Politics
Lawmaker Tasks LASG On SMEs, Agriculture
A Lagos State lawmaker, Mr Desmond Elliot, has urged the Lagos State Government to redirect its focus toward the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and agriculture to reduce youth restiveness in the state.
Elliot, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, gave the advice during his visit to the ongoing Farmfair Exhibition organised by the Coalition of Youth in collaboration with African Farmers at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos yesterday.
The lawmaker said that the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) would have a lot to do if the state government could focus its attention on improving and growing SMEs and agriculture in the state.
“Above everything, if there is any positive thing the #EndSARS protests had taught us, it is that the state government should start redirecting its focus toward the growth of SMEs and also youth empowerment.
“Youth empowerment, not just education but also vocational skills, should be emphasised. It means education should be in both formal and informal ones.
“This is because several of our youths are outside roaming about the streets and it is not that they do not want to work but there are no jobs out there.
“However, everybody wants to go into formal education, but the government can start training them in fishery, agriculture and fashion design just to mention a few.
“We can’t do so much on large scale agriculture but we can make almost every home that has a yard to grow a systemic agricultural produce in their yards.”
Elliot, representing Surulere Constituency 1, noted that the Farmfair was organised to provide relatively affordable prices for farm produce, especially, at this session.
The lawmaker, who inspected all the exibition stands, commended the youths that decided to organise the Farmfair, saying the idea was ‘a brilliant one’.
Elliot said that Surulere youths had come together selflessly to meet farmers, marketers and manufacturers of farm products so the Farmfair could take place, especially as the yuletide was drawing nearer.
“Surulere youths had to go directly to the farmers and marketers instead of going through the middle party to bring them down here.
“So, they deserve accolades for this wonderful initiative.
“They were able to get different farm organisations to attend the Farmfair and we have for sale bags of rice in local and foreign brands, beans, snails, pepper, tomatoes and onions.
“It is the youth initiative and I bought into the idea because I believe it is a brilliant idea.
“More so, we are having empowerment programme in my constituency for the youth.
“The empowerment programme which is an offshoot of what the #EndSARS protest had taught us is that we should start laying emphasis on the needs as well as the plight of the youth.”
The lawmaker said that once the youth were given an enabling opportunity, then they could achieve their best.
Elliot noted that the week-long exhibition which started on Friday would end on Thursday.
The event also witnessed the conferment of an award of recognition on the lawmaker by a coalition of Igbo Community in the state.
The group, led by Mr Sunday Ude, said that Elliot had been a worthy ambassador of the people of Surulere and Lagos State in general.
Also, Chuks Odumegwu, the Secretary General of the Igbo Community in Lagos, said that they decided to honour Elliot to show their appreciation for his service to the people of Surulere Constituency 1.
“We have come to say thank you for being there for the Igbos in Lagos State.
“We have the executive of the Igbos in Lagos State here and the local government coordinator of the state, as well as the Eze of Igbos in Lagos State.”
In his speech, Chief Sunday Ude said that honour should be given to whom it is due and that they believe that Desmond Elliot deserves the honour.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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