By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The United Kingdom has deployed a career diplomat who has served in some of the world’s most volatile regions, including Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as its new Deputy High Commissioner in Abuja, tasked with deepening ties between London and Abuja. Ms Vicky Seymour was appointed to the role by the UK Government, succeeding Mrs Gill Lever OBE, who completed her posting in June 2026. A statement announcing the appointment on Thursday, 6 August, 2026 said Seymour had assumed duties in Abuja and would support efforts to strengthen the longstanding UK-Nigeria partnership across economic…
Author: Abimbola Ogunaike
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By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The death of a woman who broke down after her son became addicted to illicit drugs has been cited as a driving force behind a new partnership between the General Hospital, Badagry, and the NDLEA’s Seme Special Area Command to combat drug abuse in border communities. The Area Commander, Commander of Narcotics Njoku Rita Chinyere, disclosed the tragic case on Tuesday, 4 August, 2026 at the Seme border, during a familiarisation visit by the Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Oluseyi Adesola, decrying how the incident reflected the devastating toll of substance…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola More than eight in ten nursing mothers in Lagos State are missing the critical window for initiating breastfeeding within the first hour of birth, even as the state posts an Exclusive Breastfeeding rate of 57.4 per cent, well above the global target of 50 per cent. The disclosure was made on Tuesday, 4 August, 2026 by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, at a press briefing at the Conference Room of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, as the state joined the rest of the world to mark the 2026 World…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Government has rolled out a new reform agenda for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, targeting industrialisation, job creation and economic growth, as it inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education after more than five years without one. The board was inaugurated on Thursday, 6 August, 2026 in Abuja, where the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, charged members to fast-track reforms aligning technical education with industry needs, modernise curricula, certify skilled artisans and strengthen Nigeria’s global competitiveness. He described the event as a major milestone in implementing President Bola…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Federal Government has approved the National Textbook Ranking System, a policy that will bar public primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools across Nigeria from using any textbook that has not been nationally ranked and approved, with the new regime taking effect from September 2026. The Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the approval on Tuesday, 4 August, 2026 in Abuja, describing the initiative as a transformative policy that will revolutionise the selection and deployment of instructional materials in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu. He said the system establishes,…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has invited licensees, permit holders and other stakeholders in the petroleum sector to make submissions on its proposed Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Prevention of Anti-Competitive Practices and Behaviour Regulations, giving them a 21-day window from the date of the notice to respond. The invitation was contained in a public notice signed by the Authority Chief Executive, Rabiu Umar, in compliance with Section 216(1) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, which mandates consultation with stakeholders prior to the finalisation of regulations. Stakeholders, the notice said, are enjoined to visit…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola For more than two years, Lagos State officials sat across the table from transport unions in a slow, deliberate negotiation aimed at avoiding a familiar trap: reforms that modernise a city’s transport system while pushing out the operators who built it. That negotiation has now produced a Memorandum of Understanding, signed on Wednesday, 5 August, 2026 between the Lagos State Government and two major transport unions, the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, to formally regulate public bus operations and integrate the popular yellow buses, commonly known as…
By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola The Lagos State Government says it is strengthening project monitoring and legislative oversight to improve infrastructure delivery, accelerate budget implementation and support its long-term economic growth strategy. Speaking after the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget’s 2026 Monitoring and Evaluation Stakeholders’ Forum, the state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Ope George, said the state had adopted a monitoring framework that tracks projects from planning through execution to completion, in a move it says is helping to ensure major projects are completed on schedule while improving accountability in the use of public funds. George explained that…
The Chairman of Imota Local Council Development Area, Hon. Benson Sunday Ayodele, on Wednesday, 5 August, 2026, concluded the week-long activities marking the first anniversary of his administration with the presentation of his one-year scorecard and the unveiling of several people-centred empowerment initiatives aimed at improving education and social welfare within the council area. The grand finale, held at the Imota LCDA Secretariat, attracted political leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community stakeholders, youth groups, market leaders, party faithful, and residents who gathered to witness the administration’s achievements over the past year and reaffirm its commitment to inclusive governance and sustainable…
Following recent comments by the association’s national leadership on the proposed review of the Ticket Sales Charge sharing formula, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority chapter of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers on Thursday, 6 August distanced itself from it, insisting that it was neither consulted nor represented in the position, reports thegazellenews.com The NCCA chapter, through a communiqué signed by its Chairman, Agunloye Fredrick, on Thursday said the publication attributed to the National President of NAAE did not reflect the views of its members. The communiqué comes amid an ongoing debate within Nigeria’s aviation industry over a proposed amendment…