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Ughelli– Hon. Dr. Olotu Akpodiete JP, a House of Representatives candidate hopeful under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the decision of the Delta State House of Assembly to declare the Udu Constituency seat vacant.

In a statement on Tuesday, Dr. Akpodiete described the action as “undemocratic” and called on the affected lawmaker, Hon. Collins Egbetamah, to challenge it in court. He expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved in favour of Udu Constituency.

“Udu Constituency’s voice cannot be shut down in the State House of Assembly,” he said. “I believe Hon. Egbetamah will be victorious if he seeks redress through the appropriate legal channels.”

Dr. Akpodiete also questioned the moral standing of the Assembly to declare the seat vacant, noting that several lawmakers had themselves defected from the PDP to the APC last year. He urged the House to reconsider and recall its decision to ensure that Udu Constituency continues to participate fully in legislative activities.

He further appealed to constituents in Udu to remain calm, expressing hope that the seat would be restored and representation would not be interrupted.

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By Gloria Ikibah

Nigeria and the United Nations have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation on Africa’s development, democratic governance, women’s leadership and regional economic integration following high-level talks in Abuja.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, received the Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ahunna Eziakonwa, on Monday, where both sides reviewed the long-standing partnership between Nigeria and the United Nations and explored fresh areas of collaboration.

During the meeting, Odumegwu-Ojukwu congratulated Eziakonwa on her appointment as a United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, describing the elevation as a milestone for both Nigeria and Africa.

“Your appointment is a source of pride for Nigeria and the African continent. It reflects your distinguished contributions to international development, and Nigeria remains committed to strengthening its longstanding partnership with the United Nations in advancing sustainable development, democratic governance and regional prosperity,” the minister said.

The discussions focused on democratic governance, sustainable development, regional integration and peacebuilding, while also reviewing Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities under the government’s 4-Ds framework of Development, Democracy, Demography and Diaspora.

Briefing the minister, Eziakonwa highlighted the outcome of the recently concluded regional dialogue on the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which Nigeria hosted in partnership with the UNDP.

She lauded Nigeria’s leadership in advancing regional economic integration and stressed that the country’s role remains central to the success of the continental trade agreement.

“Nigeria’s leadership in promoting regional economic integration is commendable. The country’s active participation is indispensable to the success of the AfCFTA.

“Nigeria continues to play a growing role in shaping Africa’s development agenda, and UNDP stands ready to support the Federal Government in advancing inclusive economic growth, entrepreneurship, innovation, and policies that strengthen regional value chains and intra-African trade,” Eziakonwa said.

The meeting also spotlighted efforts to expand opportunities for women and young people across the continent.

Eziakonwa outlined the achievements of the UNDP Regional Leadership Programme, which mentors promising young African women through leadership development, networking and engagement with accomplished leaders. She invited the foreign minister to serve as a mentor and speaker for future cohorts, saying her experience in public service would inspire the next generation of female leaders.

She also invited Odumegwu-Ojukwu to participate in a high-level gathering of African women leaders scheduled for August.

Responding, the minister welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed Nigeria’s support for programmes that expand women’s participation in politics and leadership while creating opportunities for young people.

“Nigeria firmly supports programmes that promote women’s political participation, leadership development and youth empowerment. Investing in the next generation of African leaders remains essential to achieving sustainable peace, democratic governance and inclusive development across the continent,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

She further reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working closely with the United Nations and the UNDP to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Both parties also exchanged views on regional and global developments, emphasising that stronger multilateral cooperation, resilient institutions, inclusive governance and innovative partnerships remain critical to addressing Africa’s evolving development challenges.

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President Bola Tinubu has said that the delivery of road infrastructure across Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was fortifying the area as a food-producing hub for the territory.

Tinubu, represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, stated this in Dafa on Tuesday, while inaugurating the newly constructed Gomani-Dafa-Yangoji Road by the FCT Administration.

The president said that with the opening of the road corridor, farmers could move produce faster, buyers could reach the farms without delay and post-harvest losses would drop significantly.

He added that more importantly, Kwali could now stand on its own as a food-producing hub for the FCT and beyond.

According to Tinubu, roads like this keep families together by giving them reasons to stay at home and to build their lives at home.

“When we set out under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we agreed on one thing: development must reach every Nigerian; not just those at the city centre.

“Abuja cannot be a city of two worlds, with gleaming district lights but forgotten satellite towns. This road connects Gomani, Dafa and Yangoji to markets, to schools, to hospitals, and also to opportunities.

“It says clearly that the wealth of this nation belongs to all of us. Whether you live on a boulevard or you live on a farm track, you must take part in the wealth of this nation.”

He noted that for too long, the strength of rural communities was held back by poor access roads, with crops rotting away before reaching the market.

He added that young people left rural communities because the roads to their areas were impossible, stressing that instead of taking them up, the roads were bringing them down.

“Those things have changed today,” he said.

He commended the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, for the purposeful leadership in delivering life-impacting projects across the city.

“Wike, you took my advice seriously, open up the area councils and match city development with rural development. You have earned us that trust here in this community and in this local government area,” Tinubu said.

In his remarks, Wike explained that the road projects were initiated following a request by Etsu Kwali, Luka Nizassan III, during a community engagement with stakeholders in the area to identify areas of need.

The minister explained that the community engagement was in adherence to Tinubu’s directive, to meet with community members, discuss and agree on areas that need government intervention.

According to him, the meeting was the first community engagement to entrench community participation in projects nomination for implementation in the area council.

“I remembered during the meeting, the traditional ruler of Kwali mentioned these three roads: A2 to Pai, Pai to Gomani, Gomani to Dafa and Dafa to Yagboji, which is about 43 kilometers.

“Today, to the glory of God, all our promises to them have been fulfilled.”

Wike also recalled that Tinubu had directed that development should not be concentrated in the city centre but should be extended to satellite towns.

“Since we commenced the inauguration of projects on June 9, this is the fourth project being inaugurated in satellite towns and rural communities,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Department, said that the project was awarded in November 2025, adding that the Gomani-Dafa-Yangoji Road is a part of the 43.4-kilometre FCT secondary regional road.

Zulkiflu said that the road commenced from the Abuja-Lokoja Expressway (A2) and traverses through Pai to Gomani and terminates at Yangoji town, making a crescent of road with entry and exit at two different points of the expressway.

“The first segment of this road is A2 to Pai, which is about 15-kilometre and was completed and inaugurated in June, 2025 to celebrate Tinubu’s second year in office.

“The second segment of the road, which is from Pai to Gomani with 15.4-kilometer of length, is still ongoing.

“Here we are today, inaugurating the third and the last segment of the road, Gomani to Dafa to Yangoji, which is about 13-kilometre long and connects Abuja-Lokoja Expressway at the second point,” he said.