News
Lagos Assembly Goes Tough On 57 Councils, Mandates 1 Project Per Quarter

Worried over unimpressive development at the grassroots, Lagos State House of Assembly, has mandated
local government chairmen of 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs in the state to complete at least a developmental project within every quarter of the four year term.
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, who gave the marching order, said chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and other top officials of the 57 councils in Lagos State would henceforth, face strict monitoring to make them meet the yearnings and aspirations of their people.
Obasa, at separate meetings with the council chairmen, vice chairmen, councillors and senior staff of the councils in Lagos recently, said reports available to the House have shown that some of the council chairmen have not met the expectations of their people, so far.
According to Eromosele Ebhomele, the Media Assistant to the speaker, Obasa warned that the house would no longer be business as usual in the councils as the Assembly will now ensure strict compliance to serving the interests of the people.
The speaker frowned at the aloofness that those set of public office holders have exhibited at that level of government to the detriment of the expectations of residents.
Obasa, who noted that council officials in Lagos were the only ones with four-year term in Nigeria, stressed that “it is disheartening how some of these chairmen personalise monthly allocations while their communities are crying for infrastructure and other forms of developmental initiatives.
“I wonder how you sleep with your eyes closed while your council cannot even build and equip a good maternity centre. You can’t justify the fact that in six months, there is no meaningful project done by you in your community.
“Some councils have no single project for over two years, you treat the vice chairmen and councillors like they must be subservient even when you are going astray. Some of your councillors have not received official vehicles up till now.
“Some of your councils do not have legislative chambers, meaning that the councillors have not been holding sittings. How then do you get approvals for the money you spend?
“We are aware of how some of these councils go ahead to borrow money up to nine-digit figures without approvals or due process and how they lease council property without caution. We won’t allow these to happen again.
“It is now strictly going to be true governance at the grassroots level. If you don’t develop your communities, where would you fall back to when you leave office? How would the people see you?” The Speaker asked while urging the councillors to up their effectiveness.
Obasa maintained that having a well-equipped maternity centre in every ward of the local governments for residents to easily access healthcare is not impossible. He also enjoined the chairmen to embark on creation of parks and gardens in their local government councils and areas for the well-being of the people.
Going forward, he said, each council chairman must adopt “a policy that every quarter, there must be something to show that you are truly in office. Let there be something to commission.
“If you’re to construct a road, it shouldn’t be one that would last for a month or a year. It should be something that would make people pray for you each time they pass through it. Let’s truly serve our people.”
He warned the chairmen, the council managers and treasurers against constituting themselves into a power bloc that runs the councils without inputs from vice chairmen and councillors, who are supposed to issue approvals for spending and projects.
“We are here today to talk to each other. This is no witch-hunt. But I want you to always ask yourselves if you have been doing well for the people who voted you into office. How well have you been treating your vice chairmen, councillors and staff too?
“Some of you were vice chairmen before and you bitterly complained about your chairmen. Now that you are chairmen, what have you done to change what you complained about? How have you bettered those working with you? How have you changed the lives of your councillors?
“You need to have the fear of God and treat the people around you right. We (my colleagues and I) seriously made efforts, passed through a lot to amend the law for your benefits and to make you stay in office for four years. You need to think about the public and how to touch them.
“The best way to handle your office is to touch lives and do things that would make people speak well of you later in life. We have not asked you for money. All we are saying is that you do things for the progress of our state.
“The governor of our state cannot do it all alone. You are, therefore, supposed to be the nearest to the grassroots and help him with your own efforts.
“We must try to move with the moment. The world is moving and we can’t continue to do things like we live in the past,” he said while advising the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy to always guide the chairmen and other officials to deliver democratic dividends to their people.
In his comment, the chairman of Conference57, Kolade Alabi David, commended the Speaker for his advice and promised that there would be changes in the way the chairmen ran the affairs of their council areas.
News
Nigerian Worker Found Dead at Workplace in UK
For the third time in April, a Nigerian, Ademola Oke, has died after being found unresponsive at his workplace in the United Kingdom.
This is just as the family appealed for public support following his sudden death.
Report gathered from a support appeal published by a close family friend, Adejonwo Odutola, on the popular fundraising platform, GoFundMe, that the incident occurred on April 18.
Odutola explained that Ademola had left home that morning in good health and remained in contact with his wife throughout the day, with no indication of any illness.
He said the deceased was later found unresponsive at his workplace by a colleague who arrived for a night shift.
Odutola wrote, “On 18th April, 2026, Ademola, 37 years old, left home in the morning hale and hearty, with no signs of illness. He was in contact with his wife during the day, and they even shared a WhatsApp message at 2:08 pm—everything seemed normal.
“Tragically and without warning, Ademola passed away suddenly while at work. Later in the day, a colleague arriving for their shift at night in the service user’s house found him seated on a sofa, unresponsive.”
He added that emergency services were immediately contacted, but he was confirmed dead at the scene.
According to him, the sudden loss has left Ademola’s 31-year-old wife in shock and grief, now solely responsible for caring for their two young children, aged six and two.
Odutola described the deceased as a loving husband and devoted father, whose death has had a profound impact on his family and loved ones.
He noted that the fundraising effort was initiated to support funeral arrangements and provide financial assistance for the children as the family adjusts to life without him.
The appeal called on Nigerians in the UK and the wider public to support the bereaved family, stressing that every contribution, no matter how small, would be appreciated.
“This cause is deeply important to me because I have seen firsthand the love within this family and the profound impact this loss has had on them. No family should have to endure such heartbreak while also facing financial uncertainty.
“The funds raised will go towards funeral expenses and ongoing support for the children as the family begins to navigate life without their husband and father,” he added.
It also urged those unable to donate to share the appeal and keep the family in their thoughts during the difficult period.
At the time of filing this report, a sum of £4,509 had been raised out of the £8,000 target.
This is the third incident of a Nigerian based in the United Kingdom dying in April.
PUNCH Metro reported on April 20 that barely one week after a Nigerian mother of three died of cancer in the United Kingdom, another Nigerian father of three, identified simply as Herbert, was found dead in his apartment.
An X user identified as ‘The Stress Manager’ had disclosed that Herbert, who lived in Thornaby, died suddenly in his sleep, in what relatives described as a shocking and heartbreaking incident.
News
VIDEO: Uber Driver Nabbed After Fleeing with iPhone 16 in Lagos
An Uber driver has been traced to his home after allegedly absconding with an iPhone 16 entrusted to him for delivery, following the cancellation of a trip midway in Lagos.
An X user, Ashake, who tweets as #Molayoo_, raised the alarm on Saturday, tagging Uber in her post with screenshots of the booking.
“Uber, one of your riders in Lagos, Nigeria, picked up a package(an iPhone 16) from Egbeda to be delivered to Ikeja, and he cancelled the ride midway, and he’s been unreachable ever since!
“His name is Augustine Adimabua. This is someone’s business, fgs! We need the package,” she wrote.
The situation escalated after the driver was reportedly tracked to his location.
Providing an update on Thursday, Ashake noted that the driver has been caught. She claimed that the driver sold the phone for N400,000.
“He has been caught and handed over to the right authorities. Thank you to every single one of you who made this possible.
“He sold iPhone 16 of over 1m, he sold it for 400k,” she wrote.
In the accompanying videos, the driver agreed that he collected the phone.
“I agree he gave me an iPhone 16, 256 GB, worth 1.2million naira”, he said
He, however, claimed that the phone had been stolen after being questioned about it.
“Where is the phone? Where is the iPhone 16?” one of the men queried.
“The phone was stolen”, he responded.
The confrontation quickly turned heated, with the driver being accused of dishonesty while appearing visibly uneasy, and a woman said to be his wife shocked by the situation.
The video has since gone viral, with individuals recalling personal experiences of stolen package deliveries and others condemning the act.
PUNCH reported in 2025 that delivery delays and thefts cost Nigeria’s logistics sector billions annually due to poor visibility and a lack of journey control systems.
Earlier in 2026, an investigation into Nigeria’s food delivery industry revealed a rise in food delivery theft, missing items and tampered packaging by dispatch riders, eroding customer trust in the fast-growing sector.
Watch the video below:
Business
Dangote Group Plans 650,000bpd Refinery Project in East Africa
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has announced plans to build a 650,000 barrels-per-day refinery in East Africa, mirroring the scale of his flagship facility in Nigeria, as part of a broader push to deepen industrial capacity across the continent.
Dangote made the disclosure at a high-level summit in Nairobi on Thursday, where African leaders, financiers, and industry stakeholders gathered to discuss the continent’s growing energy and infrastructure needs.
Addressing Presidents William Ruto and Yoweri Museveni, Dangote said the refinery project would depend on strong government backing and policy consistency.
“That’s why, as a group, we have now launched an initiative where, between now and 2030, we’re investing $40 billion in various fields,” he said
“Even now, I can give a commitment to the two presidents who are here that if they support the refinery, we will build an identical one to what we have in Nigeria—650,000 barrels.”
He emphasised that the proposal is still at an early stage but expressed confidence in its feasibility.
When asked about the feasibility of the project, the industrialist said it will “definitely” work, adding that “There’s nothing that can stop it.”
Push for Self-Sufficiency

Dangote used the platform to argue that Africa must move away from its long-standing dependence on imports and instead build domestic industrial capacity.
“We export raw materials, which means when you export raw materials, you are exporting jobs, and when you import, you are importing poverty because you are creating jobs out there, not here on the continent,” he said.
He stressed that industrialisation—particularly in refining, fertiliser production and petrochemicals—is critical to reversing that trend and creating jobs on the continent.
The proposed East African refinery forms part of a wider $40 billion investment plan by his group between now and 2030, targeting key sectors that underpin economic transformation.
Backdrop of Growing Fuel Deficit
Dangote’s announcement comes as the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) warned that the continent could face an 86 million tonne fuel shortfall by 2040.
According to the AFC report presented at the summit, Africa currently imports over 70 percent of its refined fuel and spends about $230 billion annually on essential imports, including fuel, food, and industrial goods.
The report projects that fuel import demand will rise from 74 million tonnes in 2023 to 86 million tonnes by 2040—equivalent to nearly three refineries the size of Dangote’s Lagos facility.
Leaders Call for Shift in Strategy
President William Ruto echoed Dangote’s position, warning that Africa must rethink its economic model.
“Our ambitions will remain unrealised if we continue to depend on external capital whose primary interest is securing raw materials,” Ruto said, adding: “We cannot continue to export raw materials and import finished products made from them.”
The summit also highlighted vulnerabilities in Africa’s energy systems, particularly exposure to global supply shocks and infrastructure gaps across the continent.
A Broader Industrial Vision
Beyond refining, Dangote pointed to ongoing efforts to scale fertiliser production and petrochemical capacity across Africa, including plans to expand urea output and establish blending plants in underserved regions.
“With the support of the government, there’s nothing that is impossible,” he said, expressing confidence that Africa can achieve self-sufficiency in key industrial inputs.
For Dangote, the refinery proposal represents a continuation of a larger vision—to reposition Africa from a net importer to a global industrial player.
“Let us not be scared… It is possible. Africans can do it,” he said.
As discussions continue, the proposed East Africa refinery could mark a significant step toward addressing the continent’s looming fuel deficit while advancing its long-term goal of economic independence.
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