Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has reflected on a time when Nigeria boasted a vibrant National Assembly, capable of overriding presidential vetoes on important bills.

Jonathan made these remarks on Wednesday evening at the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards Dinner, organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

Honoured with the Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award, Jonathan recalled his eagerness to sign the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Bill into law. He noted that the bill, sponsored by Senator Lee Maeba of Rivers State and others, was a product of a truly dynamic legislature.

“When I was acting President in 2010, and the National Assembly presented the bill, I promptly signed it and we quickly established a monitoring body. Someone like Lee Maeba, the bill’s originator, and his group also deserve recognition. That was a period when the National Assembly truly lived up to its name,” Jonathan said.

He further highlighted the Assembly’s assertiveness, recalling how it passed the Niger Delta Development Commission bill into law despite President Obasanjo’s reluctance to sign it.

“In 2000, the NDDC bill was also vetoed by the National Assembly. They overrode President Obasanjo’s refusal. Typically, in other countries, it is the President who vetoes bills.

“But in Nigeria, during the law-making process, it is the National Assembly that can exercise the veto. If the President does not assent to a bill within 30 days, the National Assembly can reconvene and, with a two-thirds majority calculated by headcount, not voice vote—enact the bill into law.


“That is how the NDDC Act came into being, thanks to a truly vibrant National Assembly.

“I would like to use this opportunity to commend Lee Maeba and his team,” Jonathan concluded

Ikeja, Lagos Island, and Lekki have emerged as the top three crime hotspots in Lagos State, according to data from the Lagos State Criminal Information System (LCIS).

This was disclosed by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), during a ministerial press briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

“Between January 2024 and May 2025, the top three crime locations in Lagos State were Ikeja, Lagos Island, and Lekki,” Pedro stated, citing recent LCIS statistics.

He noted that the data underscored growing concerns about public safety and the concentration of criminal activity in key urban centres of the state.

The Attorney-General revealed that from 2018 to May 2025, the LCIS recorded a total of 74,962 cases and inmates across Lagos.

He lamented the burden placed on the state’s correctional facilities, disclosing that they are currently operating at 106 per cent above their intended capacity.

“As of May 2025, the combined inmate population stood at 9,096,” he said, adding that this figure “far exceeds the infrastructure’s built capacity.”

Describing the LCIS as a transformative initiative, Pedro explained that the system was designed to streamline justice delivery and enhance transparency within the criminal justice process.

“It serves as a digital repository of all criminal cases pending in Magistrate and High Courts where defendants are in custody or on bail. It also includes biometric data, personal information, and offence records,” he explained.

The data showed that between January 2024 and May 2025 alone, over 10,000 suspects and cases were processed through the system, with 64 per cent of convictions secured via plea bargains.

The data further showed that a significant proportion of suspects originated from Ogun and Oyo States, outnumbering those from other parts of Nigeria.

On social disorder-related issues, the Directorate of Citizen Rights received 6,601 petitions during the review period.

Out of these, 4,443 cases were successfully resolved, 1,882 remain unresolved, while 285 were referred to other relevant government agencies.

Pedro also highlighted the Ministry’s interventions in supporting victims financially.

“A total of ₦7.3 million was recovered on behalf of petitioners, with ₦3 million awarded through court rulings,” he said.



Domestic, Sexual Violence

Turning to domestic and sexual violence cases, the Attorney-General disclosed that 213 cases of child neglect were handled, alongside 272 cases of child physical abuse and 147 cases of child sexual abuse.

Additionally, 57 children were rescued from abusive environments and placed in private and government shelters through the collaboration of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

As part of ongoing justice sector reforms, the Ministry has launched a Public Advisory Centre to provide free legal guidance and information to Lagos residents seeking redress or navigating government services.

Pedro reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to leveraging technology and legal innovation to strengthen the state’s justice system and build public trust.

President Bola Tinubu has said that Nigeria’s increasing population needs industrial solutions that will transform it into “demographic dividends”.

Tinubu, who stated this on Wednesday at the Taraba International Investment Summit, tagged ‘Taravest,‘ in Jalingo, the state capital.

The President, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said the country cannot live on raw produce and unprocessed minerals, but needs factories to add value, clusters to drive innovation, and industrial parks to turn ideas into impact.

“We know that our growing population is a cry for an industrial solution. But above all, we need visionaries. We need those who see beyond the narrow confines of trade and into the transformative possibilities of industry.

“We need people like Aliko Dangote. We need people like Tony Elumelu. The trajectory of global growth is facing Africa, and Nigeria will make or mar that transition,” he added.

Tinubu said that with the projection that Nigeria will be the third most populous nation on earth by 2050, the increase would become a demographic disaster if not well-harnessed.

“Our population will hit 440 million people. And what are you going to do with the anticipated population bulge? We can turn the anticipated bulge into demographic dividends, or it will be the demographic disaster that will consume all of us.

“I believe we have the men, the resources, and the capabilities to transform our young population into engines of growth. The whole of Europe is aging. Even the Asian tigers are aging; China is aging,” he said.

He said that Nigeria’s could harness its young and virile population amid the global talent deficit.

The President said, “The highest we have ever earned from the process of oil was $35 billion in 2011 under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. From outsourcing alone, India generated $120 billion last year. So the opportunities abound.

“There are more English speakers in Nigeria than in India, and with all due respect, the intonation, I believe, most of the Western audiences here could get what I was talking about.

“The intonation of the Nigerian English, with all due respect, is superior to the Indian variety. Am I not right? And our proximity to Europe is an added advantage.

“So I wish to call on all of us: irrespective of differences in political affiliations, religious persuasion, tribal or sectional background, let us fuse into one, because poverty knows no ethnicity, no religion, or no tribe. Let us unite as a people.”

Why Investment Summit Matters
He noted that the summit was significant because Taraba offers Nigeria a strategic contribution to the nation’s shared prosperity, more than its breathtaking mountains and other side attractions.

He said, “Each part of Nigeria is a gift to the other. Each complements the other so profoundly that the deficiency of one region is often redeemed by the sufficiency of the other.

“Our ultimate awakening as a nation begins with this realisation that no part of this country can thrive in isolation. That is why we are here; that is why this summit matters.”

Tinubu said the world was experiencing a new wave of industrial revolution, a situation he said calls for an increase in the scale of Nigeria’s productivity to reflect the magnitude of its population.

“It demands that our farmers transition from the use of horses and cutlasses to tractors and harvestors. It demands that our energy suppliers move beyond power and household to energising large-scale industries.

“Our mining sector must also evolve to meet global demands and standards. This is how we compete with the rest of the world. This is how we stay relevant,” he added.

He, however, said the reforms undertaken by the Federal Government were not arbitrary but deliberate steps to build an economy where enterprise thrives, “while the competence of investors is not a gamble but a guarantee”.

The President added, “What we seek are collaborators, partners in progress. The government is fully committed to supporting every step you take after this gathering. We are not distant observers. We are here with you, ready to provide the institutional backing to turn ideas into accomplishments.”