President Buhari has approved the reduction in the cost of registration forms for JAMB UTME, NECO, SSCE, and the Basic Education Certificate Examination with effect from January 2019.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the price of JAMB will drop from N5,000 to N3,500 while NECO will drop from N11, 350 to N9,850.
The minister said that the changes came from directives to the ministry by the president to look into the reduction of the fees following the significant improvement in the revenues being remitted to the treasury by the examination bodies.
Adamu pointed out that the examination agencies are not meant to be revenue generating bodies and the fees are only supposed to cover operating cost.
Four states from the Niger Delta West region including Ondo, Edo, Bayelsa and Delta, presented their long-term development plans to stakeholders at the 7th Niger Delta Development Forum.
The competitive session initiated by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND was held on Tuesday in Benin, Edo State as an opportunity for states in the Niger Delta Region to share their vision for state-led developmental planning processes and to get expert feedback on policy strategies.
Two states with the best presentations, the organisers assured the stakeholders, would be assisted with technical assistance and capacity support in bringing their plans to fruition.
Commenting on the performances, Joe Abah, DAI Nigeria Country Director and the lead judge at the event, said they did well in covering their respective development needs and presenting plans on how they hope to further develop.
He said the key qualities that determined how well they performed included the workability of their proposals, the likelihood of being able to resource plans, capacity to deliver results, the extent to which there is an implementation plan, and how they have been to involve a variety of stakeholders.
“I believe by going through the exercise itself will be of benefit to them; and so whether or not a state emerges tops at the end of the exercise, we should have given them something with which to do more work,” he observed.
Other judges at the event were Toyosi Akerele, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rise Networks, Seun Akinsanya, Lagos State Director of Economic Planning, and Seun Ojo, Head of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group’s Public Policy Intelligence and Reform Management Unit.
Dara Akala, PIND’s Executive Director, said while delivering his welcome address that this year’s edition is the second time the forum would be held in Benin, Edo State. According to him, the aim of the forum is to bring together top government officials from the Niger Delta region in order to influence government policies and to mobilise investment into the region.
“This year’s focus will be on development planning in triggering sustainable development in that region,” he said, after lamenting the absence of a well-crafted, integrated development plan at the sub-national level.
“The forum is built on the achievements and resolutions of last year’s forum where we agreed on the need to develop plans and encourage peer review mechanism to be able to address problems in the various states. That is why this year’s event is centred around development planning.”
Events at the forum also included a plenary session on consolidating planning and harmonising strategies for impact, which focused on the role of private sector in state-led development planning and lessons from Lagos and Cross River states on implementing policies and sustaining a strategic vision. Contributing on the panel were Seun Akinsanya, Francis Ntamu, Chief Economic Adviser to the governor of Cross River State, and Mohammed Aliu Momoh, Facilitator of the Investment Working Group of the Nigerian National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER).
The Niger Delta Development Forum is an annual event organised by PIND and supported by other organisations such as Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE), the European Union, Department for International Development (DFID), Faculty for Oil Sector Transformation (FOSTER), and Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI).
The second lap is slated to be held on Thursday, November 29, in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. It will feature a similar pitching session involving Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers states.
FORMER National Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen all his bank accounts rendering him unable to buy even water or medicine.
Metuh said this on Tuesday, during his ongoing corruption trial before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja. He said he got to know about the no-debit order placed on his account by the EFCC when he tried to carry out a transaction but could not.
He was testifying as a defence witness in the N400 million fraud suit brought against him by the EFCC, but suddenly digressed and started making complaints to the trial judge about his frozen accounts.
“The EFCC seized my accounts yesterday night and I can’t get money to feed my family. I am in total shock as I am here talking to you. I don’t even know what to say,” he said.
“They seized all my accounts in every bank in this country. As I am, I don’t have money to buy Panadol or water to drink.”
“They have alleged in this case that N400 million was stolen, why would they not limit it to that amount?
“I don’t know how I am going to feed my family? I don’t have access to any money at all. I am ready to end this case and submit myself to the judgment of this court.”
The EFCC accused Metuh of receiving N400 million from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, in 2014; money he ought to have known formed part of a corrupt activity.
He pointed out that the commission had frozen the accounts and other assets of his company, ‘Asset and Resource Management Company Limited’, through which he allegedly received the payment from Dasuki.
According to Metuh, the amount in his company’s account is more than the amount he was alleged to have received from the former NSA. He, therefore wondered why the EFCC has gone ahead to freeze his personal accounts, adding that he was ready to end the case and submit himself to the judgement of the court.
Metuh had in his testimony tendered print-outs of news reports of the press conferences he organised in 2015 in his capacity as the PDP spokesperson. He noted that most of the reports were critical of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Muhammadu Buhari administration, hence his eventual arrest and subsequent prosecution.
Justice Abang, in his ruling, said that the issue of the freezing of Metuh’s accounts was not part of the case before him. He advised Metuh and his lawyer to discuss the issue with the prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, who was present in court.
Metuh’s corruption trial has been full of drama; his several applications to be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment were rejectedby Justice Abang. On one occasion, Metuh was brought to the courtroom on a stretcher after the trial judge threatened to revoke his bail if he continued to stay away from the hearing. On another occasion, Metuh ‘collapsed’ in court while trying to enter the accused person’s box.
The no-case-submission he filed after the EFCC had closed its case against him, was struck out, with the trial judge ordering him to open his defence.
THE claims by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, that the militaries of nations across the world do not, or rarely disclose the number of their dead personnel, is not accurate.
Adesina made this remark while appearing on Channel Television’s programme, ‘Sunday Politics’, on Sunday. He was commenting on the recent attack by Boko Haram on military formations in the North East, which led to the killing of a yet-to-be-ascertained number of soldiers.
Some reports put the number of casualty at over one hundred soldiers, but there was no official statement from the Nigerian Army Authorities for more than five days after the attack occurred. It was only when the reports started making the rounds that the Nigerian Army Headquarters issued a press release acknowledging the attack, but warning the media against quoting any number of casualty which was not verified.
In his attempts to defend the army and justify its silence after the attacks, Adesina said it was standard practice all over the world that the number of soldiers that died in active combat is not disclosed.
“There’s a standard procedure when things like that happen,” Adesina said during the programme.
“You don’t go out to talk immediately. They said you have to reach the NOK (the next of kin), you need to first get them to be aware of what happened to their people before you then speak officially.
“There’s a standard procedure for the military to do this, and you’ll agree with me that all over the world, the military does not, or rarely disclose the figure of its casualty. It’s not only in Nigeria.”
The above claim is not very true, as developed countries, including the United States of America, The United Kingdom, and France, have records of the figures of their military personnel who die in the line of duty.
Links to the web pages where the three countries mentioned above provides updated information of their fallen soldiers were provided by Anna Cunningham, who describes herself as an ex BBC journalist, but now freelances for the CBC News and France 24. She provided the links as a way of countering Adesina’s claims about non-disclosure of military fatalities across the globe.
Checks by the ICIR on the weblinks provided shows that the list of fallen soldiers are updated every year and published on the countries’ official websites.
The statistics for the casualties published by the US military included figures of its personnel killed in the many battles and wars it hs engaged in over the centuries, dating back to the Mexican War of 1846. It also includes the number of personnel that died in the various foreign missions the US military has ever engaged in.
The deceased are categorised under the following subheadings: Killed in action, died of wounds, missing in action – declared dead, captured – declared dead, missing – presumed dead, and other deaths. The page was last updated in September this year.
The information provided on the publication is structured in such a way to provide accountability to the British public, but at the same time, not to compromise the operational security of the country’s Armed Forces. The information also does not reveal individual identities in order not to breach the rights of the families of the deceased personnel.
Overall, “in 2017, there were 63 deaths in the UK Regular Armed Forces. Of these, 12 deaths were in the Naval Service, 40 in the Army and 11 in the RAF (Royal Air Force)”
Also, France’s Memoire des Hommes(Men’s memory) is a special website dedicated to French soldiers who died while in active service. There is even a search portal on the website that enables users to input names of a fallen soldier to access more information.
Channels TV makes U-turn as Adesina trends on the social media
Femi Adesina trended on Twitter for several hours on Tuesday as many accused Channels Television of editing the interview and removing the part where he made the claim that the military all over the world does not disclose casualty figure.
The ICIR had reviewed Adesina’s interview on Monday, but the clip reviewed did not include where the presidential spokesman made the statement. However, the television station made a U-turn, perhaps as a result of the public backlash, by tweetingthe link to the 30-second video of Adesina making the claim.
ADEGBOYEGA Oyetola, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has assumed office as the governor of Osun State, having taken the oath of office at the Osogbo City Stadium, on Tuesday.
Oyetola takes over from Rauf Aregbesola who has completed his second term in office.
The oath of office was administered on Oyetolaand his deputy, Benedict Alabi, by the Chief Judge of the State, Oyobola Adepele-Ojo.
Oyetola promised to ensure that the people of Osun state feel positive effects of the progressive government in the state, adding that his administration would ensure prompt payment of workers’ salaries.
“My administration will promote growth, job creation, social protection and upgrade the standard of living of the people,’’ Oyetola promised, while also pledging to deliver Osun State votes to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 general election.
In his goodwill message, President Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, urged the incoming governor to rule with a human face and with the fear of God.
Buhari described the peaceful transition from one government to another in Osun State as a demonstration that Nigeria democracy had matured.
Also speaking at the event, former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, commended the out gone governor, Aregbesola, for his achievements while in office.
Newly sworn-in Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his immediate predecessor, Rauf Aregbesola.
“Aregbesola earned a progressive mandate for eight years, developed progressive programmes and handed over to another progressive governor. This is not a mere achievement, and we pledge our total support, both in the office or out of office for the continuity of the progressive government established by President Muhammadu Buhari,” Tinubu said.
Born in 1954, Oyetola has a Bachelor of Science degree in Insurance from the University of Lagos, and a Master of Business Administration from the same University. He was the Chief of Staff to Aregbesola for eight years.
Oyetola polled a total of 255,505 votes in the Osun governorship election to defeat his opponent, Ademola Adeleke of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 255, 023 votes.
Adeleke is currently challenging the election results before the election petitions tribunal.
Among the dignitaries that attended Tuesday’s swearing-in were Governors Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, and Yayaha Bello of Kogi.
Others were Adams Oshiomole, the APC National Chairman, the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, among others. (NAN)
ANAMBRA traders brought economic activities to a standstill in Nnewi and its environ as they shut down markets in protest of the arrest of some of their members by the police on Saturday.
According to media reports, not fewer than eight major markets were closed in the protest involving nearly 10,000 traders.
The Chairman of the Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Gabriel Chibueze, insisted that the arrested members were not members of the Indigenous People of Biafra as claimed by the police but genuine traders in the market. He demanded the immediate release of the arrested members.
Chibueze said the arrested traders could not be part of the clash between the police and the IPOB members, considering the proximity between the clash location and the market.
“The place the protest took place is far from the market. In order to ensure the fracas doesn’t escalate to the market, we the executive closed down all entrances leading to the market while our members continued their business.
“Suddenly, we saw a combined team of police and the army who broke the gate of the bank in the market and started beating our members. They arrested both masters and their apprentices.
“We quickly rushed to the Area command where we made a complaint but the Area Command turned down our complaint, saying we will put him in trouble,” Chibueze said.
He also said that at the time of detention that 43 members were arrested, only 33 of the arrested persons were paraded by the police.
The chairman said that the market will stay under locks in solidarity of their members that were arrested until they are released from custody
“We appeal to Nnewi Police Area Commander, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police and Governor Obiano to order the immediate release of the Nnewi traders.
“If they are not released, shutting down of the market would be extended to the state and the entire South East,” Chibueze said.
Christina Madubuko, the state commissioner for Trade and commerce, said that the incident was rather an unfortunate one and equally assured fast return to normalcy in the market.
“It is very unfortunate at what is happening here. We don’t encourage violence of any sort.
“I was here on Monday for hours and met with the market leaders, dialoguing and seeking a solution to the problem.
“I went from shop to shop and from the way they spoke, the traders are embittered, especially the women whose husbands were arrested,” he said.
Madubuko, admitting that it was not in his place to pass judgement on which party might have first ignited the clash, he equally made a plea for the arrested members, absorbing them from the incident.
“I can speak authoritatively that the people arrested here are genuine traders. While we seek a solution, I appeal to traders to calm down,” Madubuko said.
THE Federal High Court Osogbo, on Tuesday, turned down the bail application of ex-lecturer with Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Richard Iyiola Akindele.
Akindele who was remanded in prison last week pending the filing of his formal bail application was denied bail after the court hearing today.
Francis Omotoso, counsel to the defendant, filed an application for his bail, but the application was opposed by Kehinde Ayantoye, a senior legal officer with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), who filed a counter affidavit deposed to by a detective, Afolabi Oluwatoyin.
Justice Maureen Onyetenu said allegations contained in the counter affidavit were weighty and directed the prosecution to produce evidence to back his claim.
ICPC lawyer told the court that the defendant unlawfully demanded sexual benefits for marks from Miss Monica Osagie on September 16th, 2017.
According to the prosecutor, the defendant is facing a four-count charge for corruptly asking for sexual benefits from Ms Osagie on account of favour to be shown to her afterwards in the discharge of his official duties as a lecturer, and also altering her academic grades from failing to pass in the course.
The offences contravene Sections 8 and 18 of the corrupt practices and other related offences act 2000 and are punishable under same sections.
The professor has however pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against him.
She ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody till 17 December.
A video recording of Professor Akindele allegedly demanding for sex from Miss Osagie, a postgraduate student, went viral in September 2017. This led to his dismissal from the institution after he was found guilty by the committee set up to investigate the case.
THE Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly is embroiled in fresh crises this morning, as Governor Udom Emmanuel intervened in the legitimacy battle between APC and PDP legislators on who takes leadership of the house.
Governor Udom Emmanuel arrived at the complex of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to disrupt the sitting of five members of the All Progressives Congress, APC who were holding a plenary session.
The Governor, who came along with some members of his cabinet and security details successfully dislodged the legislators from holding their plenary session.
This development is reportedly connected with a court order declaring the seat of Idongesit Ituen, a member representing Itu State constituency vacant who defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party (APC).
The lawmaker was sacked by a November 14 ruling of the Uyo Division of the Federal High Court.
But the court, acting on an application by Mr Ituen, later halted its earlier decision and then asked the assembly not to declare the lawmaker’s seat vacant.
The presiding judge, Fadun Riman, stated the verdict of the court, “I am satisfied that there is merit in this application (and) that an order staying the execution of the judgment of this Honourable Court delivered by Hon. Justice F. O. Riman, sitting at Federal High Court No 2, Uyo Judicial Division on the 14 November 2018, pending the hearing and determination of the Applicant’s Appeal at the Court of Appeal is hereby granted as prayed.”
Apart from Mr Ituen, the speaker, Mr Luke Onofiok, had declared vacant the seats of four other lawmakers who also defected from the PDP to the APC, even though the court was yet to rule on their cases.
The other four lawmakers are Nse Ntuen, Essien Udim State Constituency; Gabriel Toby, Etim Ekpo/Ika, Otobong Ndem, Mkpat Enin; and Victor Udofia, Ikono.
The sacked lawmakers, five of them, held their own “sitting” on Monday and, in turn, ‘removed’ Mr Luke from office as speaker, and then “elected” Mr Nse Ntuen as the new speaker.
The APC leadership in the state, while throwing its weight behind the five lawmakers, said on Wednesday it no longer recognises Mr Luke as the speaker of the assembly.
The constitution stipulates that a speaker or deputy speaker can only be removed from office by a resolution of House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-third majority of the members of the House.
It would require the votes of 17 lawmakers, at least, of the 26 members to remove Mr Luke as the speaker of the House.
However, the factional speaker Nse Ntuen of the APC suspended Mr Luke Onofiok amongst others and also suspended all standing committees constituted illegally by the former speaker and adjourned till next week Tuesday, December 4.
Other members suspended by Ntuen are Udo Kerian Akpan, Felicia Bassey, Nse Essien, Lawrence Udofia, Usoro Akpanusoh, Ime Okon, Friday Iwok, Asuquo Archibong, Mark Esset, Emmanuel Ekpenyong, Aniekan Uko till further notice.
FORMER Governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, on Tuesday, testified before the Federal High Court, Lagos, in his ongoing N4.7 billion corruption trial by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ladoja was re-arraigned by the EFCC on November 5, on an 11-count charge of money laundering and illegal conversion of public funds for personal benefits.
Also arraigned alongside the former Governor was his former Commissioner for Finance, Waheed Akanbi. Both accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In one of the charges, Ladoja and Akanbi were accused of diverting the sum of N1,932,940,032.48 belonging to Oyo State to the bank account of a private company named Heritage Apartments Limited.
Similarly, Ladoja was accused of moving about £600,000 from the Oyo State treasury and sending same to one Bimpe Ladoja, who was at the time in London. He was also accused of using the sum of N42 million state funds to purchase an armoured Land Cruiser jeep for his personal use.
Also, Ladoja allegedly converted the sum of N728,600,000 and another N77,850,000, monies belong to the Oyo State government, to his personal use. The latter sum, according to the EFCC, was transferred by Ladoja to the account of one Bistrum Investments, a real estate company, to purchase a property for him at Quarter 361, Ibadan, Oyo State.
All these crimes were allegedly committed while Ladoja was Governor of Oyo State, and they run contrary to sections 17(a) and18 (1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and punishable under sections 14(1), 16(a) (b) and 18(2) of the same Act.
The EFCC had closed its case against the duo of Ladoja and Akanbi, but instead of opening their defence, the accused persons filed for a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution has not established a prima facie case against them.
However, the trial judge, Mohammed Idris, on November 12, ruled that the defendants have a case to answer and asked them to open their defence.
So far in 2018, two former state governors have been convicted and sentenced to prison having been found guilty of diverting state funds for personal use during their times in office.
RUSTY iron works, overgrown bushes and massive presence of an idle crane are the discomforting features of the supposed ultra-modern edifice called the Minna City Centre project.
Located in the centre of Minna, the landmark project, expected to beautify the capital city of Niger State, is now not only a huge source of embarrassment to the state but also an eyesore to visitors since its strategic location makes it impossible for a visitor not to see it.
The centre was a project initiated by the Governor Aliyu Babangida’s administration to serve as the state capital’s hub for shopping and tourism, as it would have had among its features a shopping mall with 5,000 shops, including a branch of the famous Shoprite, a 25-storey tower which would have served as offices, a cultural centre and an amusement park.
Estimated to cost N5 billion at inception, the project was said to have gulped about N800 million before it was stalled – N600 million was said to have been expended on the tower, while about N200 million was spent on the shopping mall.
Investigations revealed that between 2013 and 2015, about N3.935 billion was budgeted for the project. In 2013, the sum of N900 million was budgeted for the project under the title of Minna City Centre, Project Number 064/017, with the construction of tower and dump as some of its features. In 2014, N2 billion was earmarked for the project, while in 2015, N1.035 billion was budgeted for the provision of the city center tower, convention, and information centres.
Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, during a tour of one of the buildings at the Minna City Centre project in June 2014. Aliyu promised that the project would be completed by April 2015.
Before the Minna City Centre project was conceived, the spot had hosted a market and a residential area, popularly known as Abdul Street. But the project remains a pipe dream six years after the market and houses were demolished for its sake and thousands of people and traders lost their homes and shops.
Former residents lament
Erstwhile residents of Abdul Street, which is the current location for the Minna City Centre project, are not happy with the abandoned project. They believe that the state government forced them to give up their homes for no just cause, considering that they were grossly under-compensated for their buildings that were destroyed. Many of the former landlords have since been turned into tenants, while many others were forced to leave the town because of their inability to cope with rent.
While Jide Babatunde and Sons Limited, the estate valuers hired by the state government for the construction of the city centre were valuing the properties, many of the affected residents were said to have complained that their properties were under-valued. The government, however, paid them compensations without addressing their complaints that they were being short-changed. Our correspondent gathered that the government paid 47 of the affected landlords a total sum of N233 million, a sum the landlords described as “unfair and insensitive.”
Mr. Olajide Olasinde, a former chairman of the Abdul Street Landlords Association, said memories are still fresh on his mind and that of the other former landlords.
“I feel bad each time I pass there. After driving people from their homes, nothing has been done to justify their action against us,” he said.
“The so-called shopping mall was not completed. The aim was not achieved, so what was the rationale of driving people out of their ancestral homes?
Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, during a tour of one of the buildings at the Minna City Centre project in June 2014.
“We were all surprised when we were called to collect our cheques for the houses. We were surprised because no one came physically to value our houses.
“They told us that if the cheques were not okay, we should take whatever step we needed to take. They gave us papers of allocation to other lands, but up until now, we are yet to receive the certificate of occupancy for the lands.”
Describing the experience as a bitter one, Olajide said that most of the houses were more than 60 years old at the time they were demolished.
He said: “It was a bitter experience. It is like you are living inside a house and you are sent out to live outside. This is because we were living in the heart of the town and suddenly, that was taken from us. The amount paid to everyone could not give anyone a sound structure because we were grossly underpaid.
“My building has been there since the 1960s. The government’s action affected many of the landlords as most of them do not own houses again. And because most of them relied on the rents from their houses, they could not meet up with a lot of things, and at the last count, about 20 of the landlords had left Minna for their villages because of this.”
Erstwhile landlords tell tales of woe
Olajide Olasinde, former chairman of the Abdul Street Landlords Association.
Another landlord, Abdul Ibrahim, who valued his demolished family house at N45 million, said the family was paid a paltry N6.23 million. He said, however, that the government did not drive them out of their houses because a certain time frame was given to them to vacate.
“But when the hoodlums heard that we had been paid, they came to ransack our houses. A lot of us were humiliated as these hoodlums started pulling down the houses bit by bit and looting our houses. We were forced out of our homes before the eviction day and before we could not even get alternative homes for our families. Whether the hoodlums worked in connivance with the government, we don’t know,” he said.
Ibrahim’s house is the oldest and biggest in the area, and the compensation he received has caused serious chaos in the family as there have been conflicts in the sharing formula. The family is still in court till date, he said, as he showed the reporter pictures and documents on the demolished family house.
He said: “I was 65 years old when the house was demolished, and I was born in that house. So, you can imagine how long that house had been in the family. Our house had four buildings, including two duplexes and two buildings with eight rooms and four rooms separately along with some shops.
“The valuers valued the houses wrongly and even the compensation has caused problems in the family as my younger brother took me to court over the sharing formula. Minna. Due to the determination of the government to set up the City Centre project, an alternative market (Kure Ultra-Modern Market) was established for the traders. But unwilling traders who did not have the means to move into the new market were forced out when the structures in the whole area were demolished.
Looking sadly at her ware displayed on a table in front of her house, Madam Shade, who was initially unwilling to speak to the reporter, later agreed to an interview, albeit reluctantly.
She said: “I do not want to talk about it. That incident is not something one should think about. It was a very sad day when we arrived at the market and found that all our shops were gone.
“I had just arrived from market, the Onitsha Market, some days before and all my goods were gone. I could not even locate the area my shop was in the rubble, so my wares were gone.
“Nothing is as devastating as that. From a cloth seller, look at what I am selling now—petty goods. And where are the customers?”
While Madam Shade who sells iced fish seemed to have given up hope, others like Mama Kemi are relentless as she is one of the traders who relocated to the back of the demolished market. She explained that even the government is tired of driving them away from the place and has left them alone.
Petty traders have taken over the site of the proposed city centre project.
“How will they drive us when we only come out after the government officials have gone home? They have tried so many times, but unlike other markets, we do not leave our goods here for them to take. So how will they drive us?” she asked.
She said she had not been able to secure a shop in the Kure Ultra-Modern Market because the shops are too expensive.
“Where else will I go? A shop in Kure Market is too expensive and they will not allow you to put your table somewhere to sell what you want to sell. Even if I want a shop now, it will be far inside the market. Who will locate me there?
“I have been selling fish for long. I use it to support my family. Seeing that all the front shops in Kure Market have been taken, will people leave the fish sellers at the front and come inside to buy fish where I am? That is why I did not follow them to the new market when the old market was destroyed.”
Contractors, government agencies play hide-and-seek
Parts of the city centre project taken over by overgrown bushes.
Checks our correspondent made at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) revealed that Grand Tower Limited, builders of the city centre, is registered. Why the company did not continue with the project, however, remains a mystery.
Checks made in respect of the estate valuer, Babatunde and Company, however, could not establish if the company was registered with the CAC. Efforts made to reach the consultant, Flopat Global Services Limited, were also not successful as the phone number on the signpost was said not to be valid.
The project has no specific ministry handling it. Checks made by the reporter, including Freedom of Information requests sent out, indicated that no ministry in the state was willing to admit that it oversaw the project. The Ministry of Works, which received the Freedom of Information request for information about the project, said it did not handle or supervise the project.
The ministry, which ordinarily should be the main supervisors of the project, could not give the total sum the project would consume as the Permanent Secretary and Director of Works directed the reporter to the Ministry of Finance to get the details about the project.
Similarly, the Ministry of Finance claimed not to have any knowledge of the project. In its response to the FOI request, the ministry redirected the reporter back to the Ministry of Works, Lands and Housing and the Ministry of Investment. A second FOI request written to the Ministry of Works in August had received no response at the time of filing this report.
On his part, the Commissioner of Commerce and Investment promised to provide the details as soon as he presented a memo to the state governor regarding the project.
He said: “I cannot speak on the project now. I am preparing a memo regarding the whole subject of the Minna City Centre project and need to present it to the governor. After I have made the presentation, I will brief the press.”
The reporter also tried to reach the Niger State Development Company (NSDC), another agency that could have handled the project but was told the Managing Director would not speak to any journalist on the issue, especially with the current sale of one of the malls in the project. The Personal Assistant to the Managing Director who spoke with the reporter said: “We just received a letter from the Ministry of Investment that one of the malls, NSDC Mall, has been sold. We were not informed or have any knowledge of it. If you were in our shoes, will you be happy?
“I don’t think he wants to speak to you now. I told him you were here and he said he will not speak to you.”
Government sells out mall at give-away prices
Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani-Bello
When the state governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello, resumed office in 2015, he said he had no money to complete the structure, adding that he would rather use such money for other pressing needs faced by the state. He then asked the Commissioner for Commerce and Investment and the management of NSDC to find investors who would be ready to take up the project.
Recently, however, the Niger State Government disclosed that it had sold the NSDC Mall, one of the malls in the Minna City Centre project for N110 million, an amount that is said to be less than half the current market price of the structure.
The structure is the only construction in the project that has reached about 89 per cent completion and has been listed by the present administration as a non-priority project and therefore abandoned. The structure is erected on a land area covering 4,300 square metres, and at the time that work stopped on the project in 2015, the Niger State Government was reported to have sunk well over N247 million into it.
The state government, through the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives and Investment, Mudi Mohammed, who briefed newsmen in August, revealed that the mall had been sold to Jaiz Bank Plc for N110 million, a sum considered as giveaway even by the most conservative in estimates and cost evaluations.
The commissioner said the state government had earlier advertised the uncompleted shopping mall for rentals for which more than 106 persons purchased application forms at N5,000 each before the state government opted to sell the shopping centre outright.
Although no reason was given for the state government’s decision to sell the complex and at such rock bottom price, the commissioner attributed the state government’s action to lack of interest from the public and the current economic situation in the country. He said the government decided to sell it to Jaiz Bank Plc, but he did not say whether there were other bidders for the complex. He also did not say if there was any public offer through bids process for the magnificent shopping centre.
The commissioner said the state government had given the new owner of the shopping centre guidelines which include the immediate takeover of the structure, employment of indigenes of Niger State and beautification of the centre.
Efforts made to get details of government’s plans for the other projects in the City Centre did not succeed as the commissioner was repeatedly said not to be in the office each time the reporter visited, and no other official of the ministry was ready to speak on the project.
This investigation is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).
