News
Davido’s father, Adedeji narrates how govt officials want to frustrate his power plant project
Adedeji Adeleke, the father of the award-winning superstar, David, popularly called Davido, has revealed what he went through securing the environmental permit for his power plant worth over $2 billion.
The billionaire industrialist disclosed this while speaking as a Layperson from the West-Central Africa Division during the Seventh Day Adventist General Conference Annual Council on Tuesday, which was held in Maryland, United States of America.
While sharing his experience as a Baptist member, Adeleke recounted how he ran into bottlenecks with ‘difficult government officials’, with a particular official saying to him that the project would never ‘see the light of day’.
He said he went on his knees and prayed to God because he did not want to accept the government official’s statement as the final say for his company, Pacific Energy which was closely working with Chinese engineering companies for the construction and design of the power projects.
“I am a businessman in Nigeria. I’m into the electricity business. I own a power plant, I generate about 15 per cent of the electricity needs for Nigeria. I have Chinese engineering companies that work for me. I’m building the biggest power plant in Nigeria that will be completed in January 2025. It is a 1,250-megawatt power plant.
“During the course of the design and getting the permit, we ran into difficult government officials. For environmental reasons, our permit was denied, and the particular government officials that I held a meeting with told me to my face that my project would never see the light of the day. But while he was saying that, I was saying in my mind that this guy is talking as if he is God. I was saying in my mind that God should listen to him; Because he is not God, whatever he is saying is null and void.”
“So I left, disappointed and I told my Chinese friends that unfortunately we have difficulty and this project is going to stall. Meanwhile, the project is worth about $2 billion. In the process, a lot of money had already gone into the design and preliminaries. Before we get to the stage where we would need a permit and then break ground. So my Chinese friend was worried because the Afrexim Bank of China was involved so that meant bankruptcy for him. I told him not to worry,” he said.
Adeleke further stressed that his Chinese friend had to travel down to Nigeria to discuss a way out because he never believed that prayer was enough to get the project done, noting that it did as the then Minister of Power granted the approval because he saw that the project was a brilliant one.
Recall that Adeleke had earlier spoken about this power project while delivering a lecture note at the 9th graduation ceremony of Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State in July 2023
News
Senate confirms appointment of 21 RMAFC commissioners
The Senate has confirmed the appointments of 21 federal commissioners for the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
The Senate confirmed the nominees after Yahaya Abdullahi, senator representing Kebbi north, presented a report.
President Bola Tinubu appointed the nominees in August and therefater sought the senate’s confirmation.
Abdullahi, chair of joint committee on national planning and economic affairs and finance, said all the nominees are fit to hold public office.
The ex-majority leader said with these appointments, every state in the country is represented on the RMAFC board.
“That the senate do confirmation of the 21 nominees that makes the commission to be of its full complement,” he said.
“That means every state now has a represenation at the board.”
The new commissioners are:
Linda Oti (Abia)
Akpan Effiong (Akwa Ibom)
Enefe Ekene (Anambra)
Prof. Steve Ugba (Benue)
Chief Eyonsa (Cross-River)
Aruviere Egharhevwe (Delta)
Nduka Awuregu (Ebonyi)
Victor Eboigbe (Edo)
Wumi Ogunlola (Ekiti)
Ozo Obodougo (Enugu)
Kabir Mashi (Katsina).
Adamu Fanda (Kano)
Dr. Kunle Wright (Lagos)
Aliyu Abdulkadir (Nasarawa)
Bako Shetima (Niger)
Samuel Durojaye (Ogun)
Nathaniel Adejutelegan (Ondo)
Saad Ibrahim (Plateau)
Modu-Aji Juluri (Yobe)
Bello Garba (Zamfara)
Mohammed Usman (Gombe).
News
Unfolding story: Unusual security beef up at NASS over alleged plot to impeach Akpabio
Workers and visitors to the National Assembly were taken back this morning with the high level.of security at the first gate as well as the second one.
DSS men, cladded in dark suits and sunglasses virtually outnumbered all other security agencies who were also noticed to have increased their men.
Insider sources claimed the increased presence of the State Security men as well as others was because of an underground move being made to impeach Senate President, Godswill Akpabio today.
The move, which was more or less like a coup given its surreptitious outlook was said to have been hatched by some Northern senators who are angry with Tinubu’s government and believe that the country can be better run if he had a senate that is more vocal and critical of his policies.
Akpabio has become one of the most unpopular throw-ups of Nigerian democracy with his goofs and gaffs landing blows not only on the National Assembly which he heads but also on the ruling class as a whole.
Only a few days ago he said if you see food anywhere, eat because there was hunger in the land.
Source: Abujareporters
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