By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola Global index provider FTSE Russell is set to proceed with the reclassification of Nigeria’s equity market from “Unclassified” to “Frontier Market” status, with implementation scheduled to take effect from Monday, 21 September, 2026. The development was disclosed in a statement by the Presidency on Thursday, 27 August, 2026 via its official X handle recalling that Nigeria was removed from the Frontier Market category in 2023 after international investors faced persistent difficulties accessing foreign exchange and repatriating capital from the country. According to the statement, FTSE Russell has since acknowledged that foreign exchange queues have been cleared…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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Money has become one of the biggest forces in Nigerian politics, with candidates often expected to spend heavily to secure party tickets and run competitive campaigns. But former Minister and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro believes financial strength alone does not guarantee victory. Obanikoro makes the argument in Seun Oloketuyi’s forthcoming book, ‘How to Win an Election in Nigeria’ scheduled for release on September 6, where he reflects on what really determines success at the polls. While acknowledging that elections are expensive, Obanikoro says the more important question is what the money is being used for and what a candidate brings to…
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has showcased the creativity, knowledge and practical skills acquired by participants in its 2026 Summer School programme. Speaking during the grand finale, held at LAWMA headquarters, Ijora-Olopa on Thursday, 27 August, 2026, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on the Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu commended the management of LAWMA for the laudable initiative, describing the programme as a significant investment in the environmental consciousness of young people. He urged the pupils to harness the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme to improve their lives and contribute meaningfully to the protection of…
Four men were killed and several others severely injured on Thursday, 27 August, 2026, following a violent communal clash at Power Line Bus Stop in the Ikola area of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State. The violence reportedly broke out after an argument between a northern resident and a suspected former cult leader escalated, resulting in the latter being stabbed. The attack triggered widespread chaos, prompting an outbreak of fire that destroyed several makeshift structures in the vicinity. Emergency responders and security forces, including officers from the Meiran Police Division, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC),…
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has welcomed efforts to promote safe helicopter services across Africa in a proposed Regional Action Plan. The plan is the highlight of a workshop organised in Lagos this week by the Aviation subcommittee of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) in partnership with London-based safety advocacy group, HeliOffshore. The two-day Offshore Helicopter Industry Safety Workshop with the theme “Developing a Regional Action Plan,” followed on from a similar session last year which SNEPCo sponsored. It also provided administrative and logistical support for this year’s conference which was sponsored by…
By Lolu Akinwunmi While he has not explained how he’s going to operate his subsidy differently from the past, destructive model, and we are waiting for his model, it’s clear that subsidy in whatever form is not good for us and we should not return to it in any contrived form. I believe the weakness in his argument is that it makes subsidy sound much easier to target and contain than experience suggests. Subsidising crude supplied to local refineries may be different in structure from subsidising imported petrol, but economically it is still a subsidy: someone ultimately pays the difference…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Lagos State Informal Space Management Authority, LASISMA, has given traders and other illegal occupants around the newly constructed Ojo General Hospital seven days to vacate road setbacks and spaces reserved for public infrastructure, warning that enforcement will commence after the deadline. The ultimatum was issued on Monday, 24 August, 2026 during a sensitisation and enforcement exercise around the hospital perimeter along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, near the LASU-Iba Road Junction, as part of the Lagos State Government’s wider campaign to reclaim road setbacks and statutory corridors from unauthorised occupation. Speaking after the exercise, LASISMA General Manager,…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Lagos State Residents Registration Agency, LASRRA, has warned its registration agents against demanding payment from residents, stressing that the registration exercise is completely free. The General Manager of LASRRA, Bilikis Adebiyi-Abiola, gave the warning on Thursday, 27 August, 2026 during a community sensitisation programme in Ajah, Lagos, urging residents to report any agent who attempts to collect money for the service. Adebiyi-Abiola said the agency maintained a zero-tolerance policy towards agents who charged residents, reiterating that the registration was a free service provided by the Lagos State Government. “We have a zero-tolerance policy for any…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, LASUBEB, has warned contractors handling intervention projects in public primary schools across the state against poor workmanship, use of substandard materials, unnecessary delays and deviation from approved specifications, stressing that violators will face sanctions. The Executive Chairman of LASUBEB, Dr Hakeem Babatunde Shittu, gave the warning on Monday, 24 August, 2026 at a project implementation briefing for contractors, vendors, suppliers and service providers held at the Board’s headquarters. The briefing, according to a statement obtained from the Board’s Facebook page on Thursday, 27, August, 2026 was organised to strengthen…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Alcohol Policy and its Multisectoral Implementation Plan 2026–2030, introducing a national framework to curb alcohol-related harm, strengthen regulation and promote responsible practices across the industry. The policy was launched in Abuja on Thursday, 27 August, 2026, with the government stressing that alcohol-related challenges require coordinated interventions across the health, economic, regulatory and governance sectors. Representing the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, said the country could no longer tackle alcohol-related harm through fragmented interventions, but required clear responsibilities, inter-agency coordination…