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Hours after Daily Trust did an exclusive report over Agege Local Government Council where the Vice-Chairman Ganiyu Obasa has been acting almost immediately after the chairman, Tunde Azeez, was sworn in, the ailing Chairman has tendered his resignation.

This has paved the way for Obasa, the son of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, to take over as the incumbent Chairman.

The opposition in Lagos had criticised what it called a ‘carefully scripted succession’ in Agege Local Government after Abdul-Ganiyu Vinod Obasa, assumed office as acting chairman.

Obasa, who served as vice chairman, stepped in after the council chairman, Hon. Tunde Azeez, went on medical leave barely a month after his swearing in on July 26, 2025.

His takeover has stirred controversy among opposition parties, which claim it reflects a pre-arranged political plan.

Recall that the move to make Obasa’s son as the APC candidate during the July 12 local government election was opposed by some stakeholders in the local government.

Following the opposition, Hon. Tunde Azeez was nominated while the young Obasa emerged as the Vice-Chairmanship candidate.

Barely a month after the swearing in, the Chairman who was even visibly absent during the electioneering campaign wrote a letter to the legislative house to proceed on medical leave.

Some opposition leaders who spoke with Daily Trust said making Obasa’s son the Vice-Chairman was a carefully scripted political arrangement following the outcry that trailed his candidacy as the party’s flag bearer.

However, Hon. Azeez tendered his resignation, paving the way for Obasa’s son to take over.

Confirming the development, Rotimi Sulaiman, an APC Chieftain, said his principal resigned to take care of his health.

He said, ‘Hon. Tunde Azeez has been long sick and his decision to resign and devote his attention to his health rather than being weighed down by the responsibility of that office is the wise decision any sane person should take.

‘The beneficiary of that excellent decision, Abdulganiyu Vinod Obasa is a visionary young man who in the last few months of Azeez’s absence has demonstrated uncommon capacity. I think Agege is lucky to have both guys.’

Rivers United coach Finidi George has revealed that the club is ready to face defending champions Pyramids FC, RS Berkane, and Power Dynamos in the CAF Champions League.

The NPFL side were drawn alongside Pyramids FC, RS Berkane, and Power Dynamos in Group B of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League group stage on Monday.

Rivers United remain Nigeria’s only representative in this season’s CAF inter-club competitions.

Finidi expressed confidence in his team’s readiness while welcoming the draw. He said,

‘It’s a good draw, a difficult group. But if you want to compete in that tournament, you have to play your best at some stage. We’ll prepare when the time comes.

For now, we’ll just concentrate on our league games. When it’s getting closer to that, we’ll try to prepare the boys mentally for what’s coming ahead.’

The former Super Eagles manager noted that qualifying for the group stage serves as extra motivation for the players.

‘It’s extra motivation for the players. Having this platform on this big stage is going to bring a lot of expectations and a lot of confidence for the players. They’re all looking forward to having this platform to showcase what they have. So, the time has come.’

‘We just hope mentally they are prepared for it. I don’t think physically we’ll struggle, but I think mentally this is a big stage. There’s no pressure for us. We’ll just let the boys do the basic things defensively. I think if we defend properly in a game like that, in 90 minutes, we’re going to have our moment,’ he said.

Rivers United secured their group-stage spot with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Mozambique’s Black Bulls in the second qualifying round, after earlier defeating JSK of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the preliminaries.

They became the first Nigerian club to reach the CAF Champions League group stage since Lobi Stars in the 2018/19 season.

Under Finidi George, the club has enjoyed an impressive start to the 2025/26 NPFL season.

Up next for Rivers United in the NPFL is a clash against Bendel Insurance on Thursday.

Daniel Ogunmodede, the coach who guided Remo Stars to their historic first Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title in the 2024/2025 season, has resigned after ten years with the club.

His departure comes amid a difficult start to the 2025/2026 campaign, with the team languishing in 17th place on the table with 10 points from eight matches, following their CAF Champions League exit and a string of poor domestic results.

It was gathered that a strained relationship with club management and the loss of key players were major factors behind Ogunmodede’s decision to step down.

The club’s 5-1 home defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League Preliminary Second Round first leg intensified scrutiny over his tactical capacity at the continental level.

Remo Stars’ failure to reinforce the squad over the summer also fuelled frustration among fans and analysts. The club’s cautious approach to recruitment and the departure of core players – including Nduka Junior, Sodiq Ismail, Tochukwu Michael, Frank Mawuena, Sikiru Alimi, Jide Fatokun, Seun Ogunribide, Fabian Nworie, and goalkeeper Kayode Bankole (now at TS Galaxy) – left the team exposed across all departments.

Since joining in 2015, he has served as assistant coach, youth director, and head coach, helping establish Beyond Limits Football Academy as a key talent pipeline and leading Remo Stars to two straight top-two NPFL finishes before their title triumph – the first by a Southwest club in two decades.

On Saturday, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced a total and indefinite nationwide strike over unmet demands.

Briefing the press on Monday, President of the association, Dr Muhammad Suleiman, defended the action of the doctors.

He said the strike followed the expiration of a 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government.

Dr Suleiman said the association had exercised patience for too long in the face of government’s inaction.

On his part, President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to resolve the issues with the doctors and ensure that they resume work immediately.

In this piece, we highlight the demands of the doctors:

1. Review of Excessive and Unregulated Work Hours: Resident doctors and medical officers are subjected to dangerously long and consecutive duty hours, risking both their health and patient safety.

2. Payment of Unpaid 25%/35% Upward Review Arrears of CONMESS: (Arrears from the salary review due by August 2025 remain unpaid, despite government promises.)

3. Immediate reinstatement of five resident doctors unjustly terminated from the Federal Teaching Hospital, Lokoja, with full payment of all outstanding salaries and allowances for the period of their disengagement.

4. Payment of Promotion Arrears: (Medical officers in various federal tertiary hospitals have not received their promotion arrears.)

5. Payment of 2024 Accoutrement Allowance: (The allowance meant for 2024 has not been released, contrary to repeated assurances from the Ministry of Health.)

6. Clearing Bureaucratic Delays in Upgrading Resident Doctors’ Ranks: Administrative bottlenecks are delaying rank upgrades and corresponding salary adjustments after postgraduate exam success, leading to unpaid arrears.

7. Payment of specialist and professional allowances: Resident doctors are denied the specialist allowance despite providing specialist-level clinical care.

8. Inclusion of House Officers in Civil Service Scheme: House officers face denial of civil service benefits, delayed or missing salaries, and lack of payslips or professional recognition.

9. Correcting all entry-level placements: New resident doctors are being wrongly placed on CONMESS 2 Step 2 instead of the rightful CONMESS 3 Step 3, reducing their pay and creating new arrears.

10.Progress on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA): The review of the CONMESS salary structure has stalled for over 16 years, and disparities between CONMESS and CONHESS allowances remain unresolved.

11. Release of Corrected Professional Allowances: Persistent salary shortfalls have continued for over seven years due to uncorrected professional allowances.

12. Regularising all locum staff: Many resident doctors face long-term contract or casual employment without career progression or job security sometimes lasting up to 10 years..

13. No to Downgrading of West African College Certificates by MDCN: The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) is downgrading membership certificates from the West African Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, unlike other countries in the region.

14. Issuance of Certificates by NPMCN: The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) has failed to issue membership certificates to many graduates.

15. Granting Chief Executives of hospitals greater autonomy to employ and replace doctors who exit the system through immediate implementation of the one-for-one replacement policy, to reduce excessive workload and burnout.

16. Tackling Brain Drain: Poor remuneration and working conditions continue to drive mass emigration of doctors from Nigeria.

17. Urgent upgrade and maintenance of infrastructure and medical equipment in all healthcare facilities nationwide to improve the quality of service delivery and training for resident doctors.

18. Creation of Non-Medical Consultant Cadres: The establishment of consultant roles for non-doctors is seen as detrimental to patient care and professional standards.

19. Implementation of Agreed Special Pension Benefits: The pension terms agreed in the MoU signed with the NMA on July 26, 2025, remain unimplemented.

With utmost respect and humility, we write this letter to bring to your attention the dire and tragic situation currently affecting our communities in northern Bakori Local Government Area.

Social media and open letters have become our only remaining channels to reach you and the wider public, as your representatives in Bakori have failed to convey the true extent of our suffering.

The towns of Yankwani, Makera, Kogawa, Alhazawa, Ganjar Gazara, Karma, Layin Rama, Dangwagwgo, Rawul, Danmayaki, Magoje, Guga, Kakumi, and other surrounding villages in northern Bakori are experiencing an unprecedented wave of violence and insecurity.

In just the past 48 hours, eight people have been killed, many others injured, and over 75 individuals abducted. Livestock have been stolen, and farmers are unable to access their fields to harvest crops. In my hometown of Yankwani-one of the largest in the region-there are now fewer than 10 women remaining. The entire population has fled, abandoning their homes and possessions. Many displaced persons, mostly women and children, are now sleeping on roadsides and at fuel stations in Dutsen Reme and Bakori.

Tragically, the Chairman of Bakori Local Government appears unaware of our plight, as we are not considered a priority in his administration.

We appeal to your Excellency to intervene directly and urgently. We know you are a man of action, and we trust in your ability to bring relief and restore peace to our communities.

May Allah guide and strengthen you in your leadership.