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FEC approves N1.6bn for Abuja road repairs

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The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved N1.6bn for the rehabilitation and upgrade of some roads within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
It also approved N2.9bn contracts for the printing of sensitive and non-sensitive examination materials.
The decisions were taken at the council’s meeting presided over by the President Muhammadu Buhari.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on major decisions taken.
Bello said the roads to be rehabilitated are located in the satellite towns of the FCT.
He said the council approved N900,294,304.75 to fix the roads in Gwagwalada Area Council while N719,407,086.38 was approved for the Kwali Area Council rural roads.
According to him, the Gwagwalada contract was awarded to Messrs Teleview International Nigeria Limited with a completion period of six months while that of Kwali was awarded to Messrs Sahabi Liman Sons Nigeria Limited also for a completion period of six months.
Adamu said the printing contracts were awarded to a group of eight printers.
According to the minister, the materials are meant for the Basic Education Certification Examination, the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, and the National Common Entrance, adding that “because of the recent disturbances, we have postponed the examinations that have not taken place.”
Before the meeting went into a closed session, the President had administered oath of office on Isa Kwarra as the Chairman of National Population Commission.
Other members of the commission who also took oaths of office are: Ibrahim Mohammed, (Bauchi); Ayodeji Ajayi (Ekiti); Joseph Kwai Shazin, (FCT); Garba A. Garba (Jigawa); Bala Banya, (Katsina); Razaq Gidado, (Kwara); Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, (Lagos); and Ali Agara (Nasarawa).
Others are in Muhammed Dottijo, (Sokoto); Mai Mohammad (Yobe), and Muhammadu Rini (Zamfara)

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EKEDC board members overrule chairman, say Sanda remains MD

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EKEDC board members overrule chairman, say Sanda remains MD

The board of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has nullified the reported termination of the appointment of company’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dr Tinuade Sanda.

Sanda was said to have been sacked by the chairman of EKEDC, Dere Otubu, allegedly in compliance with the orders of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

A replacement was immediately announced on Tuesday.

But Chairman, Legal and Regulatory Committee of EKEDC, Babor Egeregor, in a statement on Wednesday, the decision to terminate Sanda was unilateral and not approved by members of the board.

He said, “Let it be known that Dr. Tinuade Sanda remains the MD/CEO of Eko Electricity Distribution Company and has since her assumption of office as the MD/CEO, turned EKEDC around for good, with very great milestones and achievements which every sector player recognises.”

Part of the statement read, “It has come to my notice that by a letter dated 26th of March 2024, the Chairman of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Mr. Dere Otubu, purportedly terminated the Contract of Employment of Dr. Tinuade Sanda, the MD/CEO of EKEDC, allegedly in compliance with Orders/Directives issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

“The said Order of the NERC, herein displayed, are unambiguous, incapable of, and unyielding to plural interpretations.

“There was nowhere in the Order where NERC requested the removal of any staff either seconded to or hired by EKEDC except those connected to the alleged fraud and negligence.

“In fact, NERC’s directives were issued to compel the Board of EKEDC, following picketing by the union and unrelenting Staff protests, to act appropriately in the face of a determined position of a majority of the Board members to cover up the alleged use of ghost workers together with the alleged fraud and protect Wola Joseph Condotti especially.

“Mr. Dere Otubu’s letter, therefore, was done in bad faith and in vengeful revenge against the MD/CEO for escalating the alleged fraud and issuing queries against one of his protégés.”

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NSCDC bursts illegal refineries with 26 reservoirs, nabs 5 suspects

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The arrested suspects

NSCDC bursts illegal refineries with 26 reservoirs, nabs 5 suspects

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad has uncovered a massive illegal oil refining site in a forest in the Odagwa community of the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.

According to the NSCDC, the site has 10 illegal refineries with an estimated 500, 000 litres of crude oil contained in about 50 illegally constructed reservoirs.

The security agency said it arrested five suspects during a raid on the site.

The NSCDC spokesman, Rivers State Command, Olufemi Ayodele, disclosed this while parading the suspects before newsmen.

Ayodele said the site was uncovered based on credible intelligence gathered.

He stated, “The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, has reiterated over time that all acts of economic sabotage would be fought to a standstill as suspects arrested would face the full wrath of the law, irrespective of their sponsors.

“In furtherance, the CG gave a marching order to the Special Intelligence Squad, charging them to be more thorough and results-oriented in their operations.

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“Based on credible intelligence. the CG’s SIS swung into action and uncovered 10 illegal local refineries in a forest located at Odagwa Community in the Etche LGA of Rivers State where five suspects were caught in the act of illegally refining crude oil.

“While conducting an operational tour across the large thick forest about 10 different cooking pots of 50,000 litres capacity were seen with one big pumping machine, reservoir tanks, 25 rubber hoses used for pumping crude oil and many long galvanised pipes with unquantified litres of crude oil and illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil stored in six large reservoirs and other 20 smaller reservoirs dug in the ground.”

He gave the names of the arrested suspects and their ages as follows: Favour Chukwu, 29; Desmond Umeh, 25; Godwin Amos, 22’Bineace Galion, 38; and Goodnews David, 23.

The state NSCDC spokesman said the suspects would face prosecution at the end of investigations.

The Commandant of the NSCDC, Rivers State Command, Basil Igwebueze, condemned what he termed the ‘unrepentant’ act by ‘unscrupulous elements’ who tapped into the oil wellhead of ‘Heirs Energies Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited located around Imo River 2 Oil and Gas field at Odagwa in Etche.

Igwebueze said through different channels, the criminals inserted their galvanised pipes and siphoned crude oil while processing the same within the premises without recourse.

Igwebueze said, “The uncovering of this massive illegal oil bunkering site is a landmark achievement and an indication that the NSCDC as the lead agency in the protection of all critical national assets and infrastructure will continue to combat crude oil theft with a renewed vigour even as we work in synergy with sisters security agencies to salvage the nation’s economy from saboteurs.”

NSCDC bursts illegal refineries with 26 reservoirs, nabs 5 suspects

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Soldiers killing: How my house was ransacked by troops – Edwin Clark

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Edwin Clark

Soldiers killing: How my house was ransacked by troops – Edwin Clark

Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman and National Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has criticized a military attack on his country residence in Kiagbodo Local Government Area, Delta State, in response to the recent killing of soldiers in the state.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he described how he was bombarded with calls for military personnel to invade his rural residence in search of a suspect linked to the deaths of 17 troops in Okuama.

The Ijaw leader claimed that someone, later identified as the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army’s Division in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, apologized on behalf of the army for the raid.

According to him, the military guys arrived in five trucks laden with approximately 30 to 40 armed soldiers, while flying drones were stationed within the grounds.

Clark said: “Some of them went to the buildings behind the main house and broke all the doors that were locked. They matched out my staff living in those buildings, including lecturers at the university, and made them to `sit on bare ground.

“They also broke into my late brother, Ambassador Akporode Blessing Clark’s house. He served this country internationally in various capacities, including as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as both of us share the same premises. They brought out his son almost naked, as the young man was taking a bath when they stormed the house.

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“All their phones were seized. The people had to identify themselves, and they told them (soldiers) whose house it was before they asked for my telephone number, which they said they would pass to their ‘oga’ before they all departed.

“One would have expected that at this juncture, a call could have been put to the Governor of Delta State to inform him of what happened.”

The elder statesman said the incident was “beyond coincidence” but a source of concern.

He recounted a similar raid on his Abuja home on September 4, 2018, describing the authorisation of such raids as “disrespectful and unlawful”, having served the country nearly 70 years in different capacities.

“I want to end this write-up by addressing all concerned with what I told President Muhammadu Buhari when my security details were withdrawn. If I die today as a result of a natural occurrence, it will be a joyful celebration. But if my death is linked to any dubious means by some overzealous state actors, no one can tell how far the fire will rage. This is not a threat. It is an acknowledgement of God’s mercies on me,” Clark added.

Also, the 17 army personnel killed in Delta State are to be buried today at the National Cemetery in Abuja.

Army’s spokesperson Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, who announced it yesterday, said President Bola Tinubu would attend the burial, slated for 3 p.m.

The names of the four officers are: Lt.-Col. A. H. Ali, Major Safa, Major D. E. Obi, and Captain U. Zakari.

The 13 soldiers are: Staff Sergeant Yahaya Saidu, Corporal Yahaya Danbaba, Corporal Kabir Bashir, Lance Corporals Bulus Haruna, Sole Opeyemi, Bello Anas, Haman Peter, and Ibrahim Abdullahi.

The rest are: Privates Alhaji Isah, Clement Francis, Abubakar Ali, Ibrahim Adamu, and Adamu Ibrahim.

Also, the member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State in the House of Representatives, Rodney Ebikebina Ambaiowei, has called for caution and professionalism in the handling of the killing of 17 soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State.

Addressing reporters yesterday at the National Assembly in Abuja, he said: “I am aware that the Nigerian Army has the capacity to gather intelligence within a short period. The execution of such intelligence reports should be done with utmost caution to minimise collateral damage to innocent and law abiding citizens.

“I say this, bearing in mind the invasion and carnage that took place in Odi in November 1999 following the killing of some soldiers and policemen which remains fresh in our memories. Caution and professionalism must be the watch word to forestall unpleasant and regrettable consequences in the approach to bringing the culprits to book.”

Soldiers killing: How my house was ransacked by troops – Edwin Clark

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