The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Housing, OPIC and Special Projects, Farooq Adenugba, has said the 2027 general election will not be won by political noise, slogans or last-minute mobilisation but through sustained grassroots engagement, unity and effective organisation.

Adenugba stated this on Friday in Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu North Local Government Area, where he combined a youth mentorship programme with the inauguration of his political team ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The political mobilisation came shortly after Adenugba addressed secondary school students at a special counselling and mentorship session organised by the Prince Segun Kaka Foundation, PSK, in collaboration with the Academic Excellence Initiative, AEI, Ijebu Zone.

The programme, held at the Imososi Primary School Hall, Ago-Iwoye, was hosted by Segun Kaka, Member of the Ogun State House of Assembly representing Ijebu North State Constituency II, and themed, ‘Failing Forward’.

Speaking to the students, Adenugba urged them not to allow failure, setbacks or difficult circumstances to define their future, stressing that resilience, discipline, education and the courage to pursue opportunities were essential ingredients for success.

“A setback should never become a full stop in your life,” he told the students. “Failure can become a teacher if you are determined to learn from it and move forward.”

He encouraged the students to take their education seriously, discover and develop their talents, acquire useful skills and remain focused despite the challenges they might encounter.

According to him, young people require deliberate platforms through which they can interact with experienced leaders, acquire knowledge and develop the confidence needed to compete in an increasingly demanding society.

Adenugba also spoke about leadership, career development, perseverance, character and purposeful living.

He charged them to establish an effective grassroots network that can coordinate political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

Adenugba said his structure was not intended to operate separately from the All Progressives Congress, APC, but to complement the party’s existing grassroots machinery through organised mobilisation, communication and sustained engagement.

“2027 will not be won by noise or slogans alone. It will be won through organisation, constant engagement, unity, and the ability to reach the people at the grassroots,” he said.

Members were consequently urged to avoid unnecessary divisions and personal interests, while working collectively towards the broader political objectives of the party.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has stated that he will implement the Oronsaye Committee Report if elected president in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.

Atiku, in a statement posted on Friday by his spokesman, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, said the Oronsaye Report gave Nigeria a clear roadmap to reduce waste, duplication and the cost of governance.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu failed to implement the report even though he had promised to do so, noting that the president instead multiplied the agencies to include even fake ones.

He assured Nigerians that the Oronsaye Report would not remain on the shelf but would be implemented fully and transparently.

The family of The Eagle Online publisher, Dotun Oladipo, has announced September 10 and 11, 2026 as the dates for the funeral programmes of the journalist and media entrepreneur.

Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 56.

According to the family, a service of songs will hold at DayStar Church, Oregun, Ikeja, on Thursday, September 10.

The burial service will take place at the same venue on Friday, September 11, followed by his interment.

Oladipo was president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) from 2017 to 2021 and was among the foundational members who helped shape the association during its formative years.

GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, described his death as a painful loss to the Guild and recalled his contribution to the development of online publishing in Nigeria.

“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.

Nmodu said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.

“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.

Oladipo was also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), and was active in the development of Nigeria’s online publishing industry.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its collaboration with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the interest of the public.

The NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, stated this when he received the JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Professor Segun Aina in his office in Abuja.

General Nafiu congratulated Professor Aina on his appointment, noting that his experience as a former Corps Member who served with JAMB, coupled with his wealth of professional experience, would contribute significantly to his success in the new assignment.

He described JAMB as a foremost partner in the NYSC mobilisation process, which provides the Scheme primary data required for the online registration of prospective Corps Members.

“We thank the Management of JAMB for their support over the years. We believe so much in the credibility of JAMB, and we have enjoyed seamless API data sharing with JAMB,” the DG stated.

The JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, called for deeper collaboration with NYSC to optimise the services of Corps Members and add greater value to their service experience.

Professor Aina said his experience as a Corps Member had significantly influenced his career choices and prepared him for his current responsibility.

He explained that JAMB would continue to maintain strict standards on requests for changes to candidates’ data, while allowing flexibility in genuinely peculiar cases arising from the mobilisation process, without compromising the integrity of its records.

The Registrar disclosed that a new framework involving NYSC, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and JAMB, aimed at making data changes more seamless, would soon be unveiled.

He also requested the deployment of Corps Members to JAMB offices to serve as customer service representatives.

“We want to speak directly to the young people, we want to speak the language of young people, and we need other young people to help us do it”.

“We want to build an army of customer service representatives by using Corps Members,” he added.

The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Zamfara State, Kabiru Garba Gusau, has said Ibrahim Salisu Mafara remains the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Gusau made this known on Thursday at a press briefing at the ADC secretariat in Gusau, where he addressed issues surrounding the party’s structure and governorship candidacy in the state.

He said the party’s position was based on its constitution and the rule of law, adding that the state chapter would continue to pursue its affairs through lawful and constitutional means.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to make our position absolutely clear. Hon. Ibrahim Salisu Mafara is the ADC gubernatorial candidate for Zamfara State,” Gusau said.

Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has resigned his membership of the opposition party amid its prolonged internal crisis.

Jegede communicated his decision in a resignation letter dated August 7, 2026, addressed to the chairman of the PDP in Ward 11, Owode/Imagun Ward, Akure South Local Government Area, Fabiyi Kole Adewale.

The former governorship candidate stated that his departure from the party took immediate effect.

“Kindly take this as a formal notice of my resignation as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, effective immediately,” Jegede wrote.

The Minister of Works, Engr Dave Umahi, has ordered the installation of closed-circuit television, CCTV, cameras on the First Niger Bridge as a way to stop the theft of bolts, iron joints and other components of the bridge.

The minister gave the order on Thursday while inspecting parts of the bridge where vandals removed bolts, expansion joints and iron bars holding together the bridge.

Umahi also inspected the Second Niger Bridge, whose base had been eaten into by erosion, endangering motorists who drive on the bridge, oblivious of the hollow underneath.

While inspecting the First Niger Bridge, Umahi said: “We saw this vandalisation on social media. We want to thank members of the public for bringing this to our attention.

The Niger State Government says it has not received any message or demand from the terrorists who abducted worshippers in Borgu Local Government Area last Friday.

The state Commissioner for Information, Obed Nuhu, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

Nuhu said the attack occurred in three different locations and was suspected to have been carried out by the Lakurawa and Boko Haram groups.

“No such (contact with the kidnappers) has happened. We have not had any interactions with them but the suspicion is the Lakurawas as they call themselves and the Boko Haram. It happened in three different locations around that kingdom,” he said.

The commissioner also said the government was yet to establish the exact number of people abducted.

He explained that officials were still gathering information and would not provide figures until they had been properly verified.

Following the attack, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago directed security agencies to work towards rescuing the victims and restoring peace in the affected communities.

The state government said a joint security operation had been launched to assess the situation, track the attackers and rescue those taken away.

It said details of the security operation would not be disclosed because of the sensitive nature of the mission.

President Bola Tinubu has also ordered security and intelligence agencies to begin an immediate and coordinated operation to rescue the abducted worshippers.

The President gave the directive to the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other relevant agencies, according to a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.

Victims of election-related violence in Osun State have been urged to submit their claims for possible assistance from the state’s N500 million relief fund.

The appeal was made by the Chairman of the Osun State Election Violence Relief Committee and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, during the committee’s inaugural meeting on Thursday.

Egbedun said the committee had begun its assignment by reviewing complaints already received and collated, while creating an opportunity for other affected persons to present their cases for consideration.

He explained that the committee’s responsibilities included receiving complaints, verifying genuine claims and ensuring that approved assistance reached people who suffered losses during election-related incidents.