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Governor Oyebanji receives Vanguard Newspapers, Energy Times Awards, restates commitment to sustainable development
….Thanks President Tinubu, Ekiti people
It was an evening of double honours for Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Friday as he received the Vanguard Newspapers’ Personality of the Year (Good Governance) Award, and Energy Times Magazine’s Energy Governor of the Year Award at two separate events held in Lagos.
The two awards, coming barely one month after Governor Oyebanji received the Silverbird Man of the Year Award, were predicated on his transformative leadership, inclusive governance and his huge investments in road and power infrastructure, as well as agriculture and community development.

Speaking shortly after the events, Governor Oyebanji, said the awards, like the previous ones, belong to the people of Ekiti State, whom he said have demonstrated unprecedented support for his administration’s development agenda.

He added that the recognitions have further placed a necessity on him to do more in terms of lifting the living standards of the people through the right mix of life-transforming programmes, policies and projects.
Governor Oyebanji thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for putting in place economic policies that have ceded more funds to the states, including Ekiti, thereby paving the way for greater development.
He also thanked Ekiti people at home and in the Diaspora for their support for his administration, stressing that the support of the people have been of tremendous encouragement.

While reiterating his commitment to sustaining the pace of development in the state, Governor Oyebanji said his administration would not relent in its efforts at creating enabling environment for economic growth, infrastructure development, and social welfare of the citizens.
The Governor, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Niyi Adebayo, at the Vanguard Newspaper Award which took place at Eko Hotel and Suites, said the award was a reflection of his administration’s visionary policies and impactful people- oriented programmes that have successfully repositioned the state as a preferred destination to visit, live, work and invest in Nigeria.

Assuring that his administration would continue to uphold the principles of good governance while delivering impactful projects that align with the needs and aspirations of the people, Governor Oyebanji said the award is a motivation to sustain the pace of development and continue building a prosperous state for all.
“Well, this is possibly the fifth this year and all of them are highly respected awards, and in many of them, the populace were involved in the voting process.
So, it speaks to the appreciation of our performance and commitment to the shared prosperity agenda of our administration and all the efforts are to ensure growth and development of the state in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, human capital development, community development and youth empowerment”, the Governor said.
At the Energy Times award, which took place at Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, Governor Oyebanji, who was represented by the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof Bolaji Aluko, said he would continue working towards ensuring a stable power supply across the nooks and crannies of the state.

This, he said, will create enabling environment for investors, boost local economy and ensure a more rapid economic growth. He added that the within the spate of two years, his administration had successfully reconnected many communities back to the national grid, with moves to ensure adequate house metering, while the State Independent Power plant were being fortified for wider Coverage.
According to him, these remarkable impacts had attracted both public and private key players to the state.
The Governor noted that his administration has creatively navigated the murk waters of regulatory restrictions that had hitherto hindered stable electricity supply with a view to attracting investors to boost the economic status of the state.
News
JUST IN: Tinubu Departs Paris for Nigeria After Extended Vacation
President Bola Tinubu has ended his working vacation in Europe and departed Paris for Nigeria on Tuesday, with his aircraft expected to land at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos later in the evening.
The announcement was made by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for what was initially billed as a three-week working vacation.
He spent one week in London before proceeding to Paris. The trip was later extended, bringing his total time abroad to about 30 days.
The President chose to return through Lagos rather than Abuja to honour the memory of the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
On Independence Day, October 1, he is scheduled to attend the premiere of a movie celebrating Abiola at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.
While in Lagos, Tinubu will hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates over several days as preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify. He is expected to return to Abuja after those engagements.
During his stay in Paris, the President attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and held meetings with business leaders, including Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group.
He also met with First Holdings Chairman Femi Otedola and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World for a deep seaport and Blue Marine Economic Zone.
News
National Assembly Plans to Translate Laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba
The National Assembly plans to translate Nigerian laws into Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and other indigenous languages as part of a broader effort to digitise parliamentary records and make legislation more accessible to citizens.
Henry Nwawuba, Executive Secretary of the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, announced the initiative on Monday in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 National Assembly Library Week. The event was themed “Parliamentary Memory: Connecting Records, Legislation and the People.”
Nwawuba said the translation would help more Nigerians, especially those not proficient in English, understand the laws that affect their daily lives. He described the library as the knowledge infrastructure of the legislature and a repository of its institutional memory.
The move forms part of a digital overhaul that includes upgrading the e-library, creating electronic repositories, developing a National Assembly Library mobile application, and introducing a Bills Tracker to allow the public to monitor the progress of proposed laws in real time.
The library will also produce infographics, audiovisual materials and short video explainers to simplify bills, Acts and legislative procedures. Officials said the upgrades would help curb the spread of fake or unverified legislative documents online.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Senator Osita Ngwu, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Professor Julius Ihonvbere, both stressed the need for lawmakers to use the digital tools while prioritising cybersecurity.
News
BREAKING: Court Order Threatens Dangote Kenya Refinery Launch
A Kenyan court order requiring parties to maintain the status quo on disputed land has cast uncertainty over the planned groundbreaking of Aliko Dangote’s multi-billion-dollar oil refinery in Lamu, scheduled for Wednesday, September 30.
The Malindi Environment and Land Court, in an order dated September 25 and made public this week, directed that the existing situation on Land Reference No. 13061 in the Hindi/Manda Magogoni area be preserved until a hearing on October 14. The order followed a petition by 133 residents of Chandavai in Lamu County, who claim the land is ancestral property their families have occupied, farmed and developed for generations. They allege inadequate recognition, compensation and resettlement in the acquisition process.
Judge Jane Onyango declined to certify the application as fully urgent in a way that would explicitly cancel the ceremony and refused a separate request to restrain the Office of the President, Dangote Industries, the Lamu County Government and other respondents from proceeding with the groundbreaking. However, the status quo directive bars clearing, excavation, fencing, demolition, construction or other interference with occupied portions of the land in the interim.
Dangote Group said the ruling has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony itself. “The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by the ruling as both parties are required not to carry activities until the case is heard on 14th October,” the company stated.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi confirmed the ceremony would proceed as planned. Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, downplayed the development while speaking to investors in Nairobi, describing such legal challenges as “normal for us in Africa” and comparing it to past disputes elsewhere on the continent. He insisted the project would continue.
The proposed facility is a 700,000-barrel-per-day greenfield oil refinery and petrochemical complex estimated to cost $15–16 billion (roughly Ksh2 trillion). It is intended to process crude from Kenya’s Lokichar fields and other East African sources, reduce the region’s heavy reliance on imported fuels, create jobs and support industrialisation. President William Ruto is expected to attend the ceremony alongside Dangote. Heavy equipment has already begun arriving at the Port of Lamu.
The case returns to court on October 14, when respondents will have the opportunity to file responses and the matter will be heard inter partes. Until then, the legal constraint on site activities remains in force even as organisers press ahead with the ceremonial launch.
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