Author: TheLagosianMagazine

By Peter Omopo  Lafia | July 22, 2025 — A High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Ahmadu Yaro to 21 years in prison for the defilement of a three-month-old baby, an act described by the presiding judge as “barbaric” and an assault on society’s moral conscience. The judgment, delivered on Monday by the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Aisha Mohammed Bashir, brings to a close a five-year trial that began in 2020, when the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) arrested Yaro in the Adogi community of Lafia Local Government Area. Yaro was charged under case file NSD/LF191c/2020…

By Peter Omopo  Nsukka | July 22, 2025 — The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) will confer First Class Honours on 167 students at its 54th convocation ceremony, scheduled to take place later this week. This was announced on Tuesday during a press briefing held at the university’s Enugu campus, where the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oguejiofor Ujam, revealed that a total of 9,821 students will graduate with first degrees and diplomas. “These figures reflect the dedication and hard work of our students, as well as the commitment of our faculty and staff,” Ujam told journalists. The breakdown of the graduating…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja | July 22, 2025 — Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, has announced plans to challenge the National Assembly’s refusal to allow her return to the Senate, despite a subsisting court order nullifying her suspension. Speaking to journalists on Tuesday after being barred from entering the National Assembly complex, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the Senate’s action as a “clear contempt of court,” accusing Senate President Godswill Akpabio of disregarding the Nigerian Constitution. “Akpabio cannot be greater than the Nigerian Constitution. The legitimacy I hold as a senator was given to me by the people of Kogi, not by…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja | July 22, 2025 — Parents of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 have expressed sorrow over the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari, while urging the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to secure the release of the 87 girls still missing. In a statement issued Tuesday and signed by Yana Galang and Zannah Mohammed on behalf of the Association of the Parents of the Missing Chibok Girls, the families acknowledged Buhari’s role in facilitating the release of 103 girls during his presidency — the highest number recovered under any Nigerian administration. “When…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja | July 22, 2025 — Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has warned that no new large-scale refineries are likely to be developed in Africa unless governments across the continent dismantle entrenched rent-seeking interests in the petroleum sector through decisive political will. Speaking at the Global Commodity Insights Conference on West Africa’s refined fuel market — jointly organized by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and S&P Global Commodity Insights in Abuja — Dangote identified systemic corruption, offshore fuel dumping, and powerful international trading cartels as major…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja | July 22, 2025 — In a renewed effort to strengthen the integrity of Nigeria’s police recruitment process, the Police Service Commission (PSC) has sought the collaboration of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to conduct drug integrity tests on prospective police recruits. The proposal was presented on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by PSC Chairman, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Hashimu Argungu, to NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. Argungu emphasized the importance of ensuring that only drug-free and mentally fit individuals…

By Peter Omopo  Bauchi | July 22, 2025 — Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, on Tuesday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation and remodelling of the Bauchi State House of Assembly complex—a landmark project valued at ₦7.8 billion. The governor described the initiative as a critical investment to revamp the legislative arm’s infrastructure, which had remained largely untouched for nearly two decades. The project is expected to be completed within 12 months. “This complex has not seen any significant renovation in almost 20 years,” Governor Mohammed said at the event. “We are committed to providing a conducive and…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 22, 2025 — The Federal Government has announced plans to fully transition the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an inspection of a pilot NECO CBT SSCE held at Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday. He confirmed that starting next year, all WAEC and NECO exams—both objective and essay components—will be conducted exclusively at accredited CBT centres. “This marks the beginning of the end for paper-based school exams,” Alausa declared.…

By Peter Omopo Abuja, July 21, 2025 — The Senate has approved a comprehensive borrowing plan embedded in the 2025 Appropriation Act, unlocking funding for critical sectors of the economy and solidifying revenue streams to finance the national budget. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Olamilekan Adeola, confirmed during plenary that the loan requests had already been factored into the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the 2025 budget. “The borrowing is already embedded in the 2025 Appropriation Act. With this approval, we now have all revenue sources, including loans, in place to fully fund the budget,” Adeola stated.…

By Peter Omopo  Abuja, July 21, 2025 — A major milestone in Nigeria’s power sector is set to be achieved as the 1,250-megawatt power plant developed by billionaire businessman, Dr. Deji Adeleke, has been completed and is now ready for commissioning. Sources close to the project confirmed that the final step is the plant’s integration into the national gas supply grid. Once operational, the facility will stand among the largest privately driven power projects in Nigeria’s history, significantly expanding the country’s electricity generation capacity. The plant is expected to deliver a substantial boost to the national grid, offering new hope…