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By Gloria Ikibah

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has congratulated Vice President Kashim Shettima on his 60th birthday, describing him as a dedicated public servant and a strong ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In a congratulatory message issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Speaker Abbas praised Shettima for his commitment to democracy and public service.

The Speaker described the Vice President’s loyalty to President Tinubu as exemplary, saying his record in public office had prepared him for the responsibilities of his current position.

Speaker Abbas eulogised Shettima as a leader of exceptional qualities and described him as one of the most patriotic Nigerians alive.

He also commended the Vice President for his contributions to the Tinubu administration, noting that his experience and achievements in previous public offices had continued to strengthen his performance as Vice President.

According to the Speaker, Shettima’s experience as governor of Borno State, senator and in other public positions had made him one of the most experienced public servants in government today.

The statement read: “The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, has extended his congratulations to the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee, praising the VP’s steadfast commitment to democracy and devoted public service.”

Speaker Abbas described Senator Shettima as a “reliable ally to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, praising his loyalty as exemplary and worthy of emulation.”

The Speaker further said Senator Shettima “continues to be one of the most patriotic Nigerians alive,” while highlighting his “invaluable contributions” to the Tinubu administration.

On the 2027 presidential election, Speaker Abbas expressed confidence in the APC ticket, following the decision by President Tinubu to retain Shettima as his running mate.

“With Senator Shettima returning as President Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 presidential election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket is a winning one”, he said

The Speaker also prayed for the Vice President’s continued good health and longevity.

He prayed to Allah (SWT) “to grant Senator Shettima mercy, grace, longevity, and good health so he can continue contributing value to the Tinubu administration and the nation as a whole.”

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr. Nyesom Wike, has disclosed the suspension of a director of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) for allegedly granting illegal building approvals on waterways in Abuja.

Wike said the action was part of efforts by the FCT Administration to address recurring flooding in the nation’s capital, which he attributed partly to years of illegal construction on waterways and the impact of climate change.

Speaking during a media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the minister said structures erected along waterways had obstructed natural drainage channels, worsening the flooding experienced in parts of Abuja during heavy rainfall.

“The floods in Abuja today are a result of people building on waterways in Abuja illegally over the years,” Wike said.

He added that the administration had moved against an official allegedly involved in facilitating illegal developments.

“We suspended a director in the FCDA according to the Civil Service rule who was illegally giving building approvals to build on waterways,” the FCT Minister said.

Wike, however, noted that illegal construction was not the only factor responsible for the flooding, as climate change had also contributed to the recent situation.

“Climate change is also responsible for the flooding being experienced recently in Abuja,” he said.

The minister’s comments come amid growing concerns over flooding in several parts of the Federal Capital Territory following heavy rainfall.

The FCT Administration has, in recent months, intensified efforts to remove illegal structures and developments obstructing waterways and drainage channels as part of measures to reduce the risk of flooding in the capital.

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By Gloria Ikibah

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rufus Omeire, has dismissed claims of an existing zoning arrangement in the Ideato Federal Constituency of Imo State, describing the emergence of the incumbent lawmaker, Ikenga Ugochinyere, as a product of the people’s choice.

Omeire, who is the senatorial candidate of the Action Peoples Party (APP), made the assertion in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the latest agitation over representation in the constituency was aimed at Ugochinyere, who chairs the House Committee on Downstream Petroleum, warning that any attempt to create a crisis based on what he described as an unfounded zoning arrangement will backfire.

According to him, Ugochinyere was not elected on the basis of zoning but through the collective decision of the people of Ideato Federal Constituency.

He described the lawmaker as “the people’s messenger, a product of our people’s decision to elect a messenger they have confidence in, even while he was in exile.”

Omeire said, “We don’t have zoning, and he can’t be a product of what does not exist. His closest challenger, who was the incumbent, was from Ideato South, went even up to the court, and Ikenga defeated him”.

He explained that he had also sought a second term as an indigene of Ideato South, but was not returned, stressing that there was no established zoning arrangement guiding the constituency’s elections.

“Hon. Austin Chukwukere took over from Hon Mbadigwe, both from Ideato North. The people love Ikenga because he is a light and a messenger who will one day host the Ideato flag at the center of national and international politics, and we can’t exchange an exceptional, young, courageous leader with those who have failed at everything they’ve done in their lives.

“We can’t exchange a robust, over-active, capacity young man with any new beginner. Let me also say it here that we are short changing ourselves in this quest to always change our Reps after one tenure. We can never achieve any meaningful development from the federal like this. We have finally gotten it right with Ikenga so he should continue the wonderful work he is doing,” the statement read.

Omeire also highlighted the Ideato Bridge project as one of Ugochinyere’s major interventions, claiming that the lawmaker “single-handedly convinced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve N26 billion for work to start before the state government wrote to the Ministry of Works to allow them to take over.”

He challenged the Imo State Government to identify a single project it had initiated on its own in the federal constituency.

He said, “until they start the Amanator Isiekenesi Dikenafai Road and finish it, nobody can say they have done anything for us.”

The former lawmaker also criticised those opposing Ugochinyere, describing them as “roadside clowns” who were launching a “kindergarten attack against a passionate messenger that his people love.”

He urged them to abandon what he called their “childish and ridiculous attempt to get attention”.

According to him, “This desperate show of shame was only an act to beg for the extension of their tenure, which has already expired.”