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LSG seeks support for gas as cleaner energy
Lagos State Government on Friday urged the state residents to embrace natural gas for cleaner energy, mass job creation, boost in commerce and quantum leap in the economy. Dr Omobolaji Gaji, Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, made the call at a stakeholders’ engagement on Victoria Island, Lagos State. Gaji was represented by Dr Olasunkami Sojinu, Director of EIA, Office of Environmental Services of the ministry. The meeting, which took place at the Iru Victoria Island Local Council Development Area Hall on Muri-Okunola Street, was streamed live on Facebook. It was on the “Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Proposed Natural Gas Distribution Pipelines Project Across Four Local Governments in Lagos State”.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 71km gas pipeline is proposed to begin at Marina and terminate at Epe. Gaji said that Gaslink Nig. Ltd. was encouraging local consumption of gas; hence, its expansion through the project. He said although the pipeline laying project was a private sector initiative, the state government was involved because of EIA to be able to raise awareness for delivery of sustainable infrastructure. Gaji said that the ministry collaborated with Gaslink in hosting the meeting to ensure that all stakeholders were carried along, to address concerns and to get support for the project. He said the project was in line with the state government’s vision for use of gas, adding that the EIA was necessary in line with laid down laws and procedures. The permanent secretary said that, in the long run, the project would be beneficial to all Lagos residents; thus, the need for proper EIA to remove any threats to humans and the environment.
He advised the residents to make necessary contributions toward having a resilient and sustainable gas project. “This project is going to enhance economic activities in Lagos State, it is going to create jobs and it is going to accelerate development and boost commerce for the people of Lagos,” he said. Mrs Yetunde Tella, Project Manager, Gaslink Nig. Ltd., in her presentation, explained how the gas pipe would run through Lagos-Island, Eti-Ona, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe local governments. She demonstrated how the 71km gas pipeline would take off at Marina and terminate at a proposed airport area at Epe. Tella said that natural gas was different and safer, adding that it was lighter than air, less flammable and convenient, and not toxic. She said that the gas was safe to pass through underground pipelines. She added that safety measures were included in the project from design to construction and operations stages to avert danger, in line with statutory provisions.
Mr Uche Okpata, Head of Engineering, Gaslink Nig. Ltd., explained the standard depth requirements the firm was adopting in burying pipes to ensure public safety. He said that there was no need for the residents to nurse fear about the laying of the gas pipe. According to the engineer, the firm has pipelines crisscrossing several Lagos industries for over 20 years and has not recorded any explosions. Mr John Okoro, the company’s Head of Environmental Health, Safety and Quality, explained how gas transportation pressure was controlled underground for safety considerations. “Eighty per cent of industries in Lagos depends on our gas,” he said. The Secretary of Victoria Island and Ikoyi Residents Association, Alhaji Abdulateef Muse, said that cooking gas had various attributes that caused fear of fire outbreak in the minds of people.
He thanked the organisers for the meeting but appealed for further community engagements for more sensitisation to douse the fear. Some other stakeholders also raised concerns which were addressed. Earlier, Mr Lasisi Adedoyin, Director, EIA Unit, Environmental Assessment Department, Office of Environmental Services, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State, listed the communities through which the pipe would pass through. He urged the residents to visit their respective local governments to study the draft of the EIA and make observations.
A new technology transfer agreement between the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) and the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT) is expected to open more job opportunities, improve local skills, and expand access to advanced technology for ordinary Nigerians.
In a press statement reaching Vanguard on Friday, the MoU aims to strengthen industrial development, support local content, and create clearer pathways for Nigerians to benefit from China’s growing investments in the country.
PICTT Chairman, Dr Dahiru Mohammed, said the partnership will immediately begin coordinated programmes that support local participation in infrastructure and industrial projects.
Special Adviser to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr John Uwajumogu, said the deal will help attract high value investments that can stimulate job creation and strengthen Nigeria’s economy.
NCSP Head of International Relations, Ms Judy Melifonwu, highlighted that Nigerians stand to gain from expanded STEM scholarships, technical training, access to modern technology, and collaboration across key sectors including steel, agriculture, automobile parks, and cultural industries.
The NCSP Director-General reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to measurable results, noting that the partnership with PICTT will prioritise initiatives that deliver direct national impact.
The MoU signals a new phase of Nigeria–China cooperation focused on practical delivery, local content, and opportunities that improve everyday livelihoods.
EU regulators launched an antitrust investigation into Meta Platforms on Thursday over its rollout of artificial intelligence features in its WhatsApp messenger that would block rivals, hardening Europe’s already tough stance on Big Tech. The move, reported earlier by Reuters and the Financial Times, is the latest action by European Union regulators against large technology firms such as Amazon and Alphabet’s Google as the bloc seeks to balance support for the sector with efforts to curb its expanding influence.
Europe’s tough stance – a marked contrast to more lenient U.S. regulation – has sparked an industry pushback, particularly by U.S. tech titans, and led to criticism from the administration of U. S. President Donald Trump. The European Commission said that the investigation will look into Meta’s new policy that would limit other AI providers’ access to WhatsApp, a potential boost for its own Meta AI system integrated into the platform earlier this year.
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the move was to prevent dominant firms from “abusing their power to crowd out innovative competitors”. She added interim measures could be imposed to block Meta’s new WhatsApp AI policy rollout. “AI markets are booming in Europe and beyond,” she said. This is why we are investigating if Meta’s new policy might be illegal under competition rules, and whether we should act quickly to prevent any possible irreparable harm to competition in the AI space.”
A WhatsApp spokesperson called the claims “baseless”, adding that the emergence of chatbots on its platforms had put a “strain on our systems that they were not designed to support”, a reference to AI systems from other providers. “Still, the AI space is highly competitive and people have access to the services of their choice in any number of ways, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems.” The EU was the first in the world to establish a comprehensive legal framework for AI, setting out guardrails for AI systems and rules for certain high-risk applications in the AI Act.
Meta AI, a chatbot and virtual assistant, has been built into WhatsApp’s interface across European markets since March. The Commission said a new policy fully applicable from January 15, 2026, may block competing AI providers from reaching customers via the platform. Ribera said the probe came on the back of complaints from small AI developers about the WhatsApp policy. The Interaction Company of California, which has developed AI assistant Poke.com, has taken its grievance to the EU competition enforcer. Spanish AI startup Luzia has also talked to the Commission, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
Marvin von Hagen, co-founder and CEO of The Interaction Company of California, said if Meta was allowed to roll out its new policy, “millions of European consumers will be deprived of the possibility of enjoying new and innovative AI assistants”. Meta also risks a fine of as much as 10% of its global annual turnover if found guilty of breaching EU antitrust rules.
Italy’s antitrust watchdog opened a parallel investigation in July into allegations that Meta leveraged its market power by integrating an AI tool into WhatsApp, expanding the probe in November to examine whether Meta further abused its dominance by blocking rival AI chatbots from the messaging platform. The antitrust probe is a more traditional means of investigation than the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the bloc’s landmark legislation currently used to scrutinize Amazon’s and Microsoft’s cloud services for potential curbs. Reuters
The spouses and children of billionaires inherited more wealth in 2025 than in any previous year since reporting began in 2015, according to UBS’s Billionaire Ambitions Report published on Thursday. In the 12 months to April, 91 people became billionaires through inheritance, collectively receiving $298 billion, up more than a third from 2024, the Swiss bank said. “These heirs are proof of a multi-year wealth transfer that’s intensifying,” UBS executive Benjamin Cavalli said.
The report is based on a survey of some of UBS’s super-rich clients and a database that tracks the wealth of billionaires across 47 markets in all world regions. At least $5.9 trillion will be inherited by billionaire children over the next 15 years, the bank calculates.
Most of this inheritance growth is set to take place in the United States, with India, France, Germany and Switzerland next on the list, UBS estimated. However, billionaires are highly mobile, especially younger ones, which could change that picture, it added. The search for a better quality of life, geopolitical concerns and tax considerations are driving decisions to relocate, according to the report.
In Switzerland, where $206 billion will be inherited over the next 15 years according to the bank, voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected 50 per cent tax on inherited fortunes of $62 million or more, after critics said it could trigger an exodus of wealthy people.
Switzerland, the UAE, the U.S. and Singapore are among billionaires’ preferred destinations, UBS’s Cavalli said. “In Switzerland, Sunday’s vote may have helped to increase the country’s appeal again,” he said. Reuters
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