Okowa Tasks ICAN, Other Professional Bodies on National Planning
Delta Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (left),the President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Dame Joy Adewuyi, (right) receiving a souvenir from the Governor during a courtesy visit to the Governor in Government House ,Asaba. Tuesday.
DAN DENT (ASABA)
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa has charged the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and other professional bodies to explore new corridors of national planning for the further development of Nigeria’s economy.
Okowa gave the charge on Friday when he received on courtesy visit the 56th President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Dame Onome Adewuyi and her delegation at Government House, Asaba.
He lauded the role accountants play in the development of the nation’s economy, but challenged them and other professionals to enunciate plans that could uplift the nation from its current economic challenges.
The governor said that Nigeria must begin to plan concerning its increasing population, explaining that without proper planning, rising population would continue to retard the country’s economic development and national growth.
He remarked that many governments in Nigeria had virtually become fees and salary-paying states, leaving them with no money left for capital development, “and it’s capital development that truly runs the economy of states and the nation’’.
According to the governor, the budgets of the states and the Federal Government are characterised by huge recurrent expenditures in terms of payment of salaries, overhead, repayment and servicing of debts, leaving virtually very little for the development of the nation.
“There has to be a mix between recurrent expenditure and capital expenditure. If we spend all our monies on recurrent expenditure without having a reasonable amount for capital expenditure, we will not be doing any good to the state and to our nation.
“The impact is not only on the states; at the level of Federal Government, it’s quite a problem because today, we are almost living virtually on borrowing to be able to execute capital projects.
“It’s a problem all of us have to look into and it’s something you can look into and offer your advice to both the Federal Government and the states.
“The challenge is there but there must be a process to address it on a gradual basis, because if we do not do so, we will be getting to a situation where we definitely embarrass ourselves as a nation and we hope that we don’t get to that point in the history of this nation,” Okowa said.
He added that as much as possible “Nigerians need to think about what we can do because we are busy everyday planning our expenditure without planning the population of the nation.
“A nation that continues to plan without planning its population is a nation that is not truly planning at all. It’s a big problem because we are in a nation today where our economy is dwindling.
“We are not expanding the economy the way we thought we should be able to do, and then the economy is growing at a very low rate and the population of the nation is growing at a very high rate.
“There is no level of planning, no matter how intelligent that person is, that you can truly plan in such a space. I believe that it’s something that all of us who have the knowledge of planning must speak out to let this nation know that wherever we are at the moment there is need to begin to look very closely inward.’’
Earlier, Dame Adewuyi had commended the governor for the new paradigm he introduced to the leadership and governance of the state.
She stated that capacity-building was the primary mandate of the ICAN and lauded the governor for his administration’s massive investment and educational transformation, including the recent upgrade of three existing higher institutions to universities.
“At ICAN, our mandate is to consistently act in public interest and we collaborate with stakeholders across all sectors of the economy, whether public or private, in the promotion of accountability, transparency and good governance.
“We believe that the national resources if adequately managed and accounted for, are sufficient to guarantee decent lives and livelihood for the over 200 million Nigerians,” Adewuyi stated.
She disclosed that ICAN had concluded arrangements to establish a university in order to support stakeholders in the educational value-chain at bridging the gap in tertiary education in the country.
“We plan that the specialised university will commence with postgraduate courses in social and management science and will open to the public for admission by the next academic session in September, 2021,” she added.
Lagos Island Lawmaker, Afinni Picks Patient Surgery Bill
Ajagbe Adeyemi Teslim
sponsored by: H&H
“May you never experience such, May God be with you and your household, may you never fall sick, your enemies will never overcome you, These are the prayers from the heart of a resident of Lagos Island constituency ll, Mr. Abiola Shuab when favour falls on him during and aftermart of his successful surgery Operation been sponsored by Lagos Lawmaker, Hon. Lanre Afinni.
August24news.com gathered that Mr. Abiola Shuab was suffering from a premium Nasal Nose Blockage and as been placed under drugs and treatment before his doctor prescribed him for a Surgery Operation.
The surgery Operation was carried out successfully by a team of medical expert at the Ilorin General Hospital last Friday.
Upon reaching the Lawmaker for Financial support for the surgery, Hon. Lanre Afinni who represent the good people of Lagos Island Constituency ll at the Lagos State house of Assembly quickly reacted to the request and ask his Committee on Health to rally round Abiola and carry out all the necessary action claiming the bill should be credited on his account.
Commenting on the Goodwill done by Hon. Lanre Afinni is the Apex Leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos Island Constituency ll, Chief Babajide Damasio commended Affini for the prompt and good act describing him as a lawmaker of the people who is always at alert for the good gesture.
On his own Part Hon. Lanre Afinni who doubles as the Chairman house committee on Environment at the Lagos State House of Assembly told Our Correspondent that “health is wealth, “we remain committed to our constituents members healthcare, their health is Paramount to us and that is why we have to come to their aid when needed.
According to Afinni, When we came into Office in 2023, we inaugurated several committees to look into the needs of our consistency members in different capacity and appoint professional to head the team in various offices such as Education, Sport, Security, Empowerment, Job Creation and Health.
“On our Health Committee desk, we have been able to organize series of medical talks, we also help with medical bills of our constituency members, We have done 3 editions of the medical outreach program, which includes dentals and distributions of free eye glasses with over 2,000 Two thousand in every edition and the 4th edition will be held in December this year. Afinni Stated.
Mr. Abiola Shuab is an Higher National Diploma holder in Banking and Finance from the prestigious Ibadan Polytechnic, Oyo State and resident of Number 17 Ajanaku Street, Lagos Island East LCDA.
Smear Campaign Won’t Stop Police Reforms, CASA Stands with IGP Egbetokun
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Civic Alliance for Security Accountability (CASA) has strongly condemned what it calls a coordinated campaign of calumny against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, urging Nigerians to disregard all unfounded attacks on his person and leadership.
In a statement released on Friday, May 30, 2025, the President of CASA, Charles Egbunike, described the attacks as part of a broader agenda to discredit not just the IGP, but also President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under whose administration Egbetokun was appointed.
“These campaigns are not only malicious but deliberately designed to create instability,” Egbunike said. “Those behind them are not just attacking the IGP; they are using him as a tool to hit at the President. This is because of the IGP’s long-standing association with President Tinubu, dating back to when he served as his Chief Security Officer during Tinubu’s tenure as Governor of Lagos State more than two decades ago.”
According to the group, the real masterminds behind the smear campaign are disgruntled elements who lost out following the IGP’s recent reforms aimed at sanitizing the system, especially his decision to implement the position of the law and the Police Service Commission on retirement age and service years. These individuals, who are angry over the unalloyed support Egbetokun enjoys from the President and the members of the Nigeria Police Force, he said, are now collaborating with unscrupulous figures in the online media space who have been paid to do a hatchet job.
“These individuals prospered under a corrupt system and are now resentful because Inspector General Egbetokun has put an end to that era of impunity and unprofessional conduct. They are using faceless online platforms and questionable media outlets to spread lies and cast doubt on the IGP’s credibility. Very soon, we will start revealing the people behind this campaign, including a retired Senior Police officer who is unhappy about the way he left office. We will also expose those paying for online attacks meant to weaken the police and, by extension, the government. This is not just an attack on one man, it is an attempt to undermine national security. We will not let that happen,” Egbunike said.
Speaking alongside Egbunike, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Idris Dauda Dabban, described IGP Egbetokun, as a truly professional, hardworking, humble and forward-thinking officer whose leadership is shaping a more disciplined and professional Nigerian Police Force as he advises those who are attacking him for their myopic selfish reasons to desist from it.
AIG Dabban (rtd), who was a coursemate of Egbetokun at the Police Academy and later served closely with him, gave personal insights into the character and work ethics of the country’s top cop.
“IGP Egbetokun is a very humble, selfless, courageous and hardworking officer,” Dabban said. “He’s someone who listens, interacts well with people, and genuinely cares about getting the job done.”
Their connection goes way back, not just as coursemates but also as close colleagues posted to the same units and living in the same police barracks. According to Dabban, that experience gave him a front-row view of the IGP’s drive, care for the people and passion for duty.
“After we left the academy, we were both posted back to Lagos. We served in the same unit and even lived in the same barracks at Satellite Police Barrack. I can confidently say I know him very well,” Dabban recalled.
“He’s always ahead, very proactive, never reactive. He doesn’t tolerate anything that goes against the ethics of the Force. He’s very forward-looking, passionate about the job and holds himself and others to high standards. I can say Nigerians are lucky to have this kind of incorruptible cop as their IGP.
“He’s a nationalist, he is never tribalistic or considers religious sentiment. For him, it’s all about the job, work, work, and more work. He’s fully committed to building a better police force that I am certain about.”
Speaking in a similar vein, the Secretary-General of CASA, Emamode Peters, praised IGP Egbetokun for the positive changes he is bringing to the Force.
According to him, Egbetokun is not only a strong leader but also a highly educated officer who brings deep knowledge and discipline into policing.
He said, “One thing I admire most about the IGP is his work ethic. He drives his subordinates hard because he believes in results. Laziness and unprofessional conduct have no place under his leadership. I have personally observed that he leads from the front; he works round the clock, comes to the office early, and spends more than 14 hours in the office daily, and I also know that most days he does not go to bed until 4 am. Because he continues with meetings and work at home. I marvelled at how he attends to the deluge of work and files on his table and he does all of that with vigour and professionalism.”
NiMet SAPZ Partner to Empower Smallholder Farmers Across Agro Processing Zones
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has formalized a strategic partnership with the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Program to advance climate resilience and sustainable agriculture across key farming regions in Nigeria.
The partnership, formalized in Abuja, will initially be implemented across seven pilot states—Cross River, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Oyo, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—with a roadmap to scale nationally. The initiative targets smallholder farmers and agro-processors, equipping them with real-time weather forecasts, seasonal climate predictions, and tailored advisory services to improve decision-making and mitigate climate-related risks.
The SAPZ initiative, a five-year national agricultural transformation program co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), aims to stimulate inclusive agro-industrialization, raise rural incomes, and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on food imports.
Professor Charles Anosike, NiMet’s Director-General/CEO, welcomed the partnership, emphasizing that meteorological services are critical to enhancing food security and reducing climate risks within Nigeria’s agricultural value chains. “We are proud to support SAPZ’s vision with timely, accurate, and accessible climate information. No farmer should be left behind in the climate-smart agriculture movement,” he said.
Dr. Kabir Yusuf, the National Program Coordinator for SAPZ, emphasized the critical role of climate-smart solutions in addressing the unpredictable weather patterns that pose a threat to agriculture. He stated, “This collaboration with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) will provide actionable climate data and advisory services to farmers and agro-processors, thereby enhancing productivity, minimizing losses, and fostering resilience.”
Under the agreement, NiMet will provide seasonal rainfall forecasts, localized weather updates, training for extension workers, install mini weather stations, and develop innovative applications for real-time alerts. SAPZ will integrate NiMet’s climate data into its Agricultural Industrial Hubs and Transformation Centers, supporting training, equipment, and infrastructure deployment.
A joint technical committee will oversee implementation, monitor progress, and develop innovative solutions such as localized crop calendars and precision farming tools. The MoU is initially valid for five years, with plans to evolve into a long-term institutional framework supporting Nigeria’s national climate adaptation strategy.