General
Collapsed Buildings: Era of Impunity Over—Buhari Talks Tough
By Dipo Olowookere
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja said the dark days of impunity are gone for good, assuring Nigerians that his administration will remain focused and committed to creating an inclusive and diversified economy.
Receiving the leadership of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), led by Mr Obafemi Onashile, President Buhari, again, thanked Nigerians for clearly expressing their desire to move the nation forward.
“Let me start by thanking you for your kind prayers,” the President told members of the Institute, who came to congratulate him on his re-election and pledge their solidarity with his administration.
“Nigerians have clearly spoken of their desire for the country to move forward. On our part, we remain committed to the Change Agenda. By the grace of God, and with your continued prayers and support, the dark days of impunity are gone for good,” he added.
President Buhari used the occasion to highlight the administration’s achievements in stimulating the economy in the past three years, noting that growing the nation’s economy means “national growth must impact the silent majority.”
“This is why in the past three years; we focused on key job-creating sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure development.
“You will all recall that our agriculture and infrastructure programmes contributed to our exit from recession. This is a clear example of how, if we push ‘inclusive’ job-creating policies, growth will follow.
“We will remain committed to these and other programmes to ensure the success of our nation is felt by the majority of Nigerians,” he said.
On the incessant building collapses across the country, the President warned that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law.
He told members of the Institute that the recent tragic incident in Lagos, and many others across the country, were reminder of the need to strictly adhere to quality standards on construction projects.
“Young innocent lives must never be lost due to incompetence and greed. Simply put, no corners must be cut. I want to assure you that those responsible for such incidents of professional negligence will feel the full wrath of the law,” he said.
The President welcomed recommendations and suggestions from the Institute on how to enhance the construction industry, directing that they make a formal submission to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing as soon as possible.
In his presentation, the President of NIQS, Onashile appealed to the Federal Government to create a Directorate of Quantity Surveying and Projects Costs Management to address the issue of unclear delineation of professional functions amongst construction professions within the Government.
Onashile also made a case for Quantity Surveyors to be mandated and allowed to undertake cost management of projects of all forms on behalf of Government, among others.
The Institute while congratulating the President on his well-deserved re-election, expressed its support and “total confidence in his administration and leadership direction which have brought hope, progress and stability to Nigeria.”
A highpoint of the visit was the conferment of the Fellowship Grade of the NIQS-the highest cadre of membership- on President Buhari. The President was also honoured with the Life Champion of Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria award.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Ekperikpe Ekpo, has expressed his frustration towards the partial progress in Nigeria’s flagship Decade of Gas Initiative, advocating that it must now be aggressively accelerated.
Launched by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021, the scheme is a national policy drive declaring 2021–2030 as the country’s “Decade of Gas.” with the goal of transforming Nigeria from an oil-dependent economy into a gas-powered industrial nation, using its vast natural gas reserves (one of the largest in Africa) for economic growth.
However, speaking recently at the 14th Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum in Yenagoa, Mr Ekpo said the policy has delivered some gains in LPG penetration, CNG rollout, and gas commercialisation, but “not at the scale Nigeria urgently requires.”
“We have made progress, but not enough,” the minister admitted. “The pace has been slower than expected, and we must move with far greater urgency.”
He cited persistent infrastructure gaps, gas supply volatility, funding constraints, and delayed policy execution as major setbacks.
“Critical pipelines are behind schedule. Feedstock shortages still hamper power and industries,” he said. “These challenges have limited the full realisation of the Decade of Gas vision.”
The minister, however, outlined a renewed push to accelerate delivery through tighter regulatory coordination and investment incentives.
“We are strengthening inter-agency alignment to remove approval bottlenecks,” Ekpo said. “The PIA gives us the fiscal tools to unlock more capital into midstream and domestic gas programmes.”
He noted measurable progress in domestic LPG consumption, clean cooking expansion, and flare gas commercialisation, calling them “strong foundations that must now be scaled up.”
“Our goal remains clear: affordable gas for power, households, industries and transport,” he said. “We are not abandoning the Decade of Gas; we are intensifying it.”
Mr Ekpo said the government will prioritise early delivery of key projects such as OB3, AKK, NLNG Train 7, Brass Fertiliser, and several gas-based industrial hubs.
“These projects will determine whether the Decade of Gas becomes a transformative legacy or a missed opportunity,” he warned.
The minister urged industry players, financiers and host communities to recommit to the national gas agenda.
“We need every stakeholder on board,” he said. “Nigeria cannot afford to slow down at a time when global markets are shifting and opportunities are emerging.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Electricity supply was restored to residents of some parts of Lagos on Wednesday morning following a blackout spurred by a jumper cut that occurred in the Powerline area of Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) late on Monday.
The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) had announced a power outage in parts of its franchise, affecting the Ogba, Ikeja, and Alausa axis of Lagos on Tuesday.
In a message to customers, the DisCo said the power outage was due to a jumper cut at the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) injection substation (ISS).
A jumper cut is an electrical fault that occurs when a jumper cable is damaged, disconnected, or intentionally severed.
The DisCo said the TCN’s technical team was already working to resolve the issue.
“Dear Customer, the current power outage is due to a 132kV jumper cut at the TCN Injection Substation (ISS),” the message read.
“The TCN technical team is already working to clear the fault to ensure supply is restored as soon as possible.”
Mr Kingsley Okotie, spokesperson of Ikeja DisCo, had also clarified that the power outage did not affect the entire franchise area of the company.
“It doesn’t totally affect the whole of our franchise. The message was sent to only customers in areas affected,” he said.
“We are still working to resolve the issues; that’s where we are at the moment.”
Our correspondent, who witnessed the development, reported that the jumper cut occurred around 11 pm on Monday, December 8, when a large spark occurred at the structure, leading to an immediate seizure of power supply. There was yet another minimal spark, but power was restored afterwards, likely from a back up source.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, has left the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Fubara, who was restored as Governor of the oil-rich state in September 2025, announced his defection to the APC at a stakeholders meeting at the government house in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on Rivers State, suspending Mr Fubara and lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months due to political unrest in the South-South state.
It was gathered that on Monday night, the governor visited Mr Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja for a meeting.
His defection from the PDP comes a few days after 16 members of the Rivers Assembly formally joined the APC due to crisis in the PDP.
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