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Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged Nigerians, especially those from the Southeast, to support President Bola Tinubu for a second term, saying 2027 is not the region’s turn to produce the president.

Speaking in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Umahi said the Southeast must show patience and support continuity for fairness and stability.

‘No, it is not our time yet. Before 2023, the 17 Southern governors agreed in Asaba that power should shift to the South.

‘We all tried, but the crown came upon President Tinubu. He must complete his eight years, which belong to both the South and the North. After 2031, the Southeast can contest, having never produced the president,’ Umahi said.

He dismissed renewed claims of marginalisation against the Tinubu administration as political, insisting that the region had been treated fairly in infrastructure and key appointments.

‘President Tinubu does not want to know where you come from; he is treating everybody well. The Ministry of Works alone is handling projects worth over N350 billion across the Southeast, including the Enugu-Onitsha, Port Harcourt-Aba, and Aba-Umuahia roads,’ he said.

Umahi listed several other projects under execution, noting that the President was also prioritising major works in the North. ‘When the Budget Office reviewed national infrastructure, the Northwest had three to four times more projects than the Southeast and Northeast,’ he added.

He maintained that current realities prove the marginalisation narrative outdated.

‘The Southeast has passed that stage. If we didn’t get all the appointments, we are getting the infrastructure, and that is what matters,’ he said.

Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) and Dipton Nigeria Ltd are leading efforts to foster strategic collaboration among key stakeholders to unlock the vast economic and industrial potential of Aloe vera in Nigeria.

The aim is to explore Nigeria’s potential in the global Aloe vera market and strengthen the nation’s industrialisation drive.

Director-General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, noted that the global Aloe vera market, estimated between $2 to $5 billion, continues to grow, driven by rising demand across multiple industries.

He said that despite Nigeria’s natural advantage, he stated that the country lags behind due to lack of data, certified seedlings, standardised processing systems, and weak institutional coordination.

According to him, globally recognised as a ‘wonder plant’ for its wide applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, and allied industries, Aloe vera offers Nigeria an opportunity to boost industrialisation, import substitution, and economic diversification.

Ike-Muonso identified key challenges confronting the Aloe vera sector in Nigeria, including inadequate technology, poor quality control, limited financing, and the absence of harmonized regulatory standards.

He outlined RMRDC’s strategic actions to reposition the industry, which include establishing a National Aloe Vera Working Group (NAWG), conducting baseline surveys, developing standards with NAFDAC and SON, supporting certified nurseries, and linking SMEs with investors and markets.

He called for synergy among government agencies, investors, researchers, and regulators to develop a comprehensive Aloe Vera Value Chain Roadmap. ‘Aloe vera could become a model for indigenous raw materials development creating jobs, reducing imports, boosting exports, and driving economic growth,’ he stated.

Also, Director of Agriculture and Agro-Allied Raw Materials Department at RMRDC, Dr. Seb Ebiriekwe, noted that despite Aloe vera’s immense global value, the crop remains underutilized in Nigeria.

‘This engagement is a crucial national dialogue to unite stakeholders, identify gaps and opportunities, and develop a roadmap for sustainable collaboration and investment,’ he said.

Managing Director of Dipton Nigeria Ltd., Mr. Willie-Nwobu, noted that Nigeria lacks organised Aloe vera plantations, formal data, and effective information systems.

He described the engagement as a platform to raise national awareness, mobilize stakeholders, and energize the Aloe vera ecosystem in Nigeria.

He reaffirmed Dipton’s commitment to inclusive sector development by partnering with universities, medical centers, farmers, retirees’ groups, and security institutions.

He also announced a partnership with Loharu Agro Farm of India to provide technical mentorship and guide local content development within Nigeria’s Aloe vera value chain.

One of Nigeria’s most committed comrades of the Marxist-Leninist tradition, and among the few remaining genuine thinkers of the progressive left, Comrade Abiodun Aremu Abiola, passed away on Sunday, October 12, 2025, in the Sango-Ota area of Ogun State, following a motor accident. He had taken ill about a year earlier.

Aremu, fondly called Aremson, was a philosopher-king celebrated both locally and internationally as one of Africa’s outstanding Marxist exports. Until his death, he served as the Secretary of the Joint Action Forum (JAF).

Aremson was not only a teacher but also a passionate social activist whose early life was deeply rooted in labour struggles. He was actively involved in the trade union movement of his time and played a major role in shaping its ideological direction.

As a dedicated cadre, he discovered and trained numerous Nigerian youths through the Amilcar Cabral Ideological School, becoming not only an ideologue of popular struggle but also a strong pillar of the trade union movement.

He was a highly principled, forthright, and effective comrade who gave successive military regimes and dictators-both in Nigeria and abroad-serious headaches.

His deep passion for Nigeria and the masses, especially the downtrodden, was reflected in his sharp, incisive, and assertive writings.

Aremson’s tool of engagement was his intellect-he invested himself in nurturing younger generations and confronting oppressive powers through his many publications, which span a wide range of socio-political issues. His works remain timeless, relevant to both the Nigerian condition and the global socio-economic order.

He was among the few who foresaw the dangers of a global economic system driven by greed and exploitation, warning of its impact on humanity.

The labour and civil society movements in Nigeria will not forget his immense contributions to their ideological foundations, his activism in the streets, and his unwavering commitment to liberating the Nigerian people from neo-colonialism and internal oppression.

Born in Surulere, Lagos, to parents from Ilota in Kwara State, Aremson collaborated with other intellectuals and activists to strengthen the moral and ideological force of the labour and civil society movements.

He co-founded the Odua Youth Movement (OYM) in the early 1990s alongside comrades such as Professor Femi Obayori, Rasak Oladosu, and Rasak Olokoba, among others. Through this platform, he championed the cause of the downtrodden masses against the grip of internal comprador bourgeoisie who had taken control of power from the colonial rulers.

In all social and political engagements, Aremson stood firm, guided by reason and open to dialogue within the bounds of shared values.

An unrepentant revolutionary, he believed that ‘the shackles of poverty, underdevelopment, and bad leadership that have engulfed Nigeria since independence cannot be broken unless there is a total revolution in the country.’

He often described Nigeria as ‘a country enslaved by poverty and underdevelopment, whose great potentials have been laid waste by successive bad leaders.’

Like a prophet, much of what he and his comrades warned about has manifested in today’s Nigeria in various forms.

Aremson died a fulfilled man, having fought tirelessly for the emancipation of the nation. His life reminds us that a man of principle lives forever-and that the path to true immortality lies in sowing oneself selflessly into the lives of others.

Sheer magic? Houses in Nigeria’s rural outposts generating own electricity? Or bridges and roads in the city, dazzling with electricity at night, just because the ‘living’ cement used to build them has soaked up enough solar power to discharge? Sheer magic?

No. It’s the new building technology that grafts biology onto brick and mortar. It’s early days yet, but the world could soon welcome what the scientists call ‘energy-autonomous buildings and infrastructure.’

To use the technical-speak, as reported in ‘Living cement: scientists turn bacteria-infused cement into energy-storing super capacitors,’, AU Engineering, on the website ingenioer.au.dk: ‘house facades that double as batteries. Bridges that power their own sensors. Infrastructure that lives – and delivers energy.’ Another world, where buildings and structures double as solar power banks, sans solar panels and batteries? It would appear so!

What gave ‘life’ to the inert, conventional cement is ‘Shewanella aneidensis’: a bacterium that can send electrons to external surfaces, by a process known as extra-cellular electron transfer. The electron is a sub-atom that possesses a charge of negative electricity. It’s the basic carrier of electricity in solids.

By fusing that energy-producing bacterium with conventional cement, the world may well be on the cusp of changing building technology forever. The relative affordability will, of course, depend on how costly the breakthrough is. But with patenting and mass scaling, economy of scale should push down the cost.

That is the exciting prospects by a group of scientists at the Aarhus University (AU), Denmark, per a new study just published in Cell Press, a scientific journal, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

‘We’ve combined structure with function,’ enthused Qi Luo, the lead researcher. ‘The result is a new kind of material that can both bear loads and store energy – and which is capable of regaining its performance when supplied with nutrients.’

But to infuse – bacterial – life into cement is one thing. To keep the bacteria alive is another – and that really is the crux of the breakthrough. For that, the team designed a system of pushing regular ‘food’ – salts, protein, vitamins and sundry growth factors: ‘a nutrient solution . to keep the bacteria alive or ‘reawaken’ the system.’ That way, no less than 80% of the power originally generated is recovered.

Though the value-added to traditional cement can make the new hybrid costlier, even that potentially higher cost holds the prospect of generally lowering infrastructure costs, across the board, particularly when lighting is the question.

For starters, this promising technology rolls back solar panels and batteries – plus the cost of their repairs. Then, the sheer magic – sorry, science! – of having house, bridge and tunnel walls power and spread electricity, to light up the immediate space, is just bewildering! And it is clean, renewable energy too!

It’s very early days but the researchers already exposed their invention to extreme weather conditions – freezing conditions and extreme heat – and the ‘living’ cement still stored and discharged electricity. Indeed, six living cement blocks powered alive a light-emitting diode (LED) light – promising!

There are, of course, safety concerns. If house walls turn electric stores, might the risk of electrocution also rise? That’s not clear from the study so far, but it’s early days. Hard questions must be asked and safety guarantees secured before any mass commercialisations.

But this Denmark feat should focus our minds on Nigeria’s local science and innovation. Denmark experiences long days of dazzling sunshine only between May and August. Nigeria does almost all-year round, even during the rainy season.

Denmark and the rest of Europe have better housing, lighting and allied infrastructural stock. Yet, it’s Danish AU scientists – not dons from Nigerian universities – that have hit on a building innovation, that seems a perfect fit for Nigeria’s developmental needs!

Our local scientists must challenge themselves to develop technology, as answers to local challenges. That’s the only way the proverbial gown can impact the town. But the government too should provide funding and a better environment for research and scholarship.

Immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has listed a number of issues that negatively impact the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

The former INEC chairman said these include multiple litigations in which the commission is joined; conflicting order of courts of concurrent jurisdiction; violence and vote buying as some of the issues that have posed serious challenges to the smooth conduct of elections and the management of the electoral process in the country.

In the foreword of a book, titled: Election Management in Nigeria: 2015 to 2025, which chronicles the electoral body under his watch, Yakubu noted that technical challenges with equipment and connectivity failure often pose serious challenges to the system.

The 220-page book is divided into 11 chapters and was released on the last day of Yakubu’s chairmanship of as INEC.

Despite the challenges, the erstwhile INEC chairman said the nation’s electoral management body has recorded some milestones in the last 10 years, which should be sustained to build trust and ensure successes in future elections.

He said: ‘The decade rom 2015 to 2025 has been one of the most momentous in the history of the management of elections in Nigeria. There have been several milestones, many challenges, and useful lessons in the conduct of elections and the management of the process within this period.

‘Election Management in Nigeria: 2015-2025 is the first, most comprehensive record of these milestones, lessons, and challenges of my two-term tenure.

‘From the reform of the electoral legal framework (ELF), through to the provision of voter outreach and inclusivity programmes, to the focus on election security, to the deployment of electoral technologies and to stakeholder engagements designed to build confidence and trust in the electoral process, the Commission demonstrated how measured, custom-tailored and forward-looking reforms can be driven by lessons-learnt and peer review processes ultimately meant to improve the conduct of elections and trust in the electoral process.

‘This book presents the reforms and advances made in the development, management and deployment of voting procedures, voter registration, voter management, electoral technologies, relations with political parties and other electoral stakeholders, election security as well as in the planning, monitoring, and implementation of the commission’s election projects and plans.

‘There have been, over the period under review, significant milestones that have dramatically impacted the electoral process.’

Some of the milestones, Yakubu said, include the introduction of simultaneous accreditation and voting (CAVs); the development and deployment of the INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) and Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

It also includes the expansion of voter access to polling units that ended a 25-year-old jinx, transforming polling units in Nigeria from 119,974 to 176,846; the promotion and expansion of inclusivity measures to persons with disability (PwD), internally displaced persons (IDPs), and to women and the youth.

There is also the development and deployment of the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal and several other portals to manage the submission of the list of candidates and agents from political parties, election observers, and the media; the deployment of additional technology to facilitate the coordination, planning, monitoring, early warning, and implementation of electoral activities through the EMSC.

It also includes the expansion of the commission’s role in providing electoral assistance to Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) across the West African Region countries as some of the most significant achievements of the commission in the period under review.

Yakubu said: ‘Despite these achievements, the 2015-2025 decade was not without its challenges. Issues, such as multiple litigations, in which the commission is joined, conflicting orders from courts of concurrent jurisdiction, electoral violence as seen in the various attacks on the Commission’s facilities and personnel, vote trading, and the challenge of logistics that led to the postponement of elections since 2011, continue to pose challenges to the smooth conduct of elections and the management of the electoral process.

‘Additionally, technical challenges with equipment and connectivity failures have sometimes hindered the smooth conduct of elections.

‘In response to these challenges, the commission implemented various reforms, including voter education programmes, capacity building for electoral officials, and collaboration with security agencies to ensure the safety of voters and electoral officials, in addition to several policies guiding the development, acquisition and deployment of electoral technology and the management of the electoral process.

‘As the commission looks to the future, the conduct of elections and the management of elections will continue to evolve and present fresh challenges. Such challenges will necessarily either require the consolidation of old or the formulation of new reforms.

‘Lessons from the conduct of elections and the management of the process will necessitate that new lessons be learnt, requiring the tweaking of old, or the introduction of new electoral technologies.

‘The commission must fully embrace both successes and failures, intensify confidence and trust-building measures, expand the drive towards inclusivity and continuously be ahead in addressing potential threats to the conduct of elections and the management of the electoral process. Only in and through these can it ensure the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria,’ Yakubu added.

FREEE Recycle Limited, a tyre waste recycling and rubber manufacturing company and the Rural Women Energy Security (RUWES) Initiative Limited, a women-led non-profit organisation, at the weekend announced a strategic partnership to distribute clean cooking fuel derived from recycled aerosol waste to rural and peri-urban communities.

This collaboration, which is said to represent a significant step forward in addressing energy poverty while promoting circular economy principles and gender inclusion, is centered on distributing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) recovered from Nigeria’s first aerosol recycling plant- a project developed by FREEE Recycle and DeSpray Environmental, to women through RUWES’s established networks.

The collaboration will focus on three core areas: the supply of affordable LPG, joint policy advocacy, and community capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing environmental stewardship and economic empowerment for women.

This model creates a sustainable circular economy that aligns with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Speaking on the collaboration, Managing Director of FREEE Recycle, Ifedolapo Runsewe, highlighted the company’s commitment to circular economy solutions that deliver tangible social impact.

She stated: At FREEE Recycle, we are driven by the conviction that waste can be transformed into real solutions for people and the planet. This partnership with RUWES allows us to close the loop, recovering gas from aerosol waste and redirecting it to meet the pressing energy needs of women and families in underserved communities. By combining innovation with inclusion, we are not only advancing a circular economy but also addressing energy poverty in a way that positions and empowers women as central actors in sustainable development.’

In similar vein, the RUWES Head of Secretariat, Mrs. Jumaima Ella, expressed her excitement in the partnership, stating: ‘I’m thrilled about our partnership with FREEE RECYCLE, as their goals align perfectly with ours. At Rural Women Energy Security RUWES Nigeria Ltd/Gte, we’re a self-help, women-led NGO with over two million members across Nigeria. We empower women to demand increased access to clean energy products through our innovative Gender Social Enterprise Model. This model makes clean energy more accessible, cost-effective, and appealing to rural women, fostering entrepreneurship and capacity building. By collaborating with FREEE RECYCLE, we’re advancing our shared vision of a sustainable future, bridging access gaps, and promoting energy security for women and families in underserved communities. Together, we’re growing people, businesses, and the nation.’

This initiative, stakeholders agreed, is designed to mitigate a critical national health challenge. In Nigeria, the burden of energy poverty disproportionately affects women, who often bear responsibility for household energy needs. The use of wood and contaminated fuels for cooking leads to severe indoor air pollution.

According to World Bank, over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from smoke inhalation related to cooking with firewood. Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that 3.8 million deaths are linked to household air pollution from inefficient cooking practices.

By integrating women as key stakeholders and beneficiaries in this new clean energy value chain, the FREEE Recycle-RUWES partnership is designed to deliver immediate social and economic impact- creating new opportunities, improving health outcomes, and building long-term environmental resilience.

Edo Governor Monday Okpebholo has sacked Chairman of Edo State Senior Secondary Education Board, Dr. Maureen Ekhoragbon.

Reasons for her sack was not made known as of press time.

A statement by Secretary to the State Government, Ikhilor Musa, said Governor Okpebholo has appointed Dr. Rita Otibho Erewele as replacement.

The statement said Dr. Ekhoragbon has been relieved of her duties with immediate effect.

It described Dr. Erewele as an accomplished educationist and administrator with over two decades of progressive experience in Nigeria’s education sector.

The statement explained: ‘She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Planning, along with a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Benin.

‘Her appointment takes immediate effect.’

Structural engineers, under the aegis of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE), have urged the government to implement laws and building codes that will stem building failures in the country.

Addressing reporters at a virtual media briefing on the institution’s 38th annual general meeting (AGM) and conference, tagged: ‘Lagos2025′ scheduled for October 14 and 15 in Lagos with the theme: Strengthening and Advancing Structural Engineering Practice in Nigeria, NIStructE President Johnson Adegboyega Adeyoye said authorities concerned must take action against the menace.

Adesoye, who spoke along with his executives, expressed concern over the rising number of structural collapses and called for political will to ensure that only the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and NIStructE certified engineers are involved in structural construction.

He explained that while not all COREN-registered civil engineers are structural engineers, all structural engineers are civil engineers.

Adeyoye said none of the NIStructE-certified engineers has been linked to any building collapses in Nigeria due to the stringent certification and accreditation processes of the institution.

The NIStructE president listed the major causes of structural failures of buildings in Nigeria to include government officials’ lax enforcement of building codes, the absence of certified and accredited NIStructE members, poor designs, unethical practices, lack of geotechnical soil investigations, and the use of substandard building materials.

He emphasised the need for the country to strengthen structural engineering practice, saying weak structures endanger lives, while professional engineering saves lives.

Adeyoye urged Standards Organisation of Nigeria to ensure that only standard materials are available in the markets.

Adeyoye noted that SON has been inactive while the market remained flooded with substandard materials.

Deputy President, Dr. Taiwo Elegba, urged citizen participation in preventing building collapses by acting as whistleblowers.

He noted that the upcoming conference, to be attended by prominent Nigerians, including the presidents of the Nigerian Society of Nigeria (NSE), Mrs. Margaret Aina Oguntala, and COREN’s president, Prof. Sadiq Zubair Abubakar, will strengthen the practice and introduce new trends to members.

Elegba added that the evolving nature of structural engineering and the importance of professionals make it imperative for both sides to work together to combat building collapses.

It is not that the Benin national team is coming to town tomorrow. But my grouse is with Gernot Rohr, the team’s coach. His team will knock heads with their feet against the Super Eagles. Rohr is coming back here to commit a crime.

He wants to defeat the hand that once fed him. I met him years ago at the Lagos Airport when we were on the verge of the World Cup qualifier. I asked him of our chances.

He was genial but not confident. He did not speak like an inspirer or a force for his soldiers on the field. I hope the man is too bad to commit a crime in our match tomorrow in Uyo.

Nigerians are juggling the math of possibility, on Nigeria’s chances for the Mundial. I only focus on Rohr. I hope Rohr does not hand us a raw deal.

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has restated its commitment to fight certificate racketeering in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

The Head of Media unit for NBTE, Mrs. Fatima Abubakar, gave the assurance in a statement yesterday in Abuja on behalf of the executive secretary.

The agency said it does not condone, support, or tolerate any form of certificate racketeering or academic fraud.

The NBTE was responding to a report by a national newspaper, which alleged mobilisation of unqualified graduates for national service organised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The report alleged that certain private polytechnics in Nigeria were colluding with blacklisted universities in the Republic of Benin to fraudulently mobilise graduates into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) using fabricated National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates.

The NBTE said: ‘The integrity of Nigeria’s technical education system is paramount, and any institution found to be involved in such malpractice will face the full weight of regulatory sanctions.

‘In response to the allegations, the Board has initiated preliminary inquiries and has formally reached out to the NYSC and Punch Newspaper to obtain relevant information that will lead to a thorough investigation. We urge members of the public and stakeholders to remain calm and vigilant and report any suspicious activities of any TVET institution to the appropriate authorities.

‘The NBTE remains committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity and will continue to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Education and other agencies to ensure that the credibility of Nigeria’s Polytechnic education is not compromised.

‘We appreciate the Nigerian press, especially the recent cases of investigative journalism in the country, leading to cleaning up our system and wish to reaffirm the commitment of the NBTE to support a transparent restitution of the entire educational and related sectors to institute integrity at all levels and sanctioning of erring institutions, which may include withdrawal of operational licenses and prosecution.’