News
Emulate Otti, abolish pensions for ex-govs, Obasanjo tells governors
Emulate Otti, abolish pensions for ex-govs, Obasanjo tells governors
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has hailed Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and the state House of Assembly for their courage to abolish the law giving former governors and their deputies the right to enjoy life pension.
The former President described the life pension given to ex-governors and their deputies in many states as “rascality”. He expressed the hope that other governors would follow Governor Otti’s footsteps.
The Executive Bill repealing the former pension’s law was assented to by Otti on Thursday night after the House of Assembly passed it into law on Tuesday.
It was sponsored by the executive.
Obasanjo made the commendation when he paid a courtesy visit to Govenor Otti in Abia on Friday.
He said, “It is daylight robbery”, noting that pensions to the former governors and deputies were outrageous while those of ordinary retired workers were owed in Abia from 2014.
He said further, “I watched the television and I saw the repealing of Abia pensions. I asked you what exactly is this. And you said to me that the pensions scheme for former governors here was too outrageous.
“It’s like trouble because it allowed them to have a house in Abuja and elsewhere. And it allowed them to cart away whatever they could. Yet the pensions of ordinary people from 2014 were unpaid.
“What sort of leadership! You came and said there would be an end to that rascality. I congratulate you, and I say to you, I hope that your colleagues will follow in your footsteps?”
Even as he praised Governor Otti for a number of projects he was already doing in the state, the ex-President said, “There are still a lot of work to be done. You have started, but you should never be tired. Don’t be discouraged.
“You will be abused and called names. But if we have one-third of our states doing what should be done, this country will be a different country.”
Governor Otti assured him that his administration was focused on infrastructural development.
He mentioned Aba, as that is at the core of all that is required.
He disclosed that his government had in the last nine months completed and commissioned 10 roads in Aba, with 31 other roads at different stages of completion.
“The last one was flagged off two days ago; the Ozuabam to Arochukwu through Ndiokereke, and Okobo bridge. It’s a 30.1km road and that road has not been used in the last several decades. It connects Arochukwu to the rest of Abia state.
“We also have a 67.4km road we commissioned a few weeks ago that connects Umuahia through Uzuakoli and terminates at Ohafia,” the governor enumerated.”
News
Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General raises alarm over threats to his life
Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General raises alarm over threats to his life
Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has expressed concern over threats to his life by individuals he described as anti-Igbo. He revealed that there have been plans to either kill him or burn his house due to his leadership of Ndigbo.
Addressing a press conference in Enugu, Iwuanyanwu highlighted the dangers he faced, mentioning the death of his predecessor, Prof George Obiozor, and an attempt on another ex-leader’s life. He recounted receiving information about people hired to attack him but assured that he remained undeterred in his commitment to serving his people.
READ ALSO:
- Your husband is not your partner, he is the head – Daddy Freeze tells Nigerian women
- Cleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti
- UCL: Real Madrid beat Bayern to book final ticket …to face Dortmund in London
Iwuanyanwu lamented being confronted by such threats despite his efforts to serve his people, citing his extensive career and scholarship schemes that benefited thousands of youths. He recalled the fate of late Prof. Joe Irukwu, who faced similar accusations of working against the interest of Igboland.
Despite the challenges, Iwuanyanwu reaffirmed his determination to serve Ndigbo and vowed not to yield to intimidation.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General raises alarm over threats to his life
News
Rivers crisis festers as new factional Speaker emerges
Rivers crisis festers as new factional Speaker emerges
A new speaker has emerged in Rivers State Wednesday May 8, 2024, to signal the much-awaited showdown in state’s deteriorating political crisis which seems to be here.
Already, hidden cards or fists are appearing every hour to show that both the Nyesom Wike camp and the Governor Siminalayi Fubara camp have been preparing for it.
The Wike camp through the Rivers State caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Tony Okocha yesterday gave go-ahead for impeachment action against the governor. The one they one the 27 defected lawmakers loyal to Wike initiated on October 30, 2023, failed when Gov Fubara fought back until a temporary ceasefire was achieved in Aso Rock with an 8-point agreement signed by both parties but largely observed in breach.
Now, it seems both camps have rearmed and may be ready for the final showdown that may make Rivers State tense in the coming days, to say the least.
READ ALSO:
- Cybersecurity levy suspension tears lawmakers apart, speaker overrules
- EFCC to arraign Sirika, daughter over fresh N2.7 billion contract scam
- Breaking: Fubara bars all LGA heads from appearing before Rivers Assembly
The APC has directed that impeachment begin immediately; the next day, the Fubara camp announced their own Speaker, Victor Oko Jumbo from Bonny; same day, hints emerge that screening of LGA caretaker committee members may be going on.
On the other hand, the local councils have staged protests saying their monthly allocations have been withheld. Pressure is thus mounting from that angle covering the 23 local council areas.
The purported screening may lead to appointment of caretaker committees of the 23 LGAs in the state who would get the monthly allocations and hit the ground running.
This action would provoke what the Wike-backed APC group said they would resist. They may begin their own action in the form of impeachment proceedings which the Fubara camp (Rivers State government) said they would resist.
These acts of resistance may plunge the state into violence and make it ungovernable. At that point, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who has remained silent since the peace agreement, may unveil the sanctions he had threatened would descend on any person who breached the agreement. Each camp points to the other as the one breaching the agreements. Each clings to Tinubu as the favourite.
The battle seems timed to ensure that the one year anniversary is hindered.
Rivers crisis festers as new factional Speaker emerges
News
Cybersecurity levy suspension tears lawmakers apart, speaker overrules
Cybersecurity levy suspension tears lawmakers apart, speaker overrules
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, intervened on Wednesday to halt a motion calling for the suspension of the controversial cybersecurity levy, which has sparked widespread dissatisfaction among Nigerians.
Since the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mandated all banks to deduct 0.5% of the value of electronic transactions from customers, Nigerians from various sectors have vehemently opposed the levy, labelling it an additional financial burden.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Manu Soro, a lawmaker from Bauchi State, presented the motion, citing concerns about the timing of the levy’s introduction amidst Nigeria’s prevailing economic challenges.
Soro argued that imposing new taxes or increasing existing ones amid the current economic difficulties exacerbated by the removal of fuel subsidies and currency depreciation would only add to citizens’ financial woes.
READ ALSO:
- EFCC to arraign Sirika, daughter over fresh N2.7 billion contract scam
- Breaking: Fubara bars all LGA heads from appearing before Rivers Assembly
- Russia urges Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in Rafah
He called on the House to urge the CBN to retract the circular on the cybersecurity levy and halt its implementation immediately. Additionally, he urged the Minister of Finance to refrain from introducing new taxes or raising existing rates until the economic situation improves significantly.
However, Speaker Abbas advised Soro to temporarily withdraw the motion to allow the House leadership to deliberate on the best course of action to address the issue.
In a related development, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) threatened to shut down the economy over the plan to implement the cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions. TUC’s president, Mr. Festus Osifo, criticized the levy as illogical, particularly given the current economic challenges faced by Nigerians. He warned that its implementation could worsen poverty and deepen the economic crisis in the country.
Cybersecurity levy suspension tears lawmakers apart, speaker overrules
Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General raises alarm over threats to his life
Cleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti
Your husband is not your partner, he is the head – Daddy Freeze tells Nigerian women
-
International2 days agoNetanyahu rubbishes Hamas ceasefire proposal
-
Politics2 days agoAbia deputy gov candidate, lawmaker dump PDP
-
metro10 hours agoCleric allegedly sets wife’s house ablaze following prayer disagreement in Ekiti
-
metro1 day ago33 states face flooding risk, NEMA warns
-
News3 days agoNigerian varsity VC suspended over alleged gross misconduct
-
Health1 day agoForeigners now visit Nigeria for plastic surgery, others – Minister
-
metro2 days agoThree siblings attack school teacher for flogging brother in Port Harcourt
-
Education2 days agoJAMB releases more results, says no one obtained scores without writing UTME