News
Transition Committee seeks probe into N410bn debts
The Transition Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo has recommended a probe into more than N410 billion local and foreign debts allegedly owed by the state.
The committee made the recommendation on Monday in its report presented to the governor-elect, Sen. Monday Okpebholo ahead of his inauguration on Tuesday as the fifth democratically elected governor of the state.
Presenting the document, Dr Pius Odubu, who is the Chairman of the committee, said the committee was presented with N410 billion debts as against the N55 billion inherited by the outgoing government in 2016.
“For those of you who have the capability to fact-check, you will find out that the indebtedness today is much more. It is over N500billion,”he said.
Odubu, who is an erstwhile deputy governor in the state, said the committee also recommended a review of Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on the management of Central and Stella Obasanjo hospitals.
“All employment carried out in the recent past should be cancelled, while the governor should investigate the true ownership of the Ossiomo power plant and Raddisson Blu Hotel.
“The same with Museum of West Africa Arts-MOWAA. We deserve to know the state’s equity in these companies as the outgoing government went blank on these enquiries.
“We also demanded a comprehensive review of the world bank funded EdoBest programme and a probe should be instituted to uncover its rather opaque operations.
“All major contracts issued by the state government under the Ministry of Roads and Bridges should be reviewed as they appear not to have followed due process, including the payment advance awarded to the contractors.
“The procurement agency indicted the government in its own report to the Transition Committee; hence we have advised the incoming Governor to take a critical review,”he said.
The committee chairman also called for the streamlining of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ecosystem in the state, which he said appeared to be a duplication of duties.
“The outgoing government didn’t provide audited financial statements published or unpublished, hence the committee is advising government to institute an enquiry into this.
“The government couldn’t account for the number of teachers in the state; hence we demand a proper teacher headcount,”Odubu said.
The committee chairman said the document, made up of 24 page report and 800 annexures, was a product of three weeks of rigorous assignments, meetings, interactions, engagements and analyses of the documents presented to the committee.
“We are proud to present to Your Excellency, our report based on our findings after a careful examination and analyses of the official documents received from the outgoing government transition team.
“Your Excellency, it will interest you to know that the report being presented to you this afternoon was derived from our collective inputs during the several sessions we had as a team.
“We did not just carefully examine the five thematic pillars as presented by the government’s transition team, we took time to look at other information available to the committee through our interactions with relevant stakeholders in the state.
Responding, the governor-elect commended the committee members for doing a thorough job, saying the document would help the incoming government. (NAN)
Nollywood star Annie Idibia opens up about life after her separation from music legend 2Baba. The actress reveals her daughters, Isabella and Olivia, are her strongest source of strength and emotional support.
She expressed her feelings during a red carpet interview at the Headies Awards, the actress spoke openly about how her daughters, Isabella and Olivia, have become her greatest pillar of strength during this emotional transition.
Her candid conversation sparked widespread admiration from fans, especially for the way she continues to prioritise her family and remain grounded amid personal turmoil.
During the emotional exchange at the prestigious awards show, Annie made it clear that her daughters are not just her children but the centre of her universe. She described Isabella and Olivia as her “only family” and her “backbone”, highlighting the deep bond she shares with them.
Annie shared her message in Pidgin English: “My children dey Kampe. The first one dey Yankee, she dey go school. No play with that girl o. I don’t play with my kids. Na them be my backbone.”
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has announced plans to establish a centralised system for the authentication and verification of all travel documents in Nigeria.
He made this known during a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday with the United Kingdom’s Minister of State, David Hanson.
In the company of Hanson were delegates from the UK Home Office, National Crime Agency, and the British High Commission.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the initiative aims to tackle immigration and document fraud, particularly those associated with border control.
“We discovered that one of the key drivers of rising document fraud is the absence of a centralised, real-time verification system,” he said.
“Currently, if someone submits 20 documents, you may need to contact 20 different issuing agencies to verify them. That breeds inefficiency.”
He explained that the proposed system would allow real-time verification of all documents—such as bank statements, passports, and certificates—at a single centre.
The minister also said Nigeria was ready to take the lead in formulating a regional strategy for border control, noting that regional differences required customised approaches.
“To tackle a heterogeneous problem with a homogeneous approach will not work,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
“That’s why we’re planning a regional border conference to allow for the development of unified yet adaptable strategies to combat migration and border-related challenges.”
He further disclosed that Nigeria’s EU visa solution platform would go live on May 1.
According to him, this will allow for more efficient processing and international cooperation while safeguarding national security and promoting investment.
“We now have a policy that ensures a response—approval or rejection—within 24 to 48 hours of applying for an EU visa,” he said.
Speaking on President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, Tunji-Ojo emphasised the administration’s commitment to preventing corruption rather than merely reacting to it.
“Our performance will be judged not by the number of convictions or recoveries but by how many crimes or frauds we prevent,” he said.
In his remarks, Hanson expressed the UK’s readiness to continue collaborating with Nigeria to improve criminal justice outcomes.
Hanson noted that the UK was reviewing its e-visa system and migration policies while exploring ways to expand trade, business, and skills development opportunities with Nigeria.
“My colleagues at the High Commission are eager to maintain strong engagement with the Nigerian government,” he said
According to him, the UK looks forward to enhancing cooperation in tackling crime and fraud.
“You can rest assured that the National Crime Agency, the High Commission, and the Home Office are ready to extend a hand of partnership,” he said.
….Says Atiku on his way out of PDP
…It was against my people’s will
Former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has revealed that ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar is preparing to leave the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Recall that, Atiku was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, with Okowa as his running mate.
On March 20, 2023, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and others jointly announced the creation of a coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
The move has sparked ongoing discussions about the potential for a united opposition, with political leaders expressing varied opinions.
Speaking on Arise News on Tuesday, Okowa—who officially joined the All Progressives Congress on Monday—expressed regret for not aligning with his people in supporting a southern candidate in 2023 instead of accepting the role as Atiku’s running mate. He said, “Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power.
“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
He added that the election of the current Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, proves that the people still have confidence in their leadership.
Okowa added, “That showed the people still believed in us, believed in me. They said you’ve done well, and we will support the governor you have chosen. And they did.”
When asked about his communication with Atiku before leaving the PDP, Okowa responded, “I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders meetings this week (in the last week) and that it was going to be a leadership meeting and the outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we were no longer comfortable with the PDP.
“And I also know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he has passed on to me, and that Nigerians know already.”