News
NDDC audit: We’ll recover every kobo, prosecute culprit, says Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has said “every kobo” will be recovered, following the conclusion of the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The President said this on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the virtual commissioning of the NDDC Prototype Hostel at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
Buhari said the concluded forensic audit was being reviewed with a view to recovering “every kobo that was recoverable”, while those found culpable would face the law.
He said it was regrettable that the special development fund of the entire region was squandered by a few for more than 20 years, leaving many in penury.
“The Niger Delta Development Commission needs to demonstrate that it can achieve the objectives it was conceived for and make its impact felt all over the Niger Delta Region. The lives of the people of the Niger Delta could be so much better, if the funding received by this commission since its inception, in billions of naira over the last 20 years, have been judiciously deployed in service of the people.
READ ALSO:
- Charlie Boy Mocks Ooni Of Ife Over Marital Crisis
- NDLEA nabs 3 fake security agents, others, with 427kg drugs in Borno, Abuja
- COVID-19: Osimhen pulls out of AFCON 2021
“The serial abuse, lack of delivery and what had become an entrenched institutional decay, was the reason why I called for the forensic audit. Therefore, going forward we shall ensure every recoverable kobo, is recovered for use in service of the people of this region and those found culpable shall face the Law.
“Consequently, I want to use the opportunity of this commissioning to direct all statutory contributors to the NDDC to remit all outstanding funds to the Commission, and to ensure this is done transparently and according to laid down procedure and process,” he said.
Buhari, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, directed that all abandoned projects that directly impact the livelihood of the people should be revived and completed.
The President said the contract for the building of 1,050 capacity hostel for male and female students was awarded in 2004, and like many others, it was abandoned.
Buhari said across many public universities and institutions of higher learning children face accommodation challenges, while private investors were taking advantage of the gap to provide accommodation, unfortunately tasking the resources of parents and guardians.
“Many of them are located far away from school premises and come with their own peculiar challenges. It is good that such an infrastructure gap is being addressed, by providing accommodation for students that would be affordable, well built, and in a secure environment,’’ he said.
The President noted that the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on his behalf, commissioned the Special Protections Unit Base 6 Barracks in Omagwa, Rivers State, which was built and donated by NDDC to the Nigeria Police Force.
In his remarks, Sen. Akpabio said the completion of the NDDC headquarters complex and other projects clearly showed the President’s commitment to improving the livelihood of people in the Niger Delta.
The Sole Administrator of NDDC, Mr Effiong Akwa, thanked the President for always honouring the institution by commissioning three projects in a year.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Nyaudoh Ukpabio Ndaeyo, and the Student Union also appreciated the President for the intervention, with presentation of awards.
Daily Trust
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
READ ALSO:
- Wike claims Adeyanju became activist after he rejected request to be PDP Publicity Secretary
- VeryDarkMan to Falana: I won’t apologise to anybody
- Court adjourns Falana’s suit against VeryDarkMan to January 2025
“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
READ ALSO:
- Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
- FBI raids home of crypto platform Polymarket CEO, after accurate prediction of Trump win
- 24-hour power supply: FG seeks private sector support for $10bn funding gap
The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
READ ALSO:
- 12-yr-old Nigerian girl invents air filter, gets $11.5m funding
- Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack
- 94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters
Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
-
International2 days agoBelgium University offers scholarship up to €12,000 for Master’s students
-
Railway2 days agoNigerian railway adds extra train to Friday, Saturday trips on Lagos-Ibadan route
-
International2 days agoUK announces 45,000 seasonal worker visas for 2025
-
Business3 days agoFinally, marketers, Dangote refinery agree on direct fuel supply
-
International2 days agoSaudi crown prince says Israel committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza
-
Education1 day ago12-year-old Nigerian girl Eniola Shokunbi invents air filter to reduce spread of diseases in US schools
-
metro3 days agoNJC dispels death rumours of two judges that affirmed Tinubu’s election
-
Business2 days agoTop 5 crypto apps that work with Nigerian Bank accounts