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Uzodimma signs new law on Imo electricity
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma on Thursday accented two executive bills into law, a bill on electricity and another to amend Imo State Polytechnic Law No. 15 of 2012 to pave the way for the merger of campuses of the polytechnic.
The governor said signing the two bills into law became necessary to position Imo State on the path of sustainable development.
He said that poor electricity generation and distribution have taken the shine off the development indices in Imo State and should not be allowed to continue.
Governor Uzodimma therefore hinted that he had approached President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to allow the Imo State government to take over the Egbema Power Plant, a federal government project conceived under the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and abandoned in 2006.
He said the President has graciously granted his request to take over the Egbema Power Plant, rehabilitate the facilities therein and rely on the same to solve the electricity challenges of the state in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The governor said he had visited the site with some experts, technical partners and officials of government to assess the level of decay on ground which will run into millions of dollars and that the technical partners and the experts had also visited the 27 local government areas of Imo State to look at the connectivity aspect of the communities to the plant in question.
The governor said he is optimistic that in 12 months, Imo State’s story concerning effective power generation, supply and consumption will be different.
On the bill to amend the existing Imo State Polytechnic Law No. 15 of 2012 to pave the way for the merger of campuses, Governor Uzodimma said that the state is already spending so much hosting the highest number of higher institutions in the country.
The governor said the Imo State Polytechnic Amendment Bill, which has reversed the multi-campus system to a mono-campus system, will impact more positively on the students, their sponsors, and the government in all ramifications, particularly in terms of the protection of the lives of the students and their teachers.
Presenting the bills for assent, the Speaker, Chike Olemgbe, said that they went through the rigours and scrutiny of the Imo State House of Assembly and that “the electricity distribution and transmission bill makes provision for improved power supply as well as sure-up distribution to our communities.”
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the sudden death of Mr. Abubakar Lawal, a Nigerian professional footballer, in Uganda.
In a statement by the Acting Spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa on Tuesday in Abuja, the ministry expressed its profound sorrow over the tragic loss and extended heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and the entire Nigerian football community.
Lawal, a former Nigerian Under-20 International, was a key player for Uganda’s Vipers Football Club at the time of his death. In addition to his sporting career, he was also a final-year Business Administration student at Cavendish University.
According to Ebienfa, officials have been in contact with the Nigerian High Commission in Kampala, which is coordinating closely with local Ugandan authorities to determine the circumstances surrounding Lawal’s untimely demise.
Also a thorough investigation is underway, including an autopsy to verify the cause of death, with full consular assistance being provided to his family.
The ministry also underscored Nigeria’s strong bilateral relations with Uganda, expressing confidence that the Ugandan authorities will handle the investigation with utmost seriousness and sensitivity. The public has been urged to refrain from speculation and allow the investigation to proceed unhindered.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed its commitment to safeguarding the welfare and rights of Nigerian citizens abroad as it continues to monitor the situation closely. The loss of Abubakar Lawal marks a somber moment for the nation, and his contributions both on and off the field will be deeply missed.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Unrelenting Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has dragged Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, through the court for what she described as defamatory statement against her person.
The Senator, representing Kogi Central in the upper chamber, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), raised concerns after her Senate seat was reassigned following a reshuffle triggered by opposition members switching to the majority Caucus.
She resisted the relocation, leading to a confrontation between her and the Senate President.
However, in a suit filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on 25 February 2025, the President of the Senate, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Mfon Patrick, were listed as the second and third defendants.
In the suit, marked CV/737/25, Akpoti-Uduaghan, through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, Natasha alleged that defamatory statements were made by the Senate President and published by his aide on Facebook.
According to him, the post, entitled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?” included a statement suggesting that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”
Giwa argued that the statement was defamatory, provocative, and disparaging, lowering his client’s dignity in the eyes of her colleagues and the public.
She asked the court to make “A declaration that the words, ‘It is bottled anger by the Kogi lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers,’ used and written by the third defendant at the prompting of the first and second defendants, were defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection toward the claimant.”
She also urged the court to restrain the defendants and their associates from making further defamatory statements against her on any platform.
The plaintiff also asked the court for “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns, or associates, from further publishing or causing to be published the said defamatory words or any similar publications about the claimant on social media or in any other manner capable of defaming her.”
Furthermore, Akpoti-Uduaghan asked the court to order the defendants to pay her N100 billion in general damages and N300 million as litigation costs.
“An order for the payment of the sum of N100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for the payment of the sum of N300,000,000 as the cost of action,” she prayed the court.
By Gloria Ikibah
The South East Caucus in the House of Representatives has urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to reconsider the closure of the Onitsha Bridgehead Medicine Market in Anambra State.
Leader of the caucus, Rep. Igariwey Enwo, who made the plea at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, strongly cocondemned the activities of traders dealing in fake and substandard drugs, and said the continued lockdown of the market was having widespread negative effects.
Naijablitznews.com recalled that NAFDAC had recently sealed over 4,000 shops in Onitsha, 3,027 in Lagos, and another 4,000 in Aba as part of its nationwide crackdown on counterfeit and substandard medicines.
The Agency last week had said the markets remains lockdown.
Rep. Igariwey denounced those involved in the sale and distribution of fake and adulterated medications, describing them as “merchants of death and economic saboteurs” whose activities not only endanger public health but have also led to loss of lives.
He also commended NAFDAC for taking decisive action against these illegal operators but urged the agency to ensure that innocent and law-abiding traders are not unfairly punished alongside the culprits.
The caucus stressed that sealing the entire market has far-reaching consequences, particularly for medicine users in the South East and South-South regions, where the market serves as a major pharmaceutical hub.
The caucus therefore called for a targeted approach that prosecutes offenders while allowing legitimate businesses to continue operating.
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