Connect with us

National

I am too big for anybody to fight, says Wike

Wike

Former Governor of Rivers State and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that all his political enemies put together cannot fight him.

The minister, who has been in a festering political battle with State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, boasted that he is too big for anybody, no matter how highly placed, to fight him.

Wike stated this in Port Harcourt on Saturday during a reception organised in his honour by the Rivers Ijaw People’s Congress.

The minister was accompanied to the reception by members of the G-5, also known as the Integrity Group, led by former Governor of Benue State Samuel Ortom, former Governor of Abia Okezie Ikpeazu, and David Umahi. Others present included the Adamawa State governor, Umaru Fintiri, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, among others.

The minister said, contrary to insinuations that the Ijaw people were against him in the ongoing political brawl between him and Governor Fubara, the entire Ijaw ethnic nationality was solidly behind him because of what he has done for them, especially when he made Fubara his successor against the opinion of some Ijaw people in 2023.

Wike said, “It is not true that the Ijaw people are fighting me. A father may have twelve children; one can be an armed robber. These people that are going to television to attack me, where were they when we made an Ijaw governor? Nobody is fighting me. I am too big—far too big for anybody to fight. All these people put together cannot fight me.

“I told them if you put your hand in Rivers State matters, fire will burn you. Today, they are crying everywhere. Instead of them to concentrate on how to win elections in their states, they were busy having meetings in Enugu and Taraba states. Who is losing now?”

The former governor cautioned politicians outside the state to stay clear of Rivers State politics, noting that “Rivers State is very special to me.”

He alleged that some hoodlums were sent to bomb the venue of the event at Rainbow Town for his civic reception.

“They sent some boys to come and bomb this place with dynamite. They were arrested by the police. You are encouraging crime in Rivers State. Nobody has the monopoly of violence. We cannot turn investors away from our state through violence,” he said.

He chided Governor Fubara over claims that he (Fubara) initiated the Port Harcourt Ring Road project when he served as governor of the state.

“I initiated the ring road project. Today, they are going about bragging that they started it. Go to Abuja; I am repeating what I did in Rivers State in Abuja,” he said.

Also speaking, the chairman of the PDP Elders Council in the state, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, described Wike as the “most celebrated Rivers politician at the national stage,” assuring that the Ijaw people will always be grateful to him for making their son a governor.

National

NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on fake products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released a fresh warning on the risks of unregulated products, especially as the festive season approaches.

The warning came after the agency uncovered a warehouse stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket products in Oke-Afa, Okota, part of Lagos State.

According to the Agency on X (formally Twitter), a NAFDAC team acted on intelligence and raided the facility, apprehending operators offloading a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks. “A further inspection revealed over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions.”

The agency said the facility is currently placed on hold for further investigation and asked the management to provide sourcing evidence such as the Global Listing for Supermarket Items (GLSI) certificate.

It then encouraged consumers to report suspicious activities to any NAFDAC office and remain vigilant by ensuring their product sources are verified, particularly during the coming festive season.

Continue Reading

National

ICPC tracks N610 billion projects in 22 states

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off phase 7 of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

The tracking of the constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the Commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources, and power, amongst others, by the government is utilised.

The 7th phase, involving 1500 projects with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on Monday, November 18th, 2024, in 22 states across the 6 geopolitical zones.

The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu State.

The phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Ecological Fund Office.

The objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.

The ICPC tracked a total of 1,900 projects valued at N500 billion naira in phase 6 of the exercise across 24 states of the nation’s 6 geopolitical zones.

The projects were tracked within the focal sectors of Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Power, Health, Energy, and Roads.

These projects in the 6th phase were awarded to 1,355 contractors in 176 MDAs.

Continue Reading

National

FG awards contracts for Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Abuja highways

President Bola Tinubu has approved the restructuring of his media team

The Federal Government has signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway to boost the country’s transportation ecosystem.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, Minister of Works, David Umahi, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his inclusive leadership and the distribution of the dividends of democracy.

Umahi also explained that the Legacy Project is strategic for boosting transportation along the economic corridors of the South East and North Central, noting that it would stimulate trade along the regions and foster inter-regional cohesion, cooperation, and collaboration.

He noted that the project will create a seamless movement of goods and services between the Southeast and Northern routes of the road and further the road infrastructure revolution master plan in keeping with the tenets of inclusive leadership in the country.

According to Umahi, the Federal Ministry of Works has also signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of Enugu/Abakaliki/Ogoja Highway (Africa Trans-Sahara route) cutting across Cross River, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa States and terminating in Apo in Abuja.

The Works Minister argued that the project will consist of the reconstruction of the existing jointed, asphalt concrete and laterite surfaced road pavements from Ndibe beach, traversing through Eke Market.

Others, Abaomege, Onueke, Achiagu, Umuoghara/Onu Nwafor, Ukwuachi, Ishieke, Odomoke before terminating at Mbeke in Ebonyi is the third Project spanning 118.85km and it is to be constructed on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP).

He assured that the four projects are not just transformational but also critical investments that would turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the country, stimulate diversification, and enhance a more sustainable transportation ecosystem.

Umahi therefore thanked Mr. President for carrying on the execution of the inherited road projects across the 6 Geo-Political zones, including the South East, believing, Lagos – Calabar 750 kilometers sections 1 and 2, construction already are going on very well.

“Despite legal action, the project is a must. We’re supporting Mr. President to have that project accomplished. It is an investment. Very soon, we are starting 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom,” Umahi said.

The Minister argued, “There is Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, 1,068 kilometers. Two sections are already ongoing. The biggest of the project is the Kebbi section, 258 kilometers. It’s ongoing. We’ve flagged off, and we have paid the first mobilization fee.”

Speaking after signing the contract, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Joseph Abou Jaounde promised to justify the confidence reposed on them, saying, “We have to carry on with this goal, and we have to prove that we trust in the right place.”

Continue Reading

National

Alia approves ₦75,000 minimum wage for Benue workers

 Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue has approved a minimum wage of ₦75,000 for workers in the state.

Alia in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, announced the new wage after he met with organised labour representatives on Monday in Makurdi.

The governor said that the new minimum wage would take effect in November 2024.

He stated that the remaining three months of the five-month backlog of salary arrears promised workers would be paid as budgeted in the 2024 budget.

He emphasised that the arrias would be paid along with the new minimum wage.

“We decided to set the wage at ₦75,000, fully aware of the other concerns raised by organised labour during the negotiations.

“These concerns included a minimum wage of N30,000, wage awards, transportation allowances, tax relief, and work-off days, among others.

“Recall that the President had approved the sum of N70,000, which we have decided to exceed, considering the concerns raised by organised labour regarding our ability to pay,” he said.

Alia restated his administration’s commitment to serve the common man and stressed that he would do everything legitimately possible to ensure that Benue workers were properly taken care of.

The governor added that his motivation to ensure the arrears were paid was to alleviate the effects of hardship on workers.

Continue Reading

National

Lagos court jails NOGASA chair 21 years for N43.5m fraud

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, November 18, 2024, convicted and sentenced Fatuyi Yemi Philips, an erstwhile Chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), to 21 years imprisonment for an N43.5 million fraud.

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Philips, alongside his firm, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, on April 5, 2022, on a two-count bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N43,502,000.00.

Count one read: “Fatuyi Yemi Philips and Oceanview Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, on or about the 28th day of September, 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N43,502,000.00 from Elochukwu Okoye and Elebana Unique Ventures Nigeria Limited on behalf of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited under the false representation that you would sell to WAPCIL Nigeria Limited $98,870.00, a representation you knew to be false.”

Count two read: “Fatuyi Yemi Philips and Oceanview Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, on or about the 28th day of September, 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, stole the sum of N43,502,000.00, property of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, which led to his full trial.

In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel M.S. Owede tendered several documentary evidences and called five witnesses to substantiate the allegations against him and his company.

The defence, on its part, called three witnesses during the trial.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Dada held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

Consequently, the judge sentenced Philips to 14 years imprisonment on count one and seven years on count two, without the option of a fine.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

The judge also ordered the second defendant, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, to pay a fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in respect of count one and another N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) in respect of count two within 30 days or be wound up.

The court further ordered the convicts to make restitution in the sum of $90,202.00 or the prevailing Naira equivalent to the nominal complainants.

Phillips’ journey to the Correctional Centre began when he collected the sum of N43,502,000 from Elochukwu Okoye and Elebana Unique Ventures Nigeria Limited on behalf of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited, with a false promise of selling its dollar equivalent ($98,870.00) to them. He neither returned the naira nor the dollar equivalent to the petitioners.

Continue Reading

National

Obasanjo was not an idealleader to emulate—Presidency

The Presidency has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent critique of Nigerian leadership, labelling him as an inappropriate figure to lecture on governance and morality.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, released a statement on Saturday, describing Obasanjo’s track record as riddled with missteps that undermine his credibility as a model leader.

Responding to Obasanjo’s remarks at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, where the former president described Nigeria as a failing state and criticized the administrations of Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, Onanuga accused him of hypocrisy.

“Chief Obasanjo’s tenure was marred by brazen constitutional violations, poor economic decisions, and scandals,” Onanuga stated.

He highlighted controversies including the 2004 abduction of Anambra Governor Chris Ngige, unconstitutional impeachments of governors, and the infamous third-term agenda.

“A leader under whose watch these infractions occurred lacks the moral standing to critique others,” Onanuga added.

Onanuga challenged Obasanjo’s claim of economic prowess, citing missed opportunities during his administration.

“He boasted of paying off Nigeria’s debt but left critical infrastructure like roads and power in deplorable condition. His $16 billion investment in the power sector yielded no improvement, and his privatization program undervalued state assets, benefiting cronies rather than Nigerians.”

He further accused Obasanjo of ignoring Nigeria’s vast gas reserves in favour of oil, a misstep Obasanjo himself recently acknowledged. According to Onanuga, this oversight has burdened subsequent administrations, including Buhari and Tinubu, who have had to correct course.

https://twitter.com/aonanuga1956/status/1858527407285690864

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending