Television Nigerian

China is ready to collaborate with Namibia to promote the implementation of the ten partnership initiatives outlined at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit in Namibia, as well as to assist Namibia in accelerating its modernization, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Wang, who also serves on the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the statements during a meeting with Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba in Swakopmund.

China has always been Africa’s reliable ally, he stated, adding that China will continue the tradition of Chinese foreign ministers beginning their year-round overseas travels with a journey to Africa.

Wang is currently on a weeklong visit of four African countries, including Namibia, the Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Nigeria.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi chats with Namibia’s President Nangolo Mbumba in Swakopmund, Namibia, on January 6, 2025.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi chats with Namibia’s President Nangolo Mbumba in Swakopmund, Namibia, on January 6, 2025.

Wang stated that China will promote exchanges of experience in state governance with Namibia, extend and deepen cooperation in different fields, and drive bilateral ties toward common development.

Mbumba stated that Namibia is committed to the one-China policy and is prepared to strengthen inter-party cooperation with China.

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Recalling his visit to China for the FOCAC Beijing Summit last year, Mbumba stated that his country is ready to actively implement the summit’s outcomes and take practical steps to expand cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, digital economy, energy, agriculture, and education to improve the well-being of both peoples.

Wang also visited with Namibia’s newly elected president, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on the same day.

Sam Amadi, the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, has dismissed the notion that Felix Morka, the national publicity secretary for the All Progressives Congress (APC), is planning a malicious conspiracy against Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

Amadi attributed his comment against Obi to what he dubbed the APC curse.

After criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration in his New Year’s greeting, Obi had claimed that he had received a threat to his life.

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Following claimed threats against his life, family, and acquaintances, the former governor of Anambra State questioned whether he had “really crossed the line” in a post on his X handle yesterday.

His accusation came after a statement attributed to Morka, who stated, “Peter Obi has crossed the line so many times and he has what’s coming to him, and whatever he gets, he should manage it,” in an interview with Arise TV on Sunday.

In response, Amadi wrote on X: “I consider @Morka2Felix to be intelligent and reasonable. We were classmates in graduate school. He is polished. I’m not sure how they moved on from him. The @OfficialAPCNg curse is something I’ve heard of.

Perhaps. However, I don’t see him hatching a malicious scheme against @PeterObi in exchange for constructive critique. Felix is not like that.

In the meantime, the Obidient Movement said in a statement signed by Dr. Yunusa Tanko that Morka’s comment directly threatened Obi’s life as well as the stability of the Nigerian government.

The comment, according to the Obidient Movement, is a frightening indication of the nation’s slide toward dictatorship under the Tinubu administration, in addition to being an attack on the outspoken 2023 LP presidential contender.

Fifty people have been taken into custody by Federal Capital Territory Police Command operations for allegedly stealing manhole covers and lighting, among other items.

According to the police, the arrests were carried out during separate searches at hotspots in Kabusa, Garki, Mabushi, and Wuse in coordination with sister security organizations.

An iron smelting facility has been identified as one of the recipients of stolen manhole covers throughout the city, according to Olalere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communication and New Media.

Awal Nawan, Umar Aliyu, Auta Umar, Simon Clement, Datti Ibrahim, Mohammed Salim, Ibrahim Ibrahim, Ifeanyi-Chuckwu Emmanuel, Abba Ismail, Najib Abdul, Muhammed Lawal, Rabiu Ibrahim, Adamu Suleiman, Abdulkarim Abdullahi, and Haruna Nasiru are among the suspects.

Others include Ibrahim Yahaya, Yahaya Musa, Dahiru Nasiru, Ismail Abdullahi, Munir Sada, Josua Steven, Livinus Steven, Abdul Nai’ja, and Abdullahi Muhammed. Ehieze Emeka, Ehieze Justice, Promise Abanonum, Monday Barnabas, and Hamisu Iman Abdulhadi Adam, Mohammed Ibrahim, Chukwu Emmanuel, Douglas Yahaya, Mohammed Lawal, Auwal Musa, Mohammed Inusa, Tijanni Suleiman, Promise James, Haruna Auwalu, Ayuba Danjuma, Suleiman Abu, Nafiu Ahmmed, Kamalu Junaidu, Zaradeen Yakubu, and Abubakar Kabiru.

No fewer than 25 manhole covers, five solar street lights, fifteen streetlight poles broken into smaller pieces, several galvanized poles used to build flyovers, multiple rolls of high voltage AEDC cables, and two locally made pistols were found among the suspects, according to Tunji Disu, the Commissioner of Police, who was parading them in Abuja on Monday.

Among other things, he said, the suspects were found to have 13 large solar panels, seven barrels of diesel that were allegedly stolen from network masts, several iron cutting tools, two live cartridges, one sharp knife, thirty tubes of triple sub glue, numerous charms, one Volkswagen Sporter bus with registration number BJK 592 XA that was converted into a diesel tanker, one Toyota Carina II vehicle with registration number RBC 312 JL, two reinforced iron doors, and three pumping machines that were allegedly used to extract diesel.

According to Disu, the suspects belonged to a well-organized group that specializes in damaging public buildings and selling them to scrap dealers.

The variety and quantity of confiscated goods demonstrate the vast and well-organized character of these syndicates, whose operations have seriously harmed public infrastructure projects and services in the Federal Capital Territory.

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“I want to make it clear that theft and vandalism that compromise public safety and infrastructure are not tolerated by the FCT Police Command or our sister security agencies,” he continued.

According to Olayinka, “exhibits of interest” were found at the business on the Abuja-Kaduna Road and are currently in the police’s custody.

Abuja Steel Company, an iron smelting business, has been named as one of the purported recipients of the pilfered manhole covers. The business is situated on the Abuja-Kaduna Road, and police have seized “exhibits of interest” that were taken from the establishment.

The statement partially stated, “More inquiries are ongoing regarding the company’s and others’ involvement in the removal, acquisition, and melting of the manhole covers.”

The Abuja Steel Company’s management has denied any involvement in the procurement and smelting of stolen manhole covers.

Chethan Kumar, the spokesperson for Abuja Steel Mills Ltd., disputed the allegations and implication that the company is engaged in such operations in a statement signed on Tuesday, describing them as untrue and deceptive.

Remember how Federal Capital Territory Police Command officers detained 50 people on Monday for allegedly stealing manhole covers and lighting, among other items?

The corporation was charged as a customer of the stolen goods, and the arrest came after sewage manhole covers were vandalized along important transportation corridors in the capital city.

The assertions or implication that the Abuja Steel Company deals in small-scale business talks or transactions with individuals or unapproved agents are untrue and deceptive. The company operates within a large-scale industrial framework.

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We are a top-tier business that is a member of the Nigerian steel industry’s largest conglomerate. We are the only steel production company in Gujeni, Kaduna State, that has a fully integrated iron-ore mining and processing facility. Because of this, we are already switching from scrap metals to direct reduction iron ore from African Natural Resources and Mines Limited, our sister company.

In order to preserve its reputation and guarantee accountability, the statement also revealed that a comprehensive inquiry has been started into the situation.

Abuja Steel Company stated its confidence that further investigations will clear the company of the charges and stated its complete commitment to working with law enforcement to find the truth and hold those accountable for the theft and destruction of public infrastructure.

The business says it believes the accusations are an attempt by certain special interests to damage its well-earned image and asks the Nigerian public and its esteemed clients to ignore them.

“In the Federal Capital Territory and beyond, our organization takes pleasure in being a pillar of ethical business practices. We remain committed to positively influencing Nigeria’s economic development and upholding public confidence, and we firmly oppose any kind of theft or vandalism that jeopardizes public safety and infrastructure,” the statement said.

Vandals detained by security personnel in relation to the removal of sewage manhole covers on Abuja’s roadways would be subject to the full force of the law, according to a statement made by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, or FCT.

According to Wike, this kind of action will discourage others.

The minister also issued a warning, saying that anyone who purchases or uses the vandalized manhole covers or other damaged public property will be detained and charged with economic sabotage and endangering the lives of Nigerians.

Lere Olayinka, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, signed a statement on Monday that included this information.

In addition to calling the security agencies’ joint efforts “fantastic,” he praised them for their swift and decisive actions, providing residents of the capital territory with additional reassurance that their lives and property are safe.

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He added that “protecting public amenities is, first and foremost, the duty of Nigerians, who are the owners and users of the amenities,” and he praised Nigerians for their patriotism in speaking out against the vandalism.

“Those who steal and purchase amenities intended for Nigerians are Nigerians themselves,” Wike stated. They are well-known and reside among us. Therefore, it is crucial that patriotic Nigerians start exposing them before they commit their nefarious deeds.

In the FCT, some fifty alleged vandals have been taken into custody for stealing manhole covers.
Security personnel have recovered twenty-five vandalized manhole covers.