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“Local Government Autonomy Will Create More Billionaires Across Nigeria” – Oshiomhole
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, has thrown his weight behind the financial autonomy of local governments in Nigeria, describing it as a crucial step toward grassroots development and accountability.
Speaking at a forum on local government autonomy organized by the House of Representatives, Oshiomhole stressed that local governments must have the freedom to manage their finances to improve governance and better serve their communities.
The Supreme Court’s decision on July 11, 2024, to uphold the financial independence of local governments has been widely praised as a landmark ruling.
The judgment reinforces the constitutional rights of local governments to control their resources without undue interference from state governments.
For years, local governments in Nigeria have struggled under the financial domination of state authorities, limiting their capacity to fulfill their mandates effectively.
At the forum, Oshiomhole highlighted the significance of character and accountability in leadership.
He urged local government chairmen to prioritize essential services such as roads, healthcare, and other public infrastructure.
According to him, these investments are vital for fostering development at the grassroots level and ensuring that citizens see the tangible benefits of governance.
In his characteristic style, Oshiomhole blended humor with serious commentary, stating, “It’s better to have 774 local government chairmen who are thieves than one big thief.”
He elaborated that financial autonomy would enable local governments to generate and manage their own funds, ensuring broader economic benefits across various communities.
“With this autonomy, every local government in Nigeria has the potential to produce one or two billionaires, rather than having just one billionaire dominating the entire state,” he quipped.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid tribute to late Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, recalling his contributions to the creative industry and his impact on Nigeria’s cultural identity.
In his tribute, Tinubu described Jacobs as a giant of the Nigerian creative industry and said “He was a giant of the Nigerian creative industry. His passing is a great loss to Nigeria, the African film industry and the global community of lovers of the performing arts. His remarkable body of work will continue to speak to generations yet unborn.
“The nation recognises the enormous contributions of Nigeria’s creative practitioners to the country’s cultural identity, global image and economic development. Olu Jacobs played a big role in creating this identity.”
Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard drugs and consumer products in Nigeria.
Adeyanju also called for the removal of the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, as well as the heads of other regulatory agencies, including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“Nigerians are being exposed to dangerous products daily, from fake and substandard medicines to unsafe consumer goods, with reports of drugs being sold wholesale in the open under the hot sun. No responsible government should expose its citizens to such risks and expect mortality rates not to rise.”
Adeyanju also called out NAFDAC over what he described as failures in regulating the circulation of counterfeit and substandard products in the country.
It can be noted that various counterfeit products continue to circulate in Nigerian markets, while NAFDAC has also reported seizures and destruction of counterfeit, expired and substandard products.
Lagosians have lamented heavy traffic caused by ongoing construction work at Kara Bridge along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Federal Government announced that repairs on the damaged expansion joints at Kara Bridge would begin on September 8, 2026. The project, initially scheduled to begin in August, was delayed to allow further traffic management planning due to concerns over its impact on motorists.
Since work began, traffic around the Kara area has become heavy, with Lagosians sharing updates on social media about spending two hours or more on the road.
Some commuters say the delays have made their 9-to-5 routines difficult, with several hours spent travelling to and from work.
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