From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Cross River State Callywood Department seeks to partner with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Cross River State Council, as part of efforts to promote the state’s film industry, through movies and documentaries.

Special Adviser to the Governor of Callywood, Hon.

Eric Anderson, made the disclosure when he led members of his team on a courtesy and familiarisation visit to the NUJ Secretariat weekend in Calabar.

Anderson explained that although Callywood had existed for years and had been led by two Directors General, the administration of Governor Bassey Otu is the first to establish it as a full department, with 15 filmmakers appointed to drive its activities.

He said the department had commenced efforts to build a sustainable film industry in the state, noting that it had trained and certified 212 people in partnership with the Office of the Chairman of the Youth Empowerment Scheme.

According to him, resource persons were drawn from Lagos as well as locally based professionals to equip participants with practical filmmaking skills.

Anderson disclosed that the department was also working towards establishing a Callywood Academy to sustain the training programme and develop a pool of skilled filmmakers and other professionals within the state.

He said Callywood had also initiated partnerships with security agencies and other relevant institutions to facilitate film production and storytelling, particularly stories that reflect Cross River’s history, culture and traditional values.

The Special Adviser said the department was currently in pre-production for its first feature film, titled Crackdown, which focuses on security issues, while another documentary, The Hunters, was also being produced to tell the story of an ageing retired official hunter whose experiences could inspire younger generations.

He stressed that Callywood was not established solely to produce films but would also serve as a platform for showcasing Cross River State to the world.

According to him, the department intends to use films and documentaries to highlight the state’s languages, people, tourist locations, culture and developmental achievements under the Otu administration.

He therefore appealed to the NUJ to partner with the department by helping to amplify its programmes and productions through professional journalism and media platforms.

He further disclosed that the department was exploring different revenue streams to make Callywood financially sustainable.

Anderson said it had developed a book on filmmaking, acting and content creation for senior secondary school students, which was undergoing review by the Ministry of Education.

He explained that upon approval, the books would be supplied to secondary schools across the state as part of the department’s revenue generation strategy.

He also revealed plans to invest in movie productions and collaborate with filmmakers by providing platforms for their works while generating revenue through mutually beneficial partnerships.

Responding, the Chairman of the NUJ, Cross River State Council, Comrade Archibong Bassey, congratulated Anderson on his appointment and expressed the council’s readiness to collaborate with Callywood in projecting Cross River State positively.

Bassey described Anderson as a professional with the requisite experience for the position, noting that both of them had roots in Diamond and had studied Theatre Arts.

She said the media had a critical role to play in promoting the programmes and achievements of the government, but noted that effective publicity required collaboration between government agencies and journalists.

By David Torough, Abuja

The Lagos State High Court sitting in Lagos has set aside and nullified the purported installation and coronation of Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom in Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Epe Local Government Area, Lagos State.

The court also ordered the Lagos State Government to immediately withdraw the letter of appointment, staff of office and recognition granted to Saliu, following the installation and coronation conducted at the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Alausa, Ikeja, on August 21, 2026.

In a ruling delivered on Friday, September 11, 2026, by Justice Yetunde Adesola Adesanya of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, the court further ordered Saliu to surrender the letter of appointment, staff of office and other benefits of office obtained during the disputed installation.

The court also directed him to immediately stop parading or holding himself out as the Onise of Ise pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

The ruling arose from a Motion on Notice for Mandatory Injunction filed on August 24, 2026, by Alhaji Adeniyi Atere and Mrs Idowu Adebisi Lana, the claimants/applicants in Suit No. LD/0022PRA/2026.

The defendants/respondents in the suit include the Lagos State Governor, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Epe Local Government Area, Lekki LCDA and four individuals identified as members of the selection process, while Saliu is the 11th defendant/respondent.

The dispute centres on the process that produced Saliu as the Oba-elect and subsequently led to his appointment and installation as Onise of Ise.

A key issue before the court was whether the August 21 installation could stand after an earlier interim injunction had been issued restraining the state government and other specified defendants from taking steps to appoint Saliu as Onise of Ise.

Earlier court order

The ruling recalled that Justice S. I. Sonaike had, on August 13, 2026, issued an interim order restraining the first to fifth defendants from acting on a March 30, 2026 letter purportedly forwarding Saliu’s name as the Oba-elect of Ise Kingdom.

The order also restrained them from putting into effect any process aimed at appointing Saliu as Onise of Ise pursuant to the letter or instrument of nomination.

The court noted that the earlier order was made in the context of alleged non-compliance with the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law, 2015, and the relevant Registered Declaration regulating the selection to the Onise of Ise stool.

According to the ruling, the interim injunction was to last for seven days unless renewed by the court, with August 20 fixed as the return date for a report of compliance and continuation of hearing.

The court further found that the enrolled order had been duly served on the relevant respondents and that there were acknowledged copies of the order in the court’s file.

Importantly, the ruling noted that the first to fourth respondents had themselves filed a motion dated August 18 seeking, among other things, an order discharging or setting aside the August 13 interim injunction or, alternatively, an order not to renew it.

Thus, the respondents were aware of the order and were actively challenging it through the judicial process.

Installation despite subsisting injunction

The claimants alleged that despite the service of the order, the state government proceeded with the installation on August 21.

The court recorded the allegation that the Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Dr Nurudeen Yekini Lanre Agbaje, handed over the letter of appointment and staff of office to Saliu at the ministry.

Photographs of the purported coronation and installation were also tendered as an exhibit before the court.

The court subsequently made a significant finding on the conduct complained of. It held that the evidence before it established an infringement of the earlier court order, stating:

The court’s finding is central to the judgment because the application was not merely seeking to prevent a future installation; the applicants were asking the court to reverse steps that had allegedly been taken while the interim order was still in force.

Court considers power to reverse completed act

Justice Adesanya considered the legal principles governing mandatory injunctions, noting that such an injunction is positive in nature because it requires a defendant to undo an act that has already been carried out.

The court reviewed several authorities, including CBN v. UTB (Nig.) Ltd., CBN v. Industrial Bank Ltd., Abubakar & 10 Ors. v. Jos Metropolitan & Anor., and H.R.H. Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari & Ors. v. Alhaji Saadu A.O. Bukola.

Of particular relevance was the Court of Appeal decision in the Sulu-Gambari chieftaincy case, which the applicants had relied upon.

In that case, the Court of Appeal held that although injunctions generally do not restrain completed acts, an exception could arise where a party deliberately proceeds with an act after becoming aware of an application seeking to restrain it.

The court quoted the appellate court as stating: “To condone such a situation amounts to encouraging ‘executive lawlessness’ which will only jeopardize the rule of law and civilized conduct.”

The Court of Appeal had consequently recognised that a restorative mandatory injunction could be used where a party deliberately acted in disregard of the authority of the court.

Justice Adesanya found that the principle was applicable to the circumstances before her.

Court orders reversal of installation

Having considered the processes, affidavits, exhibits and submissions of counsel, the court granted the application in full.

The first mandatory order compels the first to fourth defendants- comprising the Lagos State Governor, Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, and the ministry, to withdraw the appointment letter, staff of office and recognition of Saliu as Onise of Ise.

The court’s order specifically relates to the appointment and recognition arising from the August 21 installation and coronation.

The second order compels Saliu himself to surrender the appointment letter, staff of office and other paraphernalia of office associated with the disputed stool.

The third order directs him to stop parading or holding himself out as the Onise of Ise pending the final determination of the substantive suit.

The court’s fourth and most consequential order expressly sets aside and nullifies the purported installation and coronation.

The ruling states: “An Order of This Honourable Court Setting Aside and Nullifying the purported installation and coronation of the 11th Defendant/Respondent as the Onise of Ise Kingdom…”

The court made clear, however, that the mandatory injunctions are interim orders and are not the final determination of the substantive chieftaincy dispute.

Court stresses obedience to its orders

The ruling also dealt extensively with the importance of compliance with subsisting court orders.

The applicants had argued that proceeding with the installation after service of the injunction amounted to executive lawlessness, self-help and an attempt to overreach the judicial process.

While those descriptions originated from the applicants’ grounds, the court’s decision ultimately accepted the central factual contention that the earlier order had been infringed and that mandatory relief was warranted.

The court also noted that the respondents, despite being aware of the proceedings and the interim order, did not proceed to have their pending August 18 motion determined before the disputed installation took place.

According to the ruling: “The Respondents being fully aware of the pendency of these proceedings and the Order of this court chose to stay away from the proceedings, failed to move their pending Motion on Notice dated 18th August 2026, or defend the instant application rather proceeded to flout the Interim Order of this Court.”

The court consequently concluded that the circumstances justified the exceptional remedy of a mandatory injunction to restore the position that existed before the disputed act.

It therefore ordered that the state government’s recognition and instruments of office be withdrawn and that Saliu cease to hold himself out as Onise of Ise while the substantive case remains pending.

The substantive suit will determine the underlying dispute over the lawful selection and appointment to the Onise of Ise stool.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government has reassured students, parents, staff, alumni and other stakeholders that King’s College, Lagos, has not been sold or privatised, stressed that the institution remains a publicly owned national institution.

 The Minister of Education, Dr.

Maruf Tunji Alausa, gave the clarification while explaining the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concession agreement between the Federal Government and the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA).

 Alausa said the concession does not transfer ownership of the 117-year-old institution to KCOBA, noting that the Federal Government retained legal title as well as its statutory powers of regulation, monitoring, inspection and enforcement.

 “Let me assure Nigerians, particularly the King’s College community, that this concession is not a sale of King’s College. Government has retained legal title to the institution and will continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities,” the minister said.

 Under the concession agreement, KCOBA is responsible for financing, rehabilitating, modernising, operating and maintaining the school, while the Federal Government retains oversight responsibilities over the institution.

 The minister explained that the concession was developed under the established PPP framework and subjected to technical, economic, financial, legal, environmental and social assessments, including value-for-money analysis, fiscal-impact assessment, risk allocation and commercial structuring, before securing the necessary regulatory and Federal Executive Council approvals.

 He stressed that the agreement expressly protects the public character and national identity of King’s College and does not transfer ownership or create any proprietary interest in favour of KCOBA.

 Alausa further clarified that admissions would continue to comply with applicable Unity College policies and the principles of merit, transparency, fairness and national representation, including equitable representation from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, subject to applicable merit requirements.

 According to him, admission into JSS1 will continue through the prescribed testing and assessment process, with the National Common Entrance Examination remaining central to the entry framework.

 On school fees, the minister said the concession agreement does not prescribe an automatic increase in fees, although it does not establish a permanent fee freeze.

 He explained that the concession is principally designed to address the significant infrastructure and operational requirements of the 117-year-old institution and secure its long-term sustainability.

 Under the agreement, KCOBA is responsible for financing and implementing major rehabilitation and new development covering academic and administrative buildings, hostels, staff quarters, laboratories, libraries, dining facilities, health facilities, utilities, sports and recreational facilities, landscaping, drainage and environmental works.

 The programme also provided for new classrooms, laboratories and hostels, as well as improved learning resources and digital tools.

 “King’s College is an institution with a remarkable history, but preserving that history requires us to invest in its future. The concession provides a framework for sustained infrastructure renewal, improved learning facilities and stronger operational capacity,” Alausa said.

Addressing concerns regarding teachers and other staff, the minister said the agreement contained a formal Staff Transition and Protection Framework designed to facilitate an orderly transition while protecting staff welfare and ensuring continuity of teaching, boarding, security and other essential school services.

 He explained that existing employment obligations, liabilities, arrears, pensions, gratuities and other staff-related entitlements arising before the transition remain the responsibility of the Federal Government, unless expressly assumed by KCOBA.

 Following the transition, KCOBA will assume responsibility for relevant operating expenditure, including salaries, benefits and allowances for personnel engaged under the project, in accordance with applicable contracts and law.

 The minister emphasised that the concession does not diminish government oversight, as the agreement provides for measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), infrastructure and asset-condition standards, academic and student-development measures, reporting requirements, audits, inspections and independent verification.

Government, he said, retained corrective and step-in powers in cases of persistent underperformance or serious contractual default.

KCOBA is also restricted from selling, transferring or otherwise disposing of concession assets without the required approvals, while asset stripping and deterioration beyond agreed standards are prohibited.

 Alausa further explained that the agreement does not provide for a conventional monetary concession fee. Instead, KCOBA’s obligations include capital investment, operational funding, infrastructure modernisation, institutional strengthening and measurable performance.

 He said the Federal Government welcomes legitimate scrutiny and urged stakeholders to judge the arrangement by its implementation, transparency and measurable results, particularly improvements in infrastructure, academic performance, admissions, staff welfare, student safety and wellbeing, proper utilisation of project funds and compliance with agreed KPIs.

“Our responsibility is to protect the integrity and public purpose of King’s College while ensuring that the institution receives the investment, infrastructure and management capacity required to meet the needs of present and future generations. We will continue to monitor implementation and hold all parties to their contractual obligations,” the minister assured.

The minister called on the King’s College community and the Nigerian public to engage the substance of the concession agreement and assess the arrangement on the basis of its safeguards, investment obligations, implementation and results.

He described King’s College as a national heritage institution, stressing that the objective of the concession was not merely to preserve its past but to build an institution worthy of its history, strengthened for the present and equipped for the future.