Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has narrated how former President Goodluck Jonathan’s political calculations influenced his political journey to the National Assembly and eventually his present office.

Speaking at a service of songs in honour of late Madam Ani-Gunn Rhoda Ikiogha, mother of a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, in Yenagoa, also attended by Jonathan and his wife, Diri recounted how the former president’s decision altered his political ambition at some point but became a blessing in disguise.

He stated that Ikiogha and himself had been political sons of Jonathan even before he became president and worked together until their political interests failed to align.

“I have come a long way with Chief Ikiogha. We worked together at some point when he was Chief of Staff, Government House and I was Deputy Chief of Staff. We have been in politics over this period mostly working together.

“But there was a time he left me because we had a conflict of interest. We were very clear on what we wanted, and then our leader was in Abuja as president. So we plotted our political graph with the former governor, Senator Dickson, who was our boss here.

“We agreed that I should go to the Senate and Chief Ikiogha to the House of Reps. We even bought our party’s nomination forms. But we knew that our boss in Abuja will have his own agenda, which we cannot stop and can only collapse ours into his plan.

“Eventually the former president came with his agenda and it consumed all of us. We had agenda number two and that was when my friend, Ikiogha, disagreed with me and for the very first time we parted ways.

“That agenda was what paved the way for me to be elected as a member of the House of Reps (in 2015) by virtue of the Senate position being zoned to Yenagoa, and Ikiogha could not get the ticket.“

Diri however noted that Ikiogha contributed greatly to his re-election in 2023 to the point of being a target of the opposition, who attacked his residence because he left their camp to work for him.

He stressed that in all that transpired, the late Ma Ikiogha was a rallying point for her son and his political associates, including those in the opposition, noting that she was always accommodating.

He urged the family to take solace in the fact that she left glowing legacies as a devoted Christian and that her life was being celebrated for touching lives in different ways.

In his tribute, Dr. Jonathan said the late nonagenarian was a mother to him and others that were close to her son.

He recalled that when Bayelsa was first created, she accommodated many who usually traveled from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa in her home.

Jonathan described her as a kind and generous woman, who received him and his close associate, King Amalate Turner, like her blood relations and that she lived such exemplary life until her last days on earth.

The former president equally recounted how after losing the presidential election in 2015, she was so saddened by the outcome that she starved herself of food for days.

He thanked God for sparing her life till the age of 91, adding that her little contribution to society will last the test of time.

In a sermon titled: “And She Died,” a cleric with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Amos Tubogbo, said in life, one might have the impression of living right but was not so in the sight of God.

Pastor Tubogbo noted that unless an individual lives according to the word of God, he or she will not be justified in the end.

The chief mourner, Dr. Ikiogha, appreciated those that identified with his family in their moment of grief, particularly the former president, his family, the state government for its support as well as the RCCG family.

He said his mother was being buried according to her wish to have a church crusade organised in her honour at the Kpansia Primary School field in Yenagoa.

Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says the country needs to invest $20 billion annually to achieve the government’s economic targets by 2027.

Edun spoke on Friday during the citizens and stakeholders engagement on the implementation of presidential priorities and ministerial deliverables for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, in Abuja.

The minister said the additional $20 billion per year was required to grow the economy by an average of 6.3 percent in the medium term.

“We need significantly more growth, an additional $20 billion is the target we need for social infrastructure to facilitate logistics for agriculture,” he said.

The minister also said the government would rely primarily on increased revenue to meet the ambitious target.

He said there was a need for a robust tax revenue framework to secure the necessary funding, adding that sustainable economic growth hinged on the strategy. 

“To achieve this target and grow the economy, the government can only secure the funds from revenue,” Edun said.

“Tax revenue needs to be increased to reach the desired levels.”

He said controlling the fiscal deficit and ensuring a stable exchange rate would boost investor confidence.

According to Edun, it will lead to more business activity in the country and increased tax revenue from investments.

“Once the deficit and exchange rate are under control, it will encourage investors to come and do business in Nigeria. In turn, they will pay their taxes,” he said.

Edun further said President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda had been a huge success.

On her part, Doris Uzoka-Anite, minister of state for finance, said the federal ministry of finance, just like every other ministry, has a bilateral engagement with departments and agencies under its supervision to report the ministry’s performance quarterly.

“The two major revenue generating agencies under the supervision of the ministry are the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Custom service,” Uzoka-Anite said.

“They performed above their target and this is highly commendable.”

Uzoka-Anite said all the agencies under the ministry have performed well.

N50TRN BUDGET FOR 2025

Edun said the government projects a N50 trillion budget for 2025, with N35 trillion in expected revenue, nearly doubling 2024 levels.

According to the minister, the plan is to focus on strategic investments and robust reforms.

“To achieve this goal, the government has implemented subsidy reforms, which have stabilized the macroeconomic environment, reducing the fiscal deficit to 4.4 percent and debt service-to-revenue ratio from 149 percent in 2023 to 67 percent,” Edun said.

“Foreign reserves have also grown significantly, reaching $42 billion.

“The plan focuses on several key sectors, including energy, agriculture, industry, and social protection.

“Investments in compressed natural gas, LPG, and renewable energy are accelerating, while efforts to achieve food security include large-scale farming programs.

“Nigeria is also leveraging its digital economy, with startups dominating Africa’s unicorn landscape.”

Edun said with the comprehensive plan, Nigeria is poised to achieve sustainable growth and poverty reduction, improving the quality of life for all Nigerians.

Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the house of representatives, has criticised northern leaders for failing to develop the region despite decades of political dominance.

Speaking at a town hall meeting for Christian leaders in northern Nigeria on Friday, Dogara said the region remains impoverished due to its leaders’ inability to invest in meaningful projects.

At the event, themed “Church and Society: Tax Reforms and Matters Arising,” Dogara addressed issues surrounding governance and development in the country.

“We are all northerners, and it should be made clear that President Tinubu or the South is not our problem; they have not come to cheat the North,” Dogara said.

“That is out of the question. Some are claiming that Yoruba people are getting appointments, but let’s reflect.

“We ruled this country for over 40 years when northerners were in power. What did we achieve? The North remains the same, impoverished by our own leaders.”

Dogara said the tax reform bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu are designed to bring transformation to the country. 

He urged Nigerians to back the initiative, adding that the president should not be blamed for the current state of the north.

The former speaker also criticised northern governors for failing to utilise resources such as value added tax (VAT) revenue and federal allocations for meaningful development.

Dogara pointed to the Ajaokuta Steel Company as an example of the region’s wasted potential, saying the project, which was near completion, has since deteriorated due to neglect.

“We have had so much, but what did our governors do with the resources? They squandered them instead of investing in meaningful development,” he added.

“The (Ajaokuta Steel Company) project was almost finished, yet it was left to rot.”

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has shut down eight illegal rice shops and a warehouse in Karu LGA of Nasarawa state.

A statement by the agency on Friday said officials  also seized “over 1,600 bags of counterfeit rice worth N5 billion” at Wuse and Garki markets in Abuja.

Kenneth Azikiwe, head of NAFDAC’s FCT directorate and leader of the operation, said the agency’s officials discovered counterfeit rice being repackaged in branded bags.

“Upon receiving these intelligence tips, NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, issued a directive that only safe, quality, and wholesome food products should be available to Nigerians during the yuletide and beyond,” he said.

“She specifically instructed that those counterfeiting popular brands of rice should be arrested and their products removed from the market.

“This act of counterfeiting rice is illegal. Consumers believe they are buying quality products, but the quality is often substandard.”

Azikiwe said after surveillance activities, the agency uncovered facilities where a woman specialised in repackaging popular rice brands for sale to the public.

He said the counterfeiting was only done at night at a warehouse behind the woman’s residential house.

“Once the repackaging is completed, the products are moved to another warehouse during the day for sale to unsuspecting consumers,” he added.

A court of appeal in Kaduna has ruled that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) should not impound foreign rice in the open market or on highways.

In a judgment delivered on December 6, a three-member panel of justices led by Ntong Ntong held that existing laws restrict NCS’ enforcement to land borders only.

The judgment was delivered in an appeal filed by the NCS, against a decision of the federal high court that acquitted one Suleiman Mohammed, a businessman, of charges related to the importation of rice.

BACKGROUND

Customs had arrested Mohammed after seizing a truck carrying 613 bags of foreign rice and 80 bags of millet belonging to the businessman on June 14, 2019, along the Kaduna-Zaria expressway.

Mohammed was charged and arraigned on a two-count charge.

However, in a judgment delivered on November 10, 2021, Z. B. Abubakar, trial judge, acquitted the defendants of the charges.

Abubakar held that the plaintiffs (customs) failed to adduce enough evidence to prove that the defendant imported the goods.

The judge also held that there is no subsisting blanket ban on the importation of foreign rice as claimed by the plaintiffs.

“…the evidence led by the prosecution through PW1, PW2, PW3 and the Exhibits tendered has not established that the Defendant imported Exhibit ‘NCS B1-B612’. Even the investigation conducted by the complainant (Nigeria Customs Service Board) on Exhibit ‘NCS B1-B612,” the judge held.

“As a matter of fact, Exhibit ‘NCS D’ could not reveal who imported the said Exhibits or where they imported from.

“It should be borne in mind that importation of foreign rice is not absolutely or totally prohibited. It is only importation of the product through the land borders of this country that was proscribed by the Federal Government vide Circular No. NCS/TXT/1XE/045/S.416/VOL.1X of 18th March, 2016. The circular provided that foreign rice only be imported into the country through seaports.”

The trial judge held that the prosecution failed to show that the goods were imported through land borders, adding that “the said exhibits could have been imported through the seaport, and the court is entitled to presume so”.

Furthermore, the lower court held that “loading any foreign rice into a truck is not an offence under both Sections 46(b) and 47(1) (a) (ii) of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) (Supra)”.

“It is the landing or unloading of goods or foreign rice at designated customs port CA/K/33/C/2022 or wharf that is prohibited by the aforementioned provisions of the Act,” the judge ruled. 

‘APPEAL IS A HOAX’

Aggrieved by the trial court’s judgment, NCS filed an appeal.

However, the appellate court commended the trial court judge for “doing justice in the evaluation of the law and evidence adduced before it”. 

Ntong said he agreed with the arguments put forward by the respondent’s lawyer and the judgment of the trial court.

“Truly, I also agree with the learned trial judge, that Kaduna-Zaria expressway is not a “Land border” as stipulated by the law and Exhibit “NCS D,” the justice held.

“Importation of foreign rice in any wise is not generally prohibited. It is restricted to land borders alone.

“If I were in the shoes of the appellant (NCS), I would have honourably thrown in the towel as this appeal is simply a hoax, a fluke and unmeritorious whatsoever.

“From the evidence in the Record of Appeal, the Respondent was merely a purchaser for value and not an importer. The Appellant ought to have arrested the importer and not a mere purchaser from open market with a receipt of purchase Exhibit NCS D.

“How can a fowl leave to attack who killed it to pursue who is de-feathering it? This is an Annang-African Idiom that means the Appellant ought not to shut its eyes away from the importer and be chasing petty traders and consumers who buy from the open market. After all prohibited or contraband goods always pass through the borders which are the beats of the Appellant.”

Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal in favour of the respondents.

The court further ordered customs to return all the goods seized from the businessman in 2019 or pay him the money equivalent.

“Consequently, the Appellant is hereby ordered to release or cause the release of the 613 bags of foreign rice, 80 bags of millet, Exhibit “C” and DAF truck with Registration Number: 57 BS 45 impounded and confiscated from the Respondent on 14th June, 2019 to the said Respondent Suleiman Mohammed or his representative forthwith,” the judge ruled.

“Where it has become difficult or impossible to return the items aforesaid, the Appellant shall pay to the Respondent a sum of money equivalent to the current price or cost of the items aforementioned.”

An infant’s tiny shoes, a toddler’s pink heels, and a baby girl’s white cap; this was the scene around Islamic High School in Bashorun, Ibadan, Oyo state, 36 hours after a funfair that was meant to be held in the school premises turned tragic and claimed the lives of 35 minors.

The event, organised by Naomi Silekunola, ex-wife of Ooni of Ife, was intended to cater to 5,000 attendees. It received a good promotion, especially on Agidigbo FM, which is said to be the most-listened-to radio station in Ibadan.

The news of a free event with promises of gifts and scholarships spread quickly, and people thronged from far away to attend.

PEOPLE CAME FROM FAR AND NEAR

Idayat Abubakar, a witness, told TheCable that people travelled from as far as Ogbomosho, Iseyin, and Osun state on Tuesday — a day before the event was meant to commence — and camped inside the school, enduring the crisp coldness of the night.

Abubakar, who lives about 4km away, said she had gone to the place on Tuesday evening and interacted with the attendees who had already arrived. She showed the reporter a video of her and the other women in a merry mood, excited about meeting the ex-queen and enjoying the event.

She said as of 10 pm on Tuesday when she left the school, there were already about 2,000 people in the school, “if not more”.

“If you ask why someone like me was there, the event was not for the poor. For me, it was more or less like fun, like we went for a picnic; we had our dishes and lots of snacks for our kids, watched those that would win the scholarship and made posts on social media. I bought new shoes for my baby and made a new hairdo for her, just for the event,” Abubakar said.

She had invited her sister, who lives at Olodo, 12km away from the school, to spend the night at her place so they could arrive at the venue early enough.

“We got there as early as 5 am. When we arrived, I was number 49 in the queue; my sister was number 50. A woman made us take numbers to keep it organised. Some people had been there as early as 3 am, and some people slept there,” noted.

According to her, Oriyomi Hazmat, CEO of Agidigbo FM, had told the attendees that ticket sharing would begin at 6 am. She said Hazmat did not arrive at the venue until a few minutes before 8 am on D-day, and with his arrival came chaos.

She recollected that shortly before Hamzat’s arrival, some buses had dropped even more people off, further expanding the crowd.

‘THERE WAS NO SECURITY TO CONTROL THE CROWD’

“Immediately he got to the scene, people started hailing him. When he saw the crowd, he put his hand on his head. They had to smuggle him inside. While opening the gate for him, people rushed in and started falling on themselves. There was no security, no police,” Abubakar said.

“My younger sister got injured; she was stepped on with her baby. Till now, she has not recovered.

“A lot of us were trapped with our babies. I was backing my baby, and my sister was holding hers. So, when they pushed her, she fell on the floor. She fainted twice, and when I saw her, they were already pouring water on her head. At one point, the baby could not even breathe.

“They opened the walkway gate when the stampede started at the main gate. I was at the front of the gate, so I was able to walk in unhurt.”

Hamzat was said to have tried to manage the crowd from the gate’s entrance but was overwhelmed. Together with the officials he arrived with, they rescued some fallen children.

“When he could not control the crowd anymore, he and his boys had to jump the fence to control people from behind. But at this point, it was already out of control. He started hitting people with a big stick to stop them from falling further on those at the front,” Abubakar said.

“That was when I started hearing different things. We started seeing casualties; people fainted, lost their phones and belongings, and people fell on their children.”

Abubakar’s sister told TheCable that at some point, she had to bite some people to get them off her after she fell.

“People started climbing on our heads. I didn’t even have the energy to help myself, and I was carrying my 2-year-old baby. I was even biting some people because I didn’t have the strength to stand up and rescue myself. My daughter was crying; I was crying, but there was no one to help us,” the sister said.

“Oriyomi started pushing people to leave the road; some were jumping the fence. When I entered, I fainted. People were beating my chest and pouring water to revive me. Little children also fainted, and people were looking for their kids.”

Another witness, who identified as T & K, said the setting-up for the event was yet to be done when the incident happened.

According to him, the trucks bearing the gifts and refreshments could not access the school gate as the crowd blocked it.

He blamed the tragic turn of events on the impatience of the attendees.

When TheCable visited the University College Hospital (UCH), where some of the victims were rushed for medical attention, Funmilayo Adetuyibi, spokesperson for the facility, said five children were brought in dead immediately after the incident.

He said no patients were being tended to at the facility at that time and that relatives of the victims had recovered the corpses.

The security personnel at Best Western Hospital, Bashorun, told the reporter that there were also no victims at the facility. He said the patients brought in had either been discharged or transferred elsewhere.

The Oyo state police command said six people were critically injured and receiving treatment.

It added that Silekunola and seven others were arrested for their role in the event.

The talent manager and mother of Wizkid’s children, Jada Pollock, has shared her thoughts on the challenges of being labelled a “baby mama.”

In a recent interview with BET UK, she expressed her frustration about being defined solely by her relationship with Wizkid instead of being acknowledged for her own professional achievements.

Jada recounted a particular moment when she released a statement celebrating the growth of Afrobeat following Wizkid’s Grammy win.

Unfortunately, blogs chose to label her statement with “Wizkid’s baby mama,” which she felt diminished her entrepreneurial efforts and dedication. In her words:

“When Wizkid won a Grammy, I wrote a statement about how far Afrobeat has come. They published the statement, and the caption was “Wizkid baby mama.”

The narrative does not recognise that you’re an entrepreneur and a hardworking businesswoman. I’m not only a mother but also a manager, and I’ve helped build a legacy.”

Wizkid and Jada, who began dating in 2014, had their first child together, Zion, in 2017. In 2022, they welcomed another boy, AJ

Legendary Yoruba actor, Yinka Quadri has spoken on his rumoured death and the impact it had on his family.

Rumours claiming Quadri had passed away went viral in June, causing concern among his fans and family members.

The actor took to his social media pages to debunk the rumour and confirm that he was “alive and well”.

In a recent interview on Oyinmomo TV, the 65-year-old expressed disappointment with the individuals who spread the false news.

Quadri revealed that his children, who were overseas at the time, became worried when they heard about the rumoured death.

He said they started calling him frequently to confirm the news, which caused unnecessary “stress and anxiety” for the family. Yinka Quadri wrote:

“If it happened to someone who just came into the industry, the person will likely experience a setback. Or the person would leave the industry. But because this profession is inborn. That is not the first time. We have heard so many things in the past.

“Is it not because of social media that it is now being escalated? When I saw it I said ‘Weldone, you content creators’. Although when I saw it it was not as if I was happy. Just like the words of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saying he stays off social media.

“No one would be happy whenever people spread rumours about them. Most especially, rumoured death. You will recall that I said I will not curse the person, but I leave him or her to God’s judgment.

“If the person thinks it is by spoiling another person’s name or causing sadness in another person’s family is an opportunity to attain success… because it got to a stage that it started to pain me.

“Despite the fact that my children are overseas and we have constant communication weekly or every three days, when they informed them they were like ‘I still spoke to Daddy last week’. Then they start calling.

“It got to a stage where everybody became troubled. They now started calling in the morning, put a call through in the afternoon, and call again in the evening to confirm.

“And I now said, the person that did this will get the right reward from God. Because it is not something good. My head does not pray for the person. Why should you wish me death? I wanted to keep quiet. Some people even thought I created the story myself. I asked if they thought I was looking for fame or name.”