijiwe said the offence  contravened section 5(1), 6(1), 7(1) and 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Richard also made an application to the court for an adjournment of the case to enable the transmission of the case file to the Ogun State Attorney-General’s Office through the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.

    However, the defence counsel, Mr Abiodun Olalekan, opposed the application, arguing that the defence was ready to proceed with the trial.

    In her ruling, Magistrate Somefun granted the prosecution’s application and adjourned the matter to February 25, for further hearing

  • Fed Govt inaugurates panel to rank, select textbooks for schools

    Fed Govt inaugurates panel to rank, select textbooks for schools

    The Federal Government has inaugurated a Book Ranking and Selection Committee.

    It will introduce reforms to cap the number of approved textbooks per subject, ensure transparent and objective ranking, and protect learners and parents from exploitative practices.

    The committee, inaugurated yesterday in Abuja by Education Minister Tunji Alausa, is expected to improve the quality and affordability of textbooks used in Nigerian schools.

    The committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, with members drawn from key education agencies.

    The agencies include the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Teachers’ Institute, and the National Senior Secondary Education Commission.

    Alausa explained that the government raised the committee to reform the current textbook approval process that has allowed poor-quality materials, lack of standardisation and excessive financial burden on parents to persist.

    READ ALSO; Arewa, this has to stop

    The minister said the existing system failed to properly validate and rank textbooks before approval, resulting in some subjects having as many as 50 approved books without clear quality benchmarks.

    He said the absence of a structured ranking system meant that low-quality instructional materials were approved alongside books of higher pedagogical value.

    Alausa also faulted publishers for bundling workbooks and consumables with core textbooks, a practice he said forced parents to buy new books yearly and placed unnecessary financial pressure on families.

    Addressing the committee, he said: “Your assignment is both timely and strategic. You are expected to critically review existing approval frameworks, recommend strengthened assessment instruments and ranking systems, define clear and enforceable quality benchmarks, and propose mechanisms that ensure genuine content improvement before new editions are approved.

    “You are also expected to address issues of pricing transparency, edition control, separation of textbooks from consumable workbooks, and protection of learners and parents from unnecessary financial burdens.”

    Alausa stressed that although regulatory agencies could approve more books, only seven textbooks per subject would be officially ranked for selection by schools, particularly under the UBEC framework.

    The minister said once ranked, textbooks would remain in use for a minimum of three years, except where major curriculum or technological changes required updates.

    He urged the committee to address issues of pricing transparency, edition control, and the separation of durable textbooks from consumable materials, and called on the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council to publicise the reforms to reassure parents.

    Also, Ahmad pledged the committee’s commitment to reforming the textbook approval process to ensure learners have access to high-quality materials.

    She added that the committee will plug existing gaps identified by ensuring that books are standardised and properly ranked.

    “As long as a textbook meets the minimum standard, it is approved, without any benchmark to determine whether it is of grade A, B or C quality,” she said.

    Also, the NERDC Executive Secretary, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said the initiative would end arbitrary book selection in schools and ensure that only the best instructional materials are adopted nationwide.

    The NERDC will serve as the secretariat for the committee’s work.