The National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, is set to commence the implementation of its space regulation and licensing mandate with N20 billion take-off fund approved by President Bola Tinubu.
The Director-General of NASRDA, Dr Matthew Adepoju, said this on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
Mr Adepoju said the regulatory function of the agency as encapsulated in NASDRA Act (2010) had remained unfulfilled since its establishment in 1999.
He spoke against the background of NASRDA stakeholders’ workshop on space regulation scheduled for April 8.
He said on assumption of office he raised a memo to President Bola Tinubu on the need to enforce the regulatory functions of NASDRA. According to him, this is in line with the provisions of Section 6 and 9 of the laws establishing it, adding that Tinubu eventually approved the take-off fund.
“When I raised that memo stating that our space can no longer be unregulated, Mr President graciously approved the take-off fund of N20 billion few months ago.
“This is to enable us to commence the space regulation and spectrum management in Nigeria.
“Although times and lots of activities happen that have security implications but if we don’t take charge of our space sector, it will continue to be misused,’’ Mr Adepoju said.
Mr Adepoju said the agency was yet to access the N20 billion, adding that release of funds was always subject to its availability.
“Within the framework of what is possible for us to do now, we’ve set up the platform and we are commencing our regulatory and licensing functions,” he told NAN.
He explained that the space sector had three segments, the upstream, midstream and downstream.
“We have the upstream, which is deep space, the midstream, which is in between the space objects, such as satellites and the planet Earth. “We have the downstream, which has to do with ground stations, activities and people who are utilising space products and services. “In between these three sectors, there are activities that must be regulated otherwise Nigerians will be short-changed.
“People have to be licensed and issued guidelines, the spectrum within Nigeria has to be monitored and the agency has been granted this power since 2010 and this has lots of benefits,’’ he said.
Mr Adepoju said the platform for the licensing was ready and open to both public and private sector operators in the space arena. The licensing, he said, was available for people using and providing space products and services.
He emphasised the need for strict oversight of satellite image providers, geographic information system operators, satellite-based telecommunication and broadcasting services, among others. He also said that if unregulated, geographical data intelligence could be exploited by non-state actors for illicit activities.
The Director-General further told NAN that the initiative would enhance national security, economic diversification and local content development.
He said it would also generate revenue from sub-sectors such as oil and gas, shipping and telecommunications relied on space products for their operations.
Justice Deinde I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, convicted and sentenced Okunfulure Olusola Steve to three Months imprisonment for money laundering.
The convict was arrested on March 28, 2025 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for false currency declaration to the tune of $30,0000.
The NCS had, on Friday, March 28, 2025, handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos for further investigations.
Consequently, he was arraigned on Wednesday on a one-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The count reads: “That you, Okunfulure Olusola Steve, on the 28th day of March, 2025 in Lagos, within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, failed to make a declaration of the sum of $20,000 (Twenty Thousand United States Dollars) to the Nigerian Customs Service at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, and thereby committed an offence Contrary to and Punishable under Section 3(5) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The defendant pleaded “guilty” to the charge when it was read to him.
Following his guilty plea, prosecution counsel C.C. Okezie called on Felicia Paul, an EFCC operative, to review the facts of the case.
Ms Paul, while giving details of how she knew the defendant, told the court that the NCS handed him over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ms Paul also told the court that the defendant was arrested with the sum of$30,000, which he failed to declare.
She further told the court that “his statement was recorded under caution and was served with the bail conditions.”
Thereafter, she identified the defendant’s statement, the handing-over note from the NCS, the arresting officer’s statement as well as the sum of $30,000 (Thirty Thousand US Dollars) to the EFCC.
Okozie then sought to tender, in evidence, the documents.
Justice Dipeolu admitted and marked them as exhibits 1,2,3 and 4 and held that “ I have read the exhibits, the statement of the defendant, and I found him guilty. He is accordingly convicted as charged.”
Okezie thereafter prayed that the undeclared sum of $20,000 be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and that the defendant be jailed.
Defence counsel, Joel Ogundere, while addressing the court, said that the defendant “is a first-time offender and is not aware of the disclosure policy . He is a family man and has responsibilities. His bank account shows the legitimacy of the funds.”
He also prayed the court to “ magnanimously waive any prison sentence”, adding that the convict would not mind forfeiting the sum of money or pay a fine.
Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment, with effect from the date of his arrest on March 28,2025. The Judge also ordered that the money be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Steve, a departing passenger on Delta Airline to Atlanta, United States had declared that he was not in possession of any sum of money in foreign currency but in Naira, while being profiled at the Currency Declaration Desk.
However, the sum of $30,000 undeclared was found on him during a search conducted by operatives of the NCS.
He was subsequently handed over to the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC for further investigations, a development that led to his arraignment and conviction.
A South African court found a Nigerian televangelist not guilty on 32 charges Wednesday, eight years after he was jailed on accusations of raping and sexually assaulting several young women from his church.
Eastern Cape High Court judge Irma Schoeman said the prosecution had mishandled its case against Tim Omotoso, 66, senior pastor at the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church based in South Africa. Omotoso, arrested in 2017, fell to his knees and appeared to pray after the judge found him not guilty of all charges, which included sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Schoeman said that while the pastor’s explanations appeared improbable, state prosecutors had not proved beyond reasonable doubt their case against him and two assistants who also faced charges. “The accused are found not guilty and are discharged on all the charges,” she ruled.
The women who testified against Omotoso said they were handpicked by the pastor, who would pray for forgiveness after each encounter with them.
Some had been part of a gospel girl band called Grace Galaxy set up by the pastor and others were still at school, the judge said. With South Africa battling high rates of rape and abuse of women and children, dozens of women picketed outside the court in the eastern coastal city of Gqeberha as the verdict was being read out.
Thousands of people rallied in several cities on Tuesday to demand that authorities take action after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped at her school last year. There have been no arrests. According to police figures, 42,500 rapes were reported in South Africa in the financial year 2023-24.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart for Paris, France, on Wednesday on a short working visit, the Presidency has revealed.
A statement signed by Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, said that during the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones. He added that Tinubu will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.
“This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.
“Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion,” Onanuga said.
He added that while away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities.
He will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight, according to the statement.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced a new 0.5% levy on imported goods from Nigeria and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member-nations.
The development comes as they seek to fund a new three-state union after leaving the larger regional economic bloc, they said in a statement. According to an official statement by the trio, the levy was agreed on Friday and will take effect immediately.
It will affect all goods imported from outside the three countries but will not include humanitarian aid, the statement said. It will “finance the activities” of the bloc, it said, without giving details.
The move ends free trade across West Africa, whose states have for decades fallen under the umbrella of the ECOWAS, and highlights the rift between the three states that border the Sahara Desert and influential democracies like Nigeria and Ghana to the south.
The three countries, each ruled by military juntas that came to power through recent coups in 2023, had established the Alliance of Sahel States as a security agreement following their exit from ECOWAS bloc.
Promoters and operators of entities engaged in a prohibited scheme is liable to a penalty of not less than N20 million or imprisonment to a term of 10 years or both.
The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said it is one of the provisions of the newly signed Investments and Securities Act, ISA, 2025.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that President Bola Tinubu recently assented to the Act.
Mr Agama said this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the new Act would strengthen the legal framework governing Nigeria’s capital market.
Mr Agama said the commission previously lacked the legal power to prosecute Ponzi scheme operators, which had made it difficult to bring offenders to justice.
He said the Act would help the commission to better protect investors, and introduce reforms that would promote market integrity, transparency, and sustainable growth.
”So, N20 million is not the entire penalty or the entire money that will be charged or sanctioned to any suspecting or any accused capital market or non-capital market operator. ”It is just part of the penalties and or the sanctions that will be meted against such persons.
”Any profits or gains obtained from defrauding Nigerians will be recovered because it is not about the quantum of the fraud, it is about sanctions that will deter people from even getting into it.
”We recognise that a lot of Nigerians have fallen prey to these schemes and the reason why that is the case is because there were no sanctions. ”Protecting the investors in Nigeria is a cardinal responsibility of SEC and this law has provided the SEC with stronger powers to be able to do that,” he said.
The director-general said the Act had also introduced transformative provisions to further align Nigeria’s market operations with international best practice.
NAN reports that the ISA, 2025, had repealed the Investments and Securities Act No. 29 of 2007.
The Police Command in Lagos State has uncovered and dismantled an internet fraud training facility, commonly referred to as “Yahoo School,” operating in the Iju area of the state.
The Command’s Spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday. Hundeyin said that the police apprehended four Yahoo experts and six trainees.
“During the successful operations, the police detectives apprehended four Yahoo experts, of ages 22, 23, 25, and 26, who were running the notorious school.
“The other six suspects, who are between the ages of 12 and 26, are their criminal trainees, all of whom were undergoing training in cybercrime and fraud.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the principal suspects of the facility recruited their trainees from Anambra and engaged them to commit internet fraud and other related crimes. “The proceeds from their fraudulent activities were being confiscated by the principal suspects,” he said.
According to him, all suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, for further discreet investigation and prosecution.
The image maker said that efforts were on to apprehend other accomplices.
“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the sponsors who financed the trainees’ enrolment in the school, as well as the owner of the facility where these criminal and illegal activities took place.
“The owner of the facility is hereby warned, in his own interest, to turn himself in immediately at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Yaba, from wherever he is hiding,” he said.
Hundeyin said that the command would ensure that all suspects were charged to court for prosecution upon the conclusion of the investigation in the case.
He said that the 12-year-old suspect among them, with healing marks of injuries on his body, was receiving medical care.
“In line with due process of the law, the underage suspect with injuries allegedly inflicted on him by the main principal suspect to compel him into the commission of the criminal acts, is being given medical attention. “He is kept in protective custody till his relatives are identified and reunited with him,” the spokesperson said.
He advised parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their children and wards, to prevent them from being exploited, lured, or compelled into falling into criminal activities.
Hundeyin encouraged any member of the public who had fallen victim to the fraudulent activities of the criminal syndicate to go to the SCID, Yaba, with their complaints.
He said that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, praised the officers for apprehending the suspects.
“CP Jimoh commends the police personnel involved in the operation for their dedication and professionalism that resulted in the success.
“The CP assures all Lagos residents that the command remains resolute and committed to combating all forms of crimes and criminalities, including cybercrime tagged “yahoo,” etc.,” Hundeyin said.
According to him, the CP urges residents to report every suspicious activity or incident to the police in their localities for prompt action.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the removal of Chief Pius Akinyelure, the Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board.
Six board members, non-executive directors, representing the country’s geopolitical zones are: Bello Rabiu, North West; Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, who represents North Central.
Mr Tinubu also appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East. Lydia Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President invoked the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, adding that all the appointments were with immediate effect.
He said that the board’s restructuring was crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, and restoring investor confidence. Mr Tinubu added that it would also boost local content, drive economic growth, and advance gas commercialisation and diversification.
The President handed out an immediate action plan to the new board; to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets.
He said this would ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives. Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported 17 billion dollars in new investments within the sector.
“The administration now envisions increasing the investment to 30 billion dollars by 2027 and 60 billion dollars by 2030. ‘The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030.
“Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.”chairman of the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, Ltd. and Mele Kyari, the group chief executive officer.
Kyari was replaced by Bashir Ojulari as Group CEO and Akinyelure was replaced by Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman, Bayo Onanuga, his spokesman, said in a statement on Wednesday. Mr Tinubu also removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.
Mr Tinubu charged the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030. The new board chairman, Kida, from Borno, is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984.
He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol, IFP, in Paris.
He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985. Mr Kida became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.
Apart from his oil industry career, Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, NBBF, board.
Mr Ojulari, the new NNPC Ltd. Group CEO, hails from Kwara. Until his new appointment, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company.
Renaissance Africa Energy Company recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, SPDC, worth 2.4 billion dollars.
Like Kida, Mr Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector.
From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.
Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager.
In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO.
Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Ltd.
He commended them for their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, and wished them well in their future endeavours.
Nons Miraj, also known as Ada Jesus, real name is Chinonso Ukah. She is an actress, social media influencer and comedian. Nonso is the host of the romance show “Hunt Game Show”.
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
How old is Nons Miraj?
There are varying reports on the exact age of Nons Miraj. Some sources claim she was born in 1994, while others suggests she was born in 1996, and another indicated 1995; however, May 27 seems to be are birthday.
Deducing from the varying year of birth, Nons Miraj is presumed to be between 28 to 30 years old and expected to be between 29 to 31 years old by May 27, 2025.
Tribe and state of origin
She was born in Nkporo, Abia state, a state in the southeastern region of Nigeria.
Husband and children
As of the time of publication, there is no public report of Nons Miraj having a husband or child(ren) but she has confirmed she is in a romantic relationship with a man “wey get money”.
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
On April 1, 2024, Nons Miraj and Ashmusy, her colleague and friend, were seen trading words. Nonso accused Ashmusy of trying to snatch of rich boyfriend. In her defence, Ashmusy claimed the said-boyfriend instead asked her out.
She wrote: “Gosh I’m so pissed! @nons_miraj or whatever you call yourself, I’m tired of covering up for you.
“How can you try to ruin my relationship because your man asked me out? Na me ask am out? And if I was such a bad person, why will I come to tell you? If I wanted to do nonsense, won’t I just do it secretly?
“I’m very disappointed! Being that you know me and you know I won’t do such. Grow up! Fool. Since you want to go dirty, let’s do it. I’m tired of being a good girl, after all, bring it, deceitful thing!”
On her Instagram page, Nons Miraj claimed that her boyfriend told her that Ashmusy started making advances at him after she helped them resolve their issue.
Nons Miraj wrote: “Some people are fools and animals in human clothing. What do you mean my boyfriend asked you out or you threw yourself at him? You don see man wey get money you don lose your human training. Why would my boyfriend want to ask you out?
“He told me after you helped resolve our issue you started bringing food for him. Oloshi, because say you dey do food content you come dey send am food. Shey, I tell you say I no sabi cook? My question is why do you have to chat with him behind my back? Amara, please don’t piss me up.”
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Education
She had her secondary education at Command Secondary School and tertiary education at Babcock University.
Career
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
She debuted in the Nollywood industry mid-2015 when she starred in the movie Quiet. Nons Miraj started full time acting in 2017 after gaining admission into the university.
She however came into limelight after her skits based on a magical-mother character went viral. Her fame became prominent afrer her YouTube dating game show “Hunt Game Show” went viral.
Movies and awards
She has featured in movies like:
Quiet (2015)
Baby Palaver (2018)
Sex is Not The Answer (2018)
Cooked-Up Love (2018) as Hilda
Imperfect (2019) as Shirley
Our Wife (2019)
The Alter Date (2019)
Time and Chance (2019)
Her Mother’s Man (2019)
Different Strokes (2019)
Truth or Dead (2019)
Pandora’s Box (2020)
The Miracle Centre (2020)
The Third Wheel (2021)
Hustle (2021) as Regina
Love Tangled (2021) as Bola
Chasing Clout (2023) as Mira
Net worth
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
Nons Miraj seems to be doing well for herself financially. Her YouTube videos usually garner substantial views which is expected to generate her substantial income from YouTube adverts.
She stated in interview that; “Content creation has changed my life in a very big way. I remember when I used to act in Nollywood films, I would be paid as little as N30,000, and they would keep me on set for one week.”
Ada Jesus announced in February 2025 that she just acquired an exotic Benz.
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
Controversy
In February 2023, a gossip blog accused Nons Miraj and her friend Ashmusy of having a threesome with a controversial politician, Senator Dino Melaye.
She however denied the allegation while speaking during an interview #WithChude. Nonso narrated; “I was literally looking for how to edit my skit and bring the grand palava out. I was hustling, (saying) ‘editor correct this thing now wetin dey happen’. Someone just called me, ‘this blog don carry you oh!’ I said ‘Jesus!’ I went to check it, then, I saw myself, with Dino in the middle, and I saw ‘threesome’. Next thing, my friend’scall came in, ‘Nonso, wetin dey happen?’
“I was shaking because I didn’t know how to explain to my mother that this thing is not true. How do you explain to people that you did not do it because they were not there with you.
PHOTO Credit: @Nons_Miraj/Instagram
“If you Google our name now, you see will a poster of I, Ashmusy and the man in the middle. You understand I want to travel out of the country; do not be thinking this one is ashawo. It was annoying.
“People were advising me not to comment on that blog. But because I know I am so innocent, I went to their DM and told them ‘God will punish you for this thing, you will die’. Later on, I summoned courage, “Nonso, you didn’t do this thing”. I don’t know the blogger, but whoever is behind it, ‘bring proof!’ So, when the person wanted to move to new gist, all my friends were like ‘bring proof oh’, ‘don’t go to another gist, because you cannot accuse me just to give your blog a little pop’. Maybe the blog was already dying, and they had to now bring something that would make it trend again. I didn’t like the idea of that, but then again good or bad publicity, it’s all publicity.
“Me? I have not seen him as a fan, like how my friend said she saw him and recorded him. If I see him, I’ll go and hold his leg. I have never met this man before, that is the honest truth.”
Disclaimer
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Osun State governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, on Monday, ordered traditional rulers of warring Ifon, Erin Osun, and Ilobu communities to sustain the current peace in their domains or face dethronement.
He threatened that the failure of any one of them to nurture and sustain the current peace and de-escalation of the crisis in their communities would lead to his removal from the throne.
This was contained in a statement issued by Adeleke’s spokesperson, Mr Olawale Rasheed, which was forwarded to journalists in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
The communities have been recently embroiled in violent clashes over agelong boundary disputes, culminating in the loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties worth billions of naira.
The governor’s warning followed online reports that some faceless groups across the conflict areas were planning to unleash another round of attacks in the communities.
“In the midst of sallah celebrations, I got reports of some people planning another round of conflict around Ifon, Ilobu, and Erin Osun towns. The security agencies have tightened surveillance to ensure no attacks take place,” he said.
“The security agencies are also speeding up the interrogation of key chieftains and actors in the conflict. I will remind top leaders of the towns that the peace undertaking they are signing are not for joke. They will be held accountable. There will be accountability before the law. “The curfew we relaxed was on humanitarian grounds. As a compassionate government, we know many innocent people are suffering because of the evil agenda of a few elements across the conflict areas. Any attempt to exploit the adjustment of the curfew for renewed violence will be met with full re-imposition of the 24-hour curfew.
“Additionally, I will remove from office, any traditional ruler where violence recurs. This card is on the table. Royal fathers of each town must call their subjects to order. I will wield the big stick. Enough is enough.”
Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, has banned all convoy movements in the state.
The decision is allegedly to block Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s homecoming celebration.
The ban, which was announced in a press statement, on Monday, by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, cites security concerns as the reason for the restriction.
However, sources close to the government suggested that the real motive behind the ban is to prevent Senator Akpoti’s supporters from gathering and celebrating her homecoming.
In the statement, Governor Ododo also imposed a ban on all forms of rallies and public gatherings that could disrupt public peace.
“We have received intelligence reports suggesting that some individuals are planning to stage violent rallies, disguised as political and religious agitations, to create a platform for destruction and breakdown of law and order,” the statement read.
To prevent such occurrences, the government has put in place the following measures: “A total ban on all forms of rallies and public gatherings until further notice.
“Regulation of security convoys entering the state, requiring prior clearance from state commands of the deploying services.
“Suspension of fishing activities in Kogi Local Government Area until peace is restored, following a crisis that resulted in the loss of two lives.
“Deployment of security operatives to affected areas to restore peace and maintain law and order.”
The government in the statement urged residents to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and cooperative with security agencies, assuring that these measures are temporary and necessary for the greater good of all.
“Citizens are encouraged to report any suspicious activities or movements to the appropriate security authorities,” the statement added. “Together, we can continue to build a safer and more secure Kogi State.”
Senator Akpoti’s supporters have vowed to find alternative ways to celebrate her homecoming, despite the governor’s efforts to block them.
Lagos State is grappling with a critical shortfall of medical professionals, with only 8200 doctors available in both private and public health facilities, far below the 30,000 needed to serve over 20 million residents.
Dr. Babajide Saheed, chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Lagos, lamented the situation, noting that it reflects a broader crisis in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, highlighted the dire situation on Tuesday during the handover of key medical infrastructure to contractors for conversion into modern academic facilities.
He stated that the shortage extends beyond doctors to nurses, pharmacists, dentists, laboratory scientists, and other allied health professionals.
Abayomi attributed the crisis to the continuous migration of medical professionals, commonly referred to as the “Japa syndrome.”
He explained, “The expansion is part of a broader two-pronged strategy approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to mitigate the crisis. “The first approach is to produce more healthcare professionals by increasing student intake, which necessitates a substantial expansion of tertiary education infrastructure.”
The commissioner further noted that the government has approved a phased expansion of infrastructure to accommodate more students in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and allied health sciences. “Our target is to scale up annual student admissions from 200 to 2,500 over the next five years,” he stated.
Speaking to PUNCH, Saheed expressed concern over the worsening medical personnel shortage in Lagos.
He confirmed that only about 8200 doctors were registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) as of 2024, reinforcing the gravity of the shortfall.
“Nobody can tell you that this is the exact number of doctors in Lagos because the number is increasing and decreasing. Under the MDCN 2024, the number of doctors in the state is about 8200, which means that this is about over 8000. When we say over 8000, this is general doctors, and not just doctors working with the state government, we are talking of doctors registered with the MDCN at that time. This consists of doctors working in state, federal and private facilities,” Saheed explained.
The NMA chairman blamed the persistent migration of doctors abroad for the worsening crisis, as many seek better opportunities outside Nigeria.
He criticised the government’s handling of the healthcare sector, expressing frustration over policies that fail to prioritise medical infrastructure.
Saheed particularly questioned the government’s decision to convert a renal and cardiac centre into office spaces, stressing that such facilities should be upgraded to reduce medical tourism and provide specialised healthcare services for residents.
