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NASS queries minister for allocating over 70% projects to Edo

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Members of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Regional Development were forced to go into a closed-door session on Tuesday over alleged lopsidedness in the Ministry of Regional Development’s budget.

The lawmakers queried the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, for alleged lopsidedness in the Ministry’s budget, indicating that 70 per cent of projects in the ministry were allocated to Edo State.

The Minister was queried when he appeared before the Committee alongside the Minister of State, Uba Maigari, to defend the 2024 budget performance and the 2025 proposal.

The lawmakers noted that the Ministry’s budget favoured Edo State over other states that were supposed to have benefitted from its projects.

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The Ministry was also queried for nonadherence to the federal character principle in situating projects of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta.

According to them, 70 percent of the Ministry’s projects for 2024 were domiciled in Edo state.

The lawmakers said this should not be so as the Ministry is expected to cover the interest of the entire Niger Delta region.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Matthew Nwogu questioned the minister on why 70 percent of the projects for 2024 were located in Edo State.

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Nwogu said, “Mr Minister, tell us why most of these 2024 budgets (projects) are situated in Edo State?”

The lawmaker wondered why other states under the Ministry were excluded while the bulk of the projects went to Edo State.

Another member of the Committee, Rep Chinedu Ogar, also asked the Minister to explain to the committee on why 70 percent of the 2025 proposed projects of the ministry are also located in Edo State.

“Honorable Minister, I am happy that you are a product of the National Assembly. My constituents are not happy with this your budget because it negates the constitutional principle of federal character. About 70 percent of your projects are located in Edo state. Why?” Ogar questioned.

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Chairman, House Committee on Regional Development, Eugene Okechukwu, urged the questions to be discussed in an executive session. The committee thereafter dissolved into an executive session to interface with the minister on the matter.

Earlier, while presenting the 2024 budget performance, the Minister had told the members that out of the N20 billion allocated to the Ministry in 2024 for capital budget, N2 billion was provided for zonal intervention in the Ministry’s budget by the House Leader, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, who is from Edo State.

The Minister told the Committee that the Ministry’s total budget proposal for 2025 was N28.9 billion comprising N24 billion for capital projects; N2.7 billion for personnel cost and N1.6 billion for recurrent.

He said of the amount, a total sum of N2 billion was reserved as a zonal intervention project for the Leader of the House of Representatives.

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The Minister lamented that the amount earmarked for the Ministry of Regional Development to address the development needs of the five regional development commissions is inadequate.

He appealed to the joint committee to increase the budget of the ministry to enable it to address the development issues of the regions through the commissions.

The minister lamented that due to inadequate budgetary allocation, the ministry had been facing the challenges of a litany of abandoned and uncompleted projects; delay in project completion and poor performance.

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DSS arrests three for assaulting operatives during LSHA crisis

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested three persons linked to the alleged assault on its officers during the crisis that rocked the Lagos State House of Assembly, following the removal Mudashiru Obasa, as Speaker

Apparently sensing danger, some lawmakers had mobilized their supporters to the Assembly Complex, but these supporters allegedly attacked some DSS officers who were invited by the Assembly leadership to secure the facility. Security sources revealed that “after extensive analysis of CCTV footage, we were able to clearly identify three of the suspects”.
“The suspects, Ibrahim Olanrewaju Abdulkareem, a photographer and two others attached to the Assembly’s Seargent at Arms, Adetu Adekunle Samsudeen and Adetola Oluwatosin Fatimoh, a lady, were consequently tracked and arrested during the week in different parts of Lagos,” The trio have since confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court, the source said.

It would be recalled that the Lagos Assembly had in a leaked memo dated 14th February, 2025 and addressed to the DSS Director in the State, and Heads of other Security Agencies in Lagos State, told the Security Agencies in Lagos that, there was credible information to the effect that, Obasa had planned to forcefully reinstate himself today, February 18, 2025.
Accordingly, the Assembly management, held the view that, the development posed “a potential security threat” to it and its members.

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Police seal OSSIEC office, officials nabbed, says chairman

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC), Hashim Abioye, has claimed that the police have sealed off the headquarters in Osogbo.

In a video post on the OSSIEC X handle, Abioye accused the police of also arresting election officials and blocking journalists from covering the local government election.

According to him, several OSSIEC officials were detained while on their way to polling units on Saturday.

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Attempts by our correspondent to reach Abioye for further details proved abortive as his telephone line was switched off.

The OSSIEC chair, in the post, assured voters that materials had been deployed to affected areas.

So far so good, the reports have been positive and the conduct has been very smooth and peaceful as against the false alarm raised by the police. Everywhere is calm,” Abioye said.

“The only thing is that in some of the areas in which materials are supposed to have arrived for voters to cast their votes, we had reports of police arresting our officials.

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“I don’t know on whose order because there is no court order that warranted the arrest of officers of our officials.

“As it is, we have deployed materials to those units because we have enough on the ground.

For our people in the media community, I want to apologise for the inadequacy of the tags and the jackets because we have enough but the police sealed our office and that was not warranted at all.”

Abioye’s comments come after police had called for the local government election to be called off by the state government, citing a security threat.

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In a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Friday, the Police said it received credible intelligence indicating a likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the planned elections proceed.

The police explained that reports gathered from joint intelligence gathering revealed that various groups, including political elements and other interested parties, are mobilising to instigate unrest, disrupt public peace and undermine the democratic order.

However, the Osun State government acknowledged the police’s advice but insisted on going on with the election.

Channels Television reports that the election eventually went on as scheduled on Saturday.

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I have never insulted President Tinubu in my entire life”-Gov Adeleke

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has said he has never insulted President Bola Tinubu in his entire lifr

He praised him for his support of the rule of law during the ongoing local government elections in the state.

Speaking to newsmen in his hometown of Ede on Saturday, Adeleke emphasized the importance of maintaining legal integrity in the electoral process.

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The governor also took the opportunity to clarify that he had never made any negative comments about the president. “I did not at any point make any negative remarks about Mr. President. Any news reports suggesting that I criticized him are completely false,” Adeleke stated. “I have always been supportive and cooperative with the federal government.”

Adeleke further assured the public that his past broadcasts, including two addressed to the people, did not contain any attacks on President Tinubu. He urged the public and relevant stakeholders to disregard any fake news regarding his position on the president, especially in the context of the ongoing election.

Reflecting on the local government election, the governor described the process as smooth and well-organized, offering praise to the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) for its efficient conduct.

Also commending the electorate, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye, the Secretary to the State Government, praised the large turnout of voters in the election. Speaking in Osogbo, Igbalaye highlighted the peaceful nature of the voting process and expressed confidence that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would emerge victorious.

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“I want to commend the electorate for coming out in large numbers to cast their votes. The election has been peaceful, and I believe the PDP will win,” Igbalaye remarked.

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