Residents of Anambra community protest, seek dethronement of monarch – Newstrends
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Residents of Anambra community protest, seek dethronement of monarch

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Residents of Anambra community protest, seek dethronement of monarch

No fewer than 2,000 indigenes of Awba Ofemili community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Wednesday, stormed Government House, Awka, and staged a demonstration against what they termed as high handedness of their traditional ruler, Igwer Ezekwesili Ernest Maduagwuna.

The demonstrators who arrived Government House with motorcades at about 1 p.m. with placards with some inscriptions as “Soludo’s should dethrone Igwe Maduagwuna. We say no to his burning down of our houses, illegal sales of our lands and other illegalities, were received in audience by the Chief of Staff to Governor Soludo, Ernest Ezeajughi on behalf of the Governor.

The spokesman of the protesters, Dr. Nice Nnamdi Mekoh who tabled their grievances before Ezeajughi, alleged that the monarch has for some time now engaged in burning down oppositions’ houses with reckless abandon, using the community’s vigilante operatives.

Mekoh further told Ezeajughi that the monarch forcefully confiscated over 2000 bags of rice znd a good number of live goats belonging to the opposition, grabbed and sold their lands, as well as forcefully planted his stooge as new President-General of Awba-Ofemili Development Union, ADU after a recent inconclusive town union election.

Mekoh who demanded that government should withdraw the Chieftaincy certificate of Igwe Maduagwuna, conduct a free and town union election in the area and disband the Polycarp Ndukife-led vigilante operatives in the area, lamented that over 15 houses were set ablaze, 2000 bags of rice, scores of goats forcefully confiscated from their owners and reportedly sold to traders in Onitsha

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His words, “We demand dethronement of the monarch, Igwe Ezekwesiri Ernest Maduagwuna, and conduct of a fresh President General, PG, election, the incumbent PG is imposed on us which also increased the killings, raping, land grabbing, setting houses ablaze, confiscation of over 2000 bags of rice from poor farmers by the monarch and his cohorts”.

“In our community if you challenge the monarch you will be attacked and your house set ablaze, they rape wives and daughters of our people and you don’t complain if you want to be alive,” he further lamented.

Mekoh commended the governor for rehabilitating the Amansea/Ebenebe/Ugbenu/Ugbene/Awba Ofemili road which assists them to evacuate farm produce to the cities.

Responding Governor Soludo’s representative and his Chief of Staff, Ezeajughi, commended the demonstrators for their peaceful conduct of the exercise and pledged to look into the allegations critically with a view to bringing lasting peace to the community.

He also commended the people for supporting the governor in the infrastructural development of the state assuring that soonest investigation would commence in earnest.

In a swift reaction, the embattled monarch, Igwe Maduagwuna who spoke to newsmen on phone, described the protesters as trouble shooters who accused him of setting their houses ablaze.

According to the monarch, “I, Igwe can’t set somebody’s house ablaze, they are bunch of liars, the protest they carried out is baseless, null and void and of no effect.”

Residents of Anambra community protest, seek dethronement of monarch

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

The federal government has unveiled a proposed budget of N47.9 trillion for the 2025 fiscal year.

Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this to journalists on Thursday following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

Bagudu revealed that the council had approved the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2025-2027.

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According to the minister, the government has pegged the crude oil benchmark at $75 per barrel, with an oil production target of 2.06 million barrels per day (bpd).

The budget also sets the exchange rate at N1,400 per dollar and aims for a gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 6.4%.

 

BREAKING: FEC proposes N47.9 trillion budget for 2025 fiscal year

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

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EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) told FIJ that they have arrested Timber Wabote, the former executive secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCMB), on the grounds of a failed $35 million Bayelsa refinery project fraud.

Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

The EFCC picked Wabote up following the arrest of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, the Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, for alleged misappropriation, money laundering and diversion of $35 million in public funds.

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“NCDMB under the watch of Wabote allegedly paid the $35 million to Akindele to build a 2,000 barrel per day (BPD), refinery, jetty, gas plant, power plant, data centre and tank farm at Brass free trade zone (FTZ), Okpoama Community in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State,” a source with the EFCC had explained.

Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

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Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

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Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

The former governor, alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, are being prosecuted as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively, in a fresh 16-count charge instituted against them by the EFCC.

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

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