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Safe schools: Senate extends probe into TETFund, NELFUND, UBEC, others

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The Senate, yesterday, broadened its investigation into the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), extending the probe to key education and social intervention agencies, including the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The lawmakers also granted the Senate ad-hoc committee investigating the initiative an additional three weeks to conclude its assignment, saying that a wider inquiry is necessary to fully assess the management of education-related intervention funds and student welfare programmes.

The resolution followed a motion moved by the Committee Chairman, Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2026 (as amended).

Kalu said the committee’s preliminary findings showed that the implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative was closely linked to several agencies responsible for education financing, student support and humanitarian interventions.

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According to him, investigating the programme in isolation would leave critical gaps in the Senate’s oversight function.

He said that the expanded mandate would enable the committee to produce a comprehensive report capable of strengthening accountability, improving transparency and ensuring that intervention funds achieve their intended objectives.

However, the investigation will further cover TETFund’s security and infrastructure interventions in tertiary institutions, NELFUND’s loan disbursement processes, administrative efficiency and student access framework, as well as UBEC’s interventions in the basic education sector.

Kalu said that the committee needed additional time as some critical aspects of the investigation, including planned visits to key locations, had yet to be completed.

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The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, following a voice-vote by the lawmakers, who unanimously approved the request, granted the committee a three-week extension.

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Just in: Police summon Osun Senator over alleged violence threat against Accord members

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The Osun State Police Command has summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, over comments attributed to him in a viral video concerning members of the Accord Party.

The invitation followed public outrage over the video, in which Fadahunsi, speaking in Yoruba during an All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign event in Ilesa, was allegedly heard making remarks interpreted as a threat against Accord supporters.

In a letter dated August 11, 2026, the police directed the senator to appear before the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo at 11am on Wednesday, August 12, to clarify the circumstances surrounding the remarks.

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The letter, signed by Samuel Etaifo Erale, commissioner of police in charge of elections in Osun State, said the invitation was based on allegations that Fadahunsi made statements considered threatening, inciting and intimidating.

The invitation is premised on information in possession of the Nigeria Police alleging that during your address at the aforementioned programme, you made statements considered to be threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature, and the statement has already been in circulation on various electronic and social media platforms,” the letter stated.

The controversy erupted after a video surfaced in which Fadahunsi was reportedly heard telling APC supporters to “kill” Accord members. The remarks drew widespread condemnation as the state prepares for Saturday’s governorship election.

Fadahunsi later denied calling for violence, saying his remarks had been taken out of context. His media team explained that he was urging voters to defeat the Accord Party through their votes, describing the statement as political and metaphorical.

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The controversy comes amid political tension in Osun, with incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke seeking re-election on the Accord platform and APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji among the major contenders in the August 15 poll.

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Ebonyi State Assembly passes Bill regulating house rent, agent fees

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​The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a landmark executive bill aimed at regulating the trade of metal and electrical scraps, standardising residential rent, and capping property agency fees across the state.

Presided over by the Speaker, Moses Odunwa, during Tuesday’s plenary at the Assembly Complex on Nkaliki Road, the law, cited as the Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent, and Agent Fees Regulation Law 2026, came into effect immediately upon passage on August 11, 2026.

The legislation establishes strict regulatory frameworks to curb public property vandalism, checkmate environmental degradation, and eliminate exploitative practices within Ebonyi’s real estate market.

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Some provisions of the law state that unlicensed buying, selling, possession, transportation, or disposal of metal and electrical scraps is now strictly prohibited. Violators face up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine not exceeding ₦500,000, or both.

It states that standard rent tariffs prescribed by Governor Francis Nwifuru will govern applicable housing categories; landlords are legally barred from demanding rates exceeding the prescribed caps. Furthermore, landlords who obtain possession orders through fraud, misrepresentation, or concealment of facts face up to two years’ imprisonment.

The legislation indicated that agency fees for real estate transactions are now capped at a maximum of 2% of the gross transaction value for both professional and non-professional agents.

To enforce transparency and accountability, all estate agents operating within the capital city must register with the Ministry of the Capital City.

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Presenting the merits of the executive bill, Leader of the House Kingsley Ikoro urged his colleagues to give the measure swift passage, emphasising its role in safeguarding public infrastructure and protecting vulnerable tenants.

Echoing these sentiments, several lawmakers voiced strong support during deliberations: Victor Nwoke (Abakaliki North), Nwodo Nwodo (Ebonyi North West), Oluchukwu Ukie Ezeali (Afikpo East), Friday Ogbuewu (Ezza South), Celestine Ogba (Onicha East)

The lawmakers described the legislation as a timely intervention against the surge in municipal scrap theft and arbitrary rent hikes by speculative landlords.

Speaking shortly after the bill passed its third reading following a clause-by-clause consideration in the Committee of the Whole, Speaker Moses Odunwa remarked, “Scrap dealers have shown a brazen lack of restraint, causing widespread havoc to critical public infrastructure and private property. This law restores sanity to our property market and prioritises overall public safety.”

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In other legislative business, the House considered and formally adopted the Auditor-General’s Report on the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Ebonyi State Government for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, confirming its alignment with standard accounting principles.

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Gov Adeleke reveals what TInubu told him about Osun account freeze

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Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has disclosed what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu told him after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) froze the state government’s account.

The governor spoke on Tuesday during the Arise Town Hall for Osun governorship candidates ahead of Saturday’s election, while responding to questions about his relationship with Tinubu and allegations of federal interference in the election.

Adeleke said Tinubu told him he was embarrassed by the development and insisted that the action was unacceptable, stressing that the president had assured him of a free and fair election.

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According to Adeleke, the president’s intervention showed that Tinubu was not responsible for ordering the freezing of the state’s account, contrary to claims attributed to some political actors.

He alleged that his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, had been using Tinubu’s name to influence federal agencies because of his relationship with the president, who is Oyetola’s cousin.

Adeleke said Tinubu had a demanding national responsibility and might not always be aware when his name was being invoked by individuals seeking to influence government agencies.

And Mr. President promised a free and fair election. It is, politics is local.

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“It is Oyetola that is feeling that pain of defeat, and he has vowed that he will destroy Osun State by dropping Mr. President’s name to destroy Osun State. Look, he’s not the only one from Osun State. We own Osun State together. We will not allow that to happen. So he’s the one, he’s the one using federal might. I can say it without fear.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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