General
Sanwo-Olu Lauds Dangote’s Youth Empowerment Scheme
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has applauded the Dangote Group for its effort to empower youths in the state through its skills acquisition programme.
Recently, about 200 youths from Ibeju-Lekki community in Lagos State graduated from various skills acquisition programme organised by Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a way of transforming society and providing employment opportunities for the youths.
The programme was put together by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and facilitated by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB).
The skills acquisition programme, which cut across a wide range of vocational skills such as plumbing, welding, iron bending, auto mechanics and electrical works, marked the successful completion of the first batch trainees.
It also marked another level of Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s intervention as it is targeted at providing vocational skills to the teeming youth population in its host communities.
What Governor said
While addressing the beneficiaries, Mr Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Managing Director of Lekki Free Trade Zone Worldwide, Mr Tunde Sodade, said the state government will employ the 200 graduands, but urged them to be good ambassadors to the state and their community.
“We will ensure that all of you that graduated today, will be employed at the free zone because we believe that what you learnt will be useful for the development of the zone. I urge you all to be good examples to others and always demonstrate better character and integrity in what you do,” the Governor said.
He further urged the graduands to register their names with the Lekki Free Trade Zone management, so they could be employed by all companies within the zone.
NDE Boss also Spoke
The State Coordinator of the Nigerian Directorate of Employees (NDE), Mrs Serena Edward lauded Dangote group for pioneering the skills vocational training for the youths in the community.
Mrs Edward said the programme which started six months ago, had today recorded tremendous success among the 200 graduands.
“We encountered some challenges in the course of the programme, which the community elders intervened. The programme has transformed the students to do better and also improved their standards of creativity on the jobs leant.
“Today, the programme has facilitated the students to open an account with a bank as a sign of seriousness towards business. Dangote has given the community youths useful tools to work with and advised you use it diligently,” she said.
The Traditional Encouraged the Youth
Oba Olumuyiwa Ogunbekun, the Oni-Lekki of Lekki, encouraged the youth to fully utilise the skills they acquired. He commended Dangote Refinery for its unwavering support to community development initiatives in the state and emphasised the need for the youth to work hard.
Mr Ogunbekun also urged Dangote to assist in employing the trained youths in other to foster youth mutual relationship in the community and make them practice what they learnt.
He also commended Aliko Dangote for bringing development to the communities through its investment in refinery and petrochemicals and urged other Nigerians of means to invest locally and lift the economy of the people at the grassroots.
What the Instructor and Graduands Said
Mr Musa Ajibola, an instructor, urged companies to follow what Dangote had done, while urging companies to make the training one year programme than six months. He said the training had broadened the knowledge of the youths toward improving their knowledge.
One of the students, Balogun Fuad said the programme was laudable, adding that it came at the right time. According to him, most youths in the area do not have meaningful livelihood, while urging Dangote and others to employ them.
Another student, Balogun Owolabi said the programme had created opportunities for most of the youth. He added that this could make them independent in the community.
Dangote Spoke too
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Dangote Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Mr Devakumar Edwin, said the initiative was a demonstration of Dangote Refinery’s commitment toward capacity-building and youth empowerment in the country.
Mr Edwin said the programme was another level of Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s intervention targeted at providing vocational skills to the teeming youth population in its host communities. He said the programme was also aimed at making youth from its host communities employable.
He said the 200 youths from Ibeju-Lekki community in Lagos State graduated from various skills acquisition programmes put together by Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a way of transforming society and providing employment opportunities for the youths.
He urged the graduands to be more focused and diligent in whatever they do and serve as frontier to others.
“With the tools given to you today, you can be good ambassadors of this great community. So many graduates outside are still searching for jobs, but yours is different because you have been trained.
“We are going to give you our maximum support to ensure you are employed in our operations, as our host communities remains our priority. These skills given to you today, can take you to various places and attract better opportunity if managed effectively,” he said.
Mr Edwin advised the graduands to commit themselves to continuous learning and development as the business environment changes frequently, and promised to assist them to succeed.
According to him, as the petroleum refining & fertiliser complex comes on stream, it is expected that will be a population boom in the surrounding communities, who requires the services of the trainees.
He expressed optimism that the host communities will experience a turnaround in their fortunes very soon.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has announced the reconstitution of its board following the resignation of three nominees of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), promising growth and stability.
Earlier this week, the disco, which serves Oyo, Ogun, Osun and Kwara States, as well as parts of Ekiti, Kogi and Niger States, unveiled its new board led by the new chairman, Mr Tunde J. Afolabi.
The newly constituted board include Mr Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, with Mr Michael I. Magaji as Alternate Director; Mr Taiwo Afolabi; Professor Oladapo Afolabi; Mr Tunde Fayinka; Mr Oluwaseyi Akinwale and Mr Adeolu Ijose.
According to the chairman, the emergence of a new core investor and the reconstituted board marks a significant milestone in the company’s corporate journey and signals a renewed strategic direction focused on stability, continuity and sustainable growth.
“This transition represents renewal, not rupture. It represents investment, not instability. It represents partnership, not division. Our goal is to strengthen governance, enhance operational performance, deepen capital investment and deliver improved service to customers across our franchise areas,” he added.
Mr Afolabi, while addressing customers directly, assured them that there would be no avoidable service disruptions as a result of the transition, stating that all IBEDC offices will remain open, while field operations will continue uninterrupted.
“The new core investor has committed to sustained capital investments in feeder rehabilitation and expansion, transformer upgrades and replacements, injection substation improvements, and the replacement of obsolete network components,” he stated.
He added that IBEDC plans to accelerate the integration of advanced digital and operational technologies, disclosing that these include enhanced outage management systems, strengthened billing platforms, expanded smart metering deployment, and digitised customer engagement channels aimed at improving transparency and service responsiveness.
On workforce stability, the chairman emphasised that there will be no job losses as a direct result of the transition, noting that the board, under his leadership, is committed to employee welfare, improved work tools, modern safety equipment, and technology upgrades to support field efficiency, while maintaining high performance standards.
Mr Afolabi also pledged proactive and structured engagement with regulators, including the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), underscoring its commitment to full regulatory compliance, strengthened governance frameworks, transparency and accountability.
Furthermore, he reaffirmed the commitment of the distribution company to structured and timely payment cycles for vendors and suppliers, recognising their critical role in maintaining network stability.
With the new board in place, he insisted that IBEDC is poised to deepen operational excellence, strengthen financial sustainability, and position itself firmly on the path to becoming Nigeria’s leading power distribution company—powering progress across its franchise with unity, confidence and innovation.
Established in November 2013 following Nigeria’s power sector privatisation, IBEDC operates the largest distribution network serving the highest customer population within Nigeria’s electricity distribution landscape.
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