The Lagos State House of Assembly has inducted 132 newly recruited personnel into the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission, LAHASCOM, and the Assembly’s workforce as part of efforts to strengthen efficiency and professionalism within the legislative service.

The induction exercise was held at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium located within the Assembly complex in Lagos.

Speaking during the opening session, the Clerk of the House, Barrister Olalekan Onafeko, who represented the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, urged the newly employed officers to embrace professionalism, diligence and proactive service delivery in the discharge of their responsibilities.

He stressed that the Assembly places high value on accountability, excellence and productivity in public service.

Onafeko also gave participants an overview of the evolution of the Lagos State House of Assembly since its establishment in 1979 following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule.

According to him, the legislature is constitutionally empowered to make laws, carry out oversight functions and represent the interests and aspirations of Lagos residents.

Delivering the keynote address, the Chairman of the Lagos State House of Assembly Service Commission, Alhaja Omowunmi Ogbara, advised the newly recruited officers to comply strictly with the Lagos State Civil Service Rules and maintain high standards of discipline, ethical conduct and efficiency in their various assignments.

She also observed a minute silence in honour of two members of staff who recently passed away, describing their deaths as a painful loss to the Assembly community while praying for the peaceful repose of their souls.

One of the facilitators at the programme, retired civil servant Mr Femi Solaja, took participants through the Public Service Rules and Regulations guiding the conduct of government employees.

He highlighted important aspects of the Code of Conduct for public officers, stressing the need for honesty, loyalty, integrity and professionalism in public service.

Solaja warned against corruption, misconduct and any behaviour capable of damaging the image of the civil service.

He further emphasized the importance of punctuality and regular attendance at work, noting that officers are expected to resume duties promptly and carry out assigned tasks responsibly.

The retired civil servant also reminded participants of the importance of obeying lawful directives and maintaining confidentiality regarding official information obtained in the course of duty unless properly authorised.

He encouraged the newly employed staff to demonstrate commitment, innovation, teamwork and initiative in their careers.

According to him, while public officers are entitled to welfare benefits and leave allowances, they are equally expected to uphold discipline, diligence and integrity throughout their years in service.

The induction programme featured interactive sessions that allowed participants to engage directly with management officials.

Organisers disclosed that the exercise would continue on Tuesday with additional sessions focused on legislative procedures, administrative operations and the guiding values of the Lagos State House of Assembly Service.

The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo, Abuja, has dismissed an application filed by former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, seeking to set aside a bench warrant and warrant of arrest earlier issued against her.

The ruling was delivered on Monday by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie during proceedings in a case involving alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.

The development was disclosed in a statement posted on the official page of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Farouq is expected to stand trial alongside Bashir Nura Alkali and Sani Nafiu Mohammed over allegations involving the diversion of about $1.3 million and N746.7 million.

In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie held that the former minister failed to appear before the court without sufficient justification, adding that the law empowers the court to issue a warrant of arrest where a defendant is absent without a valid reason.

“The defendant who is fully aware that this is a criminal proceeding has willfully failed to appear in court without a valid reason and the law empowers the court when it has been ascertained that the defendant is absent from court without a valid reason to issue a bench warrant of arrest,” the judge said.

The judge also questioned the medical report presented by the defence, noting that the documents before it did not show why the defendant could not appear in court.

Following the ruling, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, urged the court to enforce an earlier undertaking allegedly made by defence counsel, A.A. Ibrahim, SAN, to produce the former minister in court.

Jacobs argued that the period referenced in the medical report submitted by the defence had already expired and requested the court to compel compliance with the undertaking.

“My lord, for a senior counsel to make an undertaking which is reflected in your lordship’s ruling, we crave your lordship to give effect to that undertaking,” Jacobs said.

In response, A.M. Lawal, who represented Ibrahim, asked the court to allow the senior lawyer to personally address the issue of the undertaking.

Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the request and held that Ibrahim should be given the opportunity to respond.

The matter was subsequently adjourned to July 2, 2026, for arraignment.

Ayodele Arise, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and aspirant for the ticket of the Ekiti North Senatorial District, has described the party’s primary election as a sham.

He then urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, intervene in the crisis trailing the outcome of the exercise.

In a statement at the weekend, Arise said state governors remained a major challenge for a smooth conduct of the recent APC primaries.

Recall that the APC Committee, which supervised the process, had declared the sitting lawmaker representing Ekiti North, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, as the winner.

However, Arise and other contenders for the ticket, including Dipo Bamisaye and Dare Owolabi, had since dismissed the outcome as fraudulent and manipulated.

Senator Arise, who represented the senatorial district between 2007 and 2011, said the primary was a sham and the party is paying lip service to the crisis the election had generated.

“When we talk about internal democracy, it is still a very big challenge. It’s one thing for us to have a Constitution; it’s another thing for people to try to circumvent it or the guidelines for any election.

“That was demonstrated in no small measure when I tried to come back through the primary because I knew what was in the pipeline, so I went into it to prove a point.

“It will be a shame if some of us passed through this country and we don’t have the voice to correct the anomalies and let people know that if we want to practice democracy, let us practice it. If we don’t want it, it’s a different kettle of fish.

“The experience I had during the primary, I really don’t want to overbeat that because I believe the chairman of the party has spoken with Mr. President, and I think they are looking at all the challenges, and I am sure those of us who worked and won our elections will be given our mandate in due course.”

“As we discover problems, people respond to them, and I believe, more than anybody else, that our President has been very proactive in terms of fixing some of these challenges, working on them, and ensuring that corrections are made before it’s too late,” he stated.

He added that “the issue of the governors is still a major problem in terms of trying to get to the Senate.

“Even when you aren’t contesting against them, if you aren’t their favored candidate, the chances of your making it are a little bit very challenging.”

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has revealed how the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, can have free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, Baba-Ahmed, said that INEC must be strengthened and shielded from undue political interference to enhance public confidence in the electoral process.

The former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on political matters noted that called for a review of the process for appointing the INEC Chairman, National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs.

According to him, the current system gives the executive excessive influence over the electoral body.

“The moment you hand over an electoral body to a partisan administration that wants to retain power, you create serious questions about its neutrality,” he said.

He also called for greater financial autonomy for the commission, insisting that INEC should be allowed to present and defend its budget directly before the National Assembly without executive interference.

The former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on political affairs urged authorities to impose stiffer penalties on politicians and other individuals involved in electoral fraud and violence.

Baba-Ahmed pointed out that the persistence of electoral offences is largely due to the lack of accountability for offenders.

“Politicians who compromise the electoral process must face the consequences of their actions. The culture of impunity must end,” he added.

Plateau State chapter of the Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria, KPFAN, has berated former Governor Jonah David Jang over his opposition to a recent court ruling granting indigeneship to Hausa residents in Jos North Local Government Area based on their birth and long-term stay in the state.

While reacting to the ruling in a statement on Saturday, Jang had said the judgment would come with serious implications for the state’s identity, cultural heritage, and indigenous rights.

The former governor stated that debates surrounding citizenship, residency, and indigenship in the state have remained at the center of political and social discussions for decades, and wondered why the court should hastily decide on a matter that could further heighten tension.

He argued that altering the existing framework could create tensions and undermine the rights of groups that have traditionally been recognized as indigenous to the state.

But the Fulani group, in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Idris Bayero, countered the elder statesman, describing his opposition to the ruling as not only unfortunate but dangerous to the unity of the people and the fragile peace in the state.

Bayero said Jang’s stance negates the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution which guarantees every citizen equal rights and prohibits discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, place of origin, or religion.

“The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association of Nigeria (KPFAN) views with utter dismay and disappointment the recent remarks by former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah David Jang, opposing the issuance of indigene certificates to Hausa/Fulani residents in Plateau State,” the statement said.

Continuing, Bayero said:

“His position is not only unfortunate but also a dangerous relic of ethnic exclusivism that contradicts the clear provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999, as amended).

“Senator Jang’s stance flies in the face of Section 42 of the Nigerian Constitution, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, place of origin, or religion.

“Every Nigerian citizen, including Hausa/Fulani families who have lived in Plateau State for generations—some for over a century- has the right to be recognized as bona fide citizens of the state where they reside, contribute, and pay taxes. Citizenship is not a privilege to be dispensed based on parochial loyalties.

“The indigene-settler dichotomy has been weaponized over the years to marginalize fellow Nigerians. Many Hausa/Fulani communities in Plateau were born there, have their ancestral graves there, and have contributed immensely to the economy, security, and cultural life of the state. Denying them certificates simply because their great-grandparents migrated before the creation of the state is a historical injustice.

“It is no longer news that Plateau State has witnessed recurring cycles of violence. Our association firmly believes that the refusal of successive Plateau leaders, including Senator Jang, to embrace justice and equality for all citizens—irrespective of ethnic background—has been the kindling for repeated conflicts.

“When a section of society is permanently designated as “non-indigenes” despite decades of residence, you create second-class citizens who are vulnerable to exclusion, dispossession, and violence. That is the real recipe for crisis.

“In the 21st century, no modern society advances by locking out fellow citizens from certificates of belonging. Jang’s logic, if applied universally, would unravel the Nigerian federation. We call on him to use his advanced age and experience to champion inclusion, not exclusion. The Fulani are not strangers in Plateau; they are neighbours, farmers, herders, traders, and in many cases, indigenous people whose history predates the 1967 creation of Plateau State.

“We call on the Plateau State government to disregard Senator Jang’s retrogressive advice and instead move toward a unified residency-and-indigeneity framework that respects the Nigerian Constitution. No citizen should be denied state-level rights—access to employment, education, or political participation—because of their ethnic surname.

“Senator Jang’s statement is a disservice to national unity and a direct affront to the Hausa/Fulani communities who have called Plateau their home for generations.

“The Kautal Pulaaku Fulbe Association will continue to resist all forms of discriminatory policies and will support legal action if necessary. We urge Plateau leaders to learn from history: peace comes from justice, not from perpetual exclusion.”