Otuaro Hails Chief  Pondi’s Selfless Service to Niger Delta as he marks his Birthday 

Chief (Dr) Dennis Otuaro, Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, has congratulated High Chief (Engr.) Kestin E. Pondi, Managing Director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), on his birthday anniversary. Otuaro praised Pondi’s unwavering commitment to the Niger Delta region, describing him as a results-oriented person and goal getter ¹.

According to Otuaro, Pondi has been a shining example of selfless service to the Niger Delta region, impacting countless lives positively. He highlighted Pondi’s kindness, generosity, and dedication to the welfare of the people, saying, “You have given hope to the hopeless and given home to the homeless. Your generosity knows no bounds”.

Otuaro also commended Pondi’s efforts in providing job opportunities, stating, “So many of our people have been pulled out of the labor market, thanks to you.”

According to him ; ” I wish to on behalf of my dear wife, Chief (Mrs) Evimoboere Otuaro felicitate with you on your birthday”.

He expressed his fervent prayer for God to continue guiding and protecting Pondi, wishing him a happy birthday and many happy returns.

Alleged N144m Hajj Pilgrims Fraud: EFCC Arraigns Travel agent, MD in Gombe

The Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, MB Lugga Global Travels and Tours Limited, Mustapha Mohammed before Justice TG. Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Gombe, Gombe State on three-count charges bordering on intent to defraud and obtaining by false pretences to the tune of N144,162,500 (One Hundred and Forty- Four Million One Hundred and Sixty-Two Thousand and Five Hundred Naira)

Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Mustapha Mohammed , male adult, while being the Chief Executive Officer of MB Lugga Global Travel and Tours Limited and Nazifi Sale Idris (now at large) sometimes in 2024 at Gombe, Gombe state within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did with intent to defraud falsely obtained through your personal Access Bank plc account number 0026323827, the total sum of N97,080,000.00(Ninety Seven Million, Eighty Thousand Naira) from one Hamza Ibrahim Maina for the purpose of procurement of flight tickets, visas and accommodation for 2024 Ramadan Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other related offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

Count two of the charge reads: “That you Mustapha Muhammed, male adult, while being the Chief Executive Officer of MB Lugga Global Travel and Tours Limited and Nazifi Sale Idris( now at large) sometime between December, 2023 and February, 2024 at Gombe, Gombe State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud falsely obtained through your personal Access Bank plc account number 0026323827, the total sum of N29,082,500.00(Twenty Nine million, Eighty Two Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) from one Ibrahim Arabia for the Ramadan Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other fraud-related offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.

In view of his plea, prosecution counsel, SH Saad prayed the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded at the Gombe State Correctional Facility.

However, counsel to the defendant, MZ Gambo
moved a motion for bail which was vehemently opposed by the prosecution. Saad submitted that “my Lord, the defendant still has about eight (8) other pending petitions filed by different nominal complainants alleging that he defrauded them to the aggregate sum of N120,869,500 and if granted bail, he might fly the shores of Nigeria and may never be found again. Therefore, for the interest of justice, we urge my Lord not to grant the defendant bail”.

Justice Ringing having listened to both counsel,  adjourned the case for ruling on bail application and remanded the defendant at Gombe State Correctional Facility.

Nwoko’s leaving of PDP won’t affect party’s fortunes – Ward Chairman declares 

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ward 8 in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Comrade Clement Chiazor, has described Senator Ned Nwoko’s defection from PDP to APC as laughable and inconsequential.

Chiazor in a terse statement on Sunday, said Nwoko was a serial defector and chronicled his movements from the party over the years adding that his leaving the PDP at this time would have no effect on the party as was the case in the past.

While calling on members of the party in the Ward to remain united and not to be bothered or distracted by Nwoko’s defection, Chiazor said the party had never been affected by Nwoko’s serial defection.

The statement read: “Yesterday, I received a resignation letter from Senator Ned Nwoko leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“PDP Ward 8 is an indivisible, formidable, and united big family. Let’s not be distracted. Senator Ned left PDP to APGA in 2003 to contest for governorship position, and PDP didn’t die. Rather, it remains more stronger and united until he later found his way back to PDP again.

“In 2011, Senator Ned Nwoko left PDP again to DPP to contest for Senate position and PDP didn’t collapse but rather remained more flourishing until he Ned Nwoko found his way back to PDP for the second time.

“In 2023, PDP came to our rescue and gave Senator Ned Nwoko mandate to represent the good people of Delta North Senatorial District in the Red Chamber. Just barely one year and a few months as a Senator, he has left the party again to APC. (Laughable)

“Therefore, we urge our teeming supporters to remain focused, be formidable, loyal, faithful, and committed to the party, PDP.
Let us not be distracted.

“It pays to be loyal, for every worker has a payday.

“We will continue to chat the way forward of our great party in bringing the much needed infrastructural and human capital development in line with the M.O.R.E AGENDA of our Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Sheriff Oborevwori.

“PDP remains the only viable party in Delta North and Delta State in general. God bless our leaders, stakeholders, and our teeming supporters.”

U S Military conducts airstrikes against Islamic state group in Somalia- President Trump

The United States military on Saturday conducted air strikes on Islamic State group targets in Somalia, President Donald Trump revealed.

“According to him This morning I ordered precision military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted I.S-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains in the semi-autonomous Puntland region.

“Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed,” Hegseth said in a statement.

Local commanders confirmed the strikes to AFP.

“We don’t know so far the number of the casualties, but we believe the missiles precisely hit the targets,” a military commander in the Bossaso area, Mohamed Ali, told AFP by phone.

“We believe there are casualties of the terrorist leaders, including the foreigners who the Puntland forces were chasing in the last few days,” he said.

2023: Why I rejected Oborevwori’s One billion Naira offer during  Governorship election primaries -Chief Ikie reveals

**Says he’s back fully to APC

A renowned legal practitioner based in United Kingdom and Nigeria, Chief Barr. Aghwarianovwe Novwe Ikie has explained why he rejected the sum of One billion naira allegedly offered him by the Sheriff Oborevwori camp during the 2023 Governorship primaries, saying he was not interested In money politics but legacy.

Chief Ikie made this disclosure to newsmen at his hometown ,Thursday January 30, at Eku, Ethiope East LGA, Delta State when he played host to All Progressives Congress APC leaders and members in an events which also coincided with his 62nd birthday.

Chief Ikie who was also a governorship aspirants in the PDP during the 2023 general elections said he is not interested in politics for personal wealth but on how to make people better and happy.

According to him ” if I was interested in money, the offer of One billion naira that the camp of Sheriff Oborevwori gave to me then I would have accepted it. I don’t have One billion Naira cash, I would have had One billion naira but that is not who I am but legacy like my leader His Excellency Senator Ovie Omo-Agege

“I was a founding member of PDP left, came back so now that I am here they should know otherwise they will be confused if I am still in PDP because I contested the primaries with Governor Sheriff’s Oborevwori and went to court all the way to the supreme Court so they could be confused out there. Today I want everybody to know that yes I am back fully and I am not going anywhere and I am in APC full stop” He said.
“The need to respect the grassroots which is very important if you want to win elections you need to embrace the grassroots and you cannot go through high racketeers having leaders, Above all I have one leader and that leader is His Excellency Senator Ovie Omo-Agege that’s the leader I have, I don’t have besides him, so we must do everything to make sure that he emerges, as the next democratic Governor of Delta State and when he emerges I am confident
I know him and I know he means well for Delta state, look at what he did in Orogun that is legacy”.

During the APC meeting some persons defected from the People’s democratic party PDP in Ethiope East Ward Nine to the APC and were received by the Local Government APC Chairman, Chief Julius Ogboru, a scenario Chief Ikie described as incidental.

The renowned Astute politician and Business Man, Chief Aghwarianovwe Ikie continued in his words thus “The essence of this gathering is not really for defection, defection is just incidental to it, the essence of this gathering is to celebrate myself, my person having attained 62 years bearing in mind I was a very frail child, that I survived is a miracle and thanks to a Eku Baptist hospital but incidentally life is politics, you cannot devoid or divorce politics from life,

“I am going to run for an office, 2027 is still far off so I don’t know one but what I know, I will not run for Ethiope Federal Constituency I know that because the person I call my leader is aligned with a National leader and there is no way I will go against that interest, it could be Senate, it could be House of Assembly wherever they send me I will go if the leadership of APC says this is what you must do I will do. He added.

While calling on On Nigerians in the diaspora to be involved in politics at the grassroots, Chief Ikie notes that the country needs people who are in diaspora to come back and change the narrative because they believe in functioning democracy “I have been encouraging them, I have come straight from the United Kingdom and I am here in my village in Eku, we don’t have Lions roaming the streets consuming people, Nigeria is safe, there is something about living abroad when you stayed a way for a long time you become very frightened, you have heard stories but it is not as bad as they make it to be so I encourage them to invade the political space so if we want to save this place we need people from the diaspora to come and invade the space so that we can do what is right”. Chief Ikie posited

Delta: Senator Nwoko resigns from PDP,
Cites deep divisions, factionalism within Party

**As Delta now have three APC Senators across Districts

Senator Ned Nwoko, representing the Delta North senatorial District in the National Assembly, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party he has been a foundational member of since its inception in 1999.

In a letter dated January 30, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of PDP Ward 8 in Aniocha North Local Government Area, Senator Nwoko outlined his reasons for leaving the party.

He cited deep divisions and factionalism within the party, which have made it increasingly difficult to foster unity and effectively advance the collective interests of the people.

Nwoko also highlighted a disturbing incident on January 29, 2025, when top party officials engaged in physical violence, stemming from the irreconcilable factions within the party.

He expressed his dismay at the degeneration of the party’s leadership to such a level of dysfunction.

Despite his departure, Senator Nwoko expressed his gratitude to the PDP for providing him the platform to contest the 2022/2023 senatorial election, which allowed him to engage with the people of Delta North and present his vision for a brighter future.

He acknowledged the solemn promises he made during his campaign, but regretted that the current structure of the party in the state has not been conducive to fulfilling those commitments.

After much reflection, the senator concluded that stepping away from the PDP was necessary in order to meet his obligations to his constituents.

He emphasized that his decision was in the best interest of his people, assuring both PDP members and his constituents that he remains dedicated to the statesmanship, unity, and advancement of Delta North.

He reiterated his commitment to the progress and prosperity of both the state and the nation.

Senator Nwoko concluded by thanking the PDP leadership and members for their support over the years, wishing the party continued success in its future endeavors.