Author: TheLagosianMagazine

By Peter Omopo  Former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has raised alarm over the declining integrity of the legal profession in the country, warning that it is crumbling under the weight of corruption, ethical misconduct, and resistance to change. Speaking on Friday at the 2025 Law Week Plenary Session of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa Branch, held at the Nigerian Content Tower in Bayelsa State, Osinbajo lamented the deepening perception of corruption within the judiciary and legal practice. “The legal profession is crumbling under the weight of corruption, ethical violations, and poor standards,” Osinbajo said. “Stories of…

By Peter Omopo  The Federal Government, 36 states, and 774 local government councils have shared a total of N1.681 trillion as revenue from the Federation Account for April 2025, marking a 6.5% increase from the N1.578 trillion distributed in March. This was announced on Friday in a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa. The allocation was finalized at the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja. According to the breakdown, the total distributable revenue consisted of N962.88 billion from statutory revenue, N598.08 billion…

By Peter Omopo  President Bola Tinubu on Friday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritizing education and healthcare as essential pillars of national development during a meeting with the newly crowned 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade I, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The President also emphasized the pivotal role of traditional institutions in Nigeria’s progress and called for greater collaboration between the government and royal fathers to effectively implement policies that directly impact citizens. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Tinubu congratulated the Alaafin…

By Peter Omopo  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that ignoring poverty in Africa is akin to sitting on a “gunpowder keg,” urging leaders across the continent to prioritize education, security, and effective governance in the fight against hunger and poverty. Speaking in Lagos on Friday at the Dele Momodu Leadership Lecture titled “How to End Hunger and Poverty in Africa”, Obasanjo pointed to China’s achievement in lifting over 700 million people out of poverty as a model worth emulating. “Before we talk about food, security is key,” the former president said, stressing that without peace and safety, efforts to…

By Peter Omopo  The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Gombe Branch, has condemned the recent closure of the Gombe Division of the Court of Appeal and the transfer of all pending cases to the newly established Maiduguri Division in Borno State, citing heightened security risks in the region. In a resolution issued after an emergency virtual meeting held on Friday, the branch described the move as “unjust and illogical,” warning that it endangers legal practitioners and litigants who must now travel through volatile areas. The resolution, jointly signed by NBA Gombe Chairman, Benjamin Sati, and Secretary, Abdulmutallib Babawuro, noted that the…

By Peter Omopo  Nigeria’s electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (eMC+) system has received high praise from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which described it as a model for regional integration, transparency, and digital innovation in the extractive sector. A delegation of ECOWAS technical experts made the commendation on Friday during a high-level visit to the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) in Abuja. The team lauded Nigeria’s web-based mineral title management system as an exemplary platform that could be replicated across the West African region. Leader of the delegation and regional mining systems coordinator, William Badieo, said Nigeria’s digitised approach…

By Peter Omopo  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday presented two key witnesses in the ongoing trial of a former Deputy Director of Highways at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Olowoniyan, and a surveyor, Sulaiman Muhammed, over the alleged diversion of N1.9 billion in public funds. The trial, which is before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, involves a three-count charge bordering on the misappropriation of N1,936,961,649.00 allocated for acquiring land titles for federal roads between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020. The EFCC, in a statement…

By Peter Omopo  Political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, said on Friday that a group of Nigerians is mobilising 500 lawyers to defend him in court following a suit filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his alleged plans to form a “shadow government.” Utomi made the disclosure in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS.” The DSS had earlier filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking a declaration that Utomi’s proposed shadow government was…

By Peter Omopo  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former contractor with the Kaduna State Government, Bashir Bello Ibrahim, over an alleged N30 billion fraud involving multiple fictitious contracts and impersonation. In a statement released on Friday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the EFCC said Ibrahim, the Chief Executive Officer of Formal Act Legacy Limited, was apprehended by operatives from the Kaduna Zonal Directorate following the receipt of no fewer than 251 petitions from victims. The petitions accuse Ibrahim of impersonating a consultant for all 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, as well…

By Peter Omopo  The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, has announced that the College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna (CPESK), owned by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), is nearing full completion and will soon be inaugurated. Ekpo gave the update on Friday during an inspection tour of the college located along the Kaduna–Zaria Expressway, behind the Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex. He noted that the facility has reached 90 percent completion, with final touches expected to be concluded in the coming days. “This project was at about 60 percent completion when this administration came…