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Ondo: Gov Aiyedatiwa Preaches Team Work, Swears-in SSG, Two Commissioners, Advisers

By
Ayodele Oni
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Aiyedatiwa Swears-in SSG

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to rapid and effective governance, stating that his team is in a hurry to fulfill the promises made to the people.

Speaking on Thursday during the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed and reappointed members of the State Executive Council, Governor Aiyedatiwa charged the officials to immediately settle down into their roles and deliver tangible results.

The new appointees inaugurated include Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti as Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, and Mrs. Omowumi Isaac as Commissioner for Finance.

Others are Engr. Johnson Alabi as Special Adviser on Power, Dr. Seun Osamaye as Special Adviser on Women Affairs, Comrade Bola Taiwo as Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, Prof. Simidele Odimayo as Special Adviser on Health, and Engr. Abiola Olawoye as Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Lands, and Housing.

The Governor emphasized that his administration’s focus is on speed and accuracy in governance, adding that the newly sworn-in officials must key into the seven-point developmental agenda, “OUR EASE,” which is designed to accelerate the state’s growth.

He further urged the appointees to embrace teamwork and collaborate effectively with career officers, Permanent Secretaries, and Accounting Officers in their various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as the success of the government depends on a unified administration with a shared vision.

To ensure accountability and efficiency, the Governor announced that performance measuring techniques would be introduced, stressing that his administration would have zero tolerance for corruption, indolence, and disloyalty.

“We demand excellent performance from all appointees, for that is the primary reason we were voted into office by the good people of Ondo State.”

He commended the Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly,  Olamide Oladiji, and other lawmakers for their swift and thorough confirmation of the appointees, describing their cooperation as a testament to their commitment to the progress of the state.

Responding on behalf of the appointees, Dr. Taiwo Fasoranti, the new SSG, expressed gratitude to the governor for the confidence reposed in them.

He assured that they would work tirelessly to support the administration’s vision and deliver impactful governance to the people of Ondo State.

Jubilation As Obasa’s Supporters Storm Lagos House Of Assembly

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Obasa Supporters

By Akinwale Kasali

Members of Obasa Mandate Movement, OMM, in their hundreds rallied outside the Lagos State House of Assembly to show their vociferous support for the embattled Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, as he made a surprising   return to the  Assembly and announced he had resumed as Speaker of the House, amid heightened security measures.

There was wild jubilation, as the  assemblage was marked by a colourful display of posters with chants echoing the name of Obasa, and praise singers chanting his name to high heavens.

The loyalty of his followers was unbelievable, excitement, unmatched.

They reeled out his achievements and sang with his name.

Many attendees wore shirts and caps embellished with his image, further showcasing their dedication.

Obasa’s return was closely monitored, with representatives from various security agencies, including the Police and the Department of State Service, DSS, deployed in significant numbers to ensure peace and order.

The presence of security personnel created a tense but controlled atmosphere as supporters gathered, determined to demonstrate their backing for the Speaker during this rough period.

As at the time of filing this report, more supporters of Obasa were still thronging into the Assembly in different Buses, to celebrate the return of the three- term Speaker.

Lagos: Lawmakers Jittery As  Obasa Returns As Speaker

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Lagos State House of Assembly

By Akinwale Kasali

The fate of most of the Lawmakers in the Lagos State House of Assembly hangs in the balance with the return of Mudashiru Obasa as the Speaker.

Six weeks after his Impeachment as the Speaker of the House and the crowning of his Deputy, Mojisola Meranda as Speaker, after an overwhelming majority of the Lawmakers pledged allegiance and support to her, singing: “no room for Obasa to return as Speaker”, Obasa defied them and took back his seat Thursday morning.

During the reconciliation meeting held with the Governance Advisory Council, GAC, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja weeks back, the Lawmakers unanimously said they were not ready to give Obasa any soft landing by returning him as Speaker. They said they stood with 44-year old Meranda.

Obasa’s impeachment  paved way for Hon. Temitope Adedeji to emerge as the Majority Leader of the House.

Days ago, there were speculations that either Hon. David Setonji or Hon. Wale Rauf would emerge as Speaker, following plans for Meranda to resign her position and return to her previous Office as Deputy Speaker due to “Senatorial Representation In State Leadership”.

However, in a twist of events, Obasa’s return as Speaker, following the return of his Security details and withdrawal of Meranda’s Security details changed the dynamics. It has put the Lawmakers who masterminded his impeachment in a fix.

It would be recalled that some of the Lawmakers had stated during the negotiations for Obasa’s return  that it will spell doom for their re-election and also their future in the House.

With his return to the saddle as Speaker, there are fears among the Lawmakers, as their future relationship with him remains uncertain.

ICYMI: GAC Member, Faud Oki Claimed Tinubu Knew Of Obasa’s Impeachment; What Went Wrong?

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Faud Oki GAC

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Fouad Oki, has stated that Mudashiru Obasa’s impeachment as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly was essential to holding him accountable for his actions.

Oki made this statement on Monday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, following Obasa’s impeachment.

Obasa, a sixth-term APC lawmaker representing Agege Constituency I, was impeached on Monday by the Lagos State House of Assembly over allegations of fraud.

The deputy speaker, Mojisola Meranda, was elected to lead the house.

Reacting, Oki described Obasa’s impeachment as foreseeable, accusing him of acting like an “emperor” and adding that events over the past three months had signalled the end of his tenure.

His words: “He saw himself as an emperor. It became very obvious that there was a need for a change in the leadership of the parliament in Lagos.

“If you cast your mind back, you must have seen this coming in the last 18 months.

“Recall the events on the day when the governor presented the 2025 appropriation bill and the leadership of the party was invited to the convention.

“Not only was the governor kept waiting for over four hours, but the leadership of the party and all invited dignitaries were also kept waiting with no apologies or excuses. And when he came into the chambers, courtesies, too, were not extended to anyone.

“Rather, it was a situation or an event of letting people know that I am the emperor here. One of the ways to check such an irresponsible attitude is by calling his excesses to order.”

Oki further stated that the impeachment was carried out in President Bola Tinubu’s best interest to ensure Lagos remained central to his political leadership.

He said, “Before the president came home, this issue had been lingering. In the wisdom of members of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the president’s attention was called.

“The president, as father and leader, called a meeting wherein he tried to make sense out of the observations raised by elders of the party.

“Unfortunately, the president saw by himself a recalcitrant. I think that is what broke the camel’s back.”

Vanguard

Lokpobiri To Dangote: NNPC, IOCs Can’t Be Blamed For Crude Oil Shortage To Refineries

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Heineken-Lokpobiri Minister of State For Petroleum

The federal government has explained the reason why International Oil Companies, IOCs, failed to allocate enough crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in the country.

A large chunk of the nation’s crude has been pledge on contract, according to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who said it’s not the fault of IOCs that the over $20 billion Dangote Refinery has not been receiving enough crude feed stocks for production.

The minister contend that the problem of crude shortage for the local refineries will persist except the country ramps up its crude production form the current level of below two million barrels per day.

Last year, amidst the squabble between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPCL, and Dangote Refinery, the owner of the largest petro-chemical refinery in Africa, and Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote had accused the IOCs of trying to sabotage the refinery by ensuring that it doesn’t get enough crude oil for production.

In July last year, as the clash between Dangote and NNPCL got worse, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the government-owned oil firm to allocate the government 450,000 barrels of crude share to Dangote and other indigenous oil companies.

Before the President’s order, Dangote was only receiving four cargoes of crude out of the 15 cargoes it required for its production, a situation that has somehow stunted its efforts to provide energy security for the country as has been envisaged.

In spite of the president’s directive, Dangote Refinery insist that it has been forced to import crude oil from Europe and United States to balance the shortfall from NNPCL.

Reacting, at an oil and gas forum on Wednesday in Abuja, Lokpobiri said the fault is not entire that of NNPCL and IOCs, saying most of the nation’s crude had been pledged out in contracts, that cannot be reversed despite the domestic crude requirements problems facing Dangote and other local refineries.

According to Lokpobiri, “Today, we have a challenge with domestic crude oil supply obligation, which is provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act, but we cannot keep what we do not produce. But you can’t keep what you don’t produce. You can’t keep what you have already committed.

“I do know that most of you know the companies operating in Nigeria had commitments when they were raising funds for investment. But if we increase our production, we’ll be able to get more volumes, satisfy both our domestic obligation and also satisfy our external obligations.”

The magazine reported that a large part of the Nigeria’s crude oil sales had been pledge out for loan during the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari.

N/Central APC Makes U-turn, Backs Ganduje

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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George Akume

Following the vote of confidence passed  on the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje by the National Executive Committee, NEC of the party, the North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum says it has suspended its agitation for his removal.

In a statement by its Chairman, Saleh Zazzaga, on Thursday, the forum said it has dropped its agitation in line with the APC NEC which endorsed Ganduje extension as the Chairman of the party.

The magazine reported that the APC NEC, the highest organ of the party met on Wednesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital where the leaders of the party, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ratified the extension of Ganduje’s tenure.

Apart from Tinubu, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, all the state governors elected on the platform of the party attended the meeting where the leaders also passed a vote of confidence on President Tinubu.

The last time the APC NEC held was under its former chairman Abdullahi Adamu, from North Central who did not see his tenure through as he was forced to step down alongside the National Secretary of the party, Iyiola Omisore.

Since then, APC leaders in the North Central has been agitating for the return of the Chairmanship position to the zone, including taking the case to the court to achieve their aim.

The current Chairman, Ganduje is from the North west.

But in a swift u-turn, the party  leaders from the zone said today that they are satisfied with the manner the APC NEC resolved the issue pertaining to Ganduj’e tenure yesterday in Abuja, saying they have abide by the party’s decision.

They also reiterate their support for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume as the zone’s APC leader, saying he has been instrumental to the restoration of peace to the region.

The statement reads, “As loyal party members interested in the progress of the APC, we agree with all the decisions taken at the NEC meeting. We endorse the vote of confidence passed on President Bola Tinubu and the national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.

“The NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party and the NEC has passed a vote of confidence on the national chairman. We respect the decision of Mr President and the NEC. As a result of that, we have decided to stop all agitations concerning the leadership and other issues in the APC.

“We are urging all members of the party to support President Bola Tinubu and the national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje. We also seek the support of all North-Central stakeholders for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume as the leader of the party in the zone.

“We recognize Senator Akume as our father in the North-Central. Having decided to stop all agitations, there is nothing left than to unite ourselves in the interest of the zone and to give massive support to President Bola Tinubu in all his policies and in future elections.”

BREAKING: Obasa Announces His Return As LAHA Speaker

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Mudashiru Obasa

By Akinwale Kasali

The longest serving Speaker of a House of Assembly in Nigeria who, unarguably, is the most powerful too, Mudashiru Obasa, has defied every expectation and returned to the House as Speaker after his impeachment.

Obasa was overwhelmingly impeached, in his absence, by his colleagues on January 13, 2025, and replaced by his Deputy, Mojisola Meranda.

But on Thursday, February 27, Obasa stormed the House of Assembly made straight to the Speaker’s office, sat down on the Speaker’s seat, and announced his resumption in office as Speaker.

It was not that Obasa was restored by the Courts or was there any official statement by the House of Assembly that Meranda was out, and Obasa back. Meranda has not officially quit the office. In fact, she adjourned plenary indefinitely since two weeks ago.

But Obasa, accompanied by scores of Security details, Police and  DSS operatives,  simply zoomed in, and announced: “I’ve resumed and I remain the Speaker of the Assembly.”

An inkling that Obasa may have won the battle for the seat was given early Thursday morning when the full complement of his Security Details was restored while that of Meranda was withdrawn. She was not notified that her details would be withdrawn. It was an Aide of hers who raised the alarm and said that Meranda has been left vulnerable.

This marks Obasa’s first appearance at the Assembly since his impeachment

by his colleagues on January 13, following allegations of  gross misconduct, abuse of office and financial misappropriation leveled against him.

He was replaced by his Deputy, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda.

Abduction Of 4 Female Students Pointer To Worsening Insecurity In Universities- CONUA

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has condemned the abduction of four female students of the Joseph Sarwuan University, Makurd,i Benue state.

The Congress, in a statement on Thursday, described the abduction of the students as a pointer to the worsening state of insecurity in Nigeria’s ivory towers, saying security agencies must ensure ensure their safe return to their families.

CONUA: “Reports indicate that these students were waylaid by armed gunmen while on their way to/from their studies, an attack that has sparked justifiable protests leading to the closure of the university.

‘This heinous act is yet another tragic reminder of the worsening state of insecurity in our higher institutions and the growing threats to the safety of students and staff across the country. It is completely unacceptable that universities, meant to be centers of learning, innovation, and national development, are increasingly becoming targets for criminal elements who prey on innocent students.

“CONUA strongly condemns this attack and demands immediate and decisive action from both the university administration and the government at all levels to: Ensure the immediate rescue of the abducted students. The security agencies must intensify efforts to locate and secure the safe return of the abducted students. Time is of essence, every second counts, and a swift response is non-negotiable.

“Strengthen Campus Security and Student Safety Measures: JOSTUM and other universities must put in place proactive security strategies to prevent further attacks. This includes increased surveillance, collaboration with security agencies, and robust campus security infrastructure.

“Prioritize the Security of Educational Institutions: The increasing attacks on students and academic institutions call for an urgent national policy response that treats education security as a matter of national emergency. The FG must take concrete steps to ensure that universities are no longer soft targets for criminal elements.

“CONUA stands in solidarity with the victims, their families, and the entire academic community in Benue State during this trying time. We urge all stakeholders, including the Federal and State Government, security agencies, and university administrations, to take immediate action to bring back these students and end this persistent assault on education.”

Relief As Police Begin Rescue Operation For Kidnapped Afenifere Youth Leader

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Serious efforts for the rescue  of the kidnapped Afemifere Youth Leader, Prince Eniola Ojajuni has started in earnest with the  Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, deploying a massive force for the operation.

The NPF spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, ACP, made this known in a statement, reiterating police commitment to ensuring the safe return of the Afenifere chieftain and the safety of all Nigerians.

The magazine reported that Ojajuni was picked up by his abductors on February 17, 2025 on his way to Abuja, the nation’s capital, and has remained in captivity, as the dare-devil kidnappers have demanded N100 million for his release.

A viral video of Ojajuni in the kidnappers den, has shown him pleading for his life, as the kidnappers brandished a riffle on his face, threatening to kill him if the ransom money is not paid.

Plea by some Nigerians to the kidnappers to free him had been rebuffed by them, insisting on the ranosm meny or his life.

According to Adejobi, the IGP has now ordered the deployment of the tactical unit of men of the NPF to swing to action to rescue the Afenifere Youth leader, saying all the expertise and technology will be employed for the operation.

He however urged Nigerians to desist from unnecessary media sensationalisation that is capable of compromising the rescue of the Afenifere chieftain.

Adejobi:  “The IGP commends the bravery and swift action of these gallant officers who have demonstrated their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of citizens. In the same vein, the IGP has ordered the immediate deployment of the FID Intelligence Response Team to prioritise the safe rescue of Prince Eniola Ojajuni, the Afenifere Youth Leader, who was kidnapped on 17 February 2025 while en route to Abuja.

“The NPF is fully committed to the safe return of Prince Ojajuni and is deploying all necessary resources and expertise to achieve this objective.

“However, the police urge members of the public to exercise caution and refrain from engaging in social media speculation or sharing unverified information regarding the ongoing rescue efforts. Such activities can inadvertently jeopardise the operation and potentially endanger the victim’s safety.

“The Nigeria Police Force will continue to actively pursue and dismantle all criminal elements operating within our communities, with the ultimate goal of establishing peace and safety.”

Lagos Assembly Crisis: Speaker Meranda Denounces Intimidation,  Hostile Takeover

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Mojisola Lasbat Meranda

Lagos, Nigeria – In an alarming and unprecedented turn of events, all the police escorts assigned to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, as well as the security personnel guarding the Assembly complex, have been withdrawn without any explanation. This sudden action has left the Speaker and the entire legislative house dangerously exposed, raising serious concerns about the motives behind this decision.

It is important to stress that Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda was duly elected by her colleagues, and her leadership was reinforced with a strong vote of confidence.

The timing of the withdrawal of security, combined with the hostile actions of the former Speaker and his associates, raises the question: Is this politically motivated, or is this part of a larger strategy to destabilize the current administration?

This troubling development is also noteworthy for what it might signify about the underlying gender dynamics at play. Could this act of aggression be a reflection of the deep-seated bias against female leadership in the political arena? Is Rt. Hon. Meranda’s role as a woman Speaker being used as a justification for such brazen intimidation and disruption?

It has come to our attention that these actions are tied to the ongoing internal power struggle regarding the removal of the former Speaker. Speculation suggests that this latest move is aimed at weakening the current leadership and creating instability within the Lagos State House of Assembly.

We demand an immediate clarification from both the police and the state government on their roles in these actions. The absence of security for those in leadership positions raises serious questions about the safety and protection of public officials in Lagos. If such intimidation can occur at the highest levels, what protection is there for the ordinary citizens of Lagos?

This situation must not be allowed to stand unchallenged. We call for a full investigation into these actions and demand accountability from all involved parties.

Signed:

Victor Ganzallo

Special Adviser on Information to the Speaker

Lagos State House of Assembly

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