By Franceca Hangeior

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development (MWID), has ramped up enforcement efforts at the Okunde Bluewater Scheme along Lekki Coastal Road, Lekki. The latest operation focused on removing illegal occupants and dismantling newly emerging shanties in the area.

The operation, carried out earlier on Friday, was led by the Commissioner for the Ministry, Ekundayo Alebiosu. He explained that the exercise was a continuation of previous clean-up efforts and a firm deterrent to those attempting to reoccupy government-owned land with unauthorized structures.

“We cleared this large expanse of land late last year, and it is no longer business as usual,” Alebiosu stated. “Any attempts to rebuild shanties or makeshift structures on this site will be met with swift enforcement. These structures pose not only an environmental hazard but also a significant security risk. More importantly, they are not in line with the Lagos State Mega City Master Plan.”

The Commissioner reiterated the State Government’s commitment to reclaiming and strategically utilizing the area for the development of a world-class Bluewater Scheme and a coastal road network to benefit residents.

Alebiosu further emphasized that sustained monitoring and periodic enforcement exercises would be used to preserve the integrity of the cleared site. He also reaffirmed that the progress made during the ministry’s reclamation exercise in September last year would not be allowed to be undone.

“MWID remains steadfast in its mission to secure and transform all government-owned waterfronts across Lagos State, in alignment with the vision of a clean, secure, and globally competitive Mega City,” he added.

* Unveils diaspora agency

By Francesca Hangeior

Edo State Diaspora Agency has expressed it’s is determination to ensure that the potential of Edo indigenes in the Diaspora is harnessed to boost the economic, social and cultural development of the state.

The Director General of the Agency, Loretta Ogboro-Okor who stated this during her maiden press conference in Benin, Edo State, also expressed the readiness of the agency to build synergy with other sister agencies to address the menace of trafficking in persons.

Ogboro-Okor while thanking Governor Monday Okpebholo for establishing the agency also noted that focus would be given to the welfare of Edo indigenes in Diaspora, strengthening relations, growing remittance and fostering growth and development.

She said, “From our strategic location in Nigeria, where one cannot navigate the North, South, East and West, without going through Edo State, we draw a parallel in today’s world too with our Diaspora population that have also become the anchor and rallying point of not just Nigerians but Africans across the world more so, blazing a trail of democracy and political consciousness as we can see from our political engagements in our gubernatorial and other elections.

“As Edo State People in the Diaspora, we contribute hugely in remittances to not just our State, but to our country Nigeria, as a whole. We will be economical with the truth if we do not highlight the fact that our sojourns have been fraught with challenges, ranging from but not limited to stigmatisation, racism, marginalization, and stereotypes.

“We are determined to ensure that the potentials of Edo indigenes in the Diaspora are harnessed to boost the economic, social, and cultural development of the state.

“However, through it all, we rise and hold onto the central theme of hope together, we explore our possibilities for the future, and we continue to maintain our shared solidarity, pushing our positive narratives of Edo State’s past, present, and future with no limits.

She further stressed that the agency will also partner with traditional leaders to ensure that Diaspora contributions are recognized, valued and integrated into the broader Edo State development agenda to maximize the transformation agenda of Governor Monday Okpebholo.

The Diaspora Agency was established by Governor Monday Okpebholo to serve as a bridge between people in the diaspora and the government at home, ensuring that the skills, resources, and experiences of our global citizens are harnessed for the development of our state.

By Francesca Hangeior

In a bid to address the lingering security issue in Zamfara State, a group called the Northern Citizens Alliance for Justice (NCAJ) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency.

The group cited the “total breakdown of governance, and the alleged complicity of the state government in criminal mining operations” as its reason for for the declaration of an emergency rule in the state.

In a statement released in Kaduna on Friday, the group’s president, Mallam Kabiru Sani Bako, said no serious intervention can occur in the state unless power is taken from political actors currently benefiting from the crisis.

“What we are witnessing in Zamfara State is not governance. What we are witnessing is organised abandonment of duty by those elected to serve,” Bako said.

“The state has no functional House of Assembly, no political will to stop the violence, and a growing body of allegations tying officials to illegal mining. This is no longer politics — this is betrayal of the people.”

The group described the security situation in Zamfara as “a slow-burning war that the country is ignoring at its own peril.”

According to Bako, residents in many parts of the state now pay levies to bandits to farm or travel while state actors continue to play politics.

“In towns like Zurmi, Shinkafi, Anka and Bukkuyum, people are no longer safe to attend school, visit markets or sleep with both eyes closed. Women are being abducted, children recruited, and entire communities taxed by non-state actors. And what is the government doing? Trading blame and watching,” he said.

The group noted that the lack of a properly constituted state assembly further reinforces the collapse of democracy.

“As we speak, Zamfara has no legally recognised House of Assembly. 10 lawmakers were suspended for speaking out against the security situation in the state. This means the state is being run without the checks and balances that a democracy demands. It is a dictatorship of silence — and the victims are poor citizens who deserve better,” Bako added.

The group also accused the state government of shielding illegal miners, saying credible evidence suggests that proceeds from unregulated mining operations are funding arms purchases by criminal gangs.

“The same hands that should be protecting Zamfara are profiting from its destruction,” Bako said.

“The time has come for President Tinubu to step in — not with rhetoric, but with constitutional force. We are calling for declaring a state of emergency and appointing a non-partisan administrator to take over the reins and rebuild institutions.

“If this is not done now, we risk allowing Zamfara to become a permanent haven for terror cells. The country cannot afford to look away. Lives are being lost daily. And governance has already left the room.”

The Northern Citizens Alliance for Justice said it will send a detailed dossier to the National Assembly and the National Security Adviser in the coming days to support its demand.