₦airaland Forum

Refusal of three blood brothers from Ikeja kingdom Oshoja royal family, to allow any of them to emerge as the kingdom traditional ruler, after death of last monarch of the community, Oba Rafiu Amore of Amore royal family, has led to conclusions of other royal families, kingmakers, and chiefs that the brothers were not fit to become the kingdom’s traditional ruler since their disagreement has led Ikeja into a community without a leader for nine years.

As gathered, the battle for the throne did not only lead the brothers, Wasiu, Nurudeeen, and Shamsondeen Adeleye, from Ikeja kingdom Oshoja royal family, into disagreement but also led to death one of them, Shamsondeen, who was said to have died barely two years ago fighting for same the course.

Findings by The Guild revealed that the two other brothers were not ready to relax the battle even after the death of one of them and the fight for who becomes the traditional ruler of Ikeja kingdom may continue for years if other royal families and stakeholders decide to look away on the crisis.

Mediations, according to The Guild findings, have not yielded results that could bring peace to the community, but instead, Wasiu and Nurudeen, would prefer that the palace remain empty for as long as none of them have access to the throne.

But for the kingmakers, the brothers’ resolve is not in the interest of other royal families as well as the entire community members that have continued to yearn for peace and emergence of another monarch that would put the palace into better use for the development of the entire Ikeja kingdom.

From other royal families, Iyade and Amore of Ikeja kingdom, their conclusions were that a new monarch should emerge and that the entire family cannot continue folding their arms while the traditional throne remains useless.

Members of the families expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation that has lasted the kingdom of nine years of the empty palace, saying that, there must be a solution to bring the crisis to an end.

They disclosed that since Nurudeen and Wasiu could not let go of their personal interests, the throne must go to another qualified member of the Oshoja and Iyade royal families that were also entire to fill the gap.

One of the members of royal families, who spoke to The Guild under anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, on Wednesday, said that Iyade has picked his candidate who also shares lineage with Oshoja and he is qualified to be a better traditional ruler for the kingdom.

He hinted that the candidate picked, one Tajudeen Muritala, was considered on merit and that the entire royal family members, as well as community, were solidly behind his choice as the next Ikeja kingdom traditional ruler.

The royal family member explained that the conclusion to pick a candidate from other royal families was initially reached five years ago, but that the decision was stepped down the three brothers pleaded to have resolved their differences and were ready to accept one of them to ascend the throne.

According to him, the three brothers did the opposite of their pleads to other royal families and continued their infighting that had lasted another four years.

“The fighting of these brothers have not brought any meaningful development to the entire Ikeja, but suffering and empty palace. Due to their actions, Ikeja has remained a kingdom without a traditional ruler because brothers are fighting themselves over who becomes the next ruler.

“We do not know how long this fight will last the brothers and other royal families must remove the kingdom from this mess’, he added.

Another member from Oshoja, indicate that Tajudeen had been picked by both his family and Iyade family due to his lineage to the two royal families and that this decision would not be reversed as witnessed five years ago.

She explained that the conclusions of both families were in the best interest of Ikeja kingdom and the entire community people who can no longer continue waiting and yearning for a new monarch to emerge.

To her, when two brothers cannot come together as one and pick among themselves who to rule Ikeja kingdom, the other royal families from the community need to step in, according to law.

“Six months is enough by law to allow family picks their candidate for Ikeja kingdom but since Nurudeen and Wasiu cannot do so for nine good years, their time is completely over and they need to step aside for a new candidate to take of our beautiful palace”.

“Six months is enough by law to allow family picks their candidate for Ikeja kingdom but since Nurudeen and Wasiu cannot do so for nine good years, their time is completely over and they need to step aside for a new candidate to take of our beautiful palace”.

She stated that the palace has been missing monarchs and officials who were supposed to be looking after the affairs of the entire kingdom and entire community but what had happened is contrary.

A strong member from Iyade royal family, Jamiu Folami, told The Guild that the families, after their resolve to end the long-overdue infighting, had sent Tajudeen Muritala’s name to Lagos State Government as the preferred candidate for Ikeja kingdom traditional throne.

Folami stated that the actions of the royal families would not be to only end years of brothers’ feud but also bring peace and development to ensure the Ikeja community after nine years of no traditional ruler.

He explained that the palace had its own quota when it was functioning until Wasiu and Nurudeen disagreements grounded activities of the place for years.

“Chiefs could no longer resume to their various office in the palace as a result of absence f monarch and other people benefitting directly from the place lost the benefits as a result of the brothers’ personal interests.

“Wasiu and his brother petitioned the Lagos Police Command over decisions of other royal families and I was there personally to defend every member today. During the engagement with the law enforcement officers, the police realised that it was families fighting over who has the right to the Ikeja kingdom throne and realized that the matter is before the Lagos state government.

“Muritala is well educated and has influence such that could bring fast developments to Ikeja kingdom and in favour of our children and grandchildren”.

Our Dear Partners,

We want to thank you for your support in the growth of the Chinmark Group. Over the years, we have been able to setup businesses that have spread in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world successfully and creating sustainable means of livelihood for over 4,000 individuals working with the Chinmark Group.

You will recall that since the commencement of the company, we have successfully built a track record of excellent and quality customer service delivery, we have never disappointed, and we promise not to disappoint you now.

However, the Chinmark Group wants to reassure all its clients that there is no cause for panic as the Partnership arm is taking all necessary measures to ensure the system starts working again and more effectively.

We wish to inform all our partners that we are working efficiently to comply with government regulations for quality control and assurance.

These processes are currently affecting the activities of the partnership arm of the company for a short period of time which will not exceed 45-60 days.

All our offices are open and activities are running. We implore you, our partners, to kindly support the smooth running of all our businesses during this period to enable us pass through this phase and remain as strong as ever. Panic and unrest will affect the businesses that generate returns for the sustainability of the partnership arm.

For further enquires, don't hesitate to reach us via our official email address, info@chinmarkgroup.com. A follow up email will be sent periodically to our clients who are affected within the period of this process to update them on progress made.

Thank you for patience and support as we are committed to serving you better.

Cheers to Chinmark @50

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The Nigeria Police Force has arrested and detained a nephew of Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto State who was supplying arms, ammunition, and military kits to bandits in Zamfara State, SaharaReporters has gathered.

The police had last week arrested the suspect identified as Musa Mohammed Kamarawa.

SaharaReporters learnt that he is currently being detained at the NPF headquarters in Abuja.

He was arrested by the Special Tactical Squad.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Bafarawa, who has been uneasy with the arrest of his relation, has been putting pressure on the police for Kamarawa’s release.

He was however told the suspect could not be released as Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State was involved and ready to report to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This is a relative of the former Governor of Sokoto, Attahiru Bafarawa caught by security agents as arms and military kits’ suppliers to bandits,” a police source said.

“He has been under detention with Force Headquarters for about a week. Bafarawa has been putting pressure for his release but they told him they can't release him since Matawalle is aware, that he will report them to the President.”

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the suspect was heard saying, “My name is Musa Mohammed Kamarawa, born in Kamarawa, Isa LGA; my father's name is Alhaji Mohammed who lives in Kamarawa with his brothers.

“My mother is a businesswoman and also a farmer who lives in Kamarawa; she is an elder sister to former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa; the Sardauna of Bafarawa, Alhaji Abubakar; Hajiya Tsahara; Hajiya Tumba; Hajiya Hafsatand Hajiya Safara'u.

“I attended Gobir primary school Isa, before proceeding to Nagarta College Sokoto. Afterward I got admitted to study for my degree at Usman Danfodiyyo University, Sokoto State.”

Former Lagos State Governor and a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has narrated how a working trip he made while serving as an auditor for auditing giant, Deloitte and Touche, made him an “instant millionaire”.

Mr. Tinubu first served as a senator in the short-lived third republic and later as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. He has been accused of making a fortune from politics.

“At Deloitte and Touche, I chose to travel more than 80 per cent of my working years there. And that is because if a staff chose to travel, he would make more money because he would get travel allowances,” Mr. Tinubu said in a lengthy interview he granted TheNews Magazine on March 29 about his journey through life as he celebrated his 64th birthday.

Mr. Tinubu said he was sent on an assignment to help set up a an accounting and auditing system for a joint-venture between National Oil and Aramco in Saudi Arabia but by the time he returned to the United States, he discovered that his account had been credited in millions.

Mr. Tinubu said he was sent on an assignment to help set up a an accounting and auditing system for a joint-venture between National Oil and Aramco in Saudi Arabia but by the time he returned to the United States, he discovered that his account had been credited in millions.

“We had gone there to set up their accounting and auditing system. It was while on that service that I got my financial break. When I returned to the United States, my employers gave me a huge bonus, which instantly turned me into a millionaire.

“The bonus was $850,000, before taxes. My salaries were also being paid into the bank and I was not touching them. At the time, my salary deposits in the bank had risen to about $1.8 million.”

Asked if he was not frightened by the development, Mr. Tinubu said, “No. This is because I had a strong grasp of financial matters. I was happy. I bought a house from the money and invested the rest in the U.S. I was living well. I was living in one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in the south of Chicago.”

Mr. Tinubu said he stayed back working for several years in the United States after completing his degree in Chicago. He worked in Deloitte and Touch before returning to Nigeria to serve as an accounting executive for Mobil.

The biggest gun in the Nigerian army. Palmaria 155mm self propelled howitzer.

Artillery will remain an important asset for future military campaign. Any conventional war scenario will be characterized by massive and devastating conventional artillery fire.

FairMoney team have expressed the importance of serving the unbanked and underbanked which according to the bank is “stemmed from a burning desire to bridge the lag between developing African countries, Nigeria inclusive, and the new age of banking enjoyed in developed countries.

The FairMoney team stated this at the media parley held last Friday, as they stated that the bank was founded with an overarching vision to be the leading digital bank driving financial inclusion for the average Nigerian.

The strategy was said to be premised on the need to cater to the majority, stating that FairMoney was birthed to cater to the predominant needs of the Nigerian market – small & medium scale enterprises, through quick & seamless loans.

The management further stated that, based on the strategy, over the past 4 years of operation, FairMoney MFB is said to have grown its customer base to over 5 million users, and 2 million bank accounts through relentless positioning as the “New Bank for the masses”.

According to Laurin Hainy, Co-Founder/CEO, FairMoney, “FairMoney is positioned to support our customers across their various financial service needs even as we work to maintain our current position as the leading digital bank in Nigeria. Our mission has always been to serve the needs of as many Nigerians as possible. Our approach to doing this involves providing millions of Nigerians with loans and capital to meet their immediate needs and in some cases, to grow their businesses, and so far, we have disbursed over N117billion loans since inception.”

“Our goal ultimately is to use technology to bank the 60 million Nigerians currently excluded from the financial ecosystem. We have also introduced secure and innovative technology processes to improve our lending operations, as well as a strong privacy protection policy, and a comprehensive loan collection policy which has been successfully deployed in the last 4 years,” Laurin added.

FairMoney maintains that it has finely niched a reputation as a leading driver for financial inclusion in Nigeria, with millions benefiting from its numerous financial services & features, through its strong lending service offerings. Some of the services include quick loans without collateral, free debit cards & free inter-bank transfers to support SMEs & MSMEs by alleviating common expenses issued by traditional banks through account maintenance charges.

Amongst the many offerings of FairMoney is the digitization of general banking procedures through the app by making bill payments accessible without needing to visit banking halls & introducing consumer empowering initiatives like the recently concluded FairMoney Transact & Win Black Friday engagement which had lucky winners go home with 10 smartphones, 5 generators & a delivery motorcycle; not to mention the ongoing ’12 Days of Fair giveaways’ Christmas giveaways all in the bid to offer equal opportunities for all and stay true to their promise of Fair banking for all.

Speaking at the Media Parley, Nengi Akinola, Head Marketing & Branding reiterated FairMoney’s commitment to supporting Nigerians. “To us at FairMoney, the goal is to see a world where everyone has equal financial opportunities and support to reach their financial goals, however great or wide it may be. We will continue to build on our offerings, so that we can continue to meet the growing needs of the average Nigerian customers” she said.

“We can’t wait to share all the interesting new features we’re bringing to the FairMoney app in the new year” Nengi added.

I woke up early to visit this church. Asides the fact that ‘Mummy G.O’ is an online sensation, her church was not very far and shockingly, her son was an acquaintance. So you can imagine the determination. It was quite comical.Thread on my visit to Mummy G.O’s church

To be honest, I was stunned with the size of the church. Expected it to be a tiny building. Wrong oh. It was very wide and a small building by the side was for the children’s church. As I parked and tried stepping into the building, I was stopped. Ghen ghen!

The lady at the entrance spoke yoruba to me. She asked me to please take off my necklace.Loudly crying face I forgot to remove my bling bling. I begged her to help me take it off and she seemed pleased. She told me how she expected me to argue as many did. Ma’am I came for cruise. Take it off.

Then I noticed this at the entrance. In this type of situations, you have to comply, you don’t need no drama. My scarf slid up and she sighted my earrings. She called me back. Rolling on the floor laughingshe helped me take those off too. I was just very calm and I kept smiling at her. I was here for mummy

I entered and found a suitable place to sit. I was right on time. It was Sunday school. I noticed something,they were so keen on the preaching of ‘End Times’. I surveyed the crowd. Well, it was a small crowd. Men one side, women one side. Youths were so few and I wasn’t surprised

It was full of way older people and more women than men. The choir in dark purple attire. Fashion was missing, nobody cared on how to mix and match attires. Well, we are in end times. I was patiently waiting for mummy G.O to turn up. I was called again by the woman outside. Nawa

“Aunty e jor, e pa phone yin” (Aunty please turn off your phone .) then she pointed to a banner outside that asked for phones to be turned off during service. Nawa. No videos for you people. I didn’t want drama. So I turned it off and went back into the church.

Sunday school was over and mummy G.O was yet to be seen. Ah she better turn up for us. The lady beside me was staring and I caught her gaze. “Are you a new member?” She asked with a grin. My suspicion arose. She must be one of us. “Yes.” I answered. “Me too. Who invited you?”

I was starting to wonder who sent the lady to me. “I came on my own.” The lady didn’t seem convinced. She had a purple cloth tied around her waist. I knew it was the lady outside who did that. Aunty’s gown was too short. Rolling on the floor laughing “It’s a lie, you were sent here.” I was just confused

Then she revealed to me that she was a journalist. Rolling on the floor laughingSo no be only me come here to get story. I told her I wasn’t a journalist but just a girl that liked to catch cruise. I could tell she had her doubts. Then I looked around again, I began to realize some things were off.

Some of the few youths were not true members. I could tell. Like the young journalist had her feet painted, a lady at the other row wore slightly high heels, a young guy on the male row had his eyes darting here and there. I knew I wasn’t alone in this. We were quite a number.

Mummy G.O was still nowhere to be found Loudly crying face I was getting worried. Where’s my mother in the lord? Where’s my mummy that has dined with Lucifer? I began to miss her. Miss a woman I’d never met. It was emotional Weary face

Then a lady mounted the pulpit. It was not my mummy G.O. It was as though my heart got broken all again. I decided to stay calm. Mind you, I was hiding my fixed nails and tattoo near my wrist. I didn’t want to be the center of attention. A lady walked in with a beautiful gown.

Well, still not mummy G.O but I knew she wasn’t a member and was one of us. The preaching was about God giving insight and demystifying. To be honest, it was nothing of the extraordinary. I was yearning for the ‘Luzifa’ talks and how wearing Vneck was a tool of antichrists

Where is my mummy G.O. I knew she was around. I mean she was the owner of the church. But I knew something was off. Why wasn’t she preaching. I had so many thoughts. Then I began to doze off. I tried to concentrate on the preaching but it was that of mummy G.O I wanted

Then it was time to pray and I was still seated, there’s this trick I do. I sit and sleep but my lips move as though I’m praying. Well, the preacher walked all the way from the pulpit and tapped me. “Sister we don’t sit and pray in this church, please stand.” Omo! Why naaaaa!!!

I stood up to pray. It was not a cast and bind type of church. So there was no throwing and rolling of heads and clapping etc or screaming about the village people. We stepped outside to continue the prayers. Mummy G.O still yet to be seen. What’s going on!!!! Where’s my mummy!

After the prayers ended, we went back inside. It was time for tithes and offerings which also included building offering. Expressionless faceI no get cash. I no put money. Leave me. I just want my mummy G.O. I got to learn that she was not in sight because she was getting death threats Loudly crying faceLoudly crying faceLoudly crying face

I was shattered. I was sad. My own mummy G.O being threatened. But I could understand. That’s what comes with popularity. Church was over. They did not share anything for new comers Loudly crying faceLoudly crying face. As we stepped outside, true intentions were exposed. Journalists posed as members were many!


Now, it’s getting interesting at this point. I get in my car and decide to drop some people off. The lady in the beautiful dress and the journalist. So I ask her “What media do you work with?” The lady on the gown said she came for personal reasons. Then she reveals -

“She ruined my friend’s marriage.” I’m taken aback. I ask how. “You see those things she said about Tonto, she said the same about my friend to her husband. It was as though he was hypnotized and soon after, he divorced his wife and began sponsoring this woman’s mission. Gengen!

“He has put so much fund in this woman’s ministry and why her church is so big.” The journalist asks “Can I speak to your friend?” “No, she rather remains private, she’s travelled out of the country and wants no drama.” I feel sad about this, I hope I can finally meet Mummy G.O.

Well, this is the end of the line. I did have an eventful Sunday. Thank you all for taking your time to read this. Err but I can tell you for certain, Mummy G.O isn’t coming out anytime soon. Follow me on IG @novels_by_simi I’m a badass writer Red heart

Africans Rising Holds Grand Activism Awards.

.... Announces 2021 Activism Award Winners, $12 Million Individual Giving Campaign.

'Africans Rising' a Pan-African movement of. People and organizations working together for Peace , Justice Dignity and Unity Of Purpose Of African People on Monday December 20 2021 gathered for a press conference and Activism Awards at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The Africans Rising Activism Awards since 2020 recognizes African activists through the presentation of three awards namely ;

The Africans Rising Activists of the year award, The Africans Rising Movement of the year awards and The Africans Rising Artistic activists awards.

Renowned activists and seasoned media personnel were present at event.

[b]Africans Rising Announces 2021 Activism Award Winners & $12 Million Individual Giving Campaign.

In the past year, young African activists raised their voices and brought positive change to their communities despite the mounting challenges of global, health and political crises. Inspired by their selfless activism, Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity comes together each year to acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments through the Africans Rising Activism Awards.

In a ceremony today, December 20, we will be announcing the winners of the Africans Rising 2021 Activism Awards at Barcelona Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria at 6pm (GMT+1). We will recognize African activism through the presentation of three awards: the Africans Rising Activist of the Year, Movement of the Year, and the Artistic Activist of the Year. The awards will be complemented by an ambitious launching event to kickstart Africans Rising’s Fundraising Campaign. These activities are part of the many strategies that Africans Rising has adopted to impact movements towards justice, peace and dignity across the globe.



We are excited to be hosting this awards ceremony here in Abuja. This is a historic moment for Africans Rising, during which many of our core team and Coordinating Collective members are meeting for the first time. And we certainly recognize the significance of locating our meeting here among the diversity and brilliance of a country that is home to the largest African population in the world. As a Pan-African movement of movements, we know that the demonstrations of African intelligence, achievement and creativity we find here in Abuja, are a reflection of the possibilities for all Africans around the world. This, we do not take for granted.

As we gather with you all here today, we are excited to be honouring groups working for women’s empowerment and leadership, climate activists and human rights defenders, and artists who use their voices and creativity to call for political accountability and social justice. From Zambia, to Ethiopia, Senegal to the UK, the people we celebrate today, and everyone who was nominated within these awards, remind us that Africans everywhere are taking the lead in building the Africa we want.


Africans Rising for Justice, Peace and Dignity is a pan-African social movement of over 30,000 members working to foster an Africa-wide solidarity and unity of purpose of the peoples of Africa. As we celebrate these amazing young African changemakers with the Africans Rising Activism Awards, we are also working to launch an innovative and ambitious fundraising campaign.

As a Pan-African movement, we want the campaign to be owned, driven and funded by Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. Our campaign goal is to mobilise $12 million by 2030 by encouraging 1 million Africans to donate $1 per month each year. We are collecting donations through our website at https://africansrising.org/donate/. We invite you to join us in this journey to make a lasting impact on the continent[/b].

itel Red Christmas: The Brand’s Mission Of Love In Ughelli, Delta State

itel Partners With Queen Mercy Atang To Donate Gifts To Children In Delta State


It is that time of year when gifts abound, when the very air changes in anticipation, and trees are decorated in celebration. It is Christmas. And for itel, Africa’s most customer-centric brand, it is the time to make the holiday season extra-special for students in Ughelli, Delta state.


In partnership with Queen Mercy Atang, an ex-Big Brother Naija (BBN) housemate and ex-international beauty queen, and her foundation The Queen Mercy Atang Foundation, itel Nigeria has donated mobile class libraries, thousands of books, school bags, stationery, food coolers, and other items to over 5,000 students across primary and secondary schools in Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta state. This, under the brand’s Love Always On CSR initiative, is in line with the company’s mission to impact as many lives as possible in the communities they cater to, especially children.


Chief Peter Akpofure, the Otota of Ughelli Kingdom, the President General, Ughelli Descendants Union (UDU), Chief Pius Omubaye, as well as representatives from the Ughelli North Education Authority were also in attendance at the event. It was loud, colorful, and full of good cheer as the brand engaged the students with fun games and activities.


The children could not contain their joy as they came out en masse to celebrate Christmas with the itel brand. One of the children, simply identified as Ebruphiyor said it was like a dream come true to have a brand share gifts for all the children in schools around the area for Christmas. One of the schools’ teachers at the event had this to say ‘we are grateful to itel for coming to our community this December. They have helped parents and guardians ease the burden of providing educational materials for their children in the coming term and we thank them for it.’

Queen Mercy Atang, former Big Brother Naija housemate and beauty queen also said, ‘The greatest way to connect with the entire globe is to show love, this is why I joined Itel Nigeria.We are connected to the globe because we show love.’


itel has been in the news throughout the year for their commendable efforts in ensuring that children in low-income communities have the necessary materials required for their educational growth. The brand teamed up with Anto Lecky’s Edo Girls Are Fly Initiative and donated items to more than 500 students of Iyekhai Girls Secondary School, Auchi, Edo State. They, along with Nengi Hampson, have also been to visit the children of Community Primary School, Ilupeju Primary School, and Kosy Bethel Primary School in Lagos, Nigeria, giving them mobile libraries, textbooks, story books, school bags, and other educational materials and food items. itel, with Amatem Softgel and Drug Aid Africa, donated treated mosquito nets, free medical tests, mosquito repellent creams, and free anti-malaria drugs to over 1,500 households in Isale-Akoka community in Bariga, Lagos state. These are just some of the good deeds the loving brand has been up to this year.


‘We are all about our communities and enabling them with the right tools needed for a brighter future. Christmas is the season of love, sharing, and giving, and at itel, we are so thankful for the opportunity to give back whenever and wherever we can’, says Oke Umurhohwo, Marketing Manager for itel West Africa. ‘And that is why we are here in Ughelli. We promise to be unrelenting and single-minded in our service to Nigerians.’


itel keeps raising the bar on what brands should be and should do for society at large. We cannot help but patiently wait to see what they have in stock for 2022.

Crisis in FULokoja as Governing Council queries VC Prof. Olayemi Akinwunmi of Corruption, Malfeasance, and Abuse of Office.

All is not well at the Federal University Lokoja as sources within the University have revealed a stormy council meeting last week in which the University Vice-Chancellor was confronted by the Governing Council on allegations of corruption, malfeasance in the running of the University and outright abuse of office that led to the VC, Professor Olayemi Akinwunmi being issued a query by the University Governing Council led by the Distinguished Senator Chris Adighije PhD.

The group, Transparency Movement team, had accused the Vice-chancellor of Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Prof. Olayemi Akinwunmi, of systematic corruption and abuse of office after the convocation of the University in which the proliferation of awards of honorary Doctorate Degree for Financial Donations, ignoring academic practices in the procedures for selecting awardees, contravening the maximum number of awardees in convocation and dishing out degrees in courses, the University lacks the licenses to award Doctorates and awarding honorary degrees to cronies who are serving government officials held sway.

The group further alleged that the outright abuse of office by the Vice-Chancellor of the institution Prof Akinwunmi, had become a serious concern given the massive siphoning of the resources of the University on bogus payments by the VC and his pompous deputy, Professor Mohammed Suleiman Audu, who is the de facto Vice-Chancellor. As news of the query filtered into the University, our sources revealed wild jubilation within the Ebira community of the University as their son; the de facto VC is seen as the next in line to benefit from the ouster of Professor Akinyemi. The VC whom we gathered has deployed all financial and social capital at his disposal to lobby the Governing Council against, and a disastrous outcome has relocated to Abuja in his lobbying efforts.

“As concern indigenes from Kogi state, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and ensure that all allegations are investigated, and penalties meted for committing such grievous offences.”

In a statement made available to newsmen in Lokoja and jointly signed by Cosmas Timothy and Ali Bawa Musa respectively, the group also accused the VC of “financial corruption, breach of due process, financial recklessness in running of the affairs of the University,” among others.

The group urged the “visitor of the university, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Senate, House of Representatives, National University Commission (NUC), Committee of pro-chancellors, Committee of Vice-Chancellors, the new Council of the University to investigate the vice-chancellor and sanction him accordingly.”

They also hailed the Governing Council of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) for their anti-corruption stance and issuing a query to the Vice-Chancellor of the institution Prof. Olayemi Akinwunmi for awards of Honorary Doctorate for Financial Donations as well as large scale corruption.

It could be recalled that the group had earlier faulted the conferment of honorary doctorates degrees by the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) to six prominent Nigerians during the 5th Convocation Ceremony of the institution, alleging that they were done for financial donations.

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, a former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District and Founder, Henry Seriake Dickson Foundation has said that Bayelsa State is the undisputed permanent Headquarters of wrestling in Nigeria.

Senator Dickson said this on Tuesday 14th December 2021 during the launch of the Annual Nanaye Dickson Traditional Wrestling Competition in Abuja.

“Bayelsa has remained the capital of wrestling in Nigeria and Africa. You have the highest concentration of wrestling champions in Bayelsa more than any other country, Senator Dickson said.

In his goodwill message, the Special Guest of Honour, Hon. Sunday Dare, Minister of Sports and Youth Development commended Senator Dickson as a lover of Sport and youths development.

“After looking at the lined up activities for these occasions, I wish we have more Senator Seriake Dickson in the Sports sector, Hon. Sunday Dare said.

The Minister called on all the 109 Senators in the National Assembly to sponsor a sport in their constituency so as to start discovering new talents just like Senator Henry Seriake Dickson is doing now.

In his remarks, the first Military Governor of Rivers State and Chairman, Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, King Alfred Diete-Spiff congratulated Senator Seriake Dickson for his love for sporting activities in Bayelsa State.

He urged the winners to go into the grassroots sports so as to discover new talents.

In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the occasion and Chairman Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development, Senator Obinna Ogba commended Senator Dickson for promoting Grassroots sport.

“I am not surprised at Senator Dickson’s initiative. When you invest in sport, you invest in yourself. I will continue to support you. You supported me on the bill of establishment of the University of Sport.

“It will help Nigerians to develop their talents. There will be no drop out in Nigeria again. Nigerians youths will continue to be proud of you Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Obinna Ogba said.

The President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali represented by his Vice President said the Seriake Dickson Foundation initiative is not new to the Nigeria Wrestling Federation.

He thanked Sen Dickson for his support towards wrestling development in Nigeria and pledged the Federation’s support to the Nanaye Dickson Traditional Wrestling Competition.

In her vote of thanks, the daughter of Senator Dickson who spoke on behalf of the family, Helen Dickson thanked all for their time and devotions. She also thanked her father for the massive support towards grassroots sport in Bayelsa State.

The Nanaye Dickson Traditional Wrestling Competition is meant to engage youths of Bayelsa in an attempt to promote grassroots Ijaw Traditional Wrestling culture, as well as to serve as a talent hunt for the youths of the State.

The Nanaye Dickson Traditional Wrestling Tournament, which is an annual event, is in honour of Senator Dickson’s late father, a community leader and great wrestler of his time.

Senator Henry Seriake Dickson as Governor supported and revamped sports in Bayelsa state and the Nanaye Dickson wrestling competition is simply a continuation of the promotion of the sector by the Henry Seriake Dickson foundation.

The Foundation is currently running a football tournament in Sagbama- Ekeremor Senatorial district and will now officially kick off the wrestling competition this Saturday.

Former governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has called for the establishment of a Medical Research and Development Fund solely dedicated to research in health and health related disciplines as a way of tackling the myriad problems in the country’s health sector.

Ihedioha made the call on Monday while delivering the keynote address at the 53rd meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors, University College Hospital, Ibadan.

The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was welcomed to the College by the Chief Medical Director, Prof Jesse Abiodun Otegbayo, said such a fund “could be managed by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) or domiciled separately under the trusteeship of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, not the Central Bank of Nigeria or any other organization that will add to the existing bureaucratic bottlenecks encountered when dealing with funding institutions.”

His lecture was titled, “The politics of health: How to engage, enable and mobilise the legislature in strengthening the Nigerian health system.”

Ihedioha said the envisioned fund will be disbursed as grants and endowments of chairs to deserving researchers who will be selected by a board of eminent medical scientists.

He said the fund will be deployed in “finding answers to the many issues contributing to our poor health and development indices.”

“The fund will also be used to sponsor annual health research fairs where researchers from all over the country will showcase their works and be handsomely appreciated.

“Doing this will elevate ARD, NARD and NMA to another realm and status of reckoning from that of strike mongers that many wrongly label them to patriotic professional associations contributing towards the liberation of Nigeria from the shackles of under development, poverty, diseases and low life expectancy.

“Creating a robust environment where excellence thrives will also help in stemming the tides of brain drain and medical tourism, the two most-talked about challenges militating against the healthcare sector in Nigeria today,” he said.

Underscoring the significance of healthcare within the governance architecture, Ihedioha tasked resident doctors on research while advocating a robust engagement of doctors with the National Assembly that will promote strategic partnership between doctors and their lawmakers.

“This strategic partnership is in the area of your strength where you have comparative advantage – Research and Development.”

He reiterated that “no country can make any meaningful progress in any aspect of human endeavour without committing appropriate resources to research and development.

“As resident doctors recruited into specialist training in the medical and surgical specialties, you should not only be satisfied with the prompt payment of your salaries and other allowances as stipulated in the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) provided in the Medical Residency Training Act (2017).

“The dearth of reliable statistics and near absence of quality primary as well as translational research should bother you because without reliable statistics on the pattern of the various existing, emerging and re-emerging diseases in the coun

Ihedioha who noted that the role of the legislature in providing sustainable healthcare is a constitutional responsibility within the prism of section 14(2)(b) as it concerns the security and welfare of citizens, canvassed for a more positive relationship and partnership between the National Assembly and critical stakeholders within the health sector.

While calling for improved healthcare appropriations to enhance healthcare financing and enactment of health related legislations, Ihedioha said a “robust parliamentary representation of the electorate; comprehensive oversight on implementation of the laws, policies and frameworks by the executive including monitoring budget performance; viable and cooperative partnerships, are all necessary paths to redefining and strengthening the nation’s healthcare system.”

Calls for urgent measures to remedy the endangered environment

The Senator representing Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, has expressed deep concern over the massive oil spillage from OML 29 Well 1 Platform operated by AITEO Exploration and Production Company.

Since the spill which occurred on November 5, 2021, over two million barrels of crude oil has been reportedly spilled into the Santa Barbara River in Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.

Senator Dickson said in a statement on Monday that that the operators of the oil firm, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the ministry of environment, National oil spill detection and response agency and others should take immediate steps to rescue the seriously threatened environment from total destruction.

The former Governor called on the National Emergency Management Agency, the Ministry of Environment, NOSDRA and Oil firms to provide relief materials to the communities affected by the spill.

He called on the operators of the oil firm to engage the services of experts with the requisite technical competence to ensure that the destroyed well head is professionally repaired.

Senator Dickson said that with the scope of the pollution caused by the oil spillage, there is the need for the Federal Government to make a comprehensive provision to ensure the commencement of immediate measures of remediation in the affected areas.

The former Governor sympathized with the people of the affected areas whose source of livelihood and health have been endangered by the massive oil spill which has not abated.

He called for adequate compensation for the people for damage of the environment and their source of livelihood.

Group operating under the aegis of Transparency Movement team has faulted the conferment of honorary doctorates degrees by the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) to five prominentNigerians during the 5th Convocation Ceremony of the Institution. It alleges that they were done for financial donations and contravening policies against the award of Honorary degrees to serving government officials, amongst other reasons advanced.

The group further accused the School Vice-Chancellor of the Institution, Prof. OlayemiAkinwunmi, of corruption.

In a statement made available to journalists in Lokoja and jointly signed by Cosmas Timothy and Ali Bawa Musa, respectively, the group called on the anti-graft agency to probe the activities of the Vice-chancellor of the University as they ignored all widely held academic practices endorsed by the Universities regulatory body in the Keffi declaration of Universities in the award of Honorary degrees and instead allowed their inducements by financial donations to proliferate and determine the choice of so-called cash for carry honorary doctorate recipients.

They said the call was necessary because of the high level of alleged corruption currently ongoing in the University.

The group beckoned on Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission to hearken to them

The statement reads that during the 5th Convocation Ceremony of the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), five (5) prominent Nigerians were conferred with Honorary Doctorate Degrees (Honoris Causa) by the Institution

We have it on good authority that the Institution Vice-Chancellor demanded some financial gratification from the beneficiaries as a basis for awards.

There is serious Corruption in FUL as the VC of the Institution Prof Olayemi Akinwumi has proliferated awards of honorary Doctorate Degree for Financial Donations, ignoring academic practices in the procedures for selecting awardees, contravening the maximum number of awardees in convocation and dishing out degrees in courses, the University lacks the license to award Doctorates and awarding honorary degrees to cronies who are serving government officials. This practice is dangerous for our educational sector. We are appealing to anti-graft agenciesand regulatory body the National Universities Commission (NUC) to investigate this act, the group further alleged.

It could be recalled that the following person conferred with honorary doctorates degrees by the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) recently, the includes

1 AIG (Rtd) Cornelius Kayode Aderanti, SSA to the President of on Special Duty: Doctor of Science in Political science (Honoris Causa)

2. Dr Innocent Ozoemana Ezuma, the Lord Mayor in the Ancient Kingdom of Arondizuogu: Doctor of Science in Geology (Honoris Causa)

3. Alhaji (Dr) Sani Zangor Daura CON, Danmasanin Daura: Doctor of Science in Political Science (Honoris Causa)

4. Jibril Lawal Tafida, Chairman/CEO of JITA Group of Companies: Doctor of Science in Economics (Honoris Causa)

5. Professor Toyin Falola, Professor of African History and Jacob and Frances Sanger MossikerChair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, USA: Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa).

Oluwatoyin Abosede Abraham, fondly known as Toyin Aimaku, has recently been announced as the latest official brand ambassador for FairMoney Microfinance bank; and fans can’t get enough of it.

Following various rumours that had been flying around on social media, FairMoney confirmed the alleged ambassadorial deal with Toyin Abraham on their social media platforms:

“We are super excited to have the World Best — Toyin Abraham join us as we provide you with the best Digital banking experience from this side of the continent”.

FairMoney MFB was incorporated in 2017 with operations in Nigeria and India. In the past 4 years of operation, FairMoney MFB has grown its customer base to over 5 million users, and 1.9 million bank accounts.

As a digital consumer & SME lender, and provider of financial services in Nigeria, Fairmoney MFB has created a product that offers near-instant digital loans 24/7 directly via its mobile app.

The primary digital product offering covers Quick loans in tenor from 15-days to 18 months to MSMEs and consumers, as well as banking services such as Airtime, Data & Cable TV payments, Bank Transfers, Savings &

SUPERIOR JOIN COUNCIL OF CHIEFS, AS HIS SON OKE INDICATE INTEREST FOR UGHELLI NORTH CONSTITUENCY 2 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY SEAT IN 2023

It was an atmosphere filled with excitement and celebration on Friday as Chief Superior Umurhohwo formally join the Council of Chiefs as the Onoriode R’Ovie of the Great Ughelli Kingdom.

The glamorous event held at Ujode Community in Ughelli North Local Government of Delta State, attracting dignitaries from far and near to experience the historic moment.

Onoriode R’Ovie is an important traditional title in the Great Ughelli Kingdom, and this was reflective at the event as people of the ancient town were thrown in joyous mood.Performance from different traditional troupes entertained guests to the fullest just as Chief Superior Umurhohwo who is the Vice President-General of the Ughelli Descendants Union (UDU), regularly return greetings with a smile.

Highlight of the event was when Oke Umurhohwo, one of the sons of Chief Umurhohwo, declared his intention to seek the Ughelli North Constituency 2 seat in the Delta State House of Assembly in 2023 to the Council of Chiefs.

Mr Umurhohwo who extolled the Chiefs as the pillar that keep our society from breaking down, noted that his aspiration was borne out of his strong passion for the service of the people.“Chiefs, I am honoured to be here with you and humbly declare my interest in contesting for the Ughelli North Constituency 2 in the 2023 general election,” he said, pointing out that “My aspiration, when it comes to reality, will compliment your consistent efforts in giving our people the best, especially in getting their fair share of what democracy has to offer.”Mr Umurhohwo emphasised that his interest in the Ughelli North Constituency 2 seat is to give people their deserved voices and touch lives positively, promising that he will always work for the people.

The Chiefs were impressed with the presentation of Mr Umurhohwo, noting that he showed an encouraging zeal and passion for service. They showered prayers on him and ask him to continue to share his message of hope with the people

IT is alarming that some beneficiary farmers of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme owed the bank N463 billion as of March 2021, according to data from the CBN Economic Report for April. The ABP was officially expanded on November 17, 2015, by the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to boost agriculture, engender food security, stabilise the economy, create employment and reduce reliance on crude oil.

The programme, which kicked off with a pilot project in Kebbi State, based on its dry season rice production advantage, has been robustly linked to the increase in rice production in some states, though the country’s rice productivity is still low. Some of the loan beneficiaries include farmers cultivating cereals (rice, maize, wheat, etc.), cotton, roots and tubers, sugarcane, tree crops, legumes, tomato, and livestock. Agricultural extension workers are not left out of the scheme.

But six years later, some farmers and extension workers in some states appear to see the programme as a cash cow. There are too many defaulters whose actions are threatening the sustenance of the programme. Many of the beneficiaries appear to interpret the money to be their share of the national cake.

The National Vice-President, Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, Muazu Iliyasu, harped on this when he addressed the association’s 12,562 members in Adamawa State at the launch of the 2021 wet season harvest. He said, “Most farmers think this (Anchor Borrowers Programme) is a bonus as part of the national cake. But we are disputing that fact, emphasising that it is a loan which must be repaid. We are doing our best and now they are well sensitised. They now know this is a loan and not a grant per se. We have gone round and received support from traditional rulers and village heads at the grass-roots to encourage repayment and recovery.”

Currently, loans are disbursed to the beneficiaries through deposit money banks, development finance institutions and microfinance banks recognised by the programme as participating financial institutions. The CBN report showed that from November 2015 to March 2021, N615.4 billion had been disbursed to 3.04 million farmers out of which N152.3 billion was repaid.

It has been alleged that some non-farmers infiltrated the programme and obtained loans. This is one area that the apex bank should critically examine, notwithstanding the programme’s tripartite arrangement having the CBN, alongside the farmers’ associations and state governments, disburse loans to farmers.

As the debts are mounting, it behoves the CBN to activate a fool-proof debt recovery process to recover the loans. Its monitoring team should halt the trend to protect genuine beneficiary farmers and fortify the programme to achieve its purpose. The CBN must do everything to sustain the programme, including rigorous awareness drives among the beneficiaries.

It should fully involve the private sector to review the programme and set it on a firm footing. This is the scenario in India and Malaysia where “contract farming”, akin to the ABP, is revolutionising agriculture in those countries. The contract farming concept is effectively coordinated and identified loopholes blocked from inception.

Misinformation, cumbersome loan processes for some smallholder farmers, among other issues were identified as some of the problems facing the programme. The CBN should rethink strategies in this line. It is not enough to launch a laudable initiative and go to sleep. It is obvious that the ingrained political factors synonymous with the country’s national life have crept into the programme and efforts must be made to divorce it from such off-putting parameters.

At a point, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Adamu, urged the CBN to examine supervision strategies amid the rising debts threatening the programme’s stability.

The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, has also noted plainly that the sustainability of the ABP hinges on loan repayment. At the unveiling of the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation and inauguration of the 2021 wet season input distribution in the South-West in Ekiti State, Emefiele said, “Loan repayment is the hallmark of every credit cycle, and the sustainability of the programme is hinged on farmers’ ability and willingness to repay their loans, and we are constantly engaging with them to enhance their trust in the system.” But beyond the rhetoric, the CBN should take preventive measures; prioritise debt collection and follow-up tracking of defaulters.

By June this year, the CBN says it had rolled out a total of 37 intervention programmes aimed at salvaging different sectors. But corruption in all forms always negates government assistance. For example, the CBN’s more than N1.5 trillion intervention funds to power firms ended in dark tunnels, while the N120 billion aviation fund from 2011 disappeared into thin air. The N220 billion textile intervention funds did not revive textile firms from their comatose state.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says big-budget CBN programmes have been largely wasteful, corruption-prone, and — most importantly — unsuccessful in tangibly developing Nigeria’s struggling MSME sector. It adds that, unwilling to internalise lessons learned from previous interventions, the CBN often repeats past errors and recreates already identified barriers to success. The bank also does not try to assess the impact of its programmes relative to their high cost and low uptake rates.

At the end of it all, there is a huge disparity between the real costs of CBN interventions and their economic benefits. For instance, most of the interventions come with other costs, especially on each programme’s administrative overheads and the interest the CBN charges financial institutions that participate as intermediary lenders for its programmes. Experts say the CBN’s programmatic guidelines tend to get “more complicated, less implementable, less clear, released in a less timely manner with each iteration.”

A new pragmatic approach is needed to make the CBN’s intervention programmes work. In states with records of ABP loan defaulters, the related farmers’ associations should make efforts to recover the debts, with concerted efforts from the state and the CBN. They should take a cue from the Niger State chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, which dragged some of its members to court for failing to submit paddy rice from their last season’s harvest as payment for the ABP loan they took from the CBN.

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission has resumed its campaign against underage gaming in Nigeria. The Director General of the commission, Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila stated that this ongoing campaign will continue indefinitely after expressing serious concerns about the rise of under age gaming in Nigeria.

The NLRC resumed the media campaign against under age gambling with adverts on radio,tv and outdoor billboards. The adverts are in four different languages (English, Hausa, Yoruba and pidgin) to reach out to Nigerians about the menace of underage gaming in the country.

The NLRC has also called on gaming companies to improve their KYC and consumer vettand to also run similar campaigns to discourage gambling by younger Nigerians.

As a big part of the continuous sensitization, the NLRC is also taking the campaign to social media where there are digital advertisements on Facebook, Nairaland and Instagram as young Nigerians continue to increase online.

It has become imperative that I call the attention of the public to the surreptitious plot by certain desperate politicians in Enugu State to launch unwarranted campaign of calumny against the present administration aimed at undermining the existing peace and good governance in the state for their selfish and unpopular political ambition ahead of 2023.

It is common knowledge that at the end of every administration in Enugu State, these set of desperate politicians resort to blackmail, lies, brazen falsehood and all sorts of smear campaign against the government in power through sponsorship of unfounded and mischievous opinion articles in the national dailies and social media platforms.

As we approach the end of this present peaceful, development and people-oriented administration in Enugu State, these political elements have been approaching me and my colleagues with mischievous and fictitious trumped-up articles, requesting us to deploy our social media platforms to cast aspersions on the government.

I am aware that they have also enlisted the services of some media consultants and executives in Lagos and equally induced them with huge resources to execute their evil plot, as they did during the end of the past administration of Sullivan Chime, ahead of the 2015 general elections.

This alarm has become necessary in view of the pressure being mounted on us by these desperate politicians to accede to their selfish request, which we have rejected based on our conviction that their plot is immoral, ungodly, and mischievous, as the allegations raised against the government were untrue and a clear case of political vendetta.

The ulterior motive of the major sponsor of the smear campaign, a self-styled “powerful” Abuja-based politician who has in his usual stock in trade displayed similar crass desperation in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, is well known by the discerning members of the public.

These detractors are obviously unhappy with the cherished peace and security being enjoyed in Enugu State today, the unprecedented achievements of the present administration in spite of all the numerous challenges it has encountered since its inception in 2015, and the enviable goodwill and solidarity the government enjoys from the people of the state and beyond.

It is on record that no past administration in Enugu State experienced one quarter of the avalanche of challenges this present administration has encountered since 2015, which border on the nation’s harsh economy, security and public health challenges.

More worrisome is the inconsistency in the allegations being fabricated by these detractors, which are at variance with the verdicts of several reputable institutions and organizations on the Enugu State government’s performance and prudent management of the state’s meager resources for development issues and wellbeing of the people.

These verdicts on the state government by institutions and organizations, according to records, include the Organized Labour (regular payment of N30,000 new minimum wage, pensions, other welfare packages and most labour-friendly governor in Nigeria award), World Bank Group (second most advanced state in Nigeria on the Ease of Doing Business), BudgIT (among the three most viable states in Nigeria) and the Economic Confidential (among the six (6) economically viable states in Nigeria that can survive without federal allocations) etc.

One wonders why some people would attempt to undermine these laudable feats, which include massive infrastructural development such as the ongoing construction of the first Enugu State government’s flyover bridge; quality and affordable healthcare delivery and the ongoing massive construction works at the permanent site of ESUT Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine, Igbo-Eno; mass recruitment of teachers and transformation of the education sector; employment generation and youth empowerment vis-à-vis ICT innovation; rural development; grassroots sports development and investment promotion, among others.

We therefore call on the public to be wary of such mischievous publications and know that they are the handiwork of mischief makers and enemies of peace and good OPINIONVictor Chigozie Eneh: Enugu 2023: The detractors are at it again, public bewaregovernance in Enugu State.

It is our candid advice that those behind these untoward acts should channel their energy and resources to useful engagements that would add value to the development of Enugu State especially at this critical time the country is witnessing a lot of economic, security and public health challenges.

Eneh writes from Trans-Ekulu, Enugu

The Federal Lawmaker, representing Egbeda/Ona Ara Federal constituency, Hon. Akin Alabi has moved a motion the curtail the excesses of online loan providers in the Country.

The major pay day loan providers had earlier resorted to underhanded tactics like harassing the entire contact list of alleged loan defaulters and breaching their privacy in the process.

Hon Akin Alabi, in his motion stated that these companies have been operating outside the principles of fair and lawful processing of personal data as required under the Nigeria Data
Protection Regulation and other relevant provisions on data protection in Nigeria.

Hon Alabi called on the CBN to provide better regulation for these financial service providers, and for the the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to ensure strict
adherence to the Nigerian Data Protection Regulation by all online loan providers.

The only valuable thing Governor Douye Diri has done in Bayelsa was to buy ribbon and scissors to commission his Predecessors’ project - APC group fumes

Bayelsa Young Progressives Forum has charged Bayelsa governor, Douye Diri to stop claiming projects initiated, executed and completed by his predecessors.

The group in a statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, the state capital by its spokesman, Comrade (Hon.) Jasper Dakore said; since assuming power after the people’s mandate was gifted to him by the Apex Court, all Diri has done was to lay claims to project executed by his predecessors.

“The Diri led rudderless government is failing our people. Governance entails delivering dividends of democracy to the people. What we have witnessed under Diri’s government is propaganda, lies, deceit and treachery”.

“In the course of transition, our great party, the All Progressives Congress had the opportunity of documenting some of the projects done by Diri’s predecessors who he now claims to be done by him”.

“For instance, the Nembe Unity Bridge was done by our leader, His Excellency, Timipre Sylva. Diri can not take credit for a project that has been 60% done because the conceptualization, planning, the awarding and execution of projects are tasking . The Nembe bridge is our leader’s idea and project and we won’t fold our hands and watch the governor reap where he never sowed”.

“The Kaiama General Hospital which Diri’s government is laying claims to was built and finished by former governor Seriake Dickson’s government. The only thing done by Diri’s government was mere interlocking. Every other important thing like equipment and staffing was done by Senator Dickson.

“Suffice also to note that the Imiringi bridge in Ogbia Local government was 100% done and would have been commissioned if the former governor wanted it. Governor Diri is running a government of Propaganda and lies and this must stop”.

The group also stated that the Yenagoa bypass was started by His Excellency, Timipre Sylva who had sand filled over 70% of the road .
“Everyone knows that in our terrain, when you sand fill, you have almost done 70% of the work. This particular project was done by a local contractor, Fak Engineering.

“It is also very important to let the people of Bayelsa know that in the course of inspecting some projects during the transition before the handing over ceremony which was truncated by the Supreme Court, we understand that the The 60-metric tonnes Multi-Billion Cassava and Starch Factory which sits on a 40 hectares of land at Ebedebiri in the Sagbama Local Government Area of the state, was established and completed by the administration of former Governor Seriake Dickson which ordinarily would have created jobs for our teeming youths in Bayelsa is today in comatose because of Diri’s lack of vision and foresight for a laudable project”.