With the creation of Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited, the Ondo State government and its investment partners have started the process of establishing a free trade zone and a refinery capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day.

The Ondo State Government, represented by the Ondo State Investment Promotion Agency, or ONDIPA, will collaborate with the partners—Backbone Infrastructure Limited, BINL, NEFEX Petro Line Limited, and Cooldeal Limited—through Sunshine Joint Venture Infrastructure Limited to actualize the refinery and free trade zone.

In an update on the refinery and free trade zone projects, BINL Vice President of Corporate Services Barrister Wale Adekola said that various executives from NEFEX, BINL, and Cooldeal Limited are involved in the joint venture.

According to the statement, ONDIPA leaders guided the joint venture team and consultants—including China Harbour, China Engineering, Honeywell, and UOP—to the project locations in the Ilaje region of Ondo State.

The team engaged with key stakeholders during the tour.
According to the statement, the crew made a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty (HRM), the Olugbo of the Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, before to moving on to the project locations across the waterways.

“The team was cordially welcomed by the Kabiyesi, particularly the foreign partners, including the team lead, Messrs. Egbal, JM, and Maryam, among others.” According to the release, he promised the JV team and the Ondo State Government the full support of the Kingdom and all parties engaged, including the protection of the lives and property of every group and individual involved in these projects for everyone’s benefit.

The group, which was headed by former Senate President and BINL Chairman Ken Nnamani, also paid Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa a courtesy call.

The governor notes that the development will propel Ondo’s and Nigeria’s overall industrial growth and expresses gratitude to the joint venture for choosing Ondo State as its investment location. Additionally, he promised a favorable atmosphere that will guarantee a prosperous enterprise and relationships that benefit all parties involved.

In addition to ensuring that the projects are carried out successfully, the JV team and ONDIPA reaffirmed their commitment to providing the stakeholders with all the benefits of modern social facilities, such as schools, hospitals, potable water, and settlement centers.

In the Ilaje region of Ondo State, the government plans to establish a 500,000 barrels-per-day refinery and a 1,471-hectare Sunshine Free Trade Zone.

The terrorism trial of two suspected Ansaru sect leaders, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, will begin on January 15, 2026, according to the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Judge Emeka Nwite postponed the trial, which was originally scheduled to start on Wednesday, after defense attorney B. I. Bakum informed the court that he had not received the accusations and supporting documentation from the Department of State Services (DSS), where the defendants are presently detained.

Additionally, Bakum said that his clients’ current incarceration at the DSS facility restricts their access and trial preparation, so he asked the court to compel their transfer to a penitentiary facility.

David Kaswe, an Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice and DSS attorney, disagreed with the action, arguing that the trial should go forward since prosecution witnesses were already in court.

Noting that the defense had not yet submitted such letters, Kaswe contended that the DSS follows an established system requiring written requests before counsel may access detainees.

He asked the court to order Bakum to follow DSS guidelines and include the prosecution in all future correspondence.

In a succinct decision, Justice Nwite ruled that the defense must be allowed enough time to examine the case file in order for the hearing to be fair.

The judge decided that “counsel must have adequate access to their clients and study the evidence before trial can begin” before rescheduling the start date to January 15, 2026.

In order to facilitate access, he directed the defense to write formally to the DSS and to include the prosecution in all correspondence.

Usman and Abba are charged with 32 counts that include terrorism, financing of terrorism, kidnapping, manufacturing of weapons, illegal mining, and connection to overseas terror networks.

Usman, whose real name is Abu Bara’a, admitted guilt to Count 10, an economic felony associated with illicit mining, but disputed the other 31 counts. To every charge, Abba entered a not guilty plea.

Usman was given a 15-year prison sentence in September for engaging in illicit mining and using the money he made to purchase weapons for kidnapping and terrorism.

The defendants committed several offenses between 2015 and 2024, according to the DSS, including:

bombing Niger State’s Wawa Military Camp

Training in firearms in Sudan and Mali

Making homemade explosives (IEDs)

Security personnel being abducted

financing terrorism using money obtained through illicit mining

Ansaru fighter training and operations coordination

The prosecution claims that millions of naira obtained through illicit mining were utilized to purchase weapons, ammunition, and IED components.

Between May and July of 2025, both suspects were apprehended through intelligence-led operations.

Ansaru, a Boko Haram offshoot group, has been connected to a number of high-profile incidents, such as assaults on military units and kidnappings of foreigners.

The main barrier to uploading election results in real time has been identified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC.

Speaking at the 2025 Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions in Abuja, Commission Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, stated that poor telecommunications connectivity continues to be the commission’s biggest barrier to real-time result uploads, despite significant advancements made possible by the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

The inconsistent quality of network coverage throughout Nigeria continues to impede the smooth transmission of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing page, Prof. Amupitan admitted on behalf of National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu.

Dayo Oketola, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, stated in a statement on Tuesday that although multiple voting and voter impersonation have been successfully reduced, the Commission is still facing connection issues in a number of regions of the nation.

“Achieving real-time upload of Polling Unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal remains one of the most difficult battles for transparency on Election Day, with 176,846 polling units tucked into swamps, perched on mountains, and hidden in remote communities.”

Amupitan stated, “A tool like the BVAS is only as good as the network it runs on.”

He stated that INEC would keep working with network providers and the Nigerian Communications Commission to find solutions to the problem while actively looking into other technologies to fill in the gaps.

The head of INEC insisted that the long-standing issue of identity theft during Nigerian elections has been resolved with the implementation of BVAS.

Speaking to a group of tech entrepreneurs, legislators, and representatives from civil society, he proclaimed the end of identity fraud and multiple voting.

He referred to BVAS as an impenetrable method of voter verification and called it a turning point in Nigeria’s democratic history.

“The BVAS device, which guarantees that only the legitimate, eligible voter can be accredited at the polling place, has become our first line of defense against identity fraud. Voter impersonation has essentially been eradicated from our election system with the implementation of biometric measures,” he stated.

Hon. Philip Agbese, also known as the Okanga 1 of Agila and the esteemed member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, has once again left his mark in the hearts of his people with what has been called an extraordinary display of kindness, leadership, and community spirit.
In an audacious gesture to promote agricultural growth in the community, Hon. Agbese today gave the Apa-Agila Youth Leader and the APC Ward Chairman, Hon. Ogezi Ikwebe, a brand-new RIMA tractor via Club 01 President Mr. Onmeje Okibe. For rural farmers who have long faced difficulties with mechanization, the gesture—which was part of his continuous attempts to encourage self-reliance and food productivity—has been welcomed as a turning point.

Hon. Agbese stressed at the tractor presentation that agriculture continues to be the main driver of the local economy and that providing youth and community leaders with the necessary resources is essential to ensure sustainable growth. He claims that the tractor represents an investment in Apa-Agila’s future as well as a chance for young people to embrace farming as a sustainable source of income.
The Okanga 1 also showed love to the family of the late Mr. Emmanuel Orinya, popularly known as Mata7, who was one of his devoted followers before to his passing, in a different gesture of uncommon kindness. The deceased’s family received a brand-new motorcycle from Hon. Agbese, who described it as a mark of gratitude and memory for the loyalty and sacrifices Mr. Orinya made during his lifetime.
Many persons in attendance were impressed by the moving presentation and said that Hon. Agbese’s humility, empathy, and strong sense of duty to his people were reflected in the gesture.
The Okanga 1 of Agila has undoubtedly demonstrated once more that being a leader involves more than just holding public office; it also entails changing people’s lives, mending hearts, and strengthening communities for long-term advancement.
#Okanga1OfAgila #PhilipAgbese #AgriculturalDevelopment #CommunityEmpowerment
Elder Otseme Vincent, also known as Ofu Ai’Unazi, Apa-Agila, wrote the motion.