The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has announced the removal of the age restriction for participation in its National Innovation Hackathon 2026, under the NIMASA Blue Economy Accelerator Programme (NIMASA-BEAP), following widespread demand from Nigerians seeking to participate in the initiative.
The NIMASA-BEAP application portal, which opened on Monday, October 5, 2026, is now available to all Nigerians aged 18 years and above, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or educational background.
NIMASA is therefore urging Nigerian innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, engineers, artisans, graduates and students to take advantage of the opportunity and submit their applications on the portal at no cost.
The National Innovation Hackathon, scheduled for December 8–10, 2026, is designed to identify innovative solutions to challenges and opportunities across Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy.
The Hackathon features 13 innovation tracks, covering areas including maritime technology and logistics; maritime safety, surveillance and security; green shipping and vessel decarbonisation; seafarer welfare; port digitisation; marine waste management; aquaculture and sustainable fisheries; coastal and artisanal fishing; ocean data and analytics; nature-based coastal defence; marine tourism; marine biotechnology; and deep seabed mining technologies and research.
Successful innovators will have the opportunity to progress into the 12-week NIMASA-BEAP Accelerator Programme, running from January to April 2027, where selected ventures will receive structured mentorship, industry exposure and venture-development support.
The programme will culminate in a National Demo Day in April 2027, providing opportunities for engagement with investors, industry partners, potential customers and other stakeholders.
NIMASA-BEAP is conceived as more than a competition. It is a national innovation-to-market pipeline designed to identify promising Nigerian solutions, develop them into viable ventures and connect them to opportunities within Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
NIMASA therefore encourages Nigerians with innovative ideas and solutions capable of addressing maritime and blue economy challenges to seize this opportunity.
Applications close on Friday, November 13, 2026 and interested applicants are required to apply through the official NIMASA-BEAP portal: https://nbeap.nimasa.gov.ng/
Parents of the 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members released by suspected kidnappers have opened up on what transpired before the abductors decided to free them, including that ransom was paid before their release, and that the corpers have now been offered postings to any of the six states in the South-West.
The NYSC members were on their way to the south east were they had been posted to serve the country when they were abducted between Anambra and Imo states.
According to Saturday PUNCH, a parent who spoke in confidence, said the survivors were allowed to choose the states where they would continue their national service.
“They have been given the opportunity to choose states in the South-West to continue their service with the current batch,” she said.
The parent also disclosed that the families paid N6m in ransom for each of the graduates.
“As for the ransom, we eventually paid N6m each, but we wanted them freed before disclosing that,” she said.
A relative of another survivor, Joy Zainab, confirmed that family members and well-wishers contributed towards the N6m ransom.
She said, “Alhamdulillah, he has been released and is safe with us at home. Thank you to everyone who prayed, reached out, showed concern, shared his story and supported us financially towards his ransom.”
The accounts corroborated an earlier disclosure by Alirat Wahab, the mother of another victim, who said her family paid N6m after the kidnappers initially demanded N50m per captive.
In an interview with News Central Television, Wahab said the kidnappers reduced their demand to N15m before eventually accepting N6m following appeals from the family.
“Initially, they asked us to pay N50m per head. We asked whether the amount was for all of them, but they insisted it was per person, so we started begging them to take N500,000, but they refused,” she said.
Wahab said the kidnappers eventually agreed to accept N6m.
She added that relatives and well-meaning Nigerians contributed money to meet the demand.
According to her, the kidnappers directed the families to send representatives to Ibadan, Oyo State, where her husband and son met an intermediary.
The money was subsequently transferred into a designated account, while the representatives were instructed to convert the funds into US dollars upon arrival in Imo State.
The amount allegedly paid by parents for the release of the corp members amounted to N120 million in total, amounting to over $90,000 at the current exchange rate of N1,330 to the United States dollar.
The 20 prospective corps members were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, while travelling in two commercial buses belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors.
They were reportedly heading for Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
The kidnappers subsequently demanded N50m per graduate.
The police on Wednesday announced the rescue of the abducted graduates at Amakohia Ubi Village in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.
However, the families disputed the police rescue claim, insisting that ransom was paid to secure their release.
Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has appealed to the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar to stop addressing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by his first name, in public.
Omokri particularly berated the ADC presidential hopeful for addressing the ‘’Tinubu’’ during a press conference he conducted recently. He urged Abubaka president by his first name to immediately apologise to the president.
Omokri, a former presidential aide made the admonition in an open letter he shared on his verified social media platform, titled ‘Why Waziri Atiku Abubakar Should Apologise To President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,’ saying the president must be addressed with the respect his office deserved.
He stressed that the former vice president is setting a bad precedence in the country that will make the rest of the world to view the country in a negative manner.
He stated that opposition politics should be descent and conducted with decorum, wondering why Abubakar chose to address the president in such manner when he cannot do so to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, despite the apparent political disagreement between him and the former Nigerian leader.
He said the ADC candidate can criticize the president’s policies and programmes without disrespecting the office he occupies, which he said, represents the people of Nigeria.
He wondered why Abubakar has continuously addressed former President Olusegun Obasanjo with his official title as former president despite the apparent political disagreement between them.
By addressing President Tinubu with his official title will show that the former vice president is a democrate, Omokri said.
“Sir, I appeal to you, as a most respected elder statesman, to find it within yourself to address the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with the respect due to his office,” he wrote.
A senior magistrate Court sitting in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha and a former Senator, Ifeanyi Araraume for alleged criminal conspiracy, forgery and tendering of false documents.
Also ordered to be arrested are Timothy Ama Chuks and Amen Okorocha, who conspired with the former Governor to, allegedly, forge and tender false APC results, claiming to have been won by Okorocha.
All police officers across Nigeria are, by the bench warrant authorised to seize Okorocha, Araraume, Timothy Chuks and Amen Okorocha and produce them before the senior magistrate Court 3 at Jiwa, Abuja.
The arrest warrants came as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked both the police and DSS to investigate Okorocha for parading fake APC primary results.
In the bench warrant dated September 09, 2026, the accused were charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery, and uttering false documents.
In the case numbers CR/M/JW/084/2026,and CR/M/JW085/2026, the matter is between the Inspector-General of Police and the four wanted persons.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disowned a document being circulated by the defeated APC senatorial aspirant for Orlu zone, Senator Rochss Okorocha, claiming that he won the primaries.
INEC declared that the authentic document by APC before it showed that Governor Hope Uzodimma won the primaries upon which his name was duly forwarded to it by the APC as the candidate for Imo West Senatorial zone (Orlu zone).
In a strongly worded letter to the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, and his DSS counterpart, INEC declared the document being paraded by Okorocha as fake and urged the security agencies to investigate the former governor.
In the letter dated 8th October, 2026 and signed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Imo State, Barr Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako, INEC declared that it was reporting a case of “fraudulent and fictitious All Progressive Congress senatorial party primary report for Imo State dated 18th May, 2026”.
Ifeanyi Araraume
It raised the alarm that contrary to the document duly signed by APC and forwarded to its headquarters with Gov Hope Uzodimma as the clear winner of the primary election, the one circulating in the social media purported Okorocha as the winner, hence the petition.
“The fictitious document wrongly presented Senator Ethelbert Rochas Okorocha as the elected candidate for the party”, INEC lamented.
While enclosing the original results that declared Uzodimma as the rightful winner of the primary and the fake one being paraded by Okorocha, INEC urged the police and the DSS to thoroughly investigate the forgery.
“In these circumstances, I urge you to graciously use your good offices to investigate and neutralise this spurious conduct that has serious likelihood of causing the breakdown of law and order in Imo State”, INEC charged the police and the DSS.
President Bola Tinubu will officially inaugurate his re-election campaign committee on Wednesday, October 14 in Abuja.
This will be followed by the flag off of the re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24, according to the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari.
Yari disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday evening after briefing Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, on the council’s campaign preparations.
He stated that the President asked to see him to be updated on where the council stood and to discuss the timetable of state visits during the campaign.
Yari announced, “By God’s grace, his team, I, and Mr President himself, we have agreed on how it’s going to be done.
“We have put forward a proposal. The inaugural meeting [of the campaign council] is going to be done on the 14th of this month.
“That’s next Wednesday at the State House banquet hall, and by God’s grace, on the 24th of October, we’re going to do our flag-off campaign in Kaduna, inshallah.
“Then we outlined our state visits to each and every place where we will go, and the President has approved them. So we are going to hit the ground running by the 24th of October, inshallah.”
Asked which states the campaign would visit after Kaduna, Yari revealed that the next stop would be Port Harcourt, Rivers State, followed by Maiduguri, Borno State,
saying the full timetable would be released after the council’s inauguration.
“We have the timetable, and we are going to make it available after the inauguration. But this has all been understood and approved by the team of Mr President and I.”
Asked about the challenge posed by the presidential candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Yari argued that Tinubu could not be unseated because God had used the President to support both men in the past.
“We are talking of the President of the country, and this President, who, by God’s grace, Almighty God used him to support Atiku some time back, and at the same time to support Peter Obi.
“So if Allah uses me to support you, there is no way Allah will use you to bring me down,” he said.
The former Zamfara State governor also argued that no candidate could win the presidency without a base in both the North and the South.
He stated, “Can the ADC candidate today in the southern part of the country beat his chest and say he has control of one state in the South? And I don’t think Peter Obi, who used to be my colleague, can beat his chest. Can he say he has control of one state in northern Nigeria?
“So this calculation shows us that even if you have control of 80 per cent of the South, if you don’t have anything in the North, you cannot make it.
“If you have 80 per cent of control of the North, if you don’t have any state in the South, you can’t make it, and that’s what it is.”
He cited the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he “had control of over 70 per cent at that time, over 11 states in the North and had no control of one in the South,” and “couldn’t make it all the way.”
By contrast, Yari argued that Tinubu controls “more than 10 states in the South, in the conservative estimate” and more than 10 states in the North. This is calculation, it is not rocket science,” he affirmed.
He added that Tinubu “has turned around the situation that he met on ground, and the economy is moving.
“So I think we have done enough that we can tell our opponents about what we did. We are not promising. We are doing it, and we are going to continue.”
Tinubu named Yari Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council on August 22, 2026, with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as secretary.
The President chairs the council, while Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda are vice chairmen.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has fixed January 16, 2027 for the presidential and National Assembly elections. Its timetable allows campaigns from August 19, 2026, ending on January 15, 2027.
INEC said 18 candidates are in the race for the presidency. Among them is Atiku, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, with former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate.
Obi, former Anambra State Governor, is contesting on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
The search for the black box and cockpit voice recorder of the Nigeria Airforce, (NAF) crashed ATR-42 aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State, is ongoing, as efforts to recover the submerged wreckage continue.
The NAF Superintendent of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Ebimobo Ebiowe, disclosed this on Friday at the crash site in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
Ebiowe explained that the recovery team was searching for critical components of the aircraft that could assist investigators in determining the circumstances surrounding the crash, which claimed 25 lives.
The aircraft, which was on a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos, crashed into a swamp near the Nigerian Navy’s Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda on Monday.
The accident claimed the lives of 20 passengers and five crew members, while the aircraft became submerged in the swampy terrain, making recovery operations difficult.
Speaking on the search for the aircraft’s recording devices, Ebiowe explained that the flight data recorder (FDR), commonly known as the black box, and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were among the critical components investigators hoped to recover.
He pointed out that the devices could provide important evidence to help investigators reconstruct the aircraft’s final moments and establish what happened before the crash.
“We hope to be able to find critical components of the aircraft that will speak to the investigators because the aircraft wreckage actually speaks to the investigators.
“One of them is what the ordinary man (civilian) calls the black box. We call it the flight data recorder (FDR), and another component close to it, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR),” he said.
The flight data recorder captures information about an aircraft’s performance and flight parameters, while the cockpit voice recorder preserves cockpit conversations, alarms and other sounds that could help investigators understand the events preceding an accident.
Aviation expert, Mr Olugbenga Afolabi said recovering and analysing the devices could provide valuable clues to the cause of the crash.
He, however, noted that the information obtained from the recorders would need to be assessed alongside physical evidence from the wreckage, maintenance records and other findings from the crash site.
The search for the recording devices is taking place alongside efforts by the Nigerian Navy to locate and recover the submerged aircraft.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, had directed the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department to deploy specialised sonar-scanning equipment and personnel to the crash site to map the underwater terrain and establish the precise location of the wreckage.
The deployment became necessary because of the swamp’s high turbidity, which has severely limited underwater visibility and complicated the work of divers.
The Commanding Officer of the Officers’ Mess at the Forward Operating Base, Igbokoda, Navy Captain Andy Alemongwa, said the sonar survey would provide an underwater picture of the crash site to guide divers and technical teams.
He added that Nigerian Navy divers and NAF drone pilots were also supporting the operation through searches across surrounding mangrove and forested areas.
The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, NAF, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh, were among senior officers who inspected the crash site.
A 35-year old Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO), Mr Adediji Sesan, was crushed to death by a truck in Ondo state capital, Akure on Friday.
The incident happened at about 9:30 a.m., along Hospital Road, opposite Mega Primary School, while the driver, whose name was given as Ayoade Idowu, was trying to evade the officials who were on routine checking of vehicle papers.
The Ondo State Police Command in a statement, confirmed the incident and the arrest of the driver.
“The command regrets to confirm a fatal road accident involving a Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) official, Mr Adediji Sesan, aged 35years, which occurred at about 9:30 a.m. on Friday, October 9, 2026, along Hospital Road, opposite Mega Primary School, Akure, Ondo State.
“Preliminary information indicates that the incident involved a white Mitsubishi van with registration number AGL 992 XX, driven by one Ayoade Idowu, aged 37, of Gbogi Street, Akure.
“The victim, who was reportedly on routine patrol with his team, was said to have flagged down the vehicle for a routine inspection of its particulars.
“The driver initially stopped but allegedly drove off when asked to produce the relevant documents, hitting the VIO official in the process.
“The victim sustained serious head injuries and was immediately rushed to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) Teaching Hospital, where he was subsequently confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.
“His remains have been deposited at the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
“The driver has been arrested and detained, while preliminary investigations are ongoing.
“Police operatives have visited the scene and commenced investigations. The case file is expected to be transferred to the Motor Traffic Division for further investigation.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command, CP Felix Ohagwu, psc, mnips, mspsp, expresses his condolences to the family, colleagues and associates of the deceased over this tragic loss.
“He assures the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted and that appropriate legal action will follow in accordance with the law.
“The Command urges motorists to exercise patience, obey lawful traffic instructions and cooperate with authorised traffic enforcement officials. No road user should endanger the life of another in an attempt to evade routine checks or traffic regulations.
“The Ondo State Police Command remains committed to ensuring road safety, protecting lives and property and maintaining law and order across the state.”
They didn’t know that we knew. There was a popular joke of the 90s christened: they didn’t know that we knew. It is actually best rendered in Yoruba. The title, which is in itself hilarious in its native state is: Eyin o mo pe awa mo.
Let’s attempt a go at the joke: An Egun barber called Agosu, was a tenant to a randy landlord. Agosu had tenanted in the house for so long without a rent increment or nary a rough word from Baba
Landlord.
One day, Baba Landlord came for a haircut at the shop of Agosu, his tenant. It was still the age of cutting hair with a pair of scissors.
At a point in the process of cutting the hair, Agosu the barber lowered the pair of scissors around the jugular of Mr Landlord, squeezing it dangerously tight but refraining from inflicting any cut yet unless his captive tried a break free.
“Agosu, what’s going on! Have you gone out of your mind?” Baba Landlord yelped, more in dread than pain.
Thereupon, Agosu laid his grievance: “Baba Ranrod, eyin o mo pe awa mo – (Baba Landlord, you didn’t know that we knew).”
“Knew what,” Baba Landlord growled, still trying to muster some authority.
“You didn’t know that I knew that you have been dallying with Iya Agosu all these years?!”
Baba Landlord’s ego and essence crash as he immediately lapses into a plea mode: “Ah, Agosu haba; are we no longer brothers? How long have you lived in my house? Did I ever raise your rent, did I ever raise my voice at you …?!”
The lesson from this little tale is that President Bola Tinubu has been riding roughshod over Nigerians since the inception of his administration. He has taken the people for granted and has trampled upon them for so long that he probably thinks they have all passed away!
But what is more troubling is that he seems not to know or he just does not care that we know. He seems to hide behind one finger all the time but of course, the populace can see through his shenanigans.
Steve Osuji
Nigerians thought former President Muhammadu Buhari’s was an era of idiocy. What with the brazen attempt to make Nigeria a Fulani enclave by seeking to impose Fulani hegemony over the nation.
But President Tinubu on his part, seems to oversee an annal of profound idiocy. When you think we have reached the limits of obduracy, he takes Nigeria to a lower rung.
Igboho’s 100,000 Iru-Ekun Militia is in aid of what?
What else if not for the purpose of intimidating opponents in the next general elections. This would be the immediate conjecture of any right thinking Nigerian.
A crucial national election is in a few months and a die-hard Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemi, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, is being supported to create a militia that’s more than half of the nation’s army. Do you need a soothsayer to know that the militia would serve the ruling party’s cause in an election that’s already looking highly combustible?
Goodness gracious! Why would any president/leader allow a rabid ethnic irridentist to build an equivalent of a Field Army in his domain? This immediately makes the impetuous Igboho a Field Marshal – higher in rank than any General of the Nigerian Army today! A Nigerian army general will feel small around Igboho today because he commands a bigger army!
To think that the active troop size of the entire Nigerian Army is about 160,000!
Igboho’s army (80,000 – 100,000) is larger than the army of most of the countries of Europe, e.g., Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, name it!
Igboho’s Army gets support all round
This state of anomie started in May, six months ago. Not a word has emanated from the presidency! But the grapevine says President Tinubu is in tacit support of Igboho.
However, Igboho’s most notable endorsement came from the Ooni of Ife, the Natural Head of the Oduduwa Race Worldwide, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II. The paramount monarch of southwest Nigeria, he is also addressed as the Permanent Chairman of the southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council (SNTRC). That speaks volumes.
Support cannot come any higher than this. The monarch doled out N100 million and a brand new Hilux truck to support this fledgling Odua Army.
Another body known as Yoruba Nation Group has donated 100 motorcycles to assist Igboho’s militia. Yoruba elite is said to be supporting Iru-Ekun quietly.
Iru-Ekun, which means, the Tiger’s Tale is already deployed in six states of Nigeria so far: Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Kwara, Edo and Delta.
During the launch of the Ogun Command last August, Igboho spoke like a true Field Marshal as he addressed the mammoth crowd of youths who had trooped out to enlist.
He spoke in Yoruba for obvious reasons and full effects:
“We already have bases in Delta and Edo… Our seawing is here too…
“You will be trained, you will be issued ID cards and uniforms, you will get bikes. You will be paid because you have wives and children. We shall appoint commanders…
“The governor (of Ogun) will find a place to keep us… and if we do well, we shall be better than even the civil defence, you know how they started but look at them today.”
He urged them to be disciplined noting that the federal government would provide support for them.
Let’s call this the making of a Nigerian debacle
A dozen and one matters arise already from what is clearly a catastrophe in the making. Let’s look at a few:
First: What would happen to this horde of largely jobless youths being radicalised as separatist fighters? What would happen to them after the elections in January 2027. Whichever way the election result swings, is this mass of agitated and perhaps, armed militia sustainable? Is Nigeria ever going to be able to maintain two separate armies?
This is in addition to bodies like Amotekun, Forest Guards, NSCDC, Mining Marshals, Aviation Security, and the State Police (in the making), among others.
Second: We forget so easily. Or shall we say the ruling APC acting like a blundering bum, seems to forget so quickly how they imported bandits for the purpose of snatching the election in 2015.
After it won the election, it couldn’t manage the militia it armed and camped in the northwest. They became the bandits that have terrorised Nigeria without let since 2015. It’s easy to give a monkey a drink, retrieving the cup is the challenge.
Third: Already, Igboho has taken a commanding position in the southwest. He is already giving extra-judicial orders as seen in one of his online videos ordering his Militia to kill at sight, any civilian bearing a gun in Yorubaland.
He also warned opposition candidates like Peter Obi not to step their foot in the west for campaign. The auguries are dark already.
Third: If there’s no sinister motive to all this, is President Tinubu no longer the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces? Why in the world does he need another army larger than the army of half of European states.
Fourth: Many have conjectured that Tinubu is hard on the Odua liberation agenda to be kick-started on the other side of his second tenure. They have pointed to several other glaring indicators. But when a region of a country assembles a hundred thousand-strong army, then such a region can well be accused of a separatist agenda. In fact, it becomes an open challenge and threat to other regions.
Fifth: Are we going to build similar massive regional armies in the remaining five zones of Nigeria as a counterpoise to the southwest? What about the huge employment opportunities now available to the youths of the Southwest and of course, the need to balance forces across zones?
Six: Finally, never mind the talk about complementing conventional military and security agencies like the Nigerian Army, Air force, Navy, etc., Igboho’s army represents a resounding vote of no confidence both on the C-in-C and on the Generals and commanders in Nigeria.
Shouldn’t’ we now release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and apologise to him?
A certain Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been jailed by the Tinubu administration for trying to raise an army to defend his people from serial injustice and rampaging Jihadists. Now that Igboho has built a massive regional army for the same purpose, President Tinubu should not only release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu pronto, he should apologise to him.
LASTLINE: One Military Plane Mishap Too Many
Nigerians woke up last Monday to be hit by the news of yet another Airforce Plane mishap. This time, the aircraft bearing 20 passengers and five crew members crashed in the riverine area of Igbokoda, Ilaje LGA of Ondo state.
It is noteworthy that over a dozen plane and chopper crashes have occurred since 1980.
However, most of these have happened since 2009 in the wake of Nigeria’s fight against the Boko Haram terrorists.
But what’s troubling is not the frequency of crashes or the size of fatalities. No. It is the lack of proper investigation, detailed reporting and careful closure of some of these crashes. In one case which happened in the Sambisa forest, Borno State, the helicopter was never found and the crew was declared to be “presumed dead.”
Another source of worry is the emergency response capability of the country. We couldn’t even pull out a passenger manifest at the first call!
Things do not seem to improve over these years despite recurring incidents.
For instance, the scene of the latest crash in Ilaje was raucous as usual. The response time was unduly long and the interventions were crude and unprofessional.
This column suggests that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) must go beyond its fixation to sharing relief materials. It must equip itself for prompt response, rescue, salvage and evacuation operations, no matter how difficult the terrain. Let’s see some evidence that Nigeria is at least inching forward a bit, and not stagnated.
OSUJI, a veteran journalist, was Editor at The Guardian, THISDAY, as well a member of the editorial board of The NATION
As the spike in fake drugs becomes a national issue of concern, the African pharmaceutical stakeholders have called for a coordinated continental action to combat falsified medicines, strengthen regulatory cooperation and secure supply chains.
Over the years, the fragmented distribution systems has continued to expose patients to unsafe and ineffective products, as adulterated drugs and products continues to grow in circulation, putting the lives of innocent persons at risk.
Following this development that has been at the center of discourse, the main conference of the fourth Thematic General Assembly of the African Pharmaceutical Distributors Association, APDA, for a wind of change.
The Conference hosted by the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria, PWDAN, in Lagos on Thursday, October 8, with delegates from English- and French-speaking African countries in attendance navigating the future of the Pharmaceutical Society around Africa.
The gathering brought together pharmaceutical distribution leaders, professional association executives and other prominent figures from Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector and across Africa to discuss practical ways of strengthening medicine supply chains and protecting patients from falsified and substandard products.
Speaking at the event, APDA Vice-President for the Central Region, Dr Yolande Djomo, who represented the association’s President, Dr Lahcen Senhaji, said African countries faced similar challenges in pharmaceutical distribution and needed stronger cooperation to address them.
She said the assembly provided an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange experiences, develop practical solutions and improve the security and resilience of medicine supply chains across the continent.
Djomo said APDA, established in October 2019, had continued to bring together pharmaceutical distribution stakeholders to promote dialogue, shared learning and improvements in the distribution of quality medicines.
She recalled that previous thematic assemblies in Dakar, Senegal, in 2022; Kigali, Rwanda, in 2023; and Douala, Cameroon, in 2024, had addressed medicine availability, accessibility, quality and supply-chain challenges, adding that the Lagos meeting would build on those discussions.
In his welcome address, PWDAN Chairman, Pharm. Ogheneochuko Omaruaye, said falsified medicines and the criminal networks responsible for their circulation exploited weaknesses in pharmaceutical supply chains, with consequences for treatment outcomes, public confidence and healthcare costs.
He said distributors occupied a critical position between manufacturers and patients and therefore had a responsibility to preserve medicine quality and integrity throughout storage, transportation and delivery.
Omaruaye called for supply chains that were visible, traceable and accountable, supported by technology, effective regulation and stronger collaboration among manufacturers, distributors, regulators and governments. He stressed that the objective must go beyond discussions to practical solutions capable of making it more difficult for falsified medicines to enter distribution channels and reach patients.
The keynote address was delivered by Pharm. Remi Adeseun of Advisory Inc on the theme, “Advancing Pharmaceutical Distribution in Africa: Building Secure Supply Chains Against Falsified Medicines.”
The address examined the challenge of strengthening pharmaceutical supply chain security while ensuring that quality assured medicines reached patients through reliable distribution systems.
Chairman of the Occasion, Dr Claire Omatseye, founder and managing director of JNC International Limited and founder of Vaccipharm Limited, said medicine distribution should be regarded as a patient-safety system rather than simply the movement of products from one point to another.
She said every time a medicine changed hands, stakeholders had an opportunity to preserve its quality and prevent it from being compromised, stressing that falsified medicines constituted a global threat requiring collective responsibility.
Omatseye called for stronger collaboration involving manufacturers, distributors, regulators, customs officials, security agencies and governments, arguing that the challenge could not be resolved by pharmaceutical professionals or regulatory authorities acting alone.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ayuba Tanko, represented by the Society’s National Secretary, Pharm. Gafar Olanrewaju Madehin, reinforced the importance of professional accountability, effective regulation and collaboration between pharmaceutical distributors, pharmacists and other stakeholders in safeguarding medicine quality.
Similarly, the National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, highlighted the importance of secure medicine distribution to community pharmacy practice and patient protection.
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who was the guest of honour, also highlighted the importance of regulatory enforcement and collaboration with industry stakeholders in protecting medicine quality.
The death of Big Esther, popular Nigerian Influencer has thrown the Social Media community into mourning.
Big Esther, who had carved a niche for herself on X (former Twitter) reportedly died in a fatal road accident along with her sister.
They were travelling from Lagos to Asaba when the bus she was in was involved in an accident along the Ore Expressway.
Confirming her death, her friends said her death occured on Tuesday night, October 6.
However, it was the emergence of videos from her final journey that made the news even more painful.
A video that went viral showed the deceased inside the bus shortly before the accident.
In the footage, she appeared to be documenting her journey, seemingly unaware that it would become her final trip.
Images and videos from the accident scene have also surfaced, showing the badly damaged bus involved in the crash.
Her sudden demise has left many social media users struggling to process how quickly an ordinary journey turned tragic.
Following tributes from fans and colleagues, who are yet to come to terms with her demise saw an X user claiming that Esther had shared the journey on her Snapchat earlier that morning.
“She streaked this on her snap this morning… their bus from Lagos-Asaba had an accident along Ore Expressway,” the user wrote.
The user further claimed that another slide showed the fatal accident.
@bolazeal stated:
“Stop entering these interstate buses. They are moving coffins. Maybe my next assignment is to talk about safety to Nigerians, like Aproko Doctor talks about health. Nigerians don’t take safety seriously.”.
@Omotayo_dotlex wrote: “This death is on Nigeria govt. whilst the Coastal road is a good idea but it’s not a top priority. The excess fund expended on the uncompleted project should have been used for the rehabilitation of Lagos-Ore-Benin Road to an asphalt standard. RIP to the gentle soul”
