Tag: Nigeria

Fake Canadian Visas, Real Millions Lost: Trio Docked in Ibadan Travel Scam

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The Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned Emmanuel Serah Motunrayo, Awotunde Olugbenga and Idowu Olugbemi Sunday before the Oyo State High Court over an alleged Canadian visa scam that swindled victims of tens of millions of naira. Motunrayo and Olugbenga face a forty-seven-count charge covering forgery, uttering false documents and obtaining money by false pretense, tied to N23,404,600 taken from their victims. Prosecutors allege the pair posed as Abuja based travel and immigration agents, promising to secure Canadian visas and flight arrangements, then collected N12,368,100 from one victim, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa Iyanda, and N11,036,500 from another, Oyewale Tunji Bello, before reneging on the deal. Investigators say the duo went as far as forging a Canadian visa in Iyanda’s name and uttering a second forged visa in Bello’s name to keep the scheme convincing. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, prompting prosecuting counsel Mohammed Abideen to ask for a trial date and their remand, while defense counsel Jimoh Wasiu told the court bail applications had already been filed. Justice Adetujoye adjourned the matter to August 26, 2026, for the bail hearing and ordered both men held at Agodi Correctional Centre in the meantime. In a related case, the same EFCC directorate had earlier arraigned Idowu Olugbemi Sunday before the same court on August 17 for defrauding victim Okanlawon Tunji Ajao of N6,650,000 under a similar promise of securing Canadian visas for him and his family. The cases add to a growing list of visa scam prosecutions out of Ibadan, as fraudsters continue to exploit Nigerians’ desperation to travel abroad. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Uniform Off, Gratitude Never Fades: CDS Takes Welfare Message to Northeast Veterans

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The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, has reaffirmed the Defence Headquarters’ commitment to the welfare and dignity of Nigeria’s veterans during an interactive session with retired personnel from the Northeast Zone in Yola, Adamawa State, the second in a series of planned zonal consultations. Addressing concerns over salary increments, Oluyede assured veterans the exercise is fully inclusive, explaining that implementation is ongoing and that adjustments to serving personnel’s pay carry a consequential increase to veterans’ pensions under existing policy. He outlined ongoing welfare initiatives, including a partnership with the Bank of Industry to give serving and retired personnel and their families access to low interest business loans, alongside the construction of a Defence Hospital that will reserve a share of its capacity for veterans. He said both initiatives carry the backing of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Commander in Chief. Veterans used the session to raise other welfare concerns, which the CDS addressed directly, promising continued attention going forward. The engagement drew veteran leaders including RANAO President Major General HA Salihu (rtd), Major General LP Ngubane (rtd) and Air Vice Marshal NE Nzokala (rtd), with the RANAO President thanking the CDS and urging fellow veterans to support the leadership’s welfare efforts. Closing the session, Oluyede paid tribute to the veterans’ sacrifices, saying the nation’s gratitude for those who served will never fade. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Fixing the Skills Gap: Alausa Launches Overhaul of Nigeria’s Technical Education Board

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Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system is buckling under outdated curricula and thin funding, with more than 55 per cent of assessed programmes described as no longer fit for purpose even as 93 per cent of the workforce operates in informal employment and roughly 12 per cent of young people sit outside education, jobs or training altogether. Against that backdrop, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has begun repositioning the Monotechnic and Technical Education Board, known as MBTE, to strengthen its ability to supervise and coordinate polytechnics, monotechnics and other technical institutions across the country. A KPMG led assessment is currently underway to pinpoint institutional gaps and design a functional organisational structure and operational framework for the agency, part of a broader push to turn MBTE into what Alausa calls a fit for purpose body capable of driving practical skills, industry relevance, employability and productivity. Alausa said polytechnic education sits at the heart of the wider TVET ecosystem, pointing to an ongoing curriculum review backed by one billion naira from TETFund that has already produced 27 new National Occupational Standards and revised four existing ones, taking the total to 31. The standards are meant to map out a clearer skills pathway running from artisan level training through National Certificate, OND and HND programmes. KPMG Partner and Head of Tax, Regulatory and People Services, Adewale Ajayi, noted that despite the system’s structural troubles, Nigeria still performs strongly on graduate employability, ranking second only to Singapore among the markets assessed. The reform effort signals growing pressure on Abuja to align technical education with the realities of an economy where formal jobs remain scarce and youth unemployment continues to weigh on national development. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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Japan Pledges N20bn to Rescue Lagos Power Grid, Apapa Substation Gets Lifeline

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The Japanese Government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has committed N20 billion to expand and rehabilitate Nigeria’s national electricity grid, with the Apapa Transmission Substation in Lagos among the biggest beneficiaries. JICA Chief Representative in Nigeria, Ishigame Keiji, disclosed the funding, valued at 2.35 billion Japanese yen, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos. He said the money would cover construction, equipment procurement, engineering services and operational training. Keiji said the intervention targets critical transmission infrastructure in Lagos, where rising electricity demand and ageing facilities have strained the system, adding that work already done on the Apapa substation has boosted transmission capacity, improved reliability and eased bottlenecks in electricity distribution across the state and its neighbours. Beyond Apapa, Japan is running a separate concessional loan project to upgrade the transmission network spanning Lagos and Ogun states, while JICA continues to provide technical advisers to the Ministry of Power to support broader sector reforms. Keiji said Japanese companies and other investors remain drawn to Nigeria’s large market but called for stronger government support and deeper private sector participation to sustain that interest. He also revealed that JICA is partnering with the World Bank on mini grid development for rural communities, alongside ongoing efforts to strengthen policy and institutional reforms across Nigeria’s power sector. By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed

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