A grassroots movement, the Like-Minded Islanders has supported the candidacy of Dr Yussuf Olatunji Olayigbade for chairmanship in Lagos Island.
The movement is backing his vision for development and inclusivity, stressing that his candidacy is a symbol of transformative leadership and progress.
While praising Olayigbade’s leadership qualities, it cited his empathy, innovation, and dedication to reviving the prosperity of Lagos Island as important.
The movement emphasised that he brings extensive experience in public service, holding a distinguished academic background in public administration and social governance.
In a statement, it said: “Over the years, he has made significant contributions to education, healthcare, and infrastructure while holding different positions, earning him widespread trust and credibility within the community.’’
‘’His leadership approach emphasises inclusivity, ensuring that all members of society, from elites to underserved populations, are fairly represented. His governance strategy is focused on addressing urgent local needs and fostering long-term prosperity.’’
With the election approaching, the Like-Minded Islanders are intensifying efforts to engage more community members in discussions about the future of Lagos Island. Their commitment to his candidacy reflects a broader desire for accountable leadership and sustainable progress.
The Chairman of Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Princess Surah Animashaun, has admonished Muslim faithful to sustain the lessons of sacrifice, discipline and love learnt during the period of Ramadan beyond this period.
The Chairperson said Nigerians must use the period for a sober reflection on the state of things in the country.
She urged them to pray fervently for the peace and tranquility of the nation.
Congratulating the Muslim Ummah for completing one of the Five Pillars of Islam, she said “Remember that moderation is important in everything you do during this period.”
She said the Muslim faithful has gone through one of the most rigorous Islamic obligations of one month fast and prayers as well as other forms of worship and urged all believers to imbibe the lessons learnt during the Ramadan period through sacrifices, almsgiving to the needy, continuous exhibition of piety as well as charity to one another.
“The Holy Month of Ramadan is an opportunity for our Muslim brothers and sisters to deepen their relationship with Allãh, promote a life of sacrifice, charity, and love for one another,” the Chairman said.
She also noted that the period of the Eid celebration was a clarion call for Nigerians to imbibe the lessons of the season, such as selfless service to God and humanity as well as a sincere commitment to righteous conducts in private and public life.
“Let us remember we are one people and continue to encourage one another to contribute to peace and unity amongst us. This will ultimately ensure our country remains the great nation that we are all proud of.”
Princess Animashaun reiterated the determination of her administration to deliver democratic dividends and called for cooperation from all citizens of the local government to enable government succeed, especially in the ongoing peace process.
“As the local government elections fast approaching, I remain thankful and committed to the growth and prosperity of the Epe Local Government Area and its people in delivering of the dividends of democracy, I also implore the residents to remain steadfast and resilience with our government, we will leave no stone unturned for the actualisation of our aims and objectives of the present administration,” she said
Residents of Owutu 1 Community in Ikorodu have accused the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) of a ‘blatant’ disregard for a court order prohibiting demolitions, alongside allegations of collusion with land grabbers.
The residents, who spoke at a press conference, yesterday, presented a court judgment restraining the Lagos State Government from demolishing any property within the area. However, they claimed that LASBCA, in collaboration with land grabbers, carried out the demolitions on March 26.
The community alleged that the land grabbers are attempting to seize their properties under the guise of enforcing building regulations, with the alleged cooperation of corrupt LASBCA officials.
The Chairperson of the Owutu 1 CDA, Princess Bukola Adebowale, noted what members of the community went through to address the issue before the sudden demolition. She said: “We went to the House of Assembly, the radio station, and wrote to the state government, they told us to go to physical planning, that they knew nothing about it. Then, suddenly, they came with tractors and tear gas, even setting houses they cannot penetrate with their equipment on fire.”
Adebowale detailed the community’s plight, stating, “We are sleeping outside with our belongings. Where are we supposed to go?”
She pleaded with the Lagos State government and the local government chairman to intervene.
“They are finishing our community, they need to rescue us. There will no more Owutu CDA if this goes on. We have been paying our land use charge for many years now and they just suddenly displaced us,” she said.
The Legal practitioner representing the residents, Alexander Ishoba described the situation as a “complete rascality”.
He said: “On March 26th, we witnessed high-handedness and arbitrariness that I never thought possible. We have a court judgment restraining the Lagos State government from demolishing any properties within this area yet they ignored it.”
Ishoba explained that the community had sought dialogue with the government regarding the land acquisition, emphasising their willingness to cooperate if proper compensation was provided.
“We wrote several letters, requesting negotiations. They didn’t respond. Instead, they proceeded with demolitions, defying a court order issued by Justice A.F Pokanu of the Lagos State High Court in January 21, 2025”, he added.
The residents also alleged that the Sholenge family is involved in the land dispute, despite the community’s claim to having purchased their land from the Allison family with registered titles dating back to 1952.
Ishoba emphasised: “The matter is even pending at the Court of Appeal but they came with policemen, thugs, and soldiers, demolishing homes without compensation”.
The lawyer reiterated the community’s commitment to seeking legal redress.
“If they do not look into this within three days, we will go back to court, even if they do not obey the orders. I cannot advise my clients to take up arms, even though that is their feeling right now. We shall pursue all available legal avenues to secure justice and restitution. We also call upon the Federal Government to intervene, to ensure that the fundamental rights of these citizens are upheld”, he said.
A resident of the community since 2022, Idowu Animola added: “My mother’s house is here, my father’s house is here, and my own home. I have four children in university. Where am I supposed to get the money to sponsor them now? This is where I live and this is where I make my livelihood. Please, we are all Nigerians”.
Animola also spoke of the ongoing court case against the Sholenge family, and the shock of the sudden demolitions despite assurances from officials.
Another resident simply identified as David described the situation as “deeply unfortunate and despicable”
According to him, the officials forcefully ejected everyone from their homes, almost demolishing the houses while aged people were still inside until they had to rush them out. He added people have been living outside with nowhere else to go.
The residents called for a thorough investigation into the agency’s activities and demanded that those responsible be held accountable.
They also seek redress for the losses incurred, including compensation for the demolished properties and the displacement of community members.
In pursuit of Rotary’s commitment to supporting education and academic development of young individuals through its basic and literacy programme, Rotaract Club of Isolo, Lagos has successfully registered 30 indigent admission seekers for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The educational support programme was carried out in partnership with Sarobol Nig. Limited; a top waste management company in the community whose contribution was in furtherance of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
A statement by the club’s President, Ruhamah Ifere, explained that the beneficiaries were picked across public secondary schools in the community as well as fresh school leavers.
She expressed delight in the club’s ability to further Rotary’s goal in supporting the educational pursuit of the future leaders as she commended Sarobol Nigeria Limited for the partnership.
“It’s gratifying that we are able to give to the society in this manner; investing in the aspirations of future leaders. Education is one of the greatest tools to change the world and its one of Rotary’s areas of focus. When Sarobol presented us with the partnership opportunity to execute the project, we couldn’t but key into it and to the glory of God, we’ve planted smiles on the faces of these promising future leaders,” she said.
Explaining how the beneficiaries were selected, she added that a letter was written to the Lagos State Education District 6 for nomination of 25 brilliant Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3) students while the remaining five were selected randomly from the community.
“We didn’t only purchase the forms but mobilised them to the registration centre and saw to their seamless registration. As a matter of fact, the project doesn’t stop at this. Sarobol Nig. Ltd carries out this project every year and they give out cash support to beneficiaries who have the best UTME scores and ultimately secure admission into tertiary institutions. We’ve been assured that this year won’t be an exception and my charge to the students is to make the efforts count.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairmanship aspirant in Ayobo-Ipaja Local Council Development (LCDA), Babatunde Sobowale, has organised a Ramadan lecture.
The event saw speakers encouraging participants to be involved in political activities.
Mufty Diyaar of Alimosho, Sheikh Yunus Jamiu, stressed the exercise of power and authority to achieve divine purpose.
According to him, the practice of leadership in Islam started with the advent of the Prophet Muhammed when he admonished his followers to always appoint a leader whenever they were on a trip.
“The prophet thus combined in his person the authority of the messenger, head of state, and commander of the army, just like we have in our present world. Prophet Muhammed was quoted to have said: ‘Whosoever obeys his leader, has obeyed me, Muhammed, and whosoever defies his leader, has defied me, Muhammed.’
Sheikh Jamiu noted some conditions in appointing leaders which include “selection in accordance to Islamic perspective, compassion, kindness, knowledge to lead (wisdom), must be fair and just, and must be a male.”
The host, Tunde Sobowale, thanked God for making the occasion a reality.
He stated the essence of the gathering was to educate Muslim members “Islam and Politics” and “Importance of Sadaqatul Jariya”.
“This public Ramadan lecture is the first of a kind among TS projects, and it has come to stay, Insha Allahu”, he said.
Sheikh Sulaimon Ibrahim said Zakat is another pillar of Islam, meant to purify one’s wealth and encourage the rich to assist the needy.
He said things that can be used as Sadaqah include food items, money, and showing mercy to the less privileged.
Residents of Kosofe Local Government Area in Lagos State have expressed their appreciation following the inauguration of three new strategic link roads.
They gave the commendations in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
NAN reports that the roads include; Lateef Dosumu Street, Ilawe Street in Ifako and Musa Adewokun Street in Ojota.
The residents said they believed the roads would significantly improve mobility and boost the local economy.
An All Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Ifako, Chief Olayinka Ogunnekan, described the new roads as “game-changers” that would stimulate business aactivities.
“We are thrilled with the commissioning of these new roads. It’s a game-changer for our community, and we are grateful to the Kosofe Local Government,” he said.
Chairman of Winniped Estate, Mr Femi Ojo, said that the roads would alleviate traffic congestion and improve residents’ daily commutes.
“The new roads will definitely improve our daily commute and make life easier for us.
We appreciate the chairman’s commitment to infrastructural development,” he said.
Mr Jamiu Talabi of Ojota Central CDA, representing residents of Musa Adewokun Street, emphasised the positive impact on local businesses.
The Chairman, Epe Local Government Council Area of Lagos State, Princess Surah Animashaun, has reassured the people that she would not renege on her developmental plans, adding that she would govern the council with the fear of God.
She called on the people and residents to be peaceful and embrace peace, saying development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
Princess Animashaun stated this while on an inspection tour of the ongoing developmental projects across the council area, promising to deliver the projects soonest, as it has reached 90 per cent completion.
According to her, all these projects would soon be delivered, the state-of-the-art museum and e-library which would serve as a repository of local government’s collective and shared memories, as well as reconstruction of Akodu Street, Adebowale-Logun Street, Shagari Housing Estate Gate and Egbekunle Street, likewise S.Rahman and Alhaja Khadijat Kareem Street are testimonies of the present administration.
The inspection tour was attended by Vice Chairman, Sikiru Owolomoshe, Rahmon Saheed, Secretary to the Local Government; Kareem Pitan, Leader of the House; Odupe Fuad Tunde, Supervisor for Environment; Oniga Kazeem, Deputy Leader; Bolanle Lawal, Supervisor for WAPA; Oluwo Rasheed, Majority Leader.
Princess Animashaun said her administration would continue to rule the council with the fear of God and ensure that the dividends of democracy gets to the nooks and crannies of the council.
She said: “We have promised the residents of our council that we will rule them with the fear of God and that is what we are doing. We also assure them that we will deliver on all our promises. We want our people to live in peace so that we can have development. We should live in peace and harmony.
“If we live in peace, the dividends of democracy will go round. We are god-fearing and we will ensure that our people feel the impact of our government positively. But, our people must learn to live in peace with one another.”
She appreciated the resident’s support, patience and resilience on her administration as the people of the council were passionate about her good governance, promised to work harder for the betterment of the people of the council.
The Itesiwaju Mainland (IM), a political group under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos Mainland area, has called on loyalists to protect their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVCs) ahead of council poll in Lagos State.
The group made the call during its first monthly meeting in 2025 at the Herbert Macaulay Primary Adekunle Area of Yaba.
The group’s Chairman, Prince Aliu Momoh, directed members to get PVC ready for the local government election.
Momoh advised members not to fall into the antics of some faceless groups masquerading as working for the ruling APC.
“This is where we pass authentic information to members, who will in turn take the information to the ward level.
“Today, we want members to watch out for genuine APC party meetings at the local government level.
“We want APC members to get their PVC ready for the coming local government election.”
The chairman said that the leadership would pass the information the moment the party released the electoral guideline for the poll.
Also speaking, the secretary of the group, Mr Kola Atanda, said the group was poised to ensure that members got dividends of democracy.
Atanda said: “From our findings, we realised that most of the time, members only see candidates during the election period and this is not good enough.
“We decided to set up this organisation, mainly for those who do not belong to any political group before now. We are just introducing them to party politics. This is to ensure that what belongs to them gets to them.
“Our membership has spread across both Mainland Local Government and Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA),” he said.
According to him, the group has been organising caucus meetings at various wards across the two local governments, polling no fewer than 1,500 membership.
In a move aimed at bolstering educational opportunities for underprivileged youths, the Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Emmanuel Bamigboye, has distributed free Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) forms to 300 indigent students.
According to the council boss, the distribution underscored the council’s commitment to ensuring financial constraints do not hinder the academic aspirations of its young residents.
“This initiative is a reflection of our firm commitment to supporting the educational aspirations of our youths and ensuring that financial constraints will not stand as a barrier in actualising their dreams,” he said.
Bamigboye emphasised the pivotal role of education as “the most powerful tool for personal, societal development and the bedrock of any progressive society.”
Recognising youths as “the future leaders, innovators, and change-makers of our society,” he noted that the council took it upon itself to invest in their education through the free JAMB form distribution.
Bamigboye stressed that the goal was to ensure every eligible student in Mushin has a fair chance to pursue higher education and build a brighter future.
The council boss urged the students to take their studies seriously, emphasising that success is rooted in “hard work, discipline, and dedication.”
He said: “This initiative is not just about providing educational support; it is about encouraging and inspiring you to take your studies seriously, as the journey to success begins with hard-work, discipline and dedication.
“I urge you all to make the best use of this opportunity by studying hard, stay focused and strive for excellence in your JAMB Examination and be good Ambassadors of Mushin Local Government. Beyond this JAMB examination, I encourage you to aim higher and never give up on your dreams and promises that our administration will continue to render supports in producing Best Students for Mushin LGA”.
Bamigboye also lauded parents and teachers for their unwavering support and dedication to the students’ academic growth.
He further reiterated the council’s continued efforts to improve the standard of education in Mushin communities.
The Chairman of Iba Local Council Development Area, Jubril Yisa, has said that every child in the council deserves access to quality education.
Yisa, otherwise known as Abila, stated that his administration is proud to play a part in making that a reality.
He made this known during the presentation of JAMB forms to beneficiaries.
Yisa said: “Today marks a significant milestone in our efforts to empower and support the educational pursuits of our young people. We recognised the importance of education in shaping the future of our community, and we are committed to providing opportunities for all, regardless of their socio-economic background. The presentation of today’s JAMB forms is another series in educational supports which I promised our youths during the electioneering campaign. To the glory of God, I have fulfilled all these in the past years with presentation of JAMB forms and GCE forms coupled with Abila yearly Bursary Award to support our students who are facing one challenges or the other at their various institutions.”
According to him, the JAMB forms represent more than just a registration process; they symbolize hope, opportunity, and a chance to unlock the full potential of the students.
He said: “To our beneficiaries, I urge you to seize this opportunity with both hands. Your hard work, dedication, and perseverance will be the keys to unlocking your dreams. Remember that education is a powerful tool that can transform not only your life but also the lives of those around you.
“To our parents and guardians, I thank you for your unwavering support and encouragement. Your role in nurturing and guiding our students cannot be overstated. To my Head of Education department and her team, I appreciate your tireless efforts in making this initiative a success. Your commitment to serving our community is truly commendable.
“I congratulate our beneficiaries and wish them all the best as they embark on this educational journey. Let us continue to work together to build a brighter future for our community.”
