LAGDO DAM: Evacuate Nigerians living by river side, GDI tells FG.  Greenstrides Development Initiative, GDI, yesterday, urged the Federal Government to dredge the downstream channels of the Benue River to reduce the effects of flooding when the Lagdo Dam is finally opened. The Executive Director of GDI, Mr. Viktor Ikiriko, in a statement, also urged community leaders to get involved in efforts to evacuate residents of the river belt, saying majority of these communities bordering the basin were already battling with the consequences of heavy rains. Ikiriko, who advised the National Orientation Agency, NOA, to spearhead the exercise, said all concerned bodies must mobilise impact-mitigation and protection strategies to save lives and properties. His words: “The notice to open the flood gates of the Lagdo Dam on the Benue River in Cameroon to release its water content by the Cameronian authorities has been received in Nigeria with the usual concern that accompanies such n...

Four African presidents, AfDB’s Adesina, Dangote, Oramah, others for 2023 African Brands Congress.  STAKEHOLDERS in sustainability and corporate social responsibility industry in Africa would gather in Lagos on September 15th, 2023 to discuss the theme of the 2023 African Brands Congress ‘Sustainability, CSR And Green Goodness”. According to the ED African Brands Congress, Goddie Ofose, dignitaries expected at the event included African dignitaries such as, President of South Africa and current Chairman of the African Union, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, Vice President, of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, President, Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, President, Republic of Kenya, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H., President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, Chairperson, African Union Commission, H.E. Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat, President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt, Tarek Kabil, President, Afrexim Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, ...

TINUBU: Can Atiku, Obi break 24-year-legal deadlock? The dust is yet to settle on the presidential election that held in Nigeria on February 25, 2023. Pundits had described the outcome of the election, which was in favour of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as one of the most keenly contested results since the return of democracy in the country in 1999. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on March 1, announced that Tinubu won the presidential contest, ahead of 17 other candidates that participated in the poll. It declared that he garnered a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his two major rivals, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who came second with a total of 6,984,520 votes, and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes. However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, both Obi and Atiku, alongside their political parties, initiated legal actio...

6 North-Eastern states get N15bn palliative.  The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has presented palliatives worth N15b to the six states in the region, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima on Saturday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of about 22.5km Jere Bowl road networks which cut across many farming communities of Mafa and Jere Local Government Areas of Borno state. The project to be handled by a Chinese Construction Company Ltd is sponsored by the North East Development Commission, NEDC. Similar projects were performed by the commission across some states in the region during the past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, especially the construction of 32km Garkida-Dabna road worth N6.3 billion in Adamawa State, 22.5km worth of N13.553 billion Jere-Bowls, 53km Gombe -Abba – Kirfi road in Bauchi State at the cost of N11.697 billion and the 54km Mutai – Ngalda road in Y...

Peter Obi makes emotional call to fans • Says ‘despair or surrender not our options The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25 election, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday, made an emotional call to members of the ‘Obidient family’ and the generality of his supporters not to give up over Wednesday’s ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, what upheld the election of President Bola Tinubu. Obi, who has signalled his intention to appeal the PEPC verdict at the Supreme Court, appealed to all those who share his vision of the possibility of a new Nigeria to remain focused because the dream remains alive and is only deferred. He spoke in a message to the Obidient family and his numerous Supporters at home and in the diaspora on Saturday. The presidential candidate noted that most of them must be feeling forlorn and disheartened but said this was not the time to despair. Obi said: “Understandably, there has been a note of general disappointment ...

Ayemi-Botu tells Tinubu: Nigeria has expired, urgently convene Sovereign National Conference Says nothing binds North, South together any longer •Speaks on oil theft, PAP HM King (Dr) Charles Ayemi-Botu (JP) OFR, a.k.a. Lion of the Niger, is the Paramount Ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. In this interview, Ayemi-Botu, who is CHM BoT and Life Patron of Traditional Rulers of Oil and Gas Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCOM, speaks on issues affecting the progress and development of the nation, Niger Delta region among other issues. Excerpts: How do you see the state of the nation? Well, it is only divine intervention that can salvage Nigeria from the myriad of challenges before her. I want to state that doing the right thing on the part of the nation’s leadership can also help remedy the situation. President Bola Ahmed had just appointed ministers into his cabinet and, as usual, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources has not been as...

How ‘Ifa oracle’ selected RCCG Pastor, Olaoye, as new Soun.  There has been controversial news in some quarters that a Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Afolabi Olaoye, was selected by the Ifa oracle as the new Soun of Ogbomosoland in Oyo State. As an ordained pastor of RCCG, based in the United States, Olaoye, resigned his position to become the traditional ruler of Ogbomosoland. Having widely practised as a Christian leader for over three decades, many questioned if Olaoye would tilt towards traditional practices required of the occupant of the royal stool. However, as the new Soun of Ogbomoso, Olaoye who, last Friday, observed traditional rites of ascension to the throne of Ogbomoso, also learnt to adapt his faith to long-established practices associated with his kingdom. He followed the footpath of a former pastor, Kehinde Olugbenle, who resigned from his pastoral duties to become a monarch in Ilaro, Ogun State. D-day The D-day came on Friday, September...