By Felix Umande

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed a comprehensive reform of Nigerian football to address repeated failures to qualify for major regional, continental and world tournaments.

The directive was contained in a Statehouse press release issued on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

The President said the reform must tackle longstanding weaknesses in governance, administration, stakeholder representation, development pathways, domestic competitions and accountability across Nigerian football.

“Football, Nigeria’s most popular sport and the greatest beneficiary of public support, investment and national attention, has continued to struggle basically due to structural deficits within the system,” Tinubu stated.

He noted that while other sports have recorded meaningful progress since the reset of the sports sector under the re-established National Sports Commission, football has lagged behind.

“Nigerian football must begin to match the country’s exceptional talent, passion and resources with stronger institutions and sustained performance,” the President said.

President Tinubu directed the Chairman of the National Sports Commission to work with the NFF Secretariat and relevant football stakeholders to ensure continuity in essential football administration and facilitate a broad, consultative reform process.

The process, he said, will include appropriate engagement with FIFA and CAF while safeguarding Nigeria’s obligations within the international football framework.

The President called on football stakeholders and Nigerians to support the transition and work together to build a stronger, more accountable and successful football system.

By Isa Abdul, Abuja

The Federal Government has taken practical steps to solve federal workers’ transportation challenges by initially deploying 100 electric mass transit buses.

It also delivered the first batch of electric vehicles (EVs) promised to workers, as part of a broader move to cut transportation costs amid promoting cleaner energy use across the country.

On Wednesday, the first batch of 37 buses was commissioned at the Eagle Square, Abuja, by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, under the Federal Civil Service Electric Mass Transit Programme.

The initiative, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under the Renewed Hope Mass Transit Scheme, is meant to provide federal workers with safer, more affordable and reliable transportation along designated routes within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In another development, the Director-General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, who disclosed that the government had taken delivery of the first batch of EVs promised to civil servants, described it as the beginning of a wider rollout under the administration’s clean energy transportation drive.

He spoke while briefing journalists after meeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House.

Speaking at the bus inauguration, Walson-Jack, described the intervention as central to workers’ welfare and productivity.

“For many civil servants, the daily commute shapes their finances, their safety, their punctuality and ultimately their productivity,” she said.

The retiring HoCSF said the launching was a fitting close to her tenure. In her words:

“This commissioning is providentially my parting gift to my dearly beloved federal servants. In a little under 24 hours, my time as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation comes to an end.”

Walson-Jack said the buses were acquired through the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund and linked the programme to other government interventions, including the minimum wage review, the wage award following the fuel subsidy removal, digitalisation of the public service, and reforms in pensions, promotions and health insurance. “Each is a thread in the same commitment that reform must be felt, not merely announced,” she said.

The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, said the buses programme was an investment in workers’ welfare and local industrial development. He said each bus could carry up to 200 passengers and travel a minimum of 200 kilometres on a full charge, and that the scheme would ease pressure on workers’ household incomes while supporting Nigeria’s automotive sector.

The buses, approved by NADDC, are expected to run on designated routes linking residential corridors with the Federal Secretariat and other government offices in the FCT, with the first deployment serving as a testing phase ahead of a wider rollout.

On the electric vehicle scheme, Osanipin said the government had also deployed EV-related infrastructure in about 16 universities to build the ecosystem needed to support the transition to alternative energy vehicles. He said policies promoting EVs and Compressed Natural Gas required complementary investment in filling stations, mobile refilling units and gas production before their benefits could be fully felt.

He disclosed that the number of companies licensed to retail gas had risen to about 81, from the previous four.

By Isa Abdul

The Federal Road Safety Corps has updated its policies to streamline driver’s licence applications, shifting major parts of the process online to reduce physical waiting times at registration offices.

Motorists, who nust be 18 years and above, can now begin the application process online and complete most of the steps using a smartphone.

How to apply for a driver’s licence online
Applicants can follow these steps:

1. Visit the official driver’s licence portal

Go to nigeriadriverslicence.org. If the website does not display properly on a mobile device, switch to “Desktop Site” mode in the browser settings.

2. Start a new application

Select DL Application, then choose New Driver’s License from the available options.

3. Enter your details

Provide your driving school certificate number and complete the required personal information.

Applicants should ensure that their name and other details correspond exactly with the information on their National Identification Number (NIN).

4. Choose a licence centre

Select your preferred FRSC Driver’s Licence Centre where your biometric information will be captured.

You will then need to book an appointment for the biometric process.

5. Make payment online

Payment is made through the Remita gateway on the official portal.

Available payment options include card, bank transfer and USSD.

Applicants should avoid making payments to individuals or agents outside the official payment platform.

6. Attend your biometric appointment

After completing payment, print your payment receipt and attend the appointment on the scheduled date.

Applicants should take their original documents with them for verification and biometric capture.

What you need before applying
Applicants must first attend an FRSC-accredited driving school and obtain a driving school certificate.

The certificate is required to proceed with the driver’s licence application.

Applicants will also need their NIN, a valid means of identification and a passport photograph.

Temporary licence while you wait
After completing the required stages, applicants can receive a temporary driver’s licence valid for 60 days while the permanent licence is being processed.