A gas pipeline explosion in Aleto community, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Thursday evening has left at least 20 people injured, with about 50 houses destroyed by the resulting fire.

The blast occurred around 5 pm after a pipeline belonging to the Nigeria Gas Company ruptured along Old Bori Road. Several victims were rushed to hospitals. Stalls and a mechanic workshop with parked cars were also affected.

Residents said the pipeline had been leaking for about three weeks. Stanley, a local, stated that community leaders had alerted the company, but no effective action was taken. Most of those hurt were passers-by and people working in the area.

Daniel Chuma, Leader of the Eleme Legislative Council, visited the scene and confirmed the scale of the damage. He said he had earlier written to the company and petitioned NOSDRA and the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, copying the police, after a previous leak on another section of the same pipeline.

“Today, we were called to an explosion at the same Nigeria Gas Company pipeline that has destroyed over 50 houses and cars, with many casualties. People have been rushed to the hospital,” Chuma said. He added that no company representative had arrived at the scene, and community members had cordoned off the area with barrier tape to prevent further harm.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) also confirmed the incident. Its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, said several people had been hospitalised and called on the Rivers State Government, the Ministry of Environment, NOSDRA, the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to support the affected residents of Aleto.

The fire was still burning at the time of early reports.

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a bill seeking to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Act and establish the National School of Government, Nigeria.

Situated at Topo, Badagry Lagos, President Tinubu said that the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter transmitting the National School of Government Bill 2026 to the upper chamber during Wednesday plenary.

In the letter, Tinubu urged the Senate to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration, stressing the need to establish a dedicated institution to strengthen leadership development and improve the capacity of public officials to deliver government policies.

The president invoked Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to formally transmit the bill to the Senate for legislative consideration.“Pursuant to Section 58 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, I forward herewith the National School of Government Bill 2026 for the kind consideration of the Senate,” Tinubu stated in the letter.

He expressed the hope that the lawmakers would give the bill the necessary attention and facilitate its consideration.

According to the president, the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.

•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.