General
Lagos to Transform Otto, Otumara Slums into Micro City
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has announced that it will build a new Micro City to complement the federal government’s proposed revamping of the National Arts Theatre.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Idris Salako, said this at the annual Ministerial Press Briefing to commemorate two years in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday.
Mr Salako said the government would regenerate Otto and Otumara slum communities on the Mainland axis in line with the THEMES Agenda that would culminate in the creation of the new Micro City.
THEMES is an acronym for Mr Sanwo-Olu led administration’s six strategic development agenda namely, Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance.
The Commissioner said the creation of the Micro City in those locations would complement the proposed revamping of the National Arts Theatre by the federal government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-led Committee of Bankers.
He listed the importance of the National Theatre youths development, the creative industry and the economy of the state and the interest of the state government in the project.
The commissioner also revealed plans by the state government to embark on a mass social housing drive to upgrade the two slum communities, to fit into the modernization of the National Theatre project.
He assured Otto and Otumara residents that they would not be displaced, but would be captured in the social housing scheme.
“Mr Governor Felt there is no way you have a national monument of that magnitude in Iganmu and directly on the other side of the bridge, you have slum settlements, the Otto and Otumara communities.
“So, the Lagos State Government will also work to regenerate these communities to be in tandem with the world-class edifice to be on the other side of the bridge.
“The project is on and what we are presently doing in our stakeholder engagement is that we are talking to the people; we are looking at the site variables and conditions.
“We are profiling the people, who are inhabitants of that settlement, with a view to come up with a plan that is acceptable to all and that will improve the living conditions and lifestyle of those people.
“And we are looking at housing facilities that will not only be commensurate with the National Theater but with international standards and I can tell you that there will be no displacements,” he said.
Mr Salako said that the Micro City would be delivered with the upgrade of existing socio-economic amenities like hospitals/clinics, schools, market, water etc., which would be upgraded on-site.
He added that there would be preservation and conservation of ecologically sensitive land spaces, such as buffer zones, earth drain, floodplains and waterfronts, as well as the creation of new viable economic activity centres, including residential-led mixed-use.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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