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Sam Amadi, You Can’t Be Governor Hope Uzodimma

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The Source
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Oguwike Nwachuku and Sam Amadi

By Oguwike Nwachuku

On Thursday, February 20, 2025 a piece was forwarded to me by someone quite close but who never sees anything good in what the Governor of Imo State, Dist. Sen. Hope Uzodimma does. His, is a typical case of hate without cause.

So, whenever I see a forwarded item from the person in question I am not deceived about his intention.

As was expected, he was the same person who forwarded to me the article written by Dr. Sam Amadi, the former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that was circulated on social media same day, knowing full well it contained lines that cast aspersions on my principal.

Smart Sam had captioned his piece: “If I were Hope Uzodimma,” as if he doesn’t know he cannot be him.

Because I know to a large extent, who Sam is, including his mindset, I didn’t want to waste my time, his or that of our audience, before informing him that he cannot be Hope Uzodimma.

In the first place, Sam knows that no two individuals can be the same, no matter the method one wants to use to evaluate their anatomy and physiology, including their state of wisdom or foolishness.

Now, let us hazard a guess of who Sam Amadi is for the benefit of those who may be hearing his name for the first time.

I already said Sam was the former Chairman of NERC, a trained lawyer, who was at a time a fellow at the Care Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

He once held the position of Special Adviser to the President of the Senate of Nigeria, was Director of the Centre for Public Policy and Research in Lagos, Nigeria and Senior Legal Officer at The Human Rights Law Service in Nigeria.

Sam once worked as a Senior Counsel at Gani Fawehinmi Chambers and is an Associate with Olisa Agbakoba and Associates.

He holds a doctoral degree of law from Harvard, a LLB from University of Calabar, BL from Nigerian Law School, LLM from Harvard Law School and MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and teaches law in the University as as Associate Professor.

He has been this and that including a fellow of the Society of Project Management and Development Professionals International where he serves as a Member of Advisory Board.

Sen. Hope Uzodimma as the current Governor of Imo State is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and began his political career in the Second Nigerian Republic, joining the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN), where he became the Imo State youth leader in 1983.

In the 1990s, with the aborted transition to the Third Nigerian Republic, Uzodimma featured prominently as a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). In 1999, after the return to democracy, he joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he served as a member of the Party’s National Caucus, National Executive Committee and on the Board of Trustees, at various times between 1999 and 2017.

Mind you, in 2003, Uzodimma was the Imo State governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), a platform he used in contesting that year’s election when the then PDP denied him ticket.

Uzodimma was elected Senator for Imo West in April 2011 and served until June 2019. While in the Senate, he served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise as well as a member of several other committees including Banking and Finance; Culture and Tourism; Aviation; Police Affairs; and Power.

On January 14, 2020, Uzodimma was declared the rightful winner of the 2019 governorship poll in Imo State by the Supreme Court of Nigeria after the nullification of the election of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.

Uzodimma has several national, state, and local government honours and recognitions, including the Commander of the Order of Nigeria, CON, Chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum, Chairman of South East Governors Forum, to name but a few.

Uzodimma holds a Bachelor’s in International Studies and Diplomacy from the Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States and an Advanced Diploma in Maritime Management Technology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State.

An accomplished private sector player with incredible knowledge in project management and execution, Uzodimma has not failed to bring his private sector competence and experience to bear in the way and manner he conducts the affairs of the State under his watch as a tested and experienced politician of more than 40 years.

He has authored many books and delivered several lectures in reputable institutions in and outside the country.

Now that we have an idea of who both Sam Amadi and Governor Uzodimma are, and why it is practically impossible for the former to dream of being the latter, can we then examine the intent in the piece in question credited to Sam?

First, Sam’s recourse to the caption, “If I were Hope Uzodimma,” was not only pejoratively couched to deceive, but he craftily tried to hide under it as pieces of advice, knowing full well that it oozes contradiction and subtle demeaning characterisations aimed at smearing Governor Uzodimma.

Senator Hope Uzodimma
Governor Hope Uzodimma

Now, assuming but without conceding that Sam was out to provide sincere advice to the Governor he claims to respect, how come he digressed from the core reason for the advice if he was well intentioned, and delved into the politics of the Imo APC where a perceived crisis is only exiting in his imagination?

Does the manner Sam repeatedly emphasised on the governor being a lame duck, running a transactional government, the turn of Ngor Okpala person to succeed the governor having not produced one or a senator or ambassador, the need for the governor to dissolve his cabinet as condition for enduring legacy and for redeeming his tenure, among others, not suggest the intention of a man working Nicodemously towards a project where he appears, but economical with the truth in his so-called advice?

Truth is that Sam acted true to type – deliberately chose a convenient headline that he hid under to discredit the current government of Imo State and cast aspersions on the governor as lacking in development ideas, intellectual and managerial prowess to transform Imo and probably get a successor.

Part of the contradiction in Sam’s social media memoir is that he claims to know the governor’s strength and weaknesses, but I really doubt if he truly knows Uzodimma’s strength. Suffice it to say, therefore, that Sam is obviously one of those fellows who under rate Uzodimma, and at their own peril.

It is unfortunate that those struggling to grab power have found in the use of the word “transactional” in describing the way government of the day is run as the most potent tool to discredit their political opponents, but the reality is that when they have the ear of such persons in power that popular lexicon –  transactional – is hardly remembered talk-less of being uttered by them.

If you read Sam’s piece between the lines, you must come to the conclusion about a man whose agitation is borne out of lack of unfettered access to Governor Uzodimma.

A man who thinks he is assumed to be good upstairs, but has not been brought too close by the powers that be. Don’t forget that Sam is used to the corridors of power in the years past, despite being a rights activist, social crusader and analyst.

If Sam thinks he wants to succeed Governor Uzodimma, it is his right to ascribe to such highest office in Imo State, but must he deploy blackmail, no matter how subtle, to achieve that? Will it not amount to the same transactional government he claims to be preaching against if Uzodimma covertly endorses him as his likely successor without taking into consideration his other equally very good friends from the same zone, including from Ngor Okpala?

It is most scandalous that someone of Sam’s standing will claim to be advising the Governor on what legacy he should leave behind after seeing and feeling all the legacy projects that Uzodimma has, so far, tirelessly laboured to bring about in Imo in the past five years.

Only those the devil has condemned to perpetual blindness will pretend not to have seen Governor Uzodimma’s massive road infrastructure that has redefined the status of Imo.

May be Sam has not been coming home and should be reminded that Owerri-Orlu, Owerri- Okigwe, Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia, Mgbidi- Oguta, Orlu-Mgbe-Akokwa-Uga roads, to name but a few are now motorable. When he finds time to visit his Imerienwe community in Ngor Okpala, I am sure he plies through the Bola Tinubu Drive from the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport. Does that corridor look like manna from heaven to Sam?

Too many city roads in Owerri have since worn new looks. The Assumpta flyover is few months away from commissioning. Same as the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu International Conference Centre. Please, can someone take Sam to the Imo State House of Assembly Complex to see whether the edifice qualifies as a legacy project or not. I believe he must have heard about the brand New Exco Chambers built by Governor Uzodimma.

Governor Uzodimma is working day and night to light up the entire Imo State before he leaves office in 2028 using the Orashi Electricity Company of Imo State, and methinks that if NERC under Sam’s Chairmanship had done her job properly the scarce resources the government is deploying to the power sector today to give the people light could have been diverted to another infrastructure.

But unfortunately, in Sam’s epistle of advice, I did not read anywhere he singled out one project executed by Governor Uzodimma in five years for commendation, typical of critics and agitators for political office.

To him, the governor has not done anything. He is lacking in the depth of ideas and policy acumen that can only be found in a transformative leader like Sam, no more no less as the long awaited Messiah the people of Imo State need.

The pull him down syndrome (PHDS) which many so-called leaders in Imo State wear like a cloth is so nauseating and should be discouraged by all men of good will, including Sam Amadi.

The last time I checked, Sam has not given-in on his interest to be the governor of our dear State. In 2019 he tried his luck under APGA where they fleeced him to the pants his savings. Again, in 2023 his hope of leveraging his relationship with then presidential candidate, Peter Obi to clinch the Labour Party ticket got complicated.

I don’t know whether he is still in Labour Party today, what his relationship with Obi looks like, whether he has joined the others who are daily jumping out of the Labour Party, using every available space to defect to the other political parties. But whatever is the case, should there not be decorum in the way of conducting political activities?

Sam still believes, like others in his mould, that he is the best thing that can happen to Imo State, hence, no other person(s) serving or aspiring may be qualified. His hunch tells him he should be secretly crowned by Uzodimma, not by the people of Imo State whose right it is to elect who they want.

The fact that one is a good television analyst, lawyer, teacher, rights activist, does not mean the person can also be a good politician and governor. It goes without saying, also, that there are other fellows with competencies that are far better than what you may think you have and because they have refused to be willfully exposed to the kleig light, you think you are delivered from heaven to be adored.

In the build up to the 2023 governorship election, Sam was quoted to have said he will not give any delegate a kobo to vote for him, a comment which, to his supporters, was a recipe for disaster and failure.To such supporters, the bigger implication is that he is not the type who can make sacrifices for them. Yet, he sees himself as the best man for the job without knowing that being the best in politics could be relative.

By the way, who tells Sam that Governor Uzodimma is not conscious of who will competently take Imo State to the next level after him? Or does Sam think that after working so hard to restart Imo State on the current trajectory of economic prosperity and growth, Governor Uzodimma will close his eyes to who will succeed him and not fritter away the gains he has worked so hard to record?

Make no mistake about it, Governor Uzodimma will be alive to his responsibility till January 14, 2028. You can take that to the bank if you so wish. It is in your interest and the interest of your fellow political office agitators and critics to perish the thought of the governor being a lame duck, barely one year into his second term in office. Don’t even try to force him, using subterfuge, into such position the way most of you are wont to doing in the past because you will not succeed with Hope Uzodimma.

Instead, I urge you to pray to God for his good health and that of his team, because by the end of this year, the tendency is that you may not recognise Imo State, including Ngor Okpala based on the ongoing development initiatives lined up that will affect the lives of Imo people positively.

Imo people, particularly the Elders Council, are happy and grateful to the Governor for accepting their proposal for power to shift to Owerri zone from 2028. Everyone is also happy with the governor the way he is working hard to actualise the desire of the people regarding power shift. And Owerri zone, you and I know, is not only Ngor Okpala.

One thing you can be rest assure is that at the appropriate time, the right person from Owerri zone, with the support of our brothers/sisters from Orlu and Okigwe zones, who is a real and committed member of the APC, and who understands the policy framework and development blueprint of Imo State from the time Governor Uzodimma took over, and more than prepared to take the State to another level, will emerge.

But under no circumstances will those who never wished Governor Uzodimma well during his tenure, or those who covertly or overtly sabotaged his government through their actions or deeds, will be considered.

My own advice – use your tongue to count your teeth.

Nwachuku is Chief Press Secretary/ Special Adviser Media to the Governor

Ekiti: Gov Oyebanji Pledges Support For New Federal University, Thanks Tinubu

By
Ayodele Oni
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Biodun Oyebanji - Ekiti State Governor

By Ayodele Oni

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has thanked President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the establishment of Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences in Iyin-Ekiti.

President Tinubu, had on Thursday in Abuja, assented to two separate bills establishing the Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State and the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin, Ekiti State.

The Governor, in a statement, signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Olayinka Oyebode, on Friday, hailed the President for approving the establishment of the Federal University of Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti.

He said would further enhance educational and technological advancement of the state and the country through manpower development.

Oyebanji said the state government would give maximum support and cooperation for the smooth take off of the new university.

He also thanked President Tinubu for his sundry support for Ekiti State, which he said has aided the socioeconomic and infrastructural development of the state.

The Governor also commended the Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele for his tenacity that culminated in the establishment of the institution.

“Our profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving the establishment of the Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin- Ekiti, and for his sundry support for the state which has helped in the socioeconomic and infrastructure development of Ekiti State.

“We commend the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele for his tenacity which led to the establishment of the university. We also congratulate all sons and daughters of Iyin-  Ekiti and Ekiti State in general for this historic achievement.

“The Government of Ekiti State would give maximum support to ensure effective take off of the institution in line with the education and human capital development agenda of the administration.”

Court Stops Geometric, Aba Power From Disrupting Supply To Customers

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
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Abia Geometric Power Plant

By Suleiman Anyalewchi

An Abia State High Court  sitting in Isiala Ngwa, on Thursday, February 20, 2025, granted an interim injunction restraining the authorities of Aba Power Limited from disconnecting electricity supply to its consumers within its area of operational jurisdiction – the Aba Ring Fence which covers nine Council Areas including Isiala Ngwa North.

Ruling in an ex-parte motion filed by Comrades Ike Opigwe, Ojukwu Imo, and Leonard Onyemesiri, on behalf of the Aba Electricity Consumers Forum, AECF, Justice Enyinnaya Okezie, also, issued an order allowing the claimants to serve all necessary court papers on the defendants through substituted means.

The defendants include Aba Power Limited Electric, Geometric Power Limited and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC.

The Claimants, in their application, argued that the planned mass disconnection exercise by the Aba Power Limited, if allowed to go on, will have severe negative consequences on consumers and their businesses.

They, therefore, prayed the Court to halt the planned disconnection exercise pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice before  it.

The Source reports that the relationship between the APL and its millions of customers within Aba and environs has suffered severe strain since January 2025.

This followed the decision of the power distribution giant to effect an over 100 % increase in its monthly tariffs .

The policy which commenced in January 2025, has seen the monthly payable tariffs for a one room living apartment or shop, rising to over N54 ,000 .

Similarly, a block of flats, and modest bungalows are being slammed with a monthly estimated bill of between N80,000 and N100,000.

Business concerns, corporate entities and Governmental/Public institutions are given as much as between N500,000 and 1.5 million monthly bills.

The astronomical estimated bills were excruciating enough to force no few than three public protest marches by consumers between January and early February 2025 .

The protesters are particularly miffed by the seemingly insensitive bills and the refusal of the APL to provide its consumers with pre-paid meters as enjoined by regulatory authorities.

Although there has been a remarkable improvement in service delivery since December 2024, the protesting consumers are insisting that the new and arbitrary tariff regime will sooner than later drive them out of business if not checked.

However, the APL and its parent body, Geometric Power has insisted on the necessity of the new tariffs regime.

In an official leaflet availed consumers while officially flagging off the new tariff regime January ending 2025, the power distribution giant  cited the rising cost of operations and maintenance of operational materials as some of the major reasons driving the tariff increase.

“Effective January 1,2025, our electricity tariff has been adjusted in accordance with regulatory guidelines.

“This adjustment is essential to maintaining a reliable and sustainable power supply amidst increasing economic pressures.

“While many other DISCOs adjusted their tariffs as early as April 2024, we kept our tariffs unchanged for months to shield our customers from rising economic pressures. Even now, our tariffs remain within reasonable range even as a100%  privately owned business.

“We have been importing power from the National Grid due to lack of reliable gas supply to our sister Company GPAL

“The wholesale tariff we have been paying for power importation from the NDPHC since inception reached N136/KWh,while our highest tariff to customers up to December 2024 was N117/kWh for MD and 106/kwh for NMD .This resulted in a deficit”,  APL stated.

The Court has adjourned till March 19, 2025 for hearing of the motion on notice.

How Abacha Deceived Abiola From Heading Interim National Government – Babangida

By
The Source
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Sani Abacha and MKO Abiola

By Gideon Njoku

General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, the man at the centre of the annulment of the June 12, 1993, Presidential election, has disclosed that he made “a consolatory” offer to  Chief Moshood Abiola, presumed winner (then)of the election, to head an Interim National Government, while the intrigues which concerned the annulment were being sorted out.

IBB said he made the offer to Abiola after series of brainstorming meetings and consultations, including with Traditional Rulers and Abiola and his family members. But Abiola, IBB disclosed, flatly rejected the offer for two reasons.

One, Abiola already knew he won the Election fair and square. So, why an Interim Head? Why not the main thing?  But the second reason, and most important, according to IBB, was late former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who IBB said deceived Abiola.

Pretending to be Abiola’s friend, even though, said IBB, Abacha had a deep rooted hatred for him (Abiola), he convinced him to reject the offer, and instead, gave him the impression that once he,  IBB, is removed from office, he, Abacha, would de-annul June 12, and install Abiola as President.

What Abiola did not know, said IBB, is that Abacha was, literally, the main brain behind the annulment as he, Abacha, was hell bent on the Military not handing over to a Civilian Government.

He, also, said that Abacha and his group were those who deceived Abiola into proceeding on exile, and, arrested and detained him as soon as he came back to Nigeria. Abiola’s absence, he said, gave Abacha and Co. the opportunity to consolidate their plans and position.

These revelations, like claps of thunder, came as IBB tried to  explain exactly the intrigues that surrounded the annulment of the June 12, 1993, Presidential Election which his regime annulled.

32 years after the annulment of the election considered free and fair, General Babangida, the man who announced the annulment, finally, has the courage to publicly admit that indeed, Chief Moshood Abiola, won the Election.

Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, had slugged it out with Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention, NRC.

Writing in his autobiography,  “A Journey In Service” which was presented to the public in Abuja, on Thursday, February 20, IBB said at a point, he told Abiola that both their lives were on the line.

He wrote:

“At one of my several meetings with Abiola, arranged this time by some traditional leaders, I offered Abiola an interim position pending when we could resolve the situation. Not surprisingly, Abiola turned down my offer.

“How could anyone blame him? Since he was convinced that he had won the elections that the annulment had denied him, it seemed overtly inappropriate to accept an interim arrangement. For him, it was a matter of once bitten, twice shy!

“At another meeting, this time a more private meeting of both families, I articulated that our lives were in danger of being snuffed out by lurking forces that wished both of us ill.

“Unfortunately, Abiola turned his back on rapprochement with me and embraced the gimmicks of deceitful ‘friends’ who hid their real intentions from him. I read somewhere, I believe, in one of Abiola’s newspapers,  that Abiola thought that the moment these ‘friends’ overthrew me, the elections would be de-annulled and that he would be installed as President by his ‘coup plotting friends.

“As it turned out, Abiola was advised by these same ‘friends’ to leave the country to avoid death threats from fictitious military elements. Abiola’s departure paved the way for his ‘friends’ to consolidate their conspiratorial positions, eventually leading to another military takeover.

“Without question, one of my biggest headaches at this time was Sani Abacha. I knew that Abacha was ambivalent about a return to civil rule. But I thought, in retrospect now, naively, that he would support our transition to civil rule programme.

“As I said earlier,  Abacha and I had come a long way. We were good friends, and he had indeed been nice to me. As I have said elsewhere, he saved my life once and also risked his life to ensure that I took over in 1985. I could never forget those details.

“But it’s also correct that he was a complex character. He was capable of bottling up a lot inside without giving a hint of where he was. And then, suddenly, the bottle bursts, and we begin to see a different person. I obviously didn’t know everything about him!

“For instance, I was alarmed to discover that he and a handful of others mobilised negative opinions against me within the military, portraying me as the problem.

“That campaign was geared towards a violent military coup to remove me as President forcefully. But even more bizarre for me was my discovery of the loathing that Abacha had for the person of Abiola, whom I thought had a good relationship with him.”

The day Babangida stepped aside, August 15, 1993, he handed over to Chief Ernest Shonekan as the Interim Head of Government.

But in November, 1993, Abacha overthrew the Interim Government set up by Babangida.

He, it was, who arrested Abiola, clamped him into detention for declaring himself President  in April 1994, and charged him for treason.

Both men died suddenly in 1998. Abacha in June 1998, inside Aso Rock, and  Abiola, in July, at his detention centre.

Osun Gov Adeleke Insists LG Election Must Hold

By
Ayodele Oni
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Governor Ademola Adeleke
Governor Ademola Adeleke

By Ayodele Oni

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has waved aside Federal Government’s order to cancel Saturday’s Local Government Election, insisting that the election  will proceed as planned.

The Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), despite objections from the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi affirmed that the poll will hold on Saturday.

The AGF had, in a statement, urged the governor to halt the election, citing a Court of Appeal judgement.

On Thursday, Fagbemi argued that elected local government chairpersons must be reinstated following the appellate court’s decision, which overturned a lower court’s ruling that had removed them.

Governor Adeleke maintained that the election must proceed on Saturday, dismissing the AGF’s position and demanding further clarification on the court’s ruling concerning the legality of the sacked local government chairpersons and councillors.

Speaking on Friday while receiving a delegation from a Civil Society Coalition in the state to monitor the elections, Adeleke affirmed that Osun voters are prepared to exercise their franchise.

He also expressed satisfaction with OSSIEC’s level of preparedness.

“I welcome you all to Osun State. Our people are ready for the election tomorrow. They are eager to choose their chairpersons and councillors.

“OSSIEC has done a commendable job in its preparations, according to reports at my disposal. Several political parties are participating, and I believe there will be a level playing field for all to test their popularity.”

Addressing concerns surrounding the election, Adeleke stressed that democracy thrives on the rule of law and that no individual or institution should assume the authority of the courts.

“My advice to all parties, including local and national stakeholders, is to adhere to democratic norms. As for me and my people, we stand by the rule of law, not illegal self-help.

“The election will hold, and its outcome will spur rapid development at the grassroots. I urge our people to remain peaceful. Osun is a truly peaceful state.”

Earlier on Friday, a statement purportedly signed by the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed announced cancellation of the election.

PSC Approves Promotion Of 38 ACPS To DCPS, 100 CSPS To ACPS

By
The Source
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Hashimu Argungu - PSC Chairman

The Police Service Commission, PSC, has approved  the promotion of thirty eight Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners.  The Commission also elevated 100 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners of Police.

The Commission took the decision Thursday,  February 20th 2025 at the continuation of its extraordinary Plenary Meeting holding  at its Corporate Headquarters in Jabi Abuja and presided over by Its Chairman,  DIG. Hashimu Argungu rtd. The Meeting was also attended by Justice  Adamu Paul Galmuje, retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Honourable Commissioner representing the Judiciary; DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd, Honourable Commissioner representing the  Police and Chief Onyemuchi Nnamani Secretary to the Commission. 

The new Deputy Commissioners, as released by the Commission, are: Emmanuel  Deenom,  Olufemi Takeet, yusuf Doki Sani,  Joseph  Habakkuk Anche, Faruku Umaru, Danladi Daura, Benedict  Omotomilola Olomo,  Bernard Adedayo Ojewale, Aminudeen Mohammed,  Mohammed lawal  Bello, and  Mohammed sabo Haladu.

Others are; Baba Gana  Saje,  Maman Bello Tambuwal Abubakar  Bello Mustapha, Haruna Adamu, Uzairu Abdullahi,   Dashuwar Tepnyakas,  Braide Elekima,  Usman Garik,  Musa Abdullahi, Kabiru Salisu,  Uchenna Ani, Innocent  Oguejiofor Umuerie Mathew  Obiuwevbi, Gabriel Odiaka Dibie and  Olufemi  Olabanji Kayode, State CID, Osogbo,  Osun State Command. 

Ikenna Kenneth Ezeani, Force Secretary’s Office  Afolaranmi Omotayo, Ibrahim Yidi, Isyaku Usman, Rasaq Abdulsalam, Olajide Agboola, Chioma Onwukaike, Abayomi Agbana, Ibrahim Miringa Musa, Umar  Sokoto Abubakar,  James Ekanem Usen and Dauda Buba Fika were the other Assistant Commissioners promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioners. 

Some of the Chief Superintendents of Police who were promoted to Assistant Commissioners are; Ibrahim Mohammed  Agava, Akinloye Joseph  Oyegade, Rilwanu Mohammed  Dutse, Ibrahim  Aliyu Jauro,  Abdulmajid Isah, Fidelity Lohya Labong, Anthony Olusola Ojo, Ibrahim Muktar, Abdulrahaman  Idris and Aminu Hamza.

Also promoted Assistant Commissioners are; Clement  Ugochukwu Ezejiofor,  Peter  Obiyo Ihechere,  Benjamin  Chidozie Egbu, Joy Ugo Elemoke, Mansur Mahmud Tafida, Area Command  Ido Osi, Ekiti State, Mohammed  Ibrahim second in Command Zonal CID Zone 3, Yola, Jude Ohaja, State CID, Awka, and Chinyere Ajuolachi Akalaga,  DPO, Lokogoma, FCT.

Godfrey  Ogbeide Victor, former DPO Utako, FCT, and now Commander Scorpion Squad Abbattoir, FCT, Banawi  Ishiaku, DPO  Otu Jeremi, Ughelli  South, Delta State, Abbas Abubakar,  DPO Ikot Abasi Akwa Ibom and Celestine Tochukwu Umeh were  also promoted to the next rank of Assistant Commissioners  amongst others.

Chairman of the Commission,  DIG Argungu said the Commission will continue to be faithful in granting deserving Police Officers their due promotion. H e however advised that they should reciprocate Commission’s faithfulness by rededicating themselves to the service of our country.

DIG Argungu said the Commission expect that the war against insurgency and banditry should be given the required attention.

“Bisi Akande Lied, I Never Told Him Ige Will Be Killed If He Resigns From Obasanjo’s Cabinet” – Brig-Gen Rotimi

By
The Source
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Retired Brigadier-General Oluwole Rotimi and Bisi Akande

By Gideon Njoku

“Investigation into Ige’s murder was not thorough” – Rotimi

90-year old retired Brigadier-General Oluwole Rotimi, has put a lie to the recent claim by Chief Bisi Akande as it concerns the murder of Chief Bola Ige.

Ige, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister for Justice under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Government was gruesomely murdered in his Bodija, Ibadan home on December 23, 2001 under circumstances that, till date, have not been unraveled.

But, recently, Chief Akande, a former Governor of Osun State, President Bola Tinubu’s political ally, and a former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stirred controversy when he said that Rotimi, a former Military Governor of old Western Region, had called him to tell Ige not to resign from Obasanjo’s Cabinet as he planned to because if he did, he could be killed.

But addressing a press conference to mark his 90th Birthday, Rotimi said Akande’s submission was far from the truth, and a misrepresentation  of what transpired.

According to him, Obasanjo, when he wanted to change his Cabinet called him to speak to Ige not to think of leaving because there was a lot of pressure on Ige to resign from Obasanjo’s Government, including from Professor Wole Soyinka.

His words: There was a lot of pressure on Ige to leave the Obasanjo Government from people, including Professor Wole Soyinka.

“I now advised Chief Bola Ige, ‘Please don’t do it’. Obasanjo did not make a mistake in appointing you a Minister in his Government and he appreciates your usefulness to his Government.

“I did not say if he left, something would happen to him.

“That I advised Chief Ige not to walk out of Obasanjo’s Government is a fact. But I did not tell him there would be consequences should he do it.

“What Akande said is a misrepresentation. He should, as much as possible, get his facts right.

Rotimi, however, expressed disappointment with the investigation of Ige’s murder. He said it was untidy and not thorough.

He said: “They should have gone beyond those who  were his security personnel.

“If you limit your investigation right from the beginning, how do you deal with other facts hanging around which nobody thought about?

“That is the way I feel they should go, but I have learnt, over the years, to close my mouth because I don’t want to say something which I cannot publicly defend in order not to be seen as a fool.”

Nigeria Has ‘No Business’ Producing 2m Barrel Of Crude Oil Per Day- OPEC Chair

By
James Orji
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0

Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC  says Nigeria has the capacity to produce four million barrel per day, bpd.

He spoke at a business forum in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Thursday organised by Heirs Holdings, owned by Nigeria’s business man, Tony Elumelu

The OPEC board chairman remark comes amidst the struggle by the country to produce two million barrel set for it by the international oil cartel, due to some intervening factors including the restiveness in the country’s Niger Delta, apart from the serious crude oil theft in the creeks which has marred the sector for years.

The situation, according to experts, has affected the nation’s revenue which is highly dependent on oil income.

According to the figures obtained from the government-controlled oil firm, the NNPC Limited as of November 2024, Nigeria’s crude oil production peaked at 1.8 million barrels per day bpd.

In spite of the seeming challenges, Adeyemi-Bero hinted that Nigeria has no business producing “below two million barrels a day’, saying she has proved this by attaining 1.7 million barrel per day in January this year.

He said efforts should be made to further attain four million crude production,  noting that this is not impossible considering that the country already showed the capacity to achieve this. M

According to him, “I think the important thing we should understand is that with Nigeria’s reserves and resources, it doesn’t have any business being below two million barrels a day. Nigeria should be doing two and a half, three, or four million barrels a day with its resource base. And I believe we can do it. And I do believe that even those in OPEC and around the world believe that, but we have to demonstrate that we can actually produce that.

“What happened in January is a major demonstration. The country demonstrated that it can deliver above 1.5mbpd. I think that’s the beginning of giving confidence that we can get more quotas.”

My Ideals Align With APC, Peter Obi’s Ally Who Dumped Labour Party; His Guber Plans

By
James Orji
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1

As tongues continue to wag over his defection from the Labour Party, businessman Valentine Ozigbo has explained the reason behind his decision.

Ozigbo, a former governorship candidate of the LP in the last election in Anambra state dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC this week opening the doors for speculations among keen political pundits.

His departure from the party, further raised controversy, considering that he’s a close ally of Peter Obi, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the party.

Explaining why he resigned from the LP Ozigbo said his progressives ideals aligned with the APC as a forward looking party, and the quest to “uplift the people of Anambra and Nigeria at large’ propelled him to dump his former party.

The former LP guber candidate who spoke when members of the APC in Amesi Ward visited his home on Thursday, said he has since been warmly welcome by the members of his new party.

He said his membership of the APC has been completed in his ward.

He said,  “This historic decision was formalised today (Thursday) when I completed my registration as a member of the APC at my ward in Amesi, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

“I was warmly received by party executives and stakeholders at the ward and local government levels. My decision to join the APC is driven by my deep-rooted belief in progressive governance, my desire to work alongside forward-thinking leaders, and my determination to champion policies that will uplift the people of Anambra and Nigeria at large.”

Sources however informed the magazine that Ozigbo still has his eyes set on the governorship seat, which he believed is difficult to achieve under the LP.

Dele Giwa’s Murder: I’m Clean As A Whistle- IBB

By
James Orji
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1

Former military dictator Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida says the mystery behind the murder of renowned journalist Dele Giwa, will one day be revealed, despite past efforts to do this have failed.

General Babangida who ruled the country between 1984 and 1993 has been fingered in the deaths of some Nigerians including the fearless Giwa, who was the Editor in chief of Newswatch at the time for opposing his dictatorship.

Giwa was killed in Lagos with a parcel bomb suspected tohave the imprimatur of the regime. In fact, not a few have accused Babangida of direct involvement in the bloody murder.

Many years after the incident, security agencies have yet to uncover those behind the murder, amidts suggestions of a government cover-up in other to stop those involved from been exposed.

But in his book, ‘A Journey In Service’ launched in Abuja on Thursday IBB as he’s fondly called denied culpability in the murder of the popular journalist

He accused the media and security agencies of not doing enough to get to the bottom of the murder, saying whether now or in the future the mystery surrounding it will become a public item.

IBB said, “The hysteria of the media did not help the investigation of the Giwa murder. As is typical of the Nigerian media, the direction was marked by an adversarial attitude towards the government, which had remained the hallmark of the Nigerian media from its colonial heyday.”

He explained the futility of past government efforts to get to the bottom of the murder.

According to him, “When the Obasanjo civilian administration reopened the Giwa case at the Oputa Panel on Human and Civil Rights, I expected that the police and lawyers would come forward with new evidence as to their findings on the Giwa murder over the years.

“Nothing of such happened. The Giwa, like all mysterious murders, has remained unsolved after so many years. I keep hoping it will be uncovered in our lifetime or after us. More often than not, mysterious crimes are solved long after their commission.”

Meanwhile, Omoyele Sowore, an activist, in his response to the book said the former dictator cannot exonerate his regime for what happened to Giwa, and other killing that happened under the regime.

Apart from this, Sowore, the Publisher of Sahara Reporters said in a post he shared on his X handle that IBB must be held responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election won by the late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola.

IBB said he was forced to annul the election won by the late business mogul.

“Today, former Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Babangida will launch his book, which is expected to falsely blame late General Sanni Abacha, another wicked dictator, for the annulment of June 12 elections, on doing so he will be admitting they were free and fair. Babangida’s narrative will be totally false as his life and times have always been! Don’t forget Babangida killed journalist Dele Giwa via parcel bomb in 1986. He murdered several military officers and bosom friends in phantom coup d’etat, he crashed a plane filled with military officers, he stole billions from the Nigerian national treasury, destroyed the Nigerian economy through SAP and introduced a fake transition program that he personally aborted in 1993. As usual he will blame someone else for all these,” Sowore said.

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