The Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Hon Akeem Ademola Ige has felicitated muslims around the world, Nigeria and Oyo state in particular on year 2026 EID-EL-FITR celebration.

This message was contained in a press release issued and made available to journalists.

Hon Ige advised muslim faithfuls to reflect on the lessons learnt during Ramadan by imbibing the spirit of forgiveness, giving to the less privileged in our society, be fervent in prayers, obedience to the commands of Allah, the teachings of Allah , avoid unholy acts , move closer to the holy Qur’an and be better persons.

He also urged them to use the Eid-el-fitr celebration to remember the Executive Governor of Oyo State His Excellency, Engr Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde led government in prayers and the nation at large especially during this economic hardship and insecurity situation in our country..

He said ” I, Hon Akeem Ademola Ige, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, management and staff of the Board felicitate muslims around the world, Nigeria, Oyo State and pensioners in particular on this year Eld-El-Fitr celebration. I pray that we will all celebrate many more of it on earth. I therefore appeal to our muslim brothers and sisters to celebrate in moderation”.

The Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA) on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, tightened enforcement of regulations against street and roadside trading along major markets in Ibadan.

The joint operation, led by OYRLEA in collaboration with the Oyo State Environmental Task Force, the Nigeria Police Force, and Amotekun, targeted indiscriminate roadside trading. The team moved through Challenge, Oja’ba, Oje Markets, and Mokola, clearing goods displayed on road corridors, setbacks, and walkways. Obstructive items were removed, improving traffic flow and easing pedestrian movement.

Six traders were apprehended for violating roadside trading regulations and assaulting officials on duty.

Speaking through her Chief of Staff, Iyabo Akinbode Esq., the Chairperson of OYRLEA, Hon. Justice Aderonke Aderemi (Rtd.), described roadside trading as absurd, dangerous, and life-threatening. She noted that the practice contributes significantly to congestion and obstruction of public roads. Justice Aderemi insisted the operation will be sustained, emphasizing that strict adherence to environmental and traffic regulations remains non-negotiable. Arrests, she added, are part of measures to secure compliance and discourage further encroachment on public spaces.

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Femi Haruna, psc (+), warmly felicitates with Muslim faithfuls in Oyo State on the successful completion of the holy month of Ramadan and the joyous occasion of Eid-el-Fitr. He commends their devotion, prayers, and sacrifice, urging them to sustain the virtues of peace, tolerance, and unity that characterize the season.

In a proactive move to ensure a hitch-free celebration, the Commissioner of Police has ordered the strategic deployment of personnel, intelligence, and operational assets across the State. This includes intensified patrols, visibility policing, and enhanced security presence at Eid prayer grounds, recreational centres, major highways, and other public places.

The CP  further directed all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and Heads of Tactical Units to ensure strict supervision of deployments and operations within their respective Areas of Responsibility, while maintaining robust synergy with other security agencies and critical stakeholders.

CP Femi Haruna also enjoin residents of the State to remain law-abiding, vigilant, and security conscious, and to promptly report any suspicious movements or activities to the nearest Police Station or any security post nearest to them.

While wishing all Muslim faithful a peaceful and joyous Eid-el-Fitr celebration, the Commissioner reiterates the Command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and property and calls for sustained cooperation from members of the public.

The emergence of Akeem Babatunde Abas as Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, marked the beginning of a new era defined by vision, inclusiveness, and purposeful leadership.

Members and stakeholders of the council spoke with one voice during the election, entrusting Abas with the responsibility to pilot the affairs of the union alongside a team of committed executives.

Popularly known and called as ALAKIME, Abas is a Bloomberg scholar and a seasoned editor with the News Agency of Nigeria, bringing to the office a wealth of professional expertise, experience and global exposure.

From the moment he was inaugurated, Abas demonstrated readiness for leadership, hitting the ground running with remarkable energy, focus, and a clear sense of direction.

His administration immediately began to reflect a deep commitment to fulfilling campaign promises and meeting the high expectations of journalists across Oyo State.

One of his earliest interventions was the comprehensive cleanup of the NUJ Press Centre, restoring order and dignity to the environment.

At his first Congress held on January 10, 2026, the Chairman took a bold step by reinstating all deregistered chapels affected during the electioneering period.

This move restored the number of chapels in the council to eighteen and reinforced unity within the union, while also setting the stage for an aggressive membership drive.

To improve communication and coordination during congresses and official engagements, the administration procured and installed a modern Public Address (P.A) system, which end years of reliance on rented equipment.

The earliest highlight of his administration was the organisation of a colourful and spiritually uplifting Christmas Carol on December 23, 2025.

This was followed by the distribution of a multimillion-naira rice package to members, an unprecedented welfare initiative in the recent history of the council.

Demonstrating administrative foresight, Abas terminated the contract arrangement on the NUJ Guest House to ensure transparency and accountability.

In its place, he constituted a five-man Press Centre Management Committee, duly approved by Congress, to oversee operations and properly document tenancy arrangements.

To enhance the living conditions of staff at the Press Centre and promote a more positive work ethic, Abas approved a salary increase, with the least-paid staff now earning a minimum of ₦70,000.

Infrastructure development has also received significant attention under his leadership, reflecting a commitment to improving the working environment of members.

The repair of the 40KVA generator donated by Engr. Femi Babalola (Jogor) restored stable power supply to the Press Centre.

Complementing this effort is the ongoing construction of a permanent generator house, strategically positioned to enhance security and ensure sustainability.

In tackling electricity challenges, Abas initiated engagement with the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to address the burden of estimated billing.

This proactive move has already yielded results, with the approval of seven prepaid meters to be installed across the Press Centre.

Beyond infrastructure, the administration has prioritised unity and morale among members through thoughtful initiatives.

One such initiative is the introduction of customised graphic designs to celebrate members on their birthdays, strengthening interpersonal bonds within the union.
Capacity building has remained a cornerstone of Abas’ leadership philosophy since assumption of office.

His ambitious promise to train 300 journalists within three years is already nearing fulfillment, with about 250 journalists trained within just two months.

The January and February training series focused on artificial intelligence and life skills, equipping journalists with modern tools for improved performance and relevance.

These training programmes were facilitated through strategic partnerships with institutions such as the American Open University and Google Africa.

Plans for subsequent training sessions in March and April have already been concluded, ensuring continuity in professional development.

Abas’ leadership style, which is both hands-on and people-oriented, has consistently reflected a genuine passion for members’ welfare.

In the area of institutional collaboration, Abas facilitated a partnership between the NUJ and Ajayi Crowther University.

The collaboration focuses on practical media training for students, bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world journalism practice. Under this arrangement, 300-level and final-year students are exposed to newsroom operations and field reporting, enhancing their professional readiness.

Efforts to reclaim and revitalise the Press Centre have also seen the restoration of identities of key facilities named after past leaders.This initiative preserves institutional memory while restoring pride in the council’s heritage.

Demonstrating foresight in asset management, Abas secured a lease agreement with Womai City for the development of a five-star hotel. The project, located behind the Dapo Aderogba Hall, operates under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement and is expected to boost the council’s revenue base.

In line with his welfarist approach, the Chairman also distributed Ramadan packages to members, including rice, sugar and milk, to support them during the fasting period.

Further strengthening the union’s institutional relevance, Abas reclaimed the slot for the production of the state government’s commemorative magazine. This opportunity, previously lost for over six years, has now been revived under the NUJ.

To effectively manage this, the council established an official publication titled ‘Leadership Focus’.

As his administration marks its first 100 days, the achievements recorded so far clearly reflect a leadership driven by vision, action, and measurable impact.

Abas has not only set a new standard for leadership within the NUJ Oyo State Council but has also repositioned the union for greater relevance and sustainability.

The journey ahead may still be long, but the foundation laid within this short period provides strong assurance of even greater accomplishments.

The emergence of Mr. Akeem Abas as Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council, following the election held on December 9, 2025, marked the beginning of a new era of purposeful and people-oriented leadership.

The election, widely adjudged to be free, fair, and transparent, saw him defeat his opponents convincingly, thereby earning the mandate to lead the Council.

From the outset, he alongside the executive members, wasted no time in setting the tone for impactful governance. Despite assuming office with virtually no financial backing, the administration successfully organized its maiden Christmas Carol Service and distributed bags of rice worth millions of naira to members across various chapels of the Union—demonstrating an early commitment to members’ welfare.

During his campaign, the Chairman had pledged to train over 300 journalists within his three-year tenure. Remarkably, within just 100 days in office, he has facilitated the training of about 240 journalists in Artificial Intelligence (AI), a forward-looking initiative aimed at equipping members with modern media skills and enhancing professional capacity.

Addressing infrastructural challenges at the NUJ Press Centre in Ibadan, particularly the epileptic power supply, the leadership undertook the repair of the 40KVA Mikano generator at a cost of about half a million naira. This intervention has significantly improved alternative power supply to the facility.

The administration also confronted structural issues within the Council. Prior to the election, the number of chapels had been reduced from eighteen to eleven. At a Congress held on January 10, 2026, he highlighted the negative implications of this reduction and sought the support of members for the reinstatement of the affected chapels. The motion, moved by Chief Bola Ogunlayi of the Correspondents’ Chapel and seconded by Mrs. Eniola Adeaga of the BCOS Chapel, received overwhelming support.

To effectively drive his administration’s agenda which centere on welfare, professional development, discipline, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement, the Chairman constituted both standing and ad-hoc committees. These include the Press Centre Management Committee, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee, Training and Capacity Building Committee, and Project Execution Committee, among others.

In a bid to ensure financial sustainability and reduce overdependence on external funding, the leadership has taken proactive steps toward revenue generation. Notably, efforts are underway to expand the 18-room Guest House, while an agreement has been successfully signed for the lease of a parcel of land behind Dapo Aderogba Hall within the Press Centre to a reputable developer.

Under Mr. Abas’ leadership, the NUJ Oyo State Council has continued to strengthen its relationship with affiliate bodies such as the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). The Council played a pivotal role in the successful hosting of the NAWOJ Zonal Executive Committee Meeting held in Ibadan between February 11 and 13, 2026.

To improve communication and coordination during congresses and official engagements, the administration procured and installed a modern Public Address System which puts an end to years of reliance on rented equipment.

Demonstrating inclusivity and religious tolerance, Chairman ensured the distribution of food items and provisions to members during the periods of Ramadan and Lent, thereby supporting adherents of both Islam and Christianity.

In recognition of the contributions of past leaders, Mr. Abas has also restored their names to key structures within the Press Centre, preserving their legacies. These include Gbenga Opadotun Building, Dapo Aderogba Hall, Alhaji Adewole Soladoye Building, and Seinde Dagunduro Building.

On staff welfare, the administration has aligned with the national minimum wage standard by increasing the salaries of Press Centre staff, ensuring that no worker earns below ₦70,000.

Additionally, the Council has introduced an official publication titled “Leadership Focus,” with its maiden edition set for release soon.
The magazine is expected to serve as a platform for professional engagement, policy discourse, and visibility for the Union.

Mr. Akeem Abas has continued to demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities marked by generosity, humility, inclusiveness, and a strong commitment to service. He carries his executive members along in decision-making processes and consistently seeks guidance from elders and stakeholders within the Council.

As he marks his first 100 days in office, his achievements reflect a leader driven by vision, compassion, and a deep sense of responsibility. It is the collective hope of members that he will continue to be divinely strengthened, guided, and endowed with the wisdom and good health required to fulfill all his promises.

A foreign legislature may debate Nigeria’s illegal mining crisis, but the more urgent reckoning lies at home. The uncomfortable truth is no longer debatable: illegal extraction in Nigeria has outgrown artisanal trespass.

In key mineral corridors, it now operates as a structured underground economy—financed, protected, and increasingly intertwined with armed violence.Recent security operations have begun to expose the scale of this convergence. In parts of the North-West and North-Central, military offensives against bandits have uncovered not just camps and weapons, but mining sites, stockpiles of extracted minerals, and logistics chains linking resource theft to armed groups.This is no longer a theory.

It is a system.Foreign operators are not peripheral to this system. Across multiple enforcement actions, foreign nationals—particularly Chinese operators—have been arrested in connection with illegal mining networks. Excavation equipment worth millions has been seized. Lithium and gold consignments bound for export have been intercepted. Official statements have followed.Yet the operations persist.

That persistence is the evidence.Illegal mining at industrial scale does not survive on secrecy alone. It survives on protection—administrative, political, logistical, and in some regions, armed. Excavators do not vanish into forests unnoticed. Ore does not move without coordination. Trucks do not cross states without facilitation. Containers do not reach ports without documentation.Where such systems endure, governance is not merely weak—it is compromised, fragmented, or circumvented.

Nigeria’s solid minerals sector sits within a structurally fractured framework. Licensing is federal. Land control is local. Security enforcement is diffused across multiple agencies with overlapping mandates and uneven coordination. Oversight is episodic. Prosecutions are inconsistent. Convictions remain rare.

Into this vacuum has surged a new global demand: gold, lithium, and rare earth elements—minerals now central to global technology supply chains and the energy transition. With rising demand, incentives have intensified. Informal subletting of licenses has expanded. Middlemen have emerged as brokers between local title holders and foreign capital.Regulation has not kept pace.What began as opportunistic involvement has, in several regions, matured into operational dominance by shadow networks.

But the most dangerous evolution is not economic—it is security-linked.Recent counter-bandit operations have revealed a troubling pattern: illegal mining zones overlapping with territories controlled or influenced by armed groups. In such areas, extraction does not occur independently of violence. It is taxed, protected, and in some cases directly controlled by armed actors.

This transforms minerals from economic assets into conflict resources.Gold and lithium, when extracted outside the law, do not remain neutral commodities. They become currency for survival, leverage for control, and in some cases, fuel for insurgency.This is the dimension too often approached with caution in public discourse. The issue is not nationality. It is not rhetoric. It is the convergence of resource extraction and shadow governance.Where mineral wealth flows outside state oversight, it begins to fund parallel authority structures.

Nigeria cannot afford to treat this as peripheral.Globally, critical minerals are no longer just economic assets—they are strategic commodities. Countries are tightening supply chain scrutiny. Traceability standards are rising. Investors are increasingly sensitive to conflict-linked extraction.

If Nigeria’s mineral corridors acquire a reputation for opacity, criminal convergence, and armed protection networks, the consequences will not remain local. Investment hesitation will follow. Diplomatic pressure will rise. Market access may tighten.

Sovereignty is not asserted through declarations. It is demonstrated through control.Nigeria cannot claim authority over its territory while allowing strategic resources to be extracted in defiance of its own laws—and, increasingly, under the shadow of armed actors.Yet focusing solely on foreign operators risks obscuring a deeper truth. No illegal mining network of this scale operates without local facilitation. Licenses are informally sublet. Inspection regimes are weakened. Documentation channels are exploited. Enforcement surges briefly—then recedes.What emerges is not chaos, but a layered protection economy—adaptive, resilient, and deeply embedded.

This is not simply a failure of enforcement. It is a failure of system integrity.Nigeria once recognised crude oil as strategic and built a centralized security architecture around it. Solid minerals are entering a similar phase—but regulatory seriousness has lagged behind economic transformation.A Mining Police Unit exists, but its capacity remains dwarfed by the scale of activity. Export data remains opaque. Inter-agency coordination remains inconsistent. Meanwhile, extraction accelerates—and with it, the risk of deeper entrenchment.The danger is cumulative.

Each year of weak enforcement strengthens informal networks.Each unprosecuted case signals impunity.Each intercepted shipment that is not followed by systemic reform becomes symbolic rather than corrective.By the time a system is widely acknowledged as compromised, it is often already institutionalised.The soil beneath Nigeria holds enormous promise. But promise without control becomes plunder. And plunder, when shielded by protection networks and intersecting with armed actors, evolves into something far more dangerous than economic loss.It becomes a parallel order.

The debate abroad will continue. Allegations will multiply. But the decisive reckoning must begin internally: transparent licensing, coordinated security enforcement, mineral traceability aligned with global standards, and prosecutions that move beyond spectacle to consequence.Gold and lithium are no longer just buried wealth.They are now security variables.

And beneath Nigeria’s soil, a quiet war is already underway.

Lanre Ogundipe
Public Affairs Analyst and former President, Nigeria and Africa Union Of Journalists writes from Abuja