News
Land racketeering: 2 directors, 5 others in FCT to face charges
Many officers including two directors with the land department of the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FCDA) and the Department of Development Control (DDC) have been indicted by the police on allegations bordering on land speculation and racketeering and will soon be charged to court.
They were alleged to have connived with a suspected land speculator, Yakubu Daniel Ogwu to forge documents relating to plot 1308 Cadastral Zone A09, Guzape district of the FCT, Abuja.
The development is coming at a time the Minister of the FCT, Nyeson Wike has vowed to eliminate land speculators and restore the nation’s capital master plan.
Already, scores of demonstrators and experts in land administration who bemoaned the activities of land speculators and racketeering in the city, have thrown their weight behind the minister.
Wike had specifically warned land speculators that a new sheriff is in town. “And those doing land marketing, the period for that is over.”
Those involved according to Daily Sun investigation are Mercy Yusuf (who allegedly signed a forge R of O in respect of the land); Adamu Jubril (a Director of Land); Muktar Galadinma (Director, Development Control); Mr. Ekaliphang Ukpanah (Department of Deeds); Shafiu Ahmed; Uchechukwu Okike (at large) and Mike Okafor (at large).
The police are specifically pressing charges of criminal conspiracy, forgery, obtaining by false pretense and impersonation.
This development is a fall out of an investigation by the police over the ownership tussle between an engineering firm, Cona Engineering and Technical Services Nigeria Limited and one Yusuf Daniel Ogwu over a piece of land located at plot 1308 Cadastral Zone A09 Guzape District Abuja.
The company had mobilized to site for construction activities before Yusuf Daniel Ogwu surfaced with the said forged R of O claiming to be the original owner of the land.
However, available title documents showed that by virtue of the Certificate of Occupancy granted to Jamila Saleh Hassan on June 6, 2007 (file No: 20400), she became the beneficial owner of plot 1308 Cadastral Zone A09 Guzape District, Abuja.
That Jamila Saleh Hassan, through an irrevocable and registered Power of Attorney donated the above plot to Sunday Benjamin Egele sometime in June 2014.
However, Sunday Benjamin Egele through a power of Attorney, donated the same property to Cona Engineering and Technical Services Limited, in December 2018.
Before the execution of the said power of attorney between Sunday Benjamin Egele and the engineering firm, the company applied for the consent of department of lands through an application for search and the said property was certified unencumbered.
In addition, Mr. Sunday Benjamin Egele also tendered the search report which he obtained from the department of lands prior to the execution of power of attorney between himself and Jamila Saleh Hassan.
Armed with the above documents, the company comfortably consumated the transaction.
Thereafter, the company obtained building plan approval from the Department of Development and Control on October 17, 2019 and mobilized to site and started construction fully on October 16, 2020.
However, the Department of Development Control on October 16, 2020, wrote the company suspending the building plan over alleged ongoing investigation on the property following ” a letter of complaint of illegal trespass received by the department,” the letter reads.
Two years, after the letter of suspension of building plan approval, the department had in another letter dated April 29, 2022, re-instated the building plan approval after the company had signed a deed of indemnity.
In the final analysis, investigation by the police on the disputed land indicted the suspects including the complainant, Daniel Ogwu.
Investigation by Daily Sun revealed that the activities of land speculators have made land ownership a nightmare for potential investors.
The incident has become so bad to the extent that incidences of double or multiple land allocation has become the norm rather than the exception.
Thousands of Nigerians have fallen victims to the dangerous activities of land speculators in Abuja, with scores of them losing precious properties worth millions of naira, including lives in the process.
News
NiMet DG Anosike urges service providers to move beyond institutional compliance to measurable impacts on citizens
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has called on public institutions to move beyond regulatory compliance and certifications to delivering measurable results that create lasting value for citizens.
The DG/CEO of NiMet, who was represented by the Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Engr. Hamid Olayinka Abdulkareem, made the call during his keynote address at the 3rd National Quality Improvement Summit and Awards, organised by the Quality Improvement Institute of Nigeria (QIIN) in Abuja on Thursday 12 November 2026. Speaking on the theme, “Quality: Powering Performance – Moving Beyond Compliance to Measurable Results,” Professor Anosike emphasised that institutional credibility must be earned through consistent service delivery, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
Highlighting NiMet’s commitment to international quality standards, the DG/CEO disclosed that the Agency secured ISO 9001:2015 certification for aeronautical meteorological services at Yola, Osubi and Owerri airports in July 2026, alongside the successful recertification of five other airports, bringing its total number of QMS-certified airport stations to eight. He stressed that quality assurance in meteorological services is critical to aviation safety, agricultural productivity, disaster preparedness and national economic development.
Professor Anosike further highlighted the integration of the Balanced Scorecard Performance Management System into NiMet’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan as a significant step towards strengthening institutional accountability. He explained that the framework connects strategic objectives with measurable performance indicators, ensuring that organisational success is assessed not merely by activities undertaken but by results achieved and value delivered.
He urged institutions to invest in people, technology and stakeholder partnerships while embedding quality management into their organisational culture. According to him, sustainable institutional excellence requires leadership commitment, continuous evaluation and a deliberate shift from procedural compliance to measurable public impact.
News
Joint Aviation Unions Appoint Keyamo Grand Patron of Renewed Hope Support Group, Present ITF Position Paper Ahead of ICAO Conference
The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, today received a high-powered delegation of aviation labour unions under the Joint Aviation Trade Union Forum (JATUF), led by its Chairman, Comrade Ben Nnabue, in Abuja.
The delegation comprised top executives of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and other aviation unions, including the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP). The unions are affiliates of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Other members of the delegation included Comrade John Ogbe, Vice Chairman; Comrade Alale Adedayo, Vice Chairman; Group Captain Bunmi Gandeh, Vice Chairman; and Comrade Hector Nnadi, Secretary of the Forum.
The visit was primarily to formally present the position paper of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to the Minister, seeking Nigeria’s support for a motion advocating the integration of social sustainability, decent work and meaningful workers’ engagement into the global civil aviation framework at the forthcoming Seventh Worldwide Air Transport Conference (ATConf7) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), scheduled to hold in Montreal, Canada, from November 16 to 20, 2026.
According to Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser to the Hon. Minister on Media and Communications, the proposed motion, which has received Nigeria’s nod, underscores the need for the international aviation community to recognise that the sustainability and long-term success of civil aviation go beyond infrastructure development, technological advancement and economic growth to include the welfare, rights and professional development of the workforce that sustains the industry.
The unions stressed that the future of international civil aviation must be built on a framework that balances economic competitiveness with social responsibility, recognising aviation workers as indispensable stakeholders in the growth, safety and efficiency of the industry.
The Minister’s reception of the position paper further demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to constructive engagement with organised labour and the promotion of policies that strengthen the aviation sector while protecting the interests of its workforce.
In a related development, the delegation also formally presented the Minister with an invitation to serve as Grand Patron of the Renewed Hope Aviation Support Group (RHASG), under the umbrella of the Strategic Collaboration for the Re-Election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
The nomination, made on behalf of the Board of Trustees, National Executive Council and entire membership of the organisation, recognises the Minister’s leadership, professional competence and capacity for strategic coordination.
The group congratulated Keyamo on his recent appointment as Director of the Directorate of Air Transport Mobilisation for the All Progressives Congress (APC) re-election campaign, describing the appointment as a testament to the confidence reposed in his leadership abilities, organisational experience and commitment to effective mobilisation.
According to the group, the Minister’s wealth of experience in managing complex responsibilities, coupled with his strategic understanding of the aviation industry, makes him well-positioned to provide political leadership, guidance and direction to the organisation.
The appointment as Grand Patron is intended to strengthen the group’s strategic direction and consolidate support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his anticipated re-election bid.
The development marks another demonstration of the growing intersection between organised aviation labour, industry stakeholders and broader national development objectives, with the Minister continuing to engage stakeholders on issues that affect the growth, sustainability and future of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
News
Gwarzo appoints Shehu Wada Sagagi as campaign DG
The Kano State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, has appointed a former Kano State Chief of Staff, Gwani Alhaji Shehu Wada Sagagi, as Director-General of his 2027 governorship campaign.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu, spokesperson to the NDC governorship candidate.
According to the statement, Gwarzo also named Alhaji Adamu Ali Ibrahim Kibiya as Secretary of the Campaign Directorate and Engr. Sunusi Usman Dambatta as Deputy Director-General.
Sagagi, a former Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry and ex-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano State, is expected to lead the campaign’s activities ahead of the 2027 election.
The appointments take immediate effect, while the full membership of the campaign council will be announced later.
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