Renowned Nigerian businessman, Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana marked his 49th birthday in grand fashion, as he took to Instagram to share a glimpse of the celebration with his followers.

Dressed in a traditional Igbo attire complete with a red cap, the entrepreneur struck a pose exuding pride and gratitude.

In his Instagram post,  Obi Cubana expressed profound appreciation for the blessings in his life, captioning the image with words of gratitude.

He wrote;

“For ALL You have done for me, i am grateful O Lord! Thankful… #drokpataozueora1 Made in Nigeria; on 12th April 1975!! #49 HBD to me.”

The post garnered an outpouring of warm wishes and congratulatory messages from his admirers and well-wishers.

Among the flood of comments, many commended Obi Cubana’s achievements and celebrated his milestone birthday.

In a heartbreaking development, One Abigail Frederick said to be the makeup artist who died with actor, Jnr Pope and other crew members as a result of a boat crash that occurred at Anam river has been laid to rest.

According to a man identified on Facebook as Moses Ekor, Abigail was buried at the riverbank as her father didn’t have money to conduct the necessary sacrifice for her body to be carried back home to Akwa Ibom State.

Expressing worry and dissatisfaction, Moses Ekor tagged the riverbank burial as shameful. He thanked a few people who donated money for the transportation of her parents from Akwa Ibom to Asaba.

He wrote:

“Abigail Fredrick

Body Will Be Buried This Night By The Side Of River Niger, The Father Is There Right Now, He Has Non Say Because The Money We Raise For His Is Too Small To Conduct The Traditional Sacrifice And Bring Back Abigail Body To Akwa Ibom jonal Sacrifice And

I’m Too Sad I Wish We Could Raised More! Burring Her At The River Bank This Night Is A Shame To Me.”

In another post, he wrote:

“Shame Abigail Frederick Has Just Been Buried At The River Bank

The Father Had No Dime, I Went Round Begging For Money This Morning For The Parent To Move To Asaba.

The Taxi they Hired To And Fro Billed N180,000.

Monies Raised:

Holly George MC Holly Gave #50,000

Hon Akata Gave N50,000

Charles Udoh N100,000

Utang Akwa Ibom N80,000

Moses Eskor N10,000

Idy James N5000

Mayfiyn Anwana N15,000

Total N310,000

Transportation Alone Cost them N200,000

The Couldn’t Afford A Sacrifice Of Over N150,000 And and Ambulance to bring back Abigail.

I am grateful to all who contributed

Abigail Has Been Buried

But It is A Shame That We Couldn’t Bring Back Her Body.”

See the post below:

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State says local government chairmen in the state who sabotage his government and undermine his authority would get their come​up​pance.

Fubara said the council bosses who were disrespecting him were digging their own pits and would fall into them.

He spoke while inaugurating the Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centre in Ndoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of the state, on Thursday.

Upon sighting the Chairman of ONELGA at the event, the governor expressed surprise, saying LGA chairmen had earned a reputation for staying away from state functions.

Nyesom Wike, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who is engaged in a bitter rift with the governor, is believed to be in control of local government structure in the state.

While inaugurating the centre, the governor said, “I’m surprised that I saw the chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government here. I’m very surprised because before now, any event that had to do with the state government, all the local government chairmen, as it were, didn’t participate”

Fubara said he hoped the chairman would not lose his position for attending the event or lied that he wasn’t present at the function.

“I hope when you leave here, they are not going to sack you because I know you are not loyal to me. Or when you leave here, you will grant a press interview that it was not you, but your shadow?

“But let me say it here. Every one of you who thinks you are disrespecting me, you have already dug your pit. You will fall inside it. That is the truth. Our minds are very open. We do not wish anyone bad, but we expect you to know and do what is right. For those of you who have chosen to take the part that you think is that way that leads to your salvation, safe journey.”

In a stunning legal blow, Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos has dealt a hefty sentence to the controversial figure, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky.

The flamboyant cross-dresser has been handed a six-month jail term, with no option of fine.

The thunderous verdict reverberated through the courtroom on the morning of Friday, April 12, sending shockwaves across social media.

The social media celebrity was arrested on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, at Pinnock Estate in Lagos state for abusing the naira during actress and filmmaker Eniola Ajao’s Ajakaju movie premiere.

The crossdresser was arraigned on a six-count charge on Friday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While four of the charges are related to naira abuse, the remaining two counts involve alleged money laundering.

The self-proclaimed transgender, however, pleaded guilty to the first four counts bordering on naira abuse.

Abimbola Awogboro, the presiding judge, struck out counts five and six following the request of the EFCC’s counsel.

The crossdresser was returned back to the EFCC custody as the case was adjourned till April 9.

But on April 7, the federal government declared Tuesday and Wednesday as public holidays for this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebration for the Muslims.

On Tuesday, the government also declared April 11 as public holiday.

By implication, Bobrisky’s trial will not be holding anytime soon until maybe Friday, April 12.

Bobrisky has always been in the news for controversial reasons.

She claimed to be Nigeria’s first transgender and once admitted to having severed her genitals.

Bobrisky had in 2020 revealed that she opted for crossdressing to make ends meet after 25 years of being a man.

In September 2021, the social media celebrity also talked about some of the perks she enjoys being a “woman”.

Atleast twenty-seven (27) fishermen were slaughtered and three (3) others abducted by suspected members of Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, a.k.a Boko Haram terrorists group at the fringes of Lake Chad in the border between Cameroon- Nigeria.

According to VANGUARD, The incident took place last Sunday (few days ago), as it was gathered that the terrorists suspected to be from the Buduma faction of Abou Ummaymah, attacked a local fishing community harboring most fishermen from Nigeria at Kofiya Island near Darak in the Republic of Cameroon.

This is as the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) has yesterday executed a police officer abducted along the Damboa – Biu Road in Borno State.

Reliable sources informed that the Boko Haram Terrorists asked the fishermen to lie down, tie their hands behind their backs before they started slaughtering them without confrontation.

The sources said the terrorists also abducted four other fishermen after accusing them of spying for the ISWAP factional group.

“The bodies of the fishermen were later recovered during a search and rescue operation by troops, while their other colleagues fled the scene.” Sources informed.

In a related development, the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) has executed a police officer abducted along the Damboa – Biu Road in Borno State.

Sources reliably informed that on Sunday 7 April 24, at about 1000hrs, the police officer with wife and children, were on transit from Damboa to Biu for Eid break but unfortunately went through a banned route.

It was later reported that the deceased and his family were abducted by suspected ISWAP operatives around Shokotoko general area located approximately 73/km south of Damboa.

However, later in the evening , the wife and his children were released, while the police officer was executed by the terrorists.

A high court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has granted bail to Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in the sum of N50 million.

Rahmon Oshodi, the judge, in his ruling on the bail application on Friday, admitted Emefiele on bail with two sureties in like sum.

The former CBN governor is facing trial in Lagos on a 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office.

Oshodi ordered the sureties must be gainfully employed and must have made three years tax payment with the Lagos State Government.

He also said that the sureties must show proper identification and that they must be registered in the Lagos State Bail Management System

The judge said he was satisfied with the bail conditions of N1 million, earlier given to Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoil, who is facing another charge before Justice Olufunke Sule-Hamzat of Yaba High Court.

Oshodi, however, said the bail documents must be transferred to special offences court and registered in the Lagos State Bail Management System.

This is a developing story…

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has described as wasteful and a highway to fraud the claim by Works Minister Dave Umahi that the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will tentatively cost N15.6 trillion.

Atiku also knocked Mr Umahi for altering the project’s initial plan after Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech had been awarded the contract without any competitive bidding.

He said, “Umahi had announced that Hitech would fully fund the project, and based on this, there was no competitive bidding. He (Umahi) then said that Hitech could only raise just 6% of the money for the pilot phase. This smacks of deceit.”

Mr Umahi had, during his media rounds at select TV stations on Thursday, said the road project would cost N15.6 trillion ($13bn at an exchange rate of N1,200/$1) while the rail which will pass through the road would be costed separately.

The minister also said the project would not be PPP but that the government would be providing 15%-30% counterpart financing.

Responding to Mr Umahi’s revelation, Atiku said the tentative cost was the equivalent of the total budget of all 36 states of the federation combined.

He said, “The total budget of all 36 federation states for 2024 is about N14 trillion. If you add that of the FCT, the entire budget of all sub-nationals is N15.91 trillion. This is scandalous. Worse still, they have already awarded the contract but are still not sure of the level of the counterpart funding component of the federal government!

“Umahi had said in September 2023 that Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech had the money to construct the highway and would be PPP. Hitech was to build, operate, and transfer it back to the Nigerian government after years of tolling.

“It was reported by every media organisation, including those owned by Tinubu. It was based on this proposal that Hitech was picked. Why did Umahi then turn around to claim that it was not to be a PPP but that the government would pay 15%-30%?”

The former Vice President noted that in the 2024 budget, the project was captured as the Lagos-Port Harcourt coastal highway and was put at a cost of N500m.

“Although the National Assembly approved N500m for the project this year, the Tinubu administration has released N1.06tn. That is more than 200 times what is in the Appropriation Act. This is what happens when the National Assembly fails in its duties,” he added.

Atiku said it was curious that the N15.91 trillion announced by Mr Umahi did not include the cost of the railway component. He, therefore, wondered how much the project would cost if the railway component is included.

“If N15.6 trillion is for the road component alone, then the total cost could be far higher when the railway is included. We want to know the cost of the railway,” he said.

The PDP presidential candidate also lambasted Mr Umahi for admitting that the project was given to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech construction company without competitive bidding.

He asked Mr Umahi to stop trying to deceive Nigerians with the claim that only Hitech was competent enough to do the project, wondering if it is the same that has been grappling with the execution of its projects in Lagos.

The former vice president stated, “The essence of competitive bidding is so that Nigerians can get the best value for money. It is so that you can compare prices and pick the company that can afford the project. It is wrong for him to have concluded that only Hitech could handle this project when such a project has been done by other reputable firms in the United States, China and South Africa.

“He claims he didn’t know there was a business relationship between Gilbert Chagoury and Tinubu, but this is another lie because Tinubu has publicly acknowledged this fact.”

Atiku also accused the works minister of attempting to deceive Nigerians as regards the appropriation for the project.

He called on members of the National Assembly to be alive to their responsibilities instead of acting like an annexe of the presidency.

The PDP candidate stated, “Until I exposed the dubious nature of this project, no member of the National Assembly thought it wise to investigate. The total cost was never made known until now. The fact that there was no bidding was never made known until I blew the whistle.”

The former vice president also knocked Mr Umahi for claiming that no money had been released yet to Hitech, which he described as another lie.

“On March 31, 2024, Umahi came on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme where he pointedly said that the sum of N1.06tn was released to Hitech. Only for him to say on TVC on April 11 that the same money had not been released. Which one is true, and which one is false?”

Signed:

Atiku Media Office
Abuja
11th April, 2024.

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu has claimed that the electricity tariffs that were recently increased, will reduce if the exchange rate falls below N1,000 to a dollar.

Adelabu made this comment when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday.

On April 3, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, announced the removal of subsidy on the electricity consumed by Band A customers.

Band A customers now pay N255/KWh, a hike from N68/kWh, while others maintain the old tariffs.

But Adelabu has now given conditions for a possible reduction.

“The tariff is flexible. I can tell you if the naira gains more and the exchange rate comes down below N1,000 to a dollar, it must positively affect the tariff; and the tariff, even for Band A, will come down below the N225/KWh that we are currently charging.

“There are variable factors that go into the composition of the tariff, and we are not closing our eyes to it,” Adelabu said.

The President of the Republic of Liberia, Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has declared Friday, April 12, 2024, as “National Fast and Prayer Day” and is to be observed throughout Liberia as a National Holiday.

A release by the Foreign Ministry said the day is to be observed as a day of supplication, prayer, fasting and meditation.

The statement said the proclamation was announced so that the nation’s efforts as people may be crowned with great achievements to the common cause of the Nation, the State, and its humanity.

The Proclamation further calls upon all Prelates, Priests, Elders, Deacons, Evangelists, Imams, and all residents, regardless of religious creed, to gather with one accord in their places of worship, in each city, town, village, hamlet and home within the territorial confines of the Republic of Liberia, in simple and non-costly apparel to fast, pray and meditate from 8 in the morning.

The release said all public offices and business houses, as well as marketplaces are to remain closed during the observance, adding that all citizens and foreign residents will cease from their usual daily occupations and avocations in recognition of God’s love and guidance.

“Through the patience and unwavering commitment to democratic principles, Liberians turned up on Election Day in large numbers and exercised their right to vote peacefully that laid the groundwork for the country’s second democratic transfer of power in over 70 years; the resilience of Liberia’s democratic institutions was instrumental to achieving this milestone and serves as an example for the region and the world,” the Proclamation stresses.

The Proclamation further recalled there have been unusual and extraordinary outbreaks of natural phenomenon and man-provoked national crises that have caused much harm, devastation, and destruction in many parts of the world from which our Nation has been spared by the Grace of God.

The Proclamation recounted that there are large numbers of the nation’s kith and kin living in uncertain conditions in the Diaspora, and the need for remembrance in prayers of those who have made the supreme sacrifice remains unfulfilled.

The Presidential Proclamation stressed that the people of Liberia have always submitted themselves, in humble supplication to the Almighty God for guidance and protection as well as for peace in their national life and affairs.

The Proclamation is in consonance with the Patriotic and Cultural Observances Law of the Republic of Liberia, Chapter one, declaring the second Friday in April of each year as a “National Fast and Prayer Day”, as a day of fasting and prayer for the prosperity of the nation.

A former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has said that the late Ogbonnaya Onu was displaced from being the President of Nigeria in 1999.

DAILY POST reported that Onu, an All Progressives Congress, APC presidential aspirant in the 2023 election, died on Thursday.

Onu, who was the first civilian governor in Abia State, died in Abuja on Thursday

Sani, a former lawmaker, who represented Kaduna Central Senatoral District in the 8th assembly, while paying tribute to the former minister, said Ogbonnaya could have been Nigeria’s President in 1999 after he won the APP primaries in Kaduna, attended by the likes of the late Ikemba of Nnewi Chief Ojukwu.

“He was deliberately displaced after a midnight merger with the then AD. The military wanted Obasanjo and Falae.

“The late Chief Onu is one of Nigeria’s most distinguished, decent and disciplined political figures in history.

“He has been an influential figure in Nigeria’s politics for over four decades. A Senator in the second republic,a Governor in the third republic and a presidential candidate, party chairman and minister in the fourth republic.

“He is a rare breed politician who lived as unstained, untainted and unblemished like his white apparel. He was a man who lived and served his country with decorum and impactful anonymity.

“He was a true patriot whose nationalist credentials can’t be faulted by any section of the country. Onu was an unnoticed and unappreciated gentleman and national leader. In words and in deeds, he lived above politics of rancour and controversy.

In 1999, the outgoing military wanted power to shift to the South West. Onu was a simple man.

“His known residence in Asokoro remains the one rented for him by his party, the ANPP, when he was elected its chairman. He remained there throughout his tenure as minister.

May his soul rest in peace.”