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Call for probe of 5b Amnesty monthly allocation mischievious, says ex-agitator
Mayor of Urhoboland, Eshanakpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, has described the call by Association of Contractors/Vendors and Stakeholders of Presidential Amnesty Programme, on President Bola Tinubu to probe the five billion naira monthly allocation to the agency as mischievious.
It noted its an attempt to blackmail the Administrator of the programme, Dr. Dennis Otuaro, saying Otùaro’s sin against the association is that he is resisting attempts by the contractors and vendors to armtwist him.
Akpodoro, a stakeholder in Amnesty, said contrary to the “lies of the association to whip up fears of crisis in the region,” there’s peace in Niger Delta.
He said since inception of Otuaro, ‘‘former militants are paid as at when due, stakeholders carried along in activities of the programme’’, wondering where the “Success Ebiere-led association of fear mongers saw crisis in the region.”
According to him, most persons, who claim to be contractors are those who sponsor protests against the programme’s managers in the past and present.
“Ask them to show proof of a single contract awarded them and executed by their firms, you will find out their claims are false. What they do is to run to the press, issue threats, and blackmail their targets for pecuniary benefits”, he said.
Contractors, the Urhobo-born leader said, ‘‘are bane of Amnesty and for a long time they have backpedalled human and material development in the region by holding the programme hostage and fleecing it to its bone marrow.”
Akpodoro called on Otuaro to disregard such ‘self-serving forces of discord’ and never be intimidated by those who bully regional agencies established to cater for the region, saying the moment their interests are not met, they go on a “blackmailing spree.’’
The leadership of that group should tell Nigerians what contracts they executed to warrant the media attack launched against the office of the Amnesty coordinator. “They claimed to have been owed for two years. Why didn’t they cry out before the appointment of Otuaro? Akpodoro noted.
“Their outburst is pregnant with mischief. Nobody can destabilise Niger Delta under any guise and not even under the administration that’s doing everything to ensure a better and stronger Nigeria. If they are legitimate contractors, they should follow due process to request their payment and not media noise. Tying their so-called indebtedness to imaginary looming dangers in the region is an insult to commonsense and must be condemned,” he said.
Akpodoro called on President Tinubu to ignore such calls as a ‘‘vicious campaign of calumny against the Federal Government and its agencies.
“A call by such unknown group should be disregarded by the Presdient and secuirty searchlight beamed on the characters behind such reckless call capable of fuelling division among the peaceful people of the region’’, he said.
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Shocker as ‘dead man’ attends own burial rites in Kenya
The family of Abdalla Mwenda Suleiman, who was presumed dead, have been left in shock after he returned home to find a body believed to be his already buried. The incident, which occurred last Tuesday in Loire village near Mutuati market in Meru Country, has left many in disbelief.
Mwenda, a 20-year-old miraa picker, was mistakenly buried on October 4 after his family misidentified a body found in a house he once shared with his estranged wife in Mutuati market, as reported by the Nation.
“Since my work is picking miraa, I move from one place to another and I am rarely at home. I’m shocked to find that my family buried me,” said Mwenda in dismay.
Mwenda, who had separated from his wife and moved to Nthanbiro, 20 kilometers away, returned to discover his family had mistakenly buried him. Shocked, Mwenda explained his transient lifestyle as a miraa picker keeps him away from home.
Interestingly, a colleague mentioned they had passed by his home during the burial. The grave, located by Mutuati-Antubetwe Kiongo Road, is visible from the tarmac.
“We left Nthambiro in Igembe Central on Friday and travelled to another farm in Mutuati. We passed by Mwenda’s home and he wondered why there were so many people at his home but we proceeded.”
“On Sunday, as we were packaging miraa, someone broke the news that Mwenda had been buried yet he was alive. Mwenda was so shocked that he could not work. He went to sleep,” the colleague recounted.
After recovering from the shock, Mwenda went home to verify the bizarre news of his burial.
When the Nation visited on Tuesday, they found an atmosphere of grief and despair. The fresh grave, with an arrowroot plant thriving, drew locals who hoped the police had come to exhume the body.
Mwenda’s father, Meeme M’Nchebere, a resident of Voi, was found asleep after spending the night guarding the grave.
“We have been given strict instructions to ensure the body is not stolen. The police said the matter is sensitive since the deceased was murdered. I have to keep vigil throughout the night,” he said.
M’Nchebere revealed that his son had to flee the village because he couldn’t bear seeing a grave with his name. He admitted they mistakenly buried the wrong body because he was unable to view it before the burial.
“I live in Voi where I relocated more than 10 years ago. Mwenda was left behind in Meru. Recently, I received a call from neighbors who told me my son was dead. As a Muslim, I am not allowed to view a dead body. So we proceeded with the burial,” he recounted.
Mwenda’s father stated that the police informed him he needed to raise KSh 70,000 ($542) to cover the costs of obtaining a court order, a pathologist, and the exhumation of the wrongly buried body.
“I am a small trader in VOi and cannot raise the money the police want to exhume the body. I am currently surviving on well-wishes in the village. Neighbors are hesitant to help fundraise because they contributed to the botched burial,” he said.
M’Nchebere is now in a difficult situation, unable to return to his family in Voi or expedite the exhumation of the wrongly buried body. He faces the challenge of navigating both family tensions and legal hurdles.
Source: face2faceafrica.com
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Bill For Independent Candidacy Recommitted, Referred To Constitution Review Committee
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Just in :INEC announces date for Anambra governorship election
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the date for the Anambra governorship election.
Addressing representatives of political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, October 17, INEC national chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu said the election will be held on Saturday 8th November 2025.
Hear him: “As you are aware, the last governorship election in Anambra State was held on 6th November 2021. By the effluxion of time, the governorship election is due next year.
In compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days, the formal notice for the election will be published on 13th November 2024. Party primaries will be held from 20th March 2025 to 10th April 2025.
“The candidate nomination portal will open at 9.00 am on 18th April 2025 and close at 6.00 pm on 12th May 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June 2025.
“Campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th June 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025. Voting will take place in all the 5,720 Polling Units across the State on Saturday 8th November 2025.
In compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days, the formal notice for the election will be published on 13th November 2024. Party primaries will be held from 20th March 2025 to 10th April 2025.
“The candidate nomination portal will open at 9.00 am on 18th April 2025 and close at 6.00 pm on 12th May 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June 2025.
“Campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th June 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025. Voting will take place in all the 5,720 Polling Units across the State on Saturday 8th November 2025.
The candidate nomination portal will open at 9.00 am on 18th April 2025 and close at 6.00 pm on 12th May 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June 2025.
“Campaign in public by political parties will commence on 11th June 2025 and end at midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025. Voting will take place in all the 5,720 Polling Units across the State on Saturday 8th November 2025.
“In the coming weeks, the Commission will provide details of other electoral activities, including the registration of new voters, transfer of voters and the replacement of lost or damaged PVCs.
“The detailed Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms before the end of this meeting.”
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