The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has boasted that his party will defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as well as other political parties in the forth coming 2023 presidential poll.

Sen. Kwankwaso made the declaration Sunday July 3, 2022 during a live TV programme Politics Today, Area News Nigeria can authoritatively report.

He opined that the two major dominant political parties have failed the country and its citizens with lack of unifying the people and bad policies.

The NNPP Presidential candidate and former two term governor of Kano State, added out that if he emerges as president, he will apply intelligence and rally support from other close ally countries in solving the insecurity bedevilling the country.

He assured that with his party winning onboard in 2023 he will make sure there’s unity, fairness good governance in order to reduce the intolerance affecting the country with so much tensions .

Kwankwaso reiterated his strong political will in uniting Nigeria with good governance respect for all irrespective of tribe religion and ethnic group in making Nigeria work again.

*Says No Project Worth N10 Billion In Main Oil/Gas communities

Chief Comrade Sheriff Mulade has condemned the use of Delta State’s oil facilities located in the Ijaw and the Itsekiri areas of the State as collateral on the N150 billion loan by the Delta State Government.

Chief Mulade made this known on Friday, 1st July, 2022, in a statement issued in Asaba, after his congratulations to the Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on his emergence as the vice presidential running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, while he further admonished the governor to judiciously use the billions of naira borrowed to execute people-oriented development projects for the benefit of Deltans, devoid of politics.

According to the Delta-born advocate and environmental right activist, the Delta State Governor obtained a N150bn loan, part of which he (Okowa) said was meant for the construction of an International Conference Centre in Asaba, as well as other development infrastructure in the State, using the State’s assets, especially the State’s oil facilities, as collateral.

Chief Mulade who is the custodian of the Ibe-Sorimowei title of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West LGA, Delta State, pointed out that the information was part of the findings of an independent investigation carried out on the alleged contract agreement used to acquire the said loan.

He noted, as alleged, that oil facilities in Delta State were used as collateral for the N150bn loan. If this is correct, the move will be subjecting the entire Delta Ijaw and Itsekiri nations to perpetual indebtedness and financial bondage, despite the established fact that both ethnic nationalities have not derived any significant benefit from the administration of Okowa in his over seven years of governance.

According to the statement, the facilities allegedly used as collateral include those operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited, NPDC, Shell, Exxon Mobile, Agip, Pan Ocean, Seplat, Neconde, etc, covering Escravos oil facilities, Forcados oil facilities, and others located mainly in Ijaw and Itsekiri areas of the State.

Comrade Sheriff Mulade recalled that the Delta State House of Assembly, in May 2022, approved a request from Governor Okowa to borrow the sum of N150bn in favour of the State Government, with Dr. Okowa claiming that the loan was principally meant to settle the arrears of unpaid job certificates earned by contractors with respect to the completion of some ongoing legacy projects awarded by past and present administrations, and that part of the loan would be used to take care of outstanding pension commitments to the State and Local Government pensions in the contributory pension scheme.

Chief Mulade also recalled that earlier in February 2022, the Delta State House of Assembly approved Governor Okowa’s request for N12bn bridging finance facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the State to cushion the effects of the repayment of Federal Government’s intervention facilities, on the expiration of the forbearance period.

The statement also added that in December 2021, the Delta State House of Assembly approved another request by Governor Okowa for a N20bn loan facility from Fidelity Bank Plc to finance the State Government’s five per cent equity in the UTM Offshore Limited Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) Project.

Chief Mulade alleged that the above loans, borrowed by the State Governor, and other funds accruing to the State from the 13% derivation fund, as well as the State IGR, were recklessly mismanaged by the state government, while Deltans are suffering and wallowing in abject poverty, with no meaningful infrastructural and civil benefits to the people, especially in the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities areas of the State.

While lamenting further, the development advocate said despite the contributions of the Itsekiri and Ijaw communities to the State revenue, no project worth of N5bn was executed in the area to give credence to the Okowa legacy project; rather, the road master administrator will gladly for political reasons refer to concrete walkways in the riverine communities as ROADS that are not linked to any community, a development he said is worrisome and a big shame on Governor Okowa and his road master administration.

Chief Mulade, swdstressed that the poor state of infrastructural, social and economic development of the riverine areas of the State, Chief Mulade said there are no access roads and bridges connecting the various communities in the riverine areas, as construction works in the areas were deliberately abandoned by Governor Okowa, including the most famous Escravors road known as the Amadino-Okerenkoko-Pepe-Ama and Kokodiagbene road project; Burutu and Ayakoromor bridge projects which have great economic values and should have contributed to the regions development; there are no health centres, schools and clean portable water, while the level of human capital development is low as the people are still wallowing in abject poverty.

Chief Mulade, therefore, called on Governor Okowa to focus on the development of the State, and use the borrowed funds to develop the State, especially the riverine areas whose over 80 per cent of its assets are being used as collateral for the N150bn and the recent 25bn loan, now that he has emerged the PDP vice presidential candidate, to win the hearts, trust and confident of Deltans before Nigerians in general.

The spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Barr. Felix Morka has described the Resident Electoral Commission, Akwa Ibom State of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Barr. Mike Igini as becoming too partisan to his job instead of playing the role of being umpire.

Barr. Morka made this allegation Friday July 1, 2022 during a live TV programme Politics Today, where he responded to questions about some of the APC primaries recently concluded and issues surrounding their Governorship and Senatorial Candidates in Akwa Ibom, the APC spokesman responded by saying that the APC as a Party have complied with relevant laws in the submission of their party candidates for Governorship and Senatorial seats in Akwa Ibom state.

According to Barr. Morka, the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio is candidate of the party and other names submitted to INEC by the party are the authentic candidates of the APC in Akwa Ibom state, adding that anyone who feels shortchanged has the right to approach the Court for redress.

He stressed that INEC Commissioner of a state doesn’t have powers to exclude any candida submitted to them as the political Party candidates.

: Celestine Ukah

The road leading to Jeddo, Ughoton, Ugbokodo, Omadino and Obodo are in terrible situation for road users in that part of the state.

 

Commuters are however saddened with the situation of the road and are urging the state Governor and PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to urgently direct the contractor handling the Jeddo road expansion to speed up the construction as well patch the portholes along the failed stretch.

Jeddo as a community is part of the constituency of the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly and PDP Governorship candidate for 2023 poll , Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and also same area of the immediate past Commissioner for Works and PDP candidate for Okpe state constituency among other notable personalities..

Residents of the area are having mixed feelings over the neglect given to the towns which are fast becoming cosmopolitan cities due to the increase in population, trade and Commercial viability increase attracting more vehicular traffic and human activities into the five communities linking Warri South and Okpe LGAs.

They appealed to the government of the state to urgently address the incessant failed roads in Warri and its environs in order to help business throve