FEATURES
Popular Nigerian actress, Doris Ogala has alleged that Stella Maris, the wife of ailing actor, Mr Ibu is requesting for a house with the funds donated by well-meaning fans for her husband’s medical care.
According to Doris, Stella Maris is asking for a new house to be bought for her because the one she lives in is leaking.
This is as N2.5 million of the donation was moved to Stella’s account for upkeep.
Doris Ogala posed a crucial query in a different post, asking why Mr Ibu disregarded his wife if she is good as she claims and added their son as a signatory to his account.
In her words: “Ibu’s wife is demanding for a house saying that her house is leaking water. That they should get her a new house from the house contributed for Ibu’s treatment. They transferred a total of 2.5 million to her account for upkeep from the money. Hmmm.
“My question is why did Mr Ibu take his second son to the bank and make him a signatory if the wife had been good as she claimed? Why didn’t Ibu make the wife signatory to the account? So many things are not adding up, there is more to it”.
See her post below;
On Thursday, November 23, two persons were arraigned at the Akure Magistrates’ Court over a missing 14-year-old girl.
The suspects, Omolola Adebayo, female, 32 and Oluwatimilehin Agunloko, male, 17, were alleged to have conspired to commit felony to wit: abduction and thereby committed an offence.
Inspector Simon Wada, the police prosecutor, said the suspects on Oct. 28 committed the offences in Owo in Owo Local Government Area of the state.
He explained that Agunloko was the boyfriend of the missing girl while the other suspect was believed to have had the last phone conversation with her.
Wada said the offences contravened Sections 516 of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria 2006 and Section 3 of the Anti Kidnapping and Anti Abduction Law of Ondo State.
However, the defendants each pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Ruling on their bail application, the Magistrate, Mr Damilo
The Makurdi Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended five individuals suspected of engaging in internet fraud in the Makurdi metropolis, Benue State.
This was made known on Thursday in a post on the anti-graft agency X handle.
The statement said they were arrested on Thursday following credible intelligence on their alleged involvement in internet-related offences.
The suspects listed in the statement include Stanley Tochukwu, Desmond Tochukwu, Dennis Emeka, George Ebuka and Arinze Odo.
The EFCC disclosed that some items, including phones, power bank, ATM cards and some cash, were recovered from the suspects.
It further added that they will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
The price cap on energy bills for most UK households will rise this winter, regulator Ofgem said Thursday, further fuelling a cost-of-living crisis that is forecast to worsen.
Bills will climb from January on rising wholesale energy prices, which have increased due to key producer Russia’s war in Ukraine, Ofgem said in a statement.
The annual amount suppliers are able to charge an average household consuming electricity and gas will increase to £1,928 ($2,418) from £1,834, it added.
“This is a difficult time for many people, and any increase in bills will be worrying,” noted Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley.
Consumer Prices Index inflation slowed sharply to 4.6 percent last month on easing energy bills, achieving Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s target to halve the key figure.
However, households and businesses continue to pay high energy bills after the government scrapped last year’s costly subsidies, while food-price inflation remains in double digits.
Britons face a record drop in living standards in 2024-2025, the Office for Budget Responsibility warned on Wednesday alongside a budget update from finance minister Jeremy Hunt.
The fiscal watchdog forecast real household disposable income per person will sink by the largest amount since records began in the 1950s. It is not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2027-2028.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Hunt admitted Thursday that many families were still suffering.
“People are feeling under pressure because of all the increases in inflation and shopping baskets and filling up the tank,” Hunt told BBC radio.
“We need to continue on the path of bringing inflation down.”
Hunt launched plans Wednesday to stimulate growth and woo voters for the next general election, delivering a massive sweetener for workers but also forecasting sharply lower growth and stubbornly high inflation.
The most eye-catching tax cut was an overhaul in national insurance, a payrolls levy paid by employees and employers that will be slashed from January.
But the OBR slashed economic growth forecasts to 0.7 percent in 2024 and 1.4 percent in 2025. That compared with prior guidance of 1.8 percent and 2.5 percent respectively.
In further gloom, the OBR predicted inflation would not fall to the Bank of England’s official two-percent target until the second quarter of 2025.
That is one year later than previously forecast and raises the prospect that interest rates will stay higher for longer, in turn hitting the cost of commercial loans for consumers and businesses.
The Lagos Coroner Court sitting in Ikorodu on Wednesday heard that the most crucial aspect of autopsy to determine the cause of death of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba aka Mohbad is being conducted in the United States (US).
State Counsel, Oluwaseun Akinde, told the coroner, Magistrate Adetayo Shotobi, that the autopsy into the external body of the deceased has been completed.
He said, “The toxicology test, which has to do with internal body, is being done in the US.”
Akinde made this known following insistence of other counsel to the father of the deceased, David Fadimu; that of the TNKay Music Worldwide, David Nawoola, representative of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikorodu, O.S.A. Aranmolaran and Jennifer Nina.
The coroner asked to know why the toxicology was taken abroad when there are toxicology laboratories in Nigeria.
Akinde told the coroner that Lagos State decided to do it in the US because of the nature of various substances alleged to have either been injected or taken by the deceased and the need to prevent controversy over the autopsy report when finally presented.
He said it was also because the death of the deceased had become a worldwide issue.
He said there was no point in inviting Prof. Soyemi, the pathologist in Lagos to present an uncompleted report.
Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry.
Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance — the largest crypto exchange in the world — after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations and agreed to fines of more than $4 billion.
Here are three of the highest-profile crypto executives who have fallen foul of the law since last year:
– Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao –
Born in China in 1977, Zhao moved with his family to Canada in the 1980s and later got a degree in computer science from McGill University, according to his profile in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
He founded Binance in 2017 in Shanghai, and led the company’s explosive growth into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange.
An outspoken celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the nascent industry. His net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022, according to a Forbes index.
With the prestige and wealth came increased scrutiny of Binance’s operations, as prominent crypto firms around the world began to buckle under a wave of criminal investigations.
The United States accused Zhao and Binance of multiple violations, including knowingly allowing transactions to militant groups such as the Islamic State and in barred jurisdictions such as North Korea and Iran.
On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty. The firm has agreed to total penalties of nearly $4.4 billion, while he will pay $50 million, according to court documents.
Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance and while he will reportedly retain his shares in the company, he has been banned from any involvement in its business. He is expected to face sentencing later.
Forbes listed his net worth as $10.2 billion as of Wednesday.
– Sam Bankman-Fried –
If Zhao was the richest and most powerful person in crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried was easily the most famous.
Born to Stanford University professors, Bankman-Fried graduated from MIT with a degree in physics.
In 2019, he founded FTX, which skyrocketed to become the world’s second-largest crypto exchange.
Along the way, Bankman-Fried built up his image as the unofficial ambassador for the cryptocurrency industry, with high-profile appearances in the media and even the US Congress.
At one point in 2022, he had a net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes.
But he had been walking a dangerous path — his team used customers’ money for everything from buying posh real estate to covering risky moves by affiliate Alameda Research.
It all came crashing down when these moves were revealed in the media in November 2022. Within hours, rival CZ Zhao said Binance would sell all the FTX tokens it held.
It sparked a stunning collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried’s empire, his fame turning to notoriety.
Arrested in the Bahamas in January, he was found guilty this month of what US prosecutors described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”. He faces up to 110 years in prison.
During his trial, the 31-year-old admitted to making “mistakes” but denied trying to defraud anyone.
– Do Kwon –
South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon co-founded Terraform Labs in 2018, developing the cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna.
The Stanford grad successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype.
Media reports in South Korea described him as a “genius”.
But in May last year, the value of these currencies — marketed as “stablecoins” — plummeted, wiping out around $40 billion in investments and sending a shock wave through the rest of the industry.
It led to more than $500 billion in further losses on global crypto markets, industry data suggested.
Experts said Do Kwon — whose full name is Kwon Do-kyung — had marketed a glorified Ponzi scheme.
Brash and outspoken on social media, Do Kwon left South Korea before the collapse and spent months on the run.
He was arrested in Montenegro this year after being caught trying to catch a flight using fake Costa Rican travel documents.
He faces multiple criminal charges in the United States and South Korea.
• With new requests, total varsities to hit 528, private-owned 418
• Only 30% of student population have access to lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries – NUC
• Varsities not meeting mandate, experts say
Despite public concerns over proliferation of mushroom universities and inadequate budgetary allocations to the education sector in general, the Federal Government is again, considering 270 fresh applications for private universities.
If approved, the new request is estimated to bring the total number of universities to 528, among which 418 are private-owned.
Findings showed that Nigeria currently has not less than 258 universities. Among them are 50 federal, 60 state-owned and 148 owned by private individuals and organisations.
But the geometric progression in the number of universities over the years has not rubbed off on education standards, and much for concerns among stakeholders.
It will be recalled that in the eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, not less than 90 universities were approved for operations in the education sector.
According to data obtained from the National Universities Commission (NUC), 10 Federal, 22 State and 58 Private universities were established from 2015 till date.
The NUC data showed that in 2015, the government approved one state and nine private universities for establishment. In 2016, four state and five private universities were approved. In 2017, two state and four private universities; in 2018- three federal, one state, and one private university were approved.
In 2019, two state and four private universities were approved; in 2020- two federal, and two state universities were approved; in 2021- four federal, three state, and 18 private universities. In 2022, one federal, six state, and 12 private universities were approved. For 2023, the Buhari administration approved one state university and 37 private universities.
Universities, by their nature, are drivers of socio-economic, cultural and political development, and global innovation. They help in acquiring academic skills, professional expertise and knowledge through teaching, researching, and disseminating existing and new knowledge.
Afe Babalola University (ABUAD)
However, analysts observed that university education has performed very poorly in terms of focus on innovative works and entrepreneurship, as well as the commercialisation of research findings.
Besides, they disclosed that Nigerian universities relatively underperform on research, as they produce only 44 per cent of the scholarly output of South Africa and 32 per cent of Egypt.
According to experts, Nigerian universities only focus on their traditional role of training scholars and leaders, but remain weak in the practical application of knowledge and are unable to respond to the demands of the job market.
With 528 universities, analysts noted that there should be increased competition, which should lead to better standards, but experts expressed fears that as the institutions increase, the standards seem to decrease.
Given Nigeria’s peculiar circumstances, experts stated that universities should close the gap in the life skills of leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology adoption.
A survey by the NUC showed that only about 30 per cent of the country’s student population have adequate access to lecture theatres, laboratories and libraries.
Every year, the number of candidates seeking admission to universities is higher than the available capacity. The majority of the candidates prefer relatively affordable government-owned tertiary institutions, but many, who could not secure admission, eventually settle for private universities.
Between 2018 and 2022, over five million of the candidates who applied for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions were unable to secure placement.
Out of 1.8 million candidates who applied in 2022, about 600,000 (representing 33.3 per cent) were admitted.
At a British Council workshop in Abuja recently, Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Dr Chris Maiyaki, hinted that about 270 private universities have applied for licences to commence academic activities.
ABU Zaria
As the authorities keep approving the establishment of new universities, there have been divided views on the implication.
While some said it would give candidates wider choices, and reduce enrolments in schools to what they can manage, others averred that what is needed is a conscious effort to upgrade existing ones, especially the federal and state-owned ones to offer quality education to citizens.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), had, at different times, called on the Federal Government to halt the establishment of new universities, when it has failed to adequately fund existing ones.
Apart from lack of funding and adequate facilities for existing institutions, stakeholders also observed that establishing new ones poses huge problems, especially in recruiting qualified academic staff, and meeting global standards, among other challenges.
The union argued that attention should be on carrying capacity, rather than the number of universities.
ASUU lamented that the pressure on available facilities has led to rapid deterioration and overcrowding across ivory towers in the country.
It noted that there has been an upsurge in students’ population without a corresponding improvement in facilities and other student services.
For some stakeholders and education experts, the licensing of more private universities has been a curse more than a blessing.
They described the quality in private universities as very low, and called on the government to fund and strengthen existing ones to be able to accommodate the teeming admission seekers and churn out quality graduates that can compete globally.
A research assistant at the University of Jos, Isa Daniel, said emphasis should be laid on providing infrastructure for already existing institutions.
He said: “One thing we have failed to realise is that universities have hectares of land; what they need are infrastructural inputs – large classrooms, quality sitting halls, modern infrastructure, modern edifices that can accommodate students, and a good environment for quality learning for lecturers, students and researchers.
“We need to revamp, equip and modernise already existing ones, which is where we have failed and we keep failing. We need to go back to the drawing board,” he said
A leader of ASUU at the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Dr Adigun Ogundele, warned that granting approvals for more private universities would spell doom for public universities in the nation.
According to him, many of the private universities do not have manpower and facilities to run the programmes for which they were accredited by the NUC, which was why they always engaged human and non-human resources in public universities, thus ‘overstretching’ the public schools.
But the secretary of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof Yakubu Ochefu, has described enrolment into the nation’s universities as very low, saying it sits at about eight per cent, below the African average of 13 and the global average of 33 per cent.
He said many of those who sit for entrance examinations and qualified to go to universities are denied because available spaces could not absorb all.
Although Nigeria has the highest number of universities in Africa, Ochefu said they are not enough as far as the population index is concerned.
Dean of postgraduate studies, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Usman Ahmed, said private universities would continue to increase because of the diversity of people in the country.
“What is important is that we should keep our eyes on standards because the fear is that when people come into something that should ordinarily be for public good, the tendency is to bastardise the system. You can see what has happened to private primary and secondary schools. Now, we have more private schools around the neighbourhood and everybody is using all forms of gimmicks to continue to make profit out of it,” he said.
Ahmed charged NUC not to let down its guard, which he said was important in terms of personnel, material equipment and infrastructure.
He noted that in terms of regulation, NUC should ensure that private universities run only programmes they had the resources to offer, noting that even public institutions do not run all their programmes at a go.
Former Vice Chancellor, Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Arakeji, Osun State, Prof. Sola Fajana, said private universities have provided opportunities for young people with the ambition to obtain degrees and diplomas, while responding to the unemployability of Nigerian graduates through entrepreneurship education.
He added that private universities are helping to meet Nigeria’s manpower needs.
“We need to understand the fact that whether federal, state or private universities, our goals are the same – which is, to produce an educated workforce that will meet Nigeria’s needs in the 21st century,” Fajana stated.
[Guardian]
Tinubu: 'I took Lagos from zero to Africa's 5th largest economy' - I Deserves Guinness World Records
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu says his past exploits paved the way for his emergence as president and that he deserves to be listed in the Guinness World Records (GWR).
Speaking to a group of investors on Tuesday at the 10th German-Nigerian Business Forum, Tinubu credited his success to overcoming investment obstacles in Nigeria.
The President said noteworthy accomplishments should be acknowledged and quipped that he was determined to actively pursue the inclusion of his name in the revered Guinness World Records (GWR).
“If you have the fear of various hurdles, just look at me — I am from the private sector, one of you. I was trained by Deloitte and worked for ExxonMobil until I got to become the treasurer of the corporation. So, define corporate governance in any way, and I am in it,” he said.
The former Lagos governor also stated that during his eight-year tenure, he successfully transformed the state from ground zero to become the fifth-largest economy in Africa.
“I governed Lagos for eight consecutive years and, today, I can brag, beat my chest that Lagos is on the horizon; it’s the fifth-largest economy in Africa from zero,” Tinubu said.
“That is a track record that I can use to assure you and that is the track record that got me into this office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Emphasising his commitment to reforms, he humorously remarked that if not recognised, he would strive to insert himself into the Guinness Book of Records for his achievements as Nigeria’s president.
“Nigeria voted for me for reforms and from day one of my inauguration, I started the reforms. To me, if you didn’t mention me in the Guinness Book of Records, I’d strive to find a way to insert myself because I did it without expectation,” he said.
Delta Gov In ‘Cash For Judgment’ Scandal As TAPL Claims Billions Set Aside To Influence Appeal Court Verdict
Admin…EFCC, ICPC Invited To Investigate Bribery Allegation
Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has been accused of bribing judges to influence favourable outcomes in petitions challenging his victory in the March 18 governorship election in the state.
The allegation, made by the Transparency and Accountability In Political Litigations (TAPL), claim that Oborevwori diverted N6 billion from the Delta State Government coffers to secure favorable verdicts by the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The allegation comes after the tribunal, led by Justice C.H. Ahuchaogu, dismissed the petition filed by former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, who ran against Oborevwori on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, for being devoid of merit.
Omo-Agege and other contestants have appealed the tribunal’s decision to the Court of Appeal in Lagos. The court is expected to deliver its judgment before the end of November.
But speaking to journalists in Asaba, the Delta State capital, TAPL’s coordinator, Chief Kinsley Emeka, accused Governor Oborevwori of conveying additional funds in hard currencies from the Government House in Asaba to Lagos for the alleged purpose of influencing the appeal court’s decision.
“It is a very sad time in the history of our state that at a time when we are witnessing so much suffering and hardship, the government is spending our resources in buying court judgments and there are people bragging about it.
“It is even difficult to understand why a government that was elected by the people and claims to be serving the people, is wasting the resources of the state in courts in an attempt to subvert the will of the people.
“Government agents are boasting that nobody can challenge Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as he has Delta state funds under his control to frustrate and jail anybody challenging his move to remain in office against the will of majority of Deltans who’s votes were manipulated,” said Kingsley.
TAPL called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to investigate the allegations of bribery.
Reacting in a phone call with THE WHISTLER, Governor Oborevwori’s Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, denied the allegation.
Ahon expressed disbelief at the claims, asserting that his principal’s election victory was secured through a fair and transparent process.
“I don’t know why people will wake up and begin to make allegations,” Ahon remarked, questioning the rationale behind such accusations.
He challenged the validity of the claims, stressing that the governor recorded resounding victory in 21 out of 25 Local Government Areas, hence doesn’t need to bribe any judge to validate his victory.
“How can the governor bribe judges? For what? An election that we won clean and clear? We won in 21 out of 25 Local Government Areas.
“So what are we scared of? Is it a man that won in four local governments that wants to claim victory over someone who got 21 out of 25 LGAs? Or is it a man who did not even win two wards or his Local Government Area? There’s no iota of truth in the allegations.”
The appeal court has November 30 deadline to deliver its judgment in three separate applications filed by Omo-Agege and the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Kenneth Gbagi and the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Kennedy Pela, challenging Oborevwori’s victory.
OpenAI announced on Tuesday its co-founder Sam Altman will return as CEO, days after he was fired by the board.
“We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo,” it said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
OpenAI’s board sacked Altman last week, with Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella announcing soon after he was hiring Altman to run a new artificial intelligence research team.
But in the fast-moving sequence of events, Altman said Tuesday he had the support of Nadella for his return as OpenAI’s CEO.
“With the new board and w satya’s support, i’m looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with (Microsoft),” he wrote on X.
Hundreds of staff at OpenAI threatened to quit following Altman’s dismissal.
In a letter released to media, the vast majority of the company’s 770-strong staff suggested they would follow Altman unless the board responsible for his departure resigned.
Among the signatories was co-founder Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist and a member of the four-person board who pushed Altman out.
“I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions,” Sutskever wrote on X on Monday. “I never intended to harm OpenAI.”
OpenAI had appointed Emmett Shear, a former chief executive of Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch, as its new CEO despite pressure from Microsoft and other major investors to reinstate Altman
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The United Nations (UN) Food Agency has warned that food assistance to 1.4 million refugees in Chad who fled conflict in parts of the Sahel could end because of limited funding.
The UN World Food Program (WFP) gave this warning in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 22, saying most of the refugees escaped the war in Sudan and crossed into Chad in the last six months in numbers not seen in the last 20 years.
The WFP’s Country Director in Chad said, “This forgotten crisis has metastasized as the world’s eyes are on other emergencies … We cannot let the world stand and allow our life-saving operations grind to a halt in Chad,” said Pierre Honnorat.
Sudan plunged into conflict in April when long-simmering tensions escalated between the country’s military and the rival Rapid Support Forces, resulting in the death of more than 5,000 people and displacement of at least 5.2 million people amid reports of mass killings, rapes, and widespread destruction, according to the U.N.
Many of the displaced found their way to neighboring Chad, piling pressure on the already impoverished country as it becomes host to one of the largest and fastest-growing refugee populations in Africa, the WFP said.
“Collectively we must find a way to support the women, children, and men who are bearing the full brunt of this crisis. Cutting our assistance is simply not an option because it will have untold consequences for millions of people, jeopardizing years of investment in fighting hunger and malnutrition in Chad,” Honnorat said.
The WFP said that malnutrition is a huge concern, with nine in 10 new arrivals reporting “poor or borderline food consumption.”
The U.N. Chief Honnorat said that WFP urgently needs $185 million to continue its support to crisis-affected populations in Chad over the next six months. In the absence of that funding, he said, the agency is being forced to make “brutal choices” to prioritize certain needs and groups.
“In December, WFP will be forced to suspend assistance to internally displaced people and refugees from Nigeria, Central African Republic, and Cameroon due to insufficient funds,” Honnorat said.
“From January this suspension will be extended to 1.4 million people across Chad including new arrivals from Sudan who will not receive food as they flee across the border.”
…FRSC Warns Against Passenger Conveyance In Haulage Vehicles
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has once again warned drivers of trailers and haulage vehicles against violating traffic regulations after a road crash at Takalafia village along the Yawuri expressway in Magama Local Government of Niger State on Tuesday.
The incident involved a red commercial DAF Trailer with registration number SRZ446XA, driven by one Mr. Idi Doba.
The crash which was attributed to speed violation and resultant loss of control, claimed the lives of 17 male adults and left several others injured.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, an investigation into the lone crash revealed that it occurred around 3 p.m. on Tuesday and involved a total of 229 people, comprising 220 male adults, 4 female adults and 5 male children.
Kazeem said 206 male adults, 1 female adult, and 1 male child were rescued with varying degrees of injuries, adding that the injured victims were swiftly evacuated to Kantagora General Hospital for urgent medical attention, while the deceased persons were taken to the hospital’s mortuary.
The statement partly reads, “Pursuant to the unfortunate road traffic crash that occured at Takalafia village, on the Yawuri expressway, Magama Local Government of Niger State on Tuesday 21 November, 2023, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dauda Ali Biu has again warned drivers of trailers and other haulage vehicles to desist from conveying passengers in their vehicles due to the danger they pose to the lives of those passengers and other road users.
“Investigation into the lone crash revealed that it occured at exactly 0300HRS and involved a total of 229 people, comprising of 220 male adults, 04 female adults, and 5 male children. From that number, 206 male adults, 1 female adult and 1 male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries, while a total of 17 male adults were killed by the crash.
“The crash which involved a red coloured commercial DAF Trailer with registration number SRZ446XA driven by Mr Idi Doba, was caused by speed violation which resulted to loss of control.
“The injured victims have been evacuated to Kantagora General Hospital for immediate medical attention, while the dead victims were deposited in the mortuary of the same hospital.”
Gov Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has reportedly spent the whooping sum of N50 million on entertainment and N20 million on gifts to government guests in three months.
According to the state budget performance report, the Imo government spent over N650 million on stationery, gifts to government guests, entertainment and others and expended N30 million on poverty alleviation between July-September 2023.
The report shows that the state government spent the sum of N89,975,000 on office stationery and computer consumables and N21,070,000 on magazines and periodicals (newspapers).
Within the three months, the report analysed by SaharaReporters on Wednesday also showed the state government spent N10,675,820.29 on leave bonuses, while N506,434,736.31 was spent on unspecified items tagged “others.”
The report also shows that the Imo State government under Uzodimma, in the three months under review, recorded zero allocations for items such as “provision of water facilities, hospitals and health centres, libraries and ICT infrastructures.”
The report titled “Imo State Government Budget Performance Report – 2023 Quarter 3,” was “produced by the Account General Department/Ministry of Finance/Ministry of Planning and Budget/Imo State equivalent and published on the Imo State website.”
It stated that “This report includes the originally approved budget appropriation for the year 2023 against each organizational unit for each of the core economic classification of expenditures (Personnel, Overheads, Capital, and Others); the actual expenditures for the quarter Q3, attributed to each organizational unit, as well as the cumulative expenditures for the year to date, and balances against each of the revenue and expenditure appropriations.”
The report also stated that the Imo government spent a total sum of N200,000,000 on Heartland Football Club, while N5,000,000 was spent on constructing and equipping the gatehouse at the deputy governor’s lodge.
The document further showed that the governor spent the sum of N133,886,325.69 on transport within the three months under review, while he approved N30,000,000 for poverty alleviation in the state within the same period.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has recounted how he was defrauded when he was the Governor of Rivers State while acquiring Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Abuja.
Wike, during a meeting with estate developers in Abuja, said he was defrauded of N57 million by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The minister said he received three fake C of Os from FCTA officials despite the whopping amount of money paid for his land allocations.
According to him, the officials disappeared after payment for the documents was made.
Wike announced that moving forward, a reduced fee of N5 million would be implemented to acquire legitimate Certificates of Occupancy to help address such fraudulent activities.
He said, “When I was governor of Rivers State, we had three C of Os from FCT. It turned out that all were fake.
“The C of O was coming from FCTA as a government, not as an individual. For the plots allocated or said to be allocated, we paid money.
“When I sent the Liaison Officer, the people from FCTA took him to the land, and later, we discovered that it was fake land. Look at the money we had paid.
“The people disappeared. We could not find them again. Over N57 million that we paid. Why? Because that was how it was being done in the FCT. I have said that it will not work again.”