Sanwo-Olu fires important message to Lagos Permanent Secretaries

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, appointed and swore in ten new Permanent Secretaries, describing their roles as crucial to the effective running of his administration.

The swearing-in ceremony, held at the Banquet Hall of the Lagos State House, Alausa, brings the total number of Permanent Secretaries appointed under the Sanwo-Olu administration to 121.

The Governor, who immediately deployed the new appointees to various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), charged them to bring innovation and strategic thinking to governance, in line with his administration’s development agenda.

‘Our citizens expect a public service that is responsive, transparent, and driven by technology,’ Sanwo-Olu said. ‘We cannot keep doing things the old way and hope for different outcomes. As Permanent Secretaries, you are the bridge between vision and action; your performance will determine how far we can go as a government.’

The Governor emphasized the need for the civil service to adapt to the state’s rapid growth and complexity, noting that the newly appointed officials must lead institutional reforms across digital transformation, performance management, and workforce development.

He urged the appointees to uphold integrity, efficiency, and empathy while maintaining synergy with political heads. ‘The power of government lies in the collaboration between policy and administration. When respect, communication, and a shared mission guide your work, success is bound to follow,’ he said.

The Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, commended the Governor for the appointments, describing the new Permanent Secretaries as a ‘fantastic set of leaders’ carefully selected from top-performing senior directors who excelled in various assessments, including computer-based tests and executive training programs.

Agoro expressed confidence that the new appointees would work harmoniously with Commissioners and Special Advisers to accelerate the delivery of government programmes across the state.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Dr. Olufemi Omololu, newly deployed to Health District VI, thanked the Governor for the trust reposed in them and pledged their commitment to advancing the administration’s agenda through collaboration and service excellence.

The new Permanent Secretaries include:

Mr. Babatunde Mohammed Onigbanjo – Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment

Mr. Sanni Omotayo Layemo – Education District II

Mrs. Alaka Monsurat Titilope – Office of Internal Audit

Engr. Oyenuga Olutokunbo Olayode – Office of Infrastructure

Mr. Rafiu Olawale Ojikutu – Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM)

Mr. Paseda Olufemi Bamidele – Education District IV

Mrs. Garbadeen-Adedeji Oluwakemi Amudat – Audit Service Commission

Dr. Pitan Adesola Ayodele – Health District I

Ms. Ogunlana Toyin Rahmat – Cabinet Office (effective November 4, 2025)

Sanwo-Olu also announced the redeployment of eight serving Permanent Secretaries to various MDAs, including Dr. Aina Olugbemiga Ayoola, Dr. Oyetola Idowu Olufunke, Mrs. Aina Ololade Olasupo, Dr. Mabogunje Abimbola, Mrs. Oyekan-Ismaila Adebopo Abosede, Mr. Bajulaiye Adetokunbo Olanrewaju, and Mr. Olayinka Adebayo Wasiu.

Rizal’s hat in Berlin

Next week, the Philippines will be the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the biggest and most important book fair in the world. Jose Rizal is the mascot of the Philippines because of his German connection. He lived in historic Heidelberg to learn German and specialize in eye medicine. He published the ‘Noli me Tangere’ in Berlin in 1887, at a printing press run by women. Reading Rizal’s letters abroad, one can clearly see the homesickness and longing for the land of his birth, and from this sprang the appreciation of his culture that figured in his ideas of Filipino identity. Rizal was a traveler, not a tourist; he immersed himself in the foreign countries he visited-interacting with people, speaking to them in their languages, and reading their literature and folklore. A pity, really, that Rizal left 25 volumes of writing for a nation that does not read him. Worse, the few who actually read Rizal today do so in translation, because the 21st-century Filipino is separated from Rizal by language, time, and culture.

While learning different European languages-Italian, French, German, and English-he nursed and fiercely protected Tagalog, his mother tongue, by writing home with it, speaking it with other expatriates, and even doing Tagalog translations of tales by Hans Christian Andersen and Schiller’s ‘Wilhelm Tell’ as a means of unlocking its grammar and syntax and revising its orthography into much of the Filipino we know today. Fearful that years abroad might lead to forgetting his own language, Rizal brought a copy of ‘Florante at Laura,’ drawing both research and enjoyment from it. Nostalgic references to sinigang, tinola, pancit, burong mangga, and adobo pepper his correspondence as well as his novels.

Mistaken for a Chinese or Japanese in his travels, he lamented that nobody knew where the Philippines was, making him resolve to make it better known abroad. The Rizal textiles in Berlin were an attempt to make the Philippines and the Filipinos better known abroad. In the course of two European sojourns, Rizal perceived Spain less and less as the ‘mother country’ and identified the Philippines more and more as the land of his birth. In time, he recognized the Philippines as his patria, his motherland, and imagined the Filipino nation before it came to be. I will be busy in Frankfurt next week and will have no time for a side trip to Berlin to see the collection of Philippine textiles and artifacts that Rizal donated in 1887. I learned about this collection in 1998, after a special screening of Marilou Diaz Abaya’s film ‘Jose Rizal.’ After the film, I thought Abaya would ask for my opinion, but instead she advised me to look up the Rizal collection in Berlin. She described what she saw in great detail. For example, a complete woman’s ensemble: a jusi blouse with silk stripes, a pañuelo or large scarf of nipis, a veil, a dark silk tapis, and a pink skirt with brown sinamay or abaca lining. So impressed was Abaya with the high quality of the fabric and workmanship that she concluded, with a knowing smile, that the good taste that went into choosing these could not have been made by a straight man. The suggestion that Rizal was gay or one of the earliest Filipino metrosexuals is left to further research and analysis. My reaction was that these clothes could have been sourced and chosen by Rizal’s mother or any of his nine sisters. Saturnina, the eldest, and the two younger spinster sisters, Trinidad and Josefa, operated a textile store in prewar Manila. Rizal’s sisters must have sourced the Luzon items either from their own Sunday best or their suppliers.

The Berlin Rizal collection has eluded researchers for a long time because of the more documented collection of natural history specimens and a handful of ethnographic items in the Dresden Museum. Rizal sent these through Dr. Adolphe Bernhard Meyer, whom Rizal met in 1886, and was in active correspondence with when the hero was in Europe and even during his exile in Dapitan from 1892 to 1896. Most of the Rizal collection in Dresden awaits further research, because, aside from a monograph on the shells he collected in Dapitan, we only know about: a winged lizard (Draco rizali), a frog (Rhacophorus rizali), and a beetle (Apogonia rizali), whose scientific names reference the collector who sent them to Europe for classification. A few objects in the ethnology section include: four wooden spoons with anthropomorphic figures from the Cordilleras, a barong or cutlass with its wooden sheath, and a brass betel nut presentation tray from Mindanao. The Rizal Collection in Dresden, based on Rizal’s correspondence with Meyer, was sent in the 1890s in exchange for books that provided company and consolation to the hero during his banishment in an obscure town in Zamboanga del Norte.

Of all the objects in the Berlin collection, the most significant is a salakot of horn and silver that was Rizal’s own. I will write about these collections sometime in the future, as there have been discussions regarding a homecoming exhibit, first at the Ayala Museum, and now at the National Museum.

Zamfara rakes in N358.9bn revenue, hits 82% of 2024 targetc

The Zamfara State Government recorded a total revenue of ?358.9 billion in 2024, representing 82% of its approved revenue projection of ?437 billion, according to the State Auditor-General, Abubakar Danmaliki.

Danmaliki made this disclosure in Gusau on Thursday during the presentation of the 2024 Citizens’ Accountability Report, highlighting the administration’s fiscal performance.

He noted that the main sources of revenue included statutory allocations, Value Added Tax (VAT), Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), as well as aids and grants.

‘In the year under review, we witnessed modest growth in VAT, federal allocations, and IGR,’ Danmaliki said.

‘I must commend the efforts of the current administration under Governor Dauda Lawal for strengthening internal revenue administration, blocking leakages, and improving taxpayer education and compliance.’

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Finance, Bello Auta, stated that the report presentation marked the maiden edition of such an initiative in the state. He disclosed that citizens’ nominated projects across the state totalled ?105 billion, all of which were fully executed and completed, including projects initiated under the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) scheme.

Auta said that before the current administration, Zamfara had struggled with poor financial practices such as non-retirement of advances, IGR spent at source, and improper payment documentation.

‘Through transparency, accountability, and prudent resource management, these issues have now been effectively addressed,’ he said.

The 2024 budget, themed ‘Budget of Consolidation and Continuity’, was passed on 29 December 2023, with implementation commencing on 1 January 2024.

Key Budget Highlights:

Aggregate revenue performance stood at ?358.9 billion, which is 18% below the budgeted ?437 billion.

Capital expenditure reached 55% performance on a projected ?292 billion.

Recurrent expenditure (personnel) fell short by 16%.

Other recurrent expenditure was within the acceptable threshold at 63%.

The administrative sector accounted for 74% of recurrent expenditure, while the economic sector took 41% of capital expenditure.

Auta added that the state’s top 10 value projects for the year ended 31 December 2024, representing the second year of the current administration, were nearing completion.

In his remarks, Governor Dauda Lawal, represented by the Head of Service, Alhaji Yakubu Haidara, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance.

‘Governance is not a closed-door affair, but a collective responsibility where citizens must feel the impact of policies and understand how public funds are being utilised,’ he said.

‘This report provides a clear and transparent summary of how the state’s resources are mobilised and spent to deliver services and infrastructure to residents.’

He assured the people of Zamfara that his administration would continue to keep them informed about the financial performance, commitments, and utilisation of public funds.

Burkina Faso to Trump: ‘We’re not your dumping ground’

Burkina Faso, under the leadership of a military junta fiercely opposed to Western influence, has publicly rejected a US proposal to accept deportees expelled under President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown.

Since returning to office, President Trump’s administration has intensified efforts to deport migrants to third-party nations, often with little or no ties to the individuals involved. Several African countries – including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and South Sudan – have agreed to such arrangements in recent months.

However, Burkina Faso has taken a firm stand. On Thursday evening, the country’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, announced on national television that the proposal had been firmly rejected.

‘This proposal, which we considered indecent at the time, runs completely contrary to the principle of dignity,’ he said.

Just hours before his statement, the US embassy in Ouagadougou declared it would suspend routine visa services for Burkinabe citizens. Those requiring visas are now being redirected to neighbouring Togo’s capital, Lomé.

In response, Traoré questioned the timing and motive behind the suspension: ‘Is this a way to put pressure on us? Is this blackmail? Whatever it is. Burkina Faso is a place of dignity, a destination, not a dumping ground.’

The rejection underscores a deepening ideological rift between Burkina Faso’s ruling junta and the West. Since seizing power in a coup in September 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has repositioned the country’s foreign policy, cutting ties with France and pursuing closer relations with Russia. He has increasingly styled himself as a Pan-Africanist leader rejecting neocolonial influence.

The stance places Burkina Faso at odds with other African nations that have opted for closer cooperation with the United States in return for diplomatic or financial incentives.

As Washington doubles down on its controversial migration strategy, Ouagadougou’s defiance signals that not all nations are willing to play along.

COA submits four more fraud audit reports to ICI

The Commission on Audit (COA) has submitted four new Fraud Audit Reports (FARs) to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), uncovering more ghost and mismatched flood-control projects in Bulacan’s 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The latest batch – worth almost P360 million in total – covers projects implemented by M3 Konstract Corp., SYMS Construction and Trading, and Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor and Development Corp.

Cracked, mismatched project

The first project, ‘Construction of Riverbank Protection Structure at Barangay San Roque, Baliuag, Bulacan,’ worth P96,499,936.68, was found built in a different site from the approved location.

COA said DPWH-Bulacan 1st DEO personnel ‘pinpointed COA to a site different from the approved project location’ and gave no explanation. Inspectors also found an existing but defective structure ‘for a different project altogether,’ while the approved site also contained a structure tied to another project.

Auditors bared that the district office failed to submit critical documents and even produced conflicting papers on contract cost, variation order amount, and contractor name.

Those found liable include District Engineer Henry C. Alcantara, Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson D. Hernandez, and several engineers, along with Louis Raphael DG. Tiqui and other officers of M3 Konstract Corporation.

Unfinished and ghost projects

Two projects under SYMS Construction and Trading were also cited by state auditors. SYMS has been named in both the Senate and House probes into the flood-control corruption scandal; its owner, Sally Santos, earlier told senators she withdrew P457 million in cash tied to flood-control contracts.

The first, ‘Construction of Flood Control Structure (Revetment), Purok 3 to Purok 4, Barangay Manatal, Pandi, Bulacan,’ worth P92,671,196.24, had no structure at the approved site.

DPWH representatives pointed to a different area-again without explanation-where COA saw an unfinished revetment with exposed steel bars and no workers or equipment.

COA said the DPWH-Bulacan 1st DEO failed to provide any of the necessary and critical supporting documents for project validation.

Even before the inspection, the DPWH COA Audit Team had already issued a Notice of Disallowance to the district office for paying the entire contract cost despite the absence of any real accomplishment.

The second SYMS project, ‘Construction of Riverbank Protection Structure along Balagtas River, Barangay San Juan (Purok 4), Balagtas, Bulacan,’ worth P74,111,867.46, was also a ghost project.

COA said the original site had no flood-control structure, while the alternate location showed a substandard wall built with unsuitable materials and exposed rebar. The project was still marked ‘on-going’ in the DPWH database even after full payment, prompting another disallowance.

Those found liable for the two SYMS projects include Alcantara, Hernandez, Ernesto Galang, John Michael E. Ramos, Lemuel Ephraim SD. Roque, Jolo Mari V. Tayao, Irene DC. Ontingco, Jefferson S. Buendia, Michelle C. Cruz, and Santos.

Non-matching structure

The fourth project, ‘Construction of Riverbank Protection Structure along Balagtas River, Barangay Dalig, Balagtas, Bulacan,’ worth P96,499,605.25, was undertaken by Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor and Development Corp.

While a flood control structure existed at the approved site, COA said DPWH-Bulacan 1st DEO ‘pinpointed the project at another location’ where the structure ‘did not match the approved plan.’ Again, ‘no justification was offered’ for the change.

COA concluded that the ‘alleged flood control project is another ghost project.’

Those found liable include Alcantara, Hernandez, Galang, Ontingco, Ramos, Jaypee D. Mendoza, Cruz, Jasmine Jean I. Gonzaga, and Rochelle R. Campos of Amethyst Horizon Builders, as well as the company’s officers and board members.

Possible graft, falsification cases

According to COA, the individuals involved may face cases for graft and corruption, malversation, and falsification of documents, as well as violations of COA Circular No. 2009-001 and the Government Procurement Reform Act.

The agency, however, clarified that ‘the initial list of liable persons is not final and may expand as the audit progresses.’

The latest batch of reports forms part of 21 Fraud Audit Reports transmitted so far – nine to the Office of the Ombudsman and 12 to the ICI, including the four additional reports on the flood control projects mentioned above.

This latest set, the state auditors said, reinforces its ‘continuing efforts to hold erring officials and contractors accountable for misuse of public funds.’

‘Today’s filing sends an unequivocal message: COA remains relentless in its mandate to safeguard the people’s money and uphold public trust,’ the agency said.

Navy busts 6 illegal refineries, seizes crude oil

The Nigerian Navy has dismantled six illegal refining sites and seized over 11,000 litres of stolen crude oil in a fresh clampdown on oil thieves in the Niger Delta.

The operation, carried out by personnel of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos, was part of Operation Delta Sanity II, a sustained push to boost Nigeria’s crude production and crush economic sabotage.

FOB Commanding Officer, Navy Capt. Ikenna Okoloagu, said the raid followed credible intelligence that led to the deactivation of the illegal sites in the creeks around Obodo Omadino, Warri South-West, Delta State.

‘We seized about 11,200 litres of stolen crude from 28 dugout pits and six polythene sacks, alongside a pumping machine,’ Okoloagu told journalists on Friday in Warri.

He said the operation, in line with directives from the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, reflected the Navy’s renewed commitment to protect national oil assets.

‘FOB Escravos remains unwavering in its drive to dismantle illegal refining networks and safeguard Nigeria’s oil wealth,’ Okoloagu added.

The Navy has intensified its offensive against crude oil theft, with multiple illegal refineries destroyed in recent months across the Niger Delta.

Tonto Dikeh opens up about music career failure

Nollywood actress and politician, Tonto Dikeh, has opened up about her short-lived music career, revealing that the negative influence of her closest friends was the major reason behind her failure in the industry.

The 40-year-old film star shared this on Friday, October 10, while singing ‘God Is Good’ by Don Moen in a video posted on her Instagram page.

Tonto, who ventured into music in 2013 with songs like ‘Hi,’ ‘Crazically Fit,’ and ‘Jeje,’ and collaborations with artists such as Solid Star and Terry G, said she never truly had the talent for singing but was pressured by friends who convinced her otherwise.

Reflecting on that period, she described her failed music attempt as a reminder of a time when she surrounded herself with the ‘worst kind of friends,’ warning her fans to be cautious about the company they keep.

She humorously claimed that if she actually had the voice to match her ambition, she would have outshined celebrated singers like Tiwa Savage, CeCe Winans, and Whitney Houston.

‘If I could sing ehn, una for don dey sick of me. Who is Tiwa? Who is Whitney? Who is CeCe Winans? Watching this video reminds me of the time I had the worst kind of friends who pushed me to release an album,’ she said.

Nartatez: PNP support for infra probe doesn’t compromise duties

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said its support for infrastructure project inspections does not compromise its law enforcement duties, maintaining that it will assist the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The PNP was tasked by the Department of the Interior and Local Government to provide security support for DPWH officials in the department’s crackdown on anomalous infrastructure projects alongside the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

‘The police force has sufficient manpower and resources to sustain its support without compromising other law enforcement duties,’ Acting PNP chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Friday.

‘We have been helping in the conduct of the inspections and in securing pieces of evidence in response to DPWH requests,’ he explained.

Last Thursday, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the agencies have inspected 8,000 flood control projects, of which 421 were ‘ghost projects.’ /mr

Adekunle Gold opens up on work relationship with Simi

Afrobeats sensation Adekunle Gold has opened up on his work relationship with his wife and singer, Simi.

Gold in an interview regarded his partnership with Simi as seamless, noting that she contributes during the production of some of his hit songs.

‘My partnership with Simi is very seamless. When I write. So, Don Corleone, when I made the song, I think she was listening to the chorus when I made it, and she just said, well, she has an idea, that she wanted to add something to it. I’m like, okay, go for it. And then she just went, go Kunle, and that was it. I’m like, oh, this is smart. And that’s it,’ he stated.

Gold also added that he also contributes to some of Simi’s songs as a colleague and a partner. He noted that they are happy with their work-life relationship.

‘She just does some backups, things that the song needs, and then that’s it. It’s just very easy. When she writes the songs, when she sends to me, I tell her what I think she should add to it, and that’s easy,’ he added.

D4VD transfers ownership of home properties to mother amid investigation

American singer and songwriter David Anthony Burke, popularly known as D4vd, has transferred the deeds of his landed properties to his mother.

According to TMZ, the transfer was implemented on the 18th of September and the 22nd of September 2025.

The singer, D4vd, is currently being investigated after the body of Celeste Rivas was found in an automobile registered under his name.

The singer has since then, cancelled his scheduled appearances and tour.