The Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) has called for an overhaul of the Land Use Act and National Housing Policy.
NIESV President and Chairman of Council, Victor Alonge
NIESV President and Chairman of Council, Victor Alonge, made the call on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at a news conference during the institution’s 55th annual conference in Abuja.
Alonge said the Land Use Act, in place since 1978, is outdated and needs review to expand land access and spur real estate development.
He noted land should be more accessible to all Nigerians, not just wealthy developers who often acquire vast portions of land.
“The masses struggle to access land. The Act should be reviewed, and the land administration system revisited,” he said.
Alonge also highlighted the need to revisit the National Housing Policy to tackle persistent challenges in the housing sector.
He stated that affordable housing delivery requires a multi-sector approach and deliberate policymaking with input from professionals.
He observed that housing policies often lack clarity, leading to confusion in their implementation.
According to him, affordable housing and social housing are frequently misunderstood as being the same.
He said many so-called affordable homes remain unaffordable for low-income earners.
“There is poor understanding and weak policy design around affordable housing. Nigeria lacks a proper social housing system,” he said.
Alonge explained that social housing typically serves workers like nurses and teachers, providing homes in central or high-value locations.
He said other countries offer city-centre homes to key workers through targeted policies, allowing them to live among the affluent.
Alonge also backed punitive taxation on vacant properties to compel owners to rent or occupy them.
“In advanced economies, empty homes are heavily taxed to discourage leaving them unused.
“If faced with high taxes on an empty house, owners would likely reconsider keeping it vacant,” Alonge added.
An inclusive educator, Dr Akhere Aghedo-Akran, has called on teachers to approach teaching and learning with commitment in order to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 in the education sector.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Aghedo-Akran, who made this call during an interview on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Lagos, submitted that genuine inclusion in education demands more than token efforts, saying that SDG 4 focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
She advocated a shift from competition to collaboration in schools, noting that a hyper-competitive environment undermined students’ mental health and fosters unhealthy rivalry.
The educator noted: “Inclusion is neither a favour nor an afterthought, but rather a right for every learner and a shared responsibility among all educators and stakeholders.
“When we choose justice over charity in our schools, we affirm the dignity of every child and lay the foundation for a more equitable society,” she said.
“Let us shift our thinking, seeing inclusion not as charity, but as justice. Every child deserves a space at the table and equitable access to educational content.”
Aghedo-Akran urged educators to ensure that every child was not only physically present in the classroom but also actively engaged, participating in lessons, forming friendships, and gaining the confidence to tackle life’s challenges.
“SDG 4 should not be a footnote in our school calendar; it must be the heartbeat of our collective mission. We no longer have the luxury of merely talking about equity in education, we must live it,” she noted.
Aghedo-Akran also called on school administrators, teachers, and support staff to work collaboratively to modify the learning environment, including timetables, teaching methods, assessments, and classroom layouts, to ensure full participation of all students, regardless of ability.
“We must guide every decision, from how we welcome children to how we structure each lesson. It’s time to go beyond warm words and lofty promises, we must work the talk,” she said.
“When competition becomes the sole measure of success, mental health is sacrificed on the altar of grades and trophies. Instead, let us celebrate the pupil who helps a classmate, the group that solves a problem together, and the peer who comforts someone in distress,” she said.
According to Aghedo-Akran, social integration skills and problem-solving abilities are just as vital as exam scores. She stressed the importance of recognising each child’s unique strengths, whether in storytelling, artistic expression, or logical reasoning, and designing lessons that allow them to thrive.
“Inclusion flourishes when we acknowledge and build on the unique gifts each child brings to the classroom. Our role as educators and parents is to nurture potential, not to fit every child into the same standardised mould,” she added.
Aghedo-Akran also called for policy reforms and institutional support, including regular professional development for teachers in inclusive pedagogy.
She also called for greater collaboration with special-needs experts to integrate differentiated teaching strategies, visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic, into daily instruction.
“Parental involvement must go beyond signing homework diaries. It includes understanding each child’s strengths, communicating regularly with teachers, and ensuring that Individualised Education Plans (IEPs) are more than just paperwork,” she said.
She concluded by calling on policymakers and planners to embed inclusion in school funding formulas, curriculum design, and teacher training standards.
“SDG 4 demands measurable targets—such as a percentage of classrooms equipped for learners with disabilities, quotas for special-needs specialists in every district, and annual audits of school climate and accessibility,” Aghedo-Akran said.
The Government of Tanzania, through the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA), is preparing to auction 26 oil and gas exploration blocks in November 2025 in London. This marks the country’s fifth licensing round and is part of a broader effort to attract foreign investment and expand exploration activities in both offshore and inland basins.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is hosting the Africa Technology Conference
The blocks include 23 located in the Indian Ocean and three in Lake Tanganyika – regions with promising geological structures that mirror nearby countries where substantial hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered.
As part of a wider regional dialogue, Charles Sangweni, the Director General and Chair of PURA, will also be a key speaker at ATC 2025 holding in Dar es Salaam from May 27 to 29, 2025. He is expected to lead discussions on the strategic importance of these exploration blocks and their potential to transform the energy landscape across East Africa.
“This licensing round is a vital step in unlocking Tanzania’s hydrocarbon potential,” said Sangweni in an earlier statement. “We are improving the investment environment, including updating our Model Production Sharing Agreement to offer globally competitive terms.”
Tanzania currently has an estimated 57.54 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas reserves, mostly located offshore. The upcoming auction is seen as a move to capitalise on these reserves to support economic development, enhance energy security, and position Tanzania as a regional energy hub.
The government is offering extensive data packages for each block – comprising seismic data, well logs and geological studies – to help investors make informed decisions.
With high-level participation from headline sponsors, PURA, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and other regional stakeholders at the Africa Technology Conference, Tanzania is positioning itself at the centrre of Africa’s evolving energy future.
São Tomé and Príncipe, represented by the National Petroleum Agency (ANP-STP), will also join ATC 2025 to present its forward-looking energy strategies and regional collaboration efforts, reinforcing the continent’s collective push toward a dynamic and sustainable energy future.
Speakers Álvaro Silva, Executive Director and Célsio Quaresma, Economic Director, will showcase São Tomé and Príncipe’s energy strategies, innovations and investment opportunities.
Their presence will elevate the conversation around Africa’s energy transformation and contribute meaningfully to shaping a sustainable future.
Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, on Tuesday, May 6, launched the 2025 Lean Season Response Plan for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in north-east Nigeria.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda
The Plan seeks $159 million for urgent nutrition, food, and health interventions and other life-saving assistance for 2 million people in most severe need in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states over the next six months.
In the BAY states, 1 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2025 – double the number in 2024. Of these children, over 600,000 are at risk of SAM over the next six months. Without access to lifesaving nutrition services, they may die.
An estimated 4.6 million people in the BAY states are also projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season starting in June – according to the Government-led Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis results released in March 2025. This marks the sixth consecutive year of severe conditions.
In his remarks at the launch of the Plan in Abuja, Minister Yilwatda emphasised the need for urgent action.
“This Plan is not just about structures and strategies. It is about a promise that no child in Borno, Adamawa, or Yobe should have to sleep hungry when the world has enough food; that no mother should lose a child to a condition we know how to treat, and that dignity must never be a casualty of conflict or poverty,” he said.
He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to leading the response, aligning it to national policies.
The BAY states are grappling with a 15-year humanitarian crisis, which has been intensified by prolonged conflict, economic instability, and climatic shocks. Significant funding cuts for humanitarian operations in 2025 have multiplied the severity of needs and limited access to much-needed lifesaving support.
The health and nutrition sectors have been particularly impacted in the BAY states, with up to 70 per cent of health services and 50 per cent of nutrition services affected. This is threatening gains in malnutrition prevention and treatment.
“Humanitarianism is under threat; solidarity is in short supply, and the lack of resources is putting millions, especially children, at risk,” the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, said.
He reiterated the critical role of Government leadership and the need for the private sector and emerging donors to support humanitarians to address the alarming needs.
Early action is critical to mitigate the worst impacts of the lean season on children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. The lean season response plan focuses on the most immediate lifesaving needs, including food assistance, emergency healthcare, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, protection, and agricultural livelihoods.
It also calls for sustained investments in locally led responses for longer-term resilience.
A fresh oil spill has been reported in the Ogboinbiri community, part of the Apoi clan in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Oil spill
The spill, which occurred on Saturday, May 3, 2025, took place near Oando’s Ogboinbiri Flow Station located in the deep swamp area of the council. Although operators of the facility could not be immediately reached for comments, reliable sources confirmed that the incident was caused by equipment failure, with a rupture occurring at the 6 o’clock position – directly beneath the pipeline.
Reacting to the development, the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) expressed concern over the recurring spills. The Deputy Director of EDEN, Comrade Alagoa Morris, noted that the latest spill marks the fourth equipment-related incident in the area between September 2024 and May 3, 2025.
Speaking in Yenagoa on Tuesday, May 6, Morris – who also serves as the Technical Assistant to the Bayelsa State Governor on Environment – decried the frequency of spills and called for urgent action.
“With regular integrity checks on facilities and timely replacement of aging pipelines, the high frequency of oil spill incidents would be drastically reduced,” he said.
Morris stressed that only the prompt recovery of spilled crude oil, comprehensive cleanup, and proper remediation of affected environments would suffice.
“The sooner these measures are implemented, the better – especially as we are approaching the rainy season,” he added.
The Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration has, in the last six years, widened the Planning Permit net with the approval of more buildings in Lagos State.
Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, briefing the press in Lagos
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Oluyinka Olumide, on Wednesday, May 7, during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Office of Physical Planning at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
He hinted that the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA), has, in the last six years, granted a total of 37,266 Approvals for various uses, including residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional, among others, adding that, in 2024 alone, LASPPPA granted Approvals for 95 Hospitals, 27 Petrol Filling Stations, 151 Shopping Malls, and 95 Schools, among others.
Olumide said that LASPPPA surpassed its pre-amnesty window record of 2,201 approvals by 6,655 as it granted a total of 8,856 approvals between May and December, 2024, while the Amnesty window was on.
The Commissioner, who was excited at the success of the Amnesty Programme, designed to allow owners and developers of existing buildings without approvals regularise their property, said that the Sanwo-Olu Administration successfully encouraged more property owners to regularise their buildings as application and Approval rate swelled during the Amnesty window that lasted for 180 days.
His words: “The amnesty window was divided into three phases, yielding impressive results: for the first phase (May-July 2024), LASPPPPA granted 2,151 approvals; the second phase (August-October 2024) witnessed a total of 6,402 applications out of which 3,570 approvals were granted; and the third phase (November-December 2024) recorded 7,210 applications and 3,135 approvals, bringing the total Amnesty Period achievements to 18,489 applications and 8,856 Approvals, respectively.”
He added that the two months that followed the Amnesty window, that is, January and February 2025, recorded a combined 1,369 approvals against 2,084 applications.
He urged property owners and developers to always seek the Planning Information service of the Ministry and guard against factors causing delays in Approval, such as non-compliance with zoning regulations, exceeding permissible limits, and deviation from Master Plan, among others.
Environment watchdog, 350Africa, has condemned the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government’s decision to open 52 new oil blocks in the Cuvette Centrale basin.
President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo of DRC
The campaigners stated that, the announcement, made during the Council of Ministers on Friday, May 2, 2025, is a direct threat to the Congo Basin’s vital ecosystems, the global climate, and the rights of communities living in and around these territories.
As a member of the “Notre Terre Sans Pétrole” coalition, 350Africa says it fully supports the coalition’s call for an immediate halt to the initiative and a full moratorium on oil and gas exploration across the country.
In 2023, a coalition of international NGOs including 350.org delivered a joint petition with over 100,000 signatures, urging the DRC Presidency to halt all new oil and gas developments in the country.
The activists describe the decision as not only a dangerous step backward in the global fight against climate change, but also an affront to the vision of the DRC as a “solution country” for climate, which the government has repeatedly promoted on the international stage.
Christian Hounkannou, Regional Organiser with 350Africa.org, said: “Oil expansion in the heart of the Congo Basin is a direct betrayal of climate justice and of communities fighting for dignity and clean, renewable energy. We cannot speak of just transition while destroying ecosystems and sidelining the voices of those most affected.
“The government’s claims of improved transparency and environmental safeguards do little to address the fundamental problem: fossil fuel expansion in one of the world’s most important carbon sinks is unacceptable. As the experience of Moanda and previous failed oil licensing rounds in 2022 and 2023 have shown, extractivism has brought pollution, conflict, and broken promises to communities – not development.
“We urge the DRC government to reverse this course and invest instead in people-centred renewable energy systems that protect forests, uphold the rights of Indigenous and local communities, and build real climate resilience. The future of Africa lies not in more oil wells, but in a just, inclusive transition to clean, renewable energy.”
The Energy and Sustainability Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum has rallied stakeholders’ support to drive laws and policies that will transform Nigeria’s energy space.
Team Lead, Sustainability and Environment working group of the committee, Princess Omeyoma Eshemitan
A statement by the Committee, which is chaired by Toma Fortune, reads: “Support us to create a more inclusive, informed and forward-moving energy and sustainability ecosystem powered by law, driven by youths and anchored in partnerships.”
The Team Lead, Sustainability and Environment working group of the committee, Princess Omeyoma Eshemitan, emphasised the Committee’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s energy sector.
Eshemitan, who is also Legal Adviser, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth-wing, said policies that will ensure sustainable human capital development among youths within the energy industry would translate to ensuring a sustainable future.
According to the lawyer, collaboration and support from other youth organisations and relevant stakeholders would enable the NBA-YLF succeed in the goal to ensure sustainable environment, as well as secure the future of young people in the sector.
“We have been obligated to drive policies as young lawyers to ensure the sustainability of youth-led businesses, sustainability of human capital development among youths within the energy sector, as well as sustainability of the environment because sustainability of the youth is sustainability of the future and the sector.
“As such, all youth-led organizations are encouraged to partner with the Nigerian Bar Young Lawyers Forum to drive transformational change through laws and policies within the energy space,” Eshemitan stressed.
The committee, which is poised to bring innovation to the sector, has already unveiled 17 Sustainable Energy Propositions (SEPs) that are expected to “bridge policy gaps, drive regulatory reforms and champion youths’ inclusiveness in governance of Nigeria’s energy and sustainability sectors.”
The SEPs which are inspired by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), include “youth inclusion in policy making; compulsory professional development; sustainable local content; youth-led climate diplomacy and international engagement; sustainable industry financing; energy and sustainability literacy for young professionals; youth-led research and innovation; just and equitable energy transition; sustainable ecosystem reform; sustainable industry compliance; host community development; environmental and social governance (ESG) reporting; technology and digital transformation; industry startups’ support; climate justice and rights advocacy; resource leadership and partnerships for the propositions.”
“The SEPs represent more than a roadmap; they are a call to action-an invitation to young legal professionals, industry stakeholders, policymakers, and regulators to collaborate in building an energy ecosystem that is innovative, legally sound, sustainable and fundamental in anchoring our advocacy to these 17 propositions.
“We reaffirm our dedication to shaping a legal and regulatory environment that not only meets present needs but safeguards the energy future for generations to come,” the statement added.
In another development, the NBA-YLF Energy and Sustainability Committee has called on youth organisations, students, civil society teams and individuals across the country to partner with it to commemorate the World Earth Day, through a nationwide tree planting campaign.
The committee is marking this year’s Day, themed “Our Planet, Our Power”, with the planting of 1,000 trees nationwide by May 2025.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that more than 30-year difference in life expectancy between the richest and the poorest countries highlights global health inequities.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo credit: AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI / Getty Images
The global health body stated this in its “World Report on Social Determinants of Health Equity” launched on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, by its Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus.
The report revealed that where one was born could be the difference between living over three decades longer than someone else from a poorer country lacking safe housing, good educational opportunities and access to decent jobs.
According to the report, people in the country with the highest life expectancy will, on average, live for 33 years more than those born in the country with the lowest life expectancy.
It further revealed that lack of safe housing, good educational opportunities and access to decent jobs could be responsible for a reduction in life expectancy in both rich and poor countries alike.
“Our world is an unequal one. Where we are born, grow, live, work and age significantly influences our health and well-being,” said Ghebreyesus.
The report found that inequities in health were closely linked to degrees of social disadvantage and levels of discrimination.
“Health follows a social gradient whereby the more deprived the area in which people live, the lower their incomes are,” the UN global health agency said.
It stated that inequities’ were exacerbated in populations that face discrimination and marginalisation, such as Indigenous Peoples, who had lower life expectancies than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
According to the report, this is the case in both high- and low-income countries.
The study was the first to be published since 2008 when the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health released its final report.
The report laid out targets for 2040 for reducing gaps between and within countries in life expectancy, childhood and maternal mortality.
It showed that these targets were likely to be missed and in spite of a scarcity of data, there was sufficient evidence to show that health inequities were often widening.
“For example, children born in poorer countries are 13 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than in wealthier countries.
“Moreover, modelling shows that the lives of nearly two million children annually could be saved by closing the gap and enhancing equity between the poorest and wealthiest sectors of the population within low- and-middle-income countries.”
Additionally, while maternal mortality declined by 40 per cent between the years 2000 and 2023, the majority of deaths, 94 per cent, still occurred in low and lower-middle-income countries.
WHO called for collective action to address economic inequality and invest in social infrastructure and universal public services.
The agency also recommended other steps, including overcoming structural discrimination and the determinants and impacts of conflicts, emergencies and forced migration.
The Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has confirmed oil leak from its facility in Ikata, Rivers State.
Oil spill at Ogboinbiri community in Bayelsa State
Renaissance Africa Energy is a consortium of five Nigerian oil and gas companies that acquired Shell’s onshore assets in Nigeria.
Its Spokesman, Mr. Michael Adande, said in a statement on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, that the company had shut crude feed into the 14-inch Okordia-Rumuekpe Pipeline.
Adande said that the move was to isolate and discontinue production into the pipeline in order to minimise potential environmental impacts.
He further said that Renaissance was working with regulators to convene a Joint Investigative Visit (JIV) to the impacted site.
JIV is a statutory probe that follows reported oil spill incidents by the operator, regulators and host communities to ascertain the cause, volume and impacts.
