Abia State University is mourning a 100-level Food Science and Technology student found dead in an off-campus lodge. Peers suggested a possible health-related factor, including asthma, pending official confirmation.
The incident has renewed calls for stronger student-welfare frameworks, emergency awareness and improved oversight of off-campus accommodation.
Source: The Nation 2025-12-08
The ICPC says it is monitoring 760 road projects across Nigeria to determine status, curb abandonment and strengthen accountability in capital-project delivery.
The move signals tougher scrutiny of contract performance and value-for-money outcomes in public infrastructure.
Source: Punch2025-12-08
PalmPay has launched a month-long ‘Purple December’ campaign encouraging users to complete weekly digital tasks for prizes, culminating in a Christmas-themed social challenge.
The fintech says the activation celebrates user loyalty and highlights everyday digital-payment stories during the festive season.
Source: Punch, 2025-12-09
President Tinubu approved a phased opening of the Bodo–Bonny Road in Rivers State for light vehicles, restricted to daytime travel. Heavy-duty vehicles and night movement remain barred pending full completion expected in Q1 2026.
The opening is framed as relief for long-standing access challenges to Bonny Island.
Source:Punch, 2025-12-08
Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun warned that misinformation—including recycled videos and edited images—has significantly harmed the Nigeria Police Force’s reputation.
He urged police PROs to respond faster and more professionally to false narratives to protect public trust.
Source : The Nation, 2025-12-08
The Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu-Ode has asked Fuji star Wasiu Ayinde (KWAM 1) to complete a royal lineage data form as part of procedures for the next Awujale of Ijebuland selection. Punch reports that the ruling house chairman stressed that only verified members of the family would be allowed to participate in the process. KWAM 1 had reportedly written to declare interest in the stool, describing himself as a bona fide son of the house and stating that his aspiration aligns with customary law and Ogun State chieftaincy regulations. The development has fueled significant public discussion in Ogun’s cultural and political circles. Source: Punch, December 7, 2025.
The Nigeria Police Force has launched a Special Enforcement Team to ensure compliance with the presidential directive banning police from providing VIP escort and guard duties. According to Punch, the operation began in Lagos on December 6, 2025, covering strategic locations including the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The Force PRO said early monitoring showed commendable compliance, with no arrests reported during the initial sweep. The police leadership reiterated that the policy is intended to redeploy personnel to core policing tasks for broader public safety. Source: Punch, December 6, 2025.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has challenged Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to present evidence of her sexual harassment allegations in court. Punch reports that Akpabio’s media office argues the defamation suit was filed about three months earlier, countering claims that it was newly initiated. The statement characterises the allegations as unproven and accuses the Kogi Central senator of misleading the public by framing the legal action as a sudden response. The dispute adds another layer to the intensifying political and reputational battle playing out between both figures. Source: Punch, December 7, 2025.
For years, motorists in Nigeria have endured a frustrating ritual: registering their vehicles with the state licensing offices, only to be stopped on the highway by police officers demanding an additional permit for factory-fitted tinted glass. The irony is painful — every new vehicle, including those with tinted or shielded glass, is already captured in the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS), the centralized database managed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). So why are Nigerians being compelled to re-register with the police?
The answer lies not in necessity but in bureaucratic silos and institutional turf wars. By law, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) retains the authority to issue tinted glass permits under the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991. But in practice, FRSC already has the data. Every plate number, chassis number, and glass specification is captured the moment a car is registered. The logical solution would be for the police to access NVIS directly, extract a filtered report of all vehicles with factory-fitted shields, and enforce compliance seamlessly.
Instead, motorists are dragged through a second, often opaque process at police stations. This duplication breeds confusion, harassment, and informal revenue collection on the highways. Worse, it undermines public trust in law enforcement, turning a legitimate security concern into yet another avenue for extortion.
Yes, there are genuine worries. Aftermarket tinting is a security risk. Criminals exploit heavily darkened windows to evade detection. Police must have the authority to check and sanction illegal modifications. But this can be done through inspection points and digital cross-checks, not endless manual registrations.
Nigeria cannot claim to be pursuing digital transformation while its agencies cling to outdated silos. A simple reform could save time, money, and lives:
• Mandate FRSC to auto-flag tinted vehicles at registration.
• Provide NPF secure access to NVIS.
• Automate permit issuance electronically, with a transparent fee schedule.
This way, motorists deal with one system, not two. Police officers enforce compliance using real-time data, not roadside guesswork. And the state builds trust by showing that regulation is about safety, not rent-seeking.
The time has come to end this double compliance burden. Nigerians deserve a system where technology replaces intimidation, and where institutions collaborate rather than compete. In an era of insecurity, the Police need the public’s confidence more than ever. Simplifying tinted glass permits would be a small but powerful step in that direction.
As rescue efforts continue in the search for missing persons at the collapsed seven-storey building at Banana Island in Ikoyi area of Lagos State, the authorities in Lagos engaged in buck-passing. The building, which was being developed by Joe Faraday, collapsed while workers were still on site on April 12, 2023.
The Lagos State government has now directed that all developments on Banana Island be placed on hold pending a comprehensive audit by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA). The audit will also be extended to other estates and gated communities.
In a statement, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, led by Tayo Bamgbose-Martins, revealed that the collapsed seven-floor building was unapproved by the Ministry. The statement released by Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi, confirmed that there were no fatalities and that the few people who sustained injuries during the unfortunate incident while casting was being done were being treated.
Officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), who arrived on the site less than an hour after the building collapsed, claimed that only one person was missing in the incident. However, some construction workers insisted that an engineer and a 30-year-old man lost their lives, and others were yet to be found.
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The management of Banana Island Property Owners and Residents Association (BIPORAL) prevented newsmen from accessing the collapsed building site, with only foreign media practitioners allowed access.
Speaking to newsmen, the Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Special Duty and Intergovernmental Relations, Mobolaji Ogunlende, said seven persons who sustained minor injuries were treated on the spot, without any record of major casualties, while only one person was unaccounted for. The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, reassured the public that the government was on top of the situation and would take appropriate action.
He said: “We moved in swiftly when the incident happened with all the primary stakeholders. Our response time was 10 minutes. We checked with our life detector and did not locate anybody under the debris. We were able to rescue seven people alive and only one of the persons injured was taken to a private hospital, and he’s receiving adequate care.
“Regarding other buildings, we are going to carry out a holistic investigation.”
Dr. Akingbehin Samuel, the Head of Environmental Services in Ikoyi-Obalende, provided his assessment of the environmental health of the construction site, said: “Getting here, we can say there is no biological effect in this place. So, what we have to do is that people are cordoned off, we want to take stock of people coming here.
“We are much on the ground to prevent possible contamination and spread of diseases. Residents should maintain their peace because there is no danger to their health and the environment. Everyone should remain calm and this shouldn’t be seen as a tourist centre.”
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Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, the General Manager of LASBCA, has instructed the private security personnel stationed at the facility to vacate the premises, as it is now under the ownership of the Lagos State government. He oversaw the welding of all gates on the property to secure it.
Meanwhile, the former President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Mr. Kunle Awobodu, has decried the collapse of a building in Banana Island estate, citing it as evidence of a lack of professionalism in the country. He urged the Lagos authorities to apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the structural failure.
In an interview with The Guardian in Lagos, Awobodu expressed his disappointment that a building of such magnitude could collapse if professionals were involved in its construction and management. He also noted that the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) has revised its tally of building collapses in Nigeria from 1974 to 2023 to 552, with Lagos State accounting for 59.06% of the incidents.
Awobodu stressed the need for the government to identify and punish those responsible for overseeing the building’s construction.
“This culture of forgiving or verbally reprimanding those who committed offences or fouled building regulations will encourage them to go back home and commit more wrongs, and it is not helping. That is why we keep having a repeat of such incidents.
“Building collapse within the most expensive terrain, a community well-organised or deemed well-organised in Nigeria sounded an aberration. Banana Island is the pride of all who admire the environment. This is a threat to the safety of human life and the value of land in one of the highly rated and secured abodes in Africa.”
“The image and reputation of those of us in the Nigerian building industry are at stake before the whole world. What excuses are we going to offer for the latest building collapse? It is unfortunate that nobody has been successfully prosecuted for building collapse offences in Nigeria.
“Quackery, compromise and impunity proceed unchecked. When human beings are not subjected to the law of consequence, misdeeds are absolved in sentiments. Alas, loss of life and property becomes a continuum,” he added.
The Lagos State government has initiated an investigation into the incident on the directive of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while stating that no fatalities occurred. In a statement released by the commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, yesterday, it was revealed that 25 individuals were rescued from the site. Additionally, LASEMA utilized a high-precision 3-D Laser Imagery System to search for any signs of individuals trapped in the rubble, but found no evidence. Site supervisors have also conducted a roll call and confirmed that everyone is accounted for.
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He said: “LASEMA has continued with the excavation of the site, using the architectural designs. The site has been divided into quadrants for a painstaking search and rescue operation.
“Presently, quadrants two and three have been levelled to ground zero, with the search operation completed. Quadrants one and four are ongoing.
“Physical Planning and Urban Development Commissioner, Bamgbose-Martins, an engineer, and Special Duties Adviser, Mobolaji Ogunlende, are co-ordinating the operations. LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, is leading the search-and-rescue efforts.
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“Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi has visited the site and hospitals where victims of the incident were admitted.
“Of the 25 persons rescued by LASEMA, 16 with moderate injuries were admitted at General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island and Police Hospital Falomo for treatment and care. Nine others with minor injuries, such as bruises, were treated and discharged at the site by Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASAMBUS).
“Of the 16 persons on admission, 11 were taken to Police Hospital Falomo. Some are required to come for daily follow-up and management. Three with various injuries, including blunt traumatic chest injury, knee injuries, deep lacerations and others, are on admission.
“At the General Hospital Odan, Lagos Island, there are five patients with more serious injuries.
“The state government, as a matter of policy, will be responsible for the emergency treatment and care, including the medical bills of the patients on admission, It will also provide a post-trauma counselling support and care for all victims through the Lagos MiND programme (Mental Health in Development), a free mental health counselling and support service provided by the Ministry of Health.”