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NRC clarifes Osun railway land dispute, accuses mischief makers of incitement
The Nigerian Railway Corporation has accused mischief makers of driving religious sentiment into a railway land dispute in Osun between two temporary allotees.
It said they were inciting members of the public, especially Muslims, against the management of the corporation.
The NRC in a statement on Saturday described as malicious reports by some online publications last Wednesday that the corporation was planning to cause a religious crisis over the land matter.
Even as it stated that it had commenced investigation into the dispute, it urged “the good people of Osun and indeed the general public to disregard any malicious claim to disrupt the peace in Osun State.”
The statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to inciting reports by Sun News Online and several other social
media platforms on Wednesday 6th April 2022 captioned ‘MUSLIM GROUP RAISES ALARM OVER ALLEGED PLAN BY NRC TO CAUSE RELIGIOUS CRISIS IN OSUN’.
“The report alleged that the NRC officials are taking steps to convert a piece of land already
granted to the Muslim Community for use as a Muslim prayer ground for the use of one Pastor Solomon”.
‘The management of NRC/RPMCL wishes to clarify the very grave allegations levelled against the officials and to bring to the notice of the general public that the social media reports did not in any way portray a true picture of the issue at hand. The management is therefore clarifying the purported allegations as follows:
1. The management of Railway Property Management Company Limited wishes to
categorically state that the issue in contention is between two temporary allottees on
Railway land who have misunderstanding over boundaries. Efforts have been made to
resolve the problem with no success.
2. A piece of land measuring 20m2 was allocated to one Lateef Oriade on Temporary permit in 2015. Another piece of land measuring 56m2 was allocated to one Bukola Solomon in 2016 and both allottees have been occupying the space since 2015 and 2016 respectively.
3. In November 2021, one Imam and his son came and complained about an attempt by someone wanting to claim the land. The Area Manager in trying to resolve the issue, went with the complainant to the said site. On getting to the site, the manager discovered that
the land in question was the one allocated to Lateef Oriade which the Imam claimed that
the land was transferred to him even though there was no evidence to back that claim.
4. The Area Manager discovered that the space being occupied by the Imam is 372m2 as against the 20m2 on the letter of allocation to Lateef Oriade. But the Imam claimed that the space allocated to them is 372m2 and the 56m2 allocated to Bukola Solomon. The area manager further directed that both the Imam (representing Lateef Oriade) and Bukola Solomon should apply for the regularization of their allocation since the allocation in their
possession is a temporary permit which they both promised to comply.
5. However, instead of them applying for the regularization, the Area Manager received a
report that the two tenants continued their disagreement over the matter. To this note, the area manager gave both of them a six months revocation notice due to their refusal to
reconcile and to comply with the directive to regularize their stay.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we do not have any record of allocation to any Imam, Muslim Community nor any pastor, as such, the claim to incite any religious crisis might be the handiwork of mischief makers. In any case management has ordered an immediate investigation of the matter
and have already contacted all the key parties.
“The good people of Osun State and indeed the general public should disregard any malicious claim to disrupt the peace in Osun State.”
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Woman Crushed to Death During Motorcycle Overtaking Manoeuvre in Ogun
Woman Crushed to Death During Motorcycle Overtaking Manoeuvre in Ogun
A woman has been crushed to death by a truck after falling from a motorcycle during an overtaking manoeuvre on the Agbara-Lusada Expressway in Ogun State.
The fatal road accident occurred around 7pm on Saturday at Cashier Bus Stop, in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
The crash involved a white Howo truck and two motorcycles, with five people reportedly involved in the incident.
The spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the accident and said preliminary findings indicated that the crash was linked to an improper overtaking manoeuvre.
According to Akinbiyi, one of the motorcycles was attempting to overtake the truck when its female passenger fell off the motorcycle and came under the moving truck.
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“The RTA/RTC was caused by wrong overtaking on the part of the Okada rider, which led one of the Okada passengers to fall under the truck, which claimed her life,” he said.
The truck involved was identified as a white Howo truck with registration number T-34611LA. The registration numbers of the two motorcycles were not displayed.
Akinbiyi said the five people involved comprised three males and two females.
Two people, a male and a female, sustained injuries in the crash.
The injured victims were reportedly taken to a hospital by a good Samaritan before traffic officials arrived at the scene.
The woman who died was later taken away by her family.
Following the crash, the truck was moved into police custody to assist further investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
TRACE operatives and PAPA OSCAR responders were deployed to the scene, where they assisted with managing the aftermath of the crash and clearing the affected section of the road.
The accident caused concern among road users as emergency responders worked to remove the vehicles and restore the flow of traffic along the busy expressway.
The latest incident has again drawn attention to the dangers associated with improper overtaking, particularly on roads frequently used by motorcycles and heavy-duty vehicles.
Traffic authorities routinely advise motorists and motorcycle riders to maintain safe distances, avoid risky manoeuvres and obey traffic regulations, especially when travelling alongside articulated and heavy-duty trucks.
The Agbara-Lusada Expressway is an important transport route linking communities and industrial areas in Ogun State, with significant commercial and commuter traffic.
The authorities are expected to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash, while road users have been urged to exercise greater caution to reduce the risk of further fatal road crashes.
Woman Crushed to Death During Motorcycle Overtaking Manoeuvre in Ogun
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My Heart Has Always Been Home With You — Tinubu’s Powerful Message to Oluremi at 66
My Heart Has Always Been Home With You — Tinubu’s Powerful Message to Oluremi at 66
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has celebrated his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, on her 66th birthday, describing her as his “truest friend and confidante” and saying he would choose the same path that led him to her if he had the opportunity to begin life again.
Oluremi Tinubu, who turns 66 on Monday, September 21, 2026, received the tribute in a deeply personal birthday message issued by the President.
Tinubu recalled their years together, describing his wife as a source of patience, courage, honesty, faith and counsel, particularly during difficult periods of their lives.
He said Oluremi had often understood his concerns even before he expressed them and had remained willing to tell him difficult truths when necessary.
“More often than not, you sense when I need counsel before I ask,” the President said, adding that there had been occasions when her presence alone was enough to provide him with the counsel he needed.
Tinubu said he particularly valued her willingness to speak plainly, even when her words were not what he wanted to hear.
“I call you my truest friend and confidante because you speak the truth plainly, even on the days I would rather not hear it,” he said.
The President also praised Oluremi for her role in their family, saying their children and grandchildren had grown under the influence of her prayers, faith and values.
He described her as compassionate and generous and said her humanitarian activities had touched the lives of young people, widows, elderly citizens, women farmers and people living with diseases.
Tinubu traced her public service and humanitarian work from the New Era Foundation to her current activities through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).
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Oluremi Tinubu founded the New Era Foundation in 2000, with its activities focused on areas including youth development, girl-child education and women empowerment.
She later entered elective politics and represented Lagos Central Senatorial District in the Senate for three consecutive terms after being elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2015 and 2019.
As First Lady of Nigeria, she has continued her social intervention activities through the RHI, which focuses on areas including education, healthcare, agriculture, economic empowerment and social investment.
Her recent engagements have included programmes targeting women, young people, vulnerable households and communities across the country.
In August, the RHI announced a ₦819 million empowerment programme for 1,638 widows of fallen military and police personnel, with each beneficiary receiving ₦500,000 to start or expand a business.
The First Lady has also recently intensified her activities around women’s economic empowerment and food security.
The RHI announced the distribution of empowerment items to 2,500 women in the South-East geopolitical zone, while Oluremi Tinubu also backed the Agri360 Mechanisation Training Initiative, which targets 5,000 women and young people with training in agricultural mechanisation, digital agriculture, equipment operation and maintenance, entrepreneurship and agribusiness management.
The First Lady said empowering women and young people with skills, tools and opportunities was important to the future of Nigerian agriculture and food security.
She also launched the National Community Food Bank Programme for the South-East in Anambra State.
The programme is designed to provide food assistance and nutrition support to vulnerable groups, including widows, elderly people, persons with disabilities, nursing and lactating mothers and young children.
During the Anambra visit, Oluremi Tinubu also inaugurated an ICT Experience Centre at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, while a separate state empowerment programme provided business grants, vocational tools and equipment to thousands of beneficiaries across the state’s 21 local government areas.
The President, in his birthday message, said his wife’s compassion had extended beyond ethnic, regional and religious boundaries.
“I know the prayers you offer for people whose names you may never know. I also know many whom you have helped without ever meeting them. For you, compassion has never recognised the boundaries of tribe, region or religion,” he said.
Tinubu also reflected on the sacrifices and difficult decisions they had faced together, saying their relationship had endured through periods of uncertainty, with prayer and laughter helping them through challenging moments.
He then delivered the most personal part of the birthday tribute, saying he would make the same choice again if given another opportunity.
“If life returned me to the beginning, I would choose the same road that led me to you. Through every mile, my heart has always remained at home with you,” the President said.
He thanked his wife for the life they had built together and prayed for her continued health, happiness and longevity.
“Happy 66th birthday, my darling Oluremi,” Tinubu said.
“May the years ahead bring you the same comfort and happiness you have so freely given to me and many others.”
The birthday message comes against the backdrop of Oluremi Tinubu’s continuing public engagements through the Renewed Hope Initiative, with recent programmes spanning food support, women’s empowerment, agricultural training, education and assistance for vulnerable Nigerians.
My Heart Has Always Been Home With You — Tinubu’s Powerful Message to Oluremi at 66
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Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths
Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has offered a scholarship to Yusuf Aliyu, the teenage artisanal miner from Niger State whose account of conditions at a gold-mining site went viral following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the state.
Atiku made the scholarship offer after a video of the teenager speaking about his experience at the mining site attracted widespread attention.
The offer means Atiku intends to provide the teenager with financial support for his education, although specific details such as the level of education covered, the duration of the scholarship and the institution where Yusuf would study were not immediately disclosed.
Atiku said the teenager should have the opportunity to pursue his education rather than remain dependent on mining to support himself and his family.
The teenager reportedly said that young people at the mining site engaged in the activity because of poverty and the need to support their families and pay school fees.
Yusuf also alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had been shooting at miners at the site. He questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the detained miners and disputed the initial explanation that the fatalities were linked to a disease outbreak.
The allegations made by the teenager have not been independently established and remain subject to investigation.
The teenager’s comments came after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody in Niger State.
The victims were among people arrested during anti-illegal-mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.
The Niger State NSCDC Command initially said the detainees died following a suspected disease outbreak. However, accounts from survivors and families have raised questions about the conditions under which the detainees were held.
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Reports have cited allegations of overcrowding, inadequate ventilation and difficult conditions inside the detention facility, while the actual cause of the deaths remains a matter for investigation.
The Federal Government has since ordered an independent investigation into the incident.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that the circumstances surrounding the deaths be thoroughly investigated, while Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo constituted a 10-member independent committee to examine the incident.
The government also suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other NSCDC officers pending the outcome of the investigation. The committee was given two weeks to complete its work and submit its report.
The panel includes representatives of the Niger State Government and Minna Emirate Council, as well as a representative of the Miners Association of Nigeria, lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma and other members.
The deaths have generated public concern over the treatment of people arrested during illegal mining enforcement operations, particularly following reports that some of those detained were teenagers.
The controversy has also renewed attention on the difficult circumstances surrounding artisanal mining in Niger State, where some young people reportedly enter mining because of limited economic opportunities and the need to support their families.
Atiku, while announcing the scholarship, also questioned the continued poverty in communities with significant mineral deposits.
He called for greater attention to the welfare and education of children involved in mining and raised questions about the Federal Government’s handling of artisanal mining.
The former vice president also referred to the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) introduced under the Muhammadu Buhari administration and questioned what had become of the programme in Niger State.
His comments represent his political position on the incident and the Federal Government’s handling of artisanal mining. The independent committee is expected to establish the facts surrounding the deaths and determine whether any official or other person should be held responsible.
Meanwhile, Yusuf’s story has drawn attention to the wider challenge of keeping children out of hazardous work and ensuring access to education for vulnerable children in mining communities.
Atiku’s scholarship offer is specifically intended to help Yusuf continue his education and pursue opportunities outside artisanal mining. Details of how the scholarship will be administered have not been publicly provided.
The allegations against the NSCDC personnel and other claims surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.
Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths
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