General
Jumoke Okoya Sent Thugs After Kemi Nelson’ Supporters—Ayo Alli-Balogun
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The battle for supremacy between two of the most powerful female politicians in Lagos; Mrs Kemi Nelson, the South West Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, the Women Leader of Lagos Chapter of the APC, appears to have taken a new dimension as the supporters of the two gladiators have resorted to physical combats.
Reports from the women indicated that the matter has culminated into attacks and counter-attacks by their supporters and we gathered that these have led to body injury and destruction of properties.
Just as pictures of Alhaja Abiodun, Mrs Okoya’s Personal Assistant, who was allegedly seriously injured, have been flying around, a video has equally surfaced, under police supervision, where the office of Mrs Nelson was destroyed by thugs alleged to have been sent from the camp of Mrs Okoya-Thomas.
There have been different versions to the story, but the woman, whose name is being peddled to have battered the PA of Mrs Jumoke Okoya Thomas, Miss Ayo Alli-Balogun narrated what she said led to the crisis.
Ms Ayo Alli-Balogun is a Human Development Consultant and Politician and an APC stalwart and loyalist as well as a mentee of Mrs Kemi Nelson.
According to her, “I feel I owe it to you all to give a summed up explanation on what happened on 27th of August, 2018 at the All Progressives Congress State party secretariat.
“For a while now, Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas (APC Lagos State Women Leader) has been on a war path with APC South-West Women Leader, Mrs Kemi Nelson for reasons best known to her.
“I, Ayo Alli-Balogun became aware of Hon Jumoke’s detest for her superior and South-West Women Leader of our great party, All Progressives Congress at the final mega campaign rally of H.E Kayode Fayemi days before the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections 2018.”
Alli-Balogun alleged that Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, out of nowhere and no provocation, started raining insults on Mrs Kemi Nelson that, she, Madam Jumoke was not allowed into the VIP pavilion of the rally.
She stated that whilst Madam Jumoke was raining her insults, she saw her (Alli-Balogun) and immediately verbally attacked her calling her “Aja Kemi Nelson” meaning Kemi Nelson’s dog!
“I ignored her and proceeded to my seat. Madam Jumoke Okoya-Thomas’ attack on my person came to a head on Wednesday 22nd August 2018 at the country home of the Lagos State Governor, H.E Ambode during His Excellency’s Sallah gathering. Madam Jumoke accused me of staring at her and threatened to deal with me.
“The shocking thing about her utterances was that, at no point did I have any close contact with her; not to say I attempted any form of attack on her.
“The worrying bit about her utterance and actions is that Madam Jumoke seems to be clairvoyant and can see things that don’t exist. Madam Jumoke was seated about 15 huge tables away from where I stood with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to receive His Excellency who was making the rounds greeting and taking pictures with guests.
“I noticed Madam Jumoke’s visible agitation as she wagged her hand towards my direction in a threatening manner when she said “you are staring at me! I will deal with you!!” Naturally, I was shocked by Madam Jumoke’s conduct so I informed party leaders present,” she revealed.
Ms Alli-Balogun added that the leaders promised to look into the matter and asked that she should go on with my dancing.
She added, “However, I thought it imperative to notify APC State Chairman of my experience with Madam Jumoke Okoya-Thomas during the governor’s sallah gathering.
She narrated further, “I visited the State Party Chairman on Thursday 23rd of August, 2018 but he had left, I called and booked an appointment for Monday 27th of August, 2018 to which the party State Chairman agreed.
“On the fateful day, I went to the State Chairman’s office in company of three senior women of the party to inform him of Madam Jumoke’s threat to deal with me.
“As fate would have it, I was informed that the State Chairman was in a meeting.
“While waiting, Madam Jumoke exited the Chairman’s office and later returned to the office about 10mins later. All this while I was at the reception area of the Chairman’s office with the three women who accompanied me there.
“After waiting for an additional 30mins, I decided to leave as it was apparent Madam Jumoke was going to be in the office for a long time. On my way to the South-West Women leader’s office within the party secretariat, I was apprehended by Madam Jumoke’s PA (Alhaja Abiodun) and her police orderly.
“They both descended on me with slaps, blows and lashes from a horse whip wielded by the police orderly attached to Madam Jumoke.
“I naturally attempted to defend myself and detached myself from the stronghold of the vicious Alhaja Biodun. I then returned to the Chairman’s office to show him my battered face, body and clothes.
“About an hour later in Mrs Kemi Nelson’s office in the presence of Deputy and Vice Chairman of the party. Six hefty fierce looking men in black Tee-shirts with scorpion drawn on them burst into the South-West Women Leader’s office.
“They told us they are from Lagos Island and have been directed to kill Mrs Kemi Nelson and me.
“Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas at some point during the assault came into Mrs Kemi Nelson’s office shouting that “Kemi Nelson is in the toilet, she must be killed! Once she’s killed her followers would disperse” in Yoruba.
“The armed men beat up everyone found in Mrs Kemi Nelson’s office. The most horrifying thing is the stabbing of Mrs Kemi Nelson’s Chief Security Officer for not telling them (cultists) where Kemi Nelson and I were.
“Every equipment found in Mrs Kemi Nelson’s party office were destroyed! We were rescued by a team of the Nigeria Police Force about an hour later.
“Whilst Madam Jumoke Okoya-Thomas was speaking to the police Area Commander who visited the party secretariat; she was quoted to have said to the Commander that “she was fighting for her right”, “she admitted inviting the armed men in black Tee/shirt with scorpion drawn on the back and refused Alhaja Biodun to be interrogated by the police at the Party’s State secretariat.
“I am immensely grateful to God for sparing the lives of Mrs Kemi Nelson, team of women with us and also my good self.”
Information however, revealed that the camp of Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas has taken to both the online and offline media to disparage Mrs Kemi Nelson, alleging that her supporters were the first to attack those of Mrs Jumoke Okoya-Thomas.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Energy Bank (AEB) plans to raise $15 billion in its first three years of operations to fund strategic energy projects.
The Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), Mr Farid Ghezali, made this known at the opening session of the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES 2026) on Tuesday.
The bank which is set to launch in Abuja in the first half of 2026 has set a target of mobilising $200 billion for midstream and downstream energy projects across the continent.
“The African Energy Bank is designed to unlock the 200 billion needed for our midstream-downstream project by 2030.
“Our goal is to raise $15 billion in just three years with this increased liquidity,” Mr Ghezali stated.
The APPO secretary general decried that Africa’s energy still faces huge export of its oil and gas despite having a huge market for its utilisation within the continent.
“We are still exporting about 70 per cent of our crude oil and 45 per cent of our natural gas, losing $15 billion per year. This is an added value that we could generate locally, especially in the midstream and downstream segments.”
He pinpointed that financing hurdles remained the main bottleneck for the continent, as the cost of financing in Africa was 15 to 20 per cent, compared to only 4 to 6 per cent in Asia.
He said the disparity was unacceptable and had stalled over 150 projects, including refineries and the Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) Natural Gas Pipeline.
Mr Ghezali also said that APPO’s 18 national oil companies face isolation, “Our 18 national oil companies’ NOCs in APPO often operate in isolation, without a common stock exchange, which severely limits regional synergies.
He noted that the AEB was set to offer “competitive regional pricing” through unified intra-African gas and oil pricing for “savings of up to 30 per cent on their energy imports, a potential gain of $1.4 billion for Africa,” plus “direct access to investors.
He highlighted the three-phase road map for the AEB to include: “Phase one, which, as I said in the first half of 2026, launches the African Energy Bank platform with 10-pillar projects involving countries such as Nigeria, Angola, and Libya. APPO certification and integration of IOCs such as Shell or ENI.”
“Phase two, in 2027, we plan to start a regional gas-oil trade, integrating the principles of the Bassari Declaration for 15 per cent local content.”
Phase three, reaching 2030, the African Energy Bank will be a true African financial hub, with $200 billion mobilised.”
He said expected results included, “Project financing for billions of dollars, regional savings of around 30 per cent of import costs, 500,000 direct jobs created in the local midstream.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned the former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, and his son, Mr Abudlazizz Malami, on a five-count charge of abetting terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms.
They were arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the charge, the former AGF was accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing by refusing to prosecute terrorism financiers whose case files were brought to his office as the AGF in the last administration for prosecution.
Recall that the secret police had arrested Mr Malami, shortly after his release from Kuje prison in Abuja more than two weeks ago after Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted him and two others bail in the sum of N500 million in another case involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr Malami and his son are also accused by the DSS of engaging in conduct in preparation to commit act of terrorism by having in their possession and without licence, a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, 16 Redstar AAA 5’20 live rounds of Cartridges and 27 expended Redstar AAA 5’20 Cartridges.
His arrest in January followed weeks of reports of surveillance by the secret police in front of the prison facility since the time Mr Malami, his wife and son were remanded there over the money laundering charges.
As per reports, Mr Malami had gathered that he would be picked up upon regaining his temporary freedom and so decided to wait out the DSS. However, after his eventual emergence, the operatives took the ex-AGF into detention again.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) has initiated an inter-agency partnership with the Centre for Rural Development (CERUD) to establish the Coastal Community First Responder Programme (CCFRP).
The first responder programme is aimed at promoting safe and secure transportation across Lagos waterways.
The initiative was unveiled during a meeting between a LASWA delegation and officials of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development at the secretariat in Alausa.
Leading the LASWA team, Mr Olademeji Shittu said the programme is designed to reduce fatalities and material losses on Lagos waterways, particularly in hard-to-reach coastal communities.
According to Mr Shittu, the CCFRP will focus on empowering community volunteers through targeted capacity building for sustainable rural development, while also equipping them with relevant skills that can enhance employability within the maritime sector.
He noted that trained volunteers will serve as community-based first responders, working in close collaboration with LASWA to strengthen search and rescue operations.
Providing the rationale for the programme, Mr Shittu highlighted the recurring cases of marine incidents and fatalities on Lagos waterways, often worsened by delayed emergency response in remote coastal areas.
He explained that residents of these communities are usually the first on the scene during accidents, making it necessary to formalise their role through structured training and partnerships.
He added that the collaboration with CERUD will help create a sustainable framework that aligns community development with safety and emergency response, while fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among coastal residents.
According to a statement, the Coastal Community First Responder Programme is expected to enhance emergency preparedness on Lagos waterways, improve response times during marine incidents, and contribute to safer water transportation across the state.
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