The University of Lagos has completed a book project on the leadership qualities and governance style of Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri.

The Managing Director of the UNILAG Consult, Prof John Oyefara, who disclosed this on Thursday during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa, said the institution has also proposed a public lecture as well as endowing a Professorial Chair in the Department of Political Science in his honour.

UNILAG Consult was established in 1983 and incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act in 2013. It serves as the consultancy arm of the institution, providing research-driven, cross-sectoral technical services via access to the university’s academic expertise and facilities.

Diri’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Friday, quoted Oyefara as saying that the university had a track record of assessing the performance of various leaders in Nigeria and that the book titled “Leadership Chronicles of Governor Douye Diri” focuses on his exemplary leadership and achievements.

READ ALSO:Diri Approves Automatic Employment For UAT First Class Graduates

He said, “At the University of Lagos, we have a tradition of assessing leaders in Nigeria. We use our own templates and standards that are global to measure the leadership in Nigeria.

“We identified Your Excellency to be a leading star in Nigeria, based on leadership and governance. We decided to put together all your achievements. The purpose of our visit was to inform you about our project in three thematic areas. One, is on the publication of the book we have been able to put together about His Excellency’s achievements in the state.

“We also propose a public lecture where renowned leaders in Africa will deliver a lecture on leadership and governance to exemplify the achievements of the governor. The third one is for the Department of Political Science in the University of Lagos to see the possibility of endowing a professorial chair in the name of His Excellency.”

The Lead Editor of the project, Prof Hope Eghagha, also stated that the idea was an independent assessment of the governor’s performance in office, either in infrastructure or human capacity development, through interviews that were conducted.

READ ALSO:Diri Raises Alarm Over Alleged Threat To Peace In Bayelsa

Responding, Diri said he was pleasantly surprised by the gesture of the institution. He welcomed the idea of documenting his achievements, saying he had been nursing the idea of establishing a leadership institute to groom those with an interest in politics and political offices.

The governor said, “It is really interesting when people, without your prompting, decide to do a thing for the purpose of posterity. A lot of the time, we do not document these events and activities, as we look at them as not too important. But they are.

“I have toyed with the idea that if I had the resources, could I establish a leadership institution in Bayelsa State so that before anyone thinks of becoming a councillor, council chairman, commissioner, special adviser or even governor, he knows what he is coming to do in office?

“If you are not prepared for it, then we are bound to fail as a country and as a state. So, I have been pleasantly surprised by the University of Lagos, and I think it is a good thing. Let me also state that the success in Bayelsa is not all about me. It is actually about our team. We have a dedicated team of commissioners, special advisers, technical advisers, and everybody contributing their quota to the whole.

READ ALSO:Presidential Amnesty Programme Needs Adequate Funding, Says Bayelsa Gov, Diri

“That is why if anyone says we have done well in infrastructure, it is because down the ladder, those who have been vested with that authority have implemented our policies, projects and programmes to the best of what we expected to be.”

Diri approved the proposals from the delegation and thanked them for recognising him in the midst of others.

Serving as Bayelsa State’s helmsman since his Supreme Court-affirmed inauguration in February 2020, Diri has become noted for his inclusive leadership and development-oriented governance.

Against this backdrop, UNILAG’s decision to document Diri’s leadership style and legacy through a dedicated book, alongside a public lecture series and a named professorial chair, marks a rare scholarly honour reflecting both institutional respect for governance excellence and encouragement of lasting academic inquiry.

The Lagos State Government has commenced its maiden NEEDS Assessment Project for all public primary schools across the state.

According to a statement on Friday by the Deputy Director, Information, LASUBEB, Abe Adunola, the initiative, spearheaded by the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, was unveiled on Thursday during a stakeholders’ engagement session.

The NEEDS Assessment Project is an evidence-gathering exercise designed to identify gaps in infrastructure, teaching capacity, and learning resources in public schools. It provides government with data to plan targeted interventions and allocate resources more effectively.

According to the board, the project will cover 1,238 public primary schools, vocational centres, inclusive units, and Local Government Education Authorities.

READ ALSO:Diri Approves Automatic Employment For UAT First Class Graduates

Board member of LASUBEB, Owolabi Falana, said the exercise was a major step in strengthening the foundation of basic education in Lagos.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Project Implementation and Monitoring, Mr. Olusegun Sanwo-Olu, noted that the initiative reflected the state government’s resolve to drive education reform with data-driven interventions.

“This project is about clarity and intentionality. By understanding the realities in our schools, we are laying a solid foundation for smart planning, equitable resource allocation, and sustainable reforms. It is a bold step that will ultimately improve the quality of teaching, enhance learning outcomes, and prepare Lagos children to thrive in this fast-changing world,” he said.

LASUBEB Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Shittu, described the initiative as the first in a series of continuous exercises aimed at transforming Lagos public schools.

READ ALSO:Diri Raises Alarm Over Alleged Threat To Peace In Bayelsa

“This maiden edition of the Needs Assessment Project is only the beginning. It will be sustained as a continuous initiative to ensure our schools, teachers, and learners are never left behind,” he affirmed.

Highlighting the project’s benefits, Shittu explained that the assessment would lead to safer classrooms, improved facilities, empowered teachers, and better learning outcomes for pupils.

“The future of Lagos depends on how much we invest in our children today. This initiative gives us the clarity and direction to act decisively,” he said.

He further stressed that the project was not only about identifying gaps but also about developing practical solutions that would create conducive learning environments, improve teachers’ working conditions, and strengthen administrative capacity across schools.

READ ALSO:Tinubu, Akpabio, Abbas, Diri, Makinde, Eno, Labour Leaders, Others To Grace NUJ @70 Celebration

Shittu also commended the contributions of teachers, administrators, and Local Government Education Authorities, while emphasising collaboration with the Project Implementation and Monitoring Unit for credible data collection.

He urged teachers, parents, and community leaders to support the exercise.

“The success of this project depends on our collective effort. Together, we can build a school system that empowers our children with the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to compete globally,” he said.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of several education reforms introduced in Lagos in recent years. Through the EKOEXCEL programme launched in 2019, the state government deployed digital learning devices and retrained teachers to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes in public schools.

READ ALSO:How Someone Made Me Pay $10,000 To Marabouts To Become Governor –Diri

The state has also embarked on school rehabilitation projects, the construction of new classrooms, and the expansion of inclusive education centres to accommodate children with special needs.

Despite these efforts, public primary schools in Lagos have faced challenges of overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, and uneven access to quality teaching.

Education experts have long called for systematic assessments to guide interventions, making the NEEDS project the first coordinated attempt to collect comprehensive data for policy decisions in the state’s basic education sector.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced the creation of a dedicated Compliance Department aimed at enhancing oversight of non-prudential risks across the country’s financial system.

This new unit reflects the apex bank’s commitment to strengthening regulatory frameworks in response to evolving threats and compliance challenges.

In a circular issued to regulated financial institutions on Thursday, the CBN stated that the department was established in the first quarter of 2025 and became fully operational in the second quarter.

The move is part of broader structural reforms designed to improve regulatory efficiency, define institutional roles more clearly, and ensure focused supervision of emerging and non-traditional risks.

READ ALSO:DMO Unveils July FGN Savings Bond As CBN Offers N250bn In Treasury Bills

In recent years, the Nigerian financial sector has faced increasing pressure from global regulatory standards, technological threats, and evolving financial crimes.

Non-prudential risks—such as money laundering, cyberattacks, poor market conduct, and weak corporate governance—pose significant threats to financial stability and investor confidence.

“This structural reform forms part of the Bank’s broader efforts to consolidate and embed regulatory effectiveness within existing supervisory frameworks, clarify institutional responsibilities, and maintain focused oversight of non-prudential and emerging risks,” CBN said.

With its creation, the apex bank said the compliance department has taken over responsibilities in four key areas.

READ ALSO:Why Interest Rate Remains High – CBN

“Financial crime supervision, covering anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, counter-proliferation financing, and sanctions compliance,” CBN said.

“Market conduct supervision, including disclosure practices, complaints management, and advertising standards;

“Enterprise security supervision covering cybersecurity, data protection, and third-party risk management; and corporate governance and ESG supervision focusing on board effectiveness and oversight of environmental, social, and governance oversight,” it added.

The financial regulator further said all regulatory reports, correspondence, and related inquiries concerning the matters should be directed to the director of, compliance department, through the established communication channels.

READ ALSO:CBN Donates Motorized Fire Caddy To Federal Fire Service In Bauchi

The apex bank added that institutions will receive direct guidance on specific points of contact and submission procedures.

CBN said it looks forward to continued cooperation from all institutions to ensure a smooth transition and to uphold the highest standards of compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

The PUNCH reports that the apex bank is clamping down on PoS fraud with geo-tagging and global payment standards, aiming to make every digital transaction traceable and trustworthy.