Okolobi Gist Specials

  Navy arrests suspected oil thief enroute Cameroon with 15,500 litres of PMS  The Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base (FOB), Ibaka, Akwa Ibom, has arrested a suspected oil thief enroute Cameroon with 15,500 litres of suspected Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The commanding officer, Capt. Uche Aneke, disclosed this at Ibaka while handing over the suspect and the seized product to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). Aneke said that the suspect was arrested with the exhibit at about 2:00 a.m. on Friday.  He said the navy received intelligence report that a boat was conveying suspected smuggled products through FOB Ibaka operational area and heading towards Cameroon. ”We intercepted the boat and discovered that it was laden with 15,500 litres of products suspected PMS concealed under a tarpaulin. ”We also found a suspected smuggler onboard who was arrested immediately,” he said. The commanding officer warned against smuggling of illegal consignments...

  RUSSIA TO ESTABLISH NUCLEAR PLANT IN A WEST AFRICAN COUNTRY . A Russia’s state corporation that specialises in nuclear energy and high-tech products, Rosatom will be building a nuclear reactor in a country in West Africa.  Already, the West African country, Burkina Faso is in the process to finalize a nuclear deal with Russia for the construction of a nuclear-powered facility. Both countries have started signing a road map to building a nuclear reactor in the West African country.  This move goes to strengthen plans of Russia’s ambition in increasing its influence on the African continent. The Burkin Faso’s Minister of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, Yacouba Zabré Gouba highlighted the benefits of the deal, which included a reduction in energy deficit and a socio-economic boost. Zabré Gouba relayed that his country intends to partner with Russia on a nuclear deal. He spoke in an interview on the sidelines of the International Forum on Nuclear Energy, which t...

  EDISION FAULTS RIVERS ASSEMBLY ON ARROGATION OF STRANGE POWERS TO ITSELF   Rt. Hon. Ehie Edison, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Rivers State, has described as a nullity the recent bill passed into law by the State House of Assembly overriding the governor. The new law is the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission (Amendment), 2024, which repealed the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission Law, No. 3 of 2006 and further amended the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission Law of 1999. Rt Hon. Edision said, the import of the amended law is that the State governor will no longer have the power to appoint the Chairman and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly Service Commission, vesting the power to do in the House of Assembly. The Chief of Staff declared that such act is null and void as every proceeding which was founded on it was also bad because it is foolhardy to expect to put something on nothing and expect it to sta...

 JUSTICE MARY ODILI BOWS OUT AS THE 51ST CHAIRMAN OF THE BODY OF BENCHERS  Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has attended the send forth reception in honour of Justice Mary Odili as she bowed out as the 51st chairman of the Body of Benchers (BoB) after one year (April 2023-March 2024) of meritorious service to the body. The event, which held at the Halimatu Abdullahi Turaki Hall of the Body of Benchers Complex in Abuja on Thursday, witnessed her Vice, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, taking over the mantle as the new Chairman of BoB. This was in keeping with the tradition of BoB that is the legal body of practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession that, among other functions, is responsible for the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners as well as disciplining of erring lawyers. Speaking at the event, Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, commended Justice Mary Odili for her invaluable contribution...

  Woman arrested for changing locks to her house to evict Squatters who illegally took over her property. A woman was arrested and placed in handcuffs for changing the locks to her property in an attempt to remove squatters out of the $1,000,000 house she inherited from her dead parents in Queens, NY.  Adele Andaloro, 47, was busted for unlawful eviction of a tenant after changing the locks last month on the $1 million home in Flushing, Queens “It’s enraging,” the homeowner said of the squatter saga. “It’s not fair that I, as the homeowner, have to be going through this.” Andaloro claims the ordeal erupted when she started the process of trying to sell the home last month but realized squatters had moved in and they brazenly replaced the entire front door and locks.  She said she got fed up, and went to her family’s home on 160th Street on Feb. 29 and called a locksmith to change the locks for her. A heated argument with the people occupying the house ...

  Zenith Bank Plc, on Tuesday, appointed Dr. Adaora Umeoji as its new Group Managing Director. This appointment makes Umeoji the first female to be appointed as the GMD of the bank. She will be taking over from the current GMD, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, after his time in office expires on May 31.  Her appointment is to take effect June 1, 2024, according to a statement signed by the Company Secretary, Michael Otu. In this piece, PUNCH Online highlights 10 things to know about Umeoji: Umeoji holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Jos. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a first-class honour in Law from Baze University, Abuja. She holds a Master of Law from the University of Salford, United Kingdom, as well as a Master in Business Administration from the University of Calabar. She attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. Umeoji attended the strategic thinking and Management programme at Wharton Busin...

  Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, seeks to borrow just N500 billion to finance capital projects   The Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, has asked the House of Representatives to approve a N500 billion loan to finance the N1.147 trillion 2024 budget of the territory. Wike made the request when he appeared before the House Committee on FCT to defend his budget on Monday, March 18. He said the N500 billion will be sourced from commercial banks and will be used to finance capital projects. On the expenditure side, the ministry is proposing to spend N726.3 billion on capital expenditure and N421 billion on recurrent expenditure. Wike also spoke on the hike in personnel cost of the ministry. He said the increment is to accommodate emoluments of political appointees and in anticipation of new minimum wage. “The sum of N140 billion, representing 12.28 per cent is proposed for personnel costs for the year 2024, compared to an appropriation of the sum of N99.5billion in the year 202...

  KILLERS OF SOLDIERS MAY NOT BE INDIGENES OF NIGER DELTA COMMUNITIES - AKPABIO   The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio says the killers of the 17 military personnel at Okuama community in Delta State are not residents of any community in Niger Delta. Senator Akpabio made the remark as part of his contribution to the motion on the killing of the soldiers that was raised by Abdulaziz Yar’adua (APC, Katsina Central) during plenary on Tuesday. Mr. Yar'adua, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Army, had called for a proper investigation and identification of the culprits. He also sued for collaboration between the Nigerian military and the Nigerian police to prevent such occurrences in future. When the motion was opened for debate, many of the senators condemned the killing in support of the motion. In his contribution, Senator Akpabio, maintained that the culprits may not be residents of the region. Senator Akpabio, who hails from Akwa Ibom State in the Nig...

Army Killed Over 50, Say Witnesses In Delta As DHQ Debunks ‘Reprisal Attacks ’  The killing of troops of the 181 Amphibious Battalion of the Nigerian Army who were on a peaceful mission, in Okuama, Delta State continues to elicit outrage on social media. task force, Major General Jamaal Abdulsalam in a closed-door meeting that lasted for an hour.  Still in Delta state, two people were reportedly killed in Asaba, the state’s capital, following a dispute between commercial motorcyclists, and members of a task force.  In a video now making the rounds on social media protesters were seen blocking roads, as the police officers deployed to the location opened fire.  In Kaduna State, Eighty-seven people have reportedly been abducted by Terrorists who attacked the Kajuru Station community, in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the State.  The Terrorists were said to have looted some shops and houses in the community. The attack occurred on Sunday night,...

  EXPECT POSSIBLE WORLD WAR III, PUTIN WARNS NATO President of Russian, Vladimir Putin, has warned of a possible outbreak of World War Three. This will happen he said, if NATO begins a direct conflict with Russia. As monitored from Reuters, Putin emphasised that if the conflict happens, the planet will be one step away from World War Three. “It is clear to everyone that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War Three. I think hardly anyone is interested in this.” The comment was coming amidst claims by Putin of winning his re-election by landslide victory with 87.8 per cent of the votes. It was an election that the US, Germany, the UK, and other nations had described as neither free nor fair. This was because, Putin had imprisoned all his political opponents leading to the election. Putin also responded to questions on the statements made by the French President, Mr Emmanuel Macron of contemplating deploying ground troops in Ukraine. But Putin said such act...

  WIKE HAS ABANDONED US, FCT APC ALLEGES In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have alleged that party members are excluded from appointments made by the Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike. They made the accusation while addressing a media conference at the Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in FCT, Abuja. The Convener, Abdulwahab Ekekhide and Co-Convener, Obaje Omobolaji David, stated that party members received the appointment of Mr Wike with high hopes. But that hope, they said, has been shattered because of the refusal of the minister to engage with party members, who were working tirelessly to reposition the party structure in the capital city. Rather, they accused him of literally importing his cronies in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Rivers State into FCT and giving them juicy appointments. Such behaviour exhibited by a seasoned politician, they pointed out would not empower and strengthen the APC...

  There’II be Injurious Consequences for Killing Military Personnel, Says Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters  Taking advantage of the full authority granted it on Sunday by President Bola Tinubu to go after killers of its men, the military high command, on Monday, has declared that there would be measured but injurious response to the killing of military personnel in Okuama, Delta State, last Thursday. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) stated this in a statement by Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj-Gen. Edward Buba. DHQ also released the names and pictures of the 16 army personnel killed by suspected irate youths on Thursday at Okuama. Ministers of Defence, Badaru Abubakar and Bello Matawalle, while condemning the killing, said the federal government would not tolerate any threat to the country’s security and sovereignty. They said the perpetrators must be brought to justice. Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, said there was no hiding place for the killer...

  US 2024 Elections: Supreme Court Rules In Favour Of Trump, Says States Can’t Kick Him Off Ballot In a significant victory for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court delivered a sweeping ruling on Monday, prohibiting states from excluding him from the ballot over his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The ruling, issued unanimously and without dissents, swiftly concluded a case with profound implications for the 2024 election. The court overturned the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court, which had barred Trump from serving again as president under Section 3 of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. This provision prohibits individuals who previously held government positions but later “engaged in insurrection” from running for various offices. In its ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that states do not have the authority to determine the eligibility of presidential candidates or other federal office-seekers. Instead, it asserted that Congre...

 ‘ POOR PEOPLE DON'T EAT EGGS'  - AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR ENO The Akwa Ibom State, governor Umo Eno says the poor in the society do not eat egg. Governor Eno made the remark during an enlarged State Executive Council meeting. At the meeting, he was presented with the bill establishing the Bulk Purchase Agency to sign into law. The executive had forwarded the bill for the establishment of a Bulk Purchase Agency to the State House of Assembly weeks ago. It was his administration response to tackling the ever increasing prices of commodities and its effect on the people. With the law, the State government through the agency will buy items in bulk and sell them to vulnerable people at a subsidised rate. As stated in the law, the agency has three staple food items – rice, beans and garri on its menu.  When the items are bought, the State government will sell them at 10kg each and done once a month to the vulnerable people already enrolled on the state social register. But on...

 " NO ONE CAN INTIMIDATE US", PUTIN SAYS IN  ELECTORIAL VICTORY SPEECH The Russian President Vladimir Putin says no one can intimidate the country during electorial speech moments after  been reelected comfortably. It was in reaction to the position of the Britain’s Foreign Minister, David Cameron, who on Sunday, said "This is not what free and fair elections look like.” The exit polls had suggested that the  71-year-old Putin secured another six-year term as Russian president. By the victory, the hard-line former spy had become the longest-serving Russian leader in more than 200 years. Putin insisted that no matter what the West said,  Russia would not be “intimidated.” and has therefore hailed his election victory. Putin said: “I want to thank all of you and all citizens of the country for your support and this trust.”  Putin had expressed his gratitude early Monday morning, during a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Moscow hours after...