Victoria Abosede, a 28-year-old single mother of two, narrates to AJIBADE OMAPE her terrible experience of drinking the same water as camels and donkeys, working as a maid in Libya, and a horrible trip of one month and two days through the desert Can you tell us what inspired you to travel and how you ended up in Libya?  I am from the Ori-Ade Local Government in Osun State. I lost one of my children to an unknown sickness. The reason is that I had a breakup with my husband of six years because he was not taking care of the kids. So, I decided to travel. I intended to work for three years and return to Nigeria after making some money. That is the reason why I chose to travel. I left for Libya on the 12th of January, last year. What caused the death of your child?  I heard two weeks ago that she was dead because I left both children with my parents before I travelled to Libya last year. I wasn’t informed about her death, but when I decided to visit them at their grandmother’s place, I was then told that the little girl had died. I was told that she was urinating blood. What were your goals when you left Nigeria, and what were you hoping to achieve in Libya? I was hoping to be a great person after working. I planned to return to Nigeria and start a business of my own. I was hoping to pay my agents money within a year and work for two years to save up for my business. I met the agent through my aunt. How was the journey to Libya, and what were the circumstances surrounding the trip? The journey was a desperate one. I spent one month and two days on the road before I reached Libya. I started the journey from Kano State in a Hilux vehicle. They packed us like cows at the back of the truck; some people fell from the pick-up truck on the journey, and people were dying. We spent about eight to nine hours from Kano to Niger Republic. We spent seven days in Niger Republic before we found another vehicle and started our journey from Niger Republic to Libya inside the desert. We were sleeping in the desert. The journey was not easy because we were using garri to survive. There was no water for us, so we were drinking water from a petrol keg. The driver of our vehicle would help us look for water, but the only container available was the petrol container. All my food was stolen. We drank the same water as camels and donkeys; we would chase them away and drink it. We spent four days in the desert, and we changed vehicles almost regularly. We moved from one ghetto to another. Sometimes, it took about four days before another pick-up truck came to take us to another ghetto. Our drivers were always wary of the policemen before passing the border. What happened when you arrived in Libya?  When I arrived, I went to my agent’s place and I was there for one week. I was treated, and I collected drugs and injections. Then, after a week, I started working as a maid in the house of an Arab man. How many months did you work for this Arab man?  In the first place, I worked for just over a month, but when the job was too much for me, I called my agent to change my work because I could not bear it anymore. I spent about six months in the second place I worked. I also had to manage the second place because my agent said if I complained about the job, he would sell me out to someone else and get paid. Some agents, after getting paid by the workers, sell them off to another agent. After working for six months, I went to another workplace. I left the second workplace because my boss always maltreated me. I was only able to manage the place for six months. The work there was not easy; I almost died, but God saved me. I woke up at 9 in the morning and go to bed around 2 am. It was hard work; I was cleaning all the time; cleaning the house, washing everything, mopping the floor, washing the rug and other things. I always repeated the same work every day, and my boss was never satisfied; my boss always called me different types of names, and if I worked, the woman would say the work was not good; she always complained all the time. I was also taking care of her young son in addition to my regular duties. Looking after him wasn’t part of my job, but I did it regardless. I didn’t even have time for myself; no time to sleep or do things for myself. I fed twice a day, and I had my first meal around 2 pm. The Arab people were the ones responsible for my feeding and clothing. My agent always came to collect his monthly pay from my boss. Were you told the kind of work you would be doing in Libya?  No. Nobody knows. My agent told me that I would just be washing plates and toilets, but the work I was doing there was different from the work they told me I would do. How long did it take you before you finished paying your agent’s money?  I had just two months left to finish paying my agent when the Libyan police arrested me. At that time, I was working at the third place. I left my workplace to visit my agent. The police accosted me and asked for my passport because they knew many Nigerians usually entered their country through illegal means, and I didn’t have one (passport). I was not the only person who was arrested; there were many, but I was the first one that the police took. Was your arrest and imprisonment immigration-related, or were you accused of a specific offence? I was arrested because I was seen without a passport. We spent four days inside that station before we were shifted to another station, where we spent three days before they took us to a prison in Tripoli. I was arrested on November 26th, 2024. Sometimes it’s not because of a passport that Nigerians get arrested. Some people had their passports but still got arrested and deported. The policemen would tear their passports and would say they didn’t want Nigerians in their country anymore. While you were in prison, did you try to reach out to your agent so he could bail you out? There was no phone in the prison for us to use. But if they came to bail some people out, we normally wrote out numbers for them so they could help call our agents and tell them where we were so we could be freed. But I didn’t see any help, and my agent didn’t come looking for me. I’m sure my boss would have called him and told him I was nowhere to be found, but he did not come looking for me, although he claimed that he came looking for me, and did not see me because there were too many people in the prison cell. Can you describe the prison conditions and how you were treated? The conditions were terrible, and we were treated poorly. There was no food, no water, nothing. We had our morning meal around 4 pm and had dinner past 11 at night. They were giving us small bread and rice. What we were being fed was so small that it would not be enough for a child. The halls were extremely overcrowded; there were about 1,000 inmates in the first hall and around 400 to 500 in the second. The cells for men and women were different. There were pregnant women, elderly women, and even children who had been born inside the cells. They didn’t attend to the pregnant women especially, but if the situation got worse, we would knock on the gate, then the police would open the door and they would carry them out to a hospital. They didn’t attend to sick people unless the situation was critical. Some people were dying there, a little boy of four years old also died. How long were you in prison for? I spent more than four months in prison before I was deported to Nigeria. Was there any time while working in the Arab house that you regretted travelling to Libya?  I even regretted my decision to travel through the desert before I got to Libya. Why do you think many young Nigerian ladies like to travel to Libya to go to work? Some agents normally lie to people that there is money in Libya and it is possible to earn N400,000, N500,000 or N600,000 within a month. But the truth is that if the money is converted to Nigerian currency, it’s just about N200,000 or N250,000 in one month, and that money will be collected by the agent until you are done paying. Were you given any legal representation, or were you able to communicate with Nigerian authorities while in prison? I was not given a lawyer, and we were not allowed to communicate with the Nigerian embassy. The Nigerian embassy comes to the prison and asks us if we want to go back to Nigeria. Some people even said they still wanted freedom to go back to Libya, because they can’t go to Nigeria without anything. So some people spent up to a year, two years and more. The Nigerian embassy does not bring medical supplies, food, clothes and other things when they visit the prison, it’s only the International Organisations for Migration that brings some things like sanitary pads, soaps and small towels for us. Did you register for deportation and when were you deported back to Nigeria?  Yes, I registered for deportation, and I was deported on the 18th of March, 2025. We registered for deportation in November last year, but our terms and conditions were not out yet. We re-registered on February 19th this year, and the terms and conditions became available on March 12. I was released from prison on March 18, 2025; the same day we were brought back to Nigeria. We arrived at the airport in Lagos. We were over 150 who were deported to Nigeria that day. Sometimes, people are deported back to Nigeria twice in a month. Some representatives of the Federal Government came to meet us in Lagos, and they gave us food, the kind of food we had not eaten in months. We ate jollof rice and chicken. Did the Federal Government assist or empower you in any way?  Yes. After we arrived at the airport and we were welcomed, a vehicle conveyed us to a camp in Ikeja. A seminar was held to re-orientate us. We spent about four to five days in the camp. They also promised to assist us with a start-up business after three months of our arrival. Did they start up any business for you?  Some people have got paid. The IOM has called me about the business I want to start. They called me in the first week of this month. What do you think the government should do to stop our ladies and men from travelling to this country to do dirty work?  I know the government is trying, but I know it would be difficult to block the Kano road that leads to Niger Republic because many people are travelling through deadly means to that terrible country called Libya. If allowed to travel legally to Libya, will you take it?  I cannot allow the rat in my family to travel to that country again. It’s a terrible place for any Nigerian. What lessons have you learnt from your experience in Libya?  I learnt a lot of lessons. I know that Nigeria is good but our leaders are bad. In Libya, there is no freedom; no freedom of expression, no freedom of movement. You can’t live the way you like; you can’t go out of your house without looking out for the police. What message will you give to other young women who are considering travelling to Libya through the desert?  They should never give up on what they have here. It may not be easy, but it is not better in Libya. They should stay in their country. For anybody who would like to support you now, what would you want them to do for you?  I would love them to support me in business. I want to sell food, or if possible, sell first-grade secondhand clothes. At least I would be able to take care of my children. Do you believe Nigeria is doing enough to sensitise and educate people who have been victims of irregular migration and human trafficking?  Not at all. I believe they should organise more awareness campaigns to educate people about the dangers of travelling to these country and the risks associated with illegal migration. How have you been coping with the trauma and terrible experience since you came back? It has not been easy; it has been the grace of God that has been keeping me since I returned.

In this second part, GODFREY GEORGE digs into the facts: sobering statistics, abandoned policies, delayed reforms, and the staggering gap between public infrastructure and private alternatives. With Nigeria losing up to several lives daily and response time in Lagos far below global standards, to treatable emergencies, the stakes could not be higher WHO guidelines In May 2019, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution unanimously recognising the critical role that emergency care systems play in preventing death and disability from acute illnesses and injuries. While many low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, acknowledge the importance of emergency care, they continue to face significant challenges in developing these systems. Historically, limited resources have been prioritised toward combating infectious diseases and addressing maternal and child health, often leaving emergency services underdeveloped. Universal health coverage, which ensures access to quality healthcare services without financial hardship, remains a key objective for countries looking to strengthen their emergency care systems. Yet, Nigeria’s health system has long struggled to meet the needs of its growing population, despite improvements in economic indicators. Between 2000 and 2019, Nigeria’s gross domestic product per capita rose from $568 to $2,230. However, its healthcare delivery still lags. Globally, Nigeria ranks 142nd out of 195 countries in terms of healthcare access and quality. One of the critical challenges facing the country is the mass exodus of trained healthcare professionals. Nigeria continues to experience one of the highest rates of medical brain drain in the world. The nation’s healthcare infrastructure remains inadequate. Estimates suggest that over half of all deaths in low- and middle-income countries could be prevented through effective emergency care. In Nigeria, this could mean saving up to one million lives each year, about 3,000 lives daily. Despite this staggering potential, emergency departments in the country are often run by providers without any formal training in emergency medicine, as there are currently no nationally recognised postgraduate programmes in the specialty. Roughly 10 to 15 per cent of Nigeria’s 1.6 million annual deaths are believed to occur within emergency departments. Lagos is one of the few states that has a public ambulance transport system, but many stakeholders have said some of the vehicles are not functional. Even when ambulances are operational, navigating the city’s traffic-choked roads poses a major obstacle to timely emergency response. While healthcare professionals have written extensively about the shortcomings of the Nigerian emergency care system and proposed possible solutions, these perspectives rarely include the views of the general public. The experts have averred that incorporating feedback from the wider community may offer a more inclusive and effective approach, enabling policymakers to develop emergency care solutions that align with the needs, values, and expectations of the people they serve.  ‘LASAMBUS saved my life’ The day Ifeoma lost her newborn, she also found something extraordinary. Not in the bleak hospital corridors of the Nigerian Air Force Base in Lagos, where panic had overwhelmed the medical team, nor in the lifeless stillness of the neonatal ward. She found it in the blare of sirens and the sudden rush of breath that arrived just in time, but perhaps not early enough. They saved my life,” she says now, her voice even but weighted. “I had been in labour for hours, and it was not progressing. The baby was becoming distressed and had passed out meconium, which is the first faeces produced by a newborn. There was a need for an emergency caesarean section, but I was told the surgeon was not available. I was already placed on oxygen, and a referral was needed. Sadly, the Air Force Base hospital didn’t have an ambulance equipped with oxygen to take me to another advanced facility. I was crashing. The baby was fading fast.” Ifeoma, a media expert who has reported health for years, recalls placing one desperate call. Within five minutes, the Lagos State Ambulance Services, known popularly as LASAMBUS, had arrived. “I remember the blue and white ambulance, gleaming even in the haze of my panic. They came with everything – oxygen, monitors and trained personnel. They stabilised me. They drove me to Isolo General Hospital. They didn’t just save me. They stayed. They waited. They made sure I was alright.” Her baby didn’t make it. But LASAMBUS did. A system that worked In its heyday, Lagos State Ambulance Services was a model of public health responsiveness. First introduced during the tenure of then-Governor Babatunde Fashola and strengthened under his successor Akinwunmi Ambode, LASAMBUS was more than just a fleet of emergency vehicles; it was a lifeline. Strategically stationed across the state and seamlessly integrated with LASEMA, the service represented a rare feat: a state healthcare infrastructure that worked. “When you saw LASEMA, you saw LASAMBUS,” says Ifeoma. “There was no delay. There was coordination. In road accidents, in childbirth emergencies, in critical trauma cases, they were there. You’d barely call before hearing the siren.” And for a time, it made a tangible difference. Stakeholders in Lagos health circles frequently pointed to the system as an example of life-saving governance. Ambulances were fitted with oxygen tanks, defibrillators, trained medics, and real-time response mechanisms. “There were zero deaths at scenes where LASAMBUS intervened promptly,” Ifeoma insists. Where did it all go wrong? Today, that legacy is in tatters. Reports of long delays, missing ambulances, and near-absent emergency care have become common. During one recent major emergency (details withheld for privacy), an ambulance reportedly took over 45 minutes to arrive at the scene. In a state as dense, chaotic, and incident-prone as Lagos, those minutes often mean the difference between life and death. What happened? “Maintenance died. Priorities shifted. Square pegs found their way into round holes,” says Ifeoma bitterly. “When those who don’t understand emergency health are put in charge of emergency health, this is what you get,” Ifeoma said gloomily. She points to a larger pattern across the state’s healthcare infrastructure: grand policy announcements followed by poor execution, procurement-driven governance that prioritises new assets over sustaining the old, and a lack of accountability for failures. “An ambulance isn’t just a vehicle. It’s a mobile ICU. It needs fuel. Servicing. Skilled paramedics. If you treat it like a bus, it becomes a bus.” Not just broken, forgotten In several parts of Lagos that once had stationed ambulances, including Ojota, Surulere, Epe, and densely populated areas like Mushin and Alimosho, many LASAMBUS outposts have reportedly become inactive or abandoned. The sight of a siren-sounding, oxygen-fitted rescue vehicle has become rare. And with its disappearance, Lagosians have reverted to private alternatives or, worse, improvised solutions. “People now carry accident victims in Keke NAPEPs. In wheelbarrows. On bikes,” Ifeoma says, her voice thickening. “All this, in 2025, in the same Lagos that once had one of the most responsive ambulance systems in the country.” Call for inquiry, demand for reform Health experts are calling for an independent audit into the current state of LASAMBUS. How many ambulances are functional? How many are parked and abandoned? Who is responsible for oversight? What happened to the collaboration with LASEMA? “We don’t need new press releases. We need working engines. We need trust rebuilt,” noted a medical practitioner at the state’s teaching hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media. In 2022, the Lagos State government, in a public statement published on its website, said the growing demands of urbanisation and industrialisation have made it intensify efforts to improve emergency medical response through two key services: the Lagos State Emergency Medical Services (known as LASEMS) and LASAMBUS. Originally inherited as a base hospital system, LASEMS has been strengthened to support in-hospital care, while LASAMBUS, established in March 2001, provides crucial pre-hospital emergency response across the state. Both services, according to the report, should operate round-the-clock and have been instrumental in improving emergency response times, reducing preventable deaths, and enhancing the quality of trauma and medical care in the state. LASAMBUS response time below global standards A 2020 study revealed an average response time of 17 minutes, ranging from seven to 60 minutes, which experts have said was too lengthy relative to global standards. Factors contributing to delays include traffic congestion (60 per cent), poor incident descriptions (18 per cent), and distance (seven per cent), according to BioMed Central, a public health repository. In 2019, for instance, LASAMBUS only responded to 37.1 per cent of road traffic accident calls, hindered by poor infrastructure, unfitted vehicles, and dispatch coordination issues. A performance evaluation of LASAMBUS in 2019 concluded that response rates to RTAs between December 2019 and May 2018 were significantly lower when compared to global standards. The evaluators had to sift through many illegible forms to make several conclusions. The most jarring of these was that the most common outcomes for RTA calls to LASAMBUS were ‘Crash Already Addressed’ and ‘Did Not Respond’. Some of the reasons cited for ‘Crash Already Addressed’ were ‘Unknown’ (81.9 per cent), ‘Responded to by Police’ (3.1 per cent), ‘Self-Evacuated’ (2.7 per cent) and ‘Attended to by LASEMA or LRU’ (Lagos State Emergency Management Agency or LASEMA Response Unit). Other reasons for not responding included ‘no fuel’, ‘no ambulance available’ and ‘found RTA victim already died’. The causes of the delays that led to the aforementioned outcomes reflect familiar concerns often voiced by Lagosians, including uncertainty about who to call during emergencies, poor road conditions, traffic congestion, long distances, and faulty ambulances,  all of which were cited by LASAMBUS staff. It is no wonder that the mortality rate from RTAs in Nigeria is significantly high. Every year, there are approximately 20.6 deaths per 100,000 people in Nigeria due to RTAs; this is in comparison to 10.8 deaths per 100,000 people in the UK and 2.9 deaths per 100,000 people in the US. Sadly, most people in the country only rely on ambulance services to transport corpses to morgues, or during epidemics, to transport patients to isolation or care centres. A former Deputy Head of Medical Information at Aspen Pharma Group, Dr Helen Zidon, said the wide gap in pre-hospital emergency resources in the country is being filled by privately owned ambulance services, such as Critical Rescue International in Ikeja, 0700 Ambulance Services in Lekki, Ambulance Nigeria in Victoria Island and Braingrace Medical Services in Surulere, among others. She said, “In that same year, 2019, the Nigerian Communications Commission recently announced that they would be undertaking the task of facilitating the development of Emergency Communications Centres in all 36 states. “The plan was to ensure that all telecom operators are mandated to route emergency calls through the dedicated three-digit toll-free number, 112, from each state to the emergency centre within that state. “The state operators will then process the distress call and contact the relevant Emergency Response Agency (e.g. Fire Service, Police, FRSC, Ambulance, etc.) whose primary duty is to handle the case.” Not sure what happened to this move, but not much has been heard about it since then. What to do during emergencies in Lagos Lagos remains the only Nigerian state with a functional emergency medical service that includes a Public Safety Answering Point, placing it ahead of other states in terms of formal emergency response infrastructure. Despite this relative advantage, the city’s emergency response times still fall below global standards. In Abuja, this figure extends to 60 minutes. Across the country, only 12 per cent of emergency calls receive timely responses. In contrast, some private and non-governmental emergency medical systems in Nigeria demonstrate better performance. Eight Medical, a private first responder service, boasts an average response time of 10 minutes, having responded to over 15,000 calls and reportedly saved 8,000 lives. However, it continues to face challenges, including attacks in semi-urban areas. Flying Doctors Nigeria offers air ambulance services with a fleet of 20 aircraft and 47 staff. The service caters primarily to clients who can afford its premium offerings. Additionally, organisations like Trauma Care International Foundation and LFR International have stepped in to bridge the response gap through training. These groups have trained over 350 paramedics in Lagos and more than 1,000 Federal Road Safety Corps personnel nationwide, aiming to improve first response across critical locations. While progress has been made, these figures underscore the urgent need for expanded, equitable, and better-coordinated emergency care systems across Nigeria. During emergencies, residents are advised to please call the toll-free emergency hotline at 112 for all police vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, etc services. Lagos govt mute Efforts to contact the Lagos State Ministry of Health proved futile, as calls to the spokesperson, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, rang out. Text and WhatsApp messages were also not responded to. An email sent to the ministry’s official address ([email protected]) at 6:52 am on Wednesday, June 9, 2025, had yet to be replied to as of press time on Friday. Similarly, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, did not respond to calls, text messages, or WhatsApp messages. Efforts to reach the Director of LASAMBUS, Mrs Wuruola Makinde, were also unsuccessful.   New ambulances unveiled In what appears to be an official acknowledgement of the state’s declining emergency response capacity, the Lagos State Government, on Friday, unveiled 10 new pre-fabricated ambulance points under the LASAMBUS scheme. The move, according to the government, is seen as a corrective step to boost the state’s struggling pre-hospital care system, which has faced mounting criticism over delayed response times and deteriorating infrastructure. Unveiled by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, the newly established ambulance bases are located in Agege, Agbowa, Masha (Surulere), Badagry, Mile 2, Epe, Shomolu, Igando, Iba, and Ibeju-Lekki, areas previously identified as underserved. At a commissioning ceremony held at the Agege LASAMBUS Point, Ogunyemi admitted the need to “significantly improve” emergency healthcare access in Lagos, noting that the development aligns with the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s THEMES+ agenda. “These new ambulance points represent not just infrastructure, but renewed hope and access to lifesaving care,” she said, adding that situating the units closer to communities will help reduce response times in critical situations. Also in attendance were top officials from the Ministry of Health, including Permanent Secretary Dr Olusegun Ogboye, and representatives from the contractor, Hamibra Integrated Nigeria Ltd. Observers say the government’s actions signal a tacit recognition of previous lapses in emergency medical delivery, and an attempt to restore public confidence in LASAMBUS.

Opposition parties in Lagos State have rejected the conduct of the local government elections held on Saturday, alleging widespread irregularities, voter suppression, and ballot box stuffing. This is even as a former deputy governor of the state, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, called for the cancellation of the election over alleged irregularities. Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the Secretary of the Labour Party in the state, Sam Okpala, described the exercise as a “complete sham,” claiming that elections did not take place in many polling units across the state. “As far as the Labour Party in Lagos State is concerned, there was no election today (Saturday). The level of malpractices we witnessed today is unprecedented in the history of elections in Nigeria,” he said. According to him, in several polling units, officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission were absent, while in others, the process was marred by gross misconduct. “Where there is a semblance of voting, it’s all about ballot box stuffing and LASIEC staff coming with already thumb-printed ballot papers. The ruling party chieftains also came with thumb-printed ballot papers and stuffed them in the boxes,” he added. Okpala further alleged that LP supporters and agents were prevented from participating in the voting process, with many barred from entering polling units. Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Tai Benedict, accused the ruling APC of manipulating the election process in an attempt to paint a false picture of popularity. “What the APC did today is not new; we knew this was going to happen because even before the election, they were everywhere trying to force Lagosians to love and accept them. “We won’t be surprised if the total number of votes recorded for the APC at the end of the day is more than the total votes that Tinubu scored in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election. We know they will manipulate the outcome,” he said. Benedict also alleged that already thumb-printed ballot papers were stuffed into ballot boxes in several polling units, noting that the PDP was not expecting the results to reflect the will of the people. “They want to use this election to lie to people that their party is widely accepted by Nigerians. But the outcome will not be the true reflection of the people’s choice,” he stated. The Chairman of the Social Democratic Party in the state, Femi Olaniyi, on his part, accused the electoral body of deliberately omitting the party’s name and logo from the ballot papers, thereby shutting the party out of the election. He vowed that the party would challenge the outcome of the election in court. Olaniyi said, “There was no election in Lagos State today because the ballot paper carried APC and PDP, which we know is dead in Lagos State. And some in Badagry carried APC, PDP and Zenith Labour Party. No other political party. So, there was no election. This is daylight robbery. It is selection and not an election. We are going to address it and take the matter to any court of jurisdiction to address it.” Speaking in an interview with Nigeria Info on Saturday, Bucknor-Akerele expressed frustration over her inability to vote at her polling unit. “I have been to my own unit; my name is not there,” she said, adding that several units had been moved without prior notice. “There are units meant to be in front of Eko Hotel & Suites, but they’ve been moved here to Ajose Adeogun,” she said. The former deputy governor claimed that the relocation of polling units and the missing names were part of a larger plan to rig the election. Bucknor-Akerele urged LASIEC to cancel the election, citing disenfranchisement and widespread logistical failures. APC confident of victory Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Seye Oladejo, has expressed confidence that the party will win all chairmanship and councillorship seats in the state. Oladejo, who spoke with journalists in Agege, said the expected victory was based on the party’s performance at various levels of government. He said there was no alternative to the party in the state, adding that the opposition was almost non-existent. “There is no doubt about APC’s victory, but the question is how massive the voting is. This local government election is a preparation for the 2027 election. “So, we are confident that we will win all 57 local governments because the APC is the party of choice. “Apart from this, there is no alternative to the APC in Lagos, based on our performance at various levels, the local governments, state, and federal government.” Late arrival of materials, officials The election recorded voter apathy, late arrival of voting materials, and electoral officials in many parts of the state. According to LASIEC announcements, voter accreditation was expected to commence as early as 8:00 a.m. across the polling units, with voting to begin shortly after. But voting started late in some polling units in Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Eti-Osa LG, Ikoyi/Obalende LG, Iba LCDA, Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, and Ojodu LCDA, visited by our correspondents, as LASIEC officials arrived late with voting materials. Some voters, who spoke with our correspondents, lamented that they arrived at their polling units as early as 7:30 a.m. but were forced to wait for hours due to the late arrival of officials and materials. They expressed frustration over the poor logistics and called on LASIEC to improve the conduct of subsequent elections. As of 9:45 a.m., dozens of security personnel and electoral officials were seen stranded at the Ikosi-Isheri LCDA secretariat, awaiting their deployment. Our correspondent observed that the officials, some of whom had arrived since Friday night, were visibly frustrated by the logistical arrangements. “I slept out here on Friday night, and till now, they have yet to allocate us. It is frustrating,” one of the officials, who declined to be named, told our reporter. Electoral officials were absent at some polling units at the Awolowo Road area of Ikoyi as of 8:51 a.m. when our correspondent visited. Sunday PUNCH observed that many of the polling units were deserted, save for a handful of patient voters awaiting the election officers. Specifically, at Polling Unit 29 near the Federal Service Club, only a single party agent was present, also awaiting LASIEC officials. As of 10:43 a.m., both electoral officials and voters were seen waiting for electoral materials in several polling units in Iba LCDA, Ojo. The affected polling units include 012, 014, 033, and 044. A voter, who declined to mention his name, told our correspondent, “We have been here for some time. The election should have started by now, so we can go back home.” The situation was the same at some polling units in Ketu-Agboyi LCDA, as voters were left stranded while awaiting the arrival of electoral officials and voting materials. Electoral officials were also absent at Polling Units 061 and 008 in Ojodu LG as of 11 a.m., when our correspondent visited. A voter, Mrs Muinat Adejobi, said, “We have been here since 7 a.m. What is delaying them (electoral officials)? When are we going to start accreditation if by 11 a.m. we haven’t started?” Meanwhile, officials of LASIEC deployed to conduct the election in the Abule Egba and Meiran areas of Alimosho LG, blamed logistics errors for their late arrival, which delayed voting in no fewer than 15 polling units. In separate interviews with our correspondent, some LASIEC officials attributed their late arrival to the wrong sorting of materials, deployment to incorrect polling units, and fuel shortages, among other logistical lapses. “We were at the local government office on time to sort out the election materials, but the directions given to us weren’t clear. So, we had to call the office again to get a clearer description of our polling units. That’s why we got here late,” said the Presiding Officer at Polling Unit 039 at Meiran Bus Stop, Grace Tolape. Voters’ apathy Despite a public appeal by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Friday urging residents to actively participate in the election, voter turnout remained low across several parts of the state. Our correspondents who monitored the situation across the metropolis reported that many polling units were largely deserted, with only a handful of voters seen waiting for the arrival of electoral officers. In Obalende, several youths were spotted playing football on the roads around 9:15 a.m., prompting security personnel to intervene and dismantle makeshift barricades used as goalposts. Meanwhile, an agent of the APC, Alli Olugbenga, raised the alarm over incidents of voters demanding money before casting their ballots. Olugbenga, who was stationed at Ward C, Kosofe LG, told Sunday PUNCH that he encountered several residents who refused to go to the polling units unless they were paid. He said, “They want me to pay them before going to vote. It’s wrong. It’s their civic right. They should not sell their votes. We’ve been going from house to house, begging people to come out, but many say they won’t vote unless they are ‘settled’.” Some residents of Ikosi-Isheri expressed frustration over their inability to participate in the voting process, citing a lack of voter cards and inadequate information about the process. Our correspondent, who visited a residential compound in the area on Saturday morning, met a woman busy with her laundry, unbothered by the ongoing polls. Asked why she was not at a polling unit, she responded in Pidgin English, “I no know when dem do am, I for register.” She added that she had not received any information about the voter registration or card collection process. Her sentiments were echoed by several other residents, who said they were unaware of when registration commenced or ended. Many said they had no idea of where or how to collect their PVCs. A man who identified himself simply as “Oga Electrician” told Sunday PUNCH, “This LG election is for good to vote, but I don’t have a voter’s card. My own don loss.” Sanwo-Olu, Gbajabiamila, others hail exercise Sanwo-Olu, his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, have hailed the conduct of the elections, describing the exercise as peaceful and orderly. The governor and his wife, Ibijoke, arrived at his Ward E3, Polling Unit 006, at St. Stephen Primary School, Okepopo, Lagos Island, at around 11:06 a.m. and voted around 11:10 a.m. Speaking after casting his vote, Sanwo-Olu commended LASIEC and security agencies for what he described as a largely hitch-free process. The governor further stated that, although there were a few logistical issues, the situation showed that LASIEC had put forth its best effort to conduct the election. On his part, Gbajabiamila said local government autonomy was still being perfected for full implementation. Speaking after casting his vote at his ward, Elizabeth Fowler Memorial Primary School, Surulere, he said, “The challenge lies in execution and implementation. I believe that, in time, we will achieve full local government autonomy.” Gbajabiamila stressed that effective grassroots governance was impossible without full autonomy at the local government level. Obasa, who voted at Polling Unit 019, Ward E, on Oluwole Olaniyan Street in the Orile Agege area of the state, expressed satisfaction with the process, calling it peaceful and free of violence or irregularities. “So far, the process has been peaceful and without any form of disruption. It is good to see citizens exercising their democratic rights,” he said. Also speaking after voting at Polling Unit 002, Ward A4, in the Oke Balogun area of Epe, Hamzat expressed optimism about the election’s outcome, saying he expected his party to win by a large margin. Despite the delay, he expressed satisfaction with the process and encouraged voters to participate. EFCC moves against vote buying The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission deployed its officials to monitor the election and combat vote buying. Officials of the anti-graft agency, led by the Zonal Director, Michael Nzekwe, visited polling units across Lagos Island, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah, Ibeju-Lekki, and Epe Local Government Areas as part of the monitoring exercise. A statement by the commission on Saturday disclosed that the operation marked a significant step in reinforcing public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. “In polling units such as Bonny Camp, Banana Island, Elegushi, Gbangbala Street, Olushi Kakawa, and various locations along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, the Director ensured real-time oversight and officer compliance with EFCC’s non-interference directive,” the statement noted. Nzekwe described the election as peaceful, while reaffirming the agency’s mandate to uphold integrity in public life and reiterating its readiness to continue supporting free, fair, and financially credible elections in Nigeria.A

Opposition leaders on Saturday criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration following remarks by the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which cast serious doubt on the viability of the country’s refineries despite the billions invested in their rehabilitation. On Thursday, the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, stated that the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries might never resume operations, even after about $18bn had been spent on their turnaround. On Friday, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, echoed similar concerns, revealing that the company was now considering selling off the refineries as years of rehabilitation had failed to yield meaningful results due to the facilities’ outdated status. Ojulari made the disclosure in an interview with Bloomberg in Vienna, Austria, noting that the country had invested heavily without any tangible outcome. Reacting in separate interviews with our correspondents on Saturday, some opposition leaders tackled the Tinubu administration, demanding a thorough criminal investigation into the alleged corruption linked to the failed turnaround maintenance of the refineries. They argued that the government cannot simply move on without identifying and prosecuting those responsible for the massive losses. The leaders also accused both the current administration and its predecessor under Muhammadu Buhari of misleading Nigerians about the operational status of the refineries. While acknowledging the failure of government-led public asset management, they warned that selling the refineries without strict safeguards could lead to a repeat of the underperformance seen in the power sector after the privatisation of the electricity distribution companies. Ojulari took over from Mele Kyari as the GCEO of the NNPCL on April 2, 2025, following an appointment by President Bola Tinubu. The new NNPC helmsman’s approach brings a shift in tone from the previous leadership. In 2019, Kyari had assured Nigerians that the NNPC would deliver the country’s four refineries before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure on May 29, 2023. However, Ojulari’s comments on Thursday stood in sharp contrast to those of his predecessor. Speaking with Bloomberg at the 9th OPEC International Seminar, he revealed that a strategic review of NNPC’s refinery operations was ongoing and expected to be concluded before the end of the year. “We’re reviewing all our refinery strategies now. We hope before the end of the year, we’ll be able to conclude that review. That review may lead to us doing things slightly differently,” he said. When asked whether the review could lead to selling off the refineries, Ojulari responded, “What we’re saying is that sale is not out of the question. All the options are on the table, to be frank, but that decision will be based on the outcome of the reviews we’re doing now.” Echoing sentiments shared by Dangote, Ojulari attributed some of the setbacks to obsolete infrastructure and underperforming technologies. “We made quite a lot of investments over the last several years and brought in a lot of technologies, but we’ve been challenged. Some of those technologies have not worked as we expected so far. But also, as you know, when you’re refining a very old refinery that has been abandoned for some time, what we’re finding is that it’s becoming a little bit more complicated,” he explained.  Dangote’s cautious optimism While addressing members of the Global CEO Africa from the Lagos Business School at his Lekki refinery on Thursday, Dangote expressed pessimism over the functionality of the refineries. He doubted the possibility of the state-owned refineries working again. Dangote said the refineries under the NNPC management had gulped up to $18bn, yet they have refused to work. According to Dangote, the 650,000-capacity refinery he built after the government of late Umar Yar’adua aborted his acquisition of the government refineries now has over 50 per cent of its output dedicated to Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), saying that even government refineries committed just 22 per cent of their production to petrol. Dangote recalled how he and his team had to return the nation’s refineries to Yar’adua, a few months after former President Olusegun Obasanjo left office in 2007. According to him, the former managers of the refinery had told Yar’Adua that Obasanjo sold the facilities below their costs as a parting gift to him and his colleagues. “The refineries that we bought before, which were owned by Nigeria, were doing about 22 per cent of PMS. We bought the refineries in January 2007. Then we had to return them to the government because there was a change of government. And the Managing Director at that time convinced Yar’adua that the refineries would work. “They said they just gave them to us as a parting gift or so. And as of today, they have spent about $18bn on those refineries, and they are still not working. And I don’t think, and I doubt very much if they will work,” he said. Dangote emphasised that the turnaround maintenance of the refineries was like trying to modernise a car built 40 years ago, when technology has advanced. “(The turnaround maintenance) is like you trying to modernise a car that was built 40 years ago, when technology and everything have changed. Even if you change the engine, the body will not be able to take the shock of that new technology engine,” he stated. Dangote’s comment buttressed Obasanjo’s comments last year about the refineries, two of which were shut down again after they were declared operational by Kyari in Q4 2024.  Obasanjo’s warning Obasanjo had stated that the NNPC was aware that it could not operate the refineries, saying international oil companies like Shell once refused to run the facilities when he requested them to do so. According to Obasanjo, some Nigerians, including Dangote, once paid $750m to take over the refineries; however, his successor, Yar’adua, aborted the deal. “I ran to him (Yar’Adua), I said, ‘You know this is not right’. He said, ‘Well, NNPC said they can do it.’ I said, ‘NNPC cannot do it’. I told my successor that ‘the refineries, from what I heard and know, will not work, and when you want to sell them, you will not get anybody to buy them at $200m as scrap’. And that is the situation we are in. “So, why do we do this kind of thing to ourselves? The NNPC knew that they could not do it, but they knew they could eat and carry on with the corruption that was going on in the NNPC. When people were there to do it, they put pressure. In a civilised society, those people should be in jail,” Obasanjo had stated. Again, in January after the Tinubu administration embarked on the refineries’ fresh rehabilitation, Obasanjo said, “I was told not too long ago that since that time, more than $2bn have been squandered on the refineries and they still will not work. “If a company like Shell tells me what they told me, I will believe them. If anybody tells you now that it (the refinery) is working, why are they now with Aliko (Dangote)? And Aliko will make his refinery work; not only make it work, he will make it deliver.” Obasanjo concluded with a Yoruba proverb, comparing inflated claims about the refineries’ performance to a farmer who planted 100 heaps of yam but falsely claimed to have planted 200. “They say that after he has harvested 100 heaps of yams, he will also have 100 heaps of lies. You know what that means,” he said. Displeased with Obasanjo’s comments, former NNPC spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, issued a statement, inviting the ex-President for a tour of the facilities. Soneye boasted that the rehabilitation supervised by the Kyari-led NNPC was different from the past as it was a complete overhaul designed to meet world-class standards.  Tinubu under fire However, since taking over the leadership of NNPCL, Ojulari had delivered a contrasting verdict on the state of the refineries, sparking wide reactions from opposition leaders in the country. Following his admission that the refineries are not viable and may eventually be sold, opposition parties and other Nigerians on Saturday berated President Tinubu’s administration for the misleading claim that the refineries can work and have indeed started working. Speaking with Sunday PUNCH,  the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, accused the All Progressives Congress-led government of deceiving Nigerians over the state of the country’s refineries, saying the recent revelations about their non-viability confirm what he described as a long-standing pattern of lies and misgovernance. According to Tanko, the government’s failure to conduct due diligence before making repeated promises on the functionality of the refineries shows a deep-seated disregard for the Nigerian people. “These are parts of the pack of lies they have been telling Nigerians. Now, the lie has unveiled itself. That means you cannot trust this government or whatever they tell you,” he said. According to him, the lack of integrity in both the current and immediate past administrations is evident. “There is no truth in whatever they are doing. Moreover, integrity hasn’t been part of their governance,” Tanko added. He blamed the government for not properly assessing the true state of the refineries before making public declarations.  “That also means they did not do due diligence in the first place to know the actual status of the refinery before making pronouncements that they would ensure it is working,” he said. Tanko traced the crisis back to the Buhari administration, noting that President Tinubu’s decision to continue on the same path has only worsened the situation. “This did not begin today; it started with Buhari’s regime and ended up with them. No wonder President Tinubu said he would continue from where Buhari left. But not only have they taken off from where Buhari left, they have also taken us far worse than where he left us,” he stated. He condemned what he described as the government’s disregard for transparency and accountability. “That is the situation we have found ourselves in. It is about lies, disdain, and lack of respect for the Nigerian people,” Tanko said. Similarly, the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Mr Peter Ameh, accused both the current administration and the immediate past government of former President Muhammadu Buhari of misleading the Nigerian public. He called on the Federal Government to open a criminal investigation into the billions of dollars invested in the country’s refineries, describing the failed rehabilitation efforts as a monumental waste of public resources. “Before the APC government even talks about the sales, they must first carry out a due investigation into the corruption surrounding the huge amount of money invested in the refineries,” he said. “There was a lot of money, billions of dollars, wasted on that project. Who is going to give an account of that? Who will be held responsible?”  “I think the most important thing to do first now is to open a criminal investigation into the resources that have been channeled into the turnaround maintenance and restarting of the refineries,” he said. “And those people must be held accountable.” He also expressed displeasure over the inability of the media to educate the public on the status of the refineries while the government gave false hope. “It is an indictment of the journalists and both the current and immediate past administration of Buhari,” he said. “Journalists must be able to have basic knowledge of any information they are churning out to the public because I saw a lot of reports on social media of how journalists were taken to the refineries to give a clean bill of health that the refineries were working.” He added that Ojulari’s admission had vindicated Obasanjo. “I believe that what Obasanjo stood and clamoured for, which I have also written about, is the fact that the best option is privatisation,” he said. “The government should raise a committee that will bring all the people involved in the refinery scam to a public trial, like the Oputa Panel, so that they can tell the Nigerian people publicly how the billions of dollars were spent on the refineries and yet there is nothing working. And yet they could have the audacity and temerity to announce to Nigerians that the refineries were already working. If we don’t do this, for me, we will be emboldening corruption in this country,” he maintained. Also, former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, expressed reservations about the Federal Government’s proposed sale of Nigeria’s refineries, saying while he does not support the idea in principle, it may be the only viable option left given the country’s history of wasteful spending. In a post made on his verified X (Formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the former lawmaker said, “I don’t like the idea of selling our refineries when other countries can efficiently run their refineries; but it looks like the lesser devil is to sell them so that we don’t have to spend another $7bn to rehabilitate them.” Sani noted that efforts at turnaround maintenance in the past had proven to be economically draining with little to no results.  “Anything about rehabilitation is financially scary in this country,” he said, adding that he feared the proposed sale could replicate the failures recorded in Nigeria’s electricity sector. “I also hope the refineries will not go the way of the Discos,” he warned. Also speaking with Sunday PUNCH, political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, said, “I said it so many times, but because they wanted to spend the money, they said they could repair it. Anyone who understands how such things are run will know that such things will be a waste. It was obvious. It should have been sold a long time ago if they listened.” On his part, the National Secretary of the Social Democratic Party, Dr Olu Agunloye, said the NNPC MD deserves credit for saying the truth. “At least they came out to say the truth. They now need to do what they need to do. Stop the corruption and get to work.” Agunloye said it was a mistake to reverse Obasanjo’s sale of the refineries. “Remember, former President Obasanjo said he wanted to sell the refinery. So, it is what we have known all along. So we expect them to do the next level. If a single man can build a refinery, why can’t the government build one? “There are people who can handle it, but they must not do to them what they did to Dangote.” A member of the House of Representatives, Henry Okojie, also declared that state-owned petroleum refineries in Port-Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna are critical national assets and, as such, Nigerians have a say on whether to sell or retain them. The Edo-born lawmaker, who doubles as the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream),  said his committee would speak on behalf of millions of Nigerians on the fate of the refineries, at the appropriate time. He said, “We represent millions of Nigerians who own these refineries. This is not to fault the NNPCL boss or the highly respected Alhaji Dangote. As the committee overseeing the oil company, it is our duty to advise the Federal Government in the best interest of Nigerians. “If the committee finds out that the money being spent on the maintenance of the refineries is money not well spent, we will make our position known. At the same time, it is rather too hasty to say that the refineries would be sold.” Further expressing concerns, Okojie added, “Just a few months ago, Nigerians were elated when they were told that the Port Harcourt refinery had resumed full operation. Kaduna and Warri were to follow suit. What then has happened that we are now being told that the refineries could be sold?” he asked. On what the committee would do in the weeks ahead following the comments made by Ojulari and Dangote, the federal lawmaker said a comprehensive investigation is underway to unmask possible fraud in the system. “The committee will carry out a holistic and forensic investigation to unravel all irregularities and fraud,” he pledged. He also assured the readiness of his committee to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to unravel the true state of the refineries in the public interest. “We will work with experts on the way forward. We will visit the refineries and see things for ourselves. One thing is clear, we cannot encourage the Federal Government to continue to pump money into a project that is not economically viable. At the same time, we will not permit anyone to sabotage efforts to get these refineries to work for the nation. This is all I can say for now,” he added. The PUNCH reports that the Federal Government has consistently expended resources on the refineries, which went moribund many years ago. It was gathered that $1.4bn was approved for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery in 2021; $897m was earmarked for Warri, and $586m for Kaduna refineries. N100bn was reportedly spent on refinery rehabilitation in 2021, with N8.33bn monthly expenditure. $396.33m was spent on Turnaround Maintenance between 2013 and 2017. Despite all the financial allocations, the refineries remain unproductive at the moment.