Category Nigeria News

Just a few days after a similar decision was made with the Rivers State Pension Board, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara dissolves the Rivers State Microfinance Agency.

During the state’s period of emergency rule, the two boards were one of those that were reconvened.

Governor Fubara has reappointed Jonathan Tobin, who previously served as the Microfinance Agency’s chairman from October 2023, to serve as Managing Director, despite the Pension Board’s pending re-inauguration.

Read more about Fubara Cautions Permanent Secretaries Over Conduct During Emergency Rule here.

Members of the defunct Microfinance Agency Board were instructed to turn over all assets and properties to the Acting Managing Director in a government announcement released in Port Harcourt and signed by Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi Brown, the head of service.

The Governor would re-establish the Board in due course, according to the statement.

Tobin was in charge of the state’s $4 billion loan program to assist small and medium-sized businesses.

The facility, which was launched as part of Governor Fubara’s economic empowerment initiative, aimed to promote entrepreneurship, foster employment, and strengthen the informal sector.

Siminalayi Fubara, the governor of Rwanda, has warned permanent secretaries that they will be held accountable for their actions if they violated the civil service’s standards during the state’s emergency.

Austin Ezekiel-Hart was sworn in as a permanent secretary by the governor at the Port Harcourt Executive Chambers.

Governor Fubara explained that Ezekiel-Hart’s elevation, in part due to his professionalism in the state civil service, was based solely on merit.

He urged the new appointee to uphold the values and principles that earned him the promotion, not at any time, telling any permanent secretary to disregard due process.

Also read: Fubara Relieves Commissioners Aren’t Upon Amaewhule’s Eyes.

Further, the governor assured that his administration would be defined by actions rather than rhetoric, and that he would be forced to use evidence to support his assertion that Ezekiel-Hart would never be subject to harassment under civil service regulations.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has continued to issue a no-debit order on 30 bank accounts where the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has detained local government funding. The Oyo State High Court has extended its interim injunction against the United Bank of Africa (UBA).

In a decision on Friday, Justice Ladiran Akintola argued that the extension was necessary to ensure that all parties in the case with the No. number hearing had a fair hearing. Osun State Local Government Service Commission, UBA Plc, and the Attorney-General of Osun State

At the hearing, UBA’s attorney was not present. Despite filing a joinder request and a second challenge to the court’s territorial jurisdiction, Kazeem Gbadamosi, SAN, the lawyers representing the sacked APC council chairmen were present.

READ ALSO: Ozekhome’s Withholding Osun LG Funds “Highly Political”

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Musibau Adetunmbi, SAN, claimed that he needed some time to study the applications, which were only submitted on Friday and Thursday. Because their joinder application hadn’t yet been approved, he claimed that the ex-chairmen lacked locus standi.

Gbadamosi argued in opposition to the extension that his clients had a right to be included in the lawsuit because they were directly affected by the injunction. He added that it is impossible to renew an order that has expired in a court of appeal.

A further affidavit from Boluwaduro LGA’s Head of Local Government Administration, Mrs. Rachael Abidemi, was provided to the court during the course of the proceeding. She alleged that she attempted to siphon money from a private law firm’s account in violation of the court order, citing a letter from two individuals who wrote to UBA demanding that the bank pay 15% of the allocations.

Mrs. Abidemi argued that the individuals lacked legal authority and that Osun’s 2025 LG administration only allowed the directors of finance and administration and general services to signify council accounts. She submitted exhibits to confirm the current officers.

In Suit No. 4, the plaintiffs argued that the Supreme Court still has jurisdiction over the council chairs’ legitimacy. releasing funds at this point would undermine justice, according to SC/CV/773/2025.

Adetunmbi explained to journalists following the sitting that the Supreme Court’s hearing on October 7 was pending, and that the interim order was extended to protect the disputed billions.

He said, “Our contention is simple: those who paid the money knew the case was already before the court.” The Supreme Court should speak first, not the Supreme Court. The funds might have gone awry without this preservation order.

Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, has pledged to do more to entice investors to the state after the first large-bodied aircraft landed at the upgraded Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport.

Makinde stated at the hotel’s opening ceremony that the airport’s renovation had rewritten its 43-year history, but that his administration’s plan was to make it the most investor-friendly facility in Nigeria.

In spite of Nigeria’s current economic difficulties, the state’s business-friendly policies continue to entice investors, and the government will raise the bar to ensure more businesses find Oyo State attractive.

The governor thanked The Jagz Hotel’s management and staff for surviving the economic downturn, and assured businesses that the state government would continue to support them.

READ MORE: Oyo Government Procures Two Aircraft To Improve Security

Makinde criticized the theory of “import substitution” as a means of growth, arguing that no nation had prospered by focusing solely on its local environment. He argued that Oyo should open its doors to international investors, citing the airport’s expansion as a key factor in growth and tourism.

The first wide-bodied aircraft touched down at Ibadan Airport last Friday, according to Makinde, and it was a joy. The airport, which was put in operation in 1982, had to wait 43 years.

We made the runway possible by expanding it within a year of receiving approval. However, we won’t stop there. We want to make Ibadan Airport a hub where visitors from all over the world can feel welcome and return, making it the best airport in Nigeria.

Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd), says his new book, Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, is not an indictment but a call for national soul-searching.

“Scars, the Journey, and Boko Haram Conundrum is not an indictment, it is a national soul-searching presentation. It is an awakening reality to either act dutifully for progress, or do nothing and turn towards extinction”.

Speaking at the public unveiling of the book in Abuja on Friday, Gen. Irabor described the work as an “awakening reality” that seeks to stimulate a national conversation on credible solutions to Nigeria’s security challenges.

“The account in this book is the painful truth as I see it. It is my hope that it will elicit a national conversation aimed at focusing attention on credible solutions to the challenges. As we unveil this book, I invite you to join me on a journey of reflection, empathy, and hope”, he said.

READ ALSO: Obasanjo Urges Critical Strategy Against Terrorism, Says ‘ Boko Haram ‘ Virtually Becoming Part Of Nigerian Life

Irabor emphasized that the book should be seen as an opportunity for Nigerians to reflect on past experiences and recommit to justice, equity, and peace.

While recalling the atrocities committed by Boko Haram, he urged the nation to remember the victims and take lessons from Nigeria’s collective struggle against insurgency.

“I have always believed that man exists to solve problems. If you are not solving problems, then your existence is worthless”, he stated.

Quoting Nelson Mandela, Irabor said Nigeria’s national experiences must be regarded as “wins and lessons”, stressing the need for hope and optimism in charting the country’s future.

The retired general further announced that proceeds from the book would be dedicated to supporting schools and hospitals, which he and his family have continued to sustain over the years.

President Bola Tinubu and Bayo Ogunlesi, the most renowned businessman and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners, have met.

Also read: Independence Day: The Worst Is Over, Yesterday’s Pains Are Relieving, and Tinubu Tells Nigerians.

Additionally, Tinubu had a meeting with Hakeem Belo-Osagie, the company’s chairman, at Metis Capital Partners.

According to reports, the meeting, which took place in Lagos and was on a working visit, focused on significant infrastructure investments and upstream oil and gas.

They also considered ways to encourage foreign investments in Nigeria to stimulate growth, according to Ogunlesi.

Watch the video below.