Lagos State House of Assembly, in collaboration with representatives of waterfront communities affected by recent demolitions, have expressed support for the state government’s proposed Water City development for the impacted areas.

This position was reached as part of a five-point resolution agreed upon during a stakeholders’ meeting held on Tuesday evening at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja.

The discussions involved leaders from Makoko, Sogunro and Oko Agbon waterfront communities.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Rules and Business and Majority Leader of the House, Mr Noheem Adams, explained that the Water City initiative is designed to serve the long-term interests of residents in the affected communities.

According to Adams, the state government will set up a 10-member committee drawn from the communities to carry out a self-enumeration of properties impacted by the demolitions.

He said the committee is expected to conclude the exercise within two weeks and submit its findings to the Adhoc Committee for further review.

He stressed the importance of openness and accuracy in the enumeration process, noting that information provided by the communities would be verified against existing government data.

Adams also directed stakeholders in Makoko to submit the names of their nominees for the committee to the House once constituted.

Reacting to the outcome of the meeting, the Baale of Sogunro Community, Chief Abraham Mesu, lauded the intervention of the Lagos State House of Assembly, describing it as timely and reassuring. He said the proposed Water City project has the potential to significantly enhance living conditions while ensuring that indigenous residents remain central to the redevelopment process.

Although he acknowledged the hardship caused by the demolitions, Mesu reaffirmed the community’s readiness to work with the state government to achieve a sustainable solution.

Similarly, the Baale of Makoko Waterfront, Chief Emmanuel Shemade, disclosed that community leaders had agreed to halt any rebuilding of demolished structures pending further directives. He expressed satisfaction with the assurances given at the meeting, particularly regarding plans to regenerate the area without forcing residents out of their ancestral communities.

Shemade also commended the state government’s commitment to provide an aerial survey image within one month, clearly outlining the extent of the demolished areas.

Earlier at the meeting, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Geographic Information Services, Dr Olajide Babatunde, said the Water City project forms part of a broader regeneration strategy for the waterfront settlements.

He noted that the initiative was informed by concerns over congestion and substandard living conditions, adding that provisions had been made to ensure affected residents receive appropriate compensation.

Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of federal tertiary health institutions have attributed poor funding for medical research to budgetary constraints and repeated cuts during the budgeting process, as the House of Representatives criticised teaching hospitals for allocating less than one per cent of their budgets to research.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors, the Secretary of the committee and Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Pokop Bupwatda, told lawmakers that although research is usually captured in hospital budget proposals, the allocation is often removed before final approval.

Bupwatda said limited funding has weakened the capacity of teaching hospitals to carry out meaningful research, despite their statutory mandate as centres of medical innovation and training.

He called for increased funding for the health sector to enable the recruitment of qualified manpower and improved staff welfare, warning that poor conditions of service have worsened the ongoing “japa syndrome” among medical professionals.

According to him, many federal hospitals are critically understaffed, particularly with medical doctors, and even when approvals are granted to recruit, few doctors apply. He added that despite these challenges, existing personnel have continued to provide quality healthcare services and deserve commendation.

Bupwatda also raised concerns over operational challenges facing tertiary health institutions, including the release of only about 30 per cent of the 2025 budget to federal teaching hospitals and medical centres, a development he said has constrained service delivery despite efforts by the House to improve budgetary allocations.

He identified power supply as a major financial burden, noting that hospitals spend huge sums on electricity due to the need for constant power to run critical equipment. According to him, federal hospitals currently operate under Band A electricity tariffs, further increasing costs alongside the expense of running generators.

However, the House of Representatives faulted the CMDs for failing to prioritise research during budget preparations. The Chairman of the House Committee on Health Institutions, Dr Patrick Umoh, said teaching hospitals had allocated less than one per cent of their budgets to research and had not consistently pushed for improved research funding.

Umoh expressed disappointment that many teaching hospitals now operate like general hospitals, rather than research-driven institutions, warning that the neglect of research undermines the country’s health system.

“Teaching hospitals are supposed to be centres of research. You have never raised the issue of lack of funding for research, but you talk more about infrastructure. That makes you part of the problem,” he said.

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the sector’s poor research preparedness, noting that none of the hospitals visited during oversight functions had showcased functional research centres.

Sokoto State Police Command has disbursed N29.6 million in Group Life Assurance benefits to families of officers who died or sustained serious injuries in the line of duty.

The cheques, totalling N29,638,584.78, were presented to 10 beneficiaries on Tuesday.

The presentation was carried out on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Musa, by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Finance and Administration, Umar Sokoto, alongside members of the command’s management team.

Umar said the payment was part of the Nigeria Police Force’s Group Life Assurance Scheme aimed at providing financial support to families of deceased officers.

He urged the beneficiaries to make prudent use of the funds to support their households.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Hamimatu Ahmad, widow of one of the deceased officers, expressed appreciation to the police authorities for the intervention.

The command said the disbursement forms part of ongoing welfare efforts for personnel and families of officers who died in active service.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Osun State, has dismissed allegations circulating on social media that underage persons were registered as voters in Ede North Local Government Area.

The allegation, shared on Facebook, claimed that schoolchildren dressed in uniforms were registered at the INEC Local Government Office in Ede North on Friday, February 6, 2026.

In a statement by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mutiu Agboke, and issued by Musa Olurode, the Public Affairs Officer, on Monday in Osogbo, INEC Osun described the claim as false and misleading.

It also stressed that no underage person was registered at the office on the said date.

INEC confirmed that some students of YTD Grammar School, Ojoro, Ede, arrived at the Ede North office in school uniforms with the intention of registering.

According to the Commission, officials on duty denied the students access to the premises in line with existing laws and guidelines governing voter registration.

“The Electoral Officer and other officials, acting in strict compliance with the law, refused them entry into the office premises. Consequently, no underage person was registered,” the statement said.

INEC reiterated that “only Nigerian citizens who have attained the age of 18 years are eligible for voter registration, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2022.”

The Commission added that its officials had been clearly instructed to enforce the age requirement without exception across the state.

INEC further assured residents that the Osun State office, under the leadership of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Mutiu Agboke, would not “engage in, condone or permit any action capable of compromising the credibility and integrity of the voter registration process.”

The Commission urged members of the public to disregard the social media post and rely on information from official INEC communication channels.

The electoral umpire also called on parents, school authorities and community leaders to sensitise young persons on the legal requirements for voter registration.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will not adopt zoning or any form of consensus arrangement in its presidential primary ahead of the next general elections.

Speaking on Trust Tv, El-Rufai said the party is committed to conducting free, fair, and transparent primaries, where all aspirants will be given equal opportunity to contest without pressure, imposition, or forced withdrawal.

El-Rufai disclosed that the ADC leadership is currently working on its manifesto and policy platform, while also engaging prospective presidential, governorship, and other aspirants to build internal unity ahead of the primaries.

“At the top level, we are preparing our manifesto and our platform. We are also working on getting our presidential aspirants, governorship aspirants, and other aspirants to come together and agree on a process that will guarantee free and fair primaries,” he said.

According to him, the party has resolved that no zoning arrangement will be applied and that no aspirant will be compelled to step down in favour of another.

“There will be no zoning, no consensus, and no forcing anyone to step down. Everyone will be given the opportunity to contest, and whoever wins will be supported by all,” El-Rufai stated.

He also dismissed claims that the ADC lacks grassroots support, insisting that the party’s growing influence is evident across the country.

“If you don’t think the ADC has grassroots support, ask some members of the National Assembly to go to their constituencies without gathering soldiers and police to guard them,” he added.