Politics
I’m Proud Of You, VP Tells A’Ibom Gov
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has said he is very proud of Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State for his great achievements in the area of infrastructure and industrialisation in the six years of his stewardship as governor of the state.
Osinbajo, who spoke while commissioning the 21-Storey Dakkada Towers on Friday in Uyo, recalled that in 2015 the governor had shared the vision of his administration to construct the tallest building in the South-South and South-East regions.
He noted that the 21-storey smart building is not just the tallest in the region, but certainly among the tallest in Nigeria and in West Africa.
He congratulated the governor and members of his team who had worked so hard to ensure the realisation of the vision as well as the project developers for delivering the edifice in good time.
His words, “So the completion of the Dakkada Towers will most definitely address the questions of the paucity of world-class office accommodation for both the local and corporate international companies, especially oil and gas companies. This will certainly boost the revenue of the state and open doors for further investments.
“With this development, the big players in corporate Nigeria, especially in the oil and gas industry should now find it entirely auspicious to relocate their administrative headquarters to Uyo. I hear that various expressions of interest have already been received from companies in the oil and gas, banking and all various sectors of the economy.
“The Dakkada towers is a catalyst for the private sector, to leverage on the emerging real estate market by constructing more skyscrapers which will be required, as the promoters and partners of several of the industrial projects here in Akwa Ibom State begin to demand quality accommodation for their offices.
“I am very proud of what my brother has achieved in the six years of his stewardship as the governor of this state, especially with his industrialisation agenda. There will also be new jobs created, transfer of knowledge and technology as the tower is put to use”
The vice president, who earlier flagged off the 557 low density “Dakkada Luxury Estate, underscored the importance of infrastructure in attracting investment, noting that the federal government has spent over N8.9trillon on infrastructural development in the country as of last year.
“As you are aware, since the inception of our administration Mr President has prioritised the development of infrastructure. And despite the severe economic headwind we experienced in the past six years we have invested more than any administration on infrastructure.
“As of last year, we had expended over N8.9trillion on infrastructure. Just last month the Federal Executive Council approved the Lagos-Calabar rail project which will pass through Uyo as a major station. At the end of last year the council also approved the full business case for the Ibom Deep Seaport”, Osinbajo disclosed.
In his remarks earlier, the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, appreciated the vice president for his consistent show of love towards Akwa Ibom State, saying he was greatly excited because when he started the project the naysayers said he would not be able to complete it.
“But today, we are presenting to Akwa Ibom people in Nigeria, in the Diaspora, the smartest, the most intelligent, and the tallest building that Nigeria can boast of” Emmanuel said.
He noted that the IOCs will have no excuse not to relocate their administrative headquarters to the state, stressing, “If you check the balance sheet of the IOCs, hardly will you see them erecting any building, but they pay rent. They used to complain we can’t do this, we can’t have office accommodation, that excuse has ended today.
“We are spearheading innovations that will generate revenue, create jobs and put us on the world map. People see me working, and they say you are not working as a second-term governor. There is no second term in my blood vein. What I am doing is to move Akwa Ibom forward. That is why I refused to be distracted”
Earlier in his goodwill message, the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Hakan Cakil, expressed satisfaction over the quality of work done at the 21-storey smart building and thanked the government for inviting him to be part of the inauguration of the edifice which was designed and constructed by a Turkish firm, VKS Construction Company Limited.
He noted that VKS is a global company incorporated in Nigeria for over 40 years, adding, “I hope our bilateral relations will continue to grow and made stronger”
Also in his goodwill message, a former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, lauded Governor Emmanuel for fulfilling his vision to move the state forward, saying, “So today I want to congratulate you, the people of Akwa Ibom State for what is happening here. It is leadership, some may not see it, but in a couple of years to come, they will appreciate what has been done here”,
On her part, the Senator representing Akwa Ibom South (Eket Senatorial District), Senator Akon Eyakenyi, said Akwa Ibom people were proud of the governor because they unanimously gave him the mandate to serve in 2015.
By: Reward Akwu
Lawyers representing the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the ongoing local government election tribunals in Benue State have written to the panels’ chairmen over growing security concerns at the tribunal venues.
The lawyers expressed their fears in three separate letters signed by Matthew Burkaa (SAN), Mohammed Ndarani (SAN), and Sunday Ameh (SAN) for Zone A, B and C senatorial districts, addressed to the tribunal chairpersons and made available to journalists in Makurdi.
The local government councils election petitions tribunals were all sitting in Makurdi, the state capital.
In their letters titled “Re: Notice of Tribunal Sitting on Monday 24th February 2025, and Our Security Concerns”, the lawyers urged the court not to sit because of the security concerns.
Mr Burkaa, who is representing the Zone B senatorial district in his letter, said he and his team were representing 294 respondents in all the pending 104 petitions before the tribunal in the zone.
He stated that they received notice through the tribunal secretary, Emmanuel Awuhe, via the ‘Local Government Petition Tribunal Makurdi’ WhatsApp group of the tribunal’s intention to sit on February 24.
Mr Burkaa said the lawyers had received a directive that the tribunal would not sit on February 21, the initially scheduled date and would be heard Monday, February 24.
“We hereby, with regard to the hearing notice against Monday, state our reservation against the said sitting of the tribunal on the following grounds:
“We have noted the brewing tense security situation around the court premises and within the state in the past few days.
“The state of affairs has created a serious security concern for us, as we fear for the safety of our team of lawyers and our clients should they attend the sitting on the said date.
“Consequent upon the above, we hereby respectfully request that the tribunal sitting be adjourned to a further and tentative date when adequate security measures would have been put in place to guarantee our collective security.
“We will be delighted if our request is granted with immediate and adequate consideration,” he said.
Also, Mr Ndarani, representing respondents in the 93 petitions pending before the Zone A senatorial district tribunal, aligned completely with Mr Burkaa.
Mr Ameh, counsel for Zone C respondents in the pending petitions at the tribunal, said the issue of security raised in his letter was a serious one.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Marvis Ossai, on Monday prayed a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the Delta North Senatorial seat vacant, following the defection of Sen. Ned Nwoko to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Ossai, filed the suit marked: FCH/ABJ/CS/325/2025, seeking the lawmaker’s removal, having defected from the party on which platform he came into the Senate.
The plaintiff also urged the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to, within 60 days from the delivery of judgement in the matter, conduct a by-election into the Delta North Senatorial District.
Aside from Nwoko, the INEC, PDP and the Senate, were cited as defendants in the matter.
Specifically, the plaintiff, through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Johnmary Jideobi, posed a lone question for the determination of the court.
He prayed among other reliefs, for: “An order of this Honourable Court, directing the INEC (the 2nd defendant) to conduct a bye-election into the Delta North Senatorial District of the Nigerian Senate within sixty (60) days from the date of the delivery of judgment herein.
“An order of this Honourable Court declaring vacant the seat of Ned Munir Nwoko and cancelling his Certificate of Return issued to him by INEC.
“An order of this Honourable Court mandating the 1st Defendant, Nwoko, to refund into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, forthwith, all the salaries, emoluments and allowances received by him since January, 2025 until the date of the final judgment in this matter.
“An order disqualifying the 1st defendant from standing election into any elective post under the amended 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until and unless he complies with every terms of the judgment in this suit.
“An order mandating the 4th defendant (Senate) to immediately give effect to the judgment of this Honourable Court.”
In a five-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one Ibrahim Isa, the plaintiff, told the court that Sen. Nwoko had on Jan. 30, resigned from the PDP which was the political party on whose platform he was elected to occupy the Delta North Senatorial seat till 2027.
According to the plaintiff, who told the court that he is from Oshimili North Local Government Area in Delta North Senatorial District, Sen. Nwoko’s continued stay in office after his defection, would amount to a gross violation of the constitution.
“That since when the 1st defendant decamped from the PDP up to the present moment of initiating the instant suit, there is never any division in the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“That the ideology of the 1st defendant’s new party, APC, to which the 1st defendant now fully subscribes, does not bear any similarity or represent the political philosophy of the PDP (which is the basis upon which the Plaintiff resolved to cast his vote for and elected the Defendant in 2023).
“That the conduct of the defendant in defecting from the PDP to APC has dealt a major blow to the fortunes of the plaintiff’s party, the PDP.
“That the conduct of the 1st defendant being challenged herein if not condemned and upturned by this Honourable Court will continue to encourage political harlotry, legislative rascality and destroys the reasons for the laws made to regulate the defection of National Assembly Members by the Constitution of Nigeria itself.
“That the continuous stay of the 1st defendant at the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria does no longer represent the Plaintiff’s interest or that of thousands of other members of our constituency who voted him in on the basis of our faith in our Party’s manifesto which they believed the 1st Defendant was capable of representing in the Federal Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That the defendant is now representing adverse interests of the people who fought the Plaintiff’s party tooth and nail [in the year 2023] to forestall the emergence of the 1st Defendant as the Member Representing Delta North Senatorial District Federal Constituency on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP).
“That time is of the greatest essence in the instant application.
“It will be in the interest of justice for this Honourable Court to grant the prayers contained on the face of this Originating Summons,” the affidavit further read.
The suit is yet to be assigned to any judge for hearing.
President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, on Monday, defended the tax reform bills introduced to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu, saying that the bills would shape the future of the country’s economy.
He spoke in Abuja as the Senate Committee on Finance opened the long-awaited public hearing on the bills, urging all stakeholders to thoroughly examine the bills, considering the impact they would make on revenue generation and redistribution in the country.
The tax reform bills are, The Nigeria Tax Bill (NTB) 2024; The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) 2024; The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill (NRSEB) 2024; and The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill (JRBEB) 2024.
Sen. Akpabio noted that the misconceptions and fears about the bills were spread mostly by persons and groups that had hardly read the provisions.
He called all those opposing the bills to seize the opportunity of the public hearing to tell Nigerians why they believed the bills were bad for their well-being.
The Senate President stated, “The four bills, some leaders and elders have never read them. They only rush to the television to make comments.
“I call on all Nigerians, who are against the bills, to come and make their contributions. Don’t follow social media commentaries to act, read the bills.
“This is the future of Nigeria, these tax reform bills. All oversights by the Senate are suspended for now for us to devote enough time to the public hearing.”
Sen. Akpabio observed that while discussions or pronouncements about tax scare people, the truth remains that less than 30% of Nigerians pay taxes.
According to him, over-reliance on crude oil revenue has made many Nigerians to assume that paying taxes is unnecessary.
“At a time when oil revenue is dwindling, we have to think out of the box by sourcing money from other areas. This is a fact.
“I don’t think up to 30% of Nigerians pay tax. Yet, everyone wants good services and good governance.
“This is Nigeria. Nobody believes in the rule of law and nobody believes that tax works”, he added.
A long list of stakeholders attended the opening of the hearing on Monday.
