₦airaland Forum

Why is Tinubu Government keeping mute on Plateau killings?

A total of N229.5 million was allocated for the construction of the road in the 2022 Appropriation Act in a manner that has been questioned by experts.
ByBakare MajeedandAdemola Popoola December 17, 2023 Reading Time: 9 mins read
Boluwatife Ekanem, a mother of three, runs a small shop at Irebami, in Ile-Ife, Osun State. But she had not opened her shop for many months when a PREMIUM TIMES reporter met her in August.

A road that passes through the area had attracted her and many other small retail businesses into the area. But as the road collapsed, patronage gradually dried up for the businesses.

In December 2022, a Facebook post by Abimbola Ajilesoro, a member of the House of Representatives, excited Mrs Ekanem and other traders and residents in the area.

The three-minute video, with a song rendered in Yoruba language playing in the background, captures stages of construction work on the road, beginning from the installation of the drainage earlier that year.



Drainage and the portion of the Irebami Road
Mr Ajilesoro, who was seeking re-election in the 2023 general election, promised that work on the 1.5-kilometre road would soon be completed and the agony of the residents of the area and other users of the road would end. Mrs Ekanem and many other users of the road praised the lawmaker.

Work abandoned
Unfortunately, work on the road was abandoned at about the time Mr Ajilesoro won the 18 March election. The hope that the construction work once elicited among the people in the community has given way to anger and despair.

“We are not enjoying any benefits from the half-completed road,” Mrs Ekanem said near her shop. The thick layer of dust on the door of the shop tells a graphic story of the hardship faced by the people of Irebami because of the condition of the road.


Part of Irebami stretch road
“It’s not that there are no goods in my shop, but I locked it up because there is no sale because people have stopped using the road. When they see stagnant pools of water on the road, they take alternative routes,” she lamented.

When this reporter visited the community around 11 a.m. on a Monday in September, the majority of the shops were closed. In the few that were open, the goods were covered with clothes to shield them from dust.

As of the time the workers left the site in March, over N163.9 million had been released to two contractors handling the 1.5-kilometre road but the road was yet to be completed.

Puzzling questions
The construction of the Irebami Lane IV road by the federal government is raising many puzzling questions. How did a small road in Ife, which ordinarily ought to be under the care of the local or state government, find its way into the federal budget? Why was the contract for a single 1.5km road split into four and inserted in Nigeria’s budget that way?


Signage at the entrance or Irebami
PREMIUM TIMES’ investigation revealed how the lawmaker inserted the project into the 2022 Appropriation Act, duplicated the same project as four separate line items and also nominated it into the 2023 Zonal Intervention Project (ZIP). The investigation also showed why two different contractors were working on the project at the same time.

Infrastructure Deficit
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria has a massive infrastructure deficit with a total infrastructure stock of only 30 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). This is way below the international benchmark of 70 per cent set by the World Bank. With Nigeria’s population growing at a rate of over 2.5 per cent per year and an expected population of 400 million people by 2050, the infrastructure will continue to be overwhelmed.


As a result, politicians dangle the provision of infrastructure as a pie before voters in every election cycle. Even legislators, whose main responsibility does not include the execution of projects, have moved in with the controversial ZIPs to have something to point to as their achievements in their constituencies.

The lawmakers also argue that without the ZIPs, which are inserted into the annual federal government budget, many local communities will have no government presence despite their needs.

Under the ZIP, also known as the Constituency Project Fund for which the National Assembly allocates N100 billion annually, lawmakers nominate projects for execution in their constituencies through the ministries, departments and agencies of the federal government. However, the flawed budgeting process and poor funding of the budgets often leave a trail of abandoned ZIPs across the country, such as the Irebami road rehabilitation project.

Lawmakers are seldom satisfied with the ZIP fund — they also lobby appropriation committees to include other projects in the budget, a practice dubbed “budget padding” by Nigerians.



In the 2022 Appropriations Act as amended, the Irebami Line 4 road was nominated into the budget multiple times. A thorough review of the entire budget showed that the 1.5-kilometre road was nominated four times with little adjustments to the name.



Mrs Boluwatife Ekanem closed shop in Irabimi line 4- Ile Ife
The first one has reference number ERGP202200969 and is titled ‘Construction Of Access Road At Irebami Street/Irebami Line 4, Off Fajuyi Street, Ile-Ife, Osun, State Phase 5. The budget plan for the project was N85 million while the Nigerian Building And Road Research Institute (NBBRI), Lagos, an agency under the Federal Ministry Of Science, Technology And Innovation, is the implementing agency.

In the same 2022 budget, the project was listed as ERGP202201153 and titled Construction Of Access Road At Irebami Street/Irebami Line 4, Off Fajuyi Street, Ile-Ife, Osun, State Phase 1 tagged “New Project.” Again, another N85 million was allocated under the same NBBRI.

Further findings revealed that it was also nominated as ERGP202202109 and titled Construction Of Access Road At Irebami Street/Irebami Line phase 3 with allocation of N25.5 million under the same NBBRI but tagged “ongoing”.

Finally, the road was also nominated as ERGP202203596 and titled; “Construction Of Access Road At Irebami Street/Irebami Line phase 5” with the allocation of N34 million with the tag of “New”.

In all, a total of N229.5 million was allocated for the construction of the road in the 2022 Appropriation Act. About 178 million of that amount had been released by the end of April 2023.

When contacted, the lawmaker justified the insertion and splitting of the same road project into four different projects in Nigeria’s national budget. “I have split all the money in the project around in order to get the road done gradually,” he said.


A portion of the abandoned road at Irebami line 4, Ile-Ife, Osun State
The choice of NBBRI – a research institute – as the implementing agency raises a red flag because ordinarily, road projects are supposed to be implemented by the Ministry of Works.

Secondly, a review of the 2022 Appropriation Act shows that the National Assembly increased the capital projects component of the budget of the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation from the N70.3 billion proposed by the executive to N153.4 billion.

NBBRI alone got N76 billion as capital projects in the 2022 budget with most of the projects nominated by members of the National Assembly. Many of the projects are the construction of roads, schools, etc. These are projects lawmakers like to build in their constituency. It is unclear why the lawmakers dumped all these projects in the budget of NBBRI.

Details of released sum from 2022 budget
For the contractor, according to Govspend, a database of all government spending, this paper discovered that the contract for the road was awarded to two contractors; Rubila Nigeria Limited and Archad Project Limited.

According to the document, on 11 March 2023, N49.6 million was paid to Rubila Nigeria Limited by the NBRRI, Lagos for the construction of the road. Again, another N14.1 million was paid for the same project on 18 April 2023. In total, we traced N63.7 million to Rubila Nigeria Limited.

PREMIUM TIMES found another N77.414 million transferred to Archad Project Limited on 22 December 2022 and another N36.9 million on 31 December 2022 under the 2022 Appropriations Act. A sum of N114.3 million was traced to Archad Project Limited.

In all, this reporter traced N178.01 million released for the project under the 2022 Appropriation Act.

Another N74 million allocated in 2023
PREMIUM TIMES also discovered a 2023 ZIP nominated by the lawmaker, with the title: Construction of road and Asphalt laying of selected areas in Ife federal constituency with N74 million budgeted amount. The project was tagged as “new”.

This was awarded to Archad Project Limited, suite D12/D13 J-Plus plaza, Jimmy Carter Street, Area2, Garki Abuja supervised by Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority, Alabata Road Abeokuta, under the Ministry of Federal Ministry of Water and Resource.

On the surface, this project seems not to be connected to the Irebami Lane 4 road. However, this paper discovered that the title of the project was left vague to deceive the people. Mr Ajilesoro confirmed this during a meeting with him in his office.

“That is why I used it in this line of budget here, ‘the construction of road and asphalt laying of selected roads in Ife federal constituency’ because I don’t want people to know that I am targeting it to the road alone because people would carry the rumour that I am only targeting my town. But in the agency, they know this money was going to the road,” he said during a meeting with a PREMIUM TIMES reporter in his office at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

When asked the reason for the delay in the project, Mr Ajilesoro said the total released fund was expended on the construction of the drainage, stating that he was expecting to use the release for the ZIP in 2023 to fund the project. According to him, the federal government has released 50 per cent of the N74 million to the contractor. However, the contractors cannot resume at the site until after the rainy season.

“What remains there is asphalting, I gathered money around to implement the project, the quality of the drainage, eat (sic) all the money, the money finished and (agency) now said for them to continue the project, they cannot put money from their agency to the project, so I split the budget into other projects, for the asphalting of the road,” Mr Ajilesoro said.

“Now they have released 50 per cent of the money but they cannot do it because it cannot do anything, so we wait until the end of October if money will be added to this project in order to cover the road,” he said while dismissing the concerns raised by the people of Irebami.

However, the way and manner the project is being executed appear to meet the definition of budget padding and show a total disregard for the Procurement Act. Through the use of deceptive project titles, the lawmaker was able to nominate the project several times in the same budget.

To avoid public scrutiny, he also used deceptive project titles to deceive his constituents on the location of a project by tagging it “Construction of road and Asphalt laying of selected areas in Ife federal constituency,” whereas the project is in his community.

The use of vague and deceptive project titles is not peculiar to Mr Ajilesoro. The 2022 budget was littered with similar schemes. For instance, there is a N56,390,572 that appeared four times in the budget as “Construction of Boreholes at Various Locations.” It appeared for Lagos, Osun, Ogun and Oyo.

Budget Padding
Padding of budgets with projects is a recurring issue in Nigeria. Often, lawmakers lobby the appropriations committees to insert such projects into the federal budget.

The Chairman of the House Committees on Appropriations in the 8th Assembly, Abdulmummin Jibrin, accused the then Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, of padding the budget with frivolous projects. Mr Jibrin’s accusation became the “budgeting padding scandal.”

Mr Jibrin said the then-speaker colluded with his deputy, Yusuf Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Doguwa, and Minority Whip Leo Ogor to earmark up to ₦40 billion to themselves in the National Assembly budget.

In 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari criticised the National Assembly for inputting projects into the budget without proper conceptualisation and approval.

“Many of the projects cut are critical and may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement with the reduced allocation. Some of the new projects inserted by the National Assembly have not been properly conceptualized, designed and cost and will therefore be difficult to execute,” Mr Buhari had said.

President Bola Tinubu also warned lawmakers against the practice of inserting projects into the budget, adding that projects should be domiciled in relevant MDAs.

“We must ensure that only projects and programmes with equitable benefits are allowed into the 2024 Budget. Additionally, only projects and programmes which are in line with the sectoral mandates of MDAs and which are capable of realizing the vision of our government should be included in the budget,” Mr Tinubu said during the budget presentation.

We need N150 million for Ashphat – Ajilesoro
As things stand, the success of this project may depend on the lawmaker being able to “find the money in the budget.” Mr Ajilesoro told PREMIUM TIMES that the road needs N150 million more.

“We will need almost N150 million to complete the asphalting of the road so we need more than N150 million budget for the road. So I have split all the money in the project around in order to get the road done gradually. That is my agreement with the agency and contractor,” he said.

He also said he could not say when the project would be completed as he was trying to get the funds for the asphalting of the road.

“The money that will complete the asphalting of the road, the contractor will be spending up to N150 million to complete it, so for this we have to wait for the fund,” he concluded.

Duplications are deceitful – Experts
The process of funding the project was criticised by experts who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES. Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa, the acting head of Open Governance and Institutional Partnership of BudgIt, said the budget process adopted by the lawmaker is fraudulent. He said if the proper procurement process had been followed, the bill of quantity submitted by the contractor would have shown how much it cost to construct the road.

“Because you and I would agree that you actually costed the project before you gave the particular amount, so there was a contractor that handled the project and he gave you the bill of quantity and you use that bill of quantity to raise your money. So you can’t tell me that the bill of quantity is not sufficient and you have now decided to raise the money three times, that is a fraud,” Mr Bolarinwa said in a phone interview.

He said his organisation, which focuses on transparency in budgeting and governance, had encountered similar projects that it referred to the anti-graft agencies, the ICPC and EFCC, for investigation.

READ ALSO: ANALYSIS: Inside the unrealistic projections, illegalities in Tinubu’s 2024 budget
“So what we do in that case is, when we see things like that, we write and collate all of them, we send them to ICPC for investigation. But you know, it’s not a process that is fast and our laws sometimes can be funny. Sometimes they don’t attend to those petitions on time, sometimes it can take a long time. We have also seen cases where people go back to return some money to the treasury because they know that there is now a lot of attention on them,” he said.

A construction expert, Bhadmus Hamzat, said to install and complete the drainage in a road that is 1.5km long, the contractor will not use up to N30 million. But the lawmaker said the Irebami road drainage consumed beyond N62 million.

Mr Hamzat, a retired staff of the Ministry of Works, said the total cost of the project should have been contained in the Bill of Engineering Measurement (BEME). He said the construction shows that the proper procurement process was not followed, particularly Section 18 of the Public Procurement Act.

“You can never use N30 million to construct a lined drain for a 1.5 km road, not to talk of a road which is not up to that. But only if the contractor also wants to chop (sic) money. According to the federal government specification and using BEME, to determine the cost, only if the contractor wants to gain in excess, then I won’t doubt it, but that is too outrageous,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES wrote a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Ogun/Osun River Basin Development Authority on the asphalting phase of the project. However, the agency has yet to respond to the FOI request.

While the construction of the road lingers, for the people of Irebami Lane 4 like Mrs Ekanem, the real cost is on their pocket and health. With the dry season fast approaching, they can only hope that the road will get some attention.

Soloko Adojokun, 76, is a chief in the community. He said the construction workers had said the road would be tarred soon. However, the optimism that the Facebook post evoked has given way to despair.

“The road has been in a bad condition for a long time, and we heard that they want to tar it, but we have yet to see them. We are still expecting them to come back to the road,” Mr Adojokun said.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/652185-special-report-lawmaker-inserted-same-project-four-times-in-nigerias-budget.html?

Nigeria’s annual inflation rose to 28.20% in November from 27.33% in October, the National Bureau of Statistics has said.

According to the statistics office, food and non-alcoholic beverages were the biggest contributors to the rise in inflation.

Recall that inflation in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, has risen to double-digits since 2016, eroding incomes and savings and worsening a cost-living crisis in the continent’s most populous country.


Meanwhile, the new governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has adopted an inflation-targeting policy and vowed to phase out the bank’s fiscal intervention programs in a bid to tame inflation.

The CBN on Thursday said the country’s inflation rate and the pressures on the exchange rate will reduce in the coming year.

While the country’s inflation rate jumped to 27.33% in November—the highest in 18 years—Cardoso projects a slump in 2024.

“The outlook for the domestic economy remains positive and is expected to maintain the positive trajectory for 2024,” he told the Joint Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions in Abuja.

“Inflation pressures may persist in the short-term but are expected to decline in 2024. Exchange rate pressures are also expected to reduce significantly with the smooth functioning of the foreign exchange market.”

He also said the country is expecting less oil revenue in the new year owing to several factors.

“Total Trade in the third quarter of 2023, stood at N18.804.68 billion. Exports were valued at N10.346.60 billion while total imports stood at N8.457.68 billion.

“This represents a positive trade balance, which would lead to an increase of the external reserves,” Cardoso told the lawmakers.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/12/nigeria-inflation-rose-to-28-20-in-november-nbs/

The Nigeria Labour Congress on Wednesday faulted plans by Federal Government to unbundle power sector through the Ministry of Power under the watch of the minister, Bayo Adelabu and Bureau of Public Enterprises.

The congress, in a statement signed by its President, Joe Ajaero, noted that the proposed power sector reforms were being initiated to prepare the Transmission Company of Nigeria for “total privatisation.”

The PUNCH on Tuesday reported that the Federal Government through the BPE, announced its plans to sell off 40 per cent shares of the government in electricity distribution companies in the capital market in 2024.

Similarly, the government also noted that it was unbundling the TCN in line with the Electricity Act.



Ibadan Family Where Dad, Mum, Two Children Are Vulcanisers | Punch
But, Ajaero, in the statement said the move portends danger to the power sector.

He said, “The proposed plans by the Federal Government to restructure the Transmission Company of Nigeria as stated by the Minister of Power; Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, is laden with other intentions that may be hidden but very clear to every discerning Nigerian.

“It portends great danger to the power sector and holds great fear and trepidation for major stakeholders within the sector. It imperils the ability of the state to control, regulate and guarantee the safety of the nation’s grid system at all times.


“We want to quickly say that the idea behind the so-called plans to restructure is the same big grammar that was spoken before and during the failed privatisation exercise of the sector. They are the same stories that Nigerians have heard over the years which have largely yielded no significant results.

“It is clear that the main motive behind the plans for the proposed restructuring is no other than to prepare the TCN for eventual take over by the cronies and lackeys of the ruling elite. When words like unbundling are bandied about in Nigeria, the masses and workers become frightened because of the level of misery such words have foisted on the people.

“Unbundling heralded the death of the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum sector, it sounded the death knell on the power sector and raising its ugly specter once again at this time when the people are facing serious socioeconomic challenges may compound the woes of the people.”

Speaking further in the statement, the NLC said it believes that the President is repeating same mistake previous administrations have made with the policy direction, his Minister of power is trying to follow in seeking to unbundle TCN for privatization.

“We had thought that the President would have convened a genuine national stakeholders’ forum to critically review the privatisation exercise in the sector which the government itself agrees has failed to attain any of its major objectives rather than seeking to embark on another exercise that would bring more crisis to the power sector.

“The disaster that will befall the nation’s power sector would be multidimensional. The quest to ultimately handover the Transmission infrastructure would expose the nation to blackmails and weaken the ability of the sector to transmit and distribute power around the country. Privatizing it will create the same crisis prevailing within the DISCOs and GENCOs and will impact the quality-of-service deliverance by the Power sector to Nigerians.

“It has to be remembered that we protested against a nation that was hell bent on committing suicide in the power sector 10 years ago. We talked about the consequences that privatisation exercise was going to be for the power sector and for Nigerians but it was not heeded,” it added.


The NLC noted that the power sector has remained stagnant over the years despite 500 per cent tariff increase.

The statement read, “Today, Nigerians have witnessed 500 per cent tariff increase yet, there is no improvement in services to Nigerians. The power sector remains stagnant as no significant investment was made by those who bought the GENCOs and DISCOs through proxies. What we are reaping today are the unfortunate outcomes of the errors of yesterday and it is obvious that we are bent on going the same route

“As we write, government has paid about N2.8trn in subsidy for a sector it handed over to the private sector. A sector it sold at About N400bn yet, it has spent multiples of that in tax payers funds as pay outs to those who bought the privatized entities.

“Consequently, the sector has been handed over to banks due to the inability of the proxy investors to pay their loans to the banks. The managerial and technical competence as well as Foreign Direct Investment has eluded the power sector as a result of this primitive economic policy. It is this same route that the Government is proposing to follow again.

“The consequences of what the government wants to do especially to at a time when Nigeria is today leading other countries as headquarters of nations suffering from power poverty will worsen the predicament of the nation’s Power sector. Its attendant macro-economic implications for our nations are huge and will worsen the already bad socioeconomic situation in our nation.

“Nigeria’s economy would be worse in the next 10 years if a conscious power policy devoid of undue influence by neoliberal economic apologists is not designed. We need to wean not only our power sector but our entire economy from the apron strings of the forces of capitalism and its philosophical foundations if we are to make real progress as a nation.

“It is important that we learn from the mistakes of the past so that its errors are not repeated and the same consequences befall our nation again. If care is not taken, this may be another hope betrayed.”

https://punchng.com/power-sector-planned-restructuring-of-tcn-dangerous-says-nlc/

The World Bank has stated that the Federal Government may still be paying for fuel subsidy, considering that fuel prices are currently not cost-reflective in the country.

It said the price of petrol should be around N750 per litre more than the N650 per litre currently being paid by Nigerians.

The bank’s Lead Economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, revealed this during his presentation of the Nigeria Development Update, December 2023 edition titled, ‘Turning The Corner (from reforms and renewed hope, to results) on Wednesday in Abuja.

During the event, which is hybrid, he noted that based on the official exchange rate today, fuel should cost N750/litre.




He said, “It does seem like petrol prices are not fully adjusting to market conditions so that hints at the partial return of the subsidy, if we estimate what is the cost reflective of retail PMS price of the would-be and assuming that importation is done at the official FX rate.


“Of course, the liberalisation is happening with the parallel rates, which is the main supplier, the price would be even higher. These are just estimates to give you a sense of what cost-reflective pricing most likely looks like.

“We think the price of petrol should be around N750 per litre more than the N650 per litre currently paid by Nigerians.”


He highlighted that the bank is recommending to the government to take additional measures with its bold reforms to secure the benefits from having taken those decisions.

More details soon…

https://punchng.com/petrol-price-should-be-n750-per-litre-says-world-bank/

However, the transfer of power will be done by electronic signature (e-signature) as the ailing governor is too weak to sign any document.

President Bola Tinubu has directed ailing Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State to transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

However, the transfer of power will be done by electronic signature (e-signature) as the ailing governor is too weak to sign any document.


Tinubu reportedly told people at the meeting he had summoned to resolve the leadership crisis in Ondo on Monday that Akeredolu was incapacitated and could not sign a letter anymore.

SaharaReporters reported on Sunday that President Tinubu had summoned the state deputy governor, Aiyedatiwa and House of Assembly Speaker, Olamide Oladiji to Aso Villa in Abuja for an urgent meeting slated for Monday.

Sources had told SaharaReporters that Tinubu would ask that the deputy governor should be allowed to act as governor, to resolve the leadership crisis in the state.


Monday’s emergency meeting was the second one summoned by the President to resolve the leadership crisis in the state following the governor’s absence from office since July 2023.

The meeting at the instance of Tinubu was due to mounting pressure from the civil society organisation Take-It-Back, which had threatened to commence mass protests across Ondo State from Saturday, December 16 to demand Akeredolu’s resignation.

The ailing governor has gone AWOL since returning to Nigeria in September from a three-month medical leave in Germany.

Apart from Aiyedatiwa and Oladiji, Akeredolu’s son, Babajide, who was appointed by the governor in November 2021 as the Director General of the Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, Office of the Governor of Ondo State (PPIMU), was one of those present at the meeting.

The senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, was also present.

Sources told SaharaReporters that it was first agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity to make Aiyedatiwa the acting governor, but some of those present pleaded with President Tinubu that it would humiliate the ailing governor.

“During the meeting, it was agreed that the State House of Assembly should invoke the doctrine of necessity and make Lucky Ayedatiwa the Acting Governor, but the Speaker and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim pleaded that the ailing governor would be humiliated,” one of the sources said.

“The son (Babajide) then promised to go and obtain his father’s e-signature to pen a letter to the State House of Assembly, transferring power to the deputy governor.”

Sources at the meeting also disclosed that someone raised concern that since there was already a case of forgery established in handling the affairs of the state, it would not make sense for power to be transferred through such dubious means.

SaharaReporters on Sunday reported that a pro-democracy organisation, Take-It-Back Movement would organise a town hall meeting in Akure on Saturday, December 16 to call for Governor Akeredolu to resume office or resign.

The event will also mark the commencement of street protests to call for the resignation of the ailing governor who has not set foot in his state since July 2023, the report added.

Omoyele Sowore, the candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, on Sunday, also called on Governor Akeredolu to return to office and perform his constitutional duty as governor of the state or resign.

Sowore, in a post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle disclosed that there would be a town hall meeting and beginning of street protests in Akure, the state capital and across the state on December 16, to demand Akeredolu's resignation.

He wrote: "There will be a Townhall Meeting & a beginning of Street Protests In Akure and across Ondo state on Saturday December 16th 2023!

"All persons of conscience are invited! #GovAkeredoluMustResign #RevolutionNow."

According to a flyer announcing the event, the town hall meeting organised by the Take-It-Back Movement and themed ‘Akeredolu; Resume Or Resign,’ will be held by noon on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at Akure Town Hall on Oba Adeside Road in Akure.

BACKGROUND

Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), won his re-election as the state governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021.

However, the governor’s second term, since January 2023, has not been smooth sailing as he had to be flown abroad for treatment over a medical condition.

SaharaReporters exclusively reported in January that Akeredolu was suffering from leukemia.

Leukemia is a blood cancer caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body.

Meanwhile, the family have been keeping his health status hush-hush to maintain their grip on the affairs of the state.

The 67-year-old politician returned to Nigeria in September after a three-month medical leave in Germany but has been holed up in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Meanwhile, Akeredolu has been under intense pressure from opposition parties to resign or hand over power to his deputy in line with the 1999 constitution. But his aides have defended his action or inaction, saying he could govern the state from anywhere.

SaharaReporters on Friday exclusively reported that a forensic report by the Association of Forensic Professionals of Nigeria (AFPON) had confirmed that the ailing governor’s signature was forged on an official document.

Meanwhile, there are indications that there may be more of such forgeries.

SaharaReporters got the forensic report on Friday, signed by Mr Nuhu Kutana Tanko, who stated that “there are strong indications the author of known specimen handwritings/signatures on known documents marked ‘K-K4’ did not write the questioned signatures on questioned documents marked ‘Q-Q2.’”

The investigation was initiated by the State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razaq Obe, who wrote to the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, confirming the forgery of Akeredolu’s signature on an official document relating to his ministry.

In the commissioner’s letter on Friday titled “Forgery Of Mr. Governor's Signature On Official Document” and dated December 7, he wrote, “I write to bring to your attention a critical matter that requires immediate action. It has been confirmed that the signature of Mr. Governor on a certain document has been forged.

“The irregularities in the signature were first observed when a file from my ministry was returned through the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). This is the only file that has been returned so far out of the five files that were sent for Mr. Governor's approval about two months ago.

“Upon closer inspection, I noticed significant differences between the suspicious signature and handwriting and Mr. Governor's known signatures and handwriting in the file. Concerned about the gravity of the situation, I decided to seek a forensic review before disclosing my discovery. I sent the suspicious signature, handwriting samples, and copies of the old regular signatures to forensic experts, who have now confirmed that the suspicious signature and handwriting were indeed forged.

“Despite the inherent risks involved, I have chosen to fulfill the obligations of my office by reporting this alarming development to you as the highest-ranking member of the State Executive Council after Mr. GovernorI firmly believe that this is the course of action our esteemed leader, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, would take in such a situation.


https://saharareporters.com/2023/12/12/exclusive-tinubu-directs-akeredolu-transfer-power-e-signature-deputy-ailing-ondo

The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has asked political leaders to fear God and do what is right for their people, knowing they will give account of their stewardship.

He also decried the bad state of the Suleja-Minna and Minna-Bida roads in Niger State, which he described as a nightmare, while calling on the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to pay attention to the road.

The Sultan spoke on Monday at the opening of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam Central Council Meeting holding at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna, the Niger State capital.


He stated, “We call on our political leaders to fear Allah. They should know that they will be called to account for their stewardship. Therefore, they must do what’s right.


“I would like to use this opportunity to inform the world or inform Nigerians and the government of Nigeria that the Suleja-Minna Road is still crying for attention. And of course, the Minna-Bida Road was a nightmare for us when we went to Bida. Therefore, I call on the Minister of Works to complete the work on Minna-Suleja Road. These roads that people use everyday are a nightmare.

“Almighty Allah would ask you. NNPC has started the Minna-Suleja Road. Why are you not completing it?”


He said JNI could not hold its annual meeting for the last five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and insecurity, especially in northern Nigeria.

He, however, appreciated the government for doing its best to address the security challenges, adding that the meeting was convened to discuss critical issues affecting Muslims in Nigeria and the country in general.


https://dailytrust.com/sultan-asks-leaders-to-fear-god-decries-nigers-bad-roads/

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state has described the recent statement by the three Zonal Vice Chairmen of the party in the state against him as groundless allegations aimed at blackmailing him.


Recall that the Zonal Vice Chairmen of the part in the state had accused the Governor of humiliating the party and alienating its leaders and stakeholders among others.


But reacting in a statement on his verified social media page, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, said “we have read claims made by the Benue APC Zonal Vice Chairmen, and despite our aversion to straightforwardly label these assertions, we find no more fitting euphemisms than to characterize them as an amalgamation of fabrications or groundless allegations directed and aimed at blackmailing the leader of the party in the state, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.

“One such utter falsehood alleges that 80 percent of appointed caretaker chairmen were not part of the nominees sent to the Governor, suggesting opposition members took preponderance on the list. However, as we eagerly looked forward to seeing the evidence to this watery claim, there was none, giving it away as a mere figment of their imagination.

“Another fallacious claim holds that the widespread party dissatisfaction peaked with the Governor’s caretaker chairman announcement. That claim conveniently overlooks the fact that the Governor as the leader of the party in the state has the prerogative to subject suggested names to scrutiny.

“No sane Governor will accept wholly everything suggested to him hook, line and sinker. Sadly, it appears that the “party” synonymizes suggestions with the Ten Commandments handed to Moses on Mount Sinai written on the two stone tablets.

“The three-man forerunner team further suggests that the Governor favors people outside the APC who allegedly worked against him during electioneering and voting phases. This appears more like petty resentments drawn from psychotic imagination, lacking any substantive basis.

“They also question the legitimacy of a meeting attended by notable party figures and statesmen like Sen. Barnabas Gemade, Sen. Ameh Ebute, Gen. Lawrence Onoja rtd, Navy Comdr Dan Ihinga rtd, Gen. India Garba rtd etc whom they derogatorily tagged “Emergency Stakeholders” and hinted at a conspiratorial motive behind the meeting, insinuating a plot against the party. The irony of branding a seasoned politician in the class of Gemade with such a demeaning tag is truly enlightening.

“According to the three mature dancers of a proverbial drumming from the bush, their suspicion, they claim, was further fueled by the presence of Dr. Chile Igbawua, who is not an APC member. This unsubstantiated claim further exposes a desperate inclination on the part of the fabricators to link Rev. Fr. Alia with the opposition. They have also gone to town with the gleeful rumour that Gov. Alia has concluded plans to dump his party, the APC.


“They buried shame while constructing formal media statements from rumor mills , trivial gossip, and their whimsical imaginations, rather than relying on concrete facts.

“A particularly absurd claim says there is a formation and funding of a committee headed by Gen. Lawrence Onoja and Barr. Emmanuel Jime, supposedly tasked to perforate the Aso Villa and National Secretariat with a mandate to spread falsehoods against the party and the SGF.

“The desperation behind such fabrications raises concerns about the team’s motives. It is worth mentioning here that both party chieftains, specifically targeted as subjects of blackmail by the orchestrators, are people of impeccable reputation. They have diligently served both the party, the state, and the nation in various high-ranking capacities. It beguiles the imagination to fathom how these fabricators conjured the notion of reducing these distinguished party figures into mere errand henchmen for mischievous purposes.

“The narrative takes a shocking turn as the accusers declared the Benue APC’s staunch support for the Governor, insisting there’s no turning back. This claim contradicts the earlier narrative of discontent, further exposing the inconsistency in their fabricated stories.

“Lastly, the ‘party’ claims that the Governor has not made any financial contributions to the party, and they too have not asked him for money aside from the monthly dues, which they claim he has neglected to pay since assuming office. Wow! To cut short this discussion, we demand to speak with the books.


‘It is unfortunate that amidst all this, the spinners of these fabrications might have at least made some sense had they expressed concerns about the governor’s performance or public dissatisfaction with his leadership style, perceiving potential repercussions for the party in future elections. However, what we read was an extensive narrative fixated on the elders and the party and shamelessly laced with falsehood in their desperate quest to discredit and blackmail Rev. Fr. Iormem Alia.

“While we acknowledge the consciousness in uniting Benue State and making it a better place for us and our children, we equally wish to submit that developing Benue State in all sectors is an imperative that sits boldly on the wish list of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

“Governor Alia understands the importance of unity and teamwork in achieving the above. He has been making frantic efforts towards maintaining a cordial working relationship with the leadership of his party.

“His continued funding of party activities, presence and funding of the expanded stakeholders meetings of APC in the state is an eloquent testimony of how he holds the party so dear to his heart.”


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/12/apc-blackmailing-me-gov-alia/amp/

Bandits operating on federal highways in Niger State have shot dead a bus driver and kidnapped eight passengers during an attack.

The bandits, who made contact with family members of the captives, are said to have demanded a N17 million ransom for their freedom.

PUNCH Online learnt on Tuesday that the incident occurred last Saturday.

According to residents, the abducted persons were said to be on their way to the coronation of the chairman of kingmakers and chief priest of Bakarabonde in Borgu Kingdom.

The bandits were said to have set the bus conveying the passengers ablaze after they had concluded their operation.

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Borgu Local Government Area, Sulaiman Yerima, described it as unfortunate.

He also confirmed that the kidnappers had made contact with the families of the captives and demanded N17m as ransom.

The Niger State Police Command’s spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, when contacted, said he had made contact with the Borgu Division and was awaiting their report of the incident.

“I am still awaiting a detailed report of the incident. When I get it, I’ll contact you,” he said

.

https://punchng.com/bandits-kill-bus-driver-abduct-eight-passengers-in-niger/