Headline

Full Text Of Ambode’s Farewell Speech

Published

7 years ago

May 28, 2019

Editor

My Farewell Address.

My fellow Lagosians.

With a heart full of gratitude, I address you today for the last time as your governor. It has been an honour and a privilege of a lifetime to serve you for the last four years.

It has been a remarkable journey which has had a lasting impact on my life and I want to thank all Lagosians for the experience of these last four years.

As in the beginning when we visited every single corner of this state, listening to you and asking for your votes, I have felt the power of your support, your collective energy and the endless goodwill that has propelled us to achieve many things.

For this administration, policies, programmes and projects aimed at lifting more of our people out of poverty and making every part of the State safe, accessible and economically viable were always the priority; the driving force behind all our decisions and plans.

A few of our policies might have been unpopular but these were decisions taken with the best interest of our State in mind. With the benefit of hindsight, maybe we could have done some things differently but our intention was always clear, for the good of Lagos.

Even in those tough times, your constructive feedback and patience helped us surmount the challenges and enabled us grow stronger.

As a little boy growing up in Lagos, all I wanted was to be an accountant. This State gave me that and so much more. Our State is a land of opportunities, a home for everyone and a place where dreams come true. It is our duty and responsibility to ensure that we remain a centre of opportunities and growth for everyone; a place where people can achieve their dreams and aspirations.

From being just a commercial centre, our State has now become a prime destination for tourism, sports, entertainment and culture. And the future is even brighter with more exciting prospects and possibilities. In the near future, with God on our side, Lagos will take its rightful place in the comity of major city-States of the world.

Fellow Lagosians, it has been a remarkable journey. One in which we have pushed boundaries and moved our State to another level. A journey in which we have transformed many aspects of our State and set the ball rolling in other sectors. But there is still a lot more to be done.

But it is a job not for only the government; it is a responsibility for us all. In Lagos everyone counts and we all have a part to play.

By tomorrow, there will be a change of guard in our State. I will be stepping down and a new Governor will be sworn in. We will have a new Governor and a new administration with the same objective; achieving a better Lagos.

Those who have had the privilege of serving our dear State in different capacities especially as Governors owe their successes to your prayers, understanding and support. The same courtesy and cooperation that you gave to my predecessors from the first elected Governor of the State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande to our national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) to my humble self, I urge you to extend same to the next administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and ensure that he succeeds. It is in our best interest to do so.

I am immensely grateful to the three arms of Government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary for their immense support throughout the tenure of our administration.

I also reserve special thanks for the leadership, elders and members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, the Local Government Councils and community leaders, all our Security agencies, civil society groups and our religious leaders.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo (SAN) for their support in the last four years.

To my wife, Bolanle and the children, who have had to endure many days and nights without me; I thank you for your love and steadfastness. You will continue to be my pillar of strength.

To all Lagosians; for your love, compassion, cooperation and support, I am eternally grateful. My love always.

God bless you.
God bless Lagos State, and
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Itesiwaju ipinle eko lo je wa logun!

Headline

Corruption Allegations: NMDPRA Boss Farouk Ahmed Meets Tinubu, Resigns

Published

8 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Eric

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, has resigned following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu amid corruption allegations.

Tinubu, on Wednesday, summoned Ahmed to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, following allegations of economic sabotage and corruption.

Also caught in the web of resignation was the CEO of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, according to a statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

Tinubu was said to have nominated successors to the senate for approval.

“Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve the nominations of two new chief executives for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),” the statement reads.

“The requests followed the resignation of Engineer Farouk Ahmed of the NMDPRA and Gbenga Komolafe of the NUPRC.

“Both officials were appointed in 2021 by former President Buhari to lead the two regulatory agencies created by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

“To fill these positions, President Tinubu has written to the Senate, requesting expedited confirmation of Oritsemeyiwa Amanorisewo Eyesan as CEO of NUPRC and Engineer Saidu Aliyu Mohammed as CEO of NMDPRA.”

Onanuga said the two nominees are seasoned professionals in the oil and gas industry.

Headline

Alleged Corrupt Practices: Dangote Petitions ICPC Against NMDPRA MD Farouk

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Eric

Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has formally submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety.

The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, and received at the office of the ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.

In the petition, Dangote called for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the NMDPRA boss, alleging that Farouk has been living far above his legitimate means as a public servant.

Dangote specifically accused Ahmed Farouk of allegedly spending over seven million United States dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, paid upfront for a six-year period, without any lawful explanation for the source of the funds.

According to the petition, the four children and their respective schools in Switzerland were clearly identified, along with the amounts paid on their behalf, to enable the ICPC verify the allegations.

The industrialist further alleged that Farouk Ahmed had been using his position at the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had recently triggered public protests and widespread criticism of the agency.

Dangote maintained that Ahmed Farouk has spent his adult life working in Nigeria’s public sector, adding that his cumulative earnings over the years could not reasonably account for the alleged seven million dollars reportedly spent on the overseas education of his children.

“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption, for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” the petition stated.

It further noted that under the same section of the ICPC Act, any person found guilty of such offences is liable to imprisonment for a term of five years without an option of fine.

Dangote urged the commission to act decisively, stressing that the ICPC, alongside other anti-graft agencies, is strategically positioned to investigate and prosecute corruption-related offences.

“In view of the foregoing, we call on the Commission under your leadership to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting,” the petition added.

The Dangote Group Chairman also expressed confidence that the matter, being in the public domain, would not be ignored, urging the ICPC to act in the interest of justice and to protect the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Dangote further pledged his readiness to provide additional evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA Managing Director.

Headline

Tinubu Didn’t Win 2023 Election, Will Lose in 2027 – Abaribe

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Eric

The lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has predicted that it would be impossible for President Bola Tinubu to win second termn in the 2027 presidential election.

Abaribe, who claimed that the President never won the 2023 election, said the level of hardship Nigerians are currently facing has made them more determined to ensure that Tinubu does not return as president after 2027.

Reacting to suggestions that Tinubu has never lost an election, Abaribe, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said, “I do not think so. Everybody loses elections, and you will see when the time comes. He will lose in 2027 because I know what Nigerians are feeling outside.”

He added: “Tinubu never won the 2023 election, and everybody knows it. But we said fine, he has been declared the winner, no problem. We acknowledge him as president, but we are going to meet him in the field, and I will see how he is going to cobble together what will make him win again.

“It won’t work, because this time everybody will be ready. It will no longer be an announcement at 3am before people wake up in the morning. This time, people are ready; we are ready, and the masses are even more ready.”

The senator, who said the economy has collapsed under Tinubu and that the president has yet to solve the problem of insecurity, wondered where he would get the votes to win in 2027.

On the defection of some opposition leaders to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abaribe vowed never to join the wave, saying he would be the last person to do so.

He said that rather than strengthening the APC as a party, the defections would deepen internal divisions and fuel leadership tussles.

“If there is anybody who is going to defect to the APC, I think I should be the very, very last one. By the time I defect, it would mean there are no parties left in Nigeria, including the APC,” he said.

“I have a very simple theory about defections. I think it is very good for us in the opposition that these defections are happening. All the APC is doing is absorbing all the problems it is going to face; they are right inside the party now. Ask yourself, in all the states where there are defections, what is going on there now?”

The lawmaker described the APC as a giant with feet of clay, saying the opposition would target its weak points during the election, leading to its collapse.

Abaribe, who reaffirmed his membership of the opposition coalition, said there is a consensus among opposition leaders to unite in order to dislodge the APC from power.

The coalition has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the platform for the 2027 elections, but many have claimed the move is a strategy to enthrone Atiku Abubakar and compel all opposition members to support him.

However, Abaribe disagreed, saying the party has yet to release its guidelines and other arrangements ahead of the 2027 elections.