The Lagos State Government has announced that road rehabilitation works will commence on the Lekki-Ajah corridor from Saturday, November 15, 2025, and will run through Wednesday, July 15, 2026 — a period of eight months.

According to a statement signed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, on Wednesday, the project aims to improve road quality and ease traffic flow along one of the state’s busiest routes.

“The Lagos State Government has announced road rehabilitation works on Lekki-Ajah corridor commencing from Saturday 15th November, 2025 to Wednesday 15th July, 2026, a period of 8 months,” the statement also shared on his X read.

Osiyemi explained that the rehabilitation would be executed in two phases to minimize inconvenience for commuters and businesses along the corridor, with preliminary works already in progress.

Phase 1: Lekki 1st Toll Gate to Lekki 2nd Toll Gate

This phase, according to the statement, will cover seven (7) sections of the expressway.

“During the construction, a lane out of the 2 lanes will be closed while motorists will use the second lane. When the closed lane is completed, work will shift to the other lane,” it stated.

The commissioner assured that despite the closures, motorists going to Lekki and Ajah will have through fare throughout the duration of Phase 1.

Phase 2: Lekki 2nd Toll Gate to Ajah Under-Bridge

The second phase of the project will focus on four (4) sections of the road, with traffic diversions implemented to maintain movement.

“Motorists from Ajah inward Lekki will be diverted to one lane while repairs are ongoing on the other lane. When the first lane is completed, work will move to the second lane,” the statement noted.

It further added that during this phase, “motorists heading towards Ajah will have continuous movement.”

Advisory to Motorists

The Lagos State Government appealed for patience and cooperation from residents and road users, emphasizing that the temporary inconvenience would yield long-term benefits.

“Some sections of the road will be partially closed during the repair period. Motorists are advised to be patient and follow traffic directions. These repairs are part of the Lagos State Government’s efforts to improve road quality and ease traffic flow.”

Osiyemi reaffirmed that the rehabilitation aligns with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to sustainable urban mobility and infrastructural renewal across Lagos.

The commissioner urged commuters to plan their journeys accordingly and to obey all traffic management personnel deployed to ensure smooth vehicular movement during the project.

Earlier in September, the Lagos State Government commenced rehabilitation works on the stretch of the Eti-Osa/Lekki/Epe Expressway, covering the Admiralty Way Junction to Jubilee Bridge section (Ajah) in Eti-Osa Local Government Area and Eti-Osa East LCDA.

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The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has approached the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, seeking an order to restrain the Federal High Court from delivering judgment in his ongoing terrorism trial.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court has fixed November 20 for judgment in the case, which has been ongoing since 2015.

The judge fixed the judgment day on November 7 after granting Kanu repeated opportunities to enter his defence.

Kanu had earlier sacked his legal team and opted to defend himself. He, however, turmed around, saying there was no valid charges against him to warrant entering a defence.

In his no-case submission, he argued that the terrorism law under which the Federal Government charged him had been repealed. He, therefore, filed an application, asking the court to free him.

However, Justice Omotosho dismissed his no-case submission and gave him repeated opportunities to defend himself, before finally fixing November 20 for judgment.

In a last-ditch effort, Kanu approached the judge on Tuesday, asking him to adjourn the judgment indefinitely, a request that was turned down.

Displeased, Kanu, on Wednesday, approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, praying it to order the lower court to  halt scheduled judgment.

Kanu stated that he had filed a notice of appeal against the September 26 ruling of Justice Omotosho, which dismissed his no-case submission and ordered him to defend the terrorism allegations.

In the appeal, with the Federal Government as the sole respondent and Kanu as appellant, he argued that the lower court erred in dismissing his no-case submission without considering the jurisdictional and legal validity of the charges.

Among his claims, Kanu contended that the Federal High Court was wrong to uphold the charges because the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act had been repealed, making the charges invalid.

He also argued that the judge failed to address the constitutional issue of jurisdiction in his ruling on the no-case submission.

Kanu further alleged that Justice Omotosho did not properly evaluate the evidence of prosecution witnesses or their cross-examinations to determine whether the evidence had been discredited.

He stated, “I sought to call 23 witnesses only after the issue of jurisdiction had been determined, but the court refused to allow this, stating that such would be done in the final judgment. The judge foreclosed my right to defend myself while refusing to rule on my objections to the validity of some counts in the charges.”

He warned that if the Court of Appeal does not halt the judgment, he risks being unlawfully convicted and sentenced, and his appeal would become “a mere academic exercise,” effectively turning the appellate process into a fait accompli.

In a 13-paragraph affidavit, Kanu also raised issues of disobedience to the Supreme Court’s order on the validity of count seven of the charges and the failure to apply the mandatory test under Section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

He claimed that the Supreme Court had clarified that count seven was no longer an offence in Nigeria, having been repealed.

Kanu emphasised that his pending appeal raises substantial constitutional issues, particularly noting that counts one to six of the charges are based on a repealed statute, meaning there are no valid charges against him.

He stated, “The respondent will suffer no prejudice if this application is granted, and conversely, refusing this application would give rise to injustice as it will shut me out of my constitutional right of appeal.”

No date has been fixed yet for the hearing of the motion by the Court of Appeal.

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Addressing participants of Course 34 of the Nigerian Defence College, Abuja, on the assessment of the solid minerals value chain and the impact on economic growth, Alake said the Mining Marshals have lived up to the mandate to provide an enforcement agency for the sector.

He said scaling up the logistical strength in terms of vehicles, equipment, and weaponry will power the expansion of the agency’s operations to the 774 local governments and improve the security of mines and miners.

A statement issued on Wednesday by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, read, “The Mining Marshals have lived up to the mandate to provide an enforcement agency for the sector and ongoing plans to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals will further rid the country of illegal miners.”

Since their deployment in 2023, the Mining Marshals have reclaimed about 90 sites from illegal miners and bandits, prosecuted over 300 offenders, and monitored about 450 mining locations under threat from illegal operators.

Responding to concerns over inter-agency rivalry with the Mining Marshals, Alake appreciated other military and security agencies, such as the Nigerian Army and Police, for the smooth collaboration that has enabled the Mining Marshals to excel.

Represented by his Special Adviser, Kehinde Bamigbetan, Alake took the participants through the value chain of the solid minerals sector, including licensing, exploration, community engagement, extraction, processing, and sales.

He said the Seven-Point Agenda, the roadmap he introduced as minister, has added value to the sector’s value chain by sanitising the sector and blocking financial leakages.

Citing the increase in total revenue of the ministry from N6bn in 2022 to N12bn in 2024 and currently at N26bn as of October this year, Alake said this was achieved by raising the bar of compliance with the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act.

He said over 3,700 titles have been revoked for failing to pay annual service fees and failing to mine in line with the use-or-lose principle, adding that companies have been warned to comply with the Community Development Agreement and meet environmental obligations.

To further position the sector for international competitiveness, Alake said the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Company has opened the door to investors ready for joint ventures.

Thanking the minister on behalf of the course participants, the Director, Information, Communications and  Technology of the Nigerian Defence College, Air Commodore  Olushola Oluokun, thanked the minister for the enlightening lecture, which shed light on various subjects being studied by participants.

Illegal mining has remained a persistent challenge in Nigeria’s extractive sector, depriving the government of billions in potential revenue and fuelling insecurity in mineral-rich regions. In response, the Federal Government launched the Mining Marshals Initiative in 2023 as part of efforts to formalise the sector, protect licensed miners, and curb economic sabotage.

The initiative, jointly coordinated by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, forms a critical part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader drive to diversify the economy beyond oil and promote value addition in the mining industry.