General
Sanwo-Olu’s Nominees Rejected for Poor Performance—Obasa
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, has hinted that the state parliament failed to confirm 17 of the persons nominated as Commissioners by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu because they did not perform well in their first term in office between 2019 and 2023.
He said this on Monday while reacting to comments made by critics that the Lagos Assembly rejected the nominees because of an alleged in-fighting between the executive and the legislative arms of government.
However, he noted that the House would not be forced to spill some secrets to the public, warning those “living in glass houses…to be careful.”
He emphasised that the parliament would not be intimidated to carry out its constitutional role, submitting that if the rejected nominees “have not done well, we have right to say no and we have said no.”
“We don’t want instigations and conflicts; the executive and the House are working together; we are brothers and colleagues; we will continue to work together, but we need to caution fourth columnists not to instigate crisis,” Mr Obasa stressed.
As regards the rejection of the former Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Ababyomi, the visibly angry Speaker said considerations went beyond his efforts in the fight against COVID-19, which he described as an isolated issue in the challenged health sector of the state.
“Before Prof Abayomi, there were Leke Pitan, Dr Jide Idris and others. COVID-19 was an isolated case that was considered. Before COVID-19, we had Ebola which was also taken care of under Babatunde Fashola.
“Beyond all these, we are the representatives of the people, their mouthpieces, eyes and ears. The health sector of Lagos is not just about COVID-19. We have general hospitals and other healthcare centres around the State. What can be said about them?
“Before Engineer Aramide Adeyoye, we also had Engineer Ganiyu Johnson and Dr Obafemi Hamzat as Commissioner for Works and under whom the Ikoyi-Victoria Island link bridge was built while Babatunde Fashola was Governor. Under Bola Tinubu as Governor, there was a massive infrastructural development too.
“So, we must stop making allusions concerning some things we do not understand. They mentioned the former Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho and his experience, but how about actions in office?” Mr Obasa asked.
He said the civil society groups, which are threatening to protest the action of the parliament, have the right to do so but maintained that “we are not going to be threatened or intimidated. We have said no, but if there is a convincing or germane reason for us to reverse our decision, we will, but not by threats.”
He stressed that the House is not at loggerheads with the Governor, describing Mr Sanwo-Olu as his “brother and colleague in the Lagos project and service to the people of our state.”
“The Governor and I have been around in the system for a long time. While he was SA to the former Deputy Governor, Femi Pedro, I was in this House as the Chairman of the House Committee on Rural Development.
“He was SA on Establishment and Pensions, and I was the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts (Local Governments).
“While he was heading LSDPC, I was Chairman of the House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget. Then, I became the Speaker, and when he became the Governor, I remained the Speaker. So, it’s been a long journey together,” he stated.
Recall that after he was sworn in as Governor of Lagos State for a second term of four years in office, Mr Sanwo-Olu forwarded the names of 39 persons to the House for screening and confirmation as Commissioners.
However, last week, the state legislative arm of the government cleared 22 and rejected 17. It did not explain the reason for this action until yesterday after the Lagos Assembly came under criticism from members of the public.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has said it would continue the probe of a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Ahmed Farouk, despite the withdrawal of the petition by Mr Aliko Dangote.
The agency said it had received a “notice of withdrawal” of the petition against Mr Ahmed, submitted by a legal counsel to the petitioner.
Recall that Mr Dangote had alleged that Mr Ahmed, a public servant, spent over $7 million in public funds on the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland, allegedly paying fees upfront for a period of six years.
In December, the businessman demanded the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of the former MD for allegedly living above his means as a public servant.
In the petition, Mr Dangote listed the children and their schools in Switzerland, including the amount paid for each of them to establish his allegations and verification by the anti-graft agency.
Mr Ahmed denied the allegations, describing them as “wild and spurious”.
The ex-NMDPRA boss has since resigned from his position, prompting a withdrawal of the petition by the businessman.
However, the ICPC said in line with the provisions of sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling law, it would continue to investigate the matter in line with its statutory mandate and in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption for the benefit of Nigeria.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is in receipt of a letter dated January 5, 2026, titled “Notice of Withdrawal of Petition against Engineer Farouk Ahmed,” submitted to the Commission by Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN and Associates, legal counsel to Alhaji Aliko Dangote,” a statement by the spokesperson of the commission, Mr J. Okor Odey, partly read.
“The letter from O. J. Onoja SAN, states that the petitioner has withdrawn the petition dated 16 December, 2025, submitted against Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the immediate past ACE/CEO of the NMDPRA, in its entirety, and that another law enforcement agency has taken over.
“The ICPC wishes to state categorically that, in line with the provisions of sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, the investigations in the interest of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian state have already commenced and are presently ongoing,” the statement added.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Sim Fubara.
The exercise commenced on Thursday and if successful, it would see the removal of Mr Fubara from office by the state parliament.
This is coming less than less than four months after he was restored as the Governor of the oil-rich state from a six-month suspension on democracy in the state.
In March 2025, President Bola Tinubu suspected Mr Fubara and the Rivers State House of Assembly over political tension between the Governor and his predecessor, Mr Nyesom Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.
A peace deal was reportedly brokered by Mr Tinubu between Mr Fubara and Mr Wike but things fell apart a few months after.
The Rivers Assembly is populated by loyalists of Mr Wike and has lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
A few weeks ago, the Governor decamped from the PDP to the APC, in a move described as a masterstroke because it was calculated that it would free Mr Fubara from the grip of Mr Wike, who has been expelled from the PDP but yet to join the APC.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The petition filed by Mr Aliko Dangote to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the former chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed, has been withdrawn.
The businessman had accused Mr Ahmed of using his office to enrich himself and living above his means.
According Mr Dangote, the former NMDPRA chief spent about $7 million belonging to Nigerians for the primary education of his four children in Switzerland.
In the heat of this, Mr Ahmed resigned from the position, with the ICPC promising to further look into the matter.
It was gathered that the owner of the Lagos-based Dangote Petroleum Refinery has withdrawn his petition against Mr Ahmed from the ICPC because a similar complaint is already being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ICPC, in a statement signed by its Head of Media and Public Communications, Mr John Okor Odey, on Wednesday said, “The ICPC is in receipt of a letter dated January 5, 2025, titled ‘Notice of Withdrawal of Petition against Engineer Farouk Ahmed’, submitted to the commission by Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN and Associates, legal counsel to Aliko Dangote.
“The letter states that the petitioner has withdrawn the petition dated December 16, 2025, submitted against Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the immediate past ACE/CEO of the NMDPRA, in its entirety, and that another law enforcement agency has taken over.
“The ICPC wishes to state categorically that, in line with the provisions of Sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, investigations in the interest of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian state have already commenced and are presently ongoing.
“The ICPC will therefore continue to investigate this matter in line with its statutory mandate and in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption for the benefit of Nigeria.”
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