General
LAWMA, Alliance Evacuate 75,000 Plastic Bottles from Ilashe Beach

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) commemorated the 2021 World Clean-up Day by evacuating 75,000 plastic bottles from Ilashe Beach, Lagos.
The exercise was undertaken by Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FIBRA), an umbrella body for about 20 food and beverage manufacturing companies along the five kilometres Ilashe/Ibeshe beach area on the outskirts of Lagos.
Others were Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos Ferry Service, among others.
The World Clean-Up Day, celebrated every September 18, is an annual global social action programme aimed at combating the global solid waste problem, including the problem of marine debris.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr Ibrahim Odumboni, said at the event that his agency was using the opportunity of the World Clean-up Day to open up the entire Ilashe Island shoreline to proper cleanup.
Mr Odumboni urged residents and beach users to come together and make a difference by leaving an enduring legacy of a people-friendly environment for improved living and economic prosperity.
“The idea of the World Clean-up Day came up in 2018 when nearly two million volunteers, across individuals, corporate bodies, NGOs and government organizations, came together for massive clean-up activities in major cities across the world.
“We are setting the pace here in Ilashe Island of Lagos for our country. So, I enjoin all residents to sustain this effort.
“LAWMA is not leaving any stone unturned in our determined effort to rid Lagos State of all forms of solid waste.
“Our Marine Unit is effectively evacuating marine debris around the Lagos waterways and we will continue to increase the scope of our activities,” Mr Odumboni said.
Also speaking, the President of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWAN), Mr David Oriyomi, noted that it was important to educate residents of the aquatic environment on the effects of dumping rubbish into the water.
Mr Oriyomi said that the fishes feed on that rubbish while human beings fed on the fishes which was very dangerous to human health.
In his remark, the Chairman of Lagos Recyclers Association, Mr Femi Idowu, noted that what people see as trash, was actually money, suggesting that people should see the economic value in waste materials.
The programme was attended by Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Mr Solomon Bonu, General Manager of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mr Oluwadamilola Emmanuel, Executive Secretary of FIBRA, Ms Arase Aghareva, among others.
General
Lagos Launches 2026-28 Medium-Term Sector Strategy Roll-Over Exercise

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Lagos State Government has officially launched its annual Medium-Term Sector Strategy (MTSS) Roll-Over Exercise for the 2026–2028 planning cycle.
According to a statement, this reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development and effective governance.
Speaking at the opening session of the workshop yesterday at the LCCI building, Ikeja, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, Mrs Olayinka Ojo, welcomed stakeholders and emphasized the importance of the MTSS as a cornerstone in the State’s planning framework.
Mrs Ojo stated that the strategy is to ensure that all projects and programs initiated by Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are not only well-prioritized and realistically costed but also aligned with the Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) 2052.
Her words, “The vision of our dear State, under the dynamic leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, is to build Africa’s model megacity — a global economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, functional, and productive.”
“Achieving this vision requires deliberate planning, effective resource allocation, and a disciplined approach to project execution,” she said.
The roll-over session, which gathered representatives – economic planning officers and statisticians/statistical officers from various MDAs and development partners, aims to critically assess ongoing and proposed initiatives for their transformational impact, alignment with sectoral strategies, and responsiveness to current fiscal realities.
“We must ask ourselves: Are these projects truly transformational? Are they aligned with our long-term goals? Are they cost-effective and impactful?” the Permanent Secretary queried, urging participants to embrace openness and professionalism in their evaluations.
The event also underscored the need for flexibility and innovation in government planning amid global uncertainties. Officials called for future-proof and sustainable programs capable of delivering measurable benefits to Lagos residents.
The Economic Planning Department of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget was commended for its coordination of the exercise, with special appreciation extended to MDAs and development partners for their continued collaboration.
The roll-over exercise is expected to culminate in a refined set of priorities that will guide Lagos State’s development agenda for the years ahead.
General
UK Distances Self from Soldier Involved in Illegal Arms Deal in Nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya
The British Government has distanced itself from the actions of Mr Micah Polo, an alleged British army officer, who was recently apprehended in connection with arms procurement and an alleged plot to instigate unrest in Warri, Delta State.
The development has received widespread condemnation with many stakeholders demanding a thorough probe of the indicted soldier and alleging that the UK was fuelling instability in the country.
In a short statement shared with Business Post on Wednesday, the British High Commission acknowledged that the individual identified did serve as a junior rank in the UK Armed Forces Reserves but was later discharged. It didn’t provide further details.
According to a statement credited to an unnamed spokesperson, the British High Commission in the statement said, “The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces.”
The British High Commission added that whilst in the Reserves, Mr Polo was a junior rank not a commissioned officer. Many reports had ascribed him a Major.
This newspaper learnt that UK common law and Data Protection Act protects the personal details of current and former employees, hence why it was not able to release any additional information on the matter.
According to reports, Mr Polo, an Itsekiri by origin, was allegedly recruited by one Collins to procure weapons and ammunition intended to fuel tribal tensions in the oil-rich region.
However, operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) from the Delta Command were said to have foiled the move on Friday night and arrested the arms supplier during a covert exchange near Asaba, Delta State.
During the operation, over 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition were confiscated.
Mr Polo, on the other hand, was intercepted in Lagos as he attempted to board a flight to the United Kingdom, while his associates were apprehended in Asaba during the operation.
General
FG Plans Centre to Tackle Immigration Document Fraud

By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Interior, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced plans to establish a harmonised centre to combat immigration document fraud.
Speaking while receiving the UK Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr David Hanson, in his office in Abuja, Mr Tunji-Ojo highlighted the need for a centralised system to verify documents in real time.
“One of the key issues we also realised with border control is what we call immigration and document fraud. It is very key and we realised that one of the reasons why this is quite on the rise is because there is no centralised pool of authentication and verification of documents in real time.
“So, today, if people submit 20 documents, you might need to go to 20 issuing agencies to verify 20 documents belonging to one person. So, if you have 1,000 people per day, you might need to look for 100,000 verification and authentication systems. That breeds inefficiency,” he said.
Mr Tunji-Ojo added that the centre would authenticate documents like passports, birth certificates, and bank statements, enhancing Nigeria’s image and investor confidence.
“As a government, we are trying to be more proactive than reactive, and we don’t want to judge our performance in terms of fraud by virtue of recoveries or convictions, but rather by the number of crimes or frauds that we prevented from happening,” he stated.
On his part, Mr Hanson emphasised the shared agenda between Nigeria and the UK to improve criminal justice outcomes.
“There is a great common agenda that we can share and I am particularly keen to look at how we are working together closely. My visit this week will also look at the new joint centre that you are undertaking,” he said.
He noted ongoing UK-Nigeria collaboration on migration policies, visa systems, and trade, following Mr Tunji-Ojo’s recent meeting with UK Home Secretary, Ms Yvette Cooper.
The UK delegation included officials from the Home Office, National Crime Agency, and UK High Commission in Nigeria.
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