Month: July 2025

NEW TAX REGIME WILL CRUMBLE AVIATION SECTOR _ ANAP

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CHUKS OKOH The Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) says, the new tax regime scheduled to take effect in country next year, will crumble the entire country’s aviation sector. Speaking with aviation journalists in his national secretariat at the airport, the Secretary General of ANAP, Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, said when the tax is implemented, it will take aviation back to days of calamity in the sector According to Comrade Saidu, the tax regime when introduced will rubbish all the good things achieved in the past years, stressing that a situation where by revenues are collected on behalf of agencies and give them peanuts for maintenence of facilities does not augur well. He stated that aviation agencies are presently finding it difficult to maintain it’s facilities, pay salary and meet up with claims when they are generating their revenue adding that it will be suicidal when government decides to allocate revenue to them. According to him, with the new tax system, agencies will not have direct access to revenue generated as it will be remitted to government directly without enough money to maintain facilities He noted that aviation can not be toyed with as it is fund consuming sector especially in the maintenance of facilities, provision of safety and security at the airport, saying that the new tax system will never work in the industry “If the government insist, God forbid that they will not witness aircraft falling from the sky like in 2005 and 2006. I hope the President and Commander In Chief was badly advised on the issue” Comrade Saidu noted that the aviation sector ought to have been exempted from the new reform tax system.  “Aviation deals with the lives of humans. So, whatever they are bringing in aviation must be in line with ICAO and IATA best practices” The ANAP scribe said the unions are planning a meeting to take decision on the issue

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POMP AND KINDRED MERRIMENT AT PA EDWIN OBASOHAN’S BURIAL CEREMONY.

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  Benin City, the Edo State capital and a cradle of Black African culture and civilization, played host, during the weekend, to the burial ceremony of Pa Edwin Nosakhare Obasohan, a likeable scion of the extended Obasohan’s family of Ikpoba Hill Quarters in Oredo, the epic- centre Local Government Area (LGA) of the metropolis, in the midwestern-state of Edo. During the Social Dance, held at United Baptist Church, on Mission Road, in the centre of the city, children and other offsprings, with members of the dynasty, were joined by friends and flocks of the Baptist Church. At the occasion, the late Obasohan’s second son, Amb. (Dr) Kingsley Obasohan, as well as other children of the departed octogenarian, intimated with the teeming attendees that came from within and African and European countries, to lay their father to rest. Dr. Obasohan, who is Director General, European-African Chambers of Commerce and Industry, was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Philomena Obasohan, during the ceremony. The late Pa Obasohan, an 86 years old community leader and longtime devotee of the Baptist Church, was said to be a selfless and discipline man, who greatly impacted his children, the Church and his society.

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FATF: FAAN, CUSTOMS COLLABORATES

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  CHUKS OKOH In other to meet the compliance standards of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)  have met to resolve some grey areas Their joint efforts aim to ensure Nigeria exit FATF graylist status through the use of technology and improved border control procedures. This followed a joint working visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, led by Managing Director of FAAN, Olubunmi Kuku and Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi. The inspection covered passenger and cargo terminals, with both agencies highlighting reforms being implemented to meet global compliance standards ahead of a pending Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assessment. The FATF graylist includes countries placed under increased monitoring for strategic deficiencies in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing systems. While not blacklisted, such countries face greater scrutiny and reputational risk in global trade and finance. Speaking during the inspection, CG Adeniyi emphasized the importance of synergy between Customs and airport authorities. “Our collaboration helps secure Nigeria’s borders while also improving passenger experience. The goal is to uphold security without unnecessary delays,” he said. A key development discussed was the improvement in currency declaration procedures. Comptroller General Adeniyi expressed satisfaction with FAAN’s provision of designated areas for passengers to make accurate financial declarations. “We are happy with the structure FAAN has created, which includes both in-person and out-of-home declaration points,” he said. He added that regular announcements now remind passengers of their duty to declare amounts above \$10,000. According to him, these steps align with FATF compliance expectations and represent a clear effort to reduce exposure to illicit financial flows. Looking ahead, Adeniyi noted that automation would be key in further easing the declaration process. “Ultimately, we hope to manage declarations through data collected from passenger arrival cards,” he said. While this remains a work in progress, the recent introduction of E-gates marks a step toward digitizing border procedures. “The deployment of technology makes our job easier and gives us optimal results,” he explained. FAAN Managing Director Kuku emphasized the agency’s ongoing efforts to streamline airport operations. “We’ve reduced touchpoints, enhanced screening, and improved the passenger journey through targeted investments. The E-gates project is only the beginning,” she said. She stressed the importance of passenger awareness. “We are educating travelers at multiple points, arrival, departure, and throughout the terminal, on the need to declare currency where necessary,” she added. At the cargo terminal, both leaders assessed infrastructure and trade processes. CG Adeniyi noted that terminal operators are showing more commitment to exports. “The Nigeria Customs Service is supporting this effort with the right policies and faster clearance processes,” he said. He also announced that non-intrusive inspection technologies will soon be introduced at more airports. “We’re testing solutions in Lagos that will eventually be rolled out nationwide to ensure uniformity and efficiency,” he said. MD Kuku added that FAAN views cargo operations as central to Nigeria’s future trade growth. “Our collaboration with Customs will help eliminate delays and make Nigerian exports more competitive globally,” she said. Preparations are underway for a scheduled FATF evaluation. Adeniyi expressed confidence in Nigeria’s readiness. “We believe the steps taken so far—including better structures, joint inspections, and process digitization, position Nigeria for removal from the graylist,” he said. He concluded by reaffirming the importance of technology. “Automation of currency declarations and passenger screening helps eliminate bottlenecks. Technology is the bridge to stronger compliance,” he stated. MD Kuku echoed this, saying, “We are building a system where compliance and convenience work side by side. The partnership with Customs is essential.” With these coordinated reforms, structured passenger facilitation, and enhanced trade protocols, both FAAN and Customs remain confident that Nigeria exit FATF graylist status is achievable soon.

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FAAN BOARD INAUGURATION, ANAP CALLS FOR MORE AGENCIES BOARD

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  CHUKS OKOH, Following the inauguration of the Board of Directors of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) by the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Mr Festus Keyamo, the  Secretary General of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, has charged the government to name the boards of other aviation parastatals without delay Speaking in an interview on the inauguration of FAAN board, headed by Alhaji Gandunje former APC chairman, Comrade Saidu said the ANAP has long been agitating for the right things to be done in the aviation sector to continue entrenching safety in the system. According to him, “I am calling on the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to name other agencies board of directors for justice and equity in the system. ANAP has been calling for all the anomalies to be corrected in the aviation industry in the interest of safety” Saidu noted that only the governing boards will bring descipline to the system, check mate illegal contracts, employment and recruitment scams and oversees the day to day running of agencies activities. According to Saidu, “Most of the employments made and contracts awarded ought to have passed through the Governing Boards of Aviation parastatals but the situation didn’t allow it because there are no boards in place” He condemned the style of Hadi Sirika’s  administration as the Minister of Aviation, saying for eight years, he never deemed it fit to inaugurate boards as announced by the then President Mohammed Buhari. “ANAP has times without numbers raised this issue. The former President Buhari named some of people into various boards but till Sirika left office, nothing was done to inaugurate the boards. It died like that, now, this administration has continued the same way” Saidu,  decried the  non-compliance to Acts setting up aviation parastatals in the appointment of boards directors The ANAP scribe noted,  that there were decisions ought to have been taken by the governing boards of these parastatals but those decisions were soley taken by the minister.  

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SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS AS EDO ELECTION WINNER

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…Akpakomiza nails Ighodalo the 4th and final time …Edo people, APC, Governor, urge total support …Victory keeps PDP in permanent opposition status By Sebastine Ebhuomhan     Thursday, 10th July, 2025. Abuja. The Supreme Court, Nigeria’s apex court of jurisdiction and final appellate court of adjudication, today unanimously affirmed the free, fair, peaceful, credible and populist election of the executive governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a landmark judgment unanimously endorsed by all the five-member panel of the Supreme Court, which lead the Honourable Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, JSC, delivered without any dissent from the three members on the seat, Senator Okpebholo, the distinguished former lawmaker of Esan People, the Edo Central Senatorial District, at Nigeria’s red chamber, completed the humiliating cycle of annihilation of his challenger and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Asuerinme Akintunde Ighodalo. The affirmation of the venerable Supreme Court in the appeal: SC/CV/536/2025, marked the fourth consecutive victory of Okpebholo against the appellant, Dr. Ighodalo, and his party, the PDP, a final defeat that relegated the party into a permanent opposition status in Edo politics for the next four and more years. The two-hour Supreme Court judgment began at exactly 9.01am under a tight security that stretched from the city into the venue. It ended at 11.03am. Security agents stopped and turned back hundreds of people from accessing the court. Ken Mozia, SAN, led for the appellant, Ighodalo. Kanu Agabi, SAN, represented the 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Chief Offiong E. Offiong, SAN, represented the 2nd respondent, Governor Okpebholo while J. O. Asoluka, SAN, represented the 3rd respondent, the APC. Justice Lawal began by reiterating the points of each party after briefly admonishing all the lawyers on the importance of looking responsible in clean and complete court regalia before an announcement that two members of the panel who are in agreement with the judgment were unavoidably absent today. According to him, the petitioner formulated five (5) points of disagreement with the judgments of the lower courts, for which reason he wants the court to set aside the victory and declare him as the winner. Each of the respondents also formulated 5 points each, though slightly different from each other. The points relate to: Non-compliance, competence and validity, over-voting, BVAS, and relief. In the unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court held that it sees no compelling reason to set aside the judgments of the lower court. The court also held that Ighodalo did not prove his allegations of non-compliance, over-voting, and invalidity. It therefore resolved Issue One in favour of the respondents; Issue Two in favour of the appellant; and Issues Three, Four and Five in favour of the respondents. Related issues such as cross-appeal validity and the tendering of evidence from the bar were also resolved favourably. “The appellant did not satisfactorily discharge the burden of proof required by law. The appeal is dismissed and the judgment of the court below in respect of issues 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 is hereby upheld. This judgment affirms the decisions of the tribunal and the Court of Appeal,” Justice Lawal concluded. The INEC returned Okpebholo as the duly elected winner of the Edo State governorship election of Saturday, 21st September, 2024. He defeated Ighodalo, the sitting government’s candidate and adopted godson of ex-governor Godwin Obaseki, by 291, 667 votes to 247, 655 votes. Ighodalo rejected the results and proceeded to the Tribunal, where Okpebholo unanimously defeated him on Wednesday, 2nd of April, 2025. After losing at the tribunal, Ighodalo approached the Court of Appeal, which unanimously upheld his loss on Thursday, 29th of May, 2025, in a resounding judgment that tongue-lashed him for taking “a gamble.” Still not satisfied with the detailed appellate judgment, and acting against popular entreaties of the good people of Edo State, Ighodalo appealed to the Supreme Court, where he met his waterloo today. The appellant’s baseless, mischievous, broken and irreconcilable petition, which was more rooted in the anger of his abandonment at the beginning of a tedious and tortuous opposition politics by the fleeing Obaseki after much contrary promise, according to PDP leaders, reeked of a hasty or poorly schemed gamble, ab initio. This is because Okpebholo unarguably won the 2024 Edo State governorship election. To garb the petition with a ridiculous veil, Ighodalo challenged the results of only 765 polling units out of the total 5, 419 polling units in Edo State and called only five polling agents from five of the challenged 765 polling units as witnesses. The remaining 14 witnesses that testified had no direct dealing with the poll. Worse still, the appellant refused to open and deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, voter’s register and result sheets he tendered to prove his allegations, resulting to the allegation of dumping of evidence the respondents made against him at the lower courts. Each of the two lower court judgments overwhelmingly indicated that Okpebholo still won the election clearly even if all the votes APC obtained in Ighodalo’s five polling units whose witnesses testified for him or even the disputed 765 polling units were voided or taken away from the winner. Owing to this crystal-clear fact, Ighodalo systematically and tactically opted against asking the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal for particular reliefs (either a nullification of parts or the entire election or to be declared the winner or both) just as he refused to collate, sort, calculate and tabulate the final votes for all candidates unlike what ex-governor Adams Oshiomhole painstakingly did to retrieve his stolen mandate from the PDP’s Professor Osereimen Osunbor in 2008. Instead, Ighodalo, a reputed commercial lawyer and investment banker, the co-founder of Banwo and Ighodalo law firm and former Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, pleaded inconsistently and incompetently that the election was invalid, thereby giving Okpebholo the chance to nail him that he can neither be adjudged winner of an invalid election nor his petition that demanded no

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OKOYO CONGRATULATES OKPEBHOLO ON SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT

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……says it is victory for Edo people. A congratulatory message has been sent to Edo State executive governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on his affirmation by the Supreme Court, as governor of the state, following an appeal taken to the apex law court by Dr. Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the governorship election held last year, 2024. The congratulatory message came through a statement from Mr. Goddy Francis Okoyo, a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party, from Ugboha Ward of Esan South East Local Government Area (LGA) of the state. Okoyo, a Chartered Accountant and Behavioural Scientist, who resides in Canada, and is one of the leading light in the diaspora coordination of APC, regarded the Supreme Court’s judgement as a case of “no victor no vanquish”, instead, a total victory for the Edo people, adding that it is also a call for the accumulation of unity and efforts to build the state, for the benefit of the people and to the glory of God. “Edo State has been on the search for another governor, like Prof Ambrose Alli or Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia of blessed memory, to bring the needed development to our people, once more. This time around, I am optimistic that Senator Okpebholo, a development-oriented leader, has been chosen by God and seconded by the highest court of the land, for the desired purposes”, Asserted Okoyo, a philanthropist, who is more known in the political and social circles, by his GFO acronym. Okoyo, who served as Director of Diaspora Affairs in the 2024 APC Governorship Campaign Council, as well as in the national bodies, during elections, also called on the state’s APC and the opposition political parties, to join hands with Governor Okpebholo and the people to build the state, urging further that the time for partisan politicking should be in the past. It could be said that Dr Ighodalo, the PDP’s flagbearer and some opposition parties, in a titanic litigation, had challenged the victory of Senator Okpebholo, the APC candidate, at the election petition tribunal and the Appeal Court, where Okpebholo’s victory was affirmed by both lower courts, before going to apex court, where is was finally settled.

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AVIATION UNION LEADER HAILS FESTUS KEYAMO’S EFFORTS IN SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF DOMESTIC AIRLINES IN NIGERIA

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  CHUKS OKOH. A Beacon of Hope for Nigeria’s Aviation Industry: In a heartwarming development that promises to revolutionize Nigeria’s aviation sector, Enugu Air is set to take to the skies, bringing with it a wave of transformation and growth. This exciting new chapter in the nation’s aviation history is expected to yield numerous benefits, not only for the state of Enugu but for the entire country. For far too long, flying in Nigeria’s airspace has been a luxury reserved for the few, with exorbitant prices and limited options leaving many travelers with no choice but to endure the hardships. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the industry, with many airlines shutting down operations and leaving the nation with a severe shortage of air travel options. However, with the entrance of Enugu Air into the market, a new dawn is breaking. This pioneering airline is poised to bridge the gap between high demand and low supply, eliminating the monopoly that has long plagued the industry and driving down prices to make air travel more accessible to all. Comrade John Ogbe, 3rd Deputy President of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, has hailed the coming of Enugu Air as a welcome development that will bring numerous benefits to the nation. According to Ogbe, the airline will not only create choice among passengers with competitive fares but also grow commerce and tourism in the Eastern region, creating other activities that support aviation in the area. Ogbe has commended the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo, for their commitment to creating an enabling environment for the growth of indigenous airlines. Keyamo’s vision for a thriving aviation sector is finally taking shape, and the results are nothing short of remarkable. As Enugu Air prepares to take to the skies, the potential for domestic travel in Nigeria is becoming increasingly apparent. The movement of people from one part of the country to another has become essential, with huge advantages for commerce, tourism, and the economy as a whole. With Enugu Air set to create job opportunities not only for the people of Enugu but for Nigerians in general, the future of the nation’s aviation industry has never looked brighter. As Ogbe noted, other state governments would do well to tap into this potential, and with the right support and infrastructure in place, Nigeria’s aviation sector is poised for unprecedented growth and development. The launch of Enugu Air marks a new era for Nigeria’s aviation industry, one that promises to bring numerous benefits to the nation and its people. With effective leadership and a commitment to growth and development, the future of Nigeria’s skies has never looked brighter.

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NANTA SEEKS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH INTERIOR MINISTRY

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  CHUKS OKOH The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government in advancing Nigeria’s travel and tourism agenda. This was made known during a courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo Why welcoming the NANTA delegation, the Ojo affirmed  government’s openness to stakeholder engagement, noting that effective leadership is built on active feedback and collaboration. “Every good leadership takes feedback from stakeholders,” he stated. Ojo assured the delegation of the Federal Government’s support for well-organized and credible bodies such as NANTA. He expressed his deep pride in Nigeria’s cultural richness and the resilience of its people, describing Nigerians as hospitable, productive, and uniquely gifted. On diplomatic matters, the Minister clarified that visa policies are governed by the principle of reciprocity and assured that Nigeria remains respectful and fair in its international engagements. He also charged NANTA and Nigerians in general to always speak positively about the nation. “Nigeria will rebound,” he asserted with optimism. Ojo pledged to establish strategic engagement channels with NANTA, assuring that his team would follow up to deepen collaboration in the national interest. NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, in his speech, commended the Minister for his responsiveness and dedication to reform. Folami, remarked that NANTA members have closely followed the Minister’s work and are impressed by his consistency in matching promises with action. “Your prompt response to our request for this engagement is one of many examples of your commitment to positive change,” Folami noted. He further highlighted NANTA’s contributions to national development, emphasizing that the 50-year-old Association, proudly Nigerian, continues to promote the country positively across Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, America, and beyond. As a symbol of appreciation and partnership, NANTA presented a commemorative plaque to the Minister, endorsing his reform-driven leadership and expressing readiness for sustained collaboration.   Photo Interior minister Dr Tunji-Ojo and executive members of NANTA during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.

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ISPON BOSS CONDEMNS QUACKERY, CANVASSES INTEGRATION OF SAFETY INTO EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM

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  CHUKS OKOH. The National President of the Institute of Safety Professional in Nigeria (ISPON), Dr Stephen Udezi  has called on regulators in different sectors of the economy to ensure that only certified and trained professionals are allowed to handle safety responsibilities in organisations in the industry where they play. Udezi  said adhering to such an arrangement , is one of the ways the body is tackling quackery in the practice of safety management in many organizations. He said ISPON is consolidating its partnership with the relevant agencies of government and the House of Representative Committee on steps that must be taken to ensure organizations comply with the provisions of the ISPON Act. Udezi  said many hazards, incidents and unsafe practices could be minimized if only certified and registered members are allowed to serve as head of safety oversight in many organizations. Speaking at the ISPON Lagos Safety Leadership Summit & Membership Induction, Udezi called on the Federal Government to integrate safety management practices into the curriculum of all levels of education for nationwide acceptability. He said when safety management is integrated into every fabric of our national life, its practices will go a long way to improve compliance. He described the Lagos Safety Leadership Summit as a continuous professional development path that will guide professionals in the discharge of their duties while taking charge as personnel in charge of safe practices across the value chain. Udezi called on ISPON members to deepen cooperation and collaboration to uplift the practice of safety management in different spectrums of the economy. He said : ” The only way to drive safety practices is for practitioners and organisations to do the right things by putting standards, procedures in the right burner, it is in adherence to this that we can avoid or reduce sporadic accidents and other unwanted developments. Failure to comply with the prescribed safety practice rules that causes mishaps both in the workplace homes and other environments. ” I charge the new inductees to take advantage of the institutional capacity available during this safety summit to scale their act as continuous professional development. Safety practice is not static, it is dynamic and it is an opportunity to learn the right culture.” In collaboration with players, he said ISPON is working to ensure certified safety personnel take charge at the appropriate units.. He said : ” This is why the Federal Government must entrench the culture of safety being promoted by ISPON and pursue compliance, the issue of quackery, concerning service provision, is tackled. ” We are calling on the Federal Government to ensure Safety Management practices are integrated into the curriculum of all levels of education, and the country will be on the part of doing this correctly.” On his part, Chairman of Lagos ISPON branch , Olusola Ogunleye said the Summit was put together as a critical part of the national assignment to reposition safety management practices in the country, which should shine a spotlight on leadership. He said : ” The whole idea is to advance leadership and set the agenda for the government on ways to drive a robust and formidable safety system. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Lagos State Branch of the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr Olusola Ogunleye, has said the body was focusing on appropriate synergy this year for the overall development of safety systems He remarked that the safety managers forum has to change from the perspective of leaving it for safety managers but to be redifined that every organisation, policy maker and worker provide a level of leadership According to him, safety management without leadership can never be safe adding that the tone of leadership determines the result of safety management.

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AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR MONDAY OKPEBHOLO OF EDO STATE.

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  Dear Sir, THE NEED FOR AN EXECUTIVE BILL TO REGULATE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS   Your Excellency, I personally addressed this letter to you publicly to hasten the attention of your good office that is accessible to all citizens to notify you about the painful exploitations operators of the real estate business are subjecting the citizens of Edo State, our great state. This letter assumed an urgency following my inability to fully participate through Zoom in the EBSTV Big News of 27th June, 2025, which focused on the real state sector in Edo State. The Big News is one of the innovations of the Mr. Suleiman Aledeh-led new EBS management that have refreshed the timeless professionalism of the flagship broadcast organization’s personnel. It comes up daily at 8.00pm prime time. I urge all Nigerians to always tune in for the worthwhile experience. I could not be heard after my introduction as a guest owing to a poor network from inclement weather, especially the heavy downpour witnessed almost daily nowadays in Abuja, from where I joined the live studio. Although I could not express my view on air on Friday, I have summarized my key points in this letter for your consideration and action, however. Of recent, the relationship between tenants and property owners (landlords/landladies) in Edo State have taken a turn for the worse, no thanks to the commendable effort you are making to eradicate cultism, violence and avoidable deaths from our state. Although the business of real estate has always been a hot and exploitative one, especially in Benin City, the crackdown on cultists have worsened the situation. It has added to the pains of law-abiding citizens searching for houses to hide their heads and sleep comfortably in the hands of property owners. As a result, landlords in Edo State now demand what is called “Anti-cultism Oath” from would-be tenants. This new demand and the processes to fulfill it have added to others and raised the cost of renting an apartment in Edo State to the rooftop. This is a summary of demands by landlords in a glance: (i) rent or lease fee; (ii) agreement fee; (iii) legal fee; (iv) caution fee; and (v) anti-cultism oath. In some cases, tenants are asked to renovate and repair their apartments, threatened thereafter, and denied refund. A critical study of the sector would reveal the criminal activities of agents, who, in most cases, encourage and force landlords to raise house rents so that their own commissions can be higher. At other times, acting on behalf of property owners, agents rent one accommodation to many tenants just as they fleece tenants for non-existent accommodations and disappear. Today, in Edo State, real estate agents often demand: (i) 20% commission on a fixed rent; (ii) consultation fee; (iii) transport fee; (vi) airtime/data recharge fee etc. The tragedy in all of these is that there are no fixed fees because there is no regulation of the business. My observation showed that Edo State citizens who have no personal houses to live in or who live in rented apartments in the cities are really suffering. Even those that are looking for offices to establish or situate their businesses also suffer much now. For example, the annual rent for a good self-contain is now above N500,000.00 while a two-bedroom apartment goes for upward of N1 million and above, payable in full in yearly advance or more. For the purpose of legit business premises, it is far higher. The situation pushes tenants, especially young ones, into crimes. They are looking up to you to remedy their hopeless situation. Your Excellency, real estate is a critical sector that the past administrations have not thoroughly considered until now. While there may be an old law in Edo State passed to regulate real estate business, it is now crystal clear that such a law can no longer regulate today’s challenges in the sector. Edo people appreciate all your actions aimed at curbing cultism, especially as they relate to the need for a deeper knowledge of any person renting an accommodation as well as the arrest and prosecution of alleged cultists. Indeed, this is the time to sponsor an amendment if such a law exists at all. To arrest the situation, I hereby propose an Executive Bill titled: Edo State Real Estate Regulatory Law or Edo State Tenancy Law. I am also proposing the creation of a new agency, the Edo State Real Estate Regulatory Authority, to which infringements can be referred for resolution before legal action can be pursued in court by parties in line with your administration’s pursuit of Alternate Dispute Resolution ADR (ADR). The law and the agency would ensure among other expectations: smooth relationship between landlords and tenants, a proper regulation of chargeable rents and leases for different accommodation and business space, the proper regulation of the activities of agents, a review of the present prohibitive advance rents, and the prosecution of erring agents, tenant and landlords where ADR can not resolve a dispute. Sir, it is true you can encourage the House of Assembly to pass this bill or to amend any similar old law that may be in existence. But it is better for you to personally initiate the legal move as an executive action in order for you to continually protect Edo people and cement your place in the hearts of the good, appreciative and unforgetting people of our dear state. Your effort can start in earnest even before you delegate substantive powers for land and housing. To make my point clearer, Sir, I will refer you to the recently updated Lagos State Tenancy Law under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Until the law was amended, agents used to be the king and decider in Lagos even before caretakers and landlords. Now, the amendment has stripped exploiters of the system of power while underlining the extent and relevance of each operator. The Lagos amendment particularly addressed thorny issues as: Advance Rent Restrictions, Mandatory Rent

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