Category Nigeria News

The Lagos Government says it will introduce monthly and quarterly payment of rents as part of measures to ease the housing burdens on residents of the state. 

This came from the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, who spoke in Ikeja during the 2025 Ministerial Briefing held to mark Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office.

“It is the position of this current government that workers do not get paid every year,” he said. “And our destination is to find a way to take us down to a monthly rent agreement. That’s our destination.”

According to him, while the Lagos Government had in the past called for monthly and other flexible payment options, it was difficult to implement due to the state’s laws.

He said, “when it comes to implementation, there are things that may not have been envisaged that come up. Because we work in tandem with the private sector, we cannot force the landlords to take such measures”.

The commissioner said the Lagos State Tenancy Law is being reviewed to make rent payments more flexible.

READ ALSO: Lagosians Grapple As Rents Hit New Highs

He also referenced Lagos State’s rent-to-own scheme that lets residents pay five per cent upfront and spread the balance over 10 years.

“Additionally, gentlemen of the press, you may recall that the Lagos State Government introduced a rent-to-own scheme that allows tenants to own their homes by paying an initial 5% and then spreading payments over 10 years,” Moruf Akinderu-Fatai said at the event on Tuesday.

“The success of this initiative encouraged the need to promote the implementation of monthly and quarterly rent to provide succour to rent seekers

“This will replace the burden of yearly rent payments, especially for low-income earners.”

The commissioner said the Lagos State Government is working with stakeholders over challenges impeding such an initiative.

“Factors impeding the take-off of these initiatives have been examined with the engagement of all direct and indirect holders in the real estate business,” the commissioner added.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has said that he is still grappling with debts inherited from his predecessor, including liabilities from unremitted payments to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and backlogs of unpaid staff salaries and student examination fees.

Speaking on Wednesday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the governor painted a dire picture of the situation he met on assumption of office in May 2023.

Lawal accused the Bello Matawalle administration of alleged financial mismanagement, citing the case of unremitted FIRS deductions.

“I’m still paying debts owed to the Federal Inland Revenue Service that were never remitted,” he claimed. “The money was diverted somewhere. By whom? Let the former administration account for it.”

The governor said the rot he inherited pushed him to declare a state of emergency in the education sector immediately after assuming office.

“We had to settle WAEC and NECO debts to the tune of ₦3.2 billion. We’ve worked on over 450 primary and secondary schools, and some tertiary institutions. We were always at the bottom, but I’m happy to say things are changing,” the governor said.

He added that his administration also inherited huge liabilities in scholarships and pensions, noting that pension arrears dating as far back as 2011—totalling ₦13.6 billion—had not been paid.

“Things were really, really bad when we took over. It is interesting to tell you that for two good years, our students didn’t write WAEC or NECO because of debts owed. The first thing we had to do was make a conscious effort to settle those debts so our students could write their exams. All pending certificates from the past have now been handed over.

“We’ve settled every pension and gratuity without borrowing a single kobo. It’s all from our internally generated revenue (IGR),” he noted.

‘Empty Treasury, IGR’

Responding to the ongoing controversy surrounding the state’s finances, Lawal disputed the claim by former Governor Matawalle that ₦14 billion was left in the treasury.

“What I met in the treasury of Zamfara State was ₦4 million. The facts are there,” Lawal stated. “When I took over, the IGR was just ₦90 million, and 90 percent of that came from PAYE (Pay-As-You-Earn). But the story has changed. I can comfortably tell you that we’re now making over ₦2 billion monthly.”

In contrast, official records during the Matawalle administration showed the IGR averaged ₦6.5 billion in 2022.

Asked if the discrepancy was due to data inconsistency or political posturing, Lawal challenged his predecessor’s camp to present verifiable evidence.

“I was a banker, so I know how finances work. If they had a contrary position to mine, they should have shown me the bank statements. If they had ₦14 billion, why couldn’t they pay four months’ backlog of salaries, or settle WAEC, NECO, and electricity bills? Even the Government House was disconnected when I took over,” he said.

“There was a handover note. Nowhere did it show they had such money. The banks are there. Let them provide a statement to back their claims.”

The governor also revealed that deductions of over ₦1.2 billion are being made monthly from the state’s FAAC allocation due to outstanding debts inherited from the previous government.

“Go and check with the Office of the Accountant-General and the Debt Management Office. We are still paying over ₦1.2 billion monthly through direct deductions. Yet, there are no visible projects to show for all that spending,” the governor said.

He also revealed that every local government area in Zamfara is now witnessing infrastructural development under his leadership.

Lawal said, “There is no single local government among the 14 in Zamfara without a project worth between ₦5 billion and ₦10 billion.”

The comments come amid an intensifying dispute between Governor Lawal and his predecessor over alleged mismanagement and conflicting financial claims.

Matawalle’s camp has insisted it left behind over ₦14 billion in bond proceeds, ₦2.6 billion in World Bank funds, and other grants. However, Lawal insists the state was effectively bankrupt when he took over, with massive debts, unpaid salaries, and halted development projects.

He also previously accused the former governor of embezzling funds meant for the abandoned Zamfara Cargo Airport project—a claim Matawalle has denied, stating the project was funded via “contract financing” tied to performance.

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has donated food and essential items to inmates of three major correctional centres in the state.

The benefiting facilities include Kurmawa and Janguza maximum security prisons, as well as the Goron-Dutse Custodial Centre.

During a symbolic presentation at the Kurmawa Correctional Home, the governor —represented by the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Adamu Aliyu Kibiya —said the gesture was aimed at improving the welfare and living conditions of the inmates.

“This donation is part of our deliberate efforts to support the well-being of inmates and assist their journey towards rehabilitation,” Kibiya said. “His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf believes in giving every citizen, including those in custody, a second chance.”

READ ALSO: [Alleged Bribery] Kano Court Rejects Ganduje’s Bid To Stop Trial

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, confirmed the donation, which includes five bulls, 300 bags of rice (25kg each), 4000 mattresses, 4000 pillows, 4300 blankets, 1500 bags of sachet water, 750 cartons of soft drinks, and 60 jerry cans of cooking oil (25 litres each).

Other items donated are 25 cartons of Maggi cubes, 90 cartons of biscuits and sweets, three cartons of infant milk, 20 cartons of soap, and 15 cartons of sanitary pads.

The governor also announced plans to support inmates with minor debt-related cases.

“A committee has been set up to compile a list of inmates with debts not exceeding one million naira. These debts will be settled by the government as part of our reintegration initiative,” Kibiya added.

In his remarks, the officer in charge of Kurmawa Correctional Home, Deputy Controller of Corrections Services (DCCS), Ibrahim Rambo, commended the government’s continued support.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has removed a foreign national, Elie Bitar, from the wanted list for Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) fraud.

The anti-graft agency had on April 30 declared Bitar wanted over the alleged fraud perpetrated on the CBEX trading platform.

The EFCC included Bitrar’s name in the wanted notice it published across social media platforms.

The agency, in a now deleted post on its X handle signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Bitar’s last known address was in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State.

READ ALSO: CBEX: EFCC Declares Foreigner Wanted 

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday EFCC spokesperson said Bitar’s name has been removed from the wanted list, citing the availability of new information.

“Ellie Bitar of CBEX Solutions Ltd., who was earlier declared wanted, has since been removed from the list owing to new information that does not support his inclusion in the wanted person’s list.

“The Commission is making good progress in its investigations. Law enforcement agencies across the world are collaborating with it in tracking and arresting all the wanted persons. The EFCC will not relent in bringing every actor involved in the fraudulent dealings to book,” the statement read in part.

According to Oyewale, the anti-graft agency is “gaining important ground” in the search for the eight persons declared wanted over the CBEX fraud.

Several videos online had shown some Nigerians raising the alarm over the loss of their funds to the CBEX scheme when it reportedly crashed in April.

As part of its investigations into the matter, the EFCC had declared eight persons wanted over their alleged involvement in a fraudulent scheme linked to the online trading platform.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has explained why security has improved in the state, attributing it to a deliberate refusal to negotiate with bandits, the creation of community protection guards, and increased support for security agencies.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Governor Lawal explained that his administration inherited a deeply insecure environment rooted in more than a decade of violent conflict and banditry.

“Insecurity is something I inherited in Zamfara State for the past 13 years. Upon resumption of office, one of the first things I did was to establish the Community Protection Guards, which cut across all the 14 local governments in Zamfara.

“We carefully selected individuals based on full security clearance by the DSS. They were trained to be the first line of defence, and they now work hand in hand with the conventional security agencies to fight banditry in the state.”

No Negotiations

Rejecting the idea of negotiations with criminal elements, Governor Lawal maintained a hardline stance; he had declared in February.

“We refused to negotiate with criminals because I do not believe that is the way forward,” he stated. “However, anybody who wishes to surrender unconditionally is welcome to do so—but not under any terms.”

READ ALSO: Zamfara Earns Nothing From Solid Minerals – Gov Lawal

According to the governor, his administration has invested heavily in logistics and operational support for security forces, which he said has already begun to yield results.

“You don’t hear the kind of rampant attacks that used to happen in the past, where almost daily you’d hear that 200 people were killed. Yes, there may still be pockets of attacks here and there, but the security situation in Zamfara has improved drastically based on the measures we’ve put in place,” he noted.

‘Criminals Under Pressure’

Lawal revealed that the state has successfully intercepted arms and ammunition being transported into Zamfara from other states.

“Almost on a weekly basis, we intercept these couriers—coming from Port Harcourt, Plateau, and Nasarawa—and it’s working.

“These criminals are under a lot of pressure as we speak. Just yesterday (Tuesday), in order to support mobility, we donated 140 brand-new vehicles to all the security agencies operating in the state,” he said.

On the controversial issue of communities paying levies to bandits in exchange for protection, Lawal admitted the situation had previously existed but insisted that extortion by bandits had significantly declined.

Community Policing

He acknowledged imperfections in the system, particularly in the operations of community guards, but assured that accountability measures were being enforced.

Lawal said, “It would be difficult to say that every area is fully covered, but no, it’s not as easy as it used to be for the criminals. The payments have reduced drastically, and that’s because of the efforts and systems we’ve put in place.

“There will always be challenges,” he admitted. “These guards live within the communities and understand the terrain better than the conventional security. While that helps, we are also vigilant.

“Any community guard member caught in extrajudicial killings will be brought to book. Some have been dismissed, some are still in court, and others are in prison pending the outcome of their cases. We are not covering up for anyone.”

Governor Lawal also highlighted efforts to address insecurity at the regional level through collaborative governance among northern governors.

“Northern governors are disturbed by the presence of these criminal elements. We met last Sunday and discussed a framework that will unify our efforts in tackling insecurity, poverty, and banditry.

“We realised that disjointed responses are not effective. We’ll meet again in two weeks to finalise a collective action plan. Whatever Zamfara is doing, Sokoto should be able to replicate, and vice versa,” he said.

Zamfara State has endured severe security challenges over the past decade, with periods marked by rampant banditry, mass killings, and kidnappings.

In early 2022, under Governor Bello Matawalle’s administration, over 200 were killed in a single attack, one of the deadliest in recent Nigerian history.