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‘Sacking’ of Tosin Dokpesi, Other Directors Long Overdue—Chairman

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By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Chairman of DAAR Communications Plc, Mr Raymond Dokpesi (Jnr), has explained that the firm removed his stepmother, Mrs Tosin Dokpesi, and nine others as directors, saying the action was long overdue.

In an interview with The Sun, he disclosed that they should have stepped down from the position before his father’s death on May 29, 2023, because they had spent more than 10 years on the post, but the action was suspended because of “political turbulence.”

A few days ago, DAAR Communications, owners of AIT, Raypower and Faaji FM, confirmed that the affected directors would leave the media organisation on October 1, 2024.

The directors include Mr Tony Akiotu, Mr Ambrose Somide, Mr Anthony Uyah, Ms Paulyn Ugbodaga, Mrs Mary Lawrence-Dokpesi, Ms Faith Ikems, Mr Imoni Amarere, Mr John Iwarue and Mr Johnson Onime.

Speaking on the matter, Mr Dokpesi said, “I think the first thing to recognise is that it is not a personal decision to ask anyone to go.

“If I had it left to me, I would want to harness the experiences, the relationships and the skills that the existing management has for a little bit longer.

“But the reality of the matter is that we are a publicly listed company.

“We are the only publicly listed media company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (Nigerian Exchange ) and that means we are also bound by the Securities and Exchange Commission rules and the code of corporate governance is mandatory for all publicly listed companies.

“So, that means our responsibilities to our shareholders transcend personal choices or personal opinions.

“We have persons who are leaving the organisation after 27 years; we have people who are leaving after 22 years.

“The vast majority of this time, they have spent in executive management positions and yet, the code of corporate governance and our internal documents state we should only do a maximum of two terms of five years.

“So, their retirement is, in fact, long overdue.

“It was a decision which ought to have been made, even as far back as five, six, seven years ago.

“But as of that time, my dad was still alive, very present and very active and also, we were going through different political turbulence as far as our organisation is concerned.

“Nobody needs to be reminded of the history of the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration with reference to the treatment of AIT and our founder in particular.

“Notwithstanding, whatever you want to say about the incumbent administration, I think, to some large extent, they have shown their capacity for accommodation of all shades of opinions from public broadcasters.

“We don’t feel the heat and the intimidation of governments as we did a couple of years ago and the time is opportune and right as well for us to review where exactly we want to go, going forward from here.

“For me, and I think also for the vast majority of members of our board, the decision comes down to simply determining: Do we want to continue on our existing trajectory or do we want to do something differently?

“If we are looking at doing something differently, it means we have to subject ourselves to abide by the terms and conditions of extant laws and regulations to give the investing public confidence into our organisation and the administration and also to be able to attract the kinds of funds and investments we need to grow and expand beyond our existing programmes.”

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Nigerians Can Film Police on Duty—Court Declares

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By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, has affirmed the right of Nigerians to film personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on duty.

The judgment was given by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa on Tuesday in a case filed by Mr Maxwell Uwaifo in suit number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025.

The court held that Nigerians have the constitutional right to use any device to record police officers executing their official duties in public.

It was ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.

The court awarded the applicant N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and N2 million for the cost of litigation.

Business Post reports that the respondents in the case were the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPF, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The lawyer filed the case in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution of Nigeria and others.

“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria,” Mr Uwaifo said after the judgement.

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Lagos Consumes 30% of Total Power Off-Take in Nigeria—TCN

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By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The General Manager in charge of Transmission for Lagos Region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Adeshina Adeonipekun, has stressed the critical role of Lagos in the national grid.

While receiving the chief executive of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ms Wola Joseph Condotti, at his office on Monday, he said the Lagos region accounts for about 30 per cent of total power off-take in Nigeria.

He stated that TCN was implementing strategic expansion and project upgrades aimed at enhancing grid stability and operational efficiency in response to rising demand.

Mr Adeonipekun highlighted recent key milestones achieved in the region, including the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at the Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, a 300MVA transformer at the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation, and a 125MVA unit at the Agbara 132/33kV Substation, among others.

According to him, these additions have further increased the region’s installed capacity to 5,470MVA on the 132/33kV network and 4,110MVA on the 330/132kV network.

He further said that there were several ongoing rehabilitations at key substations within the region, including Amuwo GIS, Akoka 132/33kV, and Itire 132/33kV Transmission Substations, all geared towards further improving reliability, reducing system constraints, and enhancing the overall efficiency of power delivery.

In her remarks, Ms Condotti expressed appreciation for TCN’s continued partnership and support, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration between transmission and distribution companies in building a more stable and efficient electricity transmission and supply network.

Both parties explored ways to strengthen collaboration and ensure a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub.

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Anambra to Regain Economic Strength After End to Sit-at-Home—Soludo

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The Governor of Anambra, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, says the years-long sit-at-home is now a thing of the past in the state as it will bring back lost economic viability to the South East state.

The governor spoke on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term as the leader of the state, noting that security has improved in Anambra.

“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Reports say that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Mr Soludo said.

The second inauguration of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) witnessed eminent Nigerians, including ex-presidents Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, among others.

“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, it was not possible,” he said at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.

Primarily associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, the sit-at-home saw millions of South-East residents remain indoors, shut their businesses, and stay off the roads on Mondays. Initially, it was declared as a weekly protest (especially on Mondays) to demand the release of IPOB leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021 by the Federal Government and draw attention to the separatist cause.

The cause had significant socio-economic consequences in the South-East states like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

However, Mr Soludo referenced several milestones, including the destruction of criminal camps and the “mass return” of Anambra indigenes during the Yuletide, as evidence of improving security in the state.

“Some 62 criminal camps have been dismantled, and 8 local governments previously under total siege have been liberated,” the governor said.

“Anambra had its best Christmas season in decades last December with a mass return and over 10,000 visitors per day to the Solution City every day until the 10th of January.”

Part of the measures to address insecurity in Anambra was the Homeland Security Law 2025, a measure the governor said contributed to the reduction in criminality.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Soludo as the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State. The APGA candidate polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Mr Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.

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