General
Stakeholders Advocate Amendment of Lagos State Public Private Partnerships Law
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The need for the amendment of the Lagos State Public Private Partnerships Law 2011 to address certain gaps in the legislation has been emphasised by some stakeholders in the industry.
At an interactive session between the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (OPPP) and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly House Committee on PPP over the weekend, participants noted that “The PPP law should be amended to expand the circumstances where a project may be excluded from the OCB requirement and provide for the ability of private participants to submit unsolicited proposals.”
“The PPP law should clearly define what PPP is, clearly the scope of its law, and provide an exhaustive list of permitted and prohibited sectors where PPP is applicable to give clarity to investors.
“It is recommended the law is amended to provide for the nature of support that may be provided by procuring entities and to remove the restriction on the ability to provide guarantees for PPP projects.
“The law [should] be amended such that the PPP Office may have oversight functions in respect of the implementation of PPP projects within the state,” they posited.
Also, at the gathering, suggestions on ways to further strengthen the PPP structure in the state with a view to delivering greater value, impacting more people, and improving the service delivery efficiency of the PPP Office were given.
They submitted that ensuring value for money expended on PPP projects was the responsibility of the OPPP, House Committee, and the private equity investors, calling on all stakeholders in a PPP arrangement to understand the requirements of PPP, including project financing from the beginning to the end.
“The major role of the OPPP is to provide a global view of making decisions and quantifying guarantees; ensuring value for money expended on projects is the major responsibility of the OPPP, House Committee, and the private partner.
“The public sector should avoid over-influencing projects (subsidising) and focus more on the value that the project will offer.
“Quantifying the cost of a PPP project cannot be easily estimated from inception; hence it is important for all stakeholders to be fully informed of the demands and dynamics of the project before delving into PPP,” they stated.
They also noted that dealing with macroeconomic issues will create a long-term effect on PPP projects and recommended that risks registered on projects should be strictly considered, including the advance determination of which party can best influence or take liability for the consequences of unforeseen risks.
“Once the risks have been identified, there has to be risks mapping; hence risk identification, allocation, and mitigation become necessary,” they said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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