THE governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) in Lagos, Funso Doherty has written to the governor of the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on some of the controversial projects observed on the state’s procurement portal.
Doherty had examined the procurement portal of the Lagos State Government and flagged some projects awarded for the second and third quarters of 2023.
In a post on X, Doherty said, “I just wrote an open letter to the Governor on Public Procurement awards reported by LASG for the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2023, highlighting a number of issues for further scrutiny and remedial action. Judicious use of public funds is always important, and is especially so now.”
In the letter, he noted that N18,468,000 was awarded to the office of the chief of staff for the “supply and distribution of 2,000 Noiler chicken across the local government areas and wards in the state”.
Another sum of N440,750,000 was awarded to the office of the chief of staff for the “procurement of a brand new Lexus LX 600 Bullet Proof Sport Utility Vehicle for use in the Pool of Office of Chief.
Among the items flagged is also the “Provision of Supply items (Rechargeable fans, rechargeable lights and fridge in the office of the deputy governor” which was procured under the office of the deputy governor.”
The item was awarded to Judkom Enterprises in July, 2023 at the sum of N2bn( 2,017,840,000).
Also pointed out is the sum of N7,475,000 awarded for the “replacement of the liquid fragrance in the Office of Mr Governor, Lagos house, Ikeja.
“The office of deputy governor was awarded the sum of N30,000,000 for “monthly outreach of indigent citizens by the wife of the deputy governor.
“Another N30,000,000 was awarded for monthly empowerment programmes of the wife of the deputy governor.”
Calls and text messages sent to the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos state governor, Gboyega Akosile were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
This is not the first time that Doherty has written to Sanwo-Olu over the affairs of the state. In June 2023, he wrote the state government over the rising debt profile of the State after it commenced implementation of its N1 trillion bond issuance programme.
CHECKS by The ICIR have shown that only 35.59 per cent of voters in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states participated in electing governors in their respective states.
The three states held off-cycle elections on November 11, 2023.
With a combined estimated population of 12 million people, only 5.41 million people were registered voters for the off-cycle elections. Of this amount, only 5.17 million voters collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, findings by The ICIR showed that the total number of votes cast in the three states was 1,840,118 votes; translating to about 36 per cent of the total number of voters with PVCs.
This report looks to establish voters’ participation in the gubernatorial election by reviewing the total number of votes cast and comparing it with the number of voters in each state.
The ICIR reported that INEC declared both candidates of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Imo state, Hope Uzodimma, and Kogi state, Usman Ododo, as the winners of the governorship poll, and incumbent governor, Douye Diri, of the People’s Democratic Party, as the winner of the Bayelsa state election. [click here for more reports].
The results agree with the prediction made by The ICIR report which used the statistics of the lawmaker’s election in February and March to examine the chances of political parties to win the governorship seat.
Kogi state
According to INEC, there were 3,508 polling units spreading across the 21 local governments in the state. The total number of registered voters in the state was 1.93 million.
However, out of these registered voters, only 1.83 million have collected their PVCs. This represents 94.85 per cent of PVCs collected. While the number of uncollected PVCs is 99,494 representing 5.15 per cent.
18 candidates contested for the gubernatorial seat of which are 17 male candidates and 1 female candidate. INEC also said that 137,973 political party agents participated in monitoring the polls.
Meanwhile, the total number of votes cast during the electioneering process in the state was 837,260 votes. This represents 45.67 per cent of voters with PVCs. When broken down into 100s, this means that only 46 out of 100 voters who had their PVCs participated in the election.
Also, Ododo won the elections with 446,237 votes. This represents 53.3 per cent of the total votes cast during the polls. He successfully won 10 out of 12 local governments.
Bayelsa state
In Bayelsa state, there were 1.06 million registered voters with 1.02 million voters with PVcs. This is 96.29 per cent when the figures are compared. Meanwhile, 39,249 voters are without PVCs representing 3.71 per cent.
The number of polling units is 2,244 located in eight local government areas. Also, 16 aspirants contested for the seat of which 14 candidates are males while 2 candidates are females. INEC said that 65,274 political party agents monitored the polls across the states.
Meanwhile, the total number of votes cast in the state was 291,212. This means 28.62 per cent of voters with PVCs went to the polls. When broken down in 100s, it translates to 29 out of 100 voters.
Diri, who was re-elected for a second term, won the elections with 175,196 votes. This is 60.16 per cent of the total votes cast. He won six out of eight local governments in the state.
Imo state
For Imo state, there are 4,758 polling units across the 27 local governments in the state. The number of registered voters was 2.43 million of which 2.32 million have collected their PVCs representing 95.83 per cent.
The number of people without PVCs was 101,003 representing 4.17 per cent. A total of 17 male candidates contested for the seat with 37,995 political party agents monitoring the polls.
However, the total number of votes cast during the electioneering exercise was 711,646 votes, representing 30.69 per cent of the total number of voters with PVCs in the state and when broken down into 100s, it is 31 out of every 100 vote cast.
Uzodimma, who was re-elected for a second term, won the election with 540,308 votes which is 75.92 per cent of votes cast during the election clearing all 27 local governments.
OPPOSITION parties, civil society organisations, and Nigerians who are displeased with the conduct of the governorship election in Kogi state by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, November 11, continue to condemn the exercise and malpractices that allegedly characterise it.
The state is one of the eight states in Nigeria with off-season governorship polls. Others are Anambra, Imo, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo and Osun
The INEC announced Usman Ododo as the election winner on Sunday, November 12.
The poll was held in 3,508 polling units spread across the 21 local government areas of the state.
Major candidates in the election
According to the candidates’ list published by INEC, 18 people participated in the poll in the state.
Among the leading candidates are Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Usman Ahmed Ododo
Ododo is a former auditor-general for local government in the state.
He enjoys the advantage of being the only candidate from the Kogi central senatorial district and hails from Okene, the same locality as the incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello.
APC candidate Ahmed Usman Ododo of APC.
Dino Melaye
He is the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the election.
Melaye is a former senator and House of Representatives member.
He hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu local government area of the Kogi west senatorial district.
Muritala Yakubu Ajaka
Muritala Ajaka was the former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC.
He resigned the party’s membership, after which he emerged as the gubernatorial candidate of the SDP for the November 11 election.
He is from the Kogi senatorial district – the region with the highest voters and population.
Residents expressed mixed feelings a few days before the election
As INEC, Police, and other stakeholders prepared for the election, residents of the state expressed mixed feelings towards the poll.
Many residents interviewed on the streets of Lokoja a few days before the election reacted differently to the exercise.
A resident, Sulaiman Ibrahim, said he was unconcerned about the election and would not vote.
He said nothing had changed since he had been voting in the state.
“Things are the same; you vote every time, but nothing changes. The state is still in comatose,” he said.
Another resident, Kayode Eshinloye, described the election as “very crucial” to the state’s survival.
“Anyone who refuses to vote now should not complain of bad leadership in the future,” he stated.
Idiyatu Kamoru, a shop owner, raised concerns over security in the state. According to her, her safety comes first before any election.
INEC gave assurance of a fair and credible election
The INEC, through its resident electoral commissioner (REC), Hale Longpet, said it had no candidate in the election.
Longpet said this during a press briefing in Lokoja on Friday, November 10.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Hale Longpet, flanked by other officers during the press briefing. Picture by The ICIR 10/11/2023
While delivering a speech on behalf of the INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, Longpet vowed to provide a level playing field for all political parties and candidates in the elections.
Heavy security presence noticed in the state
There was a heavy Police presence in the state before, during, and after the election.
Armoured personnel carriers, sniffer dogs, and members of the Police’s counter-terrorism unit were seen mounting roadblocks and patrols within the state.
Police ban movement on election day, assures residents of safety
Kogi State Police Command banned human and vehicular movement from midnight on Friday, November 10, to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 11.
Speaking on security for the election, the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Police Ahmed Sani, who was in charge of security for the exercise, said the Police would not spare anyone attempting to test the Force’s will.
According to Sani, the Police deployed enough security men to handle each of the 3,508 polling units and 239 wards in the 21 LGAs in the state.
Scarcity of hotel accommodation in Lokoja
The ICIR, in this report, observed that most hotels in the state’s capital, Lokoja, were fully booked a few hours before the election.
A visit to some of the hotels in the city on Thursday, November 9, showed that there were no vacant rooms to give out.
Facilities visited include Idrianana Hotel on Idrinana Close, Lokongoma Phase II, Lokoja, Suitoria Hotel, Zone 8 Road, beside New Stadium, Twins Palace Hotel, Hon. Yusus Avenue and Lily Grand Hotel, and Lokogoma Phase 2.
Election day
Security vehicles were noticed on election day at Itakpe junction, Okene.
The vehicles (black Hilux), three in number, were stopped by some military officers stationed at the junction in the early hours of election day. The vehicles’ arrival caused stirs in the area.
The ICIR observed that despite military personnel manning the highway and instructing the vehicles’ occupants to disembark, they refused to alight or lower their windows.
This incident caused some delay for journalists travelling to Okene LGA to cover the election, as the military blocked the passage of any vehicles because of the attitude of the black Hilux’s occupants.
The ICIR, Arise TV crew, Channels TV, and Silverbird TV were some media houses affected by the incident.
A journalist at the scene who attempted to photograph the vehicles was detained and forced to delete the images.
The journalists were eventually allowed to proceed after a long delay, but the ‘strange’ vehicles were detained.
Voters turnout
The ICIR reported a massive voter turnout at the largest voting centre in Adavi LGA on election day.
Hundreds of voters trooped out early at the LGA Primary School as early as 7.30 a.m. to vote.
Women in the queue at Adavi LGA primary school waiting to cast their vote for the 2023 Kogi gubernatorial election – November 2023 #KogiDecides2023.
According to the voters, the centre is the largest voting centre in the town.
Vote-buying
There was a minor incident at two polling units (PU) in Okene LGA on election day.
A party member – a man – absconded with money meant for vote-buying at two polling units.
The PUs are PU 25, Ucheba ward, and PU 012, Orietesu ward.
Upon hearing of the incident, people were seen chasing one another in the area.
A resident told our reporter that the man named Shaibu absconded with the money meant for vote buying.
It was not immediately clear which political party the man represented.
Police officers stationed at the polling unit were seen not taking any action.
Similarly, soldiers stationed a few metres away did not bat an eyelid.
Operatives of the EFCC also arrested 14 suspected vote buyers across the three states where off-cycle governorship elections were held that day, including Kogi state.
A statement by the commission hours after the polls stated that the buyers were apprehended in different parts of Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.
The EFCC said it intercepted N11 million (N11,040,000) from suspected vote buyers in the three states.
The Commission didn’t state the exact amount recovered in Kogi state.
Opposition parties raise alarm
The PDP candidate in the Kogi governorship election, Melaye, raised the alarm over allegations of forged results sheets in the Ogori Mangogo area of the state.
In a brief voice statement he released via his X handle, as the voting was ongoing, Melaye said residents of the Ogori Mangogo refused to vote due to the incident.
He described the action as a threat to the election’s credibility and accused INEC of refusing to work within the confine of its Act.
The ICIRreported that YIAGA Africa condemned the alleged malpractice and expressed deep concern over the integrity of the electoral process and the potential implications of any malpractice on democracy in the state.
Similarly, the SDP governorship candidate, Ajaka,complained that the original result sheets for the election were missing in Okenne, Okehi and Adavi local government areas and urged INEC to question the people involved.
He said this after casting his vote in his local government, Igalamela.
Yahaya Bello boast of victory
The ICIRreportedthat Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello boasted after casting his vote in his hometown of Okenne that Ododo would win the election.
The governor said he was confident of victory because of his work in the state.
INEC reacts to reports of results manipulation
The INEC suspended the governorship election in some local government areas (LGAs) of the state over electoral malpractices.
Affected LGAs include Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi, and Okene.
The commission, via its X handle, on Saturday night, November 11, said it received reports from its officials in the state on incidents of electoral malpractices, particularly the incident of result sheets completed before voting.
The electoral body described the development as “entirely unacceptable,” adding that any result not emanating from the commission’s process in the polling units would not be accepted.
It further assured the electorate in the state that their votes would be protected and their wishes would be respected.
Later in the day, the commission announced fresh elections in wards where it had earlier cancelled elections.
In a statement signed by the INEC National Commissioner & Member Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, Saturday night and shared on the commission’s X handle, the commission said that the decision to conduct a fresh election depended on the returning officer’s decision to apply the margin of lead principle.
INEC declared Ododo winner
The INEC, through its returning officer in the state, Johnson Urama, the deputy vice-chancellor (academics) of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, declared Ododo the election winner on Sunday, November 12.
Ododo polled 446,237 votes, Ajaka won 259,052, and Melaye garnered 46,362 votes.
Controversy trails Ododo’s emergence as election winner
Both Melaye and Ajaka rejected the election and calledfor its cancellation while it was ongoing on Saturday.
While speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Monday, November 13, he accused INEC of “allocating” votes to the APC.
Melaye claimed there was no election in the state.
The former senator described the exercise as “shameful” and said the nation’s democracy had taken a “setback.”
He declared that it was not the first time he had lost an election and that he could not accept the results of an election that was “far from credible.”
Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello addressed the media after casting his vote in Okene, Kogi Central, on Saturday, November 11.
Also, speaking on the election outcome, Ajaka said he would not challenge the election result in court.
He claimed that INEC had cheated the state’s voters by ‘manipulating’ the election results to favour the APC candidate.
He said this while appearing on Sunday night on Channels Television’s “The 2023 Verdict” programme.
The SDP candidate added that going to court to contest the poll’s outcome would be a waste of time, claiming INEC would come as a witness to defend the results.
Another candidate in the election, Olayinka Braimoh of Action Alliance, said he was arrested and detained during the election.
Braimoh alleged that he was arrested and detained on Saturday, disenfranchising him from voting.
“I was disenfranchised, illegally locked up in Kabba Area Police Command for over eight hours, and my security details denied bail,” he said in a video.
The tenure of Governor Bello ends on January 26, 2024, when Ododo is expected to take the oath of office.
SIX months after leaving office as the minister of youth and sports, the image of the immediate past minister, Sunday Dare, remains on the ministry’s website, portraying him as the substantive minister, as can be seen archived here.
In September, The ICIR reported the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) website showing former President Muhammadu Buhari as the country’s incumbent leader, nearly four months after he left office.
Dare was Nigeria’s 35th sports minister. He succeeded Solomon Dalung in 2019. Both served in the Buhari-led administration.
Since he left office, the website built with tax-payers money has been denied timely information despite several sports-related engagements under the current minister, John Enoh, who assumed office in August.
The ICIR observed the last update on the website, dated June 1, 2023, with the headline “CON Award: Youth and Sport (sic) Ministry Hails Sunday Dare.” The headline clearly shows that the officer who wrote the report could not correctly write the ministry’s name.
Screenshot of the last information on the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development website, dated June 1, 2023.
The website’s condition also shows no one is handling it or the officer in charge has abandoned his or her job.
Not only does the website suffer from not being fed with information, The ICIR observed the ministry’s social media handles provide information that contradicts the ministry’s new name – Sports Development.
While forming his cabinet in August, President Bola Tinubu split the Ministry of Youths and Sports in two, namely Sports Development and Youth Development.
The recent programme organised by the newly-created Ministry of Youth Development posted on the ministry’s ‘X’ social media handle on Friday, November 13, 2013.
The ICIR also observed that the uniform resource locator (URL) of the (old ministry’s) website remains as Youth and Sports.
Failure to publish information on the activities of Youth and Sports Development’s website and social media handles has limited the ministry’s interaction with the public.
The ICIR contacted the ministry’s director of press, Mohammed Manga, to seek his reactions to the findings.
He said he was at an event when the reporter reached him on the telephone
” I am at an event. Can we talk later?” he said.
Subsequent attempts to speak with him proved abortive as he did not respond to calls before filing this report.
NOTE: The headline and first paragraph were updated to reflect 6 and not 7 months as initially stated.
The Kwara State Fire Service has said properties worth N4.6 million were lost to the fire incident that occurred in the early morning of Saturday, November, 17 at the Basin Road area, Ilorin, the state capital.
The fire, which started around 2.06am at No. 48 Basin Road, opposite CAC Church, in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of the state, gutted a block of eight shops.
According to a statement by the service’s Head of Media and Publicity, Hassan Adekunle, the cause of the fire was a power surge.
Adekunle, said only two out of the eight shops were destroyed due to the quick intervention of the firemen and six shops and goods worth N68.5 million were saved.
“The fire crew promptly departed the station and, upon arrival at the scene, encountered a fierce blaze engulfing a block of eight shops, resulting in damage to two of them,” he said.
He explained that the firemen demonstrated remarkable skill and successfully brought the inferno under control by 2:20am.
“Subsequent investigation identified the cause of the incident as a power surge”, he said.
THE Commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), John Ochai, a major general, has advocated for President Bola Tinubu to champion the campaign for the decolonisation of Africa.
Ochai said this on Saturday, November 18, at the 11th leadership lecture series of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s Centre For The Study Of Leadership And Complex Military Operations (CSLCMO) held at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Mambila Barracks, Abuja.
Ochai was represented at the event by Ojong Echum Tangban, a professor in the Department of History and War Studies at NDA.
Ochai, who spoke on the theme, “Global Competition For Africa: What leadership role for Nigeria?” stated that President Tinubu, as the President of Nigeria, should spearhead the campaign for the decolonisation of the continent, particularly in the French-speaking part of Africa, considering that Africa has once again become the bride of world superpowers.
“Nigeria should toe the line of “jaw-jaw” and peaceful negotiations with the military junta in those countries.
“This is important because all the countries where coups have taken place in Africa since 2020 are underdeveloped countries, meaning that the civilian governments in those countries, with some of the ousted leaders having been in power for so long and have failed the people,” Ochai stated
He added that one of the reasons why Africa has remained underdeveloped is the inability of African countries to sit down at any negotiation table from the position of strength and as equals with countries of the North.
Representative of the keynote speaker, Ojong Echum Tangban, addressing journalists at the end of the event.
He urged Nigeria, Africa’s biggest country, to prove it is not a pushover during international discussions and negotiations.
“It is on this basis that Nigeria and the rest of Africa must push for the country to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, for it doesn’t make any sense that Africa does not have any permanent member.”
On the allegation that the recent coup plotters in Niger have the backing of Russia and mercenaries of Russia’s Wagner Group, Ochai said,’ These are allegations, however, as the competition for Africa continues; a match that reminds us of 1884/1885 scramble for Africa, Nigeria as the big brother in Africa ought to provide leadership.
The Commandant in the speech took his listeners on a journey into how different countries are scrambling for a piece of Africa.
He listed the major countries competing for Africa as Russia, China, the USA, and France.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the convener of the event, Bem Japhet Audu, said the centre was established in 2015 to provide solutions to the challenges in our security system.
He said the concept of the lecture is to build capacity for ideas.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the event, Tangban Nigeria should play diplomacy to win fellow African states to support her in getting membership of the United Nations Security Council.
He added that to compete for inclusion in the Security Council, Nigeria should focus on politics that will get the support and cooperation of other Africans.
On the critical steps Nigeria must take to achieve leadership in Africa? The Professor of History must play a big brother role.
“When your brother is hungry, you rush to support him. When your brother is sick, you rush to support him. When your brother is in trouble, you give him support. If your brother is educationally needy, you provide him with support. Nigeria has been doing this and should continue to do it within the limit of our resources,” he stated.
The lecture was delivered to the Course 4 participants of the PhD in Leadership And Strategic Studies Studies (PhD LSS), Defence And Security Studies (PhD SSS) and Security and Strategic Studies (PhD SSS) of the Directorate of Linkages and Collaboration, NDA.
Also present at the event is BJ Adibia, a professor; Sumaila Kawu, a Senator; Dayo Aiyetan, Executive Director of the International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR); and other prominent Nigerians.
THE Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed worries over the increasing housing deficit in the state, which he said is currently put at 17 million.
Sanwo-Olu shared this concern at the Conference of Directors of Lands in the Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies, held in Lagos.
The event was themed, ‘Improving Land-Based Revenue of the Federating Units in Nigeria through Efficient and Effective Land Administration.’
Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Special Adviser on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, said of Nigeria’s 28 million housing gap, Lagos stood at a 17 million deficit, with an estimated 500,000 people migrating into Lagos annually.
“It is pertinent to address the housing gap in the state with credence to the burning national issues. The growing housing deficit in Nigeria has risen from seven million in 1991 to an estimated 28 million in 2023”, Sanwo-Olu said.
In less than five years, he disclosed that his administration had provided over 3,000 homes for the residents to reduce the state’s 17 million housing deficit, hinting that the housing projects were delivered through direct budgetary allocation and joint venture partnership.
Lagos State, politically divided into 20 local government areas, had about 24.6 million inhabitants in 2015, based on the estimates of the UN-Habitat and international development agencies.
The former special adviser to Sanwo-Olu on Housing, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, had, in an interview, told The ICIR reporter that there were mass housing scheme projects across the state that are under construction through the Ministry of Housing/LagosHOMS, Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), and Private Sector Participation.
“These homes are for all income groups when completed with some reserved for Rent- to- Own policy of the state government,” she said.
Under this arrangement, individuals are required to pay five per cent of the cost of the housing unit as a commitment fee with 30 per cent of the cost of the choice property.
At the same time, the remainder will be spread throughout 10 years’ minimum tenure and a maximum of 20 years, which has produced over 1,752 family beneficiaries from the Rent-to-Own Policy.
“You must have the intention to live there and not for rental purposes for any individual applying for the first time – on lagoshoms.gov.ng.
“The Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme is Lagos State Government initiative known as LagosHOMS to encourage and support home ownership of a first-time buyer who has a stable source of income to be deducted as installment payment,” Benson-Awoyinka said.
At the Conference, Sanwo-Olu recognised that there is a need for the provision of mass housing schemes by the State Government as well as other supporting public infrastructure.
The governor also hinted that there are ongoing projects in various locations across the state, which include Ibese Phase II, Egan, Sangotedo, Epe, and Badagry, and in other places.
A statement issued on Saturday, November 18, and signed by the spokesperson of Abba Yusuf, Sanusi Bature, described the court of appeal judgement as a miscarriage of justice.
“I want to inform the good people of Kano and, indeed well meaning Nigerians that based on the consensus of our stakeholders, we have instructed our lawyers to commence the process of appealing this judgement at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. We are optimistic that the Supreme Court will by the grace of Allahu (SWT), set aside these miscarriages of justice by the Tribunal and the Appeal Courts and reaffirm our mandate given by the good people of Kano State,” the statement stated.
He urged residents of the state to carry on with their businesses, noting that the administration had taken all the required precautions to guarantee the safety of their lives and property in the state as a fundamental duty.
While assuring citizens that the temporary setback won’t stop his administration from carrying out the projects and initiatives meant to bring back the state’s former splendour, he urged them to keep praying for Kano.
A boat accident in Niger state’s Shiroro local government area has claimed the lives of at least ten people.
The Niger State Emergency Management Agency’s (NSEMA), Head of Relief and Rehabilitation, Garba Salihu, confirmed this development on Friday, November 17, to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN).
Salihu, acknowledged a report to his agency which confirmed there was a boat accident on November 16 around 2.00p.m,in the Shiroro council area.
According to the report, the boat capsized at the Gijiwa/Kato ward terminal in the Shiroro local government region after leaving the Zangaro Bassa/Kukoki ward terminal.
Salihu said, about 34 people, including 20 men and 14 women, were on the boat.
He added that 24 people had been saved and one body had been found, while efforts were still underway to locate the other people who were still unaccounted for.
The deceased were identified as Farida Muntari, Rafiya Yakubu, Abubakar Sadiq, Na’ima Ibrahim, Amina, Safaratu Ibrahim, and Sadiq Ibrahim. Two bodies, he claimed, were unidentified.
While attributing the cause of the boat tragedy to a grafted tree, powerful waves, and water hyacinth, he highlighted that the Shiroro local government officials alongside the agency desk officer had visited the scene of the incident.
The ICIRreported that in six years, 1280 lives has been lost to boat mishaps with Niger topping the list of the affected states.
NIGERIA Premier Football League, NPFL side- Heartland FC winless streak has ignited a storm of pressure between the Imo state government club’s management and the coaching crew.
The club who triumphed and won the trophy during their stint at the country second tier league- Nigeria National League, (NNL) to gain promotion to the top-flight league last season have been left walloping at the bottom of the log.
Since their return to the top-flight league, the Owerri boys have drawn five matches and lost three matches, resulting in five points out of possibly 24 points in 8 matches.
The result of Heartland FC after 8 matches at the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League,.NPFL season
The ICIR learnt that the team’s poor run performance has sparked the echoes of dissatisfaction, leaving supporters seething over the disappointing outcome especially during their last match against Bayelsa United at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri.
During their encounter against Bayelsa United, Heartland FC were leading 2-0 until the game changed 10 minutes to the end of the regulation time. The visiting team, however, restored parity with two goals within one minute, casting doubt on the strength of the team to get a win.
In a chat with TheICIR, a member of the state’s football administrator who does not want his name mentioned revealed the pressure mounted on the management, coach and the state’s commissioner for youth, sport and social development, Emeka Okoronkwo as a result of the team’s lacklustre performance.
“Heartland FC have won their four home games, picked an away draw and lost three. It is normal for the management and the coaches to be under pressure but to douse the pressure, they must get victory, they must be able to assuage their fans that we may have a problem now, it won’t be for long,” he said.
He blamed the poor run of the team on the lack of blend of experience and young players in the team, faulting the recruitment process before the commencement of the league.
“What I can say about Heartland struggle is probably the way the players were recruited, they should have complemented experience with usefulness but what we have is more young players without much experience.
“Those who are experienced in the league are those who are about to end their career in the league,” he added.
Heartland FC will face Sporting Lagos on Sunday, November 19 2023 at the Mobolaji Johnson stadium in Lagos.
