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Ondo 2024: Aiyedatiwa declares interest in governorship race

The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has formally declared his intention to contest the governorship election come November this year.
The governor dropped the long awaited news, hours after his predecessor, the late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, was buried on Friday.
Mr Aiyedatiwa said he would wish to contest and win the forthcoming election as required by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for one more term.
He, however, would first have to win the Governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which is slated for April this year.
The governor spoke on TVC News on Friday.
“Definitely, I will be running because I am already a sitting governor. And let me say this that nobody wants to be governor for one year,” Mr Aiyedatiwa said in response to a question whether he would run in the election.
“Give me what the constitution allows me to do, at least, let me have a chance of also running for one more term as it were,” he said.
The governor also denied that he had any conflict with the late Governor Akeredolu before his death.
He noted that it was a few individuals in the state, driven by their ambition, who caused the crisis in the state.
”Let me put this straight for the record sake, I never had issues with my former principal, there was no time we had a face off, there was no time we had an issue that will demand that I have to make up with him.
”All that were being pushed out at a time were basically political; they were all falsehood and insinuations because election was coming and they knew the governor was so sick and a lot of things were at play,” the governor said.
On the open letter written by five members of the House of Representatives from Ondo state to the President, Mr Aiyedatiwa said the members had a right to air their views.
“Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion. That is just an opinion of some people that are so driven by ambition. If you look at the profile of those five members of the House of Representatives, they have individual aspirants they are supporting in the upcoming election.
”So, all of them have their own ambition who they want to be governor. That is an unprogressive position and the party has actually responded that there was no crisis in the party, that they are not at loggerheads with me,” he said.
Mr Aiyedatiwa had kept his ambition close to his chest until Friday when Governor Akeredolu’s burial rites were concluded.
The APC national secretariat had ruled out the possibility of an automatic ticket for him.
It was however, gathered that there are forces within his party averse to his ambition and that he would need to work hard to be able to win the party’s ticket.
That are also fears that the President Bola Tinubu factor might be a major decider, and this has informed a number of aspirants travelling regularly to Abuja to curry the favour of the presidency as the primaries approach.
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JUST IN: President Tinubu set to return to Nigeria after Saint Lucia, Brazil trip

President Bola Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Saturday (today) two weeks after his two-nation visit to Saint Lucia and Brazil.
The President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga announced this in a post on his official X handle.
Recall that Tinubu departed Abuja for Saint Lucia and Brazil on Saturday, June 28, 2025.
The President paid a state visit to Saint Lucia as part of efforts to deepen Nigeria’s engagement with Caribbean nations and strengthen South-South cooperation.
Tinubu on July 4th departed Saint Lucia for Brazil where he attend the 2025 BRICS Summit, held July 6-7, 2025.
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CBN And Bank of Industry Partner With CEAN To Stabilise Nigeria’s Creative Sector Post-COVID
For more than a decade, CEAN has played a vital role in connecting Nigeria’s informal creative workforce to structured policy, funding, and formal economic opportunities.

September 12, 2022, Lagos, Nigeria –
In a bold and strategic move to rescue Nigeria’s creative industries from the lingering economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) partnered with the Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN) to design and implement a nationwide intervention targeting vulnerable creative businesses.
The collaboration, launched in mid-2022, marks a milestone in the recognition of Nigeria’s creative economy as a critical pillar of national development—and affirms CEAN’s position as a trusted stakeholder in industry policy and infrastructure development.
Responding to a Sector in Crisis
The partnership was galvanized by CEAN’s early post-pandemic white paper, “Creating Through Crisis: The Future of Nigerian Creativity Post-COVID.
It presented compelling data and policy recommendations that influenced federal strategy.
While other sectors received initial support under the government’s economic recovery plans, it was CEAN’s persistent advocacy and detailed sector mapping that brought national attention to the creative industries’ urgent needs.
CEAN’s nationwide rollout had seen the training of over 2,000 creative entrepreneurs, advisory support to more than 500 micro-businesses, and the establishment of regional Creative Recovery Hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu.
“From day one of the pandemic, we understood that Nigeria’s cultural workforce—millions strong—was at risk of collapse,” said Adebowale Ewedemi, CEAN founding executive and veteran media entrepreneur.
“We didn’t just lobby for change; we brought the tools, the structure, and the roadmap,” said Ewedemi.
From Blueprint to Implementation
The result was a landmark intervention program backed by BOI and regulated by CBN, with CEAN serving as the official implementation partner.
The program delivers targeted support to struggling sub-sectors including independent film, performance art, fashion, radio, music, design, and digital content production.
Highlights of the program include:
• Access to low-interest working capital for creative entrepreneurs
• Training grants and accelerator programs for skill development
• Support for studio and performance infrastructure
• Technical assistance for digital transformation and business retooling.
CEAN’s nationwide rollout had seen the training of over 2,000 creative entrepreneurs, advisory support to more than 500 micro-businesses, and the establishment of regional Creative Recovery Hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu.
Sustained Leadership in Nigeria’s Creative Economy
This intervention is only the latest in CEAN’s long record of national impact. During the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the association served as a frontline support system—offering emergency relief, transitioning training programs online, and shaping portions of the Federal Government’s Survival Fund.
For more than a decade, CEAN has played a vital role in connecting Nigeria’s informal creative workforce to structured policy, funding, and formal economic opportunities.
Through this work, the association—under Ewedemi’s leadership—has consistently introduced original models, innovative frameworks, and institutional partnerships that define sustainable creative sector governance in Africa.
Architects of a New Creative Economy
This partnership with CBN and BOI reflects a broader understanding that Nigeria’s future is tied to the creative ingenuity of its people—and that long-term development requires strategic institutions with deep insight, trust, and capacity.
“We’re proud to move beyond advocacy into implementation. This is not a moment—it’s a movement. We are helping to reshape the creative industry into a nationally recognized economic force, ”said Ewedemi.
As the creative sector continues to recover and rebuild, CEAN remains committed to ensuring that no artist, content creator, or cultural innovator is left behind.
News
President Tinubu congratulates Governor Okpebholo on Supreme Court Victory

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on the affirmation of his election by the Supreme Court.
The Edo State governorship election took place in September 2024, and Governor Okpebholo was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Supreme Court, as the final arbiter, upheld the election of the governor today.
According to the press statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu encourages Governor Okpebholo to be magnanimous in victory and rally the citizens of Edo across divides towards a singular vision of advancing the state’s development.
The President advises that now that the governor has cleared the legal hurdles, it is time for him to accelerate the delivery of exceptional services and good governance to the people of Edo State, which he has already begun to do.
President Tinubu also congratulates the leadership and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State and calls for cohesion and dedication in effectively discharging the mandate given by the people.
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