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Putin fears ceasefire could help Ukraine re-arm, mobilise troops

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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Putin fears ceasefire could help Ukraine re-arm, mobilise troops

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but refused to support a complete 30-day ceasefire, which President Donald Trump had proposed as a first step to achieving a lasting peace.

In a statement released late Tuesday, the Kremlin said Putin voiced concerns that a temporary ceasefire could allow Ukraine to re-arm and mobilise more troops.

He also reaffirmed his demand that any resolution must include an end to all military and intelligence support for Ukraine.

The ICIR reported that Trump announced plans to discuss ending the war in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18.

After a lengthy call between Trump and Putin, the White House announced that discussions on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, a broader ceasefire, and a permanent peace agreement would begin immediately.

However, Trump told Fox News that aid to Ukraine did not come up in the conversation.

Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, later announced that the U.S. was set to hold talks with Putin in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next Sunday but did not specify whether Ukraine would be invited.

“Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Witkoff said on Fox News.

The Kremlin said Putin ordered the Russian military to stop attacks against energy sites after speaking with Trump.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responding to the latest development, said that the Russian leader had effectively rejected the U.S. proposal, urging the international community to prevent Moscow from prolonging its war against Ukraine.

Zelensky, who had agreed to the 30-day ceasefire, said that he would support Putin’s limited ceasefire proposal after Tuesday’s call between Putin and Trump.

“Today, Putin de facto rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire. It would be right for the world to reject in response any attempts by Putin to drag out the war,” Zelenskiy said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

The ICIR reported that Putin had said that fighting could not be stopped until several key conditions were addressed, despite his support for the US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Putin said that any agreement must tackle what Moscow considered the root causes of the conflict, a key condition that indicates a ceasefire could take longer than Trump desires.

The Russian leader had said he wanted Ukraine to abandon its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ambitions. He also demanded that Russia have full control over the four Ukrainian regions it controlled in Ukraine, and for Ukraine’s military size to be restricted.

Fubara, Odu, Rivers Assembly’s suspension by Tinubu unconstitutional – Lawyers

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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Fubara, Odu, Rivers Assembly’s suspension by Tinubu unconstitutional – Lawyers

LEGAL practitioners have criticised President Bola Tinubu’s six-month suspension of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, all the state lawmakers, and the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.

The ICIR reported that Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, blamed the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for allowing the political crisis in the state to escalate.

The president appointed Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a retired rear admiral, as the state administrator.

“I have watched with concern the development with the hope that the parties involved will allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burns out without any solution to the crisis,” he said.

The ICIR reported that the political crisis in the state climaxed on Monday, March 17, when the House of Assembly served Fubara, and his deputy, Odu, a notice of gross misconduct, which could lead to their impeachment.

Although Tinubu cited Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution, arguing that the emergency measure was necessary to restore peace, some lawyers have challenged his position on the matter.

Kunle Edun, a senior advocate, said Tinubu lacked the constitutional power to suspend Fubara and members of the state’s House of Assembly under the provisions of Section 305 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Edun clarified in a statement released on Tuesday that while Section 305 defines the conditions for declaring a state of emergency, it does not authorise the president to remove or suspend elected state officials.

“The provisions of Section 305 relied upon by President Tinubu do not empower the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to remove or suspend elected state officials. Section 305(3) of the constitution prescribed the grounds upon which a state of emergency can be declared, and none of the reasons alluded to by the president justifies the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State,” he said.

He emphasised that under Section 305(4), only a state governor, with the backing of a two-thirds majority in the House of Assembly, can request the president to declare a state of emergency in any part of the state.

Arguing that the crisis in Rivers State had already been settled by the Supreme Court, he said, “The Supreme Court has already settled the issues causing the crisis in the state and the House of Assembly had started sitting.

“As a matter of fact, Governor Fubara was at the House of Assembly complex to present the 2025 budget in response to the demand of the Rivers’ State House of Assembly. So, Mr. President was very wrong to say that there was no longer a functional government in Rivers State simply because the House of Assembly complex was demolished.”

Edun pointed out that the constitution provides clear guidelines for situations where a state Assembly is unable to perform its legislative functions. He cited Section 11(4), which empowers the National Assembly to assume legislative duties in such cases, but does not grant the president the authority to remove or suspend state officials.

“A State House of Assembly can not be suspended by the president. Rather, it is the National Assembly that has the constitutional power to take over the legislative functions of the state. Therefore, the constitution did not envisage a situation where a state will be without a legislature at any time,” he added.

Similarly, another legal practitioner, Ekemini Simon, questioned where the official gazette for the proclamation was published in accordance with the constitution. He also criticised the president for failing to transmit copies of the gazette to the National Assembly for consideration before the declaration, allowing lawmakers to decide whether to approve the proclamation.

Quoting the constitution, he said “(1) Subject to the provisions of this constitution, the president may by instrument published in the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation issue a proclamation of a state of emergency in the Federation or any part thereof.

“(2) The president shall immediately after the publication, transmit copies of the official Gazette of the Government of the Federation. From the foregoing, Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution provides that the intention to declare a state of emergency should first be published in a Federal Government Gazette”

Simon emphasised that the rule of law is supreme over personal interests but noted that there was an opportunity to rectify the situation.

He cited Section 305(6), which states that a presidential proclamation ceases to be effective if revoked through an official gazette or if the National Assembly fails to approve it by a two-thirds majority within two days if in session or ten days if not.

Tinubu’s U-turn on state of emergency

The ICIR reports that when former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states in 2013, Tinubu criticised the move, describing it as a dangerous trend in governance and a deliberate attempt to undermine constitutional democracy.

“The body language of the Jonathan administration leads any keen watcher of events with the unmistakable conclusion of the existence of a surreptitious but barely disguised intention to muzzle the elected governments of these states for what is clearly a display of unpardonable mediocrity and diabolic partisanship geared towards 2015 (election),” he said.

He further claimed that the government was using security challenges as a pretext to remove governors from states perceived as hostile to the 2015 Jonathan re-election agenda.

 

 

 

 

 

Atiku slams Tinubu for declaring state of emergency in Rivers

Mustapha USMAN
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Atiku slams Tinubu for declaring state of emergency in Rivers

FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

He described the  decision as a politically motivated move designed to punish perceived opponents.

Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast earlier today, March 18, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months, citing escalating political tensions and security threats, including the bombing of an oil facility in the state. 

The president, however, retained the state judiciary and appointed Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a retired rear admiral, as the state administrator.

But Abubakar, in a statement shortly after the president’s broadcast, rejected Tinubu’s justification for the action.

He said the president had been a partisan actor in the political feud between Fubara and the  Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and had allowed the crisis to fester for political gain.

He also blamed the president for security failure that led to the destruction of oil facilities in the state.

“Anyone paying attention to the unfolding crisis knows that Bola Tinubu has been a vested partisan actor in the political turmoil engulfing Rivers. His blatant refusal or calculated negligence in preventing this escalation is nothing short of disgraceful.

“Beyond the political scheming in Rivers, the brazen security breaches that led to the condemnable destruction of national infrastructure in the state land squarely on the President’s desk. 

“Tinubu cannot evade responsibility for the chaos his administration has either enabled or failed to prevent,” he wrote.

Abubakar further accused Tinubu of weaponising the state of emergency to assert control over Rivers, warning that the move could set a dangerous precedent for democracy. 

The former PDP presidential candidate also warned that Tinubu’s handling of the crisis could undo years of peacebuilding efforts in the Niger Delta, likening the situation to the unrest seen before the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s amnesty programme.

“It is an unforgivable failure that under Tinubu’s watch, the Niger Delta has been thrown back into an era of violent unrest and instability — undoing the hard-won peace secured by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. Years of progress have been recklessly erased in pursuit of selfish political calculations.

“If federal infrastructure in Rivers has been compromised, the President bears full responsibility. Punishing the people of Rivers State just to serve the political gamesmanship between the governor and @officialABAT’s enablers in the federal government is nothing less than an assault on democracy and must be condemned in the strongest terms,” he added.

The ICIR reports that the political standoff in Rivers has brewed for months, with Fubara, Wike, and the state lawmakers locked in a power struggle over control of the state’s political structure. 

Key things to know about new Rivers State administrator Ibom-Ete Ibas

Mustapha USMAN
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Key things to know about new Rivers State administrator Ibom-Ete Ibas

IBOK-Ete Ibas, a retired vice admiral, is stepping into a new role as Rivers State administrator, bringing with him decades of military experience. 

A former chief of naval staff, Ibas is renown for his leadership in maritime security and military operations. 

His appointment followed the declaration of a State of Emergency in Rivers State on Tuesday, March 18 by President Bola Tinubu.

The declaration also means the president suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all the lawmakers for a period of six months.

The president said,: “In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (Rtd) as Administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this declaration does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.”

The declaration of a state of emergency in the state followed months of political impasse, which arose from conflict between the former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his successor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Here are key things to know about the new administrator:

  1. Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, born on September 27, 1960, served as Nigeria’s 22nd chief of naval staff from 2015 to 2021. In this role, he reportedly led efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime security, combat oil theft, and modernise the Navy’s operational capabilities.
  2. Born in Nko, Cross River State, he joined the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1979 and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1983. He steadily rose through the ranks, holding several high-profile command and administrative positions.
  3. Ibas trained at several military institutions, including the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, the Amphibious Warfare School at the United States Marine Corps University, and the National Defence College in Pakistan. He holds a master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He also attended several military courses at home and abroad.
  4.  Throughout his career, Ibas held several leadership roles, including flag officer commanding the Western Naval Command, chief of logistics at the Naval Headquarters, and GMD/CEO of Nigerian Navy Holdings Limited. 
  5. He was the commanding officer of the Nigerian Navy Underwater Warfare School from August 1997 to September 1998 and thereafter the commanding officer of the Forward Operating Base Ibaka from September 1998 to June 2000.
  6. Ibas served as the naval provost marshal from April 2003 to June 2004 before becoming the principal staff officer to the Chief of Naval Staff from June 2004 to July 2005. He later held the position of command operations officer at the headquarters of the Western Naval Command in Lagos from June to December 2006. From December 2006 to January 2009, he was appointed commander of the Naval Air Base in Ojo.
  7. In 2010, he was appointed chief staff officer at Headquarters, Naval Training Command, Lagos, a position he served till  March 2011. 
  8. He was the flag officer commanding Western Naval Command from January 2013 to January 2014. 
  9. In October 2022, former President Muhammadu Buhari conferred on him the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR)

Tinubu declares State of Emergency in Rivers

Bankole ABE
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Tinubu declares State of Emergency in Rivers

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has declared a State of Emergency in Rivers State.

The declaration follows ongoing political turbulence in the state.

In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, March 18, the president suspended the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly for six months.

However, he retained the state judiciary.

Tinubu blamed the governor and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, for allowing the political crisis in the state to escalate.

He particularly criticised Fubara for failing to take action after an oil facility was blown up in the state on Tuesday night.

Nearly 24 hours after the explosion, the president stated that the governor had yet to condemn the incident or reach out to him.

The president appointed Ibok Ekwe Ibas, a retired rear admiral, as the state administrator.

“I have watched with concern the development with hope that the parties involved will allow good sense to prevail at the soonest, but all that hope burns out without any solution to the crisis.

“With the crisis persisting, there is no way democratic governance, which we all fought and worked for over the years, can thrive,” said the president.

He explained that as a result of the crisis, the people of the state had been unable to access the dividends of democracy.

He also accused Fubara of demolishing the state House of Assembly Complex as far back as December 2023 without rebuilding it since then.

“My efforts have been largely ignored by the parties to the crisis. I’m also aware that many well-meaning Nigerians, leaders and patriotic groups have also intervened at various times with the best of intentions to resolve the matter, but all the efforts were also to no avail,” he stated.

The president said Fubara failed to act on vandalisation of pipelines by some militants in the state and the governor took no action to contain them.

He also accused the governor of failing to condemn the attack, including the groups that had threatened mayhem and destruction of oil facilities should the governor be impeached.

He then declared what he described as “extraordinary measures” to restore good governance, peace, order, and security in the state.

“It has become inevitably compelling for me to evoke the provision of section 305 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended to declare a state of emergency in River State with effect from today 18th March, year 2025, and I so do.

“By this declaration, the governor of River State, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs. Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.

“In the meantime, I hereby nominate Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas  (retired) as administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state and the interests of the good people of River State,” the president declared.

He added that the declaration did not affect the state judiciary, which he said must continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate.

He added that the administrator would not make any new laws. He will, however, be free to formulate regulations that may be found necessary to do his job, but such regulations will need to be considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council and promoted by the president for the state.

He announced that the declaration had been published in the Federal Gazette, a copy of which he said had been forwarded to the National Assembly in accordance with the constitution.

The ICIR reports that the declaration of emergency in Rivers State followed a huge explosion that rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community, Gonna Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, March 17.

Many Nigerians see the explosion as a new twist to.the political quagmire in the state.

The blast occurred late in the night around the Bodo-Bonny Road currently under construction.

The fire affects the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP), a critical oil supply line serving the Bonny Export Terminal.

The cause of the explosion remains unknown as of press time.

Some groups had recently threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger-Delta region in response to the Supreme Court ruling which directed the Federal Government to withhold Rivers State’s allocation amid the political turmoil in the state.

The ICIR reported that the political crisis in the state climaxed on Monday when the House of Assembly served Fubara, and his deputy, Odu, a notice of gross misconduct, which could lead to their impeachment.

The House members, who have been at loggerheads with the governor, claimed the accusation was in tandem with the Nigerian constitution.

The lawmakers accused Fubara of misusing public funds, obstructing the Assembly, and making unauthorised appointments without proper screening and confirmation.

Others include the withholding of lawmakers’ salaries, allowances, and seizure of salaries of the Assembly’s clerk, Emeka Amadi.

They also accused the deputy governor of plotting and supporting the illegal appointment into offices/positions in the Rivers State Government without following due process.

Recall that the power struggle between the governor and the Amaewhule-led Assembly reached its peak after the Supreme Court’s judgment, which ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation to withhold Rivers State’s statutory allocation.

It also annulled the recent local government election conducted in the state by Fubara.

Fubara and his predecessor, Wike,  have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state.

Reps pass tax reform bills

Ehime ALEX
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Reps pass tax reform bills

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 18, passed the four tax reform bills transmitted to it by President Bola Tinubu in October 2024.

The passage followed the House consideration and approval of its Committee on Finance report on the bills submitted on Thursday, March 13.

The committee had adjusted some sections of the bills and made recommendations to the House for review and approval.

The ICIR reported that the Green Chamber, upon receipt of the committee’s report, adopted the controversial bills as a working document.

Part of the contentious issues included the provisions on inheritance tax, value-added tax (VAT) rate and distribution formula.

Other contentious issues also include the clause on continuous funding of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) from the development levies fund.

The ICIR reports that Tinubu had in October 2024 transmitted the tax reform bills to the National Assembly.

The bills include the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment Bill), the Joint Revenue Board Bill, and the Nigeria Tax Bill.

The bills generated a lot of controversies, resentments, and scepticism in the public space and among stakeholders, groups, and individuals, which later led to wider consultations and discussions among various interest groups at various levels, many of whom made submissions at a public hearing in the National Assembly.

But during its committee’s clause-by-clause consideration of the bills, it adjusted some of the clauses.

At the plenary on Tuesday, the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, reportedly moved for the bills to be read for the third time.

He said, “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Assessment, Collection of, and Accounting for Revenue Accruing to the Federation, Federal, States and Local Governments; Prescribe the Powers and Functions of Tax Authorities, and for Related Matters be read for the third time.

“That a Bill for an Act to Repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, No.13, 2007 and Enact the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill to Establish Nigeria Revenue Service, charged with Powers of Assessment, Collection of, and Accounting for Revenue Accruable to the Government of the Federation and for Related Matters be read for the third time.

“A Bill for an Act to Establish Joint Revenue Board, the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Office of the Tax Ombud, for the Harmonisation, Coordination and Settlement of Disputes Arising from Revenue Administration in Nigeria and for Related Matters, be read for the third time.

“A Bill for an Act to Repeal Certain Acts on Taxation and Consolidate the Legal Frameworks Relating to Taxation and Enact the Nigeria Tax Act to Provide For Taxation of Income, Transactions and Instruments, and Related Matters be read for the third time”.

The four bills were unanimously endorsed by members, and read for the third time as passed.

With the passage of the bills by the House, Nigerians now await concurrence from the Senate before the bills can be returned to the president for his assent which makes them become laws.

Wike revokes PDP National Secretariat land title

Mustapha USMAN
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Wike revokes PDP National Secretariat land title

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), led by the Minister Nyesom Wike, has revoked the right of occupancy granted to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Secretariat, in Abuja over alleged non-payment of ground rent spanning two decades.

A notice from the FCTA’s Department of Land Administration, dated March 13, 2025, and signed by Chijioke Nwankwoeze, stated that the PDP had failed to meet its financial obligations on the property since January 1, 2006. 

The notice said that the land, situated at Plot No. 243 in Central Area, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja, and the property built on it had been reclaimed by the FCTA.

It claimed that despite multiple reminders and public notices issued since 2023, the party allegedly defaulted on its dues, which it said led to the revocation.

The ICIR reports that Wike claims to be a PDP member, despite serving in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government led by President Bola Tinubu. He is the only card-carrying PDP stalwart in the government.

Before pitching tent with the APC government, the minister had served in public offices for about two decades on the PDP’s platform.

He was the chairman of the Obio-Akpor Local Government.

He thereafter became Chief of Staff  before serving as a minister for education in Abuja. He then went on to win governorship poll in Rivers State. He led the state for eight years before accepting ministerial offer from the APC government.

Wike came second in the PDP presidential primary in 2022. He was defeated by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

His defeat by Abubakar was the last straw that broke the camel’s back for him with many of the party leaders.

He built an alliance with four other governors on the PDP’s platform and ensured Atiku lost his sixth shot at the presidency.

Though he continues to claim to be a PDP member, the party leaders have variously denounced him.

The FCTA notice to PDP

Part of the notice reads, “I have been directed to refer to the above right of occupancy granted to PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP), NATIONAL SECRETARIAT and inform you that the Minister of Federal Capital Territory has in the exercise of powers conferred on him under the Land Use Act No. 6 of 1978, Cap. L5, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, revoked your rights, interests and privileges over Plot No. 243 within Central Area, Cadastral Zone A00, Abuja.

“The revocation is in view of your continued contravention of the terms and conditions of grant of the right of occupancy by failing to pay the annual ground rents due on the property for twenty (20) years, from Ist of January 2006 to 1st of January 2025. This is despite the many publications made by the FCT Administration since 2023 in several national dailies and on electronic media requesting all allottees of plots in the Federal Capital Territory to pay up every outstanding bill and ground rent on their property.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has yet to issue an official response to the revocation as of press time.

The ICIR reached out to the party’s spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, but calls to his phone were not answered, and a text message sent to him was not replied to.

The revocation followed a chain of crackdown on defaulting landowners by the FCTA. 

Wike had approved the revocation of 4,794 land titles across Abuja over unpaid ground rents allegedly spanning several decades.

The minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, and the FCTA Director of Lands, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, disclosed this at a press briefing on Monday, March 17.

Olayinka noted that the revocation followed multiple publications and announcements on broadcast media by the FCT Administration since 2023, adding that payment of ground rents was backed by extant laws.

Police react to Rivers explosion, assure residents of safety

Bankole ABE
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Police react to Rivers explosion, assure residents of safety

THE Rivers State Police Command has reacted to the explosion that rocked a section of the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo Community, Gonna Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday, March 17.

The command, in a statement on Tuesday, March 18, by its police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that the explosion occurred at the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) operated by Trans Niger Delta Pipeline, located at the border of Kpor and Bodo communities.

The police said during a routine night patrol, security operatives observed the incident and promptly alerted SPDC management.

According to the police, the SPDC initiated necessary safety protocols, including shutting down the affected pipeline. As a result of swift intervention, the situation was brought under control, and there was no further threat to residents or the environment, said the police.

The command noted that it had commenced a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the explosion, which caused great fires in the area.

It added that in connection with the incident, two suspects were taken in for questioning as part of efforts to uncover any potential act of sabotage.

“The command remains committed to ensuring that perpetrators of criminal activities are identified and brought to justice.

“We urge residents to remain calm and vigilant, assuring them of our unwavering commitment to protecting lives and property. The command will not relent in its efforts to rid the state of criminal elements and maintain peace and security for all,” the police stated.

They urged the public to reach out to any nearest police station for any useful information regarding the incident or any suspicious activities within the state.

The ICIR reported that the explosion affected a critical oil supply line serving the Bonny Export Terminal..

Some groups had recently threatened to attack oil installations in the Niger-Delta region in response to the Supreme Court ruling, which directed the Federal Government to withhold the Rivers State allocation amid the political stalemate in the state.

The ICIR reported that the political crisis in the state climaxed on Monday when the House of Assembly served the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, a notice of gross misconduct, which could lead to their impeachment if they are found guilty.

The House members, who have been at loggerheads with the governor, claimed the accusation was in tandem with the Nigerian Constitution.

The lawmakers accused Fubara of misusing public funds, obstructing the Assembly, and making unauthorised appointments without proper screening and confirmation.

Others include the withholding of lawmakers’ salaries, and allowances, and the seizure of salaries of the Assembly’s clerk, Emeka Amadi.

They also accused the deputy governor of plotting and supporting the illegal appointment into offices/positions in the Rivers State Government without following due process. 

Recall that the power struggle between the governor and the Amaewhule-led Assembly reached its peak after the Supreme Court’s judgment, which ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Attorney General of the Federation to withhold Rivers State’s statutory allocation.

It also annulled the recent local government election conducted in the state by Fubara.

Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have been at loggerheads over who controls the PDP structure in the state.

Wike pledges to allocate FCT land to UniPort, gifts school N350m

Mustapha USMAN
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0
Wike pledges to allocate FCT land to UniPort, gifts school N350m

THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has pledged to allocate land in Abuja to the University of Port Harcourt (UniPort) for building the  school’s Centre for Leadership and Political Studies.

Wike made the pledge on Monday, March 17, while receiving the university’s Governing Council, led by Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council, Mao Ohuabunwa, a former senator.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ohuabunwa had appealed for Wike’s support to develop the centre, modeled after the John F. Kennedy Leadership Center in the United States.

He said “Wikematics Political Ideology” would be part of the centre’s curriculum. 

He also sought assistance in setting up a multimedia centre at the university’s Convocation Arena as part of UniPort’s upcoming 50th-anniversary.

Responding, Wike assured the delegation that he would provide land for the leadership centre but emphasised that FCT funds would not be used for the project. 

However, the report noted that Wike personally committed N350 million to the multimedia project, claiming they were contributions from his wife and close associates.

“Government alone cannot do it. Those of us who graduated from the university, and who God has helped, should also support.

“I cannot take FCT money and give it to you, no, but I will give you land to build your centre.

”My wife, my friends, and I will provide the money needed to build the multimedia centre you have asked for,” he said.

The minister, an alumnus of UniPort, described his support as a way of giving back to the institution where he earned his first degree in Political Science before studying Law. 

He encouraged the university’s management to seek further support from other successful alumni, including Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo.

Earlier, Ohuabunwa had commended Wike for his feats as FCT Minister and congratulated him on his appointment. 

He noted that UniPort would mark its golden jubilee in 2025 with a N10 billion endowment fund and highlighted Wike’s previous contributions to the university’s development.

The ICIR reports that since he assumed office as minister in August 2023, Wike has, in addition to several roads he constructed or completed, embarked on demolition spree, targeting structures he claimed were built on illegally acquired land.

Several reports by The ICIR showed how the minister demolished homes and businesses across Abuja, with many residents accusing him of displacing them illegally.

The demolitions have sparked legal battles and protests, with affected citizens and communities, particularly the indigenous people of FCT, questioning the minister’s criteria for land reclamation.

MRA condemns alleged assault on journalist by Port Harcourt church  

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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0
MRA condemns alleged assault on journalist by Port Harcourt church  

MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA) has condemned the alleged attack on Port Harcourt-based broadcast journalist, Precious Amadi, by members of Salvation Ministries Church in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

MRA Programme Officer, John Gbadamosi, in a statement on Monday, March 17, urged the Federal Government and law enforcement agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and hold all those responsible accountable.

Amadi was allegedly brutalised and left unconscious by the church after posting a report on his Facebook timeline about a fire outbreak at the church’s premises on March 15.

In a video that surfaced online on Sunday, March 16, the journalist recounted the incident, stating that despite helping to contain the fire by assisting church members in evacuating flammable furniture and attempting to get the Rivers State Fire Service to contain the inferno without success, he was shocked when church members falsely accused him of spying.

“My only crime in the eyes of the overzealous members of Salvation Ministries was posting an SOS on Facebook, urging people to call the Rivers State Fire Service to help put out the fire,” Amadi said in the video.

He added, “Overzealous members of Salvation Ministries attacked me, and destroyed my two phones while being supervised by some junior pastors who kept calling me a spy.”

He stated that his two mobile phones were destroyed during the attack, leaving him with multiple injuries and that he was unlawfully detained for several hours.

The journalist further claimed that church members, without his consent, deleted his Facebook posts where he called for help and wiped the data on his phones in an attempt to erase evidence of the assault and his distress call.

The MRA condemned the alleged action by the church and described it as a “despicable act and a serious violation of media freedom and human rights.”

“Such acts of violence against a journalist are not only unacceptable but also constitute a direct attack on media freedom and the right to freedom of expression, which are fundamental pillars of any democratic society. No journalist should ever face intimidation, harassment, or physical harm for their reporting.” Gbadamosi said.

He added that the role of the media was to inform the public, and any attempt to silence journalists through violence constituted a grave violation of their rights.

While calling on the Federal Government and the relevant law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident thoroughly and ensure that those responsible for the attack are identified and held accountable, he stressed that the safety and protection of journalists must be guaranteed at all times, and any attempt to stifle media freedom must be met with the full force of the law.

Gbadamosi also urged the leadership of Salvation Ministries to take immediate steps to address the situation by condemning the attack and assisting law enforcement agents to identify those responsible and ensuring justice is served.

The ICIR reports that Salvation Ministries confirmed the fire outbreak in a statement circulating on Facebook on March 15.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the church for a reaction proved abortive, as calls to the numbers on its letterhead did not go through, and SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to numbers were not responded to as of the time of filling this report.

 

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