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Epe: Farmers Seek Government’s Intervention Over Alleged Military Invasion On Farmlands

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Aggrieved Farmers in Afero, Itoikin Community, in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, have staged a peaceful protest, calling on President Bola Tinubu and the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for immediate intervention over the forceful acquisition of their farmlands, duly allocated by the state government.

The Farmers, under the aegis of Afero Commercial Farmers Cooperative, on Tuesday, stormed the Lagos House and House of Assembly, Complexes, Alausa, Ikeja for Sanwo-Olu’s and lawmakers’ prompt intervention.

Afero Commercial Farmers Cooperatives was established in 2005 purposely for commercial farming
in crops and livestock to promote food security in Lagos State and Nigeria.

Chairman of the group, Prince Wale Oyekoya, who led the affected farmers and concerned residents in protest, however, in the meantime, requested from the state government, immediate adequate compensation, immediate relocation of labs with Certificate of Occupancy, CoO’s payment on Land.

Oyekoya said that the land was allocated to them by the administration of Mr.Babatunde Fashola in 2014 when they were displaced from the former land given to them at Afero in Ibeju Lekki by the state government for commercial farming because of the construction of Cargo Airport at the place.

He maintained that when they got to Itoikin their new allocation, the initial problem they were facing was the issue of Omo Onile, who he said do invade their farmland and destroyed their crops.

According to him, “We are twenty in number when we started. In 2014, Lagos state government sent letter to Bama Farms Limited that they are relocating my farm to pave way for Lekki International Airport and I immediately called all other farmers to the situation and we all agreed to come together and engaged late Rotimi Williams, SAN.

“Eventually, we were compensated and relocated to Eluju Mowo/Mutaku in 2015.

“We started having problems from the omo onile and hooligans immediately we took over our farms. Thugs will come and disturb our farms destroying our crops and stealing our livestock.

“As time goes on the omo onile brought thugs and estate developers to destabilized us. The estate developers started building on our farmlands and we reported all this to the government through the governor, Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Survey, commerce and Justice with no response or action from them.

“The omoonile grew wings by harassing and threatening us with hired police and military, frivolous charges by police locally and Abuja, lawsuits on a land that was allocated to us by Lagos state government.

“In fact, we have been through hell and hardship and Lagos State Government has turned deaf ear to our problems.

“When the problem of the omo onile and estate developers persisted, we approached the Ministry of Agriculture through the Agric Land Holding Authority when they brought bulldozer to bulldoze all our cash crops and farm crops they asked us to pay money before they could come to our rescue on the land that was allocated to us by the government and we have no choice but to pay almost one N1 million for them to come and pay for their agency signpost to be erected on the land that it’s government
allocated land.

“Each government signpost cost us N150,000, and the task force headed by one Mr. Balogun, led the team and erected the signpost and the omo onile and the developers removed all the signposts and erased all what they wrote on the wall the same day.

“That means our money went down the drain and we are powerless. This was reported to the governor, Attorney General offices, commissioner, and permanent secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and nothing was done up to this moment.

“This gave the omo onile and estate developer more power to harass, threaten and disturb our farm
businesses. Series of attacks was done on our farm activities unabated without the government intervention to help us on the land that were allocated to us.

“We believe there are some collaborations between the government agencies, ministries, the omo onile and the estate developers against the farmers.

“Recently, precisely five weeks ago, December 2023 the military came with full force beating people up
and sending people away from their properties as farmers were not exempted.

“Bama Farms is the hardest hit as his farms have been taken over by the military broken the fences, bulldozed our crops and properties, telling us to move our farm houses and livestock houses.

“Bama Farms is now their base and ammunition depot. All Bama farm workers have disappeared out of fear and intimidation thereby affecting our farming activities.

“The question is, why did Lagos State allocate military land to us.? Why did they refuse to attend to our cry?

“Why did they refuse to issue us C of O on the land allocated to us? Why did they refuse to engage the farmers when the military invaded our farms over a month ago?

“We are therefore, appealing to Mr President, Tinubu as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and true Democrat as well as Governor Sanwo-Olu, to come to our aid by calling the military to order or reallocate us to other lands to make our daily hard earned living.”

 

 

 

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Oyo 2027: Adelabu Quits As Power Minister To Focus On Guber Race

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The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has formally resigned from his position in the Federal Government to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

In a resignation letter dated April 22, 2026, and addressed to the President, Adelabu stated that his resignation will take effect on April 30, 2026, to enable him to focus on his governorship ambition in Oyo State.

The letter, routed through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated that he was stepping down with “a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude.”

He wrote, “I write with a deep sense of honour and profound gratitude to formally tender my resignation as the Honourable Minister of Power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This resignation is to take effect on 30th April 2026, in order to allow sufficient time for a smooth and orderly handover of responsibilities.”

Adelabu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve, describing his appointment as a privilege.

He said, “Your Excellency, I remain sincerely grateful for the privilege and confidence you reposed in me by appointing me to serve our great nation in this capacity.

“It has been a rare honour to contribute to national development under your leadership and to play a role in advancing reforms in the power sector—one of the most critical foundations of Nigeria’s industrial growth and economic transformation.”

The former minister said his resignation was to enable him focus fully on his governorship ambition in Oyo State, citing provisions of the amended electoral law.

He added, “My decision to step down is informed by my intention to focus fully on my gubernatorial ambition in Oyo State. This aspiration, which dates back to 2016 during my service as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, ultimately led to my voluntary resignation from the Central Bank in 2018 in order to pursue the same goal.”

“In line with the provisions of the Amended Electoral Act 2026, which preclude political office holders from contesting elections, I consider it both appropriate and necessary to resign at this time.”

Adelabu’s exit marks a major political development ahead of the next electoral cycle, particularly in Oyo State, where he is expected to contest the governorship election.

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Wale Edun, Musa Dangiwa Resigned Voluntarily, Not Sacked – Presidency

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The Presidency has clarified that Wale Edun (former Finance Minister) and Ahmed Musa Dangiwa (former Housing Minister) voluntarily resigned from their positions and were not sacked by President Tinubu.

In a statement released this evening April 22, presidential media aide, Bayo Onanuga, said that contrary to public opinions, Wale Edun resigned on health grounds while Dangiwa also tendered his resignation and thanked the President for the opportunity given him to serve in the Federal Executive Council.

Onanuga stated that Edun, who clocked 70 on Monday and has battled recent ill health, fittingly submitted his resignation letter on his birthday, thanking the President for the opportunity to serve Nigeria.

“It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve your administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda, Under your leadership, Nigeria has emerged stronger, more resilient and more internationally respected. I wish you and the administration every success in the future” he wrote

Onanuga stated that on Tuesday, before the Office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation announced his departure from the Cabinet, Edun paid a valedictory visit to the President at the Villa and held an hour-long discussion with the president and then left to focus on his private businesses.

The presidential aide stated that President Tinubu has expressed deep appreciation to Edun and Dangiwa for their dedicated service and significant contributions to the administration’s economic reform programme and wished them continued success in their future endeavours.

‘’In the same vein, the President has urged the new Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, to consolidate ongoing reforms and advance the administration’s fiscal and economic objectives with renewed focus, discipline, and innovation.

President Tinubu will shortly send the ministerial nominee for housing, Muttaqha Rabe Darma, also from Katsina, like Dangiwa, to the Senate for confirmation” the statement concluded

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Unity Bank, Experts Advocate Green Investment, Climate Innovation To Drive Economic Resilience

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Nigeria’s retail lender, Unity Bank Plc, alongside leading climate innovation experts, has called for increased investment in the green economy and the adoption of frontier technologies as critical pathways to driving economic resilience and reducing the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations across Africa.

The call was made during a thought-provoking webinar hosted by the Bank to commemorate this year’s Earth Day, themed “The True Cost of Climate Change and Who Pays?”. Climate experts and stakeholders convened to examine the human, economic, and institutional costs of climate change, while spotlighting practical solutions to address its growing impact.

In his opening remarks, Unity Bank’s Head of Strategy and Innovation, Ibukun Coker, emphasised the urgency of addressing climate risks from both a societal and business perspective.

He said: “Climate change is no longer a distant or abstract challenge. It is an existential threat with direct consequences for individuals, businesses, and economies. At Unity Bank, we recognise the role institutions must play in incorporating sustainability in project financing, supporting businesses and promoting solutions that build resilience in communities where we operate.”

The webinar featured Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder and CEO of Instollar, and Oluwatosin Ajide, Programme Manager at the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, both of whom provided insights into the drivers of climate change and the pathways to mitigation and adaptation.

Speaking during the session, Udo-Davis highlighted the disproportionate burden which climate change places on underserved communities and the need for inclusive solutions.

“The true cost of climate change is not evenly distributed. Communities with the least resources are often the most affected, whether through energy poverty, environmental degradation, or limited access to sustainable alternatives. Addressing this imbalance requires intentional investment in clean energy solutions that are both accessible and scalable.”

Ajide underscored the importance of coordinated, system-wide approaches in tackling climate challenges, particularly through innovation and policy alignment.

“Climate change is fundamentally a structural problem, and its solution requires a paradigm shift: from innovation and policy to financing and implementation. Stakeholders must work collaboratively to drive solutions that are sustainable and inclusive.”

The session also explored emerging opportunities in climate technology, renewable energy, and ecosystem financing, reinforcing the role of innovation and cross-sector collaboration in building long-term resilience.

By hosting the webinar, Unity Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to advancing sustainability-focused dialogue and supporting initiatives that promote responsible growth and environmental stewardship.

The initiative underscores the Bank’s broader strategic focus on environmental sustainability as well as its commitment to financial inclusion.

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