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Of Local Government Autonomy and Allocation Boom: Let the Grassroots Feel the Impact

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Seye Oladejo By Seye Oladejo, Lagos APC Chieftain There is a new and important reality unfolding in Nigeria’s governance landscape: local governments are gaining greater fiscal autonomy at precisely the time when the federation’s revenue picture has improved significantly. This convergence presents both an opportunity and a test. For decades, local governments have complained that their responsibilities at the grassroots were not matched by adequate financial resources or sufficient control over their allocations. The constitutional and judicial push towards local government financial autonomy has therefore been welcomed as a potentially transformative development. At the same time, the significant increase in allocations from the Federation Account has expanded the financial space available to the three tiers of government. The question Nigerians are entitled to ask is simple: Where is the corresponding impact at the grassroots? More money must translate into more development. Autonom...
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Lagos Police Arrest 39 Over Coastal Road, Third Mainland Bridge Vandalism, Others

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… 1,800 manhole covers, 1km fencing, 75 signs stolen from Coastal Road The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 39 suspects in connection with vandalism, robbery, cultism and other crimes across the state, with the police and Federal Ministry of Works intensifying efforts to protect critical infrastructure. The Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Olayiwola Fatai, disclosed this during a press briefing at the Command’sHeadquarters in Ikeja, where he highlighted the arrest of 10 suspects allegedly linked to repeated vandalism of the newly constructed Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road. The suspects were arrested on August 17 following intelligence-led investigations into the destruction and theft of infrastructure along the road. Vandalised iron materials were recovered, while police said preliminary investigations linked the suspects to the repeated attacks on the project. CP Fatai said the Command also arrested 28-year-old Chidiebere Ochiri for allegedly vandalising and stealing government-in...
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Nine Nations, One Mission: Beijing Seminar Participants Take China’s Lessons Home

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... Odita Says Training has created bonds that will last a lifetime Participants at the international seminar on Fruit Processing and Comprehensive Utilization for Belt and Road Countries have praised China’s hospitality, technological innovation and organisational discipline, describing the two-week programme in Beijing as a transformative experience. Speaking on behalf of the participants at the closing ceremony, Odita Sunday-Udemaguna said the seminar had brought together participants from nine countries and created lasting professional and personal relationships across continents. The seminar, held from August 4 to 17, 2026, brought together delegates from Jordan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica, Thailand and Bangladesh. Odita expressed appreciation to the China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries Corporation for organising the programme, as well as the hosts, facilitators, lecturers and supervisors for their cont...
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Osun Election: No Dress Rehearsal for the Opposition’s 2027 Dreams

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By Seye Oladejo, Lagos APC Chieftain The outcome of the Osun State gubernatorial election may have generated understandable excitement within the opposition camp, but it would be a serious political miscalculation to interpret one state election as a dress rehearsal for what awaits Nigeria in 2027. Elections are won constituency by constituency, state by state, candidate by candidate and, ultimately, through the ability to convince voters that a particular political platform deserves their mandate. Osun is Osun. Nigeria is Nigeria. The circumstances, candidates, issues, alliances and voter calculations in a gubernatorial election cannot simply be photocopied and presented as a template for a presidential election. The opposition would therefore do well to celebrate its victory without prematurely converting it into a prophecy. There is nothing wrong with political optimism. Indeed, every political party needs optimism, confidence and the conviction that victory is possible. What is dan...
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Razor Media Group CEO Makes It to the Great Wall of China

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The Chief Executive Officer of Razor Media Group, Odita Sunday-Udemaguna, has reached the historic Great Wall of China as part of his participation in the Seminar on Fruit Processing and Comprehensive Utilization for Belt and Road Countries, held in Beijing from August 4 to 17, 2026. Odita was among participants drawn from nine countries, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Tanzania, Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica, Thailand and Bangladesh, who participated in the two-week seminar designed to deepen knowledge and cooperation in fruit processing and comprehensive utilisation. Speaking at the closing ceremony on behalf of the participants, Mr. Odita described the programme as a remarkable experience that brought together people from different countries and transformed them from strangers into colleagues, friends and partners. He expressed appreciation to the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries Corporation for organising the programme, as well as the...
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AIG Akpanudom To Security Agencies: Work Together, Earn Public Trust

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The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos, AIG Simeon Udofia Akpanudom, has called for greater professionalism, ethical conduct and stronger collaboration among security agencies to tackle emerging security threats. Akpanudom made the call on Wednesday at the August edition of the two-day Lagos State Security Training Programme organised by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund at The Zone, Gbagada Expressway, Lagos. The training, themed “Enhancing Professional Capacity, Ethical Standards and Inter-Agency Collaboration for Effective Security Operations,” brought together about 100 participants from various security agencies. The AIG described the theme as timely, noting that criminals were increasingly using emerging technologies, exploiting institutional gaps and operating across jurisdictions to evade detection and prosecution. He said security personnel must continuously improve their knowledge of the law, ...
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Ben Murray-Bruce To Tinubu: Nigeria Needs More ‘Mad Men’ In Government

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Former Bayelsa East Senator, Ben Murray-Bruce, has called on President Bola Tinubu to bring more “mad men” into his administration, saying Nigeria needs bold officials who are willing to confront entrenched interests and deliver results. Murray-Bruce, who is also the founder of Silverbird Group, in a post on his X handle, said he was making the call as a supporter of the administration who wants the President to succeed, stressing that support should not translate into sycophancy. He explained that by “mad men”, he meant people who were willing to challenge a broken system, confront powerful interests and reject mediocrity in public service. According to him, Nigerians need officials who are “crazy enough to confront a broken system, step on powerful toes, offend entrenched interests and refuse to accept mediocrity simply because mediocrity has become normal.” The former senator cited the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, as an example of what he described as a ...
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