PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has named the newly inaugurated Federal Secretariat in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, after his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari said the structure would “reduce the cost of governance by bringing federal civil servants under one roof for efficient service delivery, adding that making infrastructure development a key point of focus in his administration was deliberate to create wealth and make poverty alleviation easier.
IT was a joyous mood for many residents of the Southeast and beyond, yesterday, as President Muhammadu Buhari virtually inaugurated the all-important Second Niger Bridge, 18 years after it was conceived.
The tape to mark its opening to the public was cut by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, assisted by Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo and other top federal and state governments functionaries and dignitaries from the Southeast.
With the inauguration, travellers to Enugu, Owerri, Aba and other parts of the Southeast from Asaba, Delta State, who have no business in Onitsha, Anambra State, will avoid the traffic bottlenecks into the commercial city, as the 11.5 kilometre Second Niger Bridge across the River Niger and access roads linking Asaba, the Delta State capital, with Ogbaru in Anambra State and beyond formally opens to permanent use by the public.
This is a dream come true after about five decades of failed promises by successive administrations.
The newly constructed access roads at Oko in Delta State to the 1.63-kilomtre bridge and the Onitsha/Obosi interchange make it about 12 kilometres long.
The main phase of the project, which is the bridge itself, was completed late last year and temporarily opened to the public during the Yuletide, while contracts for the access roads from near the Asaba Airport and Obosi to the Onitsha-Enugu, as well as Onitsha-Owerri expressway, was awarded to the same contractors handling the bridge, Julius Berger Plc.
Six other legacy projects executed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing- the two remaining sections of the Abuja-Kano Expressway, Loko-Oweto Bridge across River Benue to link Benue to Nasarawa State and the Ikom Bridge in Cross River State and Federal Secretariats in Awka (Anambra State); Gusau (Zamfara and Yenagoa (Bayelsa State) were also virtually inauguration by the President.
The Second Niger Bridge was initially scheduled for commissioning by the President on May 15, but had to be shelved due to the President’s absence from the country.
Neighbouring communities in Asaba and Onitsha rolled out drums in appreciation of the President for completing the bridge, launched by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March, 2014, and named it after him.
Representatives of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe and the Asagba of Asaba, Obi Chike Edozien, described the completion of the bridge as a big relief to the people of the South-South and Southeast.
Ngige said the delivery of the bridge was a fulfilment of promise made by Buhari and expressed gratitude to him for that.
Earlier, Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, in a tweet, disclosed the decision of the Southeast governors to named the bridge after Buhari, saying: “Following consultations, the governors of the Southeast have agreed that the Second Niger Bridge shall be named the Muhammadu Buhari Second Niger Bridge.”
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the revocation of the licences of 132 microfinance banks, three finance companies and four primary mortgage banks across the country.
The revocation notice, which was contained in a gazetted circular signed by the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, in Abuja said those listed “ceased to carry on, in Nigeria, the type of business for which their licences were issued for a continuous period of six months” and failing to fulfil or comply with the conditions subject to which their licences were granted.
Emefiele added: “(They) failed to comply with the obligations imposed upon them by the CBN in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.
“In exercise of the powers conferred on the CBN under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020, Act No.5, I hereby revoke the licences of the microfinance banks, finance companies and primary mortgage banks stated.”
Those affected are HHL Invest and Trust Limited; TFS Finance Limited; Treasures and Trust Limited; Resort Savings and Loans; Safetrust Mortgage Bank; Adamawa Savings and Loans and Kogi Savings and Loans.
Other include Atlas Microfinance Bank; Bluewhales Microfinance Bank, Everest Microfinance Bank; Igangan Microfinance Bank; Mainsail Microfinance Bank; Merit Microfinance Bank; Minna Microfinance Bank; Musharaka Microfinance Bank; Nopov Microfinance Bank and Ohon Microfinance Bank.
Speaking at the commissioning of the refinery, located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State, Buhari said: “I have confidence that my successor, Bola Tinubu, will sustain the improvement in our economy and business environment and stress on the framework of our government partnership to accelerate the growth of our economic development.
“I am going to be leaving our economy in competent hands and I congratulate the Chairman and the Board of Directors and the management of Dangote Group for their notable contribution to the industrialisation of our economy and that of our continent.”
Buhari was received by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, accompanied by the President/CEO, Dangote Group, Dr. Aliko Dangote, to the ceremony expected to be attended by five African Presidents, including Gnassingbé Eyadéma (Togo); Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana); Macky Sall (Senegal); Mohamed Bazoum (Niger Republic); Mahamat Déby (Chad) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda).
Owned by Africa’s richest man, the refinery is Africa’s biggest, “is a game-changer for the Nigerian people,” according to Buhari, and is expected to reduce fuel shortages in Nigeria.
The refinery, which is not yet operational, has the capacity to produce about 650,000 barrels of petroleum products a day, more than enough to supply Nigeria’s needs, also includes a power station, deep seaport and fertiliser plant.
Nigeria’s government-owned refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna have been completely shut for over three years due to oil theft, pipeline vandalism and structural neglect and mismanagement.
At the commissioning, Dangote stated: “Our first goal is to ramp up production of the various products to ensure that within this year, we are able to fully satisfy the nation’s demand for quality products.”
However, it remained unclear how all these would impact on pricing of petroleum products in an industry characterised by corruption and controversial subsidies, which the outgoing promised to scrap at the twilight of its existence, but chickened out at the very last minute.
Dangote Refinery, which took almost seven years to complete, is said to be the world’s largest single-train refinery, meaning the plant has one integrated distillery system that can produce a variety of products and petrochemicals, rather than having different units for each type of product.
It is one of the last major projects to be inaugurated by Buhari a week to the end of his chequered eight-year tenure.
Tinubu Opposes Consolidation Of Petitions
THIS year’s presidential election petitions court has ruled that there will be no live broadcast of proceedings.
This was the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), sitting in Abuja on Monday, Mat 22 against live coverage of the tribunal on Monday.
The Justices held that televising the proceedings has no relevance to the petitions and that it is not rooted in any of Nigeria’s laws.
Recall that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party (LP) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had filed an application on May 8 for an order to allow the live coverage of the daily court proceedings on the case they brought against the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, following the February 25 election.
At the proceeding in Abuja on Monday, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Haruna Tsammani, dismissed the application for lacking merit.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate in the election, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has opposed the consolidating of the petitions as raised by the PEPC.
At the resumed hearing to consider the matter of consolidation, Counsel to Tinubu, Mr. Akin Olujimi (SAN) and the APC, Mr. Charles Edosomwan (SAN) opposed the move to consolidate the three different petitions, insisting that doing so would affect their ability to effectively defend all the issues raised by the petitioners.
They maintained that the petitioners did not only raise various issues, but were seeking different reliefs.
Mr. Shehu Abubakar announced appearance for the Allied Peoples Party (APM) and Mr. Kenny Pinhero (SAN) represented the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Abubakar said the party would not be opposed to consolidation of the petition, while Pinhero added that he was neither in support nor opposition, but left the decision at the discretion of the PEPC, as the electoral body was neutral on the issue.
Olujimi, in opposing the application for consolidation of the petitions, said the interest of justice would not be served, as the issues raised were different and because of the variance of pleadings, adding: “The justice factor is a good reason for your Lordships not to consolidate the petition. The 2nd respondent is afraid of being prejudiced.”
He submitted that the 3rd and 4th respondents also opposed consolidation of the petitions and adopted the submissions of Counsel to the 2nd respondent, insisting that though Paragraph 50 of 1st Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022 donated an in built discretion to the court, he argued that such discretion was not mandatory.
“The interest of justice should be a restraint on the power of court to exercise discretion in granting consolidation. The issue canvassed in each of the petitions vary,” Olujimi insisted.
For the 5th respondent, Mr. Rowland Otaru adopted the submissions of Counsel for the 2nd to 4th respondents.
He was re-elected, with other executive members, during ASUU’s 22nd National Delegates Conference hosted by the University of Jos, Plateau State, between May 19 and 21, 2023.
Apart from Osodeke, a lecturer at the Abia State University, Umudike, members also re-elected Chris Piwuna, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in the College of Medicine, University of Jos, as Vice President; Prof. Siji Sowande (Treasurer); Prof. Ade Adejumo (Financial Secretary); Dr. Austen Sado (Investment Secretary); Dr. Adamu Babayo (Internal Auditor) and Dr. Aisha Bawa, who replaced Dr. Stella-Maris Okey as the Welfare Secretary.
Osodeke, speaking shortly after his re-election, described the conference as successful.
EDO State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said history would be kind to his Delta State counterpart, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, whose tenure as governor ends on May 29.
Obaseki said no matter what people thought about the Okowa administration, history had recorded the governor’s massive achievements while in the saddle for eight years.
Speaking at a valedictory dinner held for the outgoing governor and his deputy, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, at the Events Centre in Asaba on the night of Sunday, may 21, Obaseki described Okowa as a unifier who had ensured that Edo and Delta states remained united and for supporting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to victory in the 2021 governorship election in his state.
He said: “I am here to celebrate and thank God for the life of our own chairman, because he is the Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum. I want to thank God that you have kept the tradition, you have played your own part, you have run your own session of the race.
“You inherited a Delta that is PDP and you are handing on a Delta that is PDP to your successor. You have done your part and that’s all you can do and we thank God for your wife and family that have been a pillar of support all through these eight years.
“People will have their own versions of history, but history is history and history has recorded what you have achieved for your people in Delta State.
“I congratulate you and thank God for your life, that as you move to the next phase of your calling, the Lord who has seen you through will be there to support you.”
Obaseki charged the governor-elect, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, to brace up for the challenges ahead and wished him well as he assumes office on May 29.
On his part, Okowa, who was very emotional on the night, thanked Deltans for giving him and his deputy the opportunity to serve the state for eight years.
He also commended the Legislature and the Judiciary, as well as the civil service for their contributions to his administration’s success, saying: “There is no doubt that we had some happy moments, but we also had some challenging moments. Several challenges came our way, but God was with us all through.
“God was with us and He will be with you through your tenure.”
The governor apologised to the people of Ayakoromo and the Ijaw nation for his inability to complete the Ayakoromo Bridge project, but assured that he had taken steps to ensure its prompt completion in no distant time.
“I must publicly apologise for our failure to deliver the Ayakoromo Bridge during my tenure. The previous contractor somehow slowed us down and not until last year we found out that if we needed to succeed, that contractor had to be exited from that project, and we were able to talk with him and it has now been re-awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited.
“We have done the initial phase of mobilisation, which is about N2billion, but the full mobilisation ought to be about N4.1billion
“By God’s grace, and talking with the governor-elect, by next week we will have to pay the balance N2.1billion, so that they can move on fully to the Ayakoromo Bridge and get it completed.
“I apologise and ask for patience of not only the people of Ayakoromo, but also all Ijaw, who had felt that that bridge ought to be completed. It is not our own deliberate fault; it was because of the non-performance of the contractor.
“I thank God for Levant Nigeria Limited for what I see on Sector A of the Ughelli-Asaba road. From Ughelli to Oleh to Ozoro, I can see the pace of work and I thank God that we were able to repudiate the initial contract and to re-award it to Levant Nigeria Limited.”
This is even as a combined team of security forces in Anambra State have been combing Amiyi/Eke Ochuche and other communities in Ogbaru Council of the state to track down killers of two staff members of the United States Embassy in Nigeria and two officers of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) personnel whose convoy was attacked last Tuesday in the area.
The operation is also said the operation is to rescue other personnel and a US Consulate driver who were abducted in the attack.
The four were part of a US Security Advance team were killed in an attack in Ogbaru,Anambra State, on Tuesday, May 16.
The Police in Anambra State confirmed that “there were shootings in Ogbaru” and that its men were working to put the situation under control.
A spokesman of the US Mission Nigeria also confirmed the attack, adding: “We’re working with Nigeria security service to investigate the matter,” adding that the security of the US Mission personnel remains paramount and the Mission takes extensive precautions when organising trips to the field.
The gunmen had attacked, killed and set their bodies ablaze alongside their vehicles. Earlier report of US citizens being among the dead has turned out to be false, even though the Police expressed worry that such a high-flyer entry could be made into the state without due notification.
The gunmen reportedly ambushed the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) officials who were on a humanitarian mission to a rural community and abducted two Police personnel and the driver of the vehicle in the entourage before escaping.
Other officials of the embassy escaped from the scene with degrees of injuries, but it remains unclear if the humanitarian missionaries and the Police personnel were the actual targets or simply victims of circumstance.
The attack had caused panic and pandemonium in the community, as residents who had assembled to receive medical treatment from the UNICEF officials scampered to safety.
Buhari, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, expressed worry over the development, saying: “It was saddening to hear about the killing of the US embassy officials and our policemen.
“It is, indeed, a difficult time for families of those killed, the US Embassy and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). I, therefore, extend the nation’s condolences to families of victims.”
Also, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has condemned the attack. Obi, a former governor of the state, said: “This despicable act is highly condemnable.” He sympathised with families of those killed, the US Embassy and other charitable international agencies involved.”
Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun, however, ordered his remand and the Police to complete their investigation within 48 hours.
Kuti was charged with assault on a Police officer, an offence contrary to Section 356 of the Criminal Code Act.
The Police prosecutor, S. A. Adebese, asked the court to remand the defendant for 21 days to allow the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to prepare legal advice.
However, Counsel to the defendant, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), opposed the motion and pleaded with the court not to remand his client, adding that he was not aware of an application to that effect.
Seun, who is the son of the Afro music legend, Fela Kuti, was invited and indeed appeared before the Lagos State Police Commissioner on Monday, following his alleged assault of a Police officer on duty at the Third Mainland Bridge on Saturday, May 13.
He was said to have slapped the officer after his vehicle was stopped.
He was later arrested and detained on the order of the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba.
He was later transferred to the state’s Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Yaba, from where he was arraigned.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will stay back in London, United Kingdom (UK), for an additional one week, at the advice of his dentist, who has started attending to him.
Buhari, last Wednesday, departed Abuja for London to join other world leaders invited to attend the coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as UK’s King and Queen Consort, respectively.
Presidency officials were initially silent on Buhari’s return date even after the coronation ceremony had ended last Saturday, but a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, late on Tuesday, May 9 explained that the specialist needed to see the President in another five days for a procedure already begun.
Adesina had in an earlier statement said: “Ahead of the coronation, the Commonwealth Secretariat will take advantage of the gathering of leaders in London to host a Commonwealth Summit for Presidents and Heads of Government of Commonwealth countries on Friday, May 5.”
Buhari, who had participated in the Summit, which deliberated on the ‘Future of the Commonwealth and the Role of the Youth,’ was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), among others.
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