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The Faculty of Physical Sciences, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma on Tuesday honoured Hon. Dr. Olotu Otemu Akpodiete, JP with a Special Award of Recognition as a Distinguished Alumnus.

Dr. Akpodiete, who is the Executive Director of the Olotu & Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete Foundation, OERAF, and immediate past President of Explorers Innovative Initiative, EII, received the award during the faculty’s 3rd Annual International Conference and Exhibition.
The conference was themed _“Uniting Physical Sciences for Innovation.”_

Welcoming guests, the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. F.O. Ikpotokin, commended alumni and stakeholders for their contributions to teaching, research, and infrastructural development in the department.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eunice E. Omonzejie, in her opening address, congratulated the awardees, students and faculty management for upholding the institution’s tradition of excellence.

The keynote lecture was delivered by Prof. Daniel Okuonghae, while lead papers were presented by Prof. Mrs. Susan and Dr. Sunny Okosun.

Receiving the award, an elated Dr. Akpodiete described it as _“the best award so far I have received.”_ He dedicated the honour to members of EII for their _“unwavering support to the department in the last four years.”_

Highlighting his impact, Dr. Akpodiete said OERAF under his leadership has among others;
– Enrolled over 500 residents into the Delta State Contributory Health Insurance Scheme
– Been recognized as a Health Insurance Ambassador by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori
– Provided scholarships and cash awards to students of Delta State University, Oleh Campus and Government College, Ughelli
– Offered grants, training and support to over 100 widows, elderly women and young entrepreneurs
– Conducted security training for community leaders and vigilantes in Ughelli North and South
– Medical outreach across Ughelli North South and Udu Federal Constituency
– Support sports development across Delta State
– Water projects in Ughelli South

He also noted EII’s contributions to AAU, which include the donation of a mobile sound system, Physics and Geophysics textbooks, cash grants to students, as well as awards to the school management, Dean and lecturers during the annual Explorers Day.

Other recipients of the Special Award of Recognition were Hon. Odinigwe Odogi, Dr. Oluwashina Aladejubelo, Prof. Eunice Omonzejie and Mrs. Gladys Edoigiawerie.

The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Prof. Omi Ujuanbi, gave the vote of thanks. He appreciated participants, guests and sponsors for the success of the conference.

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…Meets Minister of Power

Ahead of his inauguration as the Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has met with the Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe.

The REA Board is billed to be inaugurated 10am tomorrow, Friday, August 7, 2026, at the Maitama, Abuja, office of the Ministry of Power.

It should be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had appointed Fayose as Chairman of the REA.

The Presidency said Fayose would head the REA board alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as members and non-executive directors, while the incumbent Director General of the agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three executive directors previously appointed will make up the remaining board members.

In preparation for the inauguration, Fayose met the Minister of Power in his office today, a meeting he said centered on plans to ensure greater effectiveness of the REA.

“I met with the Minister of Power, Engr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, today, and we had fruitful discussions,” Fayose said.

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…as FRSC defend issuance of official number plates, say documents appeared authentic

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) on Thursday uncovered fresh contradictions in the alleged establishment of the body after the State House denied ever requesting a budget code for the council or having any knowledge of its existence.

The development came as the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) defended its decision to issue seven official Federal Government number plates to the purported agency, insisting that it followed due process based on documents and representations it believed to be genuine at the time.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged fraudulent establishment of the PFIPC and its reported inclusion in the Federal Government’s budget framework.

Representing the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Director of Administration, Abdulkadri Idris, told the committee that the Presidency never wrote to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) requesting a budget code for the council.

“I want to state that we did not send any correspondence nor any request to the Office of the Accountant-General in respect of this council. We don’t even know anything about this council. We never heard about this council until we started seeing it in the media,” he said.

Idris also rejected documents before the committee which purportedly originated from the State House, describing them as fake.

He explained that one of the letters was allegedly signed by an individual identified as “Akande Adewale”, described as Director of Administration and Support Services, a designation he said had never existed in the Presidency.

“I presented the list of Directors of Administration in the State House from 2003 to date, and there was no name resembling Akande Adewale.

“In addition, there is no department known as Directorate of Administration and Support Services in the State House. We have only the Department of Administration. Akande Adewale has never, ever been Director of Administration in the State House,” he said.

To support its position, the State House submitted official records previously forwarded to the Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre, including the list of past Directors of Administration and authentic State House letterheads.

Reacting to the testimony, Committee Chairman Yusuf Gagdi said the evidence exposed glaring inconsistencies between documents obtained from the Accountant-General’s Office and records from the Presidency.

“The State House has denied that it ever wrote any letter to the Accountant-General requesting for budget codes. Secondly, there is no Directorate of Administration and Support Services as contained in those documents.

“The Accountant-General responded to an office that the State House says does not exist, while the name of the signatory, Akande Adewale, is absent from all official records submitted to this committee,” Gagdi said.

He described the revelations as a significant breakthrough in the committee’s effort to determine how official government processes were allegedly manipulated.

The State House also denied issuing any appointment letter to the purported Director-General of the PFIPC, explaining that appointments of Directors-General are political appointments communicated through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

“If the President approves any appointment, the conveyance is done by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Idris added.

In a memorandum dated August 6, 2026, and signed by the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, the FRSC explained how seven official Federal Government number plates were issued to the PFIPC.

Mohammed said the Corps remained committed to professionalism, transparency and strict compliance with established procedures in processing requests for official government vehicle registration.

He explained that every ministry, department or agency seeking official number plates must submit a formal application, which is verified through the head of the requesting institution, while newly created agencies are expected to provide their enabling law or other legal instruments.

According to him, because the PFIPC claimed to be a newly established federal agency, the FRSC subjected its request to additional scrutiny.

The Corps Marshal said the application process began with a letter dated April 4, 2025, signed by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi on behalf of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, requesting official government number plates.

A follow-up reminder dated April 11, 2025, was later received, accompanied by documents outlining the council’s mandate and a schedule of vehicles for registration.

Mohammed disclosed that Adeyemi personally delivered the request to the FRSC headquarters.

He added that officers also visited the website provided by the applicant, which carried a Federal Government domain name and listed several senior government officials as members of the council’s governing board.

The Corps further carried out a physical inspection of the office located at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase III, Second Floor, Central Business District, Abuja, where officials found the office fully operational.

“Having completed the foregoing verification processes and being satisfied with the information presented, the Corps approved and allocated seven Official Federal Government Vehicle Number Plates to the Agency,” Mohammed said.

The vehicles included a 2024 bulletproof Lexus LX, two Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles and four Toyota Hilux vehicles, which were assigned official registration numbers ranging from PFIPC 01 to PFIPC 07 after verification of their chassis numbers.

Mohammed, however, said the Corps was later taken aback when it became clear that the PFIPC was not a recognised Federal Government agency.

“It therefore came as a profound shock to the Corps when it subsequently emerged that the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council was not an approved Federal Government Agency and that the representations made by Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi were false,” he stated.

He disclosed that the FRSC had already begun the process of retrieving the seven official number plates issued to the agency and had strengthened its internal verification procedures to prevent a recurrence.

During the hearing, Gagdi questioned aspects of the verification process after observing that the documents relied upon by the Corps lacked standard Federal Government security features and unusually listed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and several serving ministers as members of the council’s governing board.

“Does this look normal to you?” Gagdi asked.

Responding, the Corps Marshal admitted: “No, not at all.”
He nevertheless maintained that the Corps acted based on the information available at the time, including the existence of an operational office, official-looking documents, a government-domain website and successful verification of the vehicles presented for registration.

The committee subsequently directed the FRSC to provide the current status and location of all vehicles registered under the PFIPC as investigations continue.

Gagdi also announced that the committee will conclude its investigation next Wednesday, directing the committee clerk to invite all relevant agencies to appear for the final phase of the inquiry.