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ýThe Director-General of the State Services (DGSS), Mr Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, and the Secretary to Ogun State Government, Mr Tokunbo Talabi, will be honoured on Thursday by the youth constituency of Ogun State.

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ýThis was made known by the youth Chairman of Ogun State, Olóyè Akolawole Shoremi, at the pre-event media hearing convened by the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ogun State Chapter, in commemoration of the 2026 International Youth Day event and Public Presentation of 2360 Ward Executives for the NYCN.

International Youth Day is a global event set aside to address the challenges of the youth constituency every year.

This year’s theme tagged ‘Different contexts, common aspirations’, highlights that while young people face vastly different local and national realities, they share universal hopes for education, decent work, dignity and a sustainable future.

This year’s celebration in Ogun State, set for Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the June 12 Cultural Centre, is expected to draw a massive convergence of over two thousand youths drawn from all 20 Local Government Areas and various youth-led organisations.

It will also feature the historic Inauguration of 2360 Ward Executives of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.

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ýAddressing pressmen at the June 12 Cultural Center, Abeokuta, earlier today, Shoremi stated Ajayi’s nomination as Ogun State Man of the Year 2025 was in observance of his personality as a proud indigene of Ogun State and his remarkable institutional reforms at the State Security Services, which fundamentally transform operational framework, prioritized citizen-centric security, and have restored the confidence of the young people of Nigeria in the organization.

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ýSimilarly, the youth constituency has also bestowed the Distinguished Statesman of the Year 2025 award on the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi. According to the youth Chairman, Talabi has administered the ISEYA agenda of Prince Dapo Abiodun in fostering enabling environment for the young people of Ogun State.

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ýOther nominees for awardees include Alh. Samsideen Adebayo (Apelogun), Hon. Tope Akintunde Armstrong, Mr. Oluwatobi Ajayi (NORD Motors), among others.

The stakeholders and ward chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara Central district have dismissed Senator Saliu Mustapha’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring their continued support for Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the APC governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi.

The declaration was made separately by Hon. Ibrahim Sulyman Salah, councillor representing Gambari Ward 1 in Ilorin East Local Government Area, and Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in Kwara State.

It is recalled that Senator Mustapha hails from Gambari Ward 1 in the district.

Salah spoke on behalf of stakeholders from Gambari Ward 1 and other communities across Kwara Central, while Gobir represented the 51 APC ward chairmen in the senatorial district.

According to him, the stakeholders were not driven by political considerations but by what they described as the visible impact of the AbdulRazaq administration across Kwara.

‘We are not here because of politics. We are here because the dividends of democracy are now visible, measurable, and touching the lives of ordinary Kwarans,’ he said.

He cited road construction, urban renewal, healthcare, education and economic empowerment among areas where the administration had, in their assessment, made significant progress.

According to Salah, 113.57 kilometres of roads had been completed in Kwara Central, while another 65.5 kilometres were ongoing.

He said the initiatives had supported businesses, youths and vulnerable residents.

Salah subsequently announced a vote of confidence in AbdulRazaq and called on the governor to sustain the pace of development, particularly by completing ongoing projects and expanding empowerment programmes for youths and women.

The stakeholders also pledged their support for AbdulRazaq, Danladi and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Speaking separately, Baba Gobir Abdullahi, chairman of Gambari Ward II and chairman of the APC ward chairmen across the 193 wards in Kwara State, reaffirmed the loyalty of the 51 APC ward chairmen in Kwara Central to AbdulRazaq and dismissed Mustapha’s defection as incapable of weakening the party.

Gobir described the ward chairmen as the ‘engine room’ of the APC in Kwara Central, saying they were directly responsible for grassroots mobilisation and voter engagement.

He rejected the suggestion that the senator’s 2023 electoral victory was a personal achievement, arguing that it was secured through the collective efforts of the APC, AbdulRazaq’s leadership and grassroots members.

Gobir said Mustapha’s departure was therefore a personal political decision rather than a reflection of the aspirations of voters across Kwara Central.

Gobir also urged the people of Kwara Central not to be distracted by the ‘political tourism’ of individuals who prioritise their personal comfort over the collective progress of the people.

He insisted that the APC remained the party committed to placing the welfare of ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance, urging voters to remain focused on the development recorded under the AbdulRazaq administration.

‘Do not be distracted by the political tourism of individuals who prioritise their personal comfort over your collective progress. The APC remains the only party that puts the welfare of the ordinary Kwarans at the centre of governance,’ he said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the management of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to do all within its powers to ensure Nigeria derives maximum benefits from its gas reserves rather than allowing them to be flared.

The President said this on Wednesday at the State House, where he received members of the NLNG Board led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Adeleye Falade.

‘I am inspired to understand that you are not limiting yourself to the gradual objective of upgrading.

‘My major concern is the domestic utilisation, where you must be able to take out the flaring and convert potential environmental liability to what could be strategically and economically beneficial to the consumers in the country.

‘Yes, you are doing great to really want the revenue up and taking advantage of international interests so that Nigeria might be deriving benefits, but help us back home.’

He commended the team for maximising and increasing the organisation’s capacity, adding that the company was ensuring a good return on investment.

President Tinubu assured the team that he would do whatever is within his power to incentivise them to maximise the organisation’s potential for Nigerians’ benefit.

‘I enjoy the teamwork and the way the NLNG is going, and you all, as team leaders, are giving value to what was the initial objective of the company. If any other incentive is needed to stimulate growth and expand your capacity, I will be willing to do that.

‘We look straight far into the future, and I believe that this country has what it takes; but whatever asset that we have in the ground is nothing unless it’s brought up to service the economy, the people, and realisation of a good return on investment.

‘I think that is the primary focus. But think of people, the need for domestication of some of these energy requirements and pricing mechanisms so that the ordinary man will feel it,’ the President said.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Engineer Adeleye Falade, told the President that the board was at the State House to brief the President on the company’s operations since assuming office in April this year.

He said NLNG has generated over $150 billion since inception, with shareholders, including Nigeria, receiving about $47 billion as dividends. Nigeria has a 49 per cent stake in the organisation.

The Managing Director said NLNG was earlier operating at about 60 per cent capacity because the country could not produce crude optimally, resulting in the use of only four of the six available trains.

He told the President that for now, all LPG production, commonly known as cooking gas, is concentrated on the domestic market.

Engineer Falade, however, informed the President that, due to increased oil production from positive developments in the oil and gas sector, capacity has been increased to five trains, with more improvements expected.

He told the President that NLNG is keen to inaugurate Train Seven, which will boost its capacity by 35 per cent and further increase its current capacity, adding that Nigeria LNG has a five per cent share of the global LNG market.

The Managing Director also told the President that the shareholders eulogised the stability in the country’s fiscal environment, adding that this stability is attracting more investment.

He lauded the security agencies and the regulators in the oil and gas industry for the stability enjoyed so far.

Engineer Falade also informed President Tinubu that the construction of the Bonny-Bodo Road and Bridge project, financed by NLNG, has been completed and is awaiting official commissioning.

Other members of the NLNG team include: the Deputy Managing Director, Olakunle Osobu; Board Director/MD TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited and Country Chair TotalEnergies, Mr Matthieu Bouyer; Board Director/Vice Chairman/Managing Director, Nigeria Agip Exploration, Mr Maurizio Pinna; and General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Sophia Horsfall.

Manager, Government Relations and Regulatory Compliance, Abdul Umar; Head, Government Relations, Tonbrafa Nanaghan; and Senior Government Relations Advisor, Rufai Mohammed Lawal, were also present.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Energy Transition, Yasmin Mohammed, attended the event.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dared the President Bola Tinubu administration to investigate him over allegations of wrongdoing in the $16 billion power sector fund, saying recycled accusations should not be used to avoid accountability for subsidy savings.

Reacting on Wednesday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the sudden revival of old allegations on power, privatisation and public assets as a ploy to divert attention from pressing questions about the management of public resources.

‘The National Assembly investigated the power projects. I was never invited to answer any allegation of wrongdoing,’ Atiku said.

‘Yes, I chaired the National Council on Privatisation as Vice President. But on the power project, I disagreed with its concept and did not preside over its implementation. The responsible minister did. The same applies to the Aluminium Smelter matter.’

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said he had consistently called for investigation into any claim against him since leaving office in 2007.

‘I have repeatedly asked to be investigated. I left office in 2007 and have spent much of the period since then opposing governments in power. If there is evidence that I stole public money, why has no government produced it before a court?

‘It is still not too late. Investigate me. Invite me. Produce the evidence. Prosecute me if you have a case. But propaganda cannot substitute for evidence,’ he said.

Atiku argued that the attacks intensified because he has been demanding transparency on the funds saved from fuel subsidy removal.

‘They removed subsidy from the poor and promised that the sacrifice would free resources for development. Nigerians accepted extraordinary pain on that promise.

‘Today, petrol is more expensive, transportation is more expensive, food is more expensive and the purchasing power of the Nigerian worker has been devastated.

‘Meanwhile, government revenues have increased, while fiscal incentives, waivers, tax credits and concessions continue to be available to powerful economic interests.

‘So our question remains brutally simple: Where is the people’s money?’ he asked.

According to him, government cannot withdraw relief from ordinary Nigerians while granting concessions to the wealthy and then claim that intervention for the poor is ‘economically irresponsible.’

‘You cannot take relief away from the poor, celebrate the resulting revenue and then tell the same impoverished citizens that government intervention on their behalf is economically irresponsible while interventions benefiting powerful interests are called incentives. That hypocrisy is precisely what we are challenging,’ Atiku stated.

He said no amount of ‘sponsored social-media mudslinging’ would silence him from demanding accountability.

‘The people who removed subsidy from the poor cannot frighten us into silence by resurrecting allegations that governments with all the investigative machinery of the Nigerian state have had nearly two decades to establish.

‘If you have evidence against Atiku, bring it. If you have a case, prosecute it.

‘But if you have neither, stop manufacturing distractions and answer Nigerians: You removed the subsidy. You collected the savings. Where is the money?’

African health ministers have endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026-2035, committing to plan, educate, employ and retain three million additional health workers by 2035 to address critical workforce shortages and expand access to quality healthcare across the continent.

The move comes as Africa has only about 46 per cent of the health workforce it needs. Although the continent had an estimated 5.72 million health workers in 2024, it could face a shortage of more than six million by 2035 without urgent action.

Yet Africa faces a paradox: while health facilities struggle to find enough workers, an estimated one million trained health professionals are unemployed. In several countries, more than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives struggle to secure jobs soon after graduation.

The new Agenda seeks to close this gap by going beyond training. It focuses on workforce planning, quality education, job creation, sustainable financing and retention, with coordinated action across the health, education, finance, labour and public service sectors.

‘Educating health workers is only the beginning,’ said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. ‘We must also create the opportunities, the support and the conditions that enable them to serve, grow and thrive where they are needed most.’

The investment could also deliver major economic gains. Closing Africa’s health workforce gap is estimated to require an additional US$4-6 per person annually, while every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to US$10 in economic returns and around 30 times its value in broader social benefits.

The Agenda builds on the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter and provides countries with a shared roadmap to build a skilled, supported and equitably distributed workforce.

The goal is clear: more health workers, more jobs, stronger health systems and millions more Africans able to access quality healthcare when and where they need it.

Okin Biscuits has announced its production after 17 years, with biscuits rolling off one of its rehabilitated production lines at its factory in Offa, Kwara State.

The company announced the development in a Facebook post on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, describing it as a major milestone in its efforts to revive the brand.

‘After 17 years… the line runs again,’ the company said.

According to Okin Biscuits, the production line had to be rebuilt after cables, frequency drives, contactors, motors and other electronic components were stolen.

The company explained that the first production was a technical trial run and not a product trial, adding that the exercise was aimed at determining whether the production line could be brought back to life after years of inactivity.

‘At this stage, we were not concerned about colour, appearance or achieving the final Okin recipe. The objective was simple: Can we bring this line, silent for 17 years, back to life? And we did!’ it said.

Okin Biscuits also announced that the factory was officially connected to a 33kVA Band A electricity grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The company, however, said more testing, calibration and rehabilitation are still required before its biscuits return to the market.

It added that efforts were ongoing to restore the familiar Okin taste and quality.

‘But today, we celebrate progress.

‘The machines are turning.

‘The ovens are firing.

‘The biscuits are beginning to roll out again.

‘One step at a time. Okin is coming back,’ the company said.

Okin Biscuits was founded in 1980 in Ilorin, Kwara State, by Chief Emmanuel Olatunji Adesoye, an industrialist, educationist and traditional titleholder from Offa.

At its peak from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Okin became a pioneer in Nigeria’s indigenous confectionery industry, with popular products including Okin Shortcake, Okin Cabin, Okin Digestive and cream-filled sandwich biscuits.

Although market competition and economic changes affected production in the late 2000s, Okin remained a nostalgic Nigerian brand for generations.

A Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday ordered the remand of a 70-year-old woman, Barek Mary Yetunde, at the Ikoyi Correctional Facility over alleged trafficking of 13 kilograms of cocaine.

The court, presided over by Justice Friday Ogazi, arrived at the decision shortly after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arraigned the septuagenarian on a two-count charge of unlawful possession, transportation, and exportation of a narcotic drug.

Upon the calling of the criminal matter, the counsel for the NDLEA, Mr Abu Ibrahim, announced appearance for the prosecution, while Chief Benson Ndakara appeared for the defendant.

In addressing the court, Ibrahim moved an application seeking leave of the court to arraign the defendant during the court vacation, which was granted by Justice Ogazi.

The two-count charge dated August 8, 2026, was then read to the defendant, who pleaded not guilty.

In the criminal charge before the court, Barek Mary Yetunde of No. 14, Alhaji Azeez Ajanaku Street, Okota, Lagos, was alleged to have on or about June 28, 2026, at the Departure Hall of Terminal 2, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, during outward clearance of passengers on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Lagos to the United Kingdom, exported 13kg of cocaine without lawful authority.

The defendant was equally alleged to have transported the same 13kg of cocaine from her residence in Okota to the Departure Hall of Terminal 2, MMIA, Ikeja.

The offences are contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

However, after her plea, the NDLEA prayed to Justice Ogazi for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in a Correctional Facility.

On his part, the counsel for the defence, Chief Ndakara, revealed that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution, adding that the prosecution had filed a counter-affidavit which the defence had responded to, urging the judge to hear the bail motion.

The prosecutor confirmed he had filed an opposition to the bail application.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Ogazi held that the court could not hear the bail application due to the volume of cases on the vacation cause list.

As a result of the decision of the court, Ndakara requested that the defendant be remanded in NDLEA custody due to her age and health challenges, but the prosecution opposed, stating the agency lacks adequate facilities to accommodate her.

Justice Ogazi adjourned the matter to September 2, 2026, for hearing of the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ikoyi, pending the hearing.

African Health ministers have endorsed the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026-2035, committing to plan, educate, employ and retain 3 million additional health workers by 2035 to tackle critical workforce shortages and expand access to quality healthcare across the continent.

The move comes as Africa has only about 46% of the health workforce it needs. Although the continent had an estimated 5.72 million health workers in 2024, it could face a shortage of more than 6 million by 2035 without urgent action.

Yet Africa faces a paradox: while health facilities struggle to find enough workers, an estimated one million trained health professionals are unemployed. In several countries, more than half of newly qualified nurses, doctors and midwives struggle to secure jobs soon after graduation.

The new Agenda seeks to close this gap by going beyond training. It focuses on workforce planning, quality education, job creation, sustainable financing and retention, with coordinated action across the health, education, finance, labour and public service sectors.

‘Educating health workers is only the beginning,’ said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. ‘We must also create the opportunities, the support and the conditions that enable them to serve, grow and thrive where they are needed most.’

The investment could also deliver major economic gains. Closing Africa’s health workforce gap is estimated to require an additional US$4-6 per person annually, while every dollar invested in health workers could generate up to US$10 in economic returns and around 30 times its value in broader social benefits.

The Agenda builds on the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter and provides countries with a shared roadmap to build a skilled, supported and equitably distributed workforce.

The goal is clear: more health workers, more jobs, stronger health systems and millions more Africans able to access quality healthcare when and where they need it.

A former lawmaker and the first female Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, has warned members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state against alleged anti-party activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Akindele, who described herself as a concerned member of the party, said the alleged decision by some APC members to support candidates of opposition parties could have serious consequences for the party if not urgently addressed.

In a statement on the development, the former Speaker said it was no longer news that some APC members were allegedly courting and working for members of opposing parties seeking elective offices in the 2027 elections.

She, however, dismissed insinuations that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was aware of, or supported, such moves, arguing that it would amount to political suicide for any governor to deliberately encourage activities capable of weakening his own party.

Akindele also warned that the growing discontent within the party could undermine the APC’s electoral prospects across the state if urgent reconciliation was not undertaken.

According to her, the situation being witnessed in Ondo South Senatorial District could spread to other parts of the state if the grievances arising from the party’s internal processes were not addressed.

‘A party is a function of the people who are her members. If the machinery of the party is moved in a way that it is at disconsonance with its people who, mind you, are flesh and blood, what you see right now in Ondo South is what you may see all across the state before December’, she said.

‘I may condemn it and I do so in no uncertain terms, but I also understand it. These people have been hurt. They are flesh and blood. They have a right to cry foul and they certainly have the propensity to exact revenge on the party.’

Akindele criticised the reconciliation committee set up by the state chapter of the party, arguing that those who felt aggrieved by the outcome of the party’s internal processes should not be the ones primarily responsible for leading the reconciliation process.

She urged the national leadership of the APC and the affected candidates to urgently establish credible reconciliation mechanisms capable of addressing the grievances of aggrieved members.

She said ‘You see the reconciliation committee set up by the state party? It is nonsense. It is a whole set of candidates from a whole line of leadership that were ‘robbed’, is it now them that are setting up a reconciliation committee?! Who is offended?

‘Who is seeking reconciliation? Who is supposed to appeal to whom? If the national party and or the candidates themselves do not quickly set up their respective reconciliation committees, they will continue to experience these ruptures all around.

‘In spite of my above position, I want to appeal to all the disaffected or disgruntled members of the APC to please sheathe their swords. In all we do we must realize that we all have futures that must be protected.

‘We have names which we hope will outlast us for good. To stay in a party and work against it is not only unconscionable, it is dishonorable. You cannot allow yourself to be likened to the insect which lives under a leaf and yet feeds on the leaf. Let an untainted conscience be your guide.

‘When the committees, local, state or national gets to you, please allow yourself to be appeased knowing that you cannot kill the future of your own children in party politics by your present dissatisfaction,’

The former Speaker, however, appealed to aggrieved party members to sheathe their swords, stressing that remaining in a party while working against its interests was unacceptable.

She said members should consider the long-term consequences of their actions and avoid allowing present political disagreements to destroy their future political relevance.

Akindele said, ‘To stay in a party and work against it is not only unconscionable, it is dishonourable. You cannot allow yourself to be likened to the insect which lives under a leaf and yet feeds on the leaf. Let an untainted conscience be your guide.’

She urged members to give peace and reconciliation a chance whenever the various committees approached them, noting that political differences should not be allowed to destroy the future of the party or that of its members.

The former Speaker also reaffirmed her support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC, saying her position was not motivated by support for any individual faction or candidate.

‘I’m neither for Paul nor for Apollo. I am for APC. I stand on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for continuity. Whatever it takes,’ she declared.

Akindele further stressed the need for the party to learn from the current situation and act before the grievances become widespread, quoting the Yoruba maxim, ‘Nkan ti a ba se l’oni, itan lo o ma da l’ola,’ meaning that whatever is done today becomes history tomorrow.

Residents of Iriamogu Village, Dindi-Ihiagwa Autonomous Community, Owerri West LGA of Imo State, have raised concerns over the alleged environmental impact of ongoing dredging activities along the Otammiri River waterfront.

They called on the government to urgently intervene and safeguard the community and its environment.

The residents said that the situation has moved beyond an environmental dispute, alleging that continued dredging is contributing to the loss of land, degradation of roads, destruction of farmlands, and damage to properties within the area.

According to them their greatest concern is the reported proximity of the advancing erosion and unstable terrain to critical electricity infrastructure serving the wider area.

The president general of Iriamogu development union, Mr. Joseph Oforegbu, during a fact-finding visit to the community with journalists and members of a civil society organization, expressed concern over what he described as the increasing environmental damage allegedly associated with dredging operations.

He said that the community has become increasingly worried about the effect of the activities on the physical environment and the possibility of heightened tension, particularly among youths who are demanding immediate action.

Oforegbu appealed to Governor Hope Uzodinma and the relevant authorities to intervene before the situation deteriorated further, stressing that community leaders were concerned about their ability to contain growing frustration if the perceived threat remained unresolved.

The deputy president general of Iriamogu Village, Mr. Chukwunonyerem Mbawuike, said the community had made several attempts to engage the operators over the alleged environmental impact but claimed that those efforts had not produced the desired solution.

He disclosed that the community was considering taking its concerns directly to the Government House in Owerri and other relevant government institutions in order to draw official attention to what it described as an increasingly serious environmental challenge.

Mbawuike also called for an independent assessment of the area, including a review of the environmental requirements applicable to the dredging operation and an examination of the company’s operating licence to determine whether its approved scope covers the location where the activities are taking place.

He further alleged that previous attempts by government authorities and community members to restrict access to the dredging site had not permanently halted operations.

The Iriamogu village youth leader, mr. Ugochukwu Aharamwa, said the reported destruction of roads, farmlands and properties had heightened anxiety among residents.

He expressed concern that continued erosion could worsen the instability of the riverbank, potentially exposing nearby infrastructure to greater risk.

Of particular concern to the community is the reported presence of national electricity infrastructure within the wider area.