The fire, which reportedly started at about 10:23am following an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 am

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who had just resumed at the command to take over from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.

He said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.

“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.

“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire.”

Jonah commended the swift response of personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence.

NAN

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According to statement released by Kola Ologbondiyan, Director, Media and Publicity, of
ADC Presidential Campaign Council, via X account noted that the Atiku would not be an “absentee President” who is unavailable when the challenges confronting Nigerians require a presidential attention.

Director of Media and Publicity of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Atiku Unity Movement (AUM), led by its leader, Hon. Francis Eburuwe.

Ologbondiyan said Atiku had consistently demonstrated an understanding of Nigeria’s economic and social challenges and had proposed policy interventions aimed at addressing them.

He recalled that during the 2023 presidential campaign, Atiku advocated a phased approach to the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the process should not impose excessive pressure on Nigerians. Contemporary reports from the 2023 campaign also documented that position.

According to him, the experience of the past three years has reinforced the need for a presidency that is accessible, responsive and capable of taking timely decisions in the national interest.

“The country needs a President who understands the challenges confronting Nigerians and is physically available to respond to the demands of governance.

“Nigeria cannot afford a situation in which there is uncertainty over who is effectively directing the affairs of government at critical moments. The country requires firm and focused leadership,” he said.

Ologbondiyan said Atiku’s commitment to governance would be anchored on confronting the nation’s economic difficulties, improving the welfare of citizens and restoring confidence in public institutions.

He also said the ADC presidential candidate’s recent economic proposals were focused on reducing the burden of rising energy and living costs.

Atiku has publicly proposed a production-based intervention for petroleum products refined in Nigeria, with a fixed spending limit, National Assembly approval and independent audits.

Earlier, the leader of the Atiku Unity Movement (AUM) delegation, Hon. Francis Eburuwe, said the group was fully committed to the Atiku project and determined to mobilise Nigerians around what he described as the need for a change in the country’s political direction.

Eburuwe said the movement would take the message of Atiku’s candidacy to Nigerians across the country, expressing confidence that an Atiku administration would address the challenges facing the nation and improve the welfare of citizens.

He pledged the movement’s support for the ADC presidential campaign and called on its members to remain committed to grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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This is the third consecutive time since his assuming office in 2023 that President Tinubu has failed to show up at the world’s largest gathering of heads of state and government. For weeks, Nigerians were told by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative, Amb. Jimoh Ibrahim, that the President would attend and would be seated close to President Donald Trump, even when that looked totally improbable, going by the conventional sitting arrangements at UNGA. Only for the presidency to announce on Sunday, 20th September 2026, that Vice President Kashim Shettima had been “mandated” to lead the country’s delegation.

This pattern of disappearing acts, compounded by his unexplained more than three-week absence from Nigeria on a so-called vacation in Europe, is unpresidential, unconstitutional, and unacceptable.

1.CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATION AND GOVERNANCE VACUUM:

Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear: when the President is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the National Assembly. President Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30th, extended his stay in Paris indefinitely, and never formally transmitted power. Nigeria was left adrift – no president at home, no president at the UN. Why is the president always afraid of transmitting a written declaration to the National Assembly? At some point, the country was on autopilot with the absence of the president, vice president, and senate president from the country.

2.DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC LOSSES:

UNGA is not a jamboree for 15-minute speeches. It is where presidents look other presidents in the eye, sign off on concrete decisions, secure direct foreign investment, negotiate debt relief, climate finance, and security cooperation.

While over 130 heads of state were present for direct presidential-level bilateral talks, Nigeria sent a proxy. Investors do not sign billion-dollar deals with proxies. You can not outsource presidential diplomacy.

The cost is enormous:
– Loss of direct FDI engagements
– Loss of leverage on global financial reform, which Nigeria itself champions
– Loss of strategic security partnerships at a time Nigeria battles terrorism
– Diminution of Nigeria’s stature as Giant of Africa

This is made more painful by the contrast next door. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama delivered a sterling, statesmanlike performance at UNGA 81 – articulating Africa’s position on debt justice, climate reparations, and restoring trust in multilateralism While Ghana commanded attention, Nigeria’s presidential seat was empty. Mahama spoke for Africa; Nigeria was spoken for.

3.THE PRESIDENCY’S EXCUSE IS AN INSULT:

To say the President can not fly to New York “to speak for just 15 minutes,” as Ambassador Ibrahim said, betrays a fundamental ignorance of diplomacy. Every world leader gets 15 minutes. What matters is what you do with the other 10,000 minutes of high-level corridor diplomacy. That is where the world is run.

We in the NDC demand:

1. Immediate full disclosure of the president’s whereabouts and health status.
2. Compliance with Section 145 henceforth – no more informal, unconstitutional rule from abroad.
3. An end to this imperial presidency that treats accountability as an afterthought.

A nation of over 200 million people can not be run by delegation and press release. Nigeria deserves a president who is present.

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The commendation followed the Guild’s tour of major projects across the state and an interactive session with Governor Mbah at the Government House, on the sidelines of the 2026 All Nigeria Editors Conference attended by over 300 editors and senior media executives.

NGE President, Eze Anaba, said the tour provided firsthand evidence of the scale of the Mbah administration’s interventions across key sectors, including roads, healthcare, education, tourism and security.

“There’s a solid infrastructure on ground that will grow the economy and expand the state. If a sub-national like Enugu can deploy resources effectively and be this dedicated to infrastructure and governance, then there is hope for Nigeria,” Anaba said.

Former Ogun State Governor and media veteran, Chief Segun Osoba, also commended Governor Mbah’s technology-driven security architecture, urging other states to emulate the model.

Osoba cited the swift deployment of Enugu’s security assets following the Affa incident in Udi LGA, which resulted in the rescue of two kidnap victims.

Governor Mbah said the projects were deliberately interconnected to deliver his administration’s broader economic transformation agenda.

“What you saw—the security, transport, investments, tourism, and all that—are all interconnected. They are mutually reinforcing,” he said.

Mbah reiterated the administration’s goal of growing Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, eradicating poverty and creating a state where people can live, work, invest and build sustainable futures.

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The intervention, held as part of the Nigeria Diaspora Economic Conference (NiDEC) in Toronto, ran from August 12 to September 4, 2026, taking passport services directly to Nigerian communities in Toronto, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatoon and Calgary.

The exercise was delivered through the collaboration of the Ministry of Interior, NiDCOM, the Nigerian High Commission, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigerian Canadian Association Council of Presidents (NCACP) and local Nigerian Canadian Associations.

Beneficiaries expressed satisfaction with the turnaround time, with several reporting receipt of their passports within four to seven days of biometric capture.

An applicant in Manitoba, who received her passport within a week of her biometric capture, appreciated all officials involved for their dedication, describing the process as evidence of a committed community structure.

Another beneficiary reported receiving the passport within four days and described the exercise as well planned, organised and efficient.

Stakeholders representing the Nigerian community said the intervention demonstrated the impact of responsive public service and strengthened the relationship between the Nigerian Government and Nigerians in the Diaspora.

They particularly commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for deploying officers across the five locations and working under demanding schedules, including weekends, to ensure that applicants received the required services.

The Nigerian Canadian Association Council of Presidents also recognised the roles of NiDCOM and the Nigeria Immigration Service in coordinating the exercise, noting that the partnership between government institutions and diaspora organisations enabled the multi-city intervention to be delivered as a coordinated national effort.

Community leaders have consequently appealed to the Federal Government, through the Minister of Interior, to consider a second phase of the programme to accommodate Nigerians in Canada who could not benefit from the first phase.

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Mbah, who spoke through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, at the 2026 Enugu State Global Goals Week Symposium at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, said the administration was moving beyond project delivery to building strong institutions and systems capable of delivering lasting improvements in citizens’ lives.

He said the long-term plan would guide investments, strengthen institutions, expand economic opportunities and deepen human capital development, with the administration’s SDG-aligned interventions already reaching the state’s 260 electoral wards through initiatives including Smart Green Schools and Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres.

Keynote speaker, former Minister of Information Frank Nweke Jnr., commended the scale of the administration’s investments, citing over 1,500 kilometres of roads, more than 7,000 classrooms and 260 Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres.

He stressed that sustaining the transformation would require strong institutions, measurable outcomes, improved revenue mobilisation, maintenance of public assets and accountability.

“Projects can transform places, but strong institutions are necessary to ensure that the transformation endures,” Nweke said.

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It o‍p‍erationalises the L‍agos Declaration of Zero Tolerance f‍o‍r All Forms of SGBV and marks a shift from a largely response-centred‌ a‍pproach to⁠ a stronger institutionalised pr⁠evention strat‌egy focuse‌d on addressing root causes, harmful s‌ocial norms,⁠ pro‌tection and accountability.⁠

Speaking at the launch, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DS‍VA), Mrs. Titilo‍la Vivo⁠ur-Adeniyi said the policy‍ provides a‌ structur‍ed frame‌work for making prevention a sustained and colle⁠ctive respons‍i⁠bility.

She said, “‌W‌e‌ cannot continue to focus only on‍ what⁠ happens after violence occurs. Prevention‍ requires us‍ to iden‍tify th⁠e fact‍ors that enable violence, challenge h‍armful social‌ norms‌ and strengthen the systems that protect people bef‍or⁠e harm o‌ccurs.‌ This policy‍ gives us a clear framework to‌ coo‍rdinate these efforts across sectors and communities.”

The policy is built around four in‌terco‌n‍nected p‍illars: Primary Preven‍tion through E‍ducation a‍nd Awaren‌ess; Secondary Pr‍evention thr‌ough S‍trengthened Legal and Policy⁠ Frameworks‍; Tertiary Prevention through Survivor-Centred Se‍rvices‍; and Quaternary P‍revent‍ion through Capacity Building of⁠ First Responders.

The Primary Prevention pillar focu‌ses on education,⁠ awarene‍ss and social norm t⁠ra‌nsformation, promoting consent, bodily autonom‍y and digital safety. The Secondary Pr‌evention pi‌llar streng‍thens le‍gal and institutional m‍echanisms for early inter⁠vention and a⁠ccountabi‍lity, including streamlined Standard Op‍erating Proced‍ures for⁠ law enforcement and the use of the⁠ Lag‍os State Sex Offenders R‍egister.

The Tertiary Prevention pillar promotes survivor-centred services, prioritising survi⁠vors’ rights, choices, d⁠ig⁠nity‌ and privacy while improving access to medical, legal, psychosocial and economic support.

The fourth pillar focuses on strengthening the capacity of first responders and se⁠rvi‍ce provide‌rs to prevent and res‍pond effec‌tive‌ly to SGBV.

Implementation will be overseen b‌y a multi-sector⁠al‌ Technical Working Group anchored by‍ the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), in co⁠l⁠laboration with‍ rel‌evan‍t Ministries, Department‌s and A⁠ge‌ncies a‌nd civil society pa⁠rtners.‌

The framework also provides for localised data indicators, heat mapping, quarterly reviews and p‌public re‌po‍rting to monitor progress and ensure that intervention⁠s rem‍ai⁠n resp‍onsive⁠ and acc‌ountable.

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Ghosts of his sordid past continue, restlessly, to haunt and warn that Atiku must never again be allowed anywhere close to such a commanding position of trust and responsibility as the presidency. As a former public official, Atiku’s record is an executive summary of some of Nigeria’s vilest episodes of corruption and cronyism that pulverised our economy and decimated public trust.

Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election presents the electorate the opportunity to deal a final blow to Atiku’s desperate quest for presidential power and save the country from his ravenous plunder.

From the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and the Siemens bribery scandal to the William Jefferson case, the PTDF funds controversy, and the US Senate investigation into suspicious financial transactions, Atiku’s name is engraved ingloriously on files and dossiers of onshore and offshore financial scandals and atrocities.

These are not mere allegations. They are matters that are well documented in official records, tribunal proceedings, government investigations, national and foreign legislative reports, and international financial inquiries. Together, they raise legitimate questions about the fitness for probity and accountability of this serial presidential contender.

The latest controversy surrounding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project is particularly troubling. An International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Tribunal in Paris examined a $500,000 payment made in January 2003 by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power, to Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s wife at the time, through an offshore company. Reportedly, the payment occurred around the period when the Mambilla contract was awarded with Atiku as Vice President. Atiku declined an opportunity to explain and justify what clearly was an illegal bribe payment to his wife.

There was the Siemens bribery scandal in which US authorities alleged that Siemens paid at least $4.5 million in bribes to secure Nigerian telecommunications contracts during the Obasanjo administration, with approximately $2.8 million reportedly passing through a bank account owned by Jennifer Douglas, Atiku’s ex-wife. Siemens subsequently agreed to pay approximately $1.6 billion in penalties to US and German authorities over global bribery violations. Again, Atiku’s vice presidential soiled fingerprints are in focus.

And there was the William Jefferson bribery case, with Atiku and his close associates falling under the scrutiny of American investigators. US court records indicated that former Congressman William Jefferson disclosed paying Atiku $100,000 to influence a proposed business partnership involving iGate and Netlink Digital Television. Jefferson was eventually convicted and sentenced to prison. Again, Atiku’s dark web of corrupt influence peddling and abuse of office is on display.

The 2010 report of the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that linked Atiku and his ex-wife, Jennifer Douglas, to more than $40 million in suspicious funds transferred into the United States through offshore companies and lodged in over 30 shadowy bank accounts associated with his ex-wife, Jennifer Douglas and her family again tells a sordid tale of a man who cannot be trusted with the nation’s treasury.

Atiku’s sudden u-turn from his 2023 policy position in favour of fuel subsidy removal to his new promise to restore the fuel subsidy regime, if elected, must be understood as his latest device to lay his hands on, and squander, the country’s 18-year foreign reserve high of over $54 billion built up from $3 billion by President Bola Tinubu in less than 4 years through bold and prudent economic reforms. The National Treasury that President Tinubu has built strong is what Atiku desires to scatter and plunder under the cover of his fake and unrealistic promise to restore the ruinous fuel subsidy regime.

In his book, My Watch, President Olusegun Obasanjo characterised Atiku as possessing a propensity for corruption, a tendency toward disloyalty, poor judgment, and a readiness to sacrifice the national interest for selfish gains. In August 2026, Obasanjo described his decision to select Atiku as his running mate in 1999 as the biggest mistake of his presidency. He stated, “The man I picked as my running mate, my number two, if I had known him as I came to know him later, I would not have picked him.” That is an open-and-shut reference by the former president, Atiku’s principal, to his unfitness for public office.

Atiku was an accidental vice president and categorically unfit for the office of president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Signed:

*Felix Morka, CON*
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
ABUJA, FCT
SEPTEMBER 24, 2026

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In a statement issued on Sunday evening, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, listed areas identified as vulnerable to flooding. These include Eti-Osa, Lagos Island Local Government Area, Oke-Ira Nla (Ajah), Kirikiri (Sea Port), Ilaje Waterfront Jetty, and Jetty Terminal B, among others.

According to the Commissioner, the State Government is treating the advisory with the utmost seriousness and has intensified monitoring activities across the identified locations, as well as other riverine, low-lying, and flood-prone communities.

Wahab urged residents in vulnerable areas not to disregard the warning or wait until floodwaters rise before taking action, stressing that early preparation and temporary relocation to safer areas could prevent avoidable tragedies.

He reiterated that residents of flood-prone communities should move to higher ground and remain there until the peak of the resurgent rainy season has passed.

“We are urging Lagosians, particularly those living in flood-prone and low-lying areas, not to take this warning lightly. When the signs point to danger, the safest decision is to move early. No property is worth risking a life,” Wahab stated.

He noted that Lagos typically experiences a second phase of the rainy season from September, characterised by increased rainfall, rising water levels, and tidal influences that can exacerbate flooding in vulnerable locations.

The Commissioner therefore advised residents living near rivers, lagoons, wetlands, drainage channels, and other water bodies to remain vigilant and comply with all safety advisories issued by relevant government agencies.

Wahab specifically called on communities situated along the Ogun River and other major waterways to exercise heightened caution, noting that upstream rainfall intensity and water levels in connected river systems could significantly affect downstream conditions in Lagos.

He also urged residents of low-lying areas and riverbank communities, including Isheri North, Kara, Itowolo, Ajegunle, Majidun, Ogolonto, parts of Agboyi, and other settlements downstream of Isheri Olofin, to remain on high alert during the period 19 to 25 September.

The Commissioner further advised residents across the state, particularly those in coastal and waterfront communities, to closely monitor official flood forecasts and be prepared to relocate temporarily whenever flooding becomes imminent.

According to the NiHSA report, rising river levels could result in flooding across vulnerable communities and impact critical facilities such as schools, healthcare centres, markets, farms, and places of worship.

Wahab therefore called on affected local governments, emergency management agencies, community leaders, and residents to activate early warning and response mechanisms, while ensuring that people, livestock, and valuable possessions are moved to safer locations where necessary.

He stated that the Lagos State Government would continue to monitor river levels, rainfall patterns, and other hydrological developments in collaboration with relevant federal agencies.

He added that routine cleaning, maintenance, and monitoring of drainage infrastructure across the state would also be sustained.

The Commissioner appealed to residents to support the government’s flood mitigation efforts by refraining from indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains, canals, and waterways, noting that blocked drainage channels can worsen flooding and delay the recession of floodwaters.

He also cautioned residents against walking or driving through flooded roads, bridges, and fast-moving water, urging those in vulnerable areas to make arrangements for temporary relocation whenever official warnings indicate an imminent threat.

Wahab stressed that the protection of lives and property remains the government’s foremost priority and urged Lagosians to treat flood forecasts as critical safety information requiring immediate action.

He assured residents that the State Government would continue to deploy all necessary measures to reduce flood risks and provide timely updates as the situation evolves.

He further urged Lagosians to remain calm, vigilant, and responsive to official advisories.

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