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Makinde swears-in five new permanent secretaries {See Names}

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Oyo State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday swore-in another set of five Permanent Secretaries in the Civil Service of Oyo State, taking to 19 the number of Permanent Secretaries appointed since he assumed office in May 2019.

The Governor, who called on the new permanent secretaries to see their appointments as a call to service, maintained that the appointments were based on merit and qualification.

A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the swearing-in ceremony was held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, quoting that Governor as urging the new permanent secretaries not to relent in their efforts to take the civil service to a greater level.

The new permanent secretaries sworn-in by the Governor were: Mrs. Atere Aminat Bamidele, Ministry of Education; Dr. Adeyanju Olusoji Alaruru, Hospital Management Board; Mrs. Fasina Adenike Ayobami, Ministry of Finance; Mr. Segun Ajekiigbe, Ministry of Energy and Mrs. Grace Olabisi Oderinde, Teaching Service Commission.

Speaking during the event, Governor Makinde said: “You have been appointed into this position based on merit and based on the fact that you are eminently qualified to occupy this position.

“Don’t relent. Double your efforts, because this administration is interested in making the civil service the engine room to drive our development. Yes, we do have options. Past governments have taken those options where they brought in consultants all over the place to do the works which civil servants were being paid for. It is double jeopardy, because the government is losing money by paying twice for the same services. And we are also losing out from the fact that people whose job, from the beginning, is to look after our public institutions were being excluded.”

While congratulating the new appointees, the Governor charged them see their appointments as a call to service and to become more dedicated in the service of the State, noting that their appointments were done after necessary scrutiny and documentation.

“I congratulate you and want you to see this appointment as a call to further service. I want to see more dedication in the service of the government and the people of Oyo State.

“After the appointments were announced, I read a few comments from people. Some said we have thrown away seniority in the civil service of Oyo State and we just appoint people as we wish. Out of the five of you, I only know one person very well and the rest is just about the documentation I received.

“I asked the Head of Service to bring the list of people that are qualified and I asked some questions as well.

He said his administration would continue to give promotion to whoever is qualified and not discriminate against anyone on the basis of party affiliation or personal relationship.

He said: “We have people who can justify it because they will say there is usually a disconnect between government and the civil servants. Some have even come to me and said we should get rid of top people in the civil service because they are pro-APC. When I asked if they are Oyo Sate indigenes, they told me yes. I also asked that if they are for APC today, can they be of the PDP tomorrow, they said it is possible. So, nobody and, I repeat, nobody will be discriminated against under this administration, irrespective of your political leaning.”

The Governor also hinted that no geopolitical zone in the State was marginalised in the promotion exercise and that the era of promoting only what they called mainstream civil servants to permanent secretary cadres has gone.

According to him, “whoever is qualified from Local Government and Teaching Service would be promoted to the exalted position.”

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IGP Disu seeks NIPR partnership to boost public trust in police

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NIPR President, Dr Ike Neliaku, in a handshake with the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has called for stronger collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to enhance public confidence in the police.

The IGP made the call on Tuesday when he received a delegation of the NIPR, led by its President and Chairman of Council, Dr Ike Neliaku, on a courtesy visit to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the IGP emphasised the importance of effective communication, professionalism, transparency and fairness in strengthening the relationship between the police and members of the public.

Disu noted that every police officer was an image-maker of the Force, adding that the conduct of personnel in their daily interactions with citizens had a direct impact on public perception of the police.

He said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) remained committed to policing by consent and promoting a service-oriented policing culture built on professionalism, empathy, accountability and respect for human rights.

The IGP also sought the support of the NIPR in providing specialised communication training for police personnel and developing a coherent communication framework that would effectively communicate the sacrifices and contributions of police officers to public safety and national security.

Earlier, Neliaku commended the IGP for his professional accomplishments and briefed him on Nigeria’s hosting of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum and Africa Charter Forum.

The international event is scheduled to hold at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, and is expected to attract more than 3,000 delegates from 126 member countries of the Global Alliance for Public Relations.

The NIPR delegation also sought the support of the Nigeria Police Force in security planning and coverage for the event.

Neliaku further invited the IGP to serve as a keynote speaker at the forum and encouraged police officers to register and participate as delegates.

The delegation included the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association, Dr Omoniyi Ibietan; Dr Suleiman Haruna; Mrs Maryam Sanusi; Mrs Olubunmi Badejo; Commandant Olusola Odumosu; Chief Uzoma Oyegbadu; Chief Moji Makanjuola; Mr Stanley Ogadigo and other members of the institute.

Iniedu said the meeting reflected the commitment of the  Police Force to building productive partnerships with professional bodies and other stakeholders to strengthen public trust, enhance public safety and promote national security.

 

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Inflation drops marginally to 15.39% — NBS

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Nigeria’s headline inflation rate fell marginally to 15.39 per cent in August 2026 from 15.43 per cent in July, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The NBS disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index released on Tuesday, saying the latest figure represented a 0.04 percentage point decline from the previous month.

The statistics agency, however, reported a sharper decline in the month-on-month inflation rate, which dropped to 0.71 per cent in August from 1.57 per cent in July.

The month-on-month rate, according to the bureau, declined by 0.86 percentage points compared with the July figure.

The NBS explained that the development indicated that the rate at which the average price level increased in August was slower than that recorded in July.

The latest data also showed a significant moderation in food inflation, which stood at 19.57 per cent year-on-year in August.

The figure was substantially lower than the 25.30 per cent recorded in August 2025.

On a month-on-month basis, food inflation fell to 1.02 per cent in August from 5.56 per cent in July, representing a decline of 4.55 percentage points.

The NBS said the development showed that food prices were still rising, but at a slower rate during the month under review.

It attributed the decline largely to changes in the average prices of a number of food items, including palm oil, carrots, pepper, onions, cassava flour, beef, yam flour, water yam, melon (egusi), fresh ginger, fresh fish, Irish potatoes, wheat grain, frozen chicken and turkey meat.

At the state level, Adamawa recorded the highest year-on-year food inflation rate in August at 38.85 per cent.

It was followed by Zamfara with 37.96 per cent and Bayelsa with 36.20 per cent.

On the other hand, Borno recorded the lowest year-on-year food inflation rate at -4.04 per cent, followed by Jigawa at -0.23 per cent and Kebbi at 3.47 per cent.

The month-on-month figures presented a different picture, with Katsina recording the highest food inflation rate at 9.48 per cent.

Rivers and Osun followed with 8.86 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively.

Taraba recorded the lowest month-on-month food inflation rate at -12.42 per cent, followed by Borno at -12.15 per cent and Bauchi at -8.88 per cent.

The latest figures indicate a moderation in the pace of price increases, particularly in the food sector, although the NBS data show that consumers continue to face varying price pressures across the states.

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Nigeria’s Oil Output Rises to 1.68m Barrels Per Day

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Nigeria’s crude oil and condensate production rose to 1.68 million barrels per day in August 2026, representing a 0.4 per cent increase from the 1.67 million barrels per day recorded in July.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission disclosed this in its latest production report released on Sunday.

Excluding condensate, the country produced an average of 1,500,190 barrels of crude oil per day in August, allowing Nigeria to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries quota for the fourth consecutive month.

Daily combined crude oil and condensate production ranged between 1.64 million barrels and 1.71 million barrels during the month under review.

A breakdown of production by terminals showed that Bonny Terminal recorded the highest output at 320.04 thousand barrels per day, followed by Forcados Terminal with 317.40 thousand barrels per day.

Qua Iboe Terminal recorded an average production of 171.72 thousand barrels per day, while Escravos Oil Terminal posted 131.71 thousand barrels per day.

Bonga ranked fifth among the highest-producing terminals, with an average output of 92.50 thousand barrels per day.

The NUPRC attributed the modest improvement in August production largely to the resolution of operational challenges involving the Single Buoy Mooring at the Erha field.

The commission said the challenges had adversely affected production in the preceding month.

“The restoration of normal evacuation and production operations at the asset contributed positively to overall production volumes during the period under review,” the commission’s spokesperson, Eniola Akinkuotu, said in a statement on Sunday.

The regulator added that production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable during the month.

“Production activities across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators sustaining implementation measures aimed at optimising production efficiency, maintaining asset integrity, and minimising operational disruptions,” the statement said.

The latest figures indicate a continued improvement in Nigeria’s oil production, with the country maintaining its OPEC quota compliance for the fourth consecutive month.

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