The Nigerian Army has renamed the popular Ikeja Cantonment T.A. Lagbaja Cantonment, Ikeja in honour of the late Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.

The renaming ceremony on Friday followed impressive facility upgrades including an engraved picture of Lagbaja made with over 4,000 nails in front of the refurbished main gate to the cantonment; digital boards; remodelled accommodation for Commander 9 Brigade; newly built residence of Commander 70 Supply and Transport Command; renovated seven by Corporal Below and three by Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (SNCOs) quarters.

The event coincided with the posthumous 57th birthday of the late COAS and attracted military top shots including all serving members of Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Course 39, Lagbaja’s coursemates.

Delivering a goodwill message at the ceremony, Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said naming the cantonment after Lagbaja was a testament of gratitude and recognition of his courage, service and patriotism.

He said: “This cantonment has not been a symbol of courage. It has been a symbol of discipline and fidelity. It has been home to thousands of brave men and women who have defended the sovereignty of our nation with their lives in the greatest moment of triumph, resilience, and sacrifice.

“Therefore, renaming it after Lieutenant General Lagbaja is a fitting tribute to a leader, a gentleman, and an officer whose life embodies all of his values. A distinguished infantry officer who served in the Nigerian Army with dedication for over three decades; who played key roles in counter-insurgent operations, internal security, and peace-keeping missions.

“By renaming this cantonment after him, we are sending a strong message to our Armed Forces and to future generations that Nigeria will always honour and celebrate our brave men and women in uniform, not just in times of conflict but in moments of peace. We must remind them that their sacrifice will not go unrecognised.”

He commended President Bola Tinubu for approving the renaming of the cantonment, noting that his administration has by the gesture, demonstrated its commitment to supporting the Armed Forces.”

COAS, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said Lagbaja’s legal IRS had continued to positively impact the lives of soldiers and their families.

Oluyede said the army considered Ikeja Cantonment most benefitting to immortalise Lagbaja because of the modest infrastructural developments he spearheaded as Commander 9Brigade, as well as major developmental projects he initiated in the cantonment as COAS.

“Some of these include the extensive renovation of officers and soldiers accommodations, upgrade of the schools and medical centre facilities as well as restoration of the cantonment water treatment plant.

“He was also key to resolving the intractable challenge of poor electricity supply to the Cantonment. Lieutenant General Lagbaja’s impactful intervention undoubtedly brought comfort and joy to the cantonment community.

“It was therefore no surprise that the proposal to rename this cantonment after him was received with widespread jubilation and warm acceptance by the residents…” he said.

The Katsina State government has ordered the closure of all private schools in the state for the duration of Ramadan.

In a circular issued by the Katsina State Hisbah Board, the government warned that failure to comply would have consequences.

The circular, dated February 27, 2025, was signed by the Commandant General, Aminu Usman.

“In accordance with the Katsina State Government’s directive, all private schools are required to close during the Ramadan period to allow pupils to fully observe the holy month,” the statement read.

“The directive also includes extra lessons. The Hisbah Board urges all school proprietors to strictly comply, as non-compliance will not be tolerated.”

“May Allah accept our fast and grant us His blessings,” the statement concluded.

SaharaReporters previously reported that Bauchi State had issued a similar directive, ordering all schools, including private ones to shut down for five weeks.

According to the directive, schools in Bauchi will remain closed from February 26, 2025, until the end of Ramadan and the Salah celebration, with classes resuming on April 5.

The official academic calendar obtained by SaharaReporters indicates that the second term of the 2024/2025 session began on January 5, 2025.

However, the Bauchi State government divided the term into two phases: the first from January 5 to February 28, followed by a five-week break from March 1 to April 5.

Classes are set to resume from April 6 to April 29. The directive has sparked outrage online following SaharaReporters’ report, though the government remains firm on its decision.

Credit: SaharaReporters

Meta on Thursday said it had laid off 20 workers for leaking information to the media, as the social media giant faces pressure over the recent political shift of its boss Mark Zuckerberg towards US President Donald Trump.

“We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,” a Meta spokesperson said, confirming a story first reported in The Verge.

“We recently conducted an investigation that resulted in roughly 20 employees being terminated for sharing confidential information outside the company, and we expect there will be more,” the company added.

“We take this seriously, and will continue to take action when we identify leaks.”

The round of firings came following a recent series of reports based on Zuckerberg’s meetings with employees.

In one meeting, first reported by The Verge, Zuckerberg told employees he would no longer be forthcoming with information because “we try to be really open and then everything I say leaks. It sucks.”

He also warned them to “buckle up” for the coming year and said that Meta would be a productive partner with the White House.

Tech leaders have broadly fallen in line around Trump since he won the election in November, with Zuckerberg making a particular turn towards the Republican since his return to office.

Zuckerberg has multiplied his advances towards Trump, who last summer threatened the tech tycoon with life imprisonment after Meta excluded the president from Facebook in January 2021 for encouraging the assault on the Capitol.

The CEO and founder has dined with the Republican on several occasions, donated to the president’s inauguration fund, eased up on content moderation, and ended Facebook’s US fact-checking program in an effort to draw closer to the new Republican leadership in Washington.

His longtime political affairs boss was also replaced by a prominent Republican, and he named Trump ally Dana White to his board after the US election.

The measures align with the conservative views of the president and his allies, as well as masculinist entertainers and personalities like Elon Musk.

On the Joe Rogan podcast, Zuckerberg complained that “a lot of the corporate world is pretty culturally neutered” and that embracing masculine energy “is good.”

AFP