General
Amosun Destroys Health Centre Renovated by Kashamu
By Dipo Olowookere
Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led government of Ogun State on Tuesday demolished a health facility at Obada area of Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of state said to be illegally undergoing renovation through the effort of Senator Buruji Kashamu, representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly.
It was reported that the facility was being renovated without duly approval from the state government, which hitherto, formed the reason behind the demolition carried out in the presence of the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye and the council boss, Mr Adebayo Adekoya.
Mr Adekoya, who spoke with journalists, said the lawmaker failed to follow due process before embarking on the project, while alleging that the contractor handling the project chased out staff of the hospital and patients, as well as throwing out medical equipment.
“About two weeks ago, there was a signboard that was erected around the health centre and it was reported to me and I said, no problem if anyone wants to put up any building they will inform us.
“But to our surprise on Friday, immediately after the closing hours, they started pulling down the health centre without notification.
“When they reported to me I was not around thinking that letter for approval might be on the way but I never saw any notice or letter, only to discover that they had already began reconstruction on the facility.
“There is no harm in doing a constituency project but the structure in question is under my jurisdiction (Obada health centre).
“This is not done anywhere, so the commissioner asked for approval from the town planner and they said no approval for such development and that was when the structure was demolished by the town planners,” the Commissioner said.
Asked to comment on allegation that the facility was in bad state, Mr Adekoya denied such claim saying the health centre is a pioneer health facility in the council area.
The council boss said, “It a lie that we abandoned the facility, because that is our pioneer health centre. Everything there is in good condition. We have a solar machine there, the place is not abandoned for anything.”
Reacting, Mr Austin Oniyokor, media aide to Mr Kashamu, described the development as a rude shock, condemning the act in its entirety.
He said, “Information at our disposal revealed that Mr Ipaye and Mr Adekoya led some thugs and Mobile policemen to the facility, which is being renovated and refurbished by the Senator representing Ogun East Senator District as part of his constituency projects, and ordered them to demolish it because they were allegedly not ‘carried along.’
“We condemn this act in its entirety because we think that the APC-led state and local government officials should have put the interest of the people beyond and above any other consideration.
“We did not encroach on the property or vandalise anything as being erroneously spread by agents of the APC-led government. We strongly believe that governance is more about the welfare of the people and not procedures and interests, be it political or otherwise.
“Even if they said they already had plans to fix the facility, why pull it down because of some flimsy excuses? One would have expected them to either encourage anyone who takes the initiative to fix it or at least compete with him by building another and better facility and not to pull down the one being built, all in the name of politics. At the end of the day, it is the people that will bear the brunt of this executive lawlessness.”
Additional information from Tribune
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the collapse of five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi–Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line.
This was attributed to severe acts of vandalism, as TCN disclosed that the structure collapsed after vandals removed critical structural bracing members.
The affected towers were N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, the organisation said in a statement on Friday.
It explained that the extensive damage was discovered during a routine joint line patrol conducted on August 9, 2026, by TCN linesmen.
Further inspection revealed that structural members from seven additional towers along the same transmission corridor had also been removed and stolen. The towers, J3, N8, N13, N14, N15, N18 and N19, are now structurally compromised and pose a risk of further collapse.
TCN condemned this act of sabotage and reiterated its commitment to working hard to maintain a robust and reliable national grid.
The statement said that to mitigate the impact on electricity supply, the network has been reconfigured to prioritise supply to Ekim transmission station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply.
TCN said it is mobilising an urgent intervention to complete the reconstruction of the affected sections of the line, with security agencies also notified to aid investigations and prevent further acts of vandalism along the line route.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, has urged all relevant government agencies to promptly initiate actions for the full implementation of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, following its signing into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill, sponsored by Speaker Abbas, was aimed at repealing the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, Cap. N133, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and establish the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports while safeguarding the interests of shippers, service providers, and users of regulated port services. With the President’s assent, it has now been enacted as an Act of Parliament.
The legislation represents one of the landmark achievements of the 10th National Assembly. It reflects the Speaker’s commitment to legislative excellence, institutional reform, and sustainable economic growth, according to a press statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Mr Musa Krishi.
The bill underwent a rigorous and inclusive legislative process, including extensive stakeholder consultations and a public hearing. It was passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently assented to by the President.
The Act provides a robust legal and institutional framework to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports by fostering transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency in port operations; protecting the rights and interests of shippers, service providers, and other port users; and aligning Nigeria’s port regulatory system with global best practices, thereby enhancing the ease and cost-effectiveness of doing business.
Despite receiving presidential assent, the Act has yet to be fully operationalised.
He warned that any further delay would undermine the legislative intent of the reform, prolong the exposure of port users to arbitrary charges and operational inefficiencies, and deny the nation the anticipated benefits of increased revenue, improved trade facilitation, and stronger investor confidence in the marine and blue economy sector.
The Speaker urged the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in collaboration with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, to take the necessary administrative, institutional, and financial measures for the prompt implementation of the Act.
He said this should include the formal transition to, as well as operational empowerment of, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to discharge its statutory mandate effectively.
The full implementation of the Act is critical to unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s ports, reducing the cost of doing business, strengthening trade competitiveness, and positioning Nigeria as the leading maritime and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.
The statement noted that the Speaker reaffirmed the 10th House’s commitment to exercising the necessary legislative oversight to ensure this landmark legislation, along with others assented to by the President, is fully implemented and achieves its intended goals for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), has partnered with Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, to provide funding and support for the next generation of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs.
The announcement coincides with International Youth Day 2026, whose global theme this year — Different Contexts, Common Aspirations — calls on institutions to close the gap between young people’s circumstances and their opportunities. The pilot is an early step toward NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youth within two years.
The NiYA and Cascador Founders Programme will begin with a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders, including entrepreneurs without formal business registration or established financial records.
Over four weeks, participants will undergo intensive training focused on business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation. At the end of the programme, the eight top-performing founders will receive non-dilutive funding of up to N5 million each from Cascador, alongside an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help them structure, manage and scale their businesses.
The funding and support will be presented at a Pitch Day organised by NiYA and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
The Minister for Youth Development, Mr s Ayodele Olawande, said the partnership would enable NiYA to move beyond training by helping young people transform ideas into investable businesses and achieve sustainable economic participation through business preparation and access to capital.
“The pilot is deliberately designed to test a model that can go beyond one cohort. If young founders can be identified early, prepared properly, connected to credible capital and supported to build stronger business systems, then access to opportunity becomes less dependent on background or existing networks. That is the larger objective: to build a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in which readiness, ideas and execution can increasingly determine who gets the opportunity to grow.”
The pilot will run in-person in Abuja with virtual touchpoints and 1:1 mentorship. All 20 graduates retain NiYA alumni status, with priority consideration for future opportunities.
NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions. What we’re building together now is the missing piece, a practical bridge from the ideation stage to real capital-readiness. When a Ministry so dedicated to its young people asked Cascador to help build that bridge, it was an easy decision,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
Ms Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, highlighted the partnership’s impact, saying, “This is what innovative capital deployment looks like: a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed. Partnerships like this open doors that neither of us could open alone.”
