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Sanwo-Olu announces date for kick-off of Badagry seaport

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday said the construction of the deep sea port would start in June once the State is granted ratification by the Federal Government grants ratification in April.

Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance during a stakeholders meeting and community engagement on Badagry Deep Seaport Project held at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Auditorium in Topo, Badagry.

The Governor, who assured the people of Badagry that his administration is determined to push development to Badagry axis of Lagos State, reiterated the government’s readiness to compensate residents for economic losses on buildings, ancestral lands, farms and sites as a result of the deep seaport.

He said: “We need to go to Abuja to get a re-ratification because it is NPA that owns the license for port. So, we need to get ratification from Abuja. That process has started and we are praying that before the end of April, we will get that ratification.

“Once we get that ratification, by the grace of God we will plan to see if we can start something by June. Once we get that ratification, two months, we must activate something. We want to start the project as soon as possible. We want to deliberately push development to this axis.

“The Badagry Deep Sea Port Project is not just one project; it is a multi-level opportunity for progress for all the people of this State in view of the volume of trade and quantum of investment opportunities that would spring up in the area when the project commences, and when it is completed and operational. Very importantly, employment and capacity building for the teeming youth and women in the affected communities will be prioritised.

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“About 10 years ago during the administration of one of my predecessors, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, this Sea Port Project, which is the reason we have organised today’s community engagement, was conceived as a flagship project that when fully operational, would not only boost the fortunes of the people of Badagry, but, also transform the entire economy of our State and that of the entire West African sub-region.

“As you are all aware, when completed, this deep sea port will be the second in the State after the one in Lekki, which is projected to be commissioned this year. It is expected that with these two deep sea ports, we will experience significant relief from the difficult challenges being experienced in the Apapa axis as a result of the activities at Tin Can port which has been overstretched beyond its installed capacity.”

Sanwo-Olu also congratulated the Management of Badagry Port Development Limited and the host communities for being collaborators and joint beneficiaries of the laudable project which would positively impact lives and businesses, create wealth and improve standards of living in the Badagry division of Lagos State.

Speaking earlier, Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Mrs. Lola Akande, said the State Government hopes to chart a way forward in ensuring smooth and cordial relationship between investors, Badagry Deep Sea Port Limited and members of the host communities.

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“We are hopeful that at the end of the day, under Mr. Governor’s direction, we would be able to chart a way forward in ensuring smooth and cordial relationship between our investor, Badagry Deep Sea Port Limited and members of the host Communities, with a view to safeguarding easy access of the investor to the Project Land Area, whilst assuring our host communities, who are the ancestral land-owners of adequate protection of their various concerns and interests by the State Government,” she said.

The Managing Director of the Badagry Sea Port Limited, Mr. Didi Ndiomu in his remarks said the Badagry Deep Seaport project will be developed in four phases under a public private partnership arrangement that includes the supporting roles of both Lagos State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Ports Authority, as well as other relevant Government Agencies.

He also noted that the affected communities would be compensated.

“The deep seaport is to be located in Gberefu area of Badagry, Lagos State and it covers an area of approximately 1,103 hectares out of which 623 is dedicated for port activities including an 18-meter draft and 4 Km quay, making it a port with the deepest draft and widest berths in Sub Sahara Africa, capable of berthing the largest vessels known in existence today such as the 400-meter-long Maersk Triple E class with a carrying capacity of 18, 000 TEUs as against the present 4,500 TEU West Africa Maximum (WAFMAX) vessel. An additional 480 hectares of land has also been earmarked for industrial and logistics park zone.

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“The scope of the new port includes terminals for containerized and non-containerized cargo, dredged access channel, tuning circle, port basin, anchorage area, shore line protections, an offshore supply base, refined product import jetties, industrial and logistics zone and supporting transport infrastructure,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the host communities, the Alapa of Apa kingdom, Oba Oyekan Adekanbi Ajose, expressed their satisfaction about the plan of the Lagos State Government to attract more development to Badagry through the sea port project.

He said 10 out of the 12 host communities to the Badagry Deep Seaport are in full support of the project in their communities because they believe it will attract more development to the Badagry axis and therefore urged other communities to support the project.

Also speaking, a traditional leader and chairman of the host communities, Chief Frederick Ajanisan said: “We are happy with the project and we are also grateful to Governor Sanwo-Olu for showing interest in the project. Coming to Badagry for a stakeholders meeting today showed clearly that Governor Sanwo-Olu is interested in the project.”

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Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

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Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

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“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: 2027: S’West ADC leaders revolt against Atiku

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1. Many leaders of the African Democratic Congress in the South-West have expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the marginalisation of the party’s structure in the region by the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The ADC leaders, including some state chairmen and governorship candidates, alleged that Atiku had been conducting his political activities in the region through his friends and allies, while leaving the party structure sidelined as presidential campaign activities prepared to gather momentum.

2. A United States federal court has rejected an attempt to obtain discovery from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and DCI Group in an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). 

3. The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Muhammad Bello, has confirmed the “rescue of three of the six Islamic clerics kidnapped on September 12 while travelling to Talata Mafara, Zamfara State.” Bello gave the confirmation in an interview with select reporters in Gusau. He said the rescue followed a multi-agency collaboration and seamless synergy between the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, the Department of State Services, DSS, and police operatives.

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4. The Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, have set a target of at least 1.5 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. According to a statement, the target was announced on Saturday in Osogbo during the inauguration of the movement’s state and local government structures.

5. Nigerians lose no less than N75bn annually to visa application expenses across foreign missions, with rejected Schengen visa applications alone accounting for an estimated €11.5m, equivalent to about N19bn in 2025.
This is according to a visa-cost analysis report obtained by Sunday PUNCH from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

6. With one accord, the governors of Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, and Anambra States yesterday urged the people of the Southeast to avoid political distractions, and vote massively for President Bola Tinubu in next year’s presidential election. Governors Peter Mbah, Hope Uzodimma, Francis Nwifuru and Charles Soludo, said it was necessary for the zone to support Tinubu’s re-election bid to enable him consolidate the gains of his administration’s economic reforms

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7. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said Nigeria’s security challenges predate the administration of President Bola Tinubu, noting that terrorism, insurgency and banditry had been entrenched in the country before 2023 when Tinubu assumed office. He said the country’s security problems were rooted in years of porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, youth unemployment and the spread of extremist ideologies.

8. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike has directed supporters of President Bola Tinubu to deliver their polling unit in the forthcoming 2027 general elections. Addressing the supporters, Wike framed the upcoming general elections as a critical opportunity for residents of the nation’s capital to rectify past electoral missteps and unite under a strategic development banner.

9. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has removed the name of the Kano State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, NDC, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, from its updated list of candidates for the 2027 general elections. A check on the commission’s website shows that the names of Gwarzo and his deputy were conspicuously missing from the updated list.

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10. Four young men have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command for allegedly abducting and gang-raping a 12-year-old girl in Sakwa District, Zaki Local Government Area of the state. The suspects were arrested following a complaint by the victim’s 50-year-old father, who reported the incident at the Sakwa Divisional Police Headquarters on Thursday.

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Wale Tinubu, Rabiu, others Join President Tinubu in Makkah for Umrah

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The Group Chief Executive Oando Plc, Jubril Adewale Tinubu; Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and several other Nigerian business mogul have joined President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, for the performance of Umrah, the lesser Islamic pilgrimage.

The presence of the prominent Nigerian business leaders alongside the President in the holy city has drawn attention, bringing together three influential figures from Nigeria’s political and business communities in a moment of religious observance.

Tinubu and Rabiu, both prominent names in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, were seen alongside the President dressed in the traditional white Ihram garments worn by Muslim pilgrims performing Umrah.

Umrah, unlike the obligatory Hajj pilgrimage, can be undertaken at any time of the year. It involves a series of religious rites in Makkah and holds profound spiritual significance for Muslims across the world.

For the Nigerian business community, the appearance of the corporate leaders alongside the President also offers a glimpse into the intersection of faith, business and public life, particularly when influential figures come together outside the usual settings of boardrooms, corporate engagements and official functions.

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The development comes as President Tinubu undertook the pilgrimage to seek divine guidance and offer prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.

According to the Presidency, the President performed the Umrah rites early Friday, October 30, at the Grand Mosque, Masjid al-Haram, where he circumambulated the Holy Ka’abah.

Speaking after completing the spiritual exercise, Tinubu described the pilgrimage as significant, linking it to his commitment to Nigeria and its people. He also expressed gratitude to Allah for the opportunity to pray for the country.

The President’s prayers reportedly centre on national harmony, security, economic prosperity and the need for Nigerians to live together peacefully.

Rabiu also used the occasion to express his hopes for the country, describing it as an honour to accompany the President on the spiritual journey. He prayed for lasting peace, unity and prosperity in Nigeria.

For Tinubu, whose Oando Group occupies a prominent position in Nigeria’s energy industry, the journey offered a departure from the familiar world of corporate leadership and business engagements. Rabiu, similarly, is a major player in the country’s industrial sector, with interests spanning manufacturing, cement and food production.

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Their appearance in Makkah alongside the President underscores the presence of leading figures from Nigeria’s private sector at an important spiritual moment for the country’s leader.

Umrah, often described as the lesser pilgrimage, is a significant act of worship in Islam. Unlike Hajj, which takes place during a specific period in the Islamic calendar, Umrah can be performed throughout the year.

President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing his spiritual engagements in Saudi Arabia.

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