General
Residents Sue Managers of Diamond Estate Lagos
By Dipo Olowookere
Property owners and residents of Diamond Estate in Ajah area of Lagos have sued the estate’s management at an Epe High Court.
They are alleging breach of agreement on provision of social facilities reached when they purchased land for their buildings.
Hearing of the suit was, however, stalled due to absence of the defence.
The suit was filed through a Writ of Summons by Mr. Faustinus Brai, on behalf of himself and other property owners and residents of Diamond Estate, Sangotedo, Lagos through their counsel, Johnson Bryant.
The second claimant in the suit before Justice Ganiyu Safari is Incorporated Trustees of Diamond Estate Property Owners and Residents Association.
The first and second defendants in the suit are Femab Properties Limited and Diamond Estate Limited respectively.
Although the suit was scheduled for mention, neither the defendants nor their counsel was present in court.
Counsel to the claimants, Paul Olaniyi told the court that he was surprised at the absence of the defence who he said promised to be in court or send a representative, having constantly reminded him of the date for hearing of the suit.
Olaniyi however drew the attention of the court to the issue of the ‘res’ which he said has been tampered with by the defendants.
“The defendants have tampered with the’res’ by leasing a part of the project to a network provider which has installed a mast at the site provided in the residential area.
“My Lord, the defendants have continue to trample on the rights of the occupiers and do not care for their welfare”, he told the court.
Asked by the court, Olaniyi said claimants have opted for trial, having concluded CMC and explored Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR ) without success.
The registrar, on enquiry by trial judge, said counsel to the defendants called him, seeking for adjournment of the matter to a date in January.
The claimants are asking the court for a declaration that the first and second claimants are entitled to all facilities represented by the first defendants and an order for the provision of all outstanding facilities detailed in the first defendant in its ‘offer prospectus’ and that the facilities shall comply with acceptable international standards.
In the alternative, they asked the court for an order appointing a project manager who shall be responsible for the appointment and supervision of contractors for the provision of the outstanding facilities in compliance with acceptable standards and for same to be at the full expense of the first defendant, Femab Properties Limited.
In addition, they asked the court for a declaration that the second claimant, as a trustee to the beneficial property owners and residents of the Diamond Estate, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos are at liberty to decide who manages the joint facilities in the estate and that the unilateral appointment of the second defendant by the first defendant, without the authority of the first claimant and other property owners is ab initio, null and void.
They asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the second defendant from providing estate management services for Diamond Estate directing and directing the company to vacate the facilities and the estate.
They also want the court to order the first defendant to give an account of all monies paid on behalf of and received from all members of the second claimant.
In their 28 paragraph statement of claim, they averred that the second defendant has consistently shown lack of expertise, ability and capability in managing the facilities in Diamond Estate and left a lot to be desired by the residents and that in a bid to ensure efficient management of the facilities and pursuant to their constitution, have indicated interest in taking over their management as trustees to its members.
Rather, they said the second defendant unilaterally sub-contracted the facilities management of Diamond Estate to Horty Benade Company.
They averred that they have been grossly disappointed and dissatisfied with the services offered by the second defendant despite meetings held with first and second defendants to register their grievances regarding their services and that in a bid to ensure accountability with regard to service charge for estate facilities maintenance, previously paid to second defendant, they resolved at a meeting, to pay the said service charge to the second claimant’s bank account.
They said that prior to that, the first claimant and other property owners had been paying their service charge to the second defendant through the first defendant.
They said that they allowed themselves to be persuaded by the first defendant to allow the management of the estate’s facilities by the second defendant notwithstanding its unilateral appointment and engagement by the first defendant.
According to them, the first defendant has till date continually refused and failed to provide most of the facilities as represented in its offer prospectus despite consistent entreaties made to this effect by the second claimant to the first defendant, while those provided are yet to be completed.
They contended that since their resolve to cede maintenance of the estate facilities to the second claimant, it has by virtue of its constitution registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, reserves the power to manage the affairs of the estate.
However, the defendants, in their joint statement of defence and counter claims, while admitting the averments of the claimants in paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 20 denied paragraphs 2, 3, 8, 12 to19 and 21 to 26.
The defendants, challenged the claimants to produce the originals of the documents in their possession that are relevant to the suit in court.
They expressed surprise at the suit and averred that it was to embarrass and sabotage their business and contended that the claimants are not entitled to any of the relief sought from the court.
They contended that the action of the claimants “is frivolous, vexatious, embarrassing, unfounded, gold digging and should be dismissed with substantial cost.
They argued that contrary to the claims of the claimants, the right to manage Diamond Estate was irrevocably vested in the first defendant in line with code of conduct duly executed by all the property owners.
While contending that they have capacity and personnel to manage facilities provided in the estate prudently and efficiently, they also alleged that the claimants have been forcing the residents of the estate to be paying service charge to them and thereby frustrating their effort to meet its obligation to the residents.
The defendants claimed to have been transparent in its dealing with the residents with regards to spending of service charges received from them and rendering account to the property owners and residents consistently, even when they did not demand for them.
They denied ever holding any meeting with the second claimants but only with the residents of the estate to discuss issues of their welfare.
They averred that the first claimant registered the second claimant without their knowledge and consent and property owners of the estate.
They further averred in their counter claim that the name that was approved by residents of Diamond Estate to be registered at a meeting held November 2015 was Diamond Owners Association.
Justice Safari has adjourned the matter to December 5 for trial, having obtained the commitment of the claimants’ counsel to inform the defence of the new trial date.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has elected Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as its next president after she polled the most votes when voting officially ended on Sunday morning.
Mrs Badejo-Okusanya, the only female among the three presidential candidates, polled 12,317 votes to emerge the winner of the election, which was held through electronic voting for 24 hours, from 7:35 am on Saturday to 7:34 am on Sunday.
She defeated her two challengers, polling 47.18 per cent of the 26,106 ballots cast in the presidential election, based on the final tally. Her closest challenger, Mr Lateef Akangbe (SAN), garnered 7,934 votes, representing 30.39 per cent of the total votes cast, while the third candidate, Mr Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), polled 5,855 votes, representing 22.43 per cent, to emerge third in the contest.
The Electoral Committee of the NBA (ECNBA) Chairman disclosed that a total of 26,106 votes were recorded for the highly disputed presidential election.
With her victory, Mrs Badejo-Okusanya will become the 33rd President of the legal association, successfully re-enacting a 34-year-old history as the second female to lead the NBA since its formation in 1933.
Meanwhile, Mr Afam Okeke was elected General Secretary of the legal body, having polled a total of 8,478 votes to defeat his opponents.
All the elected officials will be in office for two years, spanning 2026 to 2028.
The NBA president-elect was absent when the results of the election were announced at the NBA headquarters in Abuja. A member of her campaign team, Mr Aminu Gadanya (SAN), revealed that she had a flight delay and declared her resolve to extend a “handshake of friendship” to all the aggrieved candidates.
In his remarks after the results were announced, the outgoing President of the NBA, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), noted that the election faced several challenges, including a cyberattack that almost derailed the electoral process.
“Many went to great lengths to truncate the electoral process. They maligned the process with their utterances, but we held firm. Every effort to derail the process failed,” Mr Osigwe stated.
He urged the winners to be magnanimous in victory, warning that they should celebrate moderately.
“This is a trying time for the Bar. Many people may still go to great lengths to rubbish the association. However, this is a time for healing. At the end of the day, let the Bar be the winner,” he added.
He said the ECNBA would carry out an in-depth analysis, especially of the challenges encountered, so as to come up with recommendations that will engender greater confidence in the association’s electoral process.
“The cyberattack shows that we must do more, not only for data protection, but to protect our electoral integrity. We must insulate our electoral process from such activities.
“Someday the story will be told of how the ICT system had to be rebuilt and moved to a safer server to ensure that the election was held.
“The Bar must always protect its independence and eternally determine the course of its electoral process,” the outgoing NBA President added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Over 50 skilled technicians drawn from various states across the South-West region of Nigeria converged on Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday for a comprehensive technical and sensitisation training programme for set-top box installers and associated reception equipment technicians.
This training was organised by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) in partnership with the Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) to guarantee a smooth, efficient, and error-free rollout of Nigeria’s digital broadcasting migration.
Nigeria’s journey toward digital terrestrial television has spanned nearly two decades. The country formally adopted the digital switchover policy in 2008 in line with the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 2006 global mandate, which set a June 2015 deadline for member states.
Successive missed targets in 2017 and beyond stemmed from funding constraints, policy inconsistencies, infrastructure gaps, and logistical challenges. While pilot projects were implemented in Plateau, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Kwara, Osun, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory, nationwide coverage remained a distant goal.
After substantial public investment exceeding N60 billion with limited results, the federal government unveiled a bold, renewed strategy in 2025 titled The Big Picture on June 17, 2026, with a firm analogue switch-off date set for December 31, 2028.
The new framework introduces a hybrid broadcasting model that intelligently combines Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite delivery via NIGCOMSAT-1R, and Internet Protocol (IP)-based distribution.
By prioritising satellite technology, Nigeria leverages its sovereign satellite assets to significantly reduce dependence on expensive terrestrial transmission infrastructure. This approach is projected to accelerate digital television rollout by over 65 per cent while delivering near-instantaneous national coverage.
The Head of the Digital Switchover (DSO) unit and Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the NBC, Mrs Clementine Usman-Wamba, noted that the Ibadan session is the first of many planned across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
The Ibadan training directly addresses the technical demands of this hybrid ecosystem. Installers will be equipped with skills in satellite dish alignment for DTH, terrestrial antenna optimisation for DTT signals, and the configuration of hybrid reception devices.
Given the significant departure from analogue systems and earlier pilots, this sensitisation is essential to minimise installation errors, reduce service disruptions, and ensure that even households in rural and underserved communities can enjoy seamless access to superior digital broadcasts.
The FreeTV platform, built on open-standard DVB-S2 technology, will offer up to 100 free-to-air high-definition channels to an estimated 40 million television households across the country.
For terrestrial reception, Nigeria has adopted the advanced DVB-T2 standard with MPEG-4 AVC compression, which supports up to 20 channels per frequency—far more efficient than previous systems.
Consumers can access the service using affordable DVB-S2-compatible set-top boxes (priced between N15,000 and N25,000) or smart TVs with built-in DVB-T2 digital tuners.
Beyond technical excellence, the DSO represents a major national economic transformation project. The reallocation of broadcast spectrum (the “digital dividend”) will unlock new opportunities in telecommunications and broadband services. The advertising market is projected to expand by up to N605.2 billion, while local manufacturing and assembly of reception equipment is expected to generate over 20,000 jobs.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has introduced the Blue Economy Accelerator Programme, a strategic initiative to identify, nurture, and accelerate innovative startups that will contribute to the sustainable growth of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
The Blue Economy Accelerator Programme is aimed at attracting young, vibrant minds with innovative ideas capable of transforming Nigeria’s maritime ecosystem.
The Director-General of NIMASA, Mr Dayo Mobereola, said that through the initiative, participants will receive structured business development support, industry mentorship, and technical guidance to convert promising concepts into viable ventures that address critical challenges and opportunities within the blue economy.
“The programme reflects NIMASA’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the vision of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in unlocking the immense potential of the blue economy by empowering young innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology-driven enterprises. We at NIMASA want to provide a platform for investors to identify young talents and invest in them,” he said.
The NIMASA DG commended the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, for codifying the Marine and Blue Economy Policy as a clear roadmap for the sector’s development and also urged young Nigerians to embrace the programme, which has the potential to transform raw talents into big investments in the maritime sector.
Applications are open to startups and innovators developing solutions across several strategic sectors, including marine waste management and the blue circular economy; aquaculture And sustainable fisheries; maritime technology and logistics innovation; ocean energy including wave, tidal, and offshore renewable energy; marine tourism and coastal recreation; marine biotechnology such as, ocean data and analytics; green Shipping, including vessel decarbonization; smart port solutions; autonomous marine vehicles; biofouling prevention technologies; and coastal resilience through nature-based coastal defence solutions.
The first phase of the programme is expected to attract a minimum of 150 high-quality applications from within and outside the country, provided they are Nigerian citizens.
