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The Lagos State Government has announced the temporary closure of the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, for urgent maintenance works to be undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Works.

According to a statement signed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, on Thursday, the bridge would be closed for 15 days, beginning Saturday, 11th October, and reopening on Saturday, 25th October, 2025. The works will be executed in two phases to minimise disruption to traffic flow.

Osiyemi explained that Phase I would run from 11th to 18th October, covering the section from the foot of Marine Bridge at Lawani Oguntayo Road (by UBA, inbound Apapa/Costain).

He said during this period, motorists from Ijora Olopa heading to Apapa would be diverted through Ijora Causeway Access Ramp by Omni Retail Company, connecting to Ijora 7up, then turning left to Lilypond Access Ramp to continue their journey. He added that Phase II, which will run from 19th to 25th October, would focus on the section between Ijora Badia and Lilypond Access Ramp (inbound Apapa). Osiyemi stated that motorists from Ijora Olopa heading towards Apapa and Costain would be diverted 50 metres before the work zone into a contraflow with Costain-bound traffic for about 500 metres before rejoining the main carriageway.

He further clarified that vehicles from Apapa heading to Costain, Lagos Island, or Ijora Olopa would still have through traffic, but would briefly share a contraflow with oncoming vehicles for approximately 500 metres around the work zone.

‘We appeal to motorists to be patient and cooperate with traffic management officials. The temporary closure is crucial for the maintenance of the bridge’s underlying bearings, which are essential for its structural integrity,’ Osiyemi stated.

The commissioner assured that adequate traffic management personnel would be deployed to ease movement throughout the repair period, adding that the collaboration between the state and federal governments underscores a shared commitment to road safety and infrastructure renewal in Lagos.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that Nigeria lost an estimated $10 billion over the past decade to the prolonged conflict in the North-East.

UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, disclosed this in Maiduguri on Wednesday during the launch of a socio-economic reintegration programme for children affected by armed conflict.

Represented by Shah Mohammad Khan, UNICEF’s Child Protection Manager, Saeed said the insurgency had crippled economic growth, destroyed livelihoods, and pushed thousands of families into poverty.

‘According to a 2024 study commissioned by UNICEF, the economic cost of conflict in North-East Nigeria has cost the country a staggering $10 billion over the last 10 years,’ she said.

She lamented that years of violence had not only devastated communities but also robbed children-especially girls-of education, skills, and opportunities to build meaningful futures.

‘Conflict has weakened the national economy and crippled the income and earning potential of families and young people. Many have been denied the opportunity to learn a skill or pursue their dreams,’ Saeed added.

The UNICEF representative noted that the new reintegration programme aims to equip conflict-affected children with vocational and life skills, helping them rebuild their lives and regain dignity. Currently, 1,033 children – including 567 boys and 466 girls – are receiving training in tailoring, ICT, automobile repair, shoemaking, and carpentry across Maiduguri, Bama, Biu, Damboa, and Konduga.

‘These vocational centres restore not just learning but also hope, dignity, and opportunity for conflict-affected adolescents and their families,’ she said.

Saeed added that the initiative also provides psychosocial support, life skills, and formal certification, with plans to reach over a thousand new beneficiaries each year.

‘Graduates will not only build brighter futures for themselves but also contribute to peace, recovery, and resilience in their communities,’ she said.

Borno State Commissioner for Education, Abba Wakilbe, commended UNICEF and its partner agencies – UNDP, IOM, and UNODC – for their continued support.

‘Let me particularly thank UNICEF for coming to our aid in many of our difficult situations,’ Wakilbe stated.

The Lagos State Government has disbursed a total of ?533,700,724.73 as insurance benefits to the families of 131 deceased public servants, reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of workers even after death.

Speaking during the presentation ceremony held at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development, Alausa, Ikeja, the Commissioner, Bolaji Kayode Robert, said the gesture was a demonstration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s compassion for families of late employees who served the state diligently.

According to Robert, 80 deceased staff from the Local Government Service received ?288,753,779.40, while 51 deceased SUBEB employees’ families got ?245,946,945.20, bringing the total sum to over ?533.7 million. He described the disbursement as both a symbolic and humane gesture to honour those who died in active service, urging beneficiaries to use the funds wisely in sustaining their families’ welfare and preserving their loved ones’ legacies.

‘This initiative reflects our appreciation for the selfless service of our late heroes. It also assures their families that Lagos State stands with them in their moment of loss,’ he said.

Robert further advised serving officers to take advantage of the state’s health insurance and wellness programmes to ensure long, productive service. Representing the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairman, Mrs. Taibat Olusola Olona, Director of Pensions, said the insurance support was designed to ease the financial strain on bereaved families, urging them to process their pension entitlements without delay. Also speaking, Mr. Muyiwa Anwoju, representing the Managing Director of LASACO Assurance Plc., revealed that the company has disbursed over ?4 billion to families of deceased state employees since 2017, underscoring the administration’s long-term dedication to workers’ welfare. Chairman of Ibeju Lekki Local Government and Conference 57, Hon. Abdullahi Sesan Olowa, praised Governor Sanwo-Olu for ensuring prompt payment of death benefits, citing the swift settlement of claims for four recently deceased female councillors just three months after their passing.

He lauded the collaboration between LASACO Assurance Plc., Haggai Assurance Plc., and the Ministry for sustaining the initiative, while advising families to manage their benefits prudently.

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Emiola Folorunsho Dauda expressed gratitude to the Lagos State Government for providing relief and hope at a difficult time.

The insurance payout is part of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s broader policy to prioritise workers’ welfare and ensure no family of a deceased employee is left unsupported.

A Nigerian founding father, Herbert Macaulay and a former FCT minister in the Babangida regime, Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa, are among Nigerians granted pardons on Thursday by President Bola Tinubu.

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani who briefed state House Correspondents in Abuja, said the National Council of States at its meeting on Thursday, approved President Bola Tinubu’s request for the granting of prerogative of mercy to 175 inmates to decongest correctional facilities across the nation. He said of the 175 beneficiaries, 82 inmates were granted presidential pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, and 7 death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

While Senator Sani did not disclose the names of the beneficiaries, he confirmed that the clemency exercise was carried out in line with the provisions of Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which empowers the President to grant pardons, reprieves, and commute sentences.

The PUNCH, however, while quoting a source, reports that Macaulay, Vasta, and members of the Ogoni 9 were granted posthumous pardons by Tinubu.

‘Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are among the two major ones on that list,’ the source who attended the National Council of States meeting, according to the report, said. Herbert Macaulay who lived from 14 November 1864 to 7 May 1946, is often referred to as the father of Nigerian nationalism. He was the founder and leader of the first political party in Nigeria, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) and one of the earliest fighters for Nigerian independence.

Macaulay who was a civil engineer, a surveyor and a newspaper publisher, was controversially jailed twice by the colonial authorities. He was imprisoned in 2013 after being convicted for misappropriating funds from an estate he administered. In 1928, he was jailed six months with hard labour after his newspaper, Lagos Daily News (established in 1925) published an article deemed to be unfair to the Oba of Lagos. He was convicted of sedition.

Vasta on his own part, was executed by a firing squad on March 5, 1986, after he had been controversially convicted by a military tribunal over his alleged involvement in a coup to topple military President Ibrahim Babangida.

The Ogoni Nine, who were also reported to have been posthumously pardoned, were arrested by the Nigerian military government headed by Sani Abacha, and tried on charges of murder in a highly controversial trial widely condemned as unfair and politically motivated. They were executed by hanging on 10 November 1995. The most prominent among them was Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was a writer and an activist.

The Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) has called on residents of Mushin Local Government to prioritise their health and safety by visiting only accredited health facilities registered under the agency.

Speaking during a Sensitisation Campaign and Town Hall Meeting themed ‘The Roles and Responsibilities of HEFAMAA in Lagos State’ held in Mushin on Thursday, the agency’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Abiola Idowu, represented by Dr. Olorunfemi Olonire, Director of Research and Statistics, said the event aimed to educate residents on how to identify approved health centres that meet state standards.

‘The essence of today’s town hall meeting is to sensitise the Mushin community on the role of HEFAMAA and how residents can safeguard their health by accessing care from facilities duly registered with the agency,’ Idowu said. She explained that all registered facilities display the HEFAMAA logo and registration certificate, as well as a QR code that allows patients to verify the legitimacy of the facility and send feedback directly to the agency.

‘By scanning the QR code on their phones, clients can access details about the facility and help us evaluate compliance with quality standards,’ she added.

Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Hon. Tunbosun Haruna Aruwe, commended the initiative, describing it as ‘an eye-opener’ for residents.

‘This programme helps us know which hospitals are safe to use, apart from the general ones. People can now identify private hospitals approved by HEFAMAA so that they don’t fall victim to fake practitioners. We have told our community leaders to spread this message to the grassroots,’ Aruwe said. Also speaking, Mr. Richard Olusanya, Chief Nutrition Officer at HEFAMAA, traced the agency’s establishment to 2006, noting that its mandate is to regulate and monitor hospitals, clinics, maternity homes, and other health facilities across Lagos State.

‘HEFAMAA sets standards in key areas such as equipment, personnel, and environment. If you are running a hospital, the person in charge must be a qualified medical doctor or nurse. We don’t want one person treating eyes, teeth, and every other ailment – that’s how people fall victim to quackery,’ he said.

Olusanya further explained that the agency conducts biannual inspections to ensure facilities comply with laid-down standards and clarified that clinics are not designed to operate 24 hours like hospitals.

He urged all public and private health providers to display their registration certificates prominently to assure patients of their legitimacy.

‘Once you scan the HEFAMAA code, you’ll see the facility’s name, address, and owner. You can also send your feedback directly to us. We want people to share this information across communities and associations to promote safe healthcare practices,’ he said.

The town hall meeting attracted health professionals, community leaders, and residents, all of whom pledged to support HEFAMAA’s mission of eliminating quackery and ensuring quality healthcare delivery in Lagos State.

The National Council of State has given unanimous approval for the appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PM News can confirm.

President Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, made the development known in a statement issued from the State House on Thursday, confirming the Council’s unanimous endorsement and highlighting the President’s confidence in Professor Amupitan’s capacity to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Professor Amupitan’s nomination during the council’s meeting on Thursday, following the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who had led the electoral body from 2015 until October 2025. President Tinubu described the nominee as an accomplished academic and legal expert, noting that he is the first individual from Kogi State in the North-Central region to be nominated for the position.

The President also emphasized Amupitan’s non-partisan disposition, describing him as ’eminently qualified and apolitical.’

Members of the Council of State unanimously endorsed the nomination. Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State praised Professor Amupitan as ‘a man of integrity and proven professionalism.’

In line with constitutional provisions, President Tinubu is expected to forward the nominee’s name to the Senate for confirmation. Born on April 25, 1967, Professor Amupitan hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. He currently serves as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, Plateau State, where he is also a Professor of Law.

Additionally, he is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council at Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State. An alumnus of the University of Jos, Amupitan holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree obtained in 1987, a Master of Laws (LLM) from the same institution in 1993, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Law earned in 2007.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1988 after attending the Nigerian Law School.

His academic career began in 1989, shortly after completing his National Youth Service with the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation.

Over the years, he has held several key positions at the University of Jos, including Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014), Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014), and Head of the Department of Public Law (2006-2008).

Outside academia, Amupitan has contributed significantly to national development through various governance and corporate roles. He has served on the boards of Integrated Dairies Limited, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, and the Council of Legal Education.

He was also a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja, between 1996 and 2004.

A respected scholar and author, Professor Amupitan has written several influential legal texts, including Corporate Governance: Models and Principles (2008), Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008), Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria (2013), Principles of Company Law (2013), and An Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).

Professor Amupitan, who became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2014, is married and blessed with four children.

Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature. The literature award was announced by the Nobel Committee at the Swedish Academy on Thursday.

Krasznahorkai best known for his 1985 novel ‘Satantango’ was given the award ‘for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.’

The writer will receive a 11 million-krona ($1.2 million) award, the Swedish Academy said in a statement.

Satantango, a haunting, intricately structured novel, portrays a group of destitute people living in a decaying Hungarian village, before the fall of Soviet rule in Hungary. The people are led by Irimiás, a charismatic man long presumed dead, who suddenly returns under mysterious circumstances.

The book was adapted into a seven-hour film by Hungarian director Bela Tarr in 1994, regarded as one of the best arthouse films of all time.

Krasznahorkai’s dystopian works have won numerous prizes, including the 2019 National Book award for translated literature and the 2015 Man Booker International prize. Several of his works, including his novels Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, have been adapted into feature films.

Last year’s laureate was South Korean author Han Kang whose ‘intense poetic prose’ engaged with themes of trauma and history, the Academy said. Recent winners include Svetlana Alexievich in 2015 for her novels that criticized political regimes in the Soviet Union and Belarus and author Toni Morrison in 1993 who wrote about difficult circumstances through the lens of American society.

In recent years, the academy has alternated between men and women in awarding the prize, with some notable female laureates including France’s Annie Ernaux, US’s Louise Glueck and Poland’s Olga Tokarczuk.

Annual prizes for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace were established in the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who died in 1896. A prize in economic sciences was added by Sweden’s central bank in 1968.

The 2025 laureates are announced through Oct. 13 in Stockholm, with the exception of the Nobel Peace Prize, whose recipients are selected on Friday by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

The presidency has confirmed that Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, Herbert Macaulay and 15 others were granted posthumous pardons on Thursday by President Bola Tinubu. Confirming this in a press release on Thursday night, was Bayo Onanuga the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy).

Onanuga said, ‘Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, sentenced to death over a treason charge in 1986, has received a posthumous pardon from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Vatsa, a poet, was among the 17 people who received presidential pardons following the endorsement of the National Council of State, which met in Abuja on Thursday.’

Adding, Onanuga said, ‘President Tinubu also granted a posthumous pardon to Herbert Macaulay, a Nigerian nationalist and co-founder, along with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC). Macaulay was the party’s first president, which played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s struggle for independence. However, in 1913, Macaulay was believed unjustly convicted by the British colonialists and banned from public office. Macaulay died in 1946, but the stigma of being an ex-convict was not exorcised from his records until now.’ He said, ‘President Tinubu also pardoned four former convicts, including former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaobia, Barrister Hussaini Umar and Ayinla Saadu Alanamu. They were pardoned to enable them to integrate into society, having demonstrated sufficient remorse. Nweke Francis Chibueze, serving a life sentence for cocaine, was pardoned, along with Dr Nwogu Peters, who had served 12 out of his 17-year sentence for fraud.’

Onanuga further revealed that the Ogoni nine were also pardoned posthumously by Tinubu while the Ogoni four were awarded national honours.

‘The Ogoni Nine: Ken Saro Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel and John Kpuine were formally pardoned. At the same time, the President awarded national honours to the Ogoni Four- Chief Albert Badey, Chief Edward Kobani, Chief Samuel Orage, and Theophilus Orage.

‘In exercising his constitutional power of mercy, President Tinubu granted clemency to 82 inmates and reduced the prison terms of 65 others. He gave a reprieve for seven inmates on the death row by commuting their sentences to life imprisonment.

President Tinubu acted on the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy(PACPM). The committee has 12 members, with the Attorney General and Justice Minister, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, as chairman. The other members are Chief Akinlolu Olujinmi, CON; Prof. Alkasum Abba; Prof. (Mrs.) Nike Y. Sidikat Ijaiya; Justice Augustine B. Utsaha; and the Secretary, Dr Onwusoro Maduka, a former Permanent Secretary.

‘The institutional representatives on the Committee are: the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Correctional Service, National Human Rights Commission, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

‘The committee’s final report was presented to the Council of State on Thursday in Abuja, as required by the constitution.’ He quoted the report as saying, ‘A total of 175 inmates were interviewed, and 62 applications were received on behalf of 119 inmates considered by the committee, making it a total of 294.

‘One hundred and sixty of the inmates interviewed were male, while 15 were female. Eighty-two inmates were recommended for clemency; two (2) for pardon; sixty-five (65) inmates for reduction of their terms of imprisonment, and seven (7) inmates on death row for commutation to life imprisonment.

‘Also, fifteen (15) ex-convicts were recommended for Presidential Pardon, eleven (11) of them are deceased (including Ogoni 9). The Ogoni four (4) were also recommended for the Post-Humous National Honours Award.

‘On the whole, a total of one hundred and seventy-five (175) beneficiaries are recommended.”

He said, ‘The committee had acted on the following criteria: old age (60 years and above); ill health likely to terminate in death; young persons (16 years and below); long-term convicts who have served prison terms of 10 years or more with a good record; and convicts serving three years or more

‘Those who have been in Custodial centres, learnt sustainable vocational trades capable of keeping them away from crime; those who are adjudged remorseful; those who Correctional Officers recommended for exemplary behaviour and Nigerian prisoners deported from other countries.

‘The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) on January 15, 2025, as a significant step towards promoting justice, rehabilitation, and human rights in Nigeria.’

Nigerian Veteran broadcaster, author and elder statesman Dr Christopher Kolade has passed on at the age of 92.

The news of his death was announced by his family on Thursday with an heartfelt statement. He was said to have passed away peacefully, on Wednesday.

The family expressed their appreciation to God for his life and his impact while alive. ‘We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service, and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,’ the statement read in part.

Dr. Christopher Kolade was known as a diplomat and was once the Director General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation.

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