The three-time national champion and two-time African Championships medalist secured her place by finishing second in the semifinals with a time of 52.91 seconds.

Okon-George was outpaced by Salwa Naser of Bahrain, who won the heat in 52.13 seconds.

Morocco’s Salam Lehlali took the final qualification spot, finishing third in 53.26 seconds.

The women’s 400m final is set to take place on Tuesday evening at 11:00 pm local time in Saudi Arabia, with Okon-George aiming to bring home the gold for Nigeria.

According to a statement on Monday by the National Health Service Counter Fraud Authority, Akinrolabu, who served as a trust grade specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) under the King’s College Hospitals (KCH) NHS Foundation Trust, had earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of Fraud by False Representation on 3 September 2025.

Between October 2018 and December 2021, the doctor repeatedly claimed to be unfit for duty in his primary role at KCH, yet carried out on-call and night shifts across three other NHS trusts.

While he remained on full sick pay or reduced duties at King’s College Hospital, he worked additional shifts at Princess Alexandra Hospital, East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, and Mid-South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

During the period, the statement said KCH continued paying his full salary and had to hire locum doctors to cover the shifts he falsely claimed he was too unwell to perform.

The fraud came to light in November 2021 when KCH received information that Akinrolabu had been working night shifts at Basildon Hospital.

A local counter-fraud investigation uncovered timesheets and payroll records confirming he had not sought or obtained permission for secondary employment, despite repeatedly informing occupational health that he was unable to undertake such shifts.

Most of the extra shifts were night and on-call duties — the very tasks he had insisted he was medically unfit to perform.

When interviewed under caution in June 2022, Akinrolabu offered “no comment”. Further inquiries by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) led to his prosecution on four fraud charges.

Delivering the sentence, His Honour Judge David Miller condemned his conduct, saying: “You lied to occupational health, your colleagues and your employer. The public doesn’t expect doctors to lie for personal gain.”

The NHSCFA also criticised the doctor’s actions. Ben Harrison, Head of Operations, said, “This case demonstrates a clear and deliberate abuse of trust by an NHS professional who knowingly breached the conditions of his employment for personal gain. By working additional on-call and night shifts, despite being unfit to do so, Akinrolabu defrauded the NHS of substantial funds that should have supported patient care.

“The NHS Counter Fraud Authority will continue to ensure that those who seek to exploit the health service for their own benefit are identified and brought to justice.”

Obi made the remarks on Monday while speaking at the 4th Africa Day organised by the ‘Club des Entrepreneurs Monégasques en Afrique (CEMA)’ in Monaco.

He emphasised that Africa remains the “continent of tomorrow” due to its abundant human and natural resources.

According to the former Anambra State governor, Nigeria’s population is projected to reach about 320 million by 2050, with roughly 200 million youths in their productive age, who could drive innovation, productivity, and economic growth.

He stressed that the country’s long-term success depends on leaders with “capacity, compassion, character, and commitment” to implement the right developmental policies while reducing waste and corruption.

Obi highlighted the importance of prioritising investment in key sectors such as security, health, education, and poverty alleviation, saying this could significantly grow Nigeria’s economy.

In a post on his official X page under the heading “Why Nigeria Remains Africa’s Greatest Investment Frontier”, Obi stressed that with a firm commitment to invest strictly in critical areas of development such as security, health, education, and poverty alleviation, Nigeria will be able to grow from 2030 to 2050, reaching an economy of about $2 trillion and approximately $7,000 per capita. “By sustaining this growth trajectory, Nigeria can meet the Goldman Sachs projection of about $13 trillion GDP and $30,000 per capita by 2075.”

He passionately urged all attendees to the event to invest in Africa, especially Nigeria, as their gateway into the continent, in view of the immense opportunities ahead.

“I reassured them of a new Nigeria that is Possible and indeed a new Africa that is also POssible,” he said.

Prof Omoregie said since his assumption into office, students have been encouraged to enrol in the initiative, leading to the rise in enrollment from 300 to 6, 560 on the NELFUND.

The VC, who spoke at the 51st and 55th Pre-convocation and Founders Day press briefing at the University also disclosed that 198 students obtained first class degree from the 14, 083 graduates

Ha said, “The University under my stewardship has vigorously and systematically encouraged students enrolment into the Nigerian Education Trust fund (NELFUND). NELFUND is a federal government initiative designed to accelerate students’ access to funding for their tertiary education.

“From an initial enrolment figure of about 300 in the 2023/2024 academic session before I assumed office, the figure rose astronomically to 6,560 in the 2024/2025 academic session.”

He applauded PresidentTinubu for establishing NELFUND to significantly reduce the financial stress of students in acquiring tertiary education.

The Vice Chancellor also added that other great strides have been recorded by his administration with five new faculties created while fifteen new programmes were approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for the institution.

“This is the direct positive outcome of our efforts in the last over eleven months since assumption of office as Vice Chancellor to upscale the postgraduate degree programmes offered by the University of Benin,” Omoregie said.

Unfolding activities for the 2025 festival year at a press conference in Osogbo on Monday, the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye, said the programme is expected to promote Osun’s rich culture and traditions, as well as reclaim Osun’s historical place in Osogbo as the source of Aro and Adire.

According to him, the Adire Osun Festival 2025, which will feature a street show of various colourful Adire fabrics, will showcase the unique Adire textile as a symbol of Osun history and creativity.

Igbalaye, who emphasised the importance of documenting and supporting creativity in Osun State, stated that the festival will not only boost the state’s economy but also engage young people in cultural activities, promoting productivity and creativity.

Earlier in his address, the chairman of the Council for Arts and Culture, Hon Ebenezer Adeniji, who disclosed that the festival will be held in December, said the theme for the 2025 Adire Osun Festival is “Creating Wealth, Empowering Youths”.

He charged investors and policymakers to support initiatives that place value on culture as an economic good and enjoined the general public to wear their Adire with pride, not only as an ornament, but as a mark of solidarity with the artisans and young entrepreneurs whose hands shape the shared future.

Adeniji charged journalists to help tell stories that reflect dignity, complexity, and possibility, saying: “When you cover an artisan fairly, you open markets. When you highlight a youth-led enterprise, you inspire replication. When you tell the full story of a value chain, you invite partners”.

Alpha Morgan Bank claimed in the suit that the funds belonging to NEM Insurance Plc and Extension Publications Limited were stolen from its vault and allegedly fraudulently transferred into multiple accounts across 19 financial institutions.

The bank is requesting an order from the court, directing the 19 financial institutions to reverse and remit to Alpha Morgan Bank all funds illegally debited from the customers’ settlement and collection accounts and transferred into the accounts of the defendants’ customers.

The suit was filed by Alpha Morgan Bank, alongside the affected customers.

In an affidavit filed in support of the suit and deposed to by a litigation officer, Dayo Abe, the plaintiffs averred that several digital financial services agents had taken advantage of a system glitch in the bank’s operations.

Abe alleged that the agents, acting as service providers and holding accounts with some of the defendant financial institutions, used the glitch to unlawfully make several transfers from the accounts of NEM Insurance Plc and Extension Publications Limited.

He also claimed that N230,978,536 was illegally transferred from the customers’ accounts, which were domiciled with Alpha Morgan Bank, into various accounts belonging to individuals across 19 financial institutions.

The Plaintiffs further stated that following the bank’s complaint, the affected financial institutions placed temporary “no-debit” restrictions on the implicated accounts.

Abe alleged that the perpetrators continued to transfer the illicit funds into other accounts linked to their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), raising concerns that the funds could be completely dissipated unless all accounts connected to the suspected fraudsters were immediately frozen.

He argued that failing to block all accounts associated with the perpetrators would result in continued illegal withdrawals, thereby exposing investors’ and shareholders’ funds to risk further.

The Plaintiffs also submitted that the system glitch and the resulting fraud have caused severe financial hardship and that urgent court intervention is necessary to prevent additional losses.

Alabi-Macfoy, in his goodwill message at “Raabitah Eko 2025”, organised by the League in Lagos, called on the League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland to establish a dedicated centre and library for Islamic records, archives, monuments and activities, with special focus on Nigeria and the South-West.

He enjoined the league to establish an e-centre library for Islamic records, archives, and activities, with a focus on Nigeria in general and Lagos, in particular.

Alabi-Macfoy promised to facilitate the inauguration of a committee to realise that objective.

He also advised Muslims not to be caught unaware by preparing adequately for the 2027 election and not allowing the slippage that led to the loss of Lagos, the home land of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the opposition.

He shared experiences of how the Lagos Central Mosque strategically mobilised Islamic groups, institutions, and individuals, making a significant contribution to the overall corrective measures in the state, which ensured the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a week after the last general election.

‘’ Our president has taken some hard decisions, in his strive for an accelerated realisation of noble visions to meet our needs, aspirations and development quickly. We are beginning to see and feel the impacts of these bold and brilliant best approaches to governance.

‘’President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is already well acquainted with the concerns of Nigerians before mounting the saddle. He had a master plan he had worked on for decades, before 2023. He came well-prepared, and he is steadily, but surely, moving the nation in the right direction. He has done the necessary things that previous leaders were afraid or unwilling to do.

‘’Our Muslim brothers are leading us on the right path, transforming our landscapes with laudable landmark legacy projects, and he has been coordinating our huge potentials towards the realisation, soon, of a country that will be ideal and safe for all and be the pride of Nigerians, home and abroad, as well as of the black race all over the globe.’’

This was in line with the Ogun monarch’s advocacy for renewed unity, moral uprightness, and sustained development across Egbaland, aimed at fostering the desired socio-economic well-being of the country.

These were part of the goodwill messages delivered by Oba Gbadebo while speaking during a reception organised in his honour by the Egba General Title Chiefs late last Sunday, as part of the activities marking his 20th coronation anniversary in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Oba Gbadebo, who expressed gratitude to God and the people of Egbaland for their support throughout his two decades on the throne, described his reign as “20 years of grace, peace and steady progress”, noting that his accomplishments during these years while on the throne were those of collective dedication and cooperation among sons and daughters of Egbaland.

“Today, I stand before you with a heart full of gratitude. Egbaland has witnessed a remarkable transformation in the last twenty years, not because of my personal strength. Still, because our people chose unity over division, progress over rancour, and service over self-interest,” Alake said.

He emphasised the need for intensified support for education, youth development and economic empowerment.

The monarch also appealed for the preservation of Egba cultural heritage, warning against the erosion of values and traditions that form the foundation of the society.

“We must teach our children who they are. Our culture is our identity. Once we lose it, we lose ourselves,” he said.

Oba Gbadebo further called for peaceful coexistence among ethnic and religious groups, noting that development can only thrive where harmony prevails.

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman of the Egba General Title Chiefs Council and Ba’agbimo of Egbaland, Chief Israel Akanni Akinwale, described Oba Gbadebo’s two-decade reign as a period of significant transformation, unity and development for Egbaland.

Chief Akinwale said the monarch’s leadership had been defined by fairness, wisdom and unwavering commitment to the well-being of his people.

“There is no doubt that Kabiyesi’s reign has impacted Egbaland positively. His legacy will remain evergreen in our minds as someone whose leadership was guided by fairness and wisdom,” he said.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, acknowledged the waste management challenges experienced in some areas of the state, noting that the Authority remained firmly committed to ending all forms of reckless disposal habits.

He said, “The state’s coastal geography made enforcement very important to prevent environmental hazards. A bag of refuse tossed into a drain anywhere in the metropolis does not disappear. It blocks culverts, worsens flooding, exposes households to contaminated water, and sends plastics and debris into our canals and lagoon systems. Illegal dumping has consequences far beyond the act itself.”

He revealed that LAWMA has moved from episodic crackdowns to a steady, intelligence-driven enforcement model that links surveillance, community reporting, and swift prosecution.

According to him, the Authority has intensified far-reaching enforcement campaigns across the state to stamp out all forms of indiscriminate waste dumping, arresting and prosecuting recalcitrant offenders, to serve as a deterrent to others.

“Enforcement is central to our mission. Lagos cannot achieve a clean, flood-resilient city without consequences for illegal dumping and non-compliance. We are acting decisively to ensure there’s no room for environmental infractions,” he said.

He assured that the Authority would continue to work with PSP operators, providing backup services, especially in areas that needed urgent attention. He added that the state government is poised to assist PSPs in recapitalising, ensuring optimal performance.

LAWMA has also announced the successful evacuation and enforcement operation recently carried out at a notorious black spot in the Somolu Local Council Development Area.

The LAWMA boss explained that the Authority has fully cleared the accumulated waste at the location, which had long served as a dumping hotspot, while partnering with Somolu LCDA, Bariga LCDA, and the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) to secure the site and launch night and early-morning patrols.

He said, “Several offenders have already been apprehended, with commercial tricycle operators featuring prominently among those caught dumping illegally. This demonstrates that advocacy and enforcement must be continuous and backed by real-time surveillance.

The Chairmen of Somolu LCDA and Bariga LCDA have pledged strong collaboration with LAWMA, assuring sustained advocacy and strict enforcement in line with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ call for LGAs and LCDAs to take full ownership of waste management in their jurisdictions.

Justice Kakaki ordered that the foreigner and his co-defendant, Joel Ajewole, be detained until they fulfil the terms of their bail conditions.

The defendants were arraigned before the court by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a four-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful importation of 1,610 Kilograms of Tapentadol 200mg and 225 mg, a prohibited analgesic, tramadol.

The prosecutor, Abu Ibrahim, informed the court that the banned drug was seized on September 11, 2025, during the examination of cargoes on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from India to Nigeria, at Skyway Handling Company (SAHCO) Import Shed, a Customs Area/Point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

The prosecutor also accused the defendants of procuring Ogunlana Akeem of Akman Global and logistics, who is said to be at large, to smuggle the prohibited analgesic into the country.

Ibrahim further maintained that the offences are contrary to sections 14(b), 21(2)(d), and 11(a) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act Cap. 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Based on their plea, Ibrahim and the defence counsel, Chief Benson Ndakara and Tunde Adeoye (SAN), argued separate bail applications on behalf of their clients.

The judge granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100 million each, with two sureties in like sum, who must each have landed properties worth N100 million and have paid taxes for three years.

The judge also ordered the defendants to deposit their international passports with the court’s Registrar and instructed them not to travel outside the country during the pendency of the charges.

The matter was adjourned to February 4, 2026, for trial.

Justice Kakaki ordered that the Indian national be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services NCoS pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

However, the judge released Ajewole Ayo Joel to his counsel for two weeks to meet bail conditions, warning that he should be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional facility if he failed to fulfil the bail terms.