•Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appointed Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, as a Permanent Secretary in the State Public Service, alongside five other senior officers.

The five other senior officers appointed as Permanent Secretaries as conveyed by the Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Bode Agoro, in Circular Ref. No. CIR/HOS/’26/071, dated October 13, 2026, are Dr. Olawale Mahadiyu Adegbite, Director of Medical Services, Health Service Commission; Mrs. Folashade Aina Thomas-Orogan and Mr. Adebayo Mubashiru Haroun, both Directors, State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice.

The rest are Mrs. Olayinka Margret Oye-Bamgbose, Director of Administration and Human Resource at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Mrs. Bilquees Toyin Adekoya, Principal/Director of Education at Education District VI.

The appointments, which take effect from October 13, 2026, were aimed at reinvigorating the State’s policy implementation apparatus and strengthening public service delivery.

Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo

Ogunbanwo brings nearly three decades of experience in public service, strategic communication, public relations and information management.

Before his appointment, Ogunbanwo served as Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Health and previously held the same position at the Ministry of Agriculture.

He also played key communication roles in Lagos State’s responses to public health emergencies, including Ebola, COVID-19, Lassa fever and diphtheria.

Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State are grappling with a severe public health and environmental crisis following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft into a swamp near the community.

The aircraft, on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos, crashed last Monday, killing all 25 people on board. Recovery efforts continue amid difficult swampy terrain, with large sections of the wreckage and human remains still unrecovered.

The traditional ruler of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said residents have been battling an extremely offensive odour caused by decomposing human remains floating in the river. “The odour is extremely offensive. So many parts of the human body are floating around in the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” he stated.

He warned that the river — the community’s main source of water for drinking, cooking and fishing — has been polluted by the remains and aviation fuel spillage. Residents can no longer safely use the water, raising fears of a disease outbreak.

Ondo State authorities confirmed they are assessing the environmental and public health impact, with plans for decontamination. Recovery teams, including the Navy, Air Force and emergency agencies, are intensifying efforts to retrieve remaining wreckage and remains.

The future of 3.7 billion people is threatened by mounting government debt burdens, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has warned, urging developing countries to strengthen cooperation in tackling debt-related challenges.

The warning was delivered on Monday in Bangkok during the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings, where the UN agency called on finance ministers, central bank governors and senior government officials from developing countries to unite under the Borrowers’ Platform to share knowledge, exchange experiences and coordinate their positions on debt issues.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said developing economies were facing mounting pressures from geopolitical tensions, conflicts, trade disruptions, climate challenges, inadequate financing and high debt-servicing costs.

“Developing countries face a perfect storm with geopolitical tensions and conflicts, trade and climate pressures, a lack of adequate financing and high debt-service burdens,” Guterres said in his address to the platform’s new member states.

He added that the Borrowers’ Platform would provide members with an opportunity to navigate these challenges.

Guterres welcomed participating countries’ commitment to the initiative, stressing the importance of creating a common space where borrowers could exchange advice, share practical tools and approaches, and strengthen their collective advocacy on international debt issues.

According to UNCTAD, 31 developing countries have formally joined the platform, while several others have expressed interest in the initiative.

Since the platform’s launch in April, participating countries have operated through an interim process led by Egypt as interim chair, with UN Trade and Development serving as its secretariat.