Landmark

By Kunle Ayo  Recent actions by the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in the oil and gas sector reveal a desperate attempt by certain actors to exploit Nigerians’ sensibilities, perpetuating lawlessness, economic sabotage, and threats to national security for the benefit of a few at the expense of the broader population. It is an affront to Nigerians’ intelligence that NUPENG and PENGASSAN, historically complicit in the deliberate and egregious degeneration of the oil and gas sector, have long acted as enablers of self-interest. These unions have been directly implicated in decades of inflicting untold hardship on ordinary Nigerians through their neglect, complicity, and collaboration with enemies of the state. Their sudden posturing as defenders of workers’ rights—when their actions have contributed to the suffering of millions—is both hypocritical and insulting. The recent ...

By Philip Agbese  Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, PhD, GCON, is a rare pillar of integrity in Nigeria’s governance, a leader whose resolute honesty and patriotism forge a compelling vision for national progress. As Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, he embodies the essence of the blind men and the elephant parable—each perspective distinct, yet all converging on the undeniable truth of his dedication to Nigeria’s unity and prosperity. My encounters with him reveal a man who leads with quiet conviction; his actions reflect a commitment that prioritises the nation’s future over personal acclaim. Abbas meticulously crafts Nigeria’s economic trajectory, ensuring the budget aligns with the country’s aspirations, meets fiscal demands, addresses critical needs like infrastructure and healthcare, and builds a foundation for a thriving tomorrow. His Legislative Agenda drives economic diversification, education reform, and transparent governance, amplified by innovations that invite publ...

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as part of his ongoing engagement with leading investors in China, has held a productive meeting with the leadership of Shandong Luqiao of the flagship companies under the Fortune Global 500 Shandong Hi-speed Group, towards partnership for infrastructural development. The company, a globally respected construction firm famous for its expertise in bridge construction and large-scale infrastructure projects, considers Ogun State as a desirable partner for advanced infrastructure development. A statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media & Strategy, Kayode Akinmade on Tuesday, said the economic team of the Governor discussed extensively with the leadership of the company about certain areas of modern infrastructure and also shared the remarkable efforts of the government in infrastructure development across Ogun State. According to the statement, the discussion eventually opened opportunities for collaboration as the company cons...

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has described the killing of ARISE News anchor, reporter and producer, Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, as a most horrendous event that must be quickly unraveled in the interest of justice. Abiodun, who said that he received news of the 29-year-old’s brutal killing by armed robbers in her Katampe, Abuja home with profound shock, commiserated with the management and staff of Arise News, urging them not to allow their spirits to be dampened by the sad incident but to take solace in the legacy of truth and forthrightness that the deceased left behind. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Hon Kayode Akinmade, Abiodun urged the security agencies to work together and unravel the killers of the news anchor in the shortest possible time. He said: “The killing of the popular, extremely versatile and personable news anchor on Monday, September 29, 2025 during an armed robbery incident in her residence in Katampe area of Abu...

The Arewa Youth Network for Peace (AYNP) has described Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal as an utterly ineffective leader whose tenure has plunged the state into a cesspool of insecurity, illegal mining, and governance collapse. In a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group accused Lawal of squandering Zamfara’s vast resources while offering nothing but excuses, starkly contrasting his failures with the tangible achievements of other governors like Nasarawa’s Abdullahi Sule. “Dauda Lawal is a monumental disappointment, a governor who has turned Zamfara into a bandit’s paradise while hiding behind hollow rhetoric,” said Comrade Yusuf Idris, the group’s convener. “Unlike his counterparts who have transformed their states with far less, Lawal has no achievements to his name—only a legacy of chaos, misery, and misrule.” The group drew inspiration from Governor Sule’s remarks at the 2025 Northern Nigeria Investment and Industrialisation Summit in Abuja, where he challenged governor...

The National Rebirth Movement (NRM) has vowed to mobilise Nigerians for nationwide protests against what it described as a dangerous plot by the federal government to amend the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and sell off critical national assets. In a statement issued on Monday in Kaduna, Comrade James Jonah Gbudu, president of the movement, accused Finance Minister Wale Edun of spearheading moves that would strip the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) of its backbone and hand over the country’s oil wealth to cronies. “These amendments are the handiwork of Wale Edun, who appears to think he will be in government forever. Nigerians must rise against this kind of individual mentality and the planned return of the Obasanjo/Atiku era that sold off critical national assets. This time, they want to sell everything to their friends and render the NNPCL naked,” Gbudu said. The NRM president said the movement would not fold its arms while government policies mortgage the nation’s...

The Ogun State Government has condemned as reckless and misleading the comments made by the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, against Governor Dapo Abiodun over the ongoing 260-meter rehabilitation of Paddy Arikawe Oye-Igbimo Road in Sagamu. The government said rather than stirring controversy and seeking cheap popularity, Daniel should learn to respect due process, which he has persistently ignored. In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the government accused the former governor of Ogun State of deliberately distorting facts, inciting the public with false claims, and using pliant media outlets to promote discord and confusion in the state. Akinmade explained that contrary to Daniel’s allegations of obstruction, the only directive given by the government was for the contractor handling the project—who had commenced work without notifying the state—to regularize its operations by following laid-down procedures. “Only a...

By Taiwo Akanji Senator Saliu Mustapha is a man with a helmsman’s steady hand, steering Kwara Central through the tides of challenge toward prosperity. As the Turaki of Ilorin Emirate and Aare Atunluse of Oro-Ago Kingdom, he charts a course with care, guiding his people with roads that connect communities, boreholes that bring clean water, and scholarships that open doors to education. On his 53rd birthday, September 26, 2025, his constituents celebrate a leader whose vision navigates their dreams to reality, setting a path for a brighter future. In the Senate chambers, where Nigeria’s course is plotted, Mustapha doesn’t chase applause; he charts solutions. As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agricultural Production, Services and Rural Development, his bills are like navigational markers, guiding the nation forward. One proposes a Federal College of Agriculture in Oke-Oyi, Kwara State, where farmers can learn to turn fields into abundance. Another, the Nigerian Women and Youth Enter...

  By Aminu Kaita   Imagine a young Gbenga Komolafe stepping into the labyrinthine world of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over three decades ago, his heart alight with a quiet resolve to serve his nation. Today, as Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), this 62-year-old engineer stands as a towering figure, a visionary whose transformative leadership has turned the oil and gas sector into a beacon of hope and progress.    On his birthday, the story of a man whose multifaceted brilliance—part goal-getter, part social crusader, part disciplined innovator is unravelled. The remarkable life of a man who has left an indelible mark on Nigeria, his achievements as intricate and inspiring as a masterfully decoded cypher. Komolafe’s journey is a saga of resilience, a tale of a leader who navigates challenges like a seasoned explorer charting unmapped territories.    From his NNPC roots to his current ste...

As part of the state's ongoing investment drive in its various industrial clusters as well as to strengthen the state's digital Innovation hub, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has visited China alongside his economic team, seeking expansion of the state's economy. A statement by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media & Strategy stated that Governor Abiodun and his team in the course of the engagement met with Inspur, one of the foremost IT firms in Shandong Province and indeed across China, which took the team through the history of the company's existence and their inspiring vision for the future. It said the team marveled at the similarities between their trajectory and the concept for the Ogun Tech Hub, which reaffirmed the conviction of the government that with the right partnerships and support for the state's ICT companies, Ogun State can take its rightful place as a digital innovation hub in Africa. "Our conversation...

Following the directive of the Ogun State Ministry of Works in its letter dated 22nd September 2025, Minim and Tonye, the contractor handling Ogun East Senator Gbenga Daniel's proposed 260-meter road in Sagamu, has accepted the engineering specifications and recommendations of the Ogun State Government for the construction of the Paddy Arikawe Igbimo Road. The contractor conveyed this acceptance through its Director, Abimbola Ayodeji. The contractor, in a letter addressed to the Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure, Ogun State, Mr. Ade Akinsanya, and dated Friday, 26th September, said it had been directed by the executing agency, the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA), to commence the drainage works with the drainage specifications recommended by the Ogun Ministry of Works and Infrastructure. Accordingly, it said the drainage dimension shall be a 600mm x 600mm RC drain with Grade 25 concrete in order to be in uniformity with the existing drainage. Previously, via a...

Excitement is in the air as Value Jet airlines is scheduled to begin two flights per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Gateway International Airport (GWI), Ogun State, beginning from Thursday, October 7. This follows the green light given to the state-of-the-art airport by regulatory agencies. According to the flight schedule, every Tuesday and Thursday, the airline will operate the GWI-Abuja route, departing GWI at 8.30 am and arriving Abuja at 9.45 In the return flight, Value Jet will depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International, Abuja at 4pm and arrive GWI at 5: 15 p.m A statement released by the airline indicates that tickets will be available as from Thursday, September 25; online, through travel agents and at ticket desks at the Gateway International Airport. With the announcement, many travellers based in Ibadan, across State Ogun, and in Abuja and Lagos will have connectivity by air to Abuja and and Lagos and beyond via Ogun State whilst enjoying the added benefit of unbeatable ...

By Iliasu Idris  The recent invasion of our beloved town by  notorious bandits that reverberates through the streets of Birnin Kebbi  has become an interesting focus of national security. Nigeria is witnessing an unfortunate realization where political machinations have not merely collided with public safety but have precipitated a catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude. The rumors of violence and insecurity in Kebbi state, in particular, open cans of questions that go beyond just governance; questions that demand the swift re-examination of the very nature of political power and the deadly relationship it has with terrorism. This surge in insecurity has been largely attributed to the rise of bandits that terrorize rural communities and farmers alike. But this does not occur in a vacuum. On the aforementioned, it is discovered that a thorough investigation into the activities of the likes of Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney General of the Federation, and Shehu Koko, a...

Hundreds of protesters, led by the Concerned Lawyers and Citizens Network (CLCN), stormed the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja on Thursday demanding an immediate investigation into what they described as a massive $4 billion fraud involving the MSM Group and missing funds meant for Nigeria’s refinery rehabilitation. In a speech delivered by Sambari G. Benjamin, Esq., the CLCN accused the MSM Group, a conglomerate with ties to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), of being a front for laundering stolen public funds.  The group pointed to the mysterious disappearance of $2.896 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, which remain non-functional despite the massive investment. “We are here because something is deeply wrong,” Benjamin declared to a crowd of supporters and journalists....

Polaris Bank, Nigeria's leading digital retail, and commercial bank, on Tuesday hosted corporate customers in the non-oil sector at its Global Trade Forum. The event was designed to foster stronger stakeholder relationships, address trade-related challenges, and explore innovative solutions to drive business growth. The forum, with the theme: “Trade Export: Partnering for Growth”, brought together key players in Nigeria’s trade and export ecosystem, including business leaders, exporters, regulators, Nigerian Customs and policy influencers. Participants engaged in robust discussions on the challenges and opportunities shaping the global trading landscape. Speaking at the event, Polaris Bank Managing Director/CEO, Kayode Lawal, underscored the central role of trade as a catalyst for sustainable economic growth. He reaffirmed Polaris Bank’s commitment to delivering tailored solutions that empower Nigerian businesses to compete more effectively in international markets. According to hi...

The Ogun State Government on Wednesday dismissed as laughable and ridiculous claims that Governor Dapo Abiodun is insisting on unusually strict technical standards for the Paddy Arikawe Oye-Igbimo Road in Sagamu, a constituency project proposed by Senator Gbenga Daniel, who represents Ogun East. In a statement signed by Hon. Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media & Strategy, the government clarified that the requirements given to the contractor, Minim and Tonye Nigeria Limited, are the same standards applied to all state road projects and are designed to protect public safety. It added that any push by Senator Daniel’s associates to lower these standards amounts to a blatant attempt to compromise public safety and is dead on arrival. The statement further described as a name-dropping pile of garbage, a report allegedly from Daniel’s media team titled “Dapo Abiodun Takes on Tinubu Over Standard of Road Constructed in Ogun” calling it a hastily assembled fabricatio...

Some angry Nigerian Senators and Members of the House of Representatives are planning a major showdown against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his executive, upon resumption from the recess, over non servicing of their constituency projects. Rising from separate meetings in Abuja Tuesday night, the Lawmakers appear to have concluded arrangements to mobilize their colleagues who are equally piqued by the activities of the executive, to put the President on his toes. The meeting for the Senators was said to have been held in a private residence of a ranking northern APC Senator, while the Reps were hosted by a Member of the opposition from the South. Lawmakers from both opposition parties and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were said to be in attendance. Top on the agenda of the meetings, according to different sources, was the non funding of constituency projects nominated by the Lawmakers in the 2024 and 2025 budgets; the only two appropriation exercise they were opportune t...

Exhibitors at the recently concluded Fidelity Nigeria International Trade & Creative Connect (FNITCC) in Atlanta, Georgia have lauded the event as a transformative platform for showcasing Nigerian non-oil exports and businesses on the global stage. Hosted by Fidelity Bank Plc in collaboration with AFRICON from September 18 to 20, 2025, FNITCC brought together innovative, export-ready Nigerian enterprises across diverse sectors—including fashion, arts, manufacturing, and technology—creating a vibrant space for commerce, connection, and cultural celebration. Praised for its energy and flawless execution, FNITCC Atlanta 2025 marked a significant leap forward from previous editions. With increased attendance, enhanced booth setups, and deeper engagement, participants described the experience as “a clear step up” and “more impactful than ever.” “It was an honor to exhibit among such a vibrant community of creatives, entrepreneurs, and cultural ambassadors. We left FNITCC 2025 with new c...