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Coastal Highway: Payment Of N2.75bn Compensation Done Out Of Sympathy For Those Who Voted Tinubu- Umahi
AFOLABIThe federal government has begun payment of N2.75bn compensation for owners of properties affected by the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
The compensation was flagged off on Wednesday with 10 beneficiaries, according to the Minister of Works, David Umahi said at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos.
The beneficiaries are: Olaotan Olamuyiwa of Checkmate; Kemi Osinibi of Landmark Kids Club by Maxtivity; Mide Adegbite, Peter Oladipupo of FX Lounge; Bukola Oloko, Abiodun Oguntunde of Xchange Lagos; Dapo Oniru of Moist Beach; Mustapha Olatunji of G12 Beach; Dr Bashir Oshodi, and Bestrock.
Umahi said the N2.75bn covers compensation for property owners affected by the demolition necessary for the construction of channel 0 to channel 3 of the coastal highway.
Umahi said the compensation was out of sympathy for president Bola Tinubu’s supporters.
“To show sympathy for people who voted for Mr. President, we would do everything possible to pay the human face compensation.” the Minister said adding “Today, we are paying over N2bn in compensation just from channel 0 to channel 3.”
Umahi said the remaining beneficiaries will be directed to the Secretariat of the Compensation Committee for payment.
The minister said, “All tenants within the Landmark premises, today, have all been shortlisted and they will get the alerts by 2:00 pm.
“Most of them are here and that closes the politics of Landmark.
“The committee will be sitting from 2:00 pm so that you will sign your documents in the form of indemnity and you will get your alert tomorrow before 2:00 pm.”
Sola Sobowale, a veteran in Nigeria’s Nollywood movie industry, has recounted her ordeal while working as a caregiver in London, England.
The 58-year-old actress, noted for her acting prowess in movie scenes, made the revelation during her interview on the ‘Teju Baby Face Show’ on Tuesday.
The thespian said she left Nigeria in 2004 and returned 12 years after for the audition of a movie.
While the show host asked why she referred to herself as ‘elevated omo odo,’ literally meaning ‘a glorified servant,’ the talented actress gave the narration in the form of a person who, after facing the struggles of life in many forms, was then fortunate to have conquered all obstacles.
She said, “Oh yes. It was after Toyin Tomato – Super Story that I left (for London). I left Nigeria totally in 2004 and I didn’t come back until I came for the audition of the Wedding Party in 2016.”
After featuring in the popular television drama series, ‘Toyin Tomato’ in the early 2000s; the popular actress took some time off the screens and decided to work in an unrelated role in London.
“When I started work in that office, there were Nigerians, Jamaicans, Ghanaians, and all of them know Sola Sobowale. But it was confusing because my tag read ‘Olu,’ and not Olusola,” the award-winning actress stated.
She recalled how a Nigerian man (Seye Fadipe) had walked up to her and said she looked familiar, but she refuted it. However, at a later time, the man advised her to return to acting after she had admitted that she was the same ‘Sola Sobowale’ he used to see on the TV.
Sobowale said, at that time, she worked as a caregiver, saying she would “wash, carry, clean…you’ll do everything. That was what I was doing,” adding that she would later obtain her National Vocational Qualification certificate levels 2, 3 and 4, up to the level of a team lead.
Speaking further, the veteran actress noted that “there’ll be a time that the noise, the energy that Sola Sobowale had” will be no more.
The actress stated, “When I started this ‘elevated omo odo’ thing, I started from the grassroots. Then, I went to the college. I got my NVQ 2,3,4, to a team leader.
“I believe in dignity in labour. There’s no job I won’t do to put food on my table, to provide for my children, except prostitution and fraud.”
When further asked how she managed to conceive and implement an upcoming movie project in the Indian movie industry – Bollywood, she said, “It’s the grace of God. When you’ve grace, you have everything, and that’s what has been working for me.”
She recalled that she struck up a movie project with an Indian lady (Amsha) when the popular movie streaming platform, Netflix, first came to Nigeria.
The host, Teju, featured alongside Sobowale, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Bukky Wright, among others in a 1998 thriller movie directed by Tade Ogidan, titled ‘Diamond Ring.’
Another Nollywood actress, Doris Simeon, had said she was not ashamed of doing menial jobs in the United States of America, because she needed to pay her bills.
Simon said, “It was not easy starting all over, because in this place, only the tough will last. If one is lazy, one will be hungry. People who have been here for 20 to 50 years don’t find it easy, because with the kind of system they have, one cannot avoid paying bills. If one does not work, one won’t eat, and one won’t be able to pay bills.”
[Punch]
It is now obvious that the euphoria that greeted the inauguration of oil exploration in Kolmani oil field in 2022, by then president Muhammadu Buhari is becoming short lived, more like sound and fury signifying nothing.
From all indications, work has stopped at the field. No exploration activity is presently going on. Yet neither the federal government through the ministry of Petroleum Resources nor the NNPCL, the state-owned oil company, have provided reasons for the deplorable situation.
Most Nigerians, especially residents of Bauchi and Gombe states who are the immediate beneficiaries of this exploration, believe the government ought to explain why exploration activities have since been halted at the Kolmani oil field.
As a newspaper, we are of the opinion that the federal government is in a position to tell Nigerians why work is not ongoing at the Kolmani oil field that is projected to yield 120,000 barrels of oil per day, has a gas processing plant capacity of up to 500 million standard cubic feet per day, a power plant of up to 300-megawatt capacity and a fertiliser plant of 2,500 tons per day?
Experts claim that there is evidence suggesting that there are over one billion barrels of oil reserves and 500 billion Cubic Feet of Gas within the Kolmani area. Because it was scheduled to comprise upstream production, oil refining, power generation and fertiliser, the Kolmani project is widely believed to have enormous benefits for the nation.
We are persuaded to argue that with all the loud noise about electric vehicles and transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy, petrol is and will for decades to come, remain relevant. This fact makes it imperative for the federal government to either resume work on the oilfield or provide cogent reasons why work on the Kolmani oil field has been halted.
As a newspaper, we find it difficult to understand why work on an oil and gas field that attracted $3 billion investment and marked a culmination of the long years of search for oil and gas in the Upper Benue Trough should halted. Except if we are to believe that it is being preserved as a strategic reserve. Still, we think the nation has a right to know.
This oilfield, with all its potential, is seen as a way opener for energy, financial and food securities with far reaching positive impacts on the nation’s economic development. Based on the Production Sharing Contract (PSC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will serve as the concessionaire of the blocks while the duo of the NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) and New Nigeria Development Company Limited (NNDC) are the contractor parties.
This is an initiative that is expected to come with it the establishment of a refinery, fertiliser plant, power plant and associated oil and gas processing facilities all of which will undoubtedly boost energy security for Nigeria while also providing jobs opportunities for many.
The Kolmani Integrated Development Project of Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs) 809 and 810 at the Kolmani field site, overlaps Bauchi and Gombe States and is a novel partnership that will see the trio of Africa Oilfield Movers Ltd consortium, New Nigeria Development Company (NNDC) and NNPC E&P Ltd (formerly NPDC) producing and monetising the field.
In another phase of the project, there would be a downstream oil terminal/depot for offtake and distribution of the white products coming out of the refinery and further development of the integrated project. Reflectively, what culminated in the discovery of oil at the Kolmani field started in the 1990s when Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs) 809 and 810 were initially awarded to Shell and Chevron respectively as part of their frontier obligation under the Production Sharing Contractual (PSC) Agreement on Oil Mining Licenses (OMLs) 118 and 132 for consolidated cost recovery.
The fact that though the nation relies heavily on proceeds from crude sales, current oil output is below the 2024 budget target of 1.78 million barrels per day (mbpd). This underscores the need for concerted efforts to intensify oil production in Kolmani and Ebenyi-1 oil wells located in Gombe and Nasarawa states respectively.
Therefore, with all the expected benefits, there is the need to resume work on the Kolmani oil field. And if there is a cogent reason why work cannot continue, the government should come clean by offering full disclosure to Nigerians.
[Leadership]
The President of the Trade Union Congress has said that increasing the workers’ maximum will not increase inflation.
The President of Trade Union, Festus Osifo, clarified this in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday.
He noted that increased revenue allocation to the state government since May last year is sufficient incentive to review an upward review for the worker’s minimum wage.
Osifo said organized labour has proposed an N615,000 minimum wage for workers.
“If you look today, from May 2023 to date, revenue from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee to the state government has tripled.
“This means the state government has more money to build roads and schools to purchase other items. The most critical aspect of production is labour. It is for you to take part of the money and pay workers. That won’t increase inflation because the money will be spent anyhow; if you don’t give it to workers, it will be spent on other projects.
“Giving workers what is due them won’t necessarily increase inflation,” he stated.
His statement comes as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 2024 International Workers’ Day amid untamed economic hardship.
Meanwhile, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s inflation soared to 33.22 per cent in March
The corpse of Precious Ofurum, the sound engineer who died in the boat mishap that also claimed the life of Nollywood actor, Junior Pope, has been exhumed for burial in Rivers State.
On April 10, Precious, Junior Pope and three other crew members lost their lives in a boat mishap in the River Niger, Asaba, Delta State.
They were travelling to a movie location.
Following the accident, Precious was buried by the riverbank because his family could not meet the requirements to transport him back home.
But, Precious’ mum pleaded with the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara to assist in bringing her son’s body back home for a proper burial.
However, in a video shared on his Instagram page, Movie Producer, Stanley Nwoke, showed people preparing the remains of the late sound engineer inside a white coffin for the trip to Rivers.
The filmmaker said Precious’ family, alongside members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, attended his remains’ exhumation on Tuesday.
Stanley also shared another video of the sound engineer being laid to rest in his hometown in Rivers.
The chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has described the devaluation of the naira from ₦460 to ₦1,400 as the biggest mess of the year 2023.
According to him, the devaluation had a great impact on the company’s performances.
Naija News reports he made the submission on Tuesday while speaking to attendees at the yearly general assembly of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc.
Dangote, who said his outfit is working hard at getting out of the situation, added that many other companies, particularly those in the food and beverages sector, have also been impacted and may face challenges in distributing dividends.
“We are doing whatever it takes to make sure that at the end of the day, we will be paying dividends because if you look at our dividends last year, it was almost 50 percent more so we will try and get out of the mess,”
“The biggest mess created was actually the devaluation of the naira from N460 to N1,400.
“You can see almost 97 percent of the companies, especially in food and beverages businesses, none of them will pay dividends this year for sure but, we will try and get out of it as soon as possible.
“We want to see that at the end of the day, no matter how small, we will be able to pay some dividends, especially if there is a rebound of the naira,” he said.
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo state, Olugbenga Edema, has charged Nigerian workers not to settle for a ₦70,000 minimum wage and suggested raising the country’s minimum wage to ₦250,000 monthly.
Naija News reports that Edema, who was once a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, made this call in a speech addressing the economic challenges faced by workers across Nigeria, especially in light of the May Day celebrations.
Highlighting the hard work and dedication of Nigerian workers, Edema expressed concern over the adequacy of the current minimum wage amidst escalating living costs.
“On this May Day, we must recognize our workforce’s invaluable contributions. It is crucial that we reflect the harsh economic realities in their wages to ensure their welfare,” he stated.
Edema’s proposal comes at a time when discussions around wage adjustments have become increasingly urgent among labor circles.
He criticized the existing ₦70,000 minimum wage as insufficient, arguing that it does not align with the economic pressures that workers endure daily. According to him, no worker should settle for such an amount when the cost of living continues to rise dramatically.
The governorship aspirant outlined that the proposed ₦250,000 minimum wage, calculated at the rate of ₦1,250 to a dollar, is necessary to provide a decent standard of living and keep up with the economic realities faced by the country’s workers.
Sixteen passengers were burnt beyond recognition in a fatal road accident that occurred along Enugu-Egwegbe-Nsukka road in Enugu State.
The accident occurred Tuesday around 5:20pm, and involved an 18-seater white-coloured Toyota hummer bus with a Bauchi State commercial registration number DAS 215 XA, with the inscription “Masha Allah”.
The accident was attributed to high speed and loss of control, forcing the vehicle to plunge into the fence of Maduka University.
The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, confirmed the incident.
He said, “A preliminary investigation reveals that the vehicle unfortunately burst into flames burning beyond recognition. The sixteen deceased individuals were taken to the hospital and confirmed dead.
“However, two other passengers were rescued alive and taken to the hospital for medical attention by police officers, soldiers and public-spirited citizens, who immediately responded to the incident.”
THE WHISTLER reports that the vehicle, loaded with edible vegetables, other food items, and the luggage of the passengers, was heading towards Nsukka from the Enugu axis of the road.
The PPRO said, “The actual point of take-off and final destination of the vehicle have not been ascertained. Nonetheless, the items have been recovered by the Igbo-Etiti Police Division.”
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, in company of officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, visited the scene, and described the accident and the carnage therein as sad.
He commiserated with the yet-to-be-traced family members, friends, and associates of the deceased, and called on individuals that can help in identifying the victims or with information to trace the family members of the deceased to come forward with such information.
No fewer than 7800 unverified civil servants might lose their April salaries in Jigawa State.
Naija News understands that this is due to the verification and enrollment of state and local government workers into the integrated personnel Payroll Management System (IPPMS) in the State.
However, reports have indicated that the exercise is characterized by challenges where workers are subjected to injuries during the rushed and ill-organized data capture exercise.
The verification process is also marred by alleged extortion of various sums of money from workers.
The development was disclosed in a communique released after the Joint Emergency State Executive Council (SEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) convened to address the pressing issues by the NLC chairperson Sanusi Alhassan, by the council.
The NLC urged the state government to consider the problems and pay the unverified workers their salaries using the old system until they are successfully captured and verified in the system.
However, the state Deputy Governor, Aminu Usman said the unverified workers are 7783 and out of them 4496 who are J-teach workers have already been screened by SUBEB.
He said the remaining permanent and pensionable workers will also be screened soon.
According to him, ”As I am speaking to you now all these workers have already received their salaries because we have to use the old system to pay them their salaries.”
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has lashed out at President Bola Tinubu for appointing the worst set of ministers since 1999.
Adeyanju said Tinubu’s government lacked one credible person that can speak and Nigerians will believe.
His comment is coming when the presidency released a statement announcing that A.P Moller-Maersk shipping company had pledged to inject $600 million into the Nigerian seaport industry.
This was after President Tinubu’s discussion with Robert Maersk Uggla on April 28.
“Danish shipping company, A.P Moller-Maersk plans $600m investment in Nigeria. Danish shipping and logistics company A.P Moller-Maersk has disclosed a planned investment of $600 million in Nigeria to accommodate more container shipping services in Nigerian ports,” Onanuga wrote on X.
Onanuga, who had posted it on his X handle, later deleted the post from his micro-blogging site.
Also, Maersk officials have confirmed that no such agreement is in place and no deals have been signed with the Nigerian government.
Amid the controversy generated, Onanuga explained that no agreement or deal was signed between the Nigerian government and the shipping giant, Maersk.
However, posting on X, Adeyanju wrote: “The Tinubu government does not have one credible person that can speak for it and Nigerians will listen or believe them.
“The government is filled with folks that lack credibility and the worst set of ministers since 1999.”
More...
…Monthly Housing N30,000, Electricity N20,000, School Fees N50,000
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has rejected the 35 per cent pay rise of the federal government civil servants, insisting on a N615,000 living wage.
Ajaero stated this while speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday.
The federal government approved a pay rise of between 25 and 35 percent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures on Tuesday.
Ajaero who stated that the last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on April 18, added that discussions were supposed to be concluded on the new minimum wage.
“We should be in the regime of new minimum wage as of today. Discussions were supposed to have been concluded.
“The federal government through the National Assembly legislated on it. But we saw that the discussion entered voice mail because the federal government refused to reconvene the meeting that was adjourned.
“I think the announcement now appears mischievous because there is no wage increase that government is announcing. For them to announce it now, it is an issue that we are worried about at the NLC and even at the TUC,” he said.
He noted that the organised labour has agreed on N615,000 as the living wage for civil servants.
The NLC leader said, “Living wage is such that will, at least keep you alive. It is not a wage that will make you poor and poorer. It is not a wage that will make you borrow to go to work. It is not a wage that will lead you to be in the hospital everyday because of malnutrition. For that living wage, we have tried to look at N615,000.”
Breaking down on how the Union arrived, N615,000 the Labour leader stated, “We have housing and accommodation of N40,000. We asked for electricity of N20,000 — of course that was before the current tariff increase. Nobody can spend this amount currently. We have utility that is about N10,000. We looked at kerosene and gas that is about N25,000 to N35,000.
“We looked at food for a family of six, that is about N9,000 in a day. For 30 days, that is about N270,000. Look at medical, N50,000 provided there will be no surgery or whatever.
“For clothing, we looked at N20,000. For education, N50,000. I don’t know for those who tried to put their children in private school, they will not be able to cope with this amount. We also have sanitation of N10,000.
“I think where we have another bulk of the money is transportation. This is because the workers stay in the fringes and because of the cost of PMS, that amounted to N110,000.
“That brought the whole living wage to N615,000 and I want anyone to subject this to further investigation and find out whether there will be any savings when you pay somebody on this rate.”
Wunmi, the wife of late Nigerian singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, better known as Mohbad, has allegedly undergone two DNA Tests for their baby, Liam.
Naija News reports that there has been controversy over the paternity of Liam, the only child of the late Mohbad, before his sudden demise.
Joseph Aloba, the late singer’s father, has also been at loggerheads with his son’s wife, Wunmi, over the demand for a DNA test to determine whether Liam is indeed his grandson.
Joseph’s stance has generated reactions on social media, with many Nigerians supporting him and others against him.
However, Nigerian celebrity journalist Stella Dimoko Korkus has alleged that amidst the social media brouhaha on the request for DNA, a popular Yoruba Nollywood actress and Wunmi secretly had two DNA tests, with neither result released to the public nor to those around her.
She said, “According to inside sources, all the while that Mohbads father was crying for DNA test to be done, Wunmi aided by a popular Yoruba Nollywood actress secretly did a DNA test and the result of that first test prompted them to do a second secret DNA test recently and the result of that test is with the actress and insiders allege that the result might shock everyone.
“Sources wonder why the result of the two DNA tests have not been made public by the actress and allowing everyone to continue dragging Wunmi to do the test to save face.
“This is hoping that the DNA tests result will be made public to end all the drama that has shifted the focus of who or what killed Mohbad to if little Liam is his child or not.”
Consulting firm harps on investing in cybersecurity to save Nigeria from economic doldrums
Nigeria can be one of the highest producers of Cybersecurity professionals in the world and earn large foreign exchange, as a way to save the country from its present economic doldrums.
The Head Operations of Wellspring Consulting, Omowunmi Oyetinbo, made this assertion while calling on government, private organisations and individuals to partner Wellspring Consulting and invest more in the training of the Nation's youth as cyber security professionals.
According to Oyetinbo, "the consulting firm is well grounded in training cybersecurity professionals which would open doors to endless career possibilities in the ever evolving tech-industry, both locally and globally.
"Wellspring consulting is set to partner various organisations to sponsor young Nigerians, especially young women in building a career in Cybersecurity.
"The firm offers training and free global certification with a globally ranked IT security organization, she said.
Oyetinbo who describes cybersecurity as the practice of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks, said Nigeria faces a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals while there is high demand for the profession globally.
She assured that any investment or training in cybersecurity would yield bountifully for Nigeria.
A United States, US, District court, on Tuesday, sentenced the founder and former Binance CEO, Changpeng Zhao to four months in prison.
The court judge, Richard Jones said Zhao, whose nickname is CZ, has also satisfied the requirement of him to pay $50 million in fines.
The judge also won’t impose five months of probation as was recommended by the probation officer, Mail Online reports.
In November 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to a money laundering charge.
The 47-year-old admitted to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to set up an effective anti-money laundering system at Binance, the cryptocurrency exchange he founded and ran as CEO from July 2017 to November 2023.
Binance also pleaded guilty to similar charges from the US Department of Justice in November 2023 and was forced to pay $4.3 billion in fines and restitution for failing to register as a money transmitting business, Forbes reported.
U.S. prosecutors had urged the court to sentence Zhao to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering.
They argued that sentencing Zhao to twice the maximum 18 months recommended under federal guidelines would reflect the magnitude of his willful violations, and send a message that would deter others.
In March, a U.S. district court had ordered that Zhao must surrender his Canadian passport and notify the court before travelling within the country.
This came after U.S. District Judge, Honorable Richard A. Jones restricted his bond conditions.