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Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday warned that uncertainty over the legal framework for the 2027 general election could unsettle the commission’s preparations.

Speaking while receiving a delegation of the European Union Election Observation follow-up mission to Nigeria, Yakubu appealed to the National Assembly to expedite action on the electoral reform proposal currently before it.

He said, ‘Election is a process governed by law. Many of your recommendations require the review of our electoral laws. For this reason, the Commission had interfaced with our National Assembly, including a retreat with the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters (Senate and House of Representatives).

‘We appeal to the National Assembly for an expeditious consideration of the electoral reform proposal. An early passage of law is critical to our planning for the elections. Uncertainty over the legal framework for the election can unsettle the work of the Commission as election draws nearer.’

The INEC boss said, ‘this is the third time that the present Commission is receiving such a mission. I recall that in 2017, we received Mr. Santiago Fisas who led the EU Election Observation to Nigeria’s 2015 General Election. Similarly, in 2022 we hosted Maria Arena who led the EU Election Observation Mission to Nigeria in 2019. Today, we are glad to receive Mr. Barry Andrews who led the EU Mission to the 2023 General Election.

‘In 2019, the EU EOM made 30 recommendations out of which 11 were specifically addressed to INEC. Three of them were identified as priority recommendations while 8 were categorised as general.

‘By comparison, your 2023 report made 23 recommendations out of which 8 (34.8%) require action by INEC of which only one recommendation was listed as priority. The remaining 15 (65.2%) recommendations, of which five were categorised as priority, require action by other entities in the executive, legislature and the judiciary as well as political parties and multiple stakeholders such as civil society organisations, the media and professional bodies.

‘The Commission has carefully considered all the 8 recommendations specifically addressed to us in your report. Action has been taken on aspects of the recommendations that only require administrative action to implement.

‘Similarly, action is being taken on cross-cutting recommendations that require collective action between INEC and other bodies and stakeholders while waiting for the conclusion of the ongoing legal review by the National Assembly on the recommendations that require legislative intervention.

‘To this end, the Commission has prepared a detailed response on each one of your direct observations which we shared with you at this meeting. If time permits, we can go over each of the recommendations seriatim.

‘I must also add that your recommendations, along with similar reports from other national and international election observers, were the subject of wide-ranging consultations with critical institutions and stakeholders during our own review of the 2023 General Election.

‘The review report contains 142 recommendations for electoral reform. In addition, the Commission has published our main 2023 General Election report over a year ago. The two reports are available from our website.

‘We look forward to the next EU EOM for the 2027 General Election. As you are aware, international Election Observation Missions are deployed on the invitation of the Commission. I want to reassure that we will continue to engage with you.

‘Very soon the Commission will send out invitations to the EU as well as the Commonwealth, the African Union and ECOWAS for the 2027 General Election. We believe that the recommendations arising from your observation of our election and electoral process help to improve the quality of our elections and electoral activities.’

The head of the delegation, Barry Andrews said the mission was pleased with the implementation of their recommendations from the 2023 general elections, but insisted that Nigeria must move beyond half-measures and guarantee transparency if democracy is to survive.

He said election observation is not about interference; it is about strengthening democracy in Nigeria, in Africa, and across the world.

He warned that reforms in the judiciary, administration, and constitution remain too slow, with transparency in result publication still unresolved.

Nearly a week after the first wide-bodied aircraft landed at the upgraded Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport, Alakia, Ibadan, Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that his government will do more to attract investors into the state.

He stated that the upgrading of the airport has rewritten its 43-year-old history, but his government will not stop just yet, as its vision is to make the facility welcoming to investors, who would come into the state and always wish to come back.

The governor, who spoke on Wednesday at The Jagz Hospitality Conference, held in commemoration of the first anniversary of the hotel in the state, said the government would sustain its policies, which attracted the hotel into the state and have been attracting many other businesses, while it will also up the ante to ensure that more investors are attracted into the state.

He added that the state government would continue to support businesses in the state to thrive, irrespective of the economic challenges in the country.

Governor Makinde commended the management and staff of The Jagz Hotel, charging them not to rest on their oars.

He said, ‘I am glad to be here one year after we commissioned this business. The business has not folded up, and it is still waxing very strong.

‘It is not by accident when you see things happen. It is because people are putting in the hard work. They are putting in everything necessary to keep the venture going.

‘So, the staff members, the management, and even some of you who are patrons here, let me commend you for various roles that you are playing, especially the management. It is not easy.

‘Since that one year, there has been a lot within the economic environment, and that you are still standing shows that you have together a team. And, I can only assure you that as a government, whatever you need from us, please ask, we will oblige.’

The governor equally addressed the issue of import substitution, noting that the theory that the country’s economic challenges would go away once its people focus only on the local economic environment is defective.

He maintained that while Oyo State has remained open to local businesses coming into the state, it could not afford to rely solely on those businesses to bring its vision of economic expansion to reality, hence its decision to upgrade Ibadan Airport to international standards, such that it can accommodate investors from all parts of the world.

‘When we look at our environment, we do have challenges. We have all the building blocks. We have everything that can create success. But when you come into this country, there is a big challenge.

‘When people say that, well, we have a huge population, over 200 million people. So let’s look inward, let’s patronise ourselves. I have news for people with that theory. Nowhere in the world has any country been successful through import substitution by focusing on its local environment. No. And Nigeria will not be an exception.

‘Import substitution or looking at your own local environment will not work. But if you have people coming from all over the world who are interested in coming to our own environment, we can start attracting people within our local environment.

‘Let us say internal tourism, which is what we witness in Ibadan and all over Oyo State. We’ve seen people, mainly from Lagos, who now see Ibadan as their playground. We want them to come and play around here. We will do more to attract them. But that is not enough for us.

‘And that is why, for this administration, it was a thing of joy when, last Friday, the first wide-bodied aircraft landed at Ibadan Airport. And Ibadan Airport was commissioned in 1982. So, the airport is 43 years old, but this is the first time a wide-bodied aircraft has landed here. Yes, it is better late than never. So, we have been able to turn around the disappointment of 43 years.

‘We got that approval in May 2024. So within a year, we have been able to extend the runway such that we can have this wide-bodied aircraft land here. But we are not stopping there. We want to dare to be different. We want to make Ibadan airport more welcoming than any other airport in Nigeria. We want people from across the world to be able to come here, feel welcome, and then come back again.

‘And that is my charge to the management and staff of Jagz. Not satisfied with being the best hotel in Ibadan, I aspire to be the best in Nigeria and even Africa.’

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, said the present administration under the leadership of Governor Makinde has expanded the economy through tourism and solid mineral development.

He called on all stakeholders in tourism and the hospitality business to continue to support the government.

On the governor’s entourage were the PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; former Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu; Chairman of Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, Hon Sikiru Sanda, and the Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Akinade Fijabi, among others.

Council workers in Osun State have announced they will return to work on Monday, October 6, 2025, ending a strike that began in February following a protracted dispute over the control of local government secretariats.

The strike was triggered after elected chairmen from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) both laid claim to the councils following a Court of Appeal verdict, prompting the Federal Government to withhold allocations to the LGAs.

However, the offices of the Minister of Finance, Attorney-General of the Federation, Accountant General, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) later recognised the APC reinstated chairmen and directed them to open accounts for all 30 LGAs, leading to the release of funds.

Speaking in Osogbo on Thursday, the Association of Concerned Local Government Workers of Osun State, led by Comrade Adedayo Adekunle, declared readiness to resume duties, describing the seven-month strike action declared by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) as needless.

Adekunle lamented that the prolonged industrial action had led to the death of some of their colleagues, stressing that resumption was necessary to restore normalcy to council operations across the state.

He said, ‘This is the best time for autonomy, but some disgruntled elements under the disguise of comrades are working against it. The excuse of insecurity given for strike action is not tenable; we are landlords of the council Secretariat. The ongoing legal actions should not make us abscond from our duty posts and yet receive a salary from the state government. The strike action is unwarranted.’

Adekunle hinted that workers who failed to resume duty risk degradation and job loss as the reinstated chairmen of APC may conduct staff auditing after their resumption on Monday to ascertain the actual workers before paying them salary forthwith.

He urged the reinstated chairmen to prioritise the welfare of council workers, warning that the union will continue to fight for the rights of its members at any time and time of resumption.

Meanwhile, NULGE, through its State Publicity Secretary, David Owoeye, in a statement, kicked against the planned resumption of workers, saying, ‘We have not ordered any worker to resume duty; our safety is paramount.’

Comedian Emmanuel Iwueke, popularly known as Craze Clown, has raised alarm after a friend allegedly squandered money he borrowed for visa processing on gambling.

In a post on Instagram, Craze Clown said the friend had asked him to transfer millions into his account to present as proof of funds during a visa application.

However, when he requested the money back, the friend confessed to using it for gambling in an attempt to double it, but lost everything.

A visibly frustrated Craze Clown questioned why the friend risked the money instead of simply returning it.

He wrote, ‘You beg me make I send money to your account in millions make you use do statement of account for your visa process. After a month, oya send me my money, u come dey explain say you try double the money for gamble come loser everything! Wetin make I do with that information?’

Women engineers have urged the federal government to prioritise local innovations, not imports, as the cornerstone of efforts to revive Nigeria’s struggling manufacturing sector.

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) issued the call in a communiqué at the close of its 2025 International Conference and Annual General Meeting held at the University of Ibadan, which had more than 500 delegates in attendance.

APWEN president Engr. Adebisi Osim said the future of Nigeria’s factories lies not in imported solutions, but in home-grown innovations driven by Nigerian engineers.

Delegates warned that declining productivity, rising production costs, and heavy dependence on imported components are eroding the sector’s competitiveness and weak global integration, while skills gaps, poor infrastructure, and limited access to finance were cited as major constraints.

Conference papers showcased practical, local solutions from additive manufacturing and waste-to-wealth projects to AI-driven predictive maintenance and IoT-enabled industrial systems, but presenters warned that weak government-industry-academia links are blocking scale-up.

Cybersecurity was also cited as a national risk, with speakers urging urgent investment in industrial cyber-defences as factories digitise under Industry 4.0/5.0 models. APWEN recommended integrating cybersecurity training into industrial workforce development.

The communiqué recommended that the government and APWEN should co-develop policy and implementation frameworks, while the Ministries of Industry, Science and Technology, and Communications should push adoption of AI, robotics, IoT, and additive manufacturing, and clusters of decentralised micro-manufacturing should be promoted.

APWEN additionally called for sustained advocacy for STEM education and gender-inclusive policies to increase funding for female-led start-ups and broaden participation of women in high-tech manufacturing.

Dignitaries at the four-day event included the NSE President, Engr. Margaret A. Oguntala, Oyo State Acting Governor, Barr. Abdulraheem A. Lawal, and Oyo State First Lady Engr. Tamunominini Makinde, who urged a move beyond assembly and packaging to full-scale local production.

The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) Door-to-Door Movement has called on Nigerians to rally behind the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda for national progress.

National Coordinator of the group, Sunday Asuku, made the appeal during a unity walk held on Wednesday in Abuja to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary.

The walk, which began at the Unity Fountain and ended at Eagle Square, attracted over 1,000 participants, including youths and women, under the watch of security and road safety officials.

Asuku stressed the need for unity, peace, and patriotism, urging Nigerians to shun corruption, banditry, and insecurity in order to secure the nation’s rightful place in the comity of nations.

He said, ‘We want to enjoin all Nigerians to continue to promote unity, peace, growth, and development, without which, we cannot go places. Without this, Nigeria cannot be great, but if we are all united, if we can shun corruption, if we can shun banditry, if we can shun insecurity, Nigeria shall be great again.

Music video director ThankGod Omori, popularly known as TG Omori, has revealed that since he embraced celibacy, half of his problems have been solved.

He made the statement in a post on his X, reflecting on how his life has changed since taking an ‘oath of celibacy.’

‘Since I became celibate, half of my problems got solved,’ he wrote.

Omori has been in the spotlight for his work with major Afrobeats artists and for his personal health challenges.

As Nigeria marks its 65th birthday, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewale Temitope Adedeji, has praised Nigerians for their resilience, urging them to sustain their trust for the government of President Bola Tinubu to continue to meet the yearnings of the people.

In a statement by his media office on Wednesday in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary, Adewale, who represents Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency I, said Nigeria was going into its 66th year better than most of the years since Independence.

According to him, the administration at the centre has successfully put the country on the right footing as the citizens would soon begin to see the results of the positive changes that have been brought to the economy.

‘The President has further rekindled our spirits with the Independence Day address in which he reeled out the achievements of his administration in just two years and a few months.

‘Globally-respected economic analysts and experts have confirmed that we are moving in the right direction.

‘We have left the most challenging face of economic growth. We are seeing steady improvements in the GDP of the country while inflation continues to drop. These are beautiful signals that our country is on the right path,’ Adewale said.

While urging Nigerians to keep supporting the Federal Government, he tasked the state governors to engage more in people-oriented programmes and policies as well as improve on infrastructure.

‘This is one of the best ways they can justify the allocations to the states which have increased tremendously under President Tinubu’s administration,’ he added.

A political support group, the BAO Grassroots Support for President Tinubu, has attributed the ongoing transformation in Ekiti State under Governor Biodun Oyebanji to the unprecedented support he has received from President Bola Tinubu over the past two years.

In a communiqué issued after its monthly meeting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, the group lauded President Tinubu and the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the transparent screening exercise conducted for governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s October 27 primary election in Ekiti.

The statement, signed by the state coordinator, Prince Tunji Ogunlola, and the director of publicity, Odunayo Ogunmola, emphasized that President Tinubu’s economic policies and increased financial support to subnationals have had a direct impact on the grassroots.

This, the group noted, was evident from the overwhelming feedback during the Governor Oyebanji’s recent town hall meetings and citizens’ engagements ahead of the 2026 Budget.

According to the group, Oyebanji’s grassroots consultations revealed widespread appreciation of the federal support, which has boosted project execution, raised workers’ purchasing power, strengthened food security, and created job opportunities for youths through agricultural investments.

The body further commended President Tinubu for approving a new formation of the Nigerian Army in Ikere-Ekiti and deploying about 800 soldiers to the facility, which has improved the state’s security architecture.

Highlighting the Governor’s strides in agriculture, the group praised the creation of the Special Agriculture Processing Zone (SAPZ) in Oke Ako and the establishment of farm settlements in Emure, Eporo, Ikere, and Erio/Aramoko. These, they said, have attracted investors and enabled young farmers to record profits running into millions within a short time.

The group also welcomed the Governor’s disclosure that the 2026 Budget would allocate more resources to empower artisans and the informal sector, describing it as a step towards inclusive growth.

The group enjoined the people of the state not to repent in their support for Oyebanji as his administration prepares for the last fiscal year of the current tenure.

The Lagos State Government has announced traffic diversions on Victoria Island to facilitate the smooth hosting of the Electric Powerboat Racing Championship (E1 Series).

The competition which will run from October 3 to 5, is Africa’s first electric powerboat race.

In a traffic advisory by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, the first Lekki junction inward Ozumba Mbadiwe, would be totally closed to vehicular traffic throughout the period of the competition.

He advised motorists to use alternative routes, including Lekki Link Bridge, Admiralty Way, Yesufu Abiodun, Oniru Road, Ligali Ayorinde Street, and Coastal Road, to connect major destinations such as Ikoyi, CMS, and Ahmadu Bello Way.

The government assured that adequate parking would be provided at designated spots including Fidelity Bank, Access Bank, and the Law School premises in Victoria Island.

Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) will be strategically deployed along all affected routes to ensure free traffic flow, while the Coastal Road will remain open to traffic throughout the event.

Osiyemi urged road users to cooperate with traffic officials and exercise patience, stressing that the diversion was part of the government’s management plan to ensure safety and smooth movement during the landmark water sports championship.