General
Ekiti Guber: Group Knocks Monarchs over Zoning Request
By Dipo Olowookere
Traditional rulers in Ekiti State have been slammed by a group known as Integrity Leadership Organisation over their demand for the zoning of the governorship seat to the south senatorial district of the state.
In a statement issued by the State Coordinator of the group, Mr Lekan Oyediran, the Integrity Leadership Organisation said it wrong for the monarch to demand for such when they held a meeting with the state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose.
During the meeting last weekend at the Government House in Ado Ekiti, the traditional rulers said political parties must zone the governorship position in the July poll to the zone
But reacting to this, Mr Oyediran said the request by the obas was “stage-managed [and] instigated by Governor Fayose,” claiming they were coerced into the meeting to help the Governor push a ravaging and consuming personal agenda that he started more than two years ago.
“We understand the condition under which the Obas live in Ekiti State under Fayose where the governor had on many occasions resorted to making them his messengers in matters that are clearly beyond their powers just because Fayose wants to paint a picture of participatory governance.
“The Obas cannot be messengers for Fayose in political matters that should better be left to Ekiti people and political parties to decide, and so it is curious that after a meeting with the governor, the traditional rulers read out a statement given to them as if that prepared statement by Fayose represented their general position,” Mr Oyediran said in the statement.
The group reminded the Obas that their constitutional roles do not include deciding the zoning of political offices, regretting that acceding to Fayose’s request to push a personal political agenda is unconstitutional and abuse of power.
“We want to let our Obas know that they are not politicians. Political parties are constitutionally required to field candidates in elections and not Obas.
“We know that Fayose corralled the Obas into this political matter of office zoning, but we want to point the attention of the Obas to the fact that they are not politicians to decide such matter; therefore, their call at the behest of the governor is unconstitutional, offending both the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the constitutions of the various political parties,” the group explained.
Urging the monarchs to operate within the confines of the law, the group also counselled them against being used as tools of disunity in a homogeneous Ekiti State that shares same values, language and culture.
“From Otun-Ekiti to Omuo-Ekiti, Ikere-Ekiti to Igogo-Ekiti and Oye-Ekiti to Ogotun-Ekiti, we speak one language and share the same culture and values unlike other states of the federation with a multiplicity of cultures and languages.
“We have been living with this unique opportunity for ages and it has helped us in shaping our destiny for good, hence it will be a gross disservice to our people for one man to rankle that great peaceful co-existence for a self-serving agenda at the detriment of Ekiti unity with our traditional rulers being used as tools.
“We sympathise with our Obas that are being coerced into this self-serving agenda, but then we expect our revered obas to also exercise discretion in kowtowing to the whims of the governor who believes that his preferences represent the collective will of Ekiti people,” Mr Oyediran said.
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.”
