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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has stated that documents signed by his predecessor, Hadi Sirika, indicate that a foreign airline would have taken over Nigeria Air.
In a viral video, Keyamo exposed some pages of the documents, explaining parts of the deed of agreements signed by Sirika and the Ethiopian government.
He insisted that the Nigerian government had no regrets about ending the agreement with Ethiopian Airlines over Nigeria Air, stressing that the country cannot give its aviation ecosystem to another entity.
Keyamo said, “You will be shocked if you look at this agreement. What it simply says is that a foreign government should come and take over our national carrier. Ethiopian Air was the single major shareholder in that deal. It is the same thing they did in Togo with Asky. We cannot be Togo. We are big and ambitious.
“We cannot give up our aviation ecosystem to another entity. What would have happened is that the Ethiopian government would now be the complete beneficiary of all our Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) routes.
“A national carrier has first priority over all the BASA routes we have negotiated all over the world. If we give them all the routes we have suffered to negotiate, where will all those profits go? It is not Nigeria.”
This comes as Keyamo explained that Nigeria did not lose any foreign direct investment by not agreeing to the terms of Nigeria Air.
He said what the Ethiopian government was going to do was to get wet-lease aircraft and fly them as national carriers, with all the profits going to Addis Ababa.
The CEO of Nigeria Air would have been an Ethiopian, the financial officer Ethiopian, the director of operations Ethiopian, and all other key positions would have been reserved for foreigners. That is not a national carrier.
“In the document, it also says the people that will run Nigeria Air will not pay any tax to the Nigerian government. They are not also building any investments in the country. The documents also say Nigeria will be the guarantor of any loss they suffer here,” Keyamo further explained.
A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has alleged that there are efforts to transform the party into a subsidiary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP made this remark on Tuesday, January 14, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Morning Show.
Ologbondiyan stated that the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, is unlawfully occupying his position.
Ologbondiyan’s comments were made in light of external influences that he believes are attempting to undermine the party.
He emphasized that while Damagum hails from the Northeast, there is a desire within the Northcentral region for the National Chairman position to revert to their area.
According to Ologbondiyan: “Like a proverb said, if there is no spilt on the wall, the lizard can’t come in, so definitely there will be issues in the party, but how much these issues are managed is one side, and how external influences come into them to finally disrupt and reduce the party to nothing else is also there.
“There are issues in the party. In the case of the National Chairman, the Northcentral believes that the position should return to them. Damagum is from the Northeast, and he is occupying that position.
“No matter how long he continues to stay there, Damagum is staying there illegitimately. It’s an issue in the party.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asserted that the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is desperate for recognition, and the party is not losing sleep over his political romance with the camp of ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and the Social Democratic Party, (SDP).
Recalls that El-Rufai, a prominent APC chieftain, held a closed-door meeting with the SDP leadership and some allies of Atiku, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The meeting, which took place at the national secretariat of the SDP, also had Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer of General Sani Abacha and a former spokesman of Atiku Abubakar, Segun Showunmi, among others.
Although the agenda was not made public, there were speculations that El-Rufai was aligning with the major opposition figures to oust President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
However, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Shehu Musa Gabam, dismissed reports suggesting an alliance between the party, Atiku Abubakar or El-Rufai.
Gabam, during an appearance on TVC’s Politics Today, categorically stated that there had been no discussions about forming alliances with political figures or parties.
Reacting to the development, the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South-East), Ijeoma Arodiogbu, in an interview with Punch, said the ruling party was not worried over the moves by the opposition figures.
Arodiogbu stated that after the 2023 election, El-Rufai has displayed himself as someone who cannot be trusted across the regions of the country.
He argued that the controversial reforms that the opposition may be planning to campaign with are currently yielding the desired results Nigerians anticipated.
The APC chieftain also said Nigerians are beginning to understand Tinubu’s reforms and cannot afford to surrender the leadership to desperate politicians whose sole interest is state capture.
He said, “As it is in the Bible, surely they shall gather and they shall scatter. We are not worried that they are gathering because they will definitely scatter. We are not worried about what El-Rufai does next. We know that his trajectory in politics is highly disturbed now.
“After our election (in 2023), he displayed himself as a man who cannot be trusted across the regions. The way he disparaged Christians in Nigeria, a secular society, has made him a leper. Nobody goes anywhere close to him. El-Rufai is just desperate for recognition now and I wonder why the media is giving him that attention.
“We are not worried about the unholy alliance because it will amount to nothing. It is just a gathering of disgruntled people trying to lick their wounds. Tinubu remains the president and there is nobody that can stop him in 2027.
“So we are not worried about El-Rufai and their union. When 2027 comes, what will they use to campaign to Nigerians? Will you tell them that you plan to reintroduce fuel subsidy? Not possible. We are already bouncing back to the days of glory. They have seen that the forest is stabilised, and the people are beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
“People are now beginning to understand the essence of all the reforms he (President Bola Tinubu) has implemented. Did you read where they reported that PMS is likely to sell at N500 before the middle of this year? You can see that the benefits and gains of the policy reforms implemented by the President are beginning to yield fruit.
“That is because we have allowed the market forces to determine the price and taken off the pressure that fuel subsidy has on our economy and currency. We are now looking at exporting fuel outside Nigeria. That is a massive gain for Nigeria. I am telling you that we have hope for a very brighter tomorrow for Nigeria.”
The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has expressed that the federal government’s removal of the petrol subsidy is advantageous for state governments.
During a project inspection in Imo State on Monday, January 13, commemorating the first anniversary of his second term, the governor noted that the removal of the subsidy has resulted in increased financial resources for state governments, facilitating their developmental initiatives.
Uzodimma emphasized the importance of state governments demonstrating their capability to the public, as they now receive enhanced allocations due to subsidy removal.
He said, “In reconciling the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal and the benefits in terms of socio-infrastructure, social benefits, and then the ease of doing business occasioned by the provision of the enabling infrastructure, I think it is a blessing.
“It is a direct blessing, it is not a disguise to the sub-nationals because more monies are now coming to states and state governments must do things to show citizens that they are able to do these things because they now get more monies as a result of the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government.”
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, North West Zone, Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, has stated that the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of naira was necessary so the nation could save more funds.
He stated that the money saved From President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies is being diverted into developmental projects like infrastructure, agriculture, health and other critical sectors of the society.
Yakasai argued that the effect of fuel subsidy removal is gradually manifesting positively to the advantage of Nigerians.
He stated this while flagging off the distribution of rice palliative to residents of Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
According to him, “The hardship, yes, is caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the Naira, but these are programs that Mr President took a bold step because since the inception of this democracy from 1999 to date, we have been giving out this subsidy and it’s only going to the few.
“So Mr President took this bold step because we need to save more funds as we are doing now so that we can do other things, other developmental projects like infrastructure, like in agriculture, health and other critical sectors of the society. So we were so surprised that within all these years, none of this refinery has come on board. But within this administration of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we’ve seen Port Harcourt Refinery come on board.
“For years, our refineries were down and they have started working today which means they refused to repair the refineries. How much is the price for petrol now? It is dropping down by the day.
“This is a remarkable feat and it’s making its production at 60 per cent capacity. Just two weeks ago, the GMD of NNPC, Mele Kyari, also came out to say that the Warri Refinery is running and he has taken media houses, he has taken you people there, he has taken well-meaning Nigerians there to go and verify. So these are all things to tell you that His Excellency President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is so determined to make sure he turns around the fortune of this country.”
Popular Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus has disclosed that her family’s name was initially Ojukwu before the Nigerian civil war.
She said this during an interview with popular media personality, Ebuka Obi Uchendu.
While reacting to the mistake people make with her name, ‘Damasus’, she explained that her grandfather’s name ‘Ojukwu’ was changed during the civil war to avoid being attacked.
The actress stated that her family’s name was assumed to be related to the late Biafran war general, Ojukwu.
Ebuka said; ” It was interesting that so many people didn’t even understand that your surname was not what it was. So many people were shocked at the revelation, are you as shocked as a lot of people were?”
Stella responded; “Damasus is my granddaughter’s first name. It’s a Greek name. My original surname was Ojukwu but that changed during the Biafran war when my people were attacked in Asaba because they thought it was the same Ojukwu.
“I was born into Damasus, and when I asked why, that was the reason they gave me.”
Parents of a 13-year-old student of Etoi Secondary School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State have cried out for justice in the case of their son who was gang-raped for three years after being hypnotised by a syndicate of six gay men.
However, operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command who launched investigations following a tip-off, swooped on the syndicate of ritualists specialising in the illicit gay practice with young male children within the age bracket of 10 and 13 years.
The gang, noted for their involvement in Sodomy and other unnatural sexual acts were successfully tracked with six of them arrested.
The suspects were paraded at the state Police Command along with others for sundry crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalisation of public assets and utilities.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Baba Azare vowed to rid the state of crimes and perpetrators brought to justice.
“Based on information received from concerned journalists, a 13-year-old child reported being raped repeatedly for about three years by different men in sodomy practice.
“The operatives of the Command swung into action immediately and arrested, the following suspects: Okwudili Levi Okeke, a.k.a, Eze, aged 34 years; Idara Itam Daniel, aged 23 years; David Udoh James, aged 23 years; Udofia Edem Udosen; aged 29 years; David Bassey Bassey; aged 26 years; and Daniel Jacob Edet, aged 30 years.
“Investigation revealed that Okwudili Okeke, was recruited into sodomy and has had anal sex with several men in the state.
“This is a crime against humanity and will not be condoned. Suspects will soon be prosecuted after the completion of investigation,” the CP vowed.
CP Azare who took over the command late last month has assured of his commitment to addressing the security challenges facing the state especially the perennial farmers/herders’ crises, communal and boundary skirmishes.
“We are aware of issues such as Fulani herdsmen encroaching on farms and destroying crops, as well as senseless attacks on Fulani cows by troubleshooters.
“Let it be clear that the Police will not fold their arms and allow miscreants to unleash terror on law-abiding residents,” stressing effective enforcement of the anti-grazing law.
Following rising cases of vandalisation of public transformers and infrastructural facility across the state, the CP assured efforts have been stepped up to nip the crime and arrest the perpetrators.
Consequently, some suspects including one Prosper Brownson Jim, and his accomplice, Uduak Sunday Benson we’re apprehended for vandalisation of a transformer belonging to Sure Foundation Polytechnic at Ikot Akai, in Ukanafun LGA.
Police also recovery the transformer, transformer oil, armoured cables and charms from the suspects.
Other items recovered included four fire service trucks stolen by the agency’s officials and taken to the neighbouring Port Harcourt, Rivers state, with flour suspects arrested.
“The Command moved to recover the said trucks and further investigation revealed that the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for initial period of 3 years,” the CP explaine
A tragic accident in the Kwanan Maciji area of Pankshin local government area of Plateau State over the weekend claimed the lives of 19 persons and left 11 others injured.
The victims, who had travelled from Kano State to attend a wedding ceremony in Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau State, were returning home when the accident occurred on Saturday.
Chairman of the Pankshin Local Government Area Emergency Management Committee, John Dasar, confirmed the incident, describing it as devastating. According to him, the victims opted for a shorter route through Gindiri to Bauchi State when their vehicle was involved in an accident.
“In the aftermath of the crash, bystanders were helping to evacuate passengers from the vehicle when it suddenly caught fire,” Dasar said. “Unfortunately, 19 of the occupants were trapped and burnt beyond recognition. The driver and a few others managed to survive.”
The 11 survivors, some with serious injuries, were rushed to the Pankshin General Hospital for treatment.
Operatives of the Kano Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested five officials of the Katsina State Board of Internal Revenue over alleged diversion of N1,294,337,676.53.
The funds, which belong to the Katsina State Government, were allegedly misappropriated by the officials.
The suspects, identified as Rabiu Abdullahi, Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Ibrahim M. Kofar Soro, Ibrahim Aliyu, and Nura Lawal Kofar Sauri, were apprehended following a petition from the Katsina State Government.
The petition accused the officials of colluding to divert revenue accruing from international organisations, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières, and the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA).
Preliminary investigations by the EFCC revealed that Rabiu Abdullahi, the former Director of Collections and current Permanent Secretary of the Board, authorised the opening of a bank account at Sterling Bank in the name of “BOIRS.” Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Director of Revenue Account, and Ibrahim M. Kofar Soro, were allegedly designated as sole signatories to the account.
The EFCC further disclosed that the account became a primary channel for diverting funds to NADIKKO General Suppliers, a company owned by Nura Lawal Kofar Sauri, an Assistant Director of Career Skills and Staff Welfare at the Board.
The company reportedly served as the conduit pipe through which the stolen funds were laundered. Investigators traced the diverted funds to various bank accounts belonging to the suspects.
The suspects are currently in custody at the Kano Zonal Command of the EFCC and were expected to be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The EFCC has reiterated its commitment to combating corruption and recovering public funds, urging citizens to report any suspected cases of financial misconduct.
Elder statesman, Chief Arthur Eze, has lauded President Bola Tinubu for establishing the South-East Development Commission and funding it to be key development driver in the region.
The philanthropist made the commendation yesterday in Enugu while fielding questions from newsmen on the importance of the official working visit of President Tinubu to Enugu recently.
He stated that the commission is a key initiative that he believes would bring meaningful change to the region and greatly supports what the South-East governors are currently doing in terms of development.
”We have to thank Tinubu for the South-East Development Commission. That commission can solve our problem. They have more than N100 billion to create jobs here.
“Tinubu released the money. He doesn’t care. Other governments neglected us.
“That Commission will change the lives of Ndigbo. Very soon, people will start getting jobs,” he said.
Eze described Tinubu’s visit to Enugu as a moment of celebration and unity for the entire South-East.
“Tinubu’s visit reminded us of Sir Obafemi Awolowo, who fought for independence with Chief Michael Okpara, yet he was jailed for seven years in Calabar.
“Tinubu has continued on that path. When he was speaking, he was dishing out words of wisdom. God sent him here last weekend to address the issues concerning Ndigbo,” he said.
The elder statesman lauded efforts of Gov. Peter Mbah, in partnership with the Federal Government, in driving development and putting in place security in Enugu State.
He noted that Mbah’s use of technology in tackling insecurity, particularly the installation of security cameras across the state, had allowed residents to move around without fear during this yuletide.
Eze urged other governors in the South-East to follow Mbah’s example in addressing security challenges using technology.
“Mbah provided security. You can see the massive urban development where he has spent a lot of money.
“He is making visible efforts to take us back to Old Eastern Nigeria. Those good old days of Chief Michael Okpara, Sir Obafemi Awolowo and Owelle Nnamdi Azikiwe,” he added.
A 46-year-old Uber driver, Muftau Abiodun Musa, has reportedly committed suicide in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
Sources revealed that his actions may not be unconnected to pressure from family members to get married.
The deceased, who left a note directing whosoever found his remains to check further details, indicated on his phone that his people could be contacted without hindrance, adding that nobody should cry over his demise.
It was gathered that the man had no wife or kids and had been battling depression for the past five years.
The source revealed that in December 2023, he attempted to hang himself but was stopped by his neighbours.
He noted that Musa also made another attempt by drinking insecticide and pesticide, which led to his admittance in hospital for two months.
Consequent to this attempt, the deceased had to relocate to his mother’s place for close monitoring.
The source also revealed that after he was discharged from the hospital, his family continued to mount pressure on him to get married and have kids, which led him to leave the house.
According to the source: “In his quest for a new house, someone sublet one of the rooms in her home to him. He has been in that house since May 2024.
“The house rent expired in December, but he was given until the end of January to vacate, as the house owner wanted to renovate the house.
“The person who sublet the house told him three days ago to find another house, as the owner had told them to leave. He became depressed and hanged himself.”
The source revealed that the Osun State Police Command has taken over the matter.
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Ahead of the Saturday local government election in Ondo State, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence that the party will win in all the 18 local government areas of the state.
The party boasted that, given the performance of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s administration, the state’s people would come out in force to cast their votes for the party’s candidates on Saturday.
Addressing journalists in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Alex Kalejaye, hinted that the party had constituted a five-man committee led by the party’s state Organizing Secretary, Charles Fagbohunka, to coordinate the party’s campaigns ahead of the poll.
Kalejaye said, “Likewise, the party has constituted a Reconciliation Committee led by state Vice Chairman Atili Agabra to settle all misunderstandings and disagreements among party members ahead of the Saturday poll.”
On preparing the party ahead of the poll, Kalejaye further stated that the party had met all the conditions the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission(ODIEC) reeled out, and all their candidates across the 18 local government areas are sellable.
Kalejaye said, “You are all aware that it’s no longer fashionable to appoint a caretaker committee for local government. That’s why the state electoral commission must conduct the local government election in all the 18 local government areas of the state.
“We are fully prepared. We have started the campaign by meeting with all stakeholders across all the 18 local government areas of the state. We have constituted campaign committees at local government, ward, and unit levels to mobilise the people sensibly ahead of the Saturday poll.
“We have also constituted another committee led by the state Organizing Secretary of our party, Hon. Charles Fagbohunka, to coordinate all the campaign committees across the 18 local government areas.”
United States President, Joe Biden, has announced a federal aid of $770 one-time payment to California wildfire victims as the Los Angeles County battles one of the worst sets of fires in state history.
Biden, whose tenure in the White House is drawing to a close, made the announcement on Monday.
According to Hollywoodunclocked, the wildfire, which had claimed 29 lives, is a growing concern among Americans.
However, Biden, in a meeting, vowed to offer a one-time payment of $770 to the victims of the deadly Los Angeles County fires and that the government would be covering 100% of the disaster response costs for the next six months.
He said, “I want to be clear: we are not waiting until the fires are over to help victims. We are helping them all right now. People impacted by these fires are going to receive a one-time payment of $770. So they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions. So far, nearly 6,000 survivors have registered to do just that, and $5.1 million has gone out.”
For those who the Los Angeles County fires have impacted, President Joe Biden said victims can visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. As mentioned, the federal government will be covering all fire-related and firefighting costs for the next 180 days.
Nearly $5.1 million in immediate aid has already been distributed, with victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles being given a one-time payment of $770.
Additionally, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has reported that about 33,000 residents have already registered for disaster assistance.
In a briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials, Biden stressed, “It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was. We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding.”
According to AccuWeather, the total damage and economic loss from the fires is now estimated to be between $250 billion and $275 billion.
AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter claims the preliminary estimate has surpassed the total damage and loss accrued during the 2020 wildfire season.
The damage and economic loss has also surpassed Hurricane Helene in 2024, which cost between $225 billion to $250 billion, and has surpassed the deadly Maui, Hawaii fires in 2023, which cost an estimated $13 billion to $16 billion.
[Punch]
The University of Calabar (UniCal), says beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for the 2023/2024 session, who could not access the fund, will be given concession in the new session.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Tony Eyang revealed this in a statement in Calabar on Tuesday.
Eyang said that the concession would be for the beneficiaries who were yet to graduate, as they would be given access to register for the 2024/2025 academic Session.
He explained that the release of the 2023/2024 loan would be used to settle the 2024/2025 tuition fees for the beneficiaries.
He added that the 2024/2025 loan when released would also be refunded to beneficiaries due to graduate within the session after their Bursary clearance.
According to him, beneficiaries who paid their full fees in both 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 sessions will be refunded the fees paid for 2023/2024 Session, pending the release of 2024/2025 Loan.
“Beneficiaries who graduated in the 2023/2024 session will be refunded the fee paid to the University after Bursary Clearance.
“Beneficiaries and other students alike are therefore urged to register for the 2024/2025 loan, as the verification of applicants is ongoing.”
He also said that beneficiaries who made part payment in the 2023/2024 and have not settled the balance will have to pay it in 2024/2025.
He explained that while the university’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre was the hub for NELFUND registration, the dashboard of beneficiaries on the fee portal was to be configured to reflect NELFUND disbursement.
He also used the opportunity to advise students to take advantage of the unique opportunity and register for the fund now.
NELFUND is an initiative of the Federal Government aimed at providing financial assistance to students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
NAN
On Monday, January 13, 2025, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly hurrriedly impeached their Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa over alleged financial misappropriation and replaced him immediately with his erstwhile deputy, Mojisola Meranda.
The development ended Obasa’s nearly 10 years reign as the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and made Meranda the first substantive female Speaker in Lagos history.
The lawmakers also removed the Clerk, Olalekan Onafeko, who was said to have been singlehandedly brought to the assembly by Obasa, making him a close confidant and ally.
The impeached speaker and Onafeko were reportedly behind the ban on journalists covering the activities of the assembly over two years ago.
However, while Obasa’s impeachment came as a surprise to Lagosians, political watchers and critics saw it coming, with some saying the Agege representative has committed many ‘sins’ against the powers that be in the state.
Political missteps
Obasa’s longstanding feud with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his contemptuous treatment of the governor during the 2025 budget presentation in November 2024, marked the beginning of his political predicament.
In what appeared like a show of power, Obasa reportedly delayed the budget presentation with a trivial discussion about celebration of 2024 Men’s Day. And rather than taking a moment to acknowledge the governor when he eventually entered the legislative chamber for the presentation, he ordered the session to proceed uninterrupted.
To worsen the matter, his unapologetic declarations about his 2027 ambition overshadowed the session as his feud with the governor became more pronounced.
In the views of political observers, Obasa’s outburst was interpreted to mean a direct response to the purported endorsement of Seyi Tinubu by some groups for the foremost political office in the state.
According to reports, following the show of power, President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), invited him to a meeting where he was sternly warned and chastised for disrespecting Sanwo-Olu and mismanaging the politics of the state because of his ambition.
It is believed that Obasa’s fate was decided at the meeting, as the President reportedly said he knew what to do on the matter.
Financial misappropriation allegations
Obasa has recently been accused of spending N17 billion to fix the assembly complex gate.
In his reaction to claims by a group, Lagos State Anti-Corruption Coalition, accusing the Assembly of spending the alleged amount on a gate, Obasa described the allegation as “fake news, spurious and funny.”
He said the allegation stemmed from the fear of some people over the 2027 polls which is still more than two years away.
The speaker further debunked the claim that the Assembly spent N200 million on its recently organised thanksgiving service for staff.
Reacting, Obasa said, “It is so funny. How much is the allocation of the Assembly in the whole year that we will decide to spend N17 billion on a gate? They even claimed that we expended N200 million on Thanksgiving which did not hold.
“We are aware that at a period like this when we are approaching elections in 2027, we should expect such things. I think some people are scared and I don’t know why.”
Obasa has also been accused of financial mismanagement involving ₦44 billion allocated for vehicles and capital projects for over two years.
The allegation generated concerns and questions about transparency and accountability in the Assembly’s financial operations from critics, including lawmakers and residents.
According to available official records on the Lagos House of Assembly Budget Performance, in 2023, ₦30.19 billion was allocated for vehicles, including official cars, utility buses, and backup vehicles.
Another ₦13.33 billion was earmarked for vehicles in 2024.
However, investigations revealed that no vehicles were purchased in 2023, and only a small fraction of the 2024 allocation has been accounted for.
Questionable capital projects
Critics have also raised questions over alleged financial irregularities about how funds are allocated for projects.
Critics argued the ₦1.1 billion allocated for properties in 2023 was excessive, particularly when essential sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure are underfunded.
The ₦126 million allocated for properties in Abuja in the 2024 budget equally raised eyebrows, with critics questioning why the state’s funds are being spent outside its jurisdiction.
According to critics, these expenditures suggest a troubling pattern of fiscal mismanagement and misplaced priorities, fueling public anger.
Therefore, when the lawmakers suddenly moved for impeachment of Obasa yesterday, the smoothness and speed of the process suggest that there was a master plan, and not coincidence or on-the-spot decision.