The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CCEO), Trans Fortress Global Resources, for alleged illicit drug business. Femi Babafemi, Director Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that the suspect had been on NDLEA watchlist since 2025 following credible intelligence. Babafemi said that the 57-year-old drug kingpin was arrested at his Safe Court Apartment residence in Ikate, Lekki Lagos on Thursday, Feb. 12 after sustained surveillance soon after his return from the United Kingdom. He said that a search of his residence led to the recovery of…
Author: Newsdesk
An Akure, Ondo State division of National Industrial Court (NICN), has ordered United Bank for Africa (UBA) to pay ₦11.3 million to a former staff member, Adekọyeni Oladejo, over nearly two decades of unpaid salaries following what the court described as an indefinite suspension. Justice K. D. Damulak, in a judgment delivered on February 18, 2026, in a suit numbered NICN/AK/25/2022, also held that the Adekọyeni Oladejo’s prolonged suspension without pay by UBA Plc amounted to a continuing injury and ultimately a constructive dismissal. The claimant Oladejo through is lawyer, Omolegbon O. Odusola, had approached the court in July 2022, seeking ₦28…
Ecobank Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing cross-border trade and accelerating Africa’s economic integration following the successful hosting of its Customer Forum in Lagos. Held under the theme “Strengthening Regional Integration for Economic Transformation,” the high-level forum convened policymakers, economic experts, industry leaders, and business stakeholders to explore practical strategies for deepening intra-African trade and unlocking new value across the continent. In his welcome address, Bolaji Lawal, Managing Director/Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, explained that the forum was designed to foster meaningful dialogue on how Nigeria and the wider African region can better harness emerging opportunities in regional trade. He…
Zimbabwe’s renewed push to process its own minerals rather than export raw resources signals a broader transformation unfolding across Africa — one increasingly defined by a new phase of Africa’s resource nationalism debate. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s remarks at an annual exporters’ conference in Bulawayo went beyond domestic economic messaging. They reflected a growing consensus among African governments that mineral wealth must increasingly underpin industrialisation at home rather than reinforce dependence on external processing centres, part of a wider shift toward African industrial policy transformation. For decades, Zimbabwe — like many resource-rich African economies — relied heavily on exporting unprocessed commodities. Gold,…
France has formally returned a historic ‘talking drum’ seized during the colonial era to Cote d’Ivoire, marking another step in Europe’s gradual effort to repatriate African cultural artefacts taken during imperial expansion. The Djidji Ayokwe drum, removed by French colonial troops in 1916, was handed over on Friday during an official ceremony in Paris attended by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati and Cote d’Ivoire Culture Minister Francoise Remarck. The restitution follows growing diplomatic pressure from African governments seeking the return of heritage objects held in European collections. Measuring more than three metres in length and weighing about 430 kilograms, the drum…
The Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos (ASWOL) has expressed commitment to the zero waste initiative and effective waste management in the state. The association’s President, Mr. Friday Oku, disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Sunday in Lagos. Oku said the association was intensifying efforts to support zero waste through better organization and structured engagement of its members. He noted that challenges—including the ban on scavenging and cart pushing—had affected operations, but members remained resolute. According to him, integrating waste pickers into the formal waste management value chain is key to achieving sustainable results. Oku urged…
The Lagos State Government on Saturday refuted an online media report claiming that the state had resumed the monthly environmental sanitation exercise. The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, said no categorical statement had been made regarding the date of commencement of the exercise. Wahab explained that what he told newsmen after a project inspection tour last Sunday was that engagements with relevant stakeholders were still ongoing. He said the state government had planned to begin with a sensitization programme last week but was constrained by logistics issues. “The truth is, we were meant to start…
An agricultural expert, Dr. Joel Ibiyemi, has cautioned farmers against planting based on the recent rains, stressing that the rainfall experienced so far does not signal the onset of the rainy season. Ibiyemi, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Ibis Agro-Biz Consults in Ibadan, gave the warning in an interview with reporters in Ibadan on Saturday. He advised farmers to wait for the actual onset of the planting season, expected to begin in late March. According to him, the recent rains are misleading, as the true rainy season has not yet commenced. Premature planting could lead to crop…
In a bid to improve media coverage of health issues, health writers’ associations in Lagos State have formed a coalition to promote more coordinated activities and achieve better health outcomes. The coalition focuses on areas including maternal and child health, primary healthcare, immunization, nutrition, and health financing. The four associations that agreed to work together and signed the agreement in Lagos are: Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN), led by its President, Vivian Ihechu; Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN), led by its President, Yinka Shokunbi; Knowledge Management & Communication Sub-committee (KMCS) of the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism…
The Federal Government says it will validate a technical committee report geared toward transiting Nigeria from observer status to full membership of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC) in April. Sen. Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, stated this when the council’s mission visited him on Saturday in Abuja. He said the ministry had constituted a technical committee to consider how the country could seamlessly transition from observer to full member of CPOPC, given its strategic importance in palm oil production. “We are conscious of the fact that the palm oil value chain is very strategic…