Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, has charged his colleague-lawmakers to be thorough and transparent as they embark on a review of the 2026 Appropriation Bill presented to the House by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu last Tuesday.

Obasa spoke during a three-day budget retreat of the Assembly, holding at the Park Inn by Radisson, Abeokuta, Ogun State, from November 26 to 28. The retreat, themed “Budget of Shared Prosperity: Enhancing Accountability and Transparency in Lagos State Budget Process”, was attended by all lawmakers, select legislative staff, and senior aides of the Speaker.

Speaker Obasa said with the formal presentation of the ‘Budget of Shared Prosperity’ by Governor Sanwo-Olu, “It now behoves you, as representatives of the people, to do your job with clinical efficiency, empathy, diligence, self-awareness, transparency, and conviction. The governor has done everything to convince us that they have done a thorough job on the Budget, but it is left to the Assembly to decide how we will go about appropriating the state’s resources to align with the demands and aspirations of every Lagosian.”

Obasa further stated that he firmly believed that waste of scarce resources can be curbed if lawmakers perform their oversight functions effectively. “But when you pretend like you don’t see what you are supposed to see in the budget or you allow your palms to be greased, don’t forget, you are going back home; you are going back to that community that you didn’t defend or protect its interest when it was important to do so. And it is at home that your political fate will be decided. Let us do what is expected of us, and we will get it right,” he said.

The annual offsite budget retreat, which reflects Obasa’s insistence on a people-centric budget, aims to review and analyse, and ensure the timely passage of the state’s appropriation bill.

Among the resource persons at the retreat were Mr Olufemi Orojimi, the Director of Budget, Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, who spoke on ‘Understanding the 2026 Appropriation Strategy: Insights from 2025 Budget Performance and Implementation Caps’; Dr Muda Yusuf, Founder/CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, who did justice to his papers on ‘An overview of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework’ and Improving legislative Oversight for Budget Implementation: The strategic role of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

With the smoothness of a hot knife through butter, Yomi Olugbenro, West Africa Tax Leader at Deloitte, discussed ‘Navigating Nigeria’s New Tax Regime: Roles and Responsibilities of the Legislature.’ Other facilitators were Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, Director/Clerk, Senate Public Accounts Committee; Olusegun Mojeed, the immediate past president/chairman, Board of Fellows, CIPM Nigeria; and Ifeanyi Peter, National Team Leader, Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement.

The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, on Thursday confirmed the withdrawal of 11,566 officers previously assigned to Very Important Personalities (VIPs), following a presidential directive mandating the reallocation of police resources.

Egbetokun announced the development during a meeting with senior police officers in Abuja, noting that the instruction from the Presidency empowers him to implement the recall of officers without interference.

He stated that no VIP would challenge the withdrawal of their security personnel since the order originated directly from the President.

The IGP urged police officers to maintain professionalism and dedication to national security, emphasising the need for continuous efforts to curb criminal activities across the country.

He added that the police remain committed to addressing emerging security challenges and are collaborating with other security agencies to strengthen safety nationwide.

More to come…

Bandits have carried out another violent assault in the Palaita community of Erena Ward, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting 24 people, including pregnant women, from a rice farm.

According to a source in the community, the attackers arrived at about 2:00pm on Wednesday while residents were harvesting their crops.

Despite Palaita being only five kilometres from a military base in Erena, the bandits reportedly fled with the victims before security forces could intervene.

Earlier the same day, a separate group of armed men invaded the Kakuru community, also in Erena Ward, where they assaulted a blind resident and severed his right hand after taking a mobile phone from him.

The attackers, who arrived around 8:00am, met only the visually impaired man at home, as other residents had already gone to their farms.

The victim reportedly informed the attackers that the phone belonged to a neighbour who was on the farm, prompting the bandits to seize the device and amputate his right hand in anger.

He is currently receiving first aid treatment at a patent medicine shop in the Kuduru community.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incidents and said efforts were underway to rescue those abducted.

“On November 26, 2025, at about 8pm, a report was received indicating that suspected armed men abducted about ten persons from Angwan-Kawo and Kuchipa villages of Shiroro Local Government Area,” Abiodun said. “Effort is being made to rescue the victims.”

The latest incident comes less than a week after gunmen abducted more than 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, on Friday.

The attack occurred amid a worsening national security crisis, with several northern states experiencing persistent kidnappings linked to ransom demands.