The Minister of Works, Chief David Umahi, has decried the poor state of federal roads in the South-East geo-political zone, especially in Anambra and Ebonyi states. Umahi made his feelings known during a courtesy call on the Anambra Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, on Saturday night in Awka The Minister said Anambra and Ebonyi were competing for the worst in terms of poor federal road projects in the country.   He said that he had recently visited Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi states before coming to Anambra, saying that the situation is the same on the state of federal roads. Umahi, who before meeting Soludo had inspected Enugu-bound lane of the Onitsha/Enugu expressway, passed a vote of no confidence on the consultants supervising the reconstruction of the road. He regretted that the handlers of the very busy road were exposing road users to untold hardship. “I am a bit disappointed with the state of Enugu/Onitsha expressway; I have called both the contractors and consultants to a meeting this evening with the Governor. “I have equally passed a vote of no confidence on the consultants,” he said. He directed the firm to immediately rehabilitate the bad spots, which have caused vehicles to fall and other sundry hiccups on the Enugu-Onitsha expressway. The Minister said he was personally concerned due to a series of calls and complaints coming from the same road. “While MTN Nigeria says they have 100 per cent funding, the chairman of RCC construction firm, will say the opposite, complaining of funding problem. “We will all meet and sort out these problems because we cannot have one or two contractors doing 200 kilometers of road for seven years,” he said. Umahi, who noted that states in the South-East geo-political zone were not fairly treated on MTN Nigeria Tax Credit decision, said he was confident that Mr President would look into the matter in due course. “Yes, Enugu and Abia states benefitted, but that cannot be compared with other zones which got on the MTN Nigeria Tax Credit sharing formula. “I know as a man of justice and equity, President Bola Tinubu will look into the matter because development thrives on fairness and equity,” he said. Responding, Gov. Soludo said he was overwhelmed when President Tinubu appointed Umahi his minister of works. “Umahi’s appointment is a prayer answered for me because it is like a perfect round peg in a round hole,” he said. He regretted that the entire federal roads in Anambra were all bad, adding that urgent actions were needed to reduce the sufferings facing road users on the roads. Soludo who appealed to the minister to replicate what he did on road construction in Ebonyi across the country, advocated for what he tagged mega-budget for road projects. According to him, the initiative would encourage the National Assembly to make adequate budgetary provisions for road projects which have lasted more than four years. He said when this is done, government would no longer required to talk about budgetary allocation on existing roads yearly, but would be spending on already approved fund to end problem of poor funding,” he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before the courtesy visit, Umahi visited Enugu/Onitsha expressway, Oye-Oranto Ukpo road in Dunukofia, and Otuocha-Iheaka-Ibaji roads. (NAN)

  The State Security Service (SSS) has arrested the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in charge of Financial System Stability, Aisha Ahmad, Nigeria’s state television, NTA, reports. Ms Ahmad was reportedly arrested over her “alleged fraudulent acquisition of shares in Polaris Bank, Titan Bank/Union Bank.” “The CBN Deputy Governor is currently being interrogated on how $300 million to complete the acquisition of Union Bank was raised by Titan Bank,” NTA reported on its X handle.   Details of the arrest are still sketchy. Neither the CBN nor the SSS have spoken officially about the arrest which was first reported late Saturday. PREMIUM TIMES will produce updates of the arrest in subsequent reports. Ms Ahmed’s former boss at the CBN, Godwin Emefiele, is still in SSS custody, over two months after he was arrested. Mr Emefiele, the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was first charged with possession of a firearm but was later charged with N6.9 billion fraud. Details later… Source: Premium Times 

  The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) in the Southeast and South-south zones has opposed the profiling of its members as criminals and kidnappers operating in the southern region. The group emphasized that their presence in the South is solely for the purpose of cattle breeding and not for any territorial expansion as erroneously believed by some individuals. While acknowledging that no group is entirely free of individuals with questionable character, MACBAN asserted that they have been actively working to rid themselves of such elements. This declaration was made during a joint executive council meeting held in Enugu yesterday. The event was attended by MACBAN’s national executive members, zonal chairmen, Fulani traditional rulers, and state chairmen, from both zones. MACBAN’s National Vice Director, Alhaji Gidado Sidiki, who addressed the media after the meeting said that the persistent reports of friction and insecurity experienced by their members in the various localities across the Southeast and South-south regions necessitated the meeting. “Our members are getting increasingly uncomfortable with the growing suspicion with which they are treated by a good number of people in the Southeast and South-south. “The leaderships of MACBAN in the two zones are worried about the demonization of herdsmen and the manner of their often being tagged and treated as criminals. This suspicion is rooted upon the speculations that herdsmen are harbingers of Fulani territorial expansionism. “The convoking of the meeting does not presuppose an unusual provocation of the conflicts that our people experience with their native landlords. “The leadership of MACBAN in the Southeast and South-south has continued to dialogue appreciably well with the individual state government in the zones. The dialogues give hope for better understanding between our members and their host communities. “The meeting rigorously deliberated on the daunting challenges our members encountered in the course of their business of cattle rearing in the Southeast and South-south. It, however, recognized that such problems are not limited to the zones. “The meeting recognized the need to correct the faulty impression that our members’ interests in the Southeast are beyond economic pursuits. The meeting acknowledged the government as the chief custodian of lives and property across the country. “It, therefore, encourages and charges the government to live up to its mandate of providing security to its citizens across the country. Let it be noted that the leadership of MACBAN will not hesitate to report any herdsman suspected to be criminally inclined to the police. “We jointly resolved to fully lend our efforts towards fostering an enduring harmonious relationship between our people and their host communities, as it is only in a peaceful environment that our business will thrive. “The meeting was hopeful that the governments of Southeast and South-south states will ensure greater protection of our members and our cattle. It equally expressed great hope that the governments of the zones will speak in one voice in this regard,” Sidiki said.

  Bandits have reportedly killed two people in Kwarikwarasa village in Maiyama Local Government Area and abducted seven people. Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, who visited the village yesterday, condoled with the people of village and donated N10 million to the victims who were wounded during the encounter with the bandits. Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ahmed Idris, who confirmed this in a statement made available to newsmen, disclosed that the suspected bandits stormed the village Friday morning and released one of the seven abducted persons, while six others were still in captivity including one female.   Idris further stated: “The governor assured the community that government had put measures in place to avert recurrence of the ugly event in the area. “The governor said the present administration under his watch was giving the security agencies all the necessary support and cooperation towards combating the menace of criminals across the state. “We will leave no stone unturned until we secure the state and make it a place where people will sleep with their two eyes close, peacefully cultivate their farmlands and go about their normal businesses without any fear of molestation from anybody.” In his remarks, Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed Liba the District Head of Andari appreciated the governor for the visit and timely intervention. While appealing to the governor to do everything within his power to rescue the abducted persons, the village head assured that the money donated would be judiciously distributed.

  A boat carrying 23 people capsized in Njuwa Lake in Yola South Local Government of Adamawa State, killing at least 15 people, the state’s emergency agency and witnesses said. The accident occurred on Friday afternoon as the victims travelling to Yola town. Faisal Dabo, a witness, suggested the mishap was caused by a heavy windstorm. “It was raining when the accident happened. A heavy windstorm blew water into the boat and it capsized instantly,” he said. He said the boat was in the middle of the river when the accident occurred. Mr Dabo said the boat was conveying 23 passengers, including farmers, traders and children. He said only six passengers were rescued by local divers and a bigger boat, which arrived at the scene. He appealed to the government to provide motorised boats for the community which suffered from an annual overflooding of River Benue. TEXEM Advert Confirming the incident, the Executive Secretary, Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Muhammad Suleiman, said seven people were rescued, two were confirmed dead and fifteen were still missing. He called for calm as authorities were making efforts to find the missing passengers. Also speaking on the incident, the Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Suleiman Nguroje, said the command had deployed Marine police officers to help in the rescue operation.

  Gunmen on Thursday night attacked the Customs checkpoint at Umuikaa Junction in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. This is even as the whereabouts of the Customs personnel could not be immediately ascertained. The attacked which occurred at about 8pm, happened less than one kilometre from the naval base in Owerrinta, few meters away from a naval checkpoint at Umuikaa junction. It was gathered that the gunmen who burnt the operational patrol van of the Customs personnel, equally shot and injured a passenger in an 18-seater commercial bus which ran into them. The fate of the Customs officials on duty could not be immediately ascertained. One report has it that some of the personnel sustained gunshot injuries, and were taken away by the bandits. Another report had it that the Customs personnel escaped from the scene unhurt. The injured passenger of the commercial bus was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital where he was treated. Reports from the area said it took the efforts of soldiers from 144 Battalion, Asa in Ukwa West Local Government Area and the Forward Operation Base (FOB), Aba, led by Major Hassan Biu to dislodge the gunmen after operating for over an hour. Commuters were stranded on both ends of the expressway, as they waited for hours on ending while the operation lasted. Some of the commuters trapped in the attack, spoke of how scary it was being on at that time of the night with as gunshot rented the air. Unconfirmed report had it that one of the gunmen was arrested by soldiers during the operation. There have been public outcry over the presence of the Customs personnel in the area. People said it was wrong for the Customs to station its officials in the area searching vehicles for contraband goods, after such goods had already been clear at the port by their men.

  Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the 36 state governors in the country to “disclose details on spending of the N2 billion palliative recently disbursed to each state by the Federal Government, including the names of beneficiaries and details of the reliefs so far provided with the money.” According to reports, the Federal Government recently disbursed N2 billion out of the N5 billion palliative package for each state of the federation and the federal capital territory (FCT), to address the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy. In the open letter dated 9 September 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “It is in the public interest to publish the details on spending of the N2 billion palliative and any subsequent disbursement of funds to your government.”   SERAP said: “Nigerians have the right to know how their states are spending the fuel subsidy relief funds. It is part of their legally enforceable human rights.” According to SERAP, “Transparency and accountability in the spending of the N2 billion and any subsequent disbursement to your state would help to reduce the risk of corruption, mismanagement, diversion, or opportunism.” The letter, read in part: “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and your state to comply with our request in the public interest.” “The oversight afforded by public access to the details of the spending of the N2 billion palliative and any subsequent disbursement would serve as an important check on the activities of your state and help to prevent abuses of the public trust.” “The constitutional principle of democracy also provides a foundation for Nigerians’ right to know details on spending of the N2 billion fuel subsidy palliative. Citizens’ right to know promotes openness, transparency, and accountability that is in turn crucial for the country’s democratic order.” “The effective operation of representative democracy depends on the people being able to scrutinise, discuss and contribute to government decision making, including on the fuel subsidy relief funds.” “SERAP notes that the removal of subsidy on petrol continues to negatively and disproportionately affect the poor and socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians in several states, undermining their right to adequate standard of living.” “The Freedom of Information Act, Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee to everyone the right to information, including about how the N2 billion fuel subsidy relief funds are spent.” “By the combined reading of the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, the Freedom of Information Act 2011, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, applicable throughout Nigeria, there are transparency obligations imposed on your state to publish details of spending of the N2 billion fuel subsidy palliative.” “The Nigerian Constitution, Freedom of Information Act, and the country’s anti-corruption and human rights obligations rest on the principle that citizens should have access to information regarding their government’s activities.” “Your state cannot hide under the excuse that the Freedom of Information Act is not applicable to your state to refuse to provide the details being sought, as your state also has clear legal obligations to provide the information as prescribed by the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and. Enforcement) Act.” “SERAP urges you to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor the spending of the N2 billion fuel subsidy palliative and any subsequent disbursement of public funds to your state.”

  A Rivers State-based vigilance group, ONELGA OSPAC, said its men arrested three persons, including two pastors, over the death of a 24-year-old man, Lucky, in the Port Harcourt area of the state. Lucky reportedly died after an operation to remove his hunchback. An officer with the Planning and Advisory Committee of the security group, codenamed OSPAC, told Sunday PUNCH that the suspects were nabbed while trying to flee Port Harcourt. One of the suspects, who was said to be the pastor of a new generation church in Osiakpo, near Omoku in the state, Olatoye, 54, said the victim was handed over to him by his father, Ejike, and Ejike’s younger brother, Pastor Paul. Olatoye, during interrogation, was said to have revealed that the duo brought Lucky to him for a surgical operation to enable the family to extract ‘mercury’ from his hunchback. He said, “Paul said his brother (Ejike) had a son who had a hunchback which he was planning to do away with. “I asked him why, and he said the boy was a thief; the boy was this and that. He said when the boy was much younger, the father attempted to sell him, but it didn’t work out well. He asked whether I knew the people who could take up the boy. I told him that I would make inquiries.” The suspect noted that they all agreed to a surgical procedure and contacted an associate said to be in Abeokuta, Ogun State, who promised to pay N10m for ‘mercury’ which would be taken from the victim’s hunchback. He added, “The boy in question (Lucky) even came to meet me, begging me that if the hunchback could be removed, I should help him. He said he wanted to be like a normal human being. “I told them that he might not survive the procedure, but he said he would survive it. That was when we fixed a date for us to travel for the procedure. “My first contact was an NGO in Owerri, Imo State, which said they would extract the ‘mercury’ and pay us N5m. “I asked him what would be our own percentage. At last, both Paul and Ejike accepted the N5m offer, but the NGO didn’t show up again.” The suspect explained that he approached another ‘contact’ in Abeokuta, Ogun State, which offered to pay N10m but that the payment would be made in two or three months’ time, which all parties agreed to. He noted that the victim’s father, Ejike, kept visiting his office and disturbing him. “The day we travelled for the surgery in Lagos before heading to Abeokuta, Ejike handed over the boy to me and Paul gave me N15,000 for transportation. “At the hospital, I called the father because of the document we were to sign, but he told me to go ahead and sign on his behalf. “The operation was carried out, but in the end, the boy couldn’t make it,” he added. Ejike’s brother, Paul, 38, expressed sadness at the incident, but denied any involvement, saying he only introduced Olawale to his brother He stated thereafter he was not involved in their subsequent discussion with Olawole and his brother, even as he also denied giving them transport as claimed by Pastor Olawale. The OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwobakata, while addressing newsmen, said the arrest would serve as a deterrent to anyone trying to indulge in ritual acts. Speaking through his media aide, Obed Douglas, he confirmed the arrest, adding that the two pastors and the victim’s father had been arrested. “All three suspects have been handed over to the Assistant Inspector General, Monitoring Unit, Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for further investigation and prosecution.” Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, proved abortive, as she did not pick up calls put across to her phone by our correspondent. She had also yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.

  Sunday 10 September 2023 Storm over Obasanjo’s ‘rethink democracy’ stand How ‘Ifa oracle’ selected RCCG Pastor, Olaoye, as new Soun Tribunal: Tinubu’s lawyers, Atiku fight over President’s team’s ‘imprint on certified copies’ TINUBU: Can Atiku, Obi break 24-year-legal deadlock? Rescues Underway In Flood-Hit Greek Towns As Toll Rises To 11 Osinbajo Hails Tribunal Ruling As ‘Great Victory’ For Nigeria’s Democracy IGP Condemns Rivers DPO’s ‘Gruesome’ Murder, Orders Probe, Arrests And Prosecution DPO’s Murder: Fubara Suspends Monarch, Places N100m Bounty On Suspect’s Head Pastor Taiwo Odukoya Laid To Rest In Lagos Minister Sets Up Task Force On Relocation Of Airlines To New MMIA Terminal Wike Denies Inviting EFCC, ICPC To Investigate Predecessor Bello Yobe Govt Targets 7,000 Children In Renewed Immunisation Drive Tribunal judgment: Tinubu, Atiku camps fight over watermarked Certified True Copy Police grill DSS operative over Abuja market shooting Akeredolu signs bill creating 33 new LCDAs into law Tinubu to G20: You’re incomplete without Nigeria — we’ll play vital role in bloc The North Is No More – General Lekwot France Deploying Forces, War Equipment In Preparation To Invade Niger – Junta Nigeria’s slumbering power sector awaits Tinubu’s ‘magic’ Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…