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Contractors Besiege Imo Govt. House, Demands N450 Million

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Contractors under the aegis of Genuine Unpaid Road Contractors in Imo State have laid siege at the Government House, Owerri in demand of the payment of over N450 million debt on various road construction executed for the state government by their companies.

In their open letter addressed to the state Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha dated November 9, 2015 and signed by Messers. A.M. Ogirima,  G.I. Oparaku,  J.M. Onyeukwu,  A.A. Nwafor, C.O. Ibezim and Eze G. Paul, they appealed to the governor to pay them for the work they did in the first term of his administration, as their projects were duly executed and payment certificates issued to them.

“The payment certificates on these contracts were processed and forwarded in memoranda by the relevant ministry and committees to the office of the Executive Governor, after necessary site inspection and due certification of the contractors’ works, by inspection teams of engineers and contract administrators of the state government.

“These payment certificates with accompanying inspection reports and other annexures were all duly acknowledged by the office of the Executive Governor of Imo state as delivered”, the letter read.

According to them, it is noteworthy that after signing the contract on the construction of these roads, the contractors were prevailed-upon by then state government to move equipment, labour and materials to site and commence the execution of these road contracts without payment of mobilization fees necessary for road construction contracts.

They recalled that it was an agreement with the state government that the contractors should source for funds, deploy expertise together with materials and move to commence execution of the roads to prove their competence and quality and then get paid immediately on attainment of agreed milestones.

The affected contractors maintained that they had all worked to the agreed percentages of work and milestones to deserve payment in accordance to terms and parties obligation in the contract, even as they all borrowed money from banks and various areas in order to reach to the agreed percentage.

“Some of us have even completed their projects to asphalt surfacing level, thereby saving the roads from damage from erosion by rains deploying self-funds. It is disheartening and indeed highly frustrating that the good gesture of the contractors are not reciprocated but rather the payment obligation by the government within the contract is not fulfilled for over two years now”, the fumed.

They, however, pleaded with government to reduce their level of frustration occasioned by the condition they have been put into due to litigation from banks leading to loss of company properties as collateral to financial institutions, trauma they have suffered even as some have died as a result of their indebtedness to these financial institutions, etc.

ThisDay

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Damagum’s Planned Sack Tears PDP National Leaders, Governors Apart 

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The governors elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the party’s National Working Committee have been divided over plans to remove IIiya Umar Damagum as the party’s acting national chairman.

While Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, disclosed that plans have been finalized to remove Damagum, his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, has expressed support for the embattled national chairman.

Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri pledged his full support for Damagum, but Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke stated that he would respect the decision of the NWC regarding the acting chairman’s dismissal.

After meeting with the party’s NWC, Mohammed declared that Damagum must go, arguing that it is a constitutional aberration for him to remain in office. He noted that the North Central should be allowed to complete the tenure of former national chairman Ayu, who hails from Benue State.

In contrast, Makinde voiced his full support for Damagum. Speaking on Tuesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the upgrade of Ibadan Airport to international standards, Makinde emphasized that this is not the right time for the party to allow further crisis.

For Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, the relevant provisions of the PDP Constitution should prevail in the ongoing crisis within the party. Adeleke stated, “I stand by the Constitution of our great party, which clearly spells out the succession procedure in the event of the exit of an elected chairman. I also support the resolution of the PDP Governors’ Forum, of which I am an integral part. Our party must adhere to its Constitution at this critical time and at all times. That is the way to build a responsible political party.”

Damagum’s position as acting national chairman has always been precarious, as he occupies a position zoned to the North Central. Prof. Iyorchia Ayu, from Benue State in the North Central, became the national chairman after the position was ceded to that zone, but Damagum, from Kebbi State in the North East, was appointed acting national chairman after Ayu was forced out in 2023.

The PDP North Central caucus has been advocating for Damagum to step down so that the zone can produce a substantive national chairman to complete Ayu’s tenure. However, the party’s leadership remained silent on the matter until Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, one of Damagum’s major backers, threatened to disrupt the states of PDP governors who supported their Rivers State colleague, Siminalayi Fubara.

Damagum had been working with Wike to diminish Fubara’s influence within the Rivers PDP, leading to speculation that the governor might leave the party. Damagum handed Wike control of the PDP structure in Rivers after approving the state congress held on August 31, 2024, where Wike’s loyalists secured all positions. Fubara and his camp boycotted the congress.

Wike was summoned by the PDP Disciplinary Committee following his outburst against the governors, who responded by openly backing Fubara, insisting that he, as governor, should be recognized as the party’s leader in his state.

However, Investors King reports that as the governors and Wike engage in a battle for supremacy, indications have emerged that Damagum is poised to become the sacrificial lamb.

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Tinubu Warns INEC, Political Parties Against Rigging, Violence as Edo Governorship Election Holds Tomorrow 

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Bola Tinubu

As residents of Edo State within the voting age file out to elect their new governor on Saturday, September 21, 2024, President Bola Tinubu has called on all stakeholders in the upcoming Edo State governorship elections to conduct themselves peacefully and sportingly.

The task is coming amid tension and allegations of meditated arrest and planned rigging by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

There has been heavy deployment of security operatives in the state ahead of the polls.

The distribution of non-sensitive materials took place in Benin City on Thursday amid tight security forces.

Already, a public holiday had been declared in the state today by the government for workers and other electorate to travel to their polling units to cast their ballots for the successor of Goodwin Obaseki.

However, the President, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, warned INEC against compromising the integrity of the poll.

Tinubu also implored the governorship candidates, political parties, and supporters to respect the democratic process and the people’s will.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu believes in the voters’ ability to make informed decisions about their future leaders.

President Tinubu emphasised that democracy thrives on civility, tolerance, patience, and respect for the rules of the game.

He noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has committed to conducting a free and fair election and urges all stakeholders to work together to ensure a successful and peaceful process.

The President commended the governorship candidates and political parties for their campaigns, which have focused on issues that matter most to the people of Edo State, including improving livelihoods, promoting economic growth, and contributing to national development.

He urged all citizens in the state to remain peaceful and respectful throughout the voting process. He encourages them to resolve any disagreements amicably through the constituted authorities.

“In addition, President Tinubu expresses unwavering confidence in the professionalism and integrity of security agencies and INEC officials. He urges them to remain impartial and avoid any actions that could compromise the integrity of the electoral process,” Onanuga said.

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Worsening Hardship: Fresh Pressure Mounts on Tinubu’s Ministers Over Planned Cabinet Rejig 

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There is apparent fear within the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu over plans by the president to relieve some of the ministers of their duties.
Sources in the presidency said the looming rejig of the cabinet is due to widespread complaints of hunger by many Nigerians.
Top among the ministries that will be mainly affected in the cabinet reshuffle is the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Sources close revealed that the presidency might completely scrap the ministry.
The move, according to the impeccable insiders, is also to streamline government operations and eliminate underperforming ministries.
It was further learned that the cabinet reshuffle would go beyond portfolio swaps. Instead, some portfolios and ministries would be split, merged, or scrapped.
Those in the know opined that the planned reshuffling and scrapping is overdue and that the President would have announced the changes in the cabinet last week but for his trip out of the country.
They said Tinubu would also restructure some of the ministries for effectiveness and output owing to the alleged protest against bad governance and poverty in the country.
Other sources said President Tinubu aims to finalize changes before departing for the United Nations General Assembly.
They said that the development has ignited fear among the ministers as some who don’t have much closeness with the presidency are said to be loitering around Aso Rock to lobby their stay in their respective positions.
Upon his assumption of office, President Tinubu appointed 48 federal ministers and bagged a record as the President with the highest cabinet size since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.
Some analysts in the country had argued that the large cabinet size would drain the country’s already depleted purse.
In January, this year, one of the nine female ministers, Betta Edu, was suspended by Tinubu over N585million scandal.
While in suspension, Edu incurred the anger of Nigerians in July 2024, after she made a comeback with a condolence message to victims of the collapsed school building in Jos in her official capacity as the humanitarian affairs minister by using the official letterhead of the ministry.
Investors King reports that since then, nothing has been heard about her alleged fraud even as the presidency remains mute.

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