₦airaland Forum

Senator Smart Adeyemi has expressed deep shock and grief over the sudden death of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, who slumped and died yesterday during a reconciliation meeting in Iyara.

‎Senator Adeyemi, on Friday, in a statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja, described the death as painful, shocking and devastating, saying the deceased was a young, energetic and committed party leader whose contribution to the growth and stability of the APC in Ijumu would be difficult to replace.

‎According to him, Solomon’s death was not only a personal tragedy to his family, but also a great loss to the entire APC family in Ijumu, Kogi State and beyond, coming at a time when his energy and leadership were needed most in strengthening the party.

‎“I received the news of the sudden death of our dear brother and party chairman, Hon. Mayowa Solomon, with profound shock and disbelief. It was one of those painful calls that leaves you speechless.

‎“Mayowa was young, energetic, committed and deeply passionate about the progress of our party and his people. To me, he was not just an APC chairman; he was a dependable party man and, without exaggeration, the best chairman the APC has had in Ijumu Local Government Area.

“The circumstances of his death have left me deeply disturbed. I had a sleepless night trying to come to terms with the reality that a young man full of life and energy could leave us so suddenly while attending a meeting meant to promote peace, reconciliation and unity within our party.”

‎Adeyemi said the incident had raised a serious concern about the health and wellbeing of political actors who routinely participate in lengthy and emotionally demanding meetings.

‎He therefore called on the national leadership of the APC and other political parties, as well as organisers of high-level political meetings, to introduce compulsory routine medical screening for participants, particularly blood pressure checks, before the commencement of such meetings.

‎“We must learn from this painful incident. Political meetings, particularly high-level reconciliation meetings, can sometimes be prolonged and physically and emotionally demanding. We cannot continue to assume that everyone who walks into such meetings is medically fit to participate for hours.

‎“I am therefore calling on the national party hierarchy to consider, as a matter of urgency, the introduction of compulsory basic medical checks, especially blood pressure tests, before major party meetings. Where anyone is discovered to have a serious medical condition or is medically unfit at that particular moment, such a person should be allowed to excuse himself from the meeting and seek immediate medical attention.

‎“This is not about politics. It is about preserving lives. No political meeting, no matter how important, is more important than the life of a party member. It is unimaginable, the pain and agony his wife and children will be at the present time.”

‎The former Senator also expressed concern that Solomon’s death was coming after another similar tragedy in Ijumu Local Government Area, recalling the death of former Commissioner for Special Duties, Yahaya Adesayo Ismail who also slumped and died in January 2024.

‎“It is particularly disturbing that we are witnessing another tragedy of this nature in Ijumu. We should not simply mourn and move on. We must ask ourselves what lessons can be learnt and what preventive measures can be put in place to avoid another loss of this nature,” he said.

‎Adeyemi commiserated with Solomon’s immediate family, relatives, friends, political associates and the entire APC family in Ijumu, praying God to grant them the strength to bear the irreparable loss.

‎“May God Almighty grant his soul eternal rest and give his family, particularly his wife, children and loved ones, the strength to bear this heartbreaking loss.

‎“May the APC family in Ijumu also find the courage to move forward despite this painful vacuum. We have lost a young man who still had so much to give. His death is a painful reminder that life must always come before politics.”

“In Osun State, I know a man I raised who’s nicknamed ‘Half Salary’” — President Tinubu drops heavy jibe at Aregbesola pic.twitter.com/J0nRgmeu4Y

— YabaLeftOnline (@yabaleftonline) August 21, 2026

"We are not corrupt. I would proudly say it. I sacked a governor for N300,000. Today, there is N300b still not accounted for"

~ IBB, former military President of Nigeria says pic.twitter.com/1yeCzUQ2r2

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) August 20, 2026

Governor Ademola Adeleke humbly prostrates before his elder brother, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, father of Davido, appreciating his immense support and role in his successful second-term re-election. Dr. Adeleke, in return, prayed for the Governor and his administration.

"Governor Ademola Adeleke humbly prostrates before his elder brother, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, father of Davido, appreciating his immense support and role in his successful second-term re-election. Dr. Adeleke, in return, prayed for the Governor and his administration." 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/vA9BfPd7Pd

— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) August 19, 2026

The National Assembly has more than 14,000 workers, excluding 469 federal lawmakers and their visitors, making it the busiest parliament in the world, the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Kamoru Ogunlana, has said.

Ogunlana spoke on Tuesday at the final phase of a capacity-building programme for legislative aides in the 10th National Assembly.

He said the large workforce, lawmakers and daily visitors made the administration of the federal parliament particularly demanding.

“No parliament in the world is as busy as the National Assembly, which has over 14,000 personnel aside from the federal legislators and their visitors,” he said.

Ogunlana also said the Senate and House of Representatives had passed 3,500 bills in the last three years.
He said the Senate passed 1,500 bills, while the House passed 2,000.

According to him, the volume of legislative activities underscores the need for an efficient support system for lawmakers.

The clerk renewed his call for a special salary structure for legislative aides, describing them as an important part of the legislative process.

He urged the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to resolve issues relating to the salaries and conditions of service of the aides.

“There is a need to streamline the responsibility of the NASC and RMAFC in determining the salaries and conditions of service of legislative aides,” he said.

Ogunlana said that while NASC handles the appointment and administration of legislative aides, their remuneration operates within a framework developed or approved by RMAFC and subject to National Assembly approval.

He said the appointments were temporary and non-pensionable, urging reforms to improve their welfare and strengthen their capacity to support lawmakers.

I heard that the Senate President was trying to call the coalition center. He also called me to delete tweet. I refused. Dangote also called. I said I won’t delete till INEC declares my uncle as winner.

~ Davido reveals pic.twitter.com/dYLMvMlQBi

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) August 18, 2026

Nigeria’s food inflation rate rose significantly by 2.79 percentage points to 20.31 percent in July from 17.52 percent in June, representing the fifth consecutive month’s rise since March 2026.

The 20 percent threshold in food inflation rate was last recorded in February 2021.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, disclosed this yesterday in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report for July 2026.

The report stated: “The Food inflation rate in July 2026 was 20.31 percent on a year-on-year basis and stood at 26.2 percent in the same month of the preceding year (July 2025).

“On a month-on-month basis, the Food inflation rate in July 2026 was 5.56 percent, up by 1.82 percent points from June 2026 (3.75 percent).”

The bureau noted that the increase in food inflation rate was due to change in the average prices crayfish, pepper (fresh), onions (fresh), carrots (fresh), rice, water yam, tomatoes (fresh), garri, plantain, beef, egg, guinea corn, ginger, plantain flour, etc.

The bureau added: “In July 2026, food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Adamawa (51.36 percent), Katsina (30.84 percent), and Zamfara (30.65 percent), while Borno (-0.31 percent), Nasarawa (6.88 percent) and Kebbi (12.50 percent) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis.

“On a Month-on-Month basis, however, July 2026 Food inflation was highest in Adamawa (17.02 percent), Lagos (13.48 percent) and Borno (13.26 percent), while Jigawa (-3.68 percent), Kebbi (-3.67%), and Bauchi (-1.85 percent) recorded the slowest rise in Food inflation on a Month-on-Month basis.”

However, the headline inflation rate fell for the second consecutive month by 0.48 percentage point to 15.43 percent in July from 15.91 percent in June driven primarily by a deceleration in core inflation to 14.97 percent in July from 15.92 percent in June.

Likewise, MoM inflation moderated to 1.57 percent in July, compared with 1.66 percent in June.

This means that in July 2026, the rate of increase in the average price level was lower than the rate of increase in the average price level in June 2026.

Dr Deji Adeleke, elder brother of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has said he was certain his brother would win the governorship election despite what he described as the opposition’s backing from the presidency.

He stated this in a video shared by X user #OluwasayoElijiah on Monday, at Adeleke’s victory celebration held on Sunday night.

PUNCHONLINE reports that Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner of the Osun gubernatorial elections on Sunday.

Adeleke said, “I don’t discuss with anybody. I do it in the corner of my room. I do this every day. So, I was not worried. I had no doubt in my mind that Ademola will win. Ademola will overcome,” he said.


Explaining his confidence, he added, “I fortify myself with the power of the Almighty God every day. And the day that I fast, I’ll do it three times a day. And nobody knew. I don’t discuss with anybody.”

On the opposition, Deji said, “Let them come with all the battalions, withdraw the Army, bring all the money from the Central Bank. Nobody is above God Almighty.”

He added, “He comes with his wickedness. He comes with the power that he thinks he has because he’s connected to the Presidency. But Ademola comes against them in the power of the Almighty God.”

Deji also said he had prayed for the governor’s protection and victory, adding, “He dances and praises your name. So, Lord Almighty, God, the owner of the universe, show up for him.”

He concluded by declaring, “Ademola will defeat them,” which he said he repeated in his prayers every day.

Watch Video Here:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐈 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐍𝐨 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐯 𝐀𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧, 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐫. 𝐃𝐞𝐣𝐢

Credit: X| OluwasayoElijiah
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Follow us for more breaking news and videos pic.twitter.com/4bBJCdE1Aq

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) August 17, 2026

“It was after everything failed President tinubu congratulated him”

Rufai cooooooooook!!! 🤯😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/WyJSrCPANu

— Omega X D 𝕏🤴🏽 (@OmegaXDreams) August 17, 2026

Those Who Defeated the APC in Osun State

1. Whoever was responsible for the hunger in the land.

2. The Edo State Governor, whose ill-advised and insulting outbursts against the Governor of Osun State only provoked resentment and strengthened Adeleke’s support.

3. Whoever authorised the freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts.

4. Senator Fadahunsi, who reportedly said that Accord Party members should be killed.

5. Hon. Wole Oke, who went everywhere boasting about Tinubu’s name and power.

6. Ero Arike, with her endless rants and curses.

7. Former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who imposed a not so popular candidate and denied party members the freedom to choose their own flag-bearer.

8. The governors and party leaders who invaded the state as though they had come to conquer its people.

9. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s irrepressible dance steps.

10. Davido and his crowd-pulling magic.

11. Whoever advised the governor to commission numerous projects in the run-up to the election, thereby bringing traditional rulers onto the podium with him and giving his campaign greater visibility and legitimacy.

12. The people of Osun—a determined and fearless people who courageously confronted thugs deployed to seize ballot boxes, even snatching guns and axes from them.

13. The creativity of the people, expressed through their witty, biting and bile-laden campaign songs.

14. Adeleke’s strategists, particularly those who coached and prepared him for the debate, where he exceeded the expectations of many.
15. Adeleke’s top notch media team. Give it to them. They did a good job.

The Returning Officer, Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, declares Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, the winner of the Osun State governorship election with 511067 votes, beating the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 and ADC’s Najeem Salaan, who polled 17,180 votes… pic.twitter.com/VdkuMJ41On

— Channels Television (@channelstv) August 16, 2026

BREAKING NEWS: The Presidency Accuses Nigerians 🇳🇬 In Diaspora Of Demarketing Nigeria pic.twitter.com/iosDkFJfxp

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) August 14, 2026

Imagine arriving at an airport with your backpack on, and your luggage in tow, without anyone trailing you and saying: “My chairman sir, you no go drop something?”

Imagine pushing a trolley through the terminal without being approached by unsolicited helpers expecting a tip before they have even offered a service.

Imagine making your way through the arrival hall without anyone stopping you to ask what you have to declare.

Now, return to reality. Welcome to the Nigerian airport, where the ideal traveller’s experience remains just that.

At most of the country’s airports, touting, begging and subtle forms of extortion are among the first experiences many passengers encounter.

Despite repeated efforts by the authorities to change the situation, especially at the international terminals, these sharp practices persist, leaving even international visitors with an unfavourable first impression of Nigeria.

Impression

One such traveller was American travel vlogger, Tommy El Forastero, better known as Sabbatical Tommy, who complained bitterly about his experience of visiting Nigeria for the first time in 2021.

Tommy, who lamented that personnel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, demanded money at different points, told his more than 500,000 followers that MMIA was “extremely corrupt.”

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the travel blogger, who tours the world and shares his experiences with his followers, said his encounters with some individuals at the facility made him conclude: “I have been around the world and I have never seen anything like this. I mean, it is extremely corrupt. Picture corruption. The Nigerian airport, the Lagos airport, is that very definition of corruption that would pop up in a dictionary. Literally everywhere.”

No change

Four years later, many travellers say little has changed.

About 16 months ago, specifically on the evening of March 26, 2025, this reporter visited the international wing of the MMA in Lagos to obtain the views of arriving passengers on their airport experience. Harassment and corruption topped the list of complaints.

One of them, a fair-complexioned young man who declined to have his name published, had just arrived from the United Kingdom. As he walked towards the taxi park after exiting the terminal, this reporter approached him for his impressions of the airport.

He said: “Honestly, my experience at the MMIA upon arrival is terrible. It is obviously poor. In fact, I just saw a man harassing a woman. The man was calling himself the woman’s boss, saying he could do anything to her and nothing would happen. There was no respect for the woman’s dignity. He acted as though there was no official channel to report the woman if she did anything wrong.”

Another traveller, who gave his name simply as Chuwkunalu, said: “Some of the immigration staff are corrupt. They treat people differently based on class. I saw them giving white people preferential treatment while we stood in a long queue. All they want from you is money. They keep asking: ‘oga, wetin you bring come for us?’”

Airline operator’s perspective

Travellers are not alone in thinking this way. At the third edition of Naija7Wonders Conference, titled: ‘Detty December: The Lessons and Impact,’ acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Akwa Ibom state-owned airline, Ibom Air, George Uriesi, lamented that despite recent investment in airport infrastructure at MMIA, the experience is still disappointing.

Speaking virtually at the event, he said although an airport ought to give an excellent first impression about a country, it is not the case in Nigeria.

He said: “I am in a conference now, the Aircraft Financing Symposium. Everybody is talking about their airport experience coming into the country the last couple of days. Why is it like that? We should stop this.

“We built a new terminal with all its flaws and we carried all the dirty behaviour from the old terminal into the new terminal. You have green and red, which is something to declare and nothing to declare. The nothing to declare is where they go and mount checkpoints. You can’t go through nothing to declare. You must declare something.”

Bad image

In June 2024, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, also acknowledged the problem after receiving complaints from prominent Nigerians.

In a post he made on X, formerly Twitter, Keyamo stated that he had received several complaints about the “menace of begging and extortion at our international airports by a few unscrupulous persons who give all of us a bad image.

“My phones are beeping every minute with messages about this from well-meaning Nigerians. Just to set the records straight, most of the agencies involved in this menace are not under the control of the Aviation Ministry, though they are stationed at our airports.”

He, however, said he was working with other ministers, arms of government and agencies to tackle the problem.

He said: “We are all working under the coordination of the National Security Adviser who called a meeting a few days ago on this issue.”

Two days earlier, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, had announced the establishment of a dedicated task force to tackle touts and extortionists at the country’s airports.

Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, said the Director of Special Duties at FAAN, Mr Henry Agbebire, now Director of Public Affairs, was appointed as the chairman of the task force.

At the time, Kuku said the authority had adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards misconduct and warned that anyone found engaging in illicit practices would face disciplinary action.

Two years later, however, the challenge remains.

Progressive measures

Speaking on FAAN in Focus recently, Kuku disclosed that investigations showed many of those involved in illicit activities at the airport are not strangers to the environment.

She fingered trolley service providers, bureau de change operators and shop as some of those whose staff are involved in the act to earn extra income.

She said FAAN had intensified engagement with the affected organisations while working with security agencies to strengthen monitoring through staff rosters and attendance registers.

While appealing to passengers not to encourage the practice by patronising unauthorised persons, she said: “We found out that these illicit activities are actually internal. We found that some of them (those involved) actually work for concessionaires within the airports. For example, people who work for trolley providers, shops and BDCs within the airport.

“Also, we found out that these illicit activities are actually being encouraged by passengers. If you don’t give them money because you want them to carry a bag for you or do something for you, they will stop being there.”

She, however, added that FAAN had engaged “all of the various security agencies again, what we have done in collaboration with some of the security agencies is to ensure that we now enforce rosters at the airport.

“One of the things we intend to do is to make sure that we get clarity on the rosters of the people who are being posted to the airport so that we have a time and attendance register for when they need to be there.

“And then for those who are found to be culpable, whether they are concessionaires, whether they are staff of other agencies, there are consequences to those businesses as well. The businesses, for example, if you have a two-time offender who is your staff, who has been caught there and has not gone to their homes or not at their place of business, we will withdraw the operating licences of those businesses as well.”

Peep into the future

It is March 5, 2028. Chuwkunalu, who last visited Nigeria in 2025, lands once again at the MMIA. The old terminal has been fully rehabilitated. MMIA wears an entirely new look.

As he exits the arrival hall, this reporter approaches him with the same question asked three years earlier.

“How was your experience?”

This time, he smiles, saying: “Everything was seamless. Nobody asked me for money. Nobody offered to help with my luggage. I simply walked through and nobody called out ‘my chairman sir.'”

While Chuwkunalu’s response exists only in the imagination, it is one many passengers, airline operators and airport authorities hope will one day become reality in the country.

That would, however, be dependent on whether FAAN and other relevant agencies will be able to sustain these reforms.

But as at the time of filing this report, arriving passengers are still being assaulted with the phrase ‘My Chairman, Sir.’

The Osun state police command has summoned Francis Fadahunsi, the senator representing Osun East senatorial district, over his now-viral comment to ‘kill Accord’ members.

The summons, seen by TheCable, follows the outrage on social media over the senator’s comments, instructing All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters to “kill” members of the rival Accord Party if seen during the electoral process in some parts of the state.


In a letter dated August 11, 2026, the police invited the senator to “clarify the circumstances” surrounding the statements allegedly made during an APC campaign in Ilesa on Tuesday.

The letter, signed by Samuel Etaifo Erale, the commissioner of police elections in Osun state, ordered Fadahunsi to report to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Osogbo on Wednesday, August 12, at 11:00 am.

“The invitation is premised on information in possession of the Nigeria Police alleging that during your address at the aforementioned programme, you made statements considered to be threatening, inciting and intimidating in nature, and the statement has already been in circulation on various electronic and social media platforms,” the document reads.

‘I MEANT KILL THEM WITH VOTES’
In a video shared on X on Tuesday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senator, who spoke in Yoruba, asked supporters to lynch members of the Accord Party.

“From now on, whenever you see Accord members, kill them. I authorise you to kill them. They have wives and children too,” Fadahunsi had said.


In a swift reaction to the backlash generated by the viral video, Fadahunsi attempted to retract his comments, stating that his words were misinterpreted.

The senator’s team said his viral comment was “a call on supporters to overwhelmingly reject the Accord Party at the ballot box through lawful, peaceful and democratic means during the August 15 governorship election”.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Senator’s statement was purely political and metaphorical,” his team said in a statement titled “Kill Osun Accord with Votes, Not Violence”.

The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election under the banner of the Accord party, has repeatedly accused the APC of deploying thugs to attack and kill his supporters.