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Sanwo-Olu’s development agenda for Lagos

Published

6 years ago

April 30, 2020

At the outset, the perception of many Lagosians about the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration was not entirely a positive one. Based on the performance of his predecessors in office since 1999, Lagosians were not convinced that he could step onto their shoes.

Given the mountain of work in all sectors in Lagos somehow Governor Sanwo-Olu’s gentle mien did not fit into the mold of a performer in the eyes of some residents.

But, almost one year after, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos has once again proved critics wrong.

Since the inception of the administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu has been working quietly in several sectors; to continue from where his immediate processor in office, Akinwinmi Ambode stopped, and also to initiate new policies to up the ante in the development of Lagos.

Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat recently unfolded some of the blueprints of the administration, sector by sector, in an interview with the editorial team of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

In the education sector, for instance, Dr. Hamzat said the administration has embarked on a policy reform, which is dubbed ‘Eko Excel’, the state is re-engineering its teaching methods and also adopting a holistic approach to tackling challenges in the sector, to bring out the best in the pupils.

He said: “We started with 300 schools. What that means is that all the primary school teachers will have a tablet that allows them to concentrate on teaching so that they do not need to do all the teachers note that needs to be done and schedule of work.

We have trained them in knowing the essence of teaching. Just changing the essence of teaching and even how they talk to the children/address them. Even if a child does something wrong, there are ways of correcting them.

“Around the world, the focus has always been on the provision of equipment for the classrooms and to have a great classroom for learning but those things don’t teach children as it does not mean the children will come out well. You might have a great classroom but it does not make anything.

So over time, what the state government has done is to focus on the teachers as they are the common denominators. It means we must concentrate on the teachers. They are the common denominator.

“After six years the children will go but the teachers remain over and over again. So we realise that the best thing to do is to concentrate on the teachers, their welfare, skills, their training and the way they approach it. That is what Eko Excel is doing.”

The deputy governor said it is too early to assess the impact of the scheme. He added: “In two to three years’ time, we would see how the teaching method has changed. We would see how it has affected the culture of our education, the children and everything.

We would also be able to gather information better through the equipment that will help us to geo-reference. So, we can know, for instance, in class 4A in Agidingbi Primary School, 20 students came to class or 21 children came at 9 am. – so why are they coming to school late? Is it that they are living far from school?

“All this information will help us to plan well. Also, it has helped us in monitoring the time the teachers resume work.

Also, if a teacher is coming late to school, why is it so? For example, a teacher teaching in Ikorodu and living in Oworonshoki, so why can’t we just move the teacher to around the place he or she lives for convenience and good delivery on the job.

“We are also finding out that some schools have only seven children while in some schools they have up to 60. So it tells us that in some cases, maybe we are building in the wrong places.

So, maybe we need to build more classes in such areas because, in some local governments, the number of children in school is extremely small compared to some others.”

Another component of Eko Excel, the deputy governor said, would address malnutrition among school children. He said primary education is the foundation of development and that it is important to fix it.

He said studies show that 52 per cent of children under five years of age in the northern part of the country are malnourished. He said in the south the percentage is about 20.

Hamzat said while it is necessary to build roads, provide amenities and other things that it is equally important to take care of the younger population by addressing malnutrition among children between the ages of zero to five because, as doctors have told us, this is the time the brain develops.

He said: “So we have a committee on nutrition and also a department on nutrition but what is surprising is that study shows that it is not the children of the poor that are mostly malnourished. The children of the rich and middle class can actually be malnourished as well if they are not eating right because as children they like to eat anything.

“If we can reduce that number, it would be a fantastic achievement even though it is not something that people like to talk about but the impact will be good because we would now build children that are healthy and intelligent thereby the future of our country will be secured.”

On the health, he said the Lagos State Government has increased the budget to the sector by almost 70 per cent and are planning to build new hospitals across the state.

He said: “We want to make sure that every part of Lagos is covered in terms of healthcare delivery services. For instance, we are planning to build a General Hospital in Ojo; that axis doesn’t seem to have any at the moment. We are also planning to build a spinal injury hospital somewhere in Gbagada.

We are also getting people to help us design as we have been made to understand that a lot of our General Hospitals needs to be redesigned.

“For example, you go to UCH, Ibadan at night without air conditioner (AC) you feel cold because of the architectural design. It is designed so that air can pass through… that is cross ventilation. We have gotten people that design hospitals for the tropics.”

Hamzat said the government is not just interested in building new structures, but building ones that are easier to maintain and allows for ventilation.

He added: “Part of the challenge in most hospitals is that you go for the treatment of one ailment and later get infected with another thing.

So these are the questions we asked our medical team. We are not medical doctors but we know these things happen. So, we are redesigning our hospitals.”

On the hardship imposed on residents by the ban on commercial motorcycle and tricycle operators, otherwise known as Okada and Keke by the government, Dr. Hamzat said the underlying motive behind the policy is to reduce accidents on the roads and thereby preserve the lives of Lagosians.

He said: “The most important thing for us is that people must be alive before they can do anything. When life is lost, then there is really nothing else. It’s the dead end.

So for us what is important is how do we secure this society? There are details and information that the government sometimes has that you can’t even share with citizens because they won’t be able to sleep if you divulge such information.”

The deputy governor said critics of the policy have been insisting that alternatives ought to have been put in place before the ban came into effect.

He said: “But, I disagree because it will have been too late if we delayed further; if we failed to secure the lives of our children we will be very irresponsible. That is why it was restricted in certain areas where we saw the upsurge.”

On the menace of members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) on Lagos roads, the deputy governor said the challenge is that it is a national union recognised by law.

He said like the Association of Academic Union of Universities (ASUU), there are many things that members of the union do that the state government does not support, “but as a union recognised by law in our country, we will keep engaging them in dialogue.”

He said: “Whether we like it or not, they have some roles that they play in the transportation sector because you know what, the transportation sector is not something that private people go into without subsidy from government all over the world.

But they are doing it without such assistance, so we must find a way to make it better for them and for us as a people. The engagement must continue for us to have a peaceful society.”

The deputy governor spoke extensively on the traffic gridlock in Lagos, attributing it, for the most part, to the breakdown of vehicles, which impede the free flow of traffic.

The Lagos number two citizen also attributed the traffic gridlock to ongoing road constructions in various parts of the city. He said: “For instance, at Ojota, we are replacing the whole stretch of Ikorodu Road with concrete. At Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, we are also doing concrete.

The problem is that on that corridor, we are doing 300 metres every day but it takes 14 days to execute it properly.

So, because it takes 14 days, no vehicle can pass within those number days. It means that for a long time, that corridor would continue to experience traffic while the project is ongoing. a challenge about there.

“In fact, it is one of the reasons that we are talking to the company that maybe we should use reinforced bitumen rather than concrete, particularly as the construction work approaches Oworonshoki.”

Alaka, he added, is also experiencing a similar traffic gridlock because of the expansion project also ongoing there, it is a problem.

Because a lot of these things are happening, there will be (gridlock). “But, I think it is better to do it once and in another six or seven months, everybody will be okay,” he added.

Hamzat said the administration is taking advantage of the body of water that surrounds Lagos, by developing water transport. He said 14 boats were recently purchased and are being used to convey people in a most comfortable way.

He urged many residents along the coastal line to take advantage of the waterways to get to their destinations, and thereby reduce pressure on the roads.

His words: “We need the water not just to farm but also for transportation. The Lagos State Government just procured those 14 new boats. The beauty of it is that all those boats were built in Nigeria. Of course, we brought the engine, but we have been able to build that capacity to build boats.”

Hamzat said Lagos deserves a special status because of the nature of the responsibilities it is shouldering within the Nigerian federation. He said the state is pursuing it through a bill on the floor of the Senate initiated by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

He said: “We are pushing it; maybe we are going about it in a different way. It might not be in the newspapers. It is by talking to everybody that is involved in the process. It is really going on but in a different way. If something is not working in a particular way, you try another approach.”

On the perceived heavy borrowing in Lagos and the debt profile, he said there is no way the government can meet up with the huge infrastructural deficit without borrowing. He said: “There is a musician in Epe in the 1970s; he is dead now.

His name is Ligali Mukaiva; he was not educated, but he said something profound that has stuck to my memory since. I was in primary school then.

The man sang a song that any businessman that doesn’t use other people’s money will not succeed. So, the reality is, where do you get resources to build for today?

“I remember during Asiwaju Tinubu’s government when they took a bond of 15 billion. The opposition said Oh; he has mortgaged the lives of the young people.

That loan has been paid. During BRF government, we took 375 billion bonds, that bond has been paid. Without that, we cannot build the Lekki Link Bridge.”

He said Lagos gets only N8 billion or N9 billion monthly from federal allocation. “By the time you pay salaries, you only have N1 billion left. What can you do with N1 billion? So, the reality is, how do you source the find for infrastructural development?” he said.

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Nigeria’s ‘Fake’ Agency Exposed: Meet Director, 20 State Coordinators, China, US Representatives

Published

13 hours ago

August 22, 2026

NewsThumb Magz

The alleged fake National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office had a structure spanning several states and two foreign countries, with an acclaimed national coordinator, zonal directors, state coordinators and representatives in China and the United States,

A check by our correspondent on Saturday found that the office’s website listed Hon. Nwabueze George as its “Executive Director, National Coordinator,” alongside a director of national administration, three zonal directors, 20 state coordinators and representatives for the United States and China.

Recall that the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Musa Aliyu, disclosed on Friday that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the immediate arrest of George Nwabueze, identified by the commission as “the promoter” of the alleged fake office.

Tinubu also ordered the immediate suspension of three permanent secretaries — M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare and Richard P. Pheelangwah — following the discovery of the office, which the ICPC said it had been allocated space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation without presidential authorisation.

The ICPC said the promoter was also found to have operated under several variations of his name, including George Nathan Nwabueze, George Nwabueze, George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze.

Nwabueze and Zonal directors

The website listed Nwabueze as the “Executive Director, National Coordinator.”

It also listed Dr Bassey B. Unaowo as “Special Assistant to the Permanent Secretary on Political and Economic Affairs, OSGF”; Dr Hajara Njidda Amoni as Director, National Administration; Mr Oladunjoye Musiliua as Zonal Director, South-West; Hafsat Sahabi Dange as Zonal Director, North; and Mrs Ugochi Akudo Nwosu as Zonal Director, South-East.

Made in Nigeria Zonal Directors
Made in Nigeria Zonal Directors. Credit: website
The website also claimed that the project operated under the OSGF. Its framework page described the project as being overseen by the Permanent Secretary, Political and Economic Affairs, in the OSGF.

However, this claimed government connection is significant in light of the ICPC’s finding that the office was operating without presidential authorisation.

20 state coordinators
The website listed the following as state coordinators:

Katsina: Dr Babangida Kabir Ruma
Kaduna: Hon. Abdulhaleem Ishaq Ringim
Delta: Hon. Dr Godwin Adolor
Kebbi: Hussaini Abdullahi, Esq., FSI
Osun: Hon. Olugbemi Adetola Adelowokan
Anambra: Hon. Chiamaka Nnake
Nasarawa: Hon. Osolafia Muhammed, PhD
Plateau: Mrs Salome Audu Bidda
Benue: Hon. Orduen Andrew Ikon
Ondo: Amb. Orioye G. Benedict
Ogun: Hon. Engr. Kehinde Akintonide, FNSE
Sokoto: Hon. Ibrahim Umar Aliyu
Abia: Hon. Mrs Nwosu Chinyere R.
Zamfara: Hon. Ibrahim Bello Marafa
Niger: Haj. Zainab Mohammed
Kano: Hon. Abubakar Ahmad Bichi (Khalifa)
Taraba: Hon. Justin Aondoaseer Tyopuusu
Oyo: Alhaji Bello Kolawole Ghaffar, FCA
Bauchi: Hon. Farouq Siyi
Kogi: Hon. Olorukooba Bidemi

Made in Nigeria state coordinators. Credit: website

Newsthumb check also found indications that some of those listed had previously held public positions or had links to established political, governmental or community structures in their respective states.

Another fake agency! FG suspends three perm secs, orders arrest

Made in Nigeria state coordinators. Credit: website

Made in Nigeria state coordinators. Credit: website
In Taraba, Tyopuusu has been identified in recent reports as a Special Assistant to Governor Agbu Kefas on Digital Economy, while serving as the state coordinator of the Made in Nigeria Special Project.

Made in Nigeria state coordinators. Credit: website

Their inclusion on the website does not, by itself, establish that they were aware that the organisation had allegedly lacked government authorisation.

Efforts made so far to reach the management of the acclaimed agency is abortive as of the time of filing the report as all three phone numbers on its website are switched off. Message sent to the acclaimed national cordinator by our correspondent has not been replied.

Reps in US, China

The website also listed Hon. Emmanuel Enemali Achema as “Country Rep./Coordinator, U.S.A.” and Hon. Ameh Enedugbojo Glory as “Country Rep./Coordinator, China.”

Made in Nigeria country reps. Credit: website
The claimed international structure was presented alongside the state and zonal network as part of the organisation’s purported nationwide and international operations.

The office’s website described its activities as including trade exhibitions, economic forums, promotion of Nigerian products and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, claim ICPC disputed.

The development is the latest in an investigation into purported fictitious government bodies.

The ICPC had previously identified the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and two other alleged fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

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APC Unveils 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, Yari Emerges DG, Uzodimma Secretary – Onanuga

Published

14 hours ago

August 22, 2026

NewsThumb Magz

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima will serve as chairman and vice chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, according to the list released Saturday morning.

Party Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda will also serve as vice chairman, while former Zamfara State governor Senator Abdulaziz Yari will serve as the director-general of the campaign.

Governor Hope Uzodimma will serve as secretary of the campaign council. APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru and Hadiza Bala-Usman will serve as deputy and assistant secretaries.

The chairman of the campaign Council, President Tinubu, will work with a body of advisers comprising Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Segun Osoba, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and Senator Florence Ita Giwa.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abass, and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State have been assigned as deputy director-generals for the campaign in the south and the north. They will work with Senator Bamidele Opeyemi and Senator Jibril Barau in the two zones.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole will serve as deputy director-general in charge of mobilisation, while the President’s Chief of Staff will serve as deputy director-general for administration.

James Abiodun Faleke, who played a pivotal role in the 2022/2023 campaign, has returned as deputy director-general for election planning, coordination and monitoring.

Faleke will work with zonal directors, with Senator Olushola Adeyeye in the South West, Dr Ngozi Olejeme in the South South, Senator Uche Ekwunife in the South East, Muntaqha Rabe in the North West, Ahmed Muhammed Ketso in the North Central, and Senator Sani Danladi in the North East.

Ms Stella Okotete, Engineer Abdullahi Garba Ramat and Audu Maikori will serve as secretaries of the election planning directorate.

Muiz Adeyemi Banire will lead the legal directorate as director, with Dr Liman Hassan and Babatunde Ogala as deputies. Other members are Prince Lateef Fagbemi, former governor Ibrahim Shema, Worgu Boms and Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, will serve as the coordinating director for media and Strategic Communication, along with Dele Alake, Bayo Onanuga, and Lanre Issa-Onilu. The media directorate also includes Tunde Rahman, Sunday Dare, Daniel Bwala, and Felix Morka, who have been assigned as coordinating deputy directors.

Abdulaziz AbdulAziz will work with three others, Temitope Ajayi, Arabinrin Aderonke, and Frederick Nwabufor, as coordinating secretaries of the media directorate. Segun Dada will serve as Director, New Media, the same role he performed in 2022. Solomon Arowolo will serve as Secretary, New Media.

The campaign has also appointed five spokespersons, led by Dele Alake. Other spokespersons are Alwan Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda.

President Tinubu has charged all council members to work tirelessly to deliver victory for the party in the January 2027 elections. He has also encouraged the leaders of the various directorates to reach out to other party members who may not have been formally listed to join their crucial efforts.

“We have delivered on our campaign promises and set our country on a path of economic progress. We are definitely out of the dark tunnel and are now at the cusp of reaping the benefits of a prosperous economy that will benefit all Nigerians. As we march into the campaign season, we have many achievements to trumpet—let us confidently showcase our record and inspire hope in every corner of our nation. Let us soundly defeat all those forces who plan to take our country backwards.”

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BREAKING: Fake Agency Scandal: Tinubu Suspends Three Perm Secs, Orders Arrest

Published

1 day ago

August 21, 2026

NewsThumb Magz

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate arrest of one George Buchi Nwabueze and the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

They include M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday after briefing the President for the second time in two days, following an earlier meeting on Thursday.

Aliyu said the newly uncovered fake office, operating under the name “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office,” had been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the OSGF, contrary to extant laws and without presidential authorisation.

He said, “Upon further briefing by ICPC to Mr President on the ongoing investigations into the fake Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and procedural weaknesses in the public service, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has uncovered another fake agency and office operating under the name National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office, which has been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Aliyu said.

He said the discovery emerged in the course of the commission’s broader investigation, as earlier directed by President Tinubu, and identified the promoter of the fake office as one Prince George Buchi Nwabueze, who was found to be operating under multiple aliases.

“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The promoter was discovered to also operate under four other variations of his name: George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze,” Aliyu said.

He revealed that the ICPC had engaged the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to ascertain vital information relating to the fake office under investigation, and had comprehensively briefed the President on the new developments.

“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.

Aliyu said following the discovery, “Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries; M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.

Friday’s development is the latest in a scandal that began with the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, is currently facing prosecution on charges of forgery and impersonation.

The ICPC’s interim report, submitted to the President on August 6 after a 30-day investigation, had earlier disclosed the existence of two other fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the fourth fake agency uncovered after the PFIFC scandal since early April.

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