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The 2025/2026 Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premiership kicked off with a flurry of goals, dramatic finishes and spirited comebacks as matchday one delivered entertainment across all centres.

In Yenagoa, Bayelsa Queens edged Edo Queens 3-2 in a gripping South-South derby decided by a last-gasp penalty.

Edo Queens struck first through Rebecca Adegbemile (23′), but Bayelsa responded with goals from Kindness Ifeanyi (45′) and Janet Akekoromowei (48′) to flip the contest.

Edo Queens fought back, with Robiat Taofeeq (85′) making it 2-2. Just when the visitors thought they had secured a point, Bayelsa Queens won a stoppage-time penalty, coolly dispatched by Blessing Illvieda (90+7′) to seal a dramatic home victory.

In Owerri, Heartland Queens recovered from an early setback to down Ekiti Queens 2-1 at the Dan Anyiam Stadium.

An early concession rattled the hosts, but they levelled through Chizoba Johnson’s 13th-minute penalty before grabbing the decisive winner in the second half to complete a determined comeback.

In Lagos, Dannaz Ladies claimed a pulsating 3-2 win over Osun Babes. With the match locked at 2-2 deep into stoppage time, Nofisat Ayegbami (90+6′) struck a dramatic winner to ignite celebrations.

In Lafia, Nasarawa Amazons produced a strong performance to beat Delta Queens 2-1. Delta took an early lead through Nora Davies (4′), but the Amazons responded through Imoh Jones (40′) before Hembanfan Ayatse (45′) completed the turnaround just before halftime.

Adamawa Queens opened their campaign with a solid 2-0 win over Pacesetter Queens. Goals from Ifeoma Damian (37′) and Mary Sunday (66′) secured all three points in Makwada.

The only away win of the day came in Akure, where FC Robo Queens defeated Sunshine Queens 1-0, courtesy of Marvellous Oladunni (45′).

Three matches ended with shared spoils: Confluence Queens 2-2 Abia Angels, Naija Ratels 0-0 Ibom Angels and Ahudiyannem Queens 0-0 Remo Stars Ladies.

With late winners, penalties, comebacks, and away successes, the opening day of the NWFL Premiership set the stage for what promises to be a thrilling and unpredictable season.

Giwa Gardens Water Park, West Africa’s family entertainment destination, has announced a Detty December initiative offering 100,000 free tickets between December 13, and January 4, in partnership with Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Other partners are Access Bank, FiberOne, MTN, Zenith Bank, and Awari App (Lost in Lagos).

The initiative aims to strengthen recreational tourism for Nigerians at home and those returning from the diaspora for the festive season, while boosting Lagos’ profile as a destination for domestic and international tourism.

Giwa Gardens will also sponsor 1,000 less-privileged children on December 13, offering them free access, food, drinks, safety gear, and supervised fun experiences. The effort is being conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

According to the organisers, the partnership brings together government and private-sector leaders with a shared goal: expanding Lagos’ tourism economy and enhancing the festive experience for families.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Keji Giwa, described the initiative as a gift to families during the season.

‘Detty December is about joy, family and togetherness. By opening our doors with 100,000 free tickets, we want to give Nigerians-home and abroad-an experience to look forward to. Our partnership with Lagos State and our private-sector partners reflects our commitment to growing tourism in Lagos,’ he said.

Lauding the initiative on behalf of government, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Idris Aregbe, praised the project as a model for effective collaboration.

‘The pact with Giwa Gardens is a boost to Lagos tourism. Offering 100,000 free tickets ensures more families can participate in the festive spirit, and sponsoring 1,000 less-privileged reflects the values we stand for,’ Aregbe noted.

Renowned historian and academic, Prof. Toyin Falola has praised Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State for its unstinting commitment to society’s moral reformation.

The Professor of African Studies described the university as ‘an articulation of conviction, discipline and divine leading’, adding from his research, public perception of the school is positive. Falola,on Tuesday, delivered a valedictory lecture on the institution’s campus in honour of outgoing Vice Chancellor Prof. Ademola Tayo.

The lecture was entitled: ‘The transformation of Babcock’. The event also culminated in the presentation of a book on the university, ‘Babcock University: A history of success’ written by the don.

Falola noted that Babcock is a fusion of morality and academic modernity,adding that it represents a fusion of faith and learning.

While urging the university to tap from its rich Alumni base world wide, the don charged the incoming Vice Chancellor Prof.Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole to intensify efforts to address high energy costs, economic volatility, saying fees can’t keep increasing. Falola, therefore, called for the establishment of a $200 million endowment fund.

He said: ‘The new VC has to build an endowment of $200m,build a digital ecosystem,and a strong alumni network; build a think tank of ethics and innovation. ‘The school should embark on cultural diplomacy; create a wide range of programmes around cultural diplomacy, align with nollywood,music.

‘It should also create a faith and science dialogue for the country, and explore possibilities of a global college. It must remain a university where values will light the path of science.’

Falola said teaching style must change from being authoritarian to being friendly, saying the former has become old.

‘AI is reshaping how knowledge is accessed,’ he said. ‘More than 90 percent of what you want to teach is already available through AI, and the shorter attention spans of Gen Z and Gen Alpha demand a new, proactive, friendship-driven approach to teaching rather than the old authoritarian model.’

The don presented  Tayo with the Thabo Mbeki Award for Leadership Excellence, on behalf of the University of Texas at Austin and with the approval of former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

The award recognises a leader ‘committed to the renaissance of Africa and an unblemished record of excellence in leadership.’

Tayo thanked Falola for the book on the university, saying it would be treasured for ever. He also thanked the historian for delivering the valedictory lecture, among other things.

The event also featured a cultural performance to entertain guests.

Sir: I write with a broken heart. A heart so bruised it feels shattered. For weeks now, it has been one tragedy after another. One kidnapping case replaced by the next. Little girls taken from their schools. Families plunged into fear. We have reached a point where people whisper painful prayers like ‘may Nigeria never happen to me’, because we have watched the nation turn against its own.

Only last week, schoolgirls in Kebbi were abducted. And even though news has just broken that they have been freed, the joy of their return cannot erase the trauma of their ordeal or the deeper truth it exposes about our country. In that same week, more than 300 students were taken from a Catholic school. These were girls who simply wanted to learn, to grow, to dream, and to build a life. Their only ‘fault’ was the desire to be educated.

There is no way to describe the agony of sending your child to school and then seeing on the news that she has been taken by ruthless, faceless men. You do not know whether she has eaten, whether she is being harmed, what fears she is battling, what pain she is enduring. Is it a crime to be a girl-child in this country? Why must she carry so much suffering on her small shoulders?

The rate of insecurity in Nigeria today is beyond alarming. Those who lead us, those who hold authority, are meant to use every tool within their reach to protect citizens. Yet what do we see? Is ordering schools to vacate the answer?

Sending students home is not a solution. It strips these girls of their right to education. And then what happens when they resume? Will the cycle of fear, evacuation and abduction continue? What truly is the way forward?

Our leaders must seek real, practical solutions to these recurring horrors. They must rise to their duties and be held accountable. Our girls are suffering. They are far too young to bear this kind of trauma. No girl, no child, no human being deserves this. No parent deserves the torment of knowing that their daughter is in the hands of men who may do only God knows what to her.

We thank God for the safe return of the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls, but we refuse to let that relief distract us from the painful truth that no child should ever have been taken in the first place.

Mary Ojulari Foundation, a not-for-profit committed to development and empowerment, has awarded N50,000,000 to eight young entrepreneurs who participated in the second Vanguard Fellowship Cohort and completed its two-week Ignite Bootcamp in Lagos.

The grant was announced by Mary Ojulari, founder and president at Vanguard Fellowship Ignite Bootcamp Awards and Networking Cocktail Night at J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Lagos.

The winners are SafayaIkechuckwu, Oluwakemi Olaniyan, Adaeze Akpagbula, Francis Obanijesu, Olatunde Omotayo Olufunke, Victoria Ogwanighie, Ubok Ameh, and Adebayo Olajumoke. Each of them will receive N6, 250,000.

Ojulari reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to empower young Nigerians with tools, networks, and capital to build their businesses:

‘Our work is about unlocking potential because potential is Nigeria’s greatest asset. These entrepreneurs are solving real community problems, creating jobs, and refusing to be limited by circumstance.

She explained that the Ignite Bootcamp was delivered in partnership with Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria and a network of leaders in finance, manufacturing, media, healthcare, government, and development agencies. It exposes fellows to practical case studies, strategic mentorship, and real-world insight.

She added that through this model, the foundation ensures that fellows continue to receive guidance, access to markets, and opportunities after the boot camp ends.

She said 50 promising entrepreneurs representing Agro-Processing, Fashion, Manufacturing, Technology, Health, and the Creative industries participated in the edition of the cohort.

She further revealed that the participants were admitted into the second cohort following a rigorous selection process that prioritised innovation, community impact, and long-term sustainability and underwent hands-on training delivered by industry leaders, seasoned operators, and policy experts.

Ojulari expresses the Foundation’s gratitude to its partners, mentors, and supporters who have generously shared their expertise and resources to shape the next generation of Nigerian business leaders.

In her keynote speech at the event, Mrs Yewande Zaccheaus, the Chairman and Founder of Eventful Nigeria Limited, affirmed that for entrepreneurship to thrive in Nigeria, there is a need to invest in skills and knowledge, access to capital, digital literacy, supporting policies, mentorship ecosystems, and platforms like the Mary Ojulari Foundation.

‘Let us design a future where young people are not just job seekers, but job creators. To the foundation, I say your work is powerful, your impact is undeniable, even just two years on, and your vision is rewriting destinies. To the sponsors, you’re investing in the future leaders of Nigeria, please do not stop’, she said.

It is worth recalling that in the inaugural edition in 2025, the Foundation admitted 50 entrepreneurs into the Vanguard Fellowship Bootcamp, from which 25 were selected and supported with a total of $125,000 in catalytic grants. Together with today’s ?50,000,000 commitment to the new cohort, the Foundation continues to deepen its investment in grassroots enterprise development across Lagos and beyond.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday gave a nod to the establishment of state police as part of measures to combat rising insurgency and banditry.

‘I call on the National Assembly to begin reviewing our laws to allow states that require state police to establish them,’ he said in a statement he personally issued.

The President, who declared a nationwide security emergency in response to the wave of violent attacks, directed the military and the police to embark on massive recruitment of personnel in readiness for a reinvigorated onslaught against terror.

The President also ordered the activation of forest guards and tighter security measures for all vulnerable areas.

Although state police has been on the front burner of constitutional amendment, some states and other individuals have urged caution, saying that the structure could be abused by heads of sub-national units.

Currently, each of the five Southwest states of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, and Ekiti operates a security outfit, especially Amotekun, in response to the mounting security challenges.

Lagos, which pioneered the idea of a security trust fund, also funds an outfit, neighbourhood watch, to complement the police.

In the Southeast, Ebube Agu was mooted by the governors of Anambra, Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi.

In the North, many state governments have set up the civilian Joint Task Force for the maintenance of law and order.

Yesterday, governors from the Southwest, Southeast and Southsouth met in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to brainstorm on strategies for strengthening the apparatus in their domains.

They said in their communique that state police is non-negotiable.

Acknowledging the imperative of a decentralised policing structure, President Tinubu said the Federal Government would support the initiative at the state level.

He said: ‘Our administration will support state governments which have set up security outfits to safeguard their people from the terrorists bent on disrupting our national peace.’

President Tinubu said to strengthen the current federal police, ‘the police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.’

He directed the police to use the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training centres in response to the need to meet the requirements for an expanded capacity.

President Tinubu also ordered that officers being withdrawn from Very Important Personalities (VIP) guard duties must undergo crash retraining.

He said the goal of the exercise is to ‘debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.’

The President said the Department of State Services (DSS) would be empowered to activate the forest security architecture.

He said: ‘The DSS also has my authority to immediately deploy all the forest guards already trained to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests.’

He added: ‘There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil.’

Describing the prevailing situation as’a national emergency,’ the President said the Federal Government was responding by ‘deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas.’

He appealed to citizens to play their part, saying: ‘The times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.’

President Tinubu commended security forces for the recent breakthroughs, including the rescue of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers seized in Kwara State.

He said: ‘We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage.’

To the security agencies, President Tinubu said: ‘I commend your courage and your sacrifice.

‘I charge you to remain resolute, to restore peace across all theatres of operation, and to uphold the highest standards of discipline and integrity.

‘There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence.’

He cautioned state governments against operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas, urging religious institutions to ‘constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.’

The President reiterated his administration’s stance on resolving farmer-herder clashes, alluding to the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development.

He urged herder groups to abandon open grazing and embrace ranching, saying: ‘I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons. Ranching is now the path forward’.

President Tinubu expressed sympathy to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara States.

He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.

The president added: ‘Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness.

‘This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe and ensure our citizens live in peace.’

Emphasising the importance of surveillance and intelligence gathering, he said: ‘I urge you not to give in to fear and never succumb to despair.

‘Report suspicious activities. Cooperate with security agencies. We are in this fight together, and together we shall win.’

State police non-negotiable, say Southern governors

The Southern Governors’ Forum said state police is non-negotiable if Nigeria desires to effectively tackle banditry.

The meeting was attended by Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), Alex Otti (Abia), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Charles Soludo (Anambra) and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo).

Also there were Deputy Governors Kola Adewusi (Osun), Bayo Lawal (Oyo), Peter Odey (Cross River) and Dennis Idahosa (Edo).

Abiodun, who welcomed the governors, said the abduction of worshippers in Kwara State, school children in Kebbi State and Catholic school pupils in Niger State reinforced the urgency of a decentralised policing system.

He said state police would enable the states to take responsibility for safeguarding their citizens and residents.

Abiodun said a unified Southern position on state police would not only enhance intelligence gathering and early-warning capabilities but also strengthen the region’s ability to secure schools, farmlands, border communities, and critical infrastructure.

He recalled that the South has consistently advocated for a security system that is closer to the people and more responsive to local realities, and better equipped to address the rapidly evolving threats.

Abiodun said the speed at which insecurity spreads also shows that geography is no longer a guarantee of safety.

He stressed that, given the dense populations, major industrial corridors, seaports, airports, and strategic highways, the Southern region faces unique exposure to security risks from non-state actors.

He said the time had come for a shift from a mindset of assumed safety to one defined by structured, preventive, and deliberate security planning.

Abiodun urged Southern Nigeria to adopt a proactive and integrated security framework anchored on intelligence-sharing, border protection, safe-school systems, corridor surveillance, and strong community participation.

He said the gathering would provide a critical opportunity to strengthen the region’s collective resolve, deepen cooperation, and act decisively to protect its people and maintain national cohesion.

He urged the forum to reaffirm its support for state police as each participating state has submitted individual positions on the subject.

Abiodun added: ‘A real-time digital security and intelligence-sharing platform linking all Southern states will ensure seamless communication and rapid threat alerts.

‘A comprehensive safe school programme must be established to protect educational institutions, particularly in vulnerable locations.

‘Joint audits of major transport corridors – road, rail, and maritime – will help identify weak points and inform the deployment of sentinel units and rapid response teams.

‘Community, private security partnerships should be strengthened to bring together local vigilance groups, youth teams, private security firms, and formal security agencies within one coordinated ecosystem.

‘A dedicated regional rapid response fund will also be essential for emergency deployments, rescue operations, forensic support, and inter-state training.

‘At the state level, measures such as mandatory documentation of foreign nationals, dismantling unlawful enclaves, regulating scavenger activities, intensified forest operations, and a crackdown on illegal mining must be pursued with renewed vigour.’

Members of the House of Representatives yesterday sought for a comprehensive action by governments at all levels to address the rising cases of insecurity in the country.

They emphasised their earlier position against negotiating with bandits.

Zonal caucus leaders and members took turn on the second day of the House debate on the security situation in the country to vent their anger and frustrations as Nigerians across the country are subjected to attack daily.

Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Kafilat Ogbara set the tone for the day when she said that the reality confronting the nation was not a distant episode in our national conversation.

She said: ‘It is a deep and bleeding wound in the lives of our children, our families and our communities. And I termed the Papiri and Kamba abductions as a national tragedy.

‘We are facing severe insecurity crises with widespread kidnapping and banditry. When people come to communities to kill them, to traumatise them, this is nothing but terror. Let me be clear, these are not mere security failures. They are breaches of the most fundamental duties of the state, which is the security of lives and properties.

‘When we have security issues, we need our governors to do more because the president cannot be everywhere. He cannot be in Sokoto, he cannot be in Zamfara, he cannot be in Ogun State. He cannot even be in Lagos State at the same time, his own state. We need our governors to do more and this is the right time for us as a house to legislate on the right legal framework of our state’s policy.

‘For me, I may not be a security expert, but I know that every security is local. We need a security situation where our security operators will be communicado, where Nigerians can call any security operative at any hour of the day and they are sure to get the right response.

She praised the President for the empathy he has shown and for the release of the Kebbi girls, saying: ‘The brief relief felt by the families of those that escaped is overshadowed by the agony of those still waiting, waiting for a knock on the door, for a phone call, for any sign of hope.’

She asked: ‘We have seen the children where are the kidnappers? Nigerians are asking. We have seen the children, where are the kidnappers? We need to know.

‘This crisis demands our urgent attention because children are used as deliberate targets. Schools that are once safe havens have become tragic targets.

‘Mothers and female educators bear emotional and economic burdens. Community disruption. And I must say that this trauma lasts a lifetime sometimes. We have to avoid this. Children who escape captivity or witness violence often experience long-time trauma, insomnia, anxiety, nightmare and withdrawal.

She recommended the establishment of a national safe schools protection framework, mandatory deployment of security teams to high-risk boarding schools and also to reinforce dormitories, night surveillance, panic alert systems, invest in early warning infrastructure, cameras, sensors and secure communication links with law enforcement agencies.

Leader of the Northwest, Sada Soli said the current challenges are not just criminal, but structural, rooted in environmental stress, with governance and economic marginalisation, adding that tackling these threats demands a holistic strategy that combines security operations with social, economic and environmental interventions.

Soli said a purely military or kinetic response won’t be sufficient to address the issues in the Northwest, adding that long-term stability will require building trust in state institutions. We must build trust in our institutions, while making efforts to reform land and livestock governance, addressing climate response and pressure, and ensuring that affected communities are meaningfully taken care of in providing solution to our security threats.

Leader of the Northeast Caucus, Mukthar Betara said Borno State and the Northeast has remained the epicentre of insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and communal violence.

Betara advocated adequate funding for the security agencies and the provision of adequate welfare package as a way of encouraging them.

He said:”Nigerian security challenges may be vast, but can be addressed with strategic planning, coordinated action, awareness and political commitment. We c’ stop the spread of violence and restore public confidence.

‘This special session provides us with not just opportunity, but a responsibility to charge a bold new direction. The Nigerian people are waiting. Communities across the Northeast and the nations are watching.

‘History will remember us today. What we have chosen to do today in this chamber, let us rise for a moment together and help and secure the nation. That is our solution.’

The West African Management Development and Productivity Network (WAMDEVIN) has concluded a 3-day High-Level Networking Workshop at the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos, bringing together Directors-General, Chief Executives, senior public officials, academics, and development experts from across West Africa to strengthen collaboration among management development institutions in the region.

The workshop, which opened on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, focused on deepening cooperation, improving leadership capacity, and promoting productivity and institutional excellence among member countries.

Delivering the keynote address, the outgoing President of WAMDEVIN and Director-General of the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA), Hon. Nee-Alah Varpilah, emphasised the need for stronger regional collaboration to address shared development challenges.

He noted that issues such as governance reforms, skills development, digital transformation, and public sector productivity required joint action and sustained networking among institutions.

‘Collaboration is no longer optional; it is a development strategy. Our countries face similar challenges, and the more we work together, the faster we grow together,’ he said.

The workshop featured technical sessions, peer-learning forums, and knowledge-sharing engagements among member institutions from Nigeria, Liberia, The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and other West African countries.

A key highlight of the event was the confirmation of the election of the new President of WAMDEVIN at the joint sitting of the Executive Committee (EXCO) and General Assembly.

Mr. Alieu Jarju, Director-General of the Management Development Institute/Civil Service University (MDI/CSU) of The Gambia, was unanimously elected on July, 10, but had his election confirmed at the event as the new President of the Network.

Jarju expressed gratitude for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to consolidate ongoing reforms while strengthening cooperation among member institutions.

He stated that his leadership would focus on deepening regional collaboration; enhancing institutional capacity among MDIs; improving WAMDEVIN’s visibility and engagement with regional bodies; and expanding resource mobilisation and partnership efforts.

The Executive Secretary of WAMDEVIN, Mr Olaolu Adewumi also lauded the dedication of member institutions and reaffirmed the network’s commitment to driving capacity building and productivity improvement across West Africa.

Participants hailed the Centre for Management Development (CMD), Lagos for hosting the event and for its continued contribution to management development in Nigeria and the sub-region.

Ondo Redemption Front has challenged the government to be prudent in the management of resources of the people.

Speaking in Lagos yesterday, Chairman of the group, Dr. Ayodeji Ologun; Co-chairman, Kayode Mogbojuri and Secretary, Adedotun Ajulo, said the people deserve more than empty promises.

It said the people deserve real transparency, accountability, and prudent stewardship.

‘We have come as the voice of the people to speak the truth without fear or favour.

‘Our duty is to call attention to misuse of our resources, draw the curtain back on administrative inconsistencies, and ensure the people of Ondo State are not left in the dark while those entrusted with power trade in shadows.

This month, we have decided to throw more light on handling of our common wealth.

‘What we see is not prudent governance, but a troubling mixture of opacity, inconsistent planning, impulsive financial decisions, and deliberate misuse of power.

As we close 2025, the people deserve more than empty promises.

‘What they deserve, and what they must demand, is real transparency, accountability, and prudent stewardship of public resources.

‘But what we see instead is mounting fiscal inconsistency, legalistic sophistry, and a growing climate of impunity”.

‘At the end of 2024, the administration forwarded to the legislature a 2025 appropriation bill totalling ?655.23 billion, heralded as a Budget of Recovery.

‘Within it, capital expenditure accounted for approximately 62 per cent, and recurrent expenditure accounted for about 38 per cent.

‘But the story quickly unravelled. The legislature, under pressure and hawkishly optimistic about inflows, revised and passed a 2025 budget of ?698.66 billion.

‘That revision, itself, lacked clarity: what precisely spurred the ?43.4 billion increase? And how much of that extra would go into transformative projects versus inflated recurrent spending?

‘Barely a year later, the same budget was suddenly slashed by over ?200 billion, and repackaged as a revised and restructured version amounting to approximately ?489.9 billion.

This administration insisted that it was not a supplementary budget, but a recalibration born out of unrealised donor inflows and economic constraints.

‘But ask any concerned citizen: when you slash the budget that dramatically, especially after legal passage, what you are doing is admitting the earlier plan was unrealistic or reckless.

‘And yet, by November 2025, barely a week ago, a fresh supplementary request now estimated at ?531 billion has been mooted.

‘How does a state go from a ?698-plus billion budget, to a revised ?489.9 billion budget, only to demand another ?531 billion in the same fiscal year? The arithmetic doesn’t add up.’

The group also called full disclosure of 2025 budget performance, line-by-line, project-by-project, with timelines and cost-to-date; publication of all contracts awarded since January 2025, with details on contractors, amounts, scope of work, and timelines; and an independent forensic audit of Ondo State finances, with civil society participation, to reclaim fiscal credibility and public trust.

It also asked for a moratorium on any new supplementary requests or restructured budgets until audit findings are made public and past obligations verified and legislative reform that ensures greater transparency, oversight, and depoliticisation of appropriation and contract approval processes.

‘The people of Ondo State did not hand over a mandate for cosmetic parks or fiscal juggling. They handed over a mandate for good governance, purposeful budgeting, and meaningful development.

‘If the current administration of Governor Aiyedatiwa cannot meet that mandate, then it has betrayed the people’s trust and must be held accountable. If the legislature cannot exercise genuine oversight, then it must be reformed.

‘For Ondo State to be redeemed in spirit, in infrastructure, and in opportunity, there can be no more cover-ups. There can be no more budgetary acrobatics. The people demand truth. They demand service. They demand accountability,’ it said.

Closed industrial automation systems are quietly eroding competitiveness, costing mid-sized organizations an average of 7.5per cent of their revenue through downtime, inefficiencies, and compliance retrofits every year, according to a new report released yesterday.

The new global research which was unveiled by Schneider Electric, the leader in energy technology, was titled: ‘Open vs. Closed: The $11.28 million Question for Industrial Leaders.’

The research, conducted by Global Analysts firm Omdia, highlights how these costs stem from operational inefficiencies, downtime, compliance retrofits, and delayed production, issues often masked by the perceived reliability of legacy automation systems.

For large enterprises, losses average $45.18 million, while smaller manufacturers face even steeper proportional impacts, losing up to 25 per cent of annual revenue.

Traditional, hardware-defined automation systems, built for static environments, struggle to meet today’s dynamic industrial demands. Their rigidity turns routine updates into costly technical projects, while proprietary architectures limit data access, reducing visibility and responsiveness.

At the core of the challenge is hardware complexity. Most companies operate across 2 to 10+ distinct platforms, each with unique maintenance needs. This fragmentation drives vendor dependency; 30% of issues require specialized support, and this strains workforce efficiency due to niche technical expertise required at a time when companies are facing workforce and skills shortages. Siloed systems also hinder predictive maintenance and fast issue resolution, leading to costly downtime and lost productivity. These inefficiencies scale across operations, limiting agility.

The research underscores an urgent need for transformation. Open, software-defined automation offers a scalable, future-ready solution that modernizes legacy systems, accelerates ROI, and strengthens industrial competitiveness and resilience.

By decoupling software from hardware, manufacturers gain the flexibility to integrate multi-vendor systems, adapt quickly to market shifts, produce small batches efficiently, and close engineering skill gaps. Real-time data becomes actionable, driving smarter decisions, boosting productivity, and reducing costs at scale.

Schneider Electric customers are already realizing these benefits. Many begin with pilot projects or asset-level trials, then expand to full-plant or multi-site deployments, unlocking full data ownership, improved quality control, and greater cost transparency, while protecting existing investments.

Executive Vice President, Industrial Automation, Schneider Electric, Gwenaëlle Avice Huet, said the research is an echo of the feedback from customers.

‘This research echoes what our customers tell us every day: industrial systems must adapt as fast as their markets. It’s particularly encouraging that smaller enterprises, the backbone of our economy, stand to gain the most in annual savings that can be reinvested in innovation and growth. Open, software-defined automation is a proven solution that empowers industrial players of all sizes build resilience, drive innovation, and thrive amid rapidly shifting consumer demands, regulatory pressure and market volatility,’ Huet said.

The report noted that key cost areas break down into four critical parts, annually. These are $6.1million in Operational Agility and Resilience losses. Inflexible hardware systems hinder responsiveness to market shifts, as 77.4per cent require physical modifications for functionality updates, while multiple vendor platforms create integration complexity. Modification costs range from $25K-$50K per hour, rising to $250K/hour for $1B+ companies.

Another cost element is $2.28million in Optimization and Efficiency costs. Maintenance burdens, downtime, and talent gaps as hardware complexity drives operational inefficiencies. Companies manage 2-10 different industrial systems on average; 29per cent deploy 10+ hardware platforms, each with unique management requirements.

There is also the $1.2million in Preventable Quality Failure and Costly Data maintenance. Proprietary systems create data silos and limit integration. Only 28per cent of companies access real-time insights; half report that 20-39per cent of critical data isn’t available in real time.

Finally, there is $1.7million in Sustainability and Compliance Costs. Regulatory changes demand costly hardware retrofits, driving up compliance expenses.

Principal analyst, Omdia, Anna Ahrens, added: ‘In response to mounting pressures, industrial leaders are deploying tactical solutions to sustain their core priorities of growth, competitiveness, and trust. In a world where product lifecycles shrink, supply chains fracture, and talent gaps widen, agility and flexibility aren’t optional. They are survival. Every quarter a business delays addressing the cost of closed automation ecosystems is another $1million+ in lost value: the money that could be reinvested in growth and innovation.’

It also showed that rigid infrastructure slows response, adding that 77per cent of systems need physical updates; fragmented platforms increase complexity and delay action.

Open, software-defined automation offers a way forward by decoupling software from hardware; it enables faster decisions, real-time insights, and competitive resilience.