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Veteran Nollywood Actress, Peju Ogunmola, Loses Only Son

September 2, 2025

By Akinwale Kasali

Nollywood Actress, Peju Ogunmola, has lost her only Son, Shina, to death.

The veteran Actress and her renowned comic actor husband, Sunday Omobolanle, popular as Papi Luwe, lost their son Tuesday.

The tragic incident occurred while the 56-year-old Actress was on a movie set.

Shina was the only child between Ogunmola and her husband, though, Papi Luwe has a son from his first marriage, whose name is Sunkanmi Omobolanle, also an actress.

The sudden death of her son has plunged the family and the industry into deep grief.

The loss comes just months after Shina successfully completed his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme, a milestone that had filled his Mother with pride.

The heartbreaking news was first shared by actor, Odunlade Adekola, whose post triggered an outpouring of condolences from colleagues and fans.

Many have since flooded Peju Ogunmola’s social media pages with prayers and tributes.

It is unclear what led to his sudden death, but the demise of her son has thrown the Nollywood community, especially the Yoruba genre Into mourning.

INEC Debunks ADC CVR Allegation Claims, Makes Clarification

Akinwale Kasali

September 2, 2025

By Akinwale Kasali

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Lagos State, has debunked the allegations of manipulation made against it by the African Democratic Congress, ADC, on the figures from the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise.

The Electoral Umpire says the claims of manipulation are unfounded, baseless and inaccurate.

According to Taiwo Gbadegesin, Head, Voter Education and Publicity,

INEC, Lagos State, “The Lagos’ registration figures are consistent with past CVR trends and reflect the State’s demographic realities: a large, youthful, and tech-savvy population. In the last CVR (2021–2022).

” Lagos recorded the highest number of registrations nationwide.

“The State’s total registered voters rose from 6,570,291 before the exercise to 7,060,195 afterward. The current figures, therefore, align with this established pattern”, the statement reads.

INEC stated that it is also important to note that the present data covers not only new registrants but also citizens applying for transfers, replacements of lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and updates to personal information.

The statement reads further, “It is therefore, inaccurate to equate the totals solely with fresh registrations. The numbers also reflect the Commission’s effective deployment as well as the State Office’s numerous and sustained public awareness efforts”.

The Electoral body added that it is bent on promoting transparency as the Lagos State INEC operates an open-door policy, making daily registration data available to interested stakeholders.

The Commission urged political actors and the public to avoid needless speculations and rely on verified data and official information.

It stressed that the Commission remains fully committed to its constitutional mandate of delivering free, fair, transparent and credible elections; beginning with an inclusive, credible and accountable voter registration.

APC Will Work With Governor Fubara – Party Assures

Suleiman Anyalewechi

September 2, 2025

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Strong indications emerged on Tuesday September 2, 2025, that suspended Governor of Rivers state, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, may be on his way to the All Progressive Congress, APC.

The Source reports that Fubara, who was in 2023, elected Governor of Rivers State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, was on March 18, 2025, suspended from office alongside members of the state House of Assembly.

Their suspension was sequel to the declaration of a State of Emergency in the state by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who also proceeded to appoint a Sole Administrator Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, for the six months duration of the emergency rule.

All things being equal, Governor Fubara and the State Lawmakers are set to return to their duty posts on or before September 18, which will mark the expiry date of the emergency rule.

At a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday , the Rivers state APC Chairman Chief Tony Okocha, celebrating the party’s victory in the August 30 Local Council Polls informed that the Party is set to work together with Governor Fubara on his resumption of office.

However, he insisted that working with the Governor’

who is of the PDP extraction will not stop the APC from carrying out its constitutional role of keeping the Government in check as an opposition party.

“There are states where the Governors and Assembly members are of different Parties. So, we, as APC, are going to work with the Governor.

“However, that will not take away our right to criticize him when he goes wrong. But for us ,the Local Government Chairmen will work with him except that we will not agree to vicious policies”, Okocha stated.

The Source further reports that the opposition APC won 20 out of the 23 Local Councils of the State during the just concluded Local Council Polls.

The ruling PDP in the state as part of the deal said to have been struck between Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, and the APC was allocated three Local Councils .

As the date for Governor Fubara’s return to the Brick House draws nearer, there are strong and widespread speculations suggesting that arrangements may have been concluded for him and the members of the State House of Assembly to formally join forces with the APC .

The defection of Fubara to the rival APC is believed to be one of the cardinal points of the much touted truce brokered between him and his political mentor,Wike some months back by the president.

He is also expected to work for the second term bid of President Tinubu alongside Wike, and the law makers.

While there may be pockets of pressure for him to jettison some contentious aspects of the agreement, the returning Governor is most unlikely to go against those that contributed to his suspension him from office.

Kebbi Security Council Outlaws Political Activities

Ayodele Oni

September 2, 2025

Sani Bello -Kebbi State Commissioner of Police

By Ayodele Oni

There seems to be a twist of the law in Kebbi state as the Commissioner of Police in Kebbi State, (CP) Sani Bello, declared that there is a ban on political activities, during a civilian rule.

The CP insisted that political campaigns has not yet started, while urging politicians to strictly abide by rules and regulations governing political activities as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Ban on campaign has not been lifted, therefore, there is no reason whatsoever, some political parties will create confusion in the state.

“It is pertinent to also note that premature politicking is inimical to public peace and order.”

This order, coming during civilian administration in the country, has caught politicians with surprise wondering how gatherings and association could be banned at this period.

Bello, warned political parties against taking the law into their hands by employing thugs to cause disunity in the state.

He stated this while briefing journalists shortly after an emergency State Security Council Meeting held at Government House, Birnin Kebbi.

Bello further stated that the emergency security meeting was summoned by the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, with a view to finding lasting solution to the menace, indicating that the governor has the interest of masses at heart.

He stressed the need for people, especially politicians to be educated about premature campaigns in the state to further promote peace and harmony in the society.

“We received a report of violation by some political parties, who are organising large political gathering which goes contrary to INEC guidelines.

“This is not acceptable, the police will not tolerate such violation of the law, we will make sure that any one found guilty faces the wrath of the law,” the CP warned.

Bello, who also expressed dismay over the unauthorsed use of sirens by some people, said: “It is illegal for any person not authorised by law to do so. Some political parties are violating this law.

The CP promised to convene a meeting of all political party leaders to formally remind them of the legal provisions governing campaigns and the use of sirens.

Bello admonished political parties in the state to remain calm and focus attention on the current PVC registration while awaiting INEC to formally lift ban on campaigns.

“For now, nobody is allowed to commence any political rally or gathering across the state,” the CP strongly warned.

It Is Time For Wike To Join APC – Rivers State Chairman Okocha

Suleiman Anyalewechi

September 2, 2025

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The All Progressive Congress, APC, has called on the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to consider making the final switch to the party.

At an interactive session with the Media in Port Harcourt on Tuesday September 2, 2025, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the APC, Chief Tony Okocha, said the time is now ripe for Wike to join the party officially.

The Source reports that the former Governor of Rivers state has, since 2023, been hobnobbing with the APC, while at the same staking his membership of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP.

Pre-2023 general elections, the FCT Minister, together with four other PDP Governors, joined forces with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ,who was the APC candidate, against their own party’s candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Nyesom Wike - FCT Minister — Nyesom Wike – FCT Minister

He was, thereafter, compensated with the FCT Ministerial slot by President Tinubu.

Using the instrumentality of the FCT Ministerial position, Wike has in the past two years, been worked tirelessly to undermine his party, the PDP, with the intention to render it impotent enough not to pose any threat to the second term ambition of his acclaimed new political benefactor, President Tinubu.

Having successfully executed his latest assignment of pushing out the PDP from the political equation of Rivers state, through the enthronement of the APC as winner of the much condemned August 30 ,2025 local council election, speculations are rife that the former Governor is now ready to formally defect to the ruling party at the centre.

Chief Okocha informed that the APC in the State is also wooing other prominent members of the PDP to join the party, alongside the FCT Minister.

According to him, the State law makers who Wike have been using in the last two years to rein in Governor Similanayi Fubara, are also prime targets for a possible defection to the APC in the days ahead.

Chief Okocha noted that already, there have been a flurry of quiet defections of some prominent PDP members to the APC ,in the last few weeks.

The APC Chairman explained that most of the APC candidates that emerged victorious during the just concluded local Council Polls in the State ,were actually decampees from the PDP.

However, he noted that owing to some strategic reasons, the development had remained a secret before now.

“Those former PDP members who contested as candidates of the APC during the Local Government election actually defected to the APC. We decided not to make it public”, Okocha stated.

This is as he insisted that the APC deliberately refused to field candidates in three local councils of Obio/Akpor, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni ,and Port Harcourt City during the council polls.

Instructively, the three councils fall within the area under the immediate territorial control of Wike in Rivers state politics.

“We didn’t field candidates for Port Harcourt City , Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni ,and Obio Akpor LGAs because we know we won’t win in those areas”, Okocha noted.

The party expressed deep appreciation to President Tinubu and the National leadership of the APC for repositioning the party and returning it to winning ways in Rivers state.

He expressed the optimism that the fortunes of the APC will be greatly enhanced with the formal entry of the FCT Minister and his loyalists.

Early Bird Attention Seekers Ahead 2027

The Source

September 2, 2025

By Oguwike Nwachuku

Last week, Governor Hope Uzodimma took a step that will go down in the history of Imo State in particular and Nigeria at large as the first Governor to raise the minimum wage of civil servants across Labour Unions from N70,000 to N104,000.

The consequential adjustments for other categories of workers in relation to their

take home pay; medical and non medical, universities/tertiary institutions, teaching and non- teaching staff, were accordingly effected.

It was a decision that took many unawares, especially the Imo workforce and their restless leadership.

Since the pronouncement was made, joy unprecedented is the best way to describe the feeling of all the workers.

But trust Onwa Oyoko, he did his homework properly as regards the source of funds for the payment and it’s mode of sustainability before making the pronouncement public.

That, of course, puts paid to the mindset of the early bird attention seekers ahead of 2027 who think the reason for the salary raise was political.

Many of them are already on the loose with gibberish pieces that obviously betray the source of their thoughtless interventions. I shall return to this shortly.

Regardless,the additional good news on the Imo State minimum wage increase is that the process of the payment is already in full gear. With improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), and enhanced allocation from the federation account plus the type of infrastructure that will promote Imo’s economic development under Governor Uzodimma, and even after him, the State will be good to go.

However, it must be borne in mind that no sooner had the Governor dropped the heartwarming news on the wage hike than the report reverberated across the country.

The latest information is that the Imo State wage raise had resonated with other States in Nigeria. While another Governor from the South East followed the footsteps of Governor Uzodimma and raised his own minimum wage to N90,000, workers in another State in South West wrote their Governor demanding nothing below N150,000 as minimum wage.

In the coming weeks, this developing copy would have taken proper shape, and to the extent that the men would be separated from the boys.

What that means, is that the Nigerian workers will be in a position to know the Governors who have the competence, capability and capacity to pilot the affairs of their State and those who don’t. Put differently, the workers will also be in a good standing to determine the Governors who have incorporated openness, probity and accountability in their leadership agenda.

The bigger picture arising from Governor Uzodimma’s decision to increase the minimum wage of his workforce is that in the future, the idea of incessant agitation by workers for minimum wage raise may no longer be fashionable if a sitting Chief Executive of a State could do so without being prompted, but solely based on evidence of improved revenue of his State and ability to pay. It also means that a worker can be at liberty to decide which State to approach to render his or her service.

Therefore, those who are wont to input political consideration into what took place in Imo State had better think twice or better still, hide their faces in shame.

Two other issues attracted my attention during the week that just ended. The issues were canvassed in writing, either online or in hardcopy by Sam Onwuemeodo, Ezenna C. Okoro and Chinedu Agu. They all wrote from where they appeared.

Ezenna Okoro’s, ” Uzodimma’s lopsided appointments,” was published in The Nation as a letter while Sam Onwuemeodo’s, “The appointment of a total 32 Commissioners by His Excellency,” was posted online.

Obviously, Onwuemeodo and Okoro wrote on the same subject and may have got their briefing from the same source. If they didn’t get the briefing together at the same time, they must have received it differently, but as the same topic.

I am sure the briefing must have taken place in someone’s living room, dinning table or better still at an eatery because the texture of their lamentation suggests those are the likely places the briefing could have emanated from.

Like I said earlier, the bond between Onwuemeodo and Okoro in their write ups is their interest in who Governor Uzodimma appointed into his cabinet. What is ailing them is that the Governor may not have met their personal expectation or the expectation of the person(s) who briefed/recruited them to do the writing.

But Agu’s piece dwelt on his idea of infrastructure in Imo State, and not what is on the ground and which has largely met the desire of the generality of the Imo people who are witnesses to the enormous infrastructure decay that was Imo State when Governor Uzodimma took over power in 2020.

For the avoidance of doubt, I have been reading my brother Sam Onwuemeodo for some time now, mainly not because of the subjects he discusses, but for the fun of his usual pay-off: “We shall continue to clap for Jesus.”

No doubt, Sam Onwuemeodo remains one of the few journalists I know of in Imo State who received proper training in the practice of journalism. Therefore, he ought to know what is factual and what is hearsay.

He shouldn’t belong to the genre of media practitioners who were thrown into the mix by the currents of the socalled citizens journalism that makes everyone using an Android phone a journalist. I am talking about media practitioners who do not know what it takes to follow a peg to ascertain it’s veracity or not.

Properly honed journalists, I believe like Sam Onwuemeodo, also have fair knowledge of what the law says about those occupying public offices, the same way they are expected to know a little about any subject under the sun as Journalists.

But I am worried that Brother Sam may have forgotten all the rules, nay all the ethics, and now follows the rules set by politically inclined persons and not the sector he has always been part and parcel of.

If the axiom “once a soldier always a soldier”, is anything to go by, how come Sam’s temporary sojourn in a political environment has tweaked his mindset so dangerously from what has been his life?

How can he allow himself to be mired in the labyrinth of political propaganda and subtle blackmail all in the name of telling the Governor who to choose and from where for his cabinet?

If Sam recognizes the right of the Governor to appoint whoever he desires to be in his cabinet how come he chose to travel the lane of clannishness, by insinuating that the Governor did not appoint Commissioners from Aboh Mbaise and Ezinihitte?

“The Governor has the prerogative to appoint Commissioners. He has the right or privilege to appoint whoever he wishes, Commissioner for ‘anything’, ” he wrote. Really? So what has the Governor done wrongly?

Who has carried out a study that shows that those appointed as Commissioners, and from what ever area, are more relevant in the scheme of things in a particular government than those not appointed in the same stead?

Okoro, like Sam, who claims to have written from Awa in Oguta, was also promoting clannish politics instead of recognising merit, capacity, competence and general good of the entire Imo citizens regardless of where they come from.

But unlike Sam, Okoro’s worry or the worry of his mentor was that more persons were appointed from Oru Nation. And the question is: is there any of the appointees from Oru Nation in Governor Uzodimma’s government who does not have record of excellent performance that is rubbing off on the entire Imo State in the assignment given to him?

Back to Sam Onwuemeodo’s piece, to the best of my knowledge, Governor Uzodimma’s government has many sons and daughters from Mbaise Nation who are active in his decision making processes for the greater good of the whole Imo State.

They include but not limited to the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Administration, Dr. Pat Ezeji, the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Irene Chima, yours sincerely, Oguwike Nwachuku as the Chief Press Secretary/Special Adviser Media, Dr. Tony Mgbeahuuike (Commissioner for Livestock Development), Dr. Elias Emedom

(Commissioner for Special Projects), Mr. Anselem Anyanwu ( Commissioner for Budget, Economic Planning and Statistics), Hon. Mrs. Ngozi Pat Ezeji ( SA, Strategy and Development), Comrade Austin Chilakpu

(SA on Labour Matters), Ms. Doris Tony- Anyanwu (SA/State Coordinator NEPAD/ AUDA/ APRM), Chief Perry Opara (SA Political to the Governor), Mr. Sam Nwaobasi (SA Programming, Monitoring and Implementation), Mr. Eze Obinna (SA Narcotics and Illicit drug Monitoring), Chief Mike Uzodimma (Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission), Engr. Bede Opara (Chairman, Imo State Electricity Commission), Prof Ikechukwu Dozie (Vice Chancellor, KO Mbadiwe University), among others.

It will therefore be the height of ingratitude for Sam Onwuemeodo to malign the Governor for alleged marginalisation or exclusion of the Mbaise Nation in his appointment.

I therefore challenge him or any other Mbaise son or daughter to tell me which Governor of Imo State, before Governor Uzodimma, was this generous in the appointment of Mbaise sons and daughters into their government.

The beauty of the mode of appointment of these Mbaise sons and daughters is that the Governor knows them one on one and reached out to them personally based on his conviction that their capacity, competence and thought line were in sync with his concerning a greater and better Imo and not a State where clannishness and division reign.

It is rather unfortunate when those who ought to think a united Imo State are at the forefront of fanning the ember of disunity, all in the name of politics.

The average, and true Mbaise son or daughter is that person who is desirous of seeing a united Imo State where there are infrastructure for every Imo citizen’s use in the area of good roads, water, electricity, hospital, and schools.

The true Mbaise sons and daughters are interested in how the available infrastructure development the Governor is building in Imo State will engender the much desired spike in economic activities that will bring out the best in them in a competitive society.

They are happy they have a Governor who is making a difference in that area in Imo State, building roads linking all parts of Imo together, hospitals that will take care of the people’s health needs, schools our wards will be proud to say they attended, electricity that will help to energise the businesses of the people, and place our youth in a position to pursue their dreams in today’s competitive society where emphasis on digital employment and economy is paramount.

Back to Chinedu Agu and his hallucinatory write up, I do hope he lives and works here in Imo State. If he does, I leave him to his conscience about the infrastructure situation in Imo State and other issues he has outrightly and mischievously misinformed the public. Be rest assure that rather than think you were undermining the Governor and the State under his watch, you have only succeeded in projecting your as one worse than a prodigal son.

If any one is tempted to take Agu seriously, not when it is said he was part of the government that was declared illegal by the highest court in Nigeria. What that means is that Agu is still rueing in the fate that befell him and his cohorts more than five years ago, and since his has, in particular become a psychological issue, may take long before it heals.

But is it not surprising that Agu has continued to hurt himself even when his masters are celebrating the changes in Imo State under Governor Uzodimma across all sectors contrary to their expectations?

At the risk of sounding immodest, if after seeing the roads from Owerri – Okigwe, Owerri- Orlu, Owerri- Mbaise- Umuahia, Orlu- Akokwa- Mgbe-Uga, Assumpta Flyover, the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, the more than 120 solid roads scattered across the nooks and crannies of Imo State including the capital city, the balloon technology drainage control system that removed Owerri from a perennial flooded capital since 2020, the three General Hospitals at Omuma, Oguta and Ohaji, the Imo Digital City, the Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education, the Imo State Polytechnic Omuma, the Federal University of Technology Owerri Teaching Hospital, the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, among others, and pretends not to see them, then his blindness must have graduated to something more than physical.

I made the point years back that there are people who are deliberately blind over the good work Governor Uzodimma is doing in Imo State. It goes without saying, therefore, that Agu belongs to that category of persons whose blindness is not just self inflicted but borne out of hatred for the Governor.

But who cares? So long as majority of Imo people, the reason Governor Uzodimma was overwhelming elected in government are happy, let the likes of Agu continue to rue over a lost political opportunity that can never be salvaged, not even with their renewed political propaganda and blackmail ahead of the 2027 elections.

Nwachuku, Chief Press Secretary/Special Adviser Media to Governor Uzodimma writes from Owerri

Imo Slams Barr. Agu, Tags Assessment Of State “Satanic Verses”

The Source

September 2, 2025

By Charles Igbo

In an angry, strongly-worded response, the Imo State Government has dismissed the assessment of the state of Government activities in the State, and his comparison of same with those of Enugu State Government by a Lawyer, Chinedu Agu, as “Satanic Verses.”

Agu, a Solicitor, Notary Public, and past Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Owerri Branch, had, on return from Enugu, where he attended the just concluded Nigerian Bar Association’s Conference, hosted by Enugu the Enugu State Government, in a write-up, expressed pleasant shock at the heart-warming state of developments in the State.

Perhaps, the Government of Imo, Agu’s State of origin, would not have worried if Agu did not proceed to lament in his assessment, the sorry state of Imo State, when compared to Enugu State. But he did. “What happened to us in Imo State?”, he lamented, while reeling out alleged sorry state of things, as well as pointing out that, till date, Imo State still has no Chief Judge.

But in a swift response, Declan Emelumba, Imo State Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, in dismissing Agu’s write-up as “Satanic Verses”, also added: “This is the public lashing of a bitter soul, still reeling from political irrelevance after his stint as Personal Assistant to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under the disgraced, short-lived, and corruption-tainted Emeka Ihedioha interregnum. He speaks from agony”

Titled, TEARS FROM ENUGU: A LAWYER’S HEARTBREAKING DIARY FROM A STATE THAT WORKS TO A STATE IN RUINS, Agu said that

his true reward at the NBA Conference came not from a medal he won as the best goalkeeper from the football tournament where his Owerri NBA branch placed 4th out of 40 teams, but “from the eye-opening, soul-wrenching experience of spending 10 days (August 18–28) in Enugu, a city that, quite frankly, left me in awe, and in pain.”

Here is what he wrote, in part:

“Because I drove myself and spent time moving around Enugu, I can say with confidence: I saw the city. I felt it. I lived it. And what I saw left me with one question — “Gịnị mere anyị na Imo? What happened to us in Imo State?”

“From the moment I entered Enugu, I noticed something strange — no potholes. Yes, I drove across town, from GRA to Uwani, from Independence Layout to Trans-Ekulu, and never once did I fear my tyres would burst or my suspension collapse. The roads were motorable, marked, clean, and vigilantly maintained.

“Contrast this with Imo State, where even the so-called capital city of Owerri is riddled with craters that swallow cars and test your patience daily. Literally, a man driving in Owerri carries his heart in his hands.

“But in Enugu, I drove with ease. No fear of “boom” sounds. No “zigzagging” to avoid gullies in the middle of the road. Just calm.

“One of the most painful yet enlightening moments of my trip was my visit to the Enugu Geographic Information Service (EGIS), an agency under the Ministry of Lands. I went there to conduct a simple search, and what I saw stunned me: digitized records, clear service processes, courteous staff, and fast results.

“This is how a public institution should function.

“Now tell me — when last did anyone walk into Imo State Ministry of Lands and successfully conduct a search? That Ministry has been under lock and key for over two years. A ministry that holds the key to economic development, investments, and housing — completely paralysed.

“What kind of leadership allows such critical infrastructure to collapse while singing songs of development?

“When an animal’s head begins to rot, you know it’s been left in water too long. That is what has happened to our institutions in Imo.

“In Enugu, the police were present, but not predatory. They were there to maintain order, not to extort, intimidate, or frustrate motorists. For 10 days, I was not stopped indiscriminately. I was not asked for “particulars,” “ECMR,” or “fuel our car.” The officers were polite, civil, and professional.

“I even saw a vehicle marked DRS – District Response Squad, strategically situate at major junctions and roundabouts, ready for emergency response; an idea clearly built around public service, not harassment. In fact, a colleague told me how they quickly responded on Tuesday night to a distress call to rescue a lawyer whose leg got stuck inside a Gutter Lid infront of Golden Royale after the Meet-and-Greet Outing of the Eastern Bar Forum. The hotel management called and they responded in less than 4 minutes.

“But in Imo, the story is different. Young men drive with their hearts in their mouths. Police stop you for sport. In fact, if you don’t want trouble in Imo, don’t drive. They are at all nooks and crannies, not to protect but to prey, especially at nights – Amakohia Road, before Amakohia Flyover; Onitsha Road before A.A. Rano Fuel Station; Bank Road; Warehouse Roundabout; Okigwe Road, before Government College; Orji, before Orji Flyover; MCC Road; Concorde Road; Yar’ Adua drive; Egbeada Road, before A.A. Rano junction, just to mention but a few. Drive down there tonight and you will definitely see them, preying on young motorists and commercial drivers in a manner most callous.

“Being a lawyer, I paid attention to the judiciary during my stay. In Enugu, the courts are active, orderly, and strategically digitizing. There is a Chief Judge in place, and we were even treated to a cocktail by the Chief Judge of Enugu during the NBA Conference. That is a judiciary that understands its role as a partner in nation-building.

“Meanwhile, in Imo, we do not currently have a Chief Judge. For a state battling land disputes, insecurity, and civil unrest, that vacuum is dangerous. It’s also telling. Our courts are underfunded, under-equipped, increasingly inefficient and non-existent in this vacation period.

“I visited Aba High Court in Abia State from Enugu last Thursday, and I saw how digitization is transforming, how records are kept and accessed. The future is arriving in our neighbouring states, while Imo clutches tightly and happily to the past.

“The tortoise says it will go on a journey, but forgets that it must have strong legs. You cannot build the future with broken systems.

“During the NBA Conference, over 20,000 lawyers descended on Enugu. Yet, the city did not choke. Why? Because the road network absorbed the pressure. Planning worked. Agencies worked.

“Compare that to Owerri. A single wedding can lock down the entire city. There’s no plan. No foresight. Link roads are abandoned. Intersections are chaotic. If you want to see the practical definition of chaos, drive down to Worldbank Last Roundabout, or Hospital Junction at Portharcourt Road!

“And yet, we clap. We clap for every shallow project, every half-done road, every fresh coat of paint.

“Until the leadership changes how it sees governance, nothing will change in this abandoned property called Imo State.

“This is not an attack piece. This is a lamentation. A public mourning. Because it is shameful that Imo, once a shining light of the Southeast, has now become its sick patient, limping behind as Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi match forward, and probably looking at the recent Anambra and saying, “let’s limp along.”

“Imo is falling apart, and those who should speak have zipped their mouths.

“Let me speak to those still praising mediocrity, especially lawyers who ought to know better: You must not give a vulture the food meant for a hen. We are rewarding those who have failed us while punishing our own future.

“If you truly love Imo, stop clapping. Start asking questions. Start demanding good governance.

“After 10 days in Enugu, my heart is heavy. I love Imo State. I owe my roots to it. But love tells the truth. And the truth is: we are broken. We are behind. And no one is coming to save us unless we rise to demand better.

“So I raise my voice — as a lawyer, a son of the soil, and I say:

“Enugu is working. Imo is rotting.”

Imo State Government responds

In a swift response, Imo State Government put a lie to Agu’s diary of what he saw in Enugu, in comparison to Imo, by countering them one by one.

In the response titled:

LAWYER AGU’s “SATANIC VERSES AGAINST IMO STATE” Commissioner Emelumba wrote:

“Some lawyers are generally given to grandiloquence, hyperbole, and semantics. Unfortunately for them, the bombastic display at court hardly wins cases. What does is fact, hard facts, proven facts beyond reasonable doubt. Judges decide cases based on those facts, not on grammatical gymnastics.

“So when I read the premeditated and venomous attack on the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, by one Chinedu Agu, I wasn’t surprised. Agu, let it be known, is not writing from a place of sincerity. This is the public lashing of a bitter soul, still reeling from political irrelevance after his stint as Personal Assistant to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice under the disgraced, short-lived and corruption-tainted Emeka Ihedioha interregnum. He speaks from agony.

“He couched his bile in the garb of a “diary,” anchored on the just-concluded Nigerian Bar Association conference in Enugu. But it is nothing more than a string of satanic verses aimed at demarketing the very state of his birth. What we read was not a lawyer’s reflection, rigorous as one would expect, but the rant of a man burdened by envy and mischief. A man who, by his own admission, was more fascinated by the dinner of a Chief Judge than the development of his own state.

“Agu’s animus shows in how he lampooned fellow lawyers from Imo simply for associating with Governor Uzodimma. His language betrayed a man bitter with colleagues whose rising political profiles clearly torment him. He presents himself as a public intellectual but fails even the simplest test of balance.

“He raises four talking points:

1) That Enugu has better roads than Imo

2) That land administration works in Enugu but does not work in Imo.

3) That Enugu has a Chief Judge and Imo does not.

4) That police in Enugu are courteous while police in Imo are predatory.

“Let’s unpack each of these fantasies, starting with the roads. First, how did Agu get to Enugu? Most likely via the 55km Owerri–Okigwe Road, which has been fully reconstructed under Governor Uzodimma. Even former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, attested to its quality, no single pothole. Agu conveniently left that out.

“He says Owerri roads are craters. Again, no specifics. Is he referring to the newly dualised MCC-Toronto Road? Or Chukwuma Nwoha Road? Or Lake Nwaebere, which used to flood real estate corridors before Uzodimma’s balloon technology put an end to that menace?

“What about the Assumpta-Hospital Junction road? The stretch from Port Harcourt Road Junction to World Bank Market? The fully rebuilt stretch from Warehouse to Emmanuel College to Naze Junction? Wetheral Road? Douglas Road? Evan Enwerem Road? DSS Road from Onitsha Road to Amakohia?

“Can Agu show the public the “craters” on these roads?

“Or perhaps he hasn’t been through the Owerri–Orlu dualised highway, the Owerri-Mbaise-Unuahia road, the erosion solving Orlu-Mgbe-Urualla-Akokwa-Uga road or the over 100 other roads completed under this administration. But of course, it is easier to grumble in fiction than drive through fact.

“To further his mischief, he claims to have moved freely around Enugu during the NBA conference. On what basis? Evening drives through Uwani, Independence Layout, and Trans-Ekulu. That’s his entire evidence. Three locations. And he claims to have “seen the city.” That’s like driving past the Fire Service intersection in Owerri and claiming to know the whole of Imo.

“Now, on land administration. A lawyer practising in Owerri should know better. He knows what Rochas Okorocha did to land tenure in Imo. He also knows that Mr. Ihedioha empanelled a Commission of Inquiry, which Governor Uzodimma retained, and whose white paper he implemented. By that action alone, stolen lands were returned to their rightful owners.

“Agu also knows, if he is being honest, that Governor Uzodimma took direct charge of the Ministry of Lands and initiated sweeping reforms that dismantled years of systemic rot. One of the most significant achievements was the establishment of the Imo State Land Information Service Centre, backed by legislation signed into law in 2021. Through this law, all landowners are required to recertify and document their properties under a fully digitised Geographic Information System (GIS), which is already live. All land allocation records have been harmonised into this digital format. The Centre itself, physically housed in a new ultramodern secretariat, is now complete and will be formally commissioned during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Imo soon. The Ministry of Lands, now under a substantive commissioner, is fully operational.

“So to claim, as Agu did, that the Ministry has been under lock and key for two years is not just dishonest, it is beneath the station of a lawyer.

“Now let’s talk about police reform. Agu paints a cartoonish image of Imo police checkpoints. But again, he bore false witness. The Imo State Police Command arrested seven officers on June 17, 2025, for extortion, harassment, and misconduct. This followed an unannounced statewide inspection by CP Aboki Danjuma, prompted by public complaints. The affected checkpoints included major highways such as Owerri–Onitsha, Owerri–PH, and Owerri–Umuahia.

“The police command has since introduced zero tolerance policy on illegal searches and intimidation, emergency reporting numbers for confidential whistleblowing, among other public accountability measures.

“So yes, misconduct exists, as it does in other states. But Imo is cracking down, not covering up. Why did Agu not mention any of this?

“Let us now address his third grievance: the Judiciary.

“How does a supposed lawyer speak about the absence of a substantive Chief Judge without reference to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)? According to Section 271, The appointment of a substantive Chief Judge requires a recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC), an appointment by the Governor, and confirmation by the State House of Assembly. In the absence of a substantive Chief Judge, the Governor may appoint the most senior judge in acting capacity for a maximum of three months unless the NJC extends it. How did the governor violate this constitutional process? Or the contrary, Mr Agu will not admit to the inglorious clannish role he played in truncating the processes of appointing a chief judge.

“It is public knowledge that Agu and his associates wrote petitions against a previously nominated Chief Judge, seeking to remove him. So what does he really want? To appoint judges through media tantrums or to follow due process? Or is he simply frustrated that the administration refuses to pander to sectional and narrow interests?

“And of course, Agu won’t mention that before Uzodimma, Imo judges had no official vehicles, judicial officers were owed salaries and worked in subhuman conditions.

“Today, under Uzodimma e-Filing, e-Payments and remote hearings are in place. There is a functional Judiciary Information System (JIS). Electronic dissemination of hearing notices, central court diaries, and an e-judgment portal now exist. A Small Claims Court has been inaugurated. Integrity reforms have led to disciplinary actions against compromised judges.

“But for Agu, these things do not matter unless the Chief Judge organises a cocktail in his honour.

“On the matter of security, does Agu want improved policing or a return to the lawlessness of yesteryears? In one breath, they accuse the Governor of being lax on security; in another, they accuse him of being too firm in reining in the threats. These contradictions are the hallmarks of those who will criticise anything they do not control.

“Truth is, there is no empirical evidence that Enugu is safer than Imo. Reports of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other crimes continue to emerge from there too. But unlike Enugu, Imo has pushed back forcefully. Let those who doubt visit Orlu, Mbaitoli, and other former hotspots today and draw comparisons.

“To the glory of God and the appreciation of genuine Imo people, Governor Uzodimma is delivering on the mandate he was elected, twice, to fulfil.

“Thousands of civil servants and pensioners who promptly receive their entitlements monthly appreciate him. It was only last week that Imo workers erupted in songs of thanksgiving after Uzodimma became the first Governor in Nigeria to surpass the new national minimum wage by setting the least-paid worker’s salary at N104,000 monthly, up from the national benchmark of N70,000, with consequential adjustments applied across all other salary bands.

“Today, hundreds of thousands of our people have been enrolled in the Imo Health Insurance Scheme, a legacy programme that will outlive this administration and improve lives for decades.

“To say more, our roads are in use. The people who use them know better than a lawyer with a bruised ego.

“But Agu, in his usual conspiratorial delirium, cannot find the Assumpta Flyover, cannot acknowledge the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre, nor the rehabilitation of Concorde Hotel. He sees nothing in the three state-owned universities, the two university teaching hospitals, or the transformation of Imo State University Teaching Hospital, which used to be described as a mortuary.

“Even the “Light-Up Imo” project, which will deliver round-the-clock electricity across all 27 LGAs, means nothing to him. Nor does the Orashi Energy Free Trade Zone, with its billion-dollar potential. Nor the 30 million USD grant from the World Bank under SFTAS, awarded for transparency and fiscal discipline.

“For someone who claims to love Imo, Agu’s blindfold is extraordinary.

“And then he sinks to new lows by claiming that a single wedding shuts down Owerri. Really? This is pure malicious propaganda. The very intersections he claimed are “chaotic” were redesigned and modernised under Uzodimma’s successful junction expansion programme. The problem is not the roads. It is the inferiority complex of a man who cannot bear to see progress when he’s no longer at the table.

“In the end, this whole charade failed to resonate. Even Agu’s readers called him out. His exaggerations were rebuked, and his partisan slant was exposed. Alas! Imo is rotting only in the depraved imagination of Chinedu Agu, a man gripped by envy, detached from fact, and desperate for attention.

“So let him keep lamenting while the Hope train moves forward, steered by competence, driven by results, and backed by the people.”

Enugu State, since the NBA Conference, has been getting positive reviews in the Media, written by Lawyers who were at the Conference.

Dangote Ramps Up Fuel Export As Saudi Aramco, Other Refineries Shutdown

James Orji

September 2, 2025

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has lately exported more fuel to foreign nations as Saudi Aramco and others in the Middle East Gulf close refineries for maintenance, The PUNCH reports.

A senior officer at the Dangote refinery told our correspondent on Monday that the $20bn Lekki-based plant exported large volumes of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), aviation fuel, and diesel to other countries in August.

The official, who spoke in confidence as he was not authorised to speak with the press, said, “We export PMS, AGO (Automotive Gas Oil or diesel), and Jet A1 (also known as aviation fuel).”

Our correspondent gathered that the Dangote refinery had supplied two long-range cargoes of fuel to the Mideast Gulf region between June and July. According to Argus Media, a heavy refinery turnaround season in the Mideast Gulf is expected to exacerbate an already tight gasoline market in the fourth quarter, prompting key regional suppliers to boost imports.

“Saudi Arabia, which has already shut down two of its refineries, is preparing to take additional facilities offline in the coming months. Aramco’s 460,000 barrels per day Satorp refinery in Jubail is due for a 60-day shutdown in November-December, while maintenance is also planned at the Riyadh refinery in the fourth quarter,” Argus said

The upcoming turnaround plans come on the back of earlier maintenance at Aramco’s facilities, including the 400,000 b/d Jizan refinery, where the reformer unit has been taken offline since July. Adding to the supply strain, Aramco’s 400,000 b/d Yasref refinery in Yanbu—a joint venture with Sinopec—is currently operating its reformer at reduced rates.

Kuwait’s state-owned Kuwait National Petroleum Company also plans to shut several units at its 490,000 b/d Mina Abdullah refinery for a 30-day maintenance period starting October 1. Additional pressure may come from India, where the end of the monsoon season is expected to boost domestic demand, further reducing export volumes.

With regional output lagging, the Mideast Gulf is increasingly turning to alternative sources, with imports of gasoline surging to a seven-month high lately, especially from northwest Europe, according to ship-tracking data from Vortexa. The Mideast Gulf’s overall gasoline imports reportedly jumped to 1.03 million tonnes in July, up by 35 per cent from June, marking the highest monthly volume since January. Imports remain elevated in August, indicating continued shortfalls in domestic output.

Saudi Arabia has sharply increased its gasoline imports, bringing in 478,000 tonnes of the motor fuel in July compared to just 144,000 tonnes in June. The United Arab Emirates also stepped up its buying, importing 864,000 tonnes in August, surpassing the 648,000 tonnes received in July. It was added that a total of 291,000 tonnes of gasoline — roughly 78,000 b/d — arrived in Saudi Arabia from European ports, the highest volume since December 2024.

Meanwhile, Argus reports that operational issues at the 650,000-barrels-per-day Dangote refinery are likely to persist until early September, but the refinery denied having operational issues, saying it was planning to scale up to 700,000 bpd in December.

“The Dangote refinery had previously supplied two LR cargoes to the Mideast Gulf region when the markets were tight in June-July. If economics align and its residual fluid catalytic cracker issues are resolved, flows from Dangote could emerge…” the report said.

It was disclosed that premiums for gasoline cargoes offered by Mideast Gulf refineries have strengthened, with Pakistan’s state-owned refiner PSO—a major gasoline importer in South Asia—receiving offers at premiums of $7–12/barrel to the Mideast Gulf 92R spot assessment for cargoes loading for July-September.

It was learnt that the latest European Union sanctions on India’s Nayara Energy, a regular supplier to Aramco, have temporarily disrupted the company’s access to at least one cargo per month. Though Nayara Energy has resumed gasoline exports, the recent cargoes are heading to Oman’s Sohar, traders said. The Indian firm has also cut run rates at its 400,000 b/d Vadinar refinery after it became increasingly difficult to send products to both domestic and export markets.

In February, the Dangote refinery said it sold two cargoes of aviation fuel to Saudi Aramco. The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, announced that the refinery recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully exporting two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer and a leading integrated oil and gas company globally.

Dangote said the refinery is reaching the ambitious goals it set for itself as it ramps up production. “We are reaching the ambitious goals we set for ourselves, and I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just sold two cargoes of jet fuel to Saudi Aramco,” he said in February, adding that since its production began in 2024, the refinery has steadily increased its output.

Some weeks ago, he disclosed that the oil refinery had begun exporting PMS to other countries of the world. According to him, between June and July 2025, the refinery exported up to 1 million tonnes of petrol.

“Today, Nigeria has actually become a net exporter of refined products. From the beginning of June to date (July 22), we have exported about 1 million tonnes of PMS within the last 50 days,” he said. It is believed that the shutdown of the Mideast Gulf refineries would be an export boost to the Dangote refinery.

The Punch

PSC Visits Arase Family, Opens Condolence Register At Corporate Headquarters

The Source

September 2, 2025

The Police Service Commission says the passing of its immediate past Chairman, Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase, CFR, retired Inspector General of Police, was tragic, and a great loss not only to the Commission but the nation.

Dr. Arase was a distinguished officer, a cerebral leader, and a pathfinder whose life of service to the nation remains exemplary. As Chairman of the Police Service Commission, he provided visionary and stabilizing leadership, guiding the Commission with uncommon wisdom. His foresight and commitment to institutional growth culminated in the successful relocation of the Commission to its befitting Corporate Headquarters at Jabi, Abuja — one of the many legacies of his tenure.

He dedicated his life to the service of Nigeria, leaving behind a record of integrity, courage, and reform that will continue to inspire generations of officers and administrators.

The Board, Management, and Staff of the Police Service Commission extend heartfelt condolences to his family, the Nigeria Police Force, and the entire nation. May God grant his family the strength to bear this great loss, and may his noble soul rest in perfect peace.

Meanwhile the Commission on Monday September 1st, 2025, paid a condolence visit to the Abuja home of its former Chairman. The delegation was led by Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner representing the Judiciary in the Commission who stood in for the Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd mni. Also in the delegation are DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd, fdc, Honourable Commissioner representing the Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulfatah, Honourable Commissioner representing the Organized Private Sector and Directors/ Staff of the Commission.

The delegation

Commiserated with the family of its former Chairman and prayed for the peaceful repose of his loving soul.

The Commission has also opened a condolence register at its Corporate Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, a statement signed by its

Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, said.

BREAKING: Auto Crash Claims Six Lives In Ikorodu

Akinwale Kasali

September 2, 2025

By Akinwale Kasali

Less than 24 hours after a fatal auto crash on Lagos-Epe Expressway claimed the lives of six persons and injured nine, another auto crash claimed the lives of two persons when a fully loaded Commercial Bus collided with a truck around Idi-Iroko inward Ogolonto axis of Ikorodu Road.

Aside from the dead two passengers, four persons sustained varying degrees of injuries with multiple fractures.

The Commercial Bus involved in the ghastly accident is a Mazda Bus with Registration Number LND 490 SD, and the Truck with Registration Number EKY 121 YJ.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, confirmed that preliminary findings by Security Operatives indicated the crash occurred when the commercial Mazda Bus, recklessly, vying for the right of way along the main Carriageway from the Agric axis, collided with the fast-moving, truck.

According to LASTMA, “one passenger, precariously seated at the doorway of the Mazda Bus, was flung from the vehicle and tragically crushed beneath the Rear Tyres of the truck, leading to instant fatality.

“Two other passengers (a male and a female) were extricated with severe injuries by valiant LASTMA operatives and were immediately conveyed by the Lagos State Ambulance Service, LASAMBUS, to the Ikorodu General Hospital for urgent medical intervention.

“The mortal remains of the deceased were later entrusted to his grieving family by officers of the Nigeria Police Force.

“The Security cover for the coordinated rescue operations by LASTMA. was further reinforced by personnel of the Owutu Police Division.

“To restore unimpeded vehicular movement across the corridor, the accidented vehicles—the commercial Mazda bus and the articulated truck—were meticulously evacuated by LASTMA officials.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and earnestly enjoin all motorists to embrace circumspection, restraint, and civic duty when plying the highways, especially along traffic-congested arteries such as the Ikorodu corridor.

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