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Community of Cross River accuses government agencies of neglect and land grab, and threatens legal action

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Community of Cross River accuses government agencies

The community of Ikot Effanga Mkpa in Cross River State’s Calabar Municipality Council has accused federal and state government agencies of neglect and land grabbing.

Members of the Ikot Effanga Mkpa Town Council, which serves as the host community for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs’ Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), expressed displeasure with the way the community had been treated and threatened to take action to rectify the situation.

Effanga Ineng Effanga, the town council leader, led a five-member team to allege that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the NDDC marginalized the community in the recently concluded employment, despite the fact that they were promised ten slots, and that not a single slot was allotted to the host community.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the Cross River Basin Development Authority, the Federal Character Commission (FCC), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Cross River State Dump Site were all within their jurisdiction but provided no benefit to them.

Read also: Cross River Police Commissioner dies of COVID-19

They threatened to halt the commissioning of the ministry’s secretariat, claiming that it was not adhering to the local content principle in terms of employment and non-implementation of pledges, despite the fact that its secretariat was located in the Ikot Effanga Mkpa town council.

They also claimed that the Basin Development Authority had failed to hire anyone from the community, despite the fact that the Town Council had approached the agency.

Attempts to reach officials at the agencies were unsuccessful, but a director at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, who simply identified himself as Okorie, declined to comment on the matter, claiming that as a civil servant, he was unable to speak to the press.

They said the dumpsite, which is managed by the Calabar City Urban Development Authority (CUDA), has become a major source of ill-health for residents in the area because of the unhealthy ways and manner in which refuse is dumped in the area, which usually causes health hazards.

According to Effanga, the state Ministry of the Environment promised to recycle and generate wealth from the site, but nothing has happened so far.

They also accused the state government of land grabbing in the community, claiming that it seized parcels E1 and E2 in Ikot Effanga Mkpa without paying the town council compensation.

However, in response to some of the concerns, Christian Ita, Special Adviser to Governor Benedict Ayade on Media and Publicity, said that while development had not reached that point at the time the dumpsite was established, alternative locations for the dumpsite’s relocation were being considered in light of the current situation.

He denied that the government was grabbing land, claiming that the government has the authority to appropriate land for development purposes in the best interests of the state and its people.

N100 billion in FDI into the insurance sector benefits over 20 companies

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According to a Daily Independent investigation, over N100 billion in foreign direct investments into the insurance sector have benefited over 20 insurance firms in the last ten years.

Old Mutual, Sanlam, AIICO, Leadway Assurance, Mutual Benefits Assurance, Tangerine General Insurance Limited, Royal Exchange General Insurance Limited, NEM Insurance Plc., Tangerine Life, Prestige Assurance, Stanbic IBTC General Insurance Limited, and Prudential Life Assurance Limited are among these companies.

AXA Mansard, SUNU Group, and Saham are already active in the industry, collaborating with international partners who recognize the enormous potential for development and growth in the sector. Others are still in talks to secure additional funds to expand their capital bases.

The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) increased the capital requirements for insurance and reinsurance companies from N2 billion to N8 billion for life insurers, N3 billion to N10 billion for general business underwriters, N18 billion for composite insurers, and N20 billion for reinsurance companies, with a one-year compliance deadline.

Read also: Printing of N60 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN): PDP flayed the Minister of Finance

32 insurance companies are listed on the Exchange, with 14 specialist life insurance companies, 28 general insurance companies, 13 composite insurance companies, two takaful insurance companies, and two reinsurance companies.

FDI has been helping the Nigerian insurance industry raise capital and expand operations, with a focus on technology that requires a large investment.

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to analysts, highlighted the need for the insurance industry to be technologically driven from onboarding to claims resolution. Furthermore, most products in the Nigerian space, such as oil and gas, engineering, and even some life insurance policies, are denominated in dollars, necessitating FDI.

Although analysts were unable to obtain data on cash inflow as of the time of this report, the estimated value was stated to be at least N100 billion.

Read also: Constancy Financial institution proclaims board retirements and new appointments: Fidelity Bank

Our research shows that non-life insurance premiums increased significantly between 2000 and 2007, before declining at the end of 2007. It was noted that the decline in non-life insurance premiums in 2007 is partly explained by the financial crisis of the same year, which resulted in lower income and consumption.

Foreign direct investments have been steadily increasing since 2005, reaching a high point in 2007 before plummeting in 2010.

287 retirees will receive N1 billion in pension funds from LASG.

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287 retirees will receive N1 billion in pension funds from LASG.

287 Lagos State retirees have received N1 billion in their retirement savings accounts, according to the Lagos State Government (RSA).
The Director-General of the Lagos State Pension Commission, Babalola Obilana, revealed this at the 86th bond presentation ceremony in Lagos. He claimed that the gesture was in keeping with the government’s goal of providing assistance to retirees.

While reiterating the state government’s commitment to the welfare of its retirees, he stated that the contributory pension scheme would be implemented in accordance with the provisions of the state’s amended pension law.

Read also: Group hold a rally in support of Kanu, Igboho

The payments on the bond certificates, according to Obilana, were based on their previous service benefits prior to the start of the Contributory Pension Scheme in 2007.

He applauded the state government’s efforts to pay the contributory pension.

“The Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s efforts to make the contributory pension scheme a success cannot be overstated. “Continuous monthly payments have been prioritized by the state government to ensure retirees have access to their retirement bond benefits,” he said.

Despite N1.5 trillion in funding, power companies unable to meet demand

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coic
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power companies unable to meet demand

In the last seven years, power companies, mostly private entities, may have received about N1.5 trillion in funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which has helped the sector stay afloat.

Experts and power users, on the other hand, are concerned that the situation has not improved, as electricity supply and related services continue to deteriorate.

In recent months, daily power generation has fluctuated between 3,500 and barely 4,000 megawatts (MW). According to the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s (TCN) daily record, the highest power generated was 4,823 megawatts (MW) on Saturday, while the lowest was 3,031MW. This translates to a maximum of 15 hours or less for customers who pay for a 20-hour supply, and even zero hours for those who pay for an eight-hour supply.

According to the CBN’s recently released fourth-quarter economic report 2020 (4Q’2020), while the repayment process for these power sector-centric loans is ongoing, the interventions were intended to speed up power projects, thereby improving the national power grid and end-user experience.

Read also: IPOB: The British Commission and a UK law firm are pursuing Nnamdi Kanu’s case

According to the report, the Power and Aviation Intervention Fund (PAIF) is worth about N300 billion, and the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility (NEMSF) is worth N213 billion, and it was established in 2015 to clear debts owed by power companies and improve operations.

The Rural Electrification Agency has a N140 billion Solar Connection Intervention Facility to improve off-grid electricity access (REA). The CBN also injected another N600 billion for tariff shortfalls and another N120 billion for the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) across the 11 distribution companies (DisCos).

Experts and analysts in the power sector have praised the CBN for its interventions, but they have chastised the power operators, particularly the DisCos, for the lack of improvement in power supply. Others blame the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for regulatory failures, poor tariffs, and other seven-year-long electricity market crises.

The repayment of the loans has been set at 30% in the latest CBN fourth quarter report, and the apex bank has escrowed the DisCos’ accounts to enable it to recoup these loans.

While the CBN is not a sector regulator, analysts at Templars, an economic analysis and law firm, backed the move, stating that given the apex bank’s exposure to the sector through its various interventions, it was critical for the apex bank to influence policies that would address the general electricity market imbalance.

“Gas prices and other elements of the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) for the power sector participants are dollar-denominated,” the legal firm’s Partner, Dayo Okusami, and Senior Associate, Moses Pila, wrote in a document. There is a perpetual mismatch between revenue earnings and CAPEX inputs with electricity tariffs in Naira.”

They explained that while the exchange rate in the tariff is usually fixed, fluctuations in the general foreign exchange market make it difficult for players to obtain foreign exchange at the tariff-template rate, which is the main cause of the cash crunch in the electricity market.

Read also: Banditry: Nigerian military neutralize scores of bandits in coordinated air strikes in Northwest Nigeria

Although the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provided N702 billion in capital to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) in 2018 to save the Generation Companies (GenCos) from going bankrupt because they couldn’t pay for gas, Templars officials say the current situation will necessitate a repeat of that intervention.

“As a result, the GenCos will be able to meet their payment obligations to their gas suppliers. To address the challenges, the CBN may decide to grant the power sector a special foreign exchange dispensation.

“Collection leakages at the DisCo level are another area where the CBN could have an active role. Even if NBET is unable to exert the required influence on the DisCos’ remittance levels, the CBN can act through its banking sector influence.”

Habeeb Jaiyeola, an economist with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), insisted that the CBN intervention remains a positive tool for improving the power sector when asked about the options for saving the ailing power sector. He did say, however, that there should be more aggressive strategies in place to ensure prompt repayment by operators so that the CBN can intervene in other areas of the economy.

Although the operators had not delivered the service improvement to consumers, Kunle Kola Olubiyo, President of the Nigerian Consumer Protection Network (NCPN), said support from the CBN could help cushion the current liquidity crisis.

Olubiyo, on the other hand, believes that the power sector’s intervention schemes should be reviewed across the entire value chain in order to achieve better results in terms of improving electricity supply.

14 people were killed, and 4 others injured in road accidents in Abuja

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14 people were killed

On Saturday evening, fourteen people were killed in a road accident in Ipetu Ijesa, Osun State, and four others were injured in another crash near Kwaita Bridge on the Abuja-Lokoja Road.

In the Osun crash, a Sienna collided with a truck, killing 19 people, including two girls, four boys, four men, and four women.

The crash, according to the state’s (FRSC) Sector Commander, Corps Commander Paul Okpe, may have been caused by incorrect overtaking.

In a related incident, two people died in a fatal road accident near the Sasa Bridge in Gbongan, Osun State, on Sunday.

Read also: Banditry: Nigerian military neutralize scores of bandits in coordinated air strikes in Northwest Nigeria

A Toyota Previa commercial minibus with the registration number GNN57XD was involved in the lone collision.

Five men were seriously injured, while a woman and a man died on the spot.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) rushed those who were injured to Ariremako Hospital in Gbongan, while the bodies of those who died were taken to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (OAUTH) Morgue in Ile-Ife.

The incident was confirmed by the state’s (FRSC) Sector Commander, Corps Commander Paul Okpe.

Meanwhile, a witness said a trailer coming from the Lokoja axis collided with a Toyota Hilux from behind around 5 p.m. on Saturday on the Abuja-Lokoja Road.

According to him, the Hilux collided with a ditch, injuring three people.

At the scene of the crash, an FRSC official who preferred anonymity told our reporter that the accident was caused by a hit-and-run truck driver.

Bishop Oyedepo: I warned Nigerians about this “evil” government In 2015

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coic
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President and founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as evil and wilderness.

During a sermon at the church’s headquarters, Canaanland, Ota in Ogun State, the world’s second richest pastor made the remark.

Speaking on the power of prophecy, Oyedepo stated that he warned Nigerians in 2015, prior to President Buhari’s victory, and that some people were angered by his prophecy until they were confronted with reality.

“I am privileged to be among the few God shows things long before they occur,” he says.

Read also: Residents of Akowonjo lament an abandoned drainage project

“When I spoke out against this evil government, some people were upset with me.

“I warned this Nation, you’re in trouble: 2015,” I said. Are they in trouble or in a tumultuous situation? Turbulence.

“I witnessed the wicked’s wickedness being imposed on the land. There is no longer any movement or direction.

“When a Prophet speaks, he speaks from God’s heart.”

Group hold a rally in support of Kanu, Igboho

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Radio Biafra has announced the World Igbo Congress’s (WIC) intention to hold a nationwide rally in support of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and Sunday Igboho, a Yoruba Nation agitator.

According to the independent, the group made the announcement on Radio Biafra via a live broadcast on Simon Ekpa’s official Facebook page. Ekpa is one of Nnamdi Kanu’s disciples.

It was previously reported that Simon Ekpa, one of the arrowheads of the agitation for the state of Biafra, had been appointed to take over the daily broadcast on Radio Biafra following Kanu’s arrest.

Ekpa urged “concerned Nigerians” to join the protest to ensure justice for Nnamdi Kanu and Yoruba nation agitator Igboho.

Read also: CBN Bans Sugar Imports From Flour Mills, Dangote, and BUA

“The World Igbo Congress is organizing a massive rally in support of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho’s release,” he stated. We are encouraging all concerned Nigerians to take part in the exercise. If you are a concerned Nigerian, Biafran, or Oduduwa, make sure you attend the rally, which will be the country’s largest.”

It will be recalled that Nnamdi Kanu was rearrested and repatriated to the country to continue his trial after he jumped bail in 2017 through the efforts of the Nigerian security and intelligence agencies in collaboration with the authorities of a yet-to-be-disclosed country.

The leader of the Biafra agitation is currently detained by the Department of State Service (DSS) pending the resumption of his trial on July 26.

Similarly, following several rallies organized by Igboho in several states in the Southwest in support of the Yoruba nation’s actualization of Oduduwa Republic as a sovereign nation, the DSS recently invaded his residence in Ibadan, Oyo State’s capital, killing several of his allies and arresting others.

Igboho was also declared wanted by the DSS for alleged activities endangering the country’s corporate existence.

PDP Members Tell Secondus North-central Zone Presidency in 2023

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Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State have called on the party’s national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to zone the presidential ticket to the North-central region.

As part of Sarakiyya 2023, the PDP members said that in order to be fair, the party’s leadership under Secondus should support the North-Central geopolitical zone to produce the next president.

Abubakar Nuhu, national coordinator of Sarakiyya 2023, made the appeal on Saturday in Katsina, the state capital. Nuhu said the zone could produce Buhari’s successor.

Sarakiyya 2023’s position coincides with southern governors’ demands that the south produce the country’s president in 2023.

Read also: US issues a public health alert regarding monkeypox ‘imported’ from Nigeria

“Nobody is safe in Nigeria, so we need a presidential candidate who can secure Nigeria for the youths’ future,” Nuhu said. PDP clearly owns North-central, as evidenced by its electoral victory in the 2019 election.

“North-central had over two million votes. But we only had 800,000 in 2019, when Atiku Abubakar ran for president. That proves that PDP can win if they move the presidential candidate to North-central.”

Nuhu claimed that Sarakiyya PDP members in Katsina State had endorsed the former senator for the PDP’s 2023 presidential race. Many Nigerians, he said, believed the former Kwara State governor should lead the country.

“We have endorsed him to be our presidential flag bearer under our great party, PDP,” Sarakiyya said. Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki’s efforts helped bring the not too young to run bill to the floor of the senate, where it was signed into law. That gave Nigerian youths equal opportunity to run for political office.”

Nuhu said he would work with other Nigerians to elect Saraki as the next president.

IPOB: The British Commission and a UK law firm are pursuing Nnamdi Kanu’s case

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Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has given his permission for the British High Commission and a London law firm, Bindmans, to take up his case.

The recent development, according to Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, will open a new chapter in Kanu’s trial, with the Nigerian government being served with summons to bring him to the United Kingdom, where a new case will be heard over the manner of his rendition to Nigeria.

“I went to see him on Wednesday with two forms,” Ejimakor explained. One was the consular consent form that he was required to sign by the British High Commission in order to consent to consular assistance. There was also a form from his UK legal counsel. Bindmans is one of the largest law firms in the United Kingdom.

Read also: TheNigerian News

“The forms will usher in a new era of legality, including the filing of a Writ of Mandamus against the Nigerian government in a UK court to compel it to produce Kanu, whose detention is illegal under British law,” according to the statement.

“It was an extraordinary rendition, which is an international crime in which a state abducts a suspect or fugitive from justice without due process.

“They will file all of these processes in the United Kingdom, and there is a chance that a UK court will exercise universal jurisdiction or extraterritorial jurisdiction over Kenya, allowing them to arrest every Kenyan official, whether authorized or not, and every Nigerian official involved in this case.”

Read also: https://tvn.news/community-report/residents-of-akowonjo-lament-an-abandoned-drainage-project-2/

The lawyer stated that the DSS had collected the forms and that they would first be vetted by the DSS legal unit. He also stated that despite being told that he would receive them on Thursday, he had yet to hear from the government agency.

According to Ejimakor, during the three-hour meeting, the IPOB leader detailed how the Nigerian government hired agents to kidnap and fly him into the country.

He claimed that the IPOB leader was blindfolded and flown on a private jet without going through any extradition or immigration procedures.

Residents of Akowonjo lament an abandoned drainage project

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coic
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…as the community is ravaged by floods
Residents of the Alimosho local government’s Shasha Akowonjo, Egbeda community, have continued to bemoan the abandoned drainage project at Iyana redeem, as well as the recent floods that hit the area following a heavy downpour that lasted for hours on Thursday and Friday.

Several residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s failure to provide a proper drainage system to prevent the incessant flooding that is wreaking havoc on their neighborhoods, while others urged the government to expedite the drainage project at Iyana-redeem linking inward Shasha road.

Politics Nigeria discovered that some motorists had to take a longer route to get to their homes, while others had to park their cars to avoid mechanical breakdowns and walk to their destinations.

Read also:NASS proposes a change to the National Health Act.

During a conversation with some residents, some claimed that the Babajide Sanwo-Olu appears to have caused more flooding due to the ongoing road constructions, while others chastised the Lagos State government for failing to address the problem, which has now become an annual occurrence.

Others, on the other hand, suggested that Lagos residents may have contributed to their own misfortune by clogging the drainage system with dirt, such as water sachets and bottles.

“As you can see, the rain that fell these past few days has caused heavy flooding, It is just so terrible,” Ahmed Ayoade, who lives near the vulcanizer bus stop on Egbeda road, said of the flooding.

“It has made movement extremely difficult around here because some streets have yet to be built, while others that have been built lack proper drainage,” says the resident.

Mrs. Laide, another local, said she has lived in the area for over 7 years and that this has always been an issue, that fear grips everyone when there is heavy rain.

“Whenever it rains, we are unable to enter our homes. Some of us who own automobiles have had to service our vehicles earlier than expected. Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please

Residents are pleading with the state and local governments to intervene as soon as possible by completing the ongoing drainage project that connects the inward Shasha road to the airport canal.

Meanwhile, the state’s National Emergency Management Agency has advised residents to take extra precautions when driving in the rain.

Ibrahim Farinloye, the agency’s acting assistant zonal coordinator for the south-west zonal office, advised residents to avoid driving when the floodwaters cover half of their vehicles’ tyres.

Read also: TheNigerian News

“Once the rainwater reaches half of the wheels, it sweeps off your vehicle,” he explained. For your safety, please park and move to the higher ground.”

“The rainwater must have reached our ankles; once that happens, the flood has the capacity to carry us away,” says the narrator.

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